"Your sister?"

Alexander slowed his pace, his face illustrating a mixture of confusion and fear.

What if he knows I shot her?

What if he plans to kill me out here?

"Not by blood but we're basically family, you know? We grew up in the same foster home. The th-," Scott paused and stopped walking suddenly. Alex watched him closely as Scott took in a deep breath and his gaze followed the tips of the trees.

Scott began to walk once again, continuing to speak. "Olivia was always the most resilient of us all. Even though I'm older, she always looked out for me, she's what I call real family. The foster home we lived in wasn't the best, but she made it bearable, and I'll always thank her for that."

Alexander noticed the clenched fist around the baseball bat and a wave of anger that washed over Scott's face. It was one that craved revenge, one that sought out justice.

"That's why," Scott gritted his teeth. "That's why I'll find whoever shot her and make them pay."

His resolve was terrifying to Alex. There was no lie in his promise, it was genuine. So much so that Alex's breath hitched at the thought.

His stomach felt uneasy and he felt every drop of sweat that trickled down his chest and dissolved into his boxers. His grip became clammy around the plastic bag and a faint tremble took residence in the brown pigment of his eye.

"Does she know who shot her?"

"No."

"What if they shot her for a reason?"

Scott turned around to face Alex. His eyebrows arched upward and his eyes squinted, hiding the blue in them. His jaws clenched and his head slanted to the left.

"Are you trying to justify their actions?!"

Alex could see the anger radiating from his body. Steam erupted from his ears and his face became a deep red. His fingernails etched into his palm, transforming his knuckles into a fierce white.

Alexander stepped back, waving the hand with the bat in front of him and shaking his head furiously. "No no! Not at all! I just meant humans can't be that awful to just shoot strangers, can they?"

The words Scott uttered next sent a chill crawling down Alex's spine. They hinted a story yet to be told, a story of the dangers this new world brought.

Zombies, the undead, whatever you wanted to call them, were not the only threat.

From the beginning of time, man's greatest enemy was always and will always be, man.

"You'd be surprised."

➽~➽

It was cold, yet refreshing.

The water warped around Alexander's waistline, splashing against the perfectly sculpted six-pack every so often.

Small droplets of water raced down his chest, competing for victory as they dragged the dirt from his skin.

With his hands clasped, Alex scooped up a handful of the freshwater and brought it up to his face in one quick motion.

It felt amazing.

It reminded him of a much simpler time. A time where humans had the luxury to take the little things for granted. Now he wished he appreciated them more.

You never know what you have until it's all gone.

The crowd of pine encircled him as he washed not only the dirt away, but his harsh reality along with it.

Delicate rays of light seeped through the sporadic layout of the branches and the little sky that peeked through was a melting orange, slowly creeping away as a dark sky prepared to take its place.

The wind was stilled and the glorious songs of birds resonated in Alex's ears. He was sure Scott could hear them as well but he was too caught up in the moment to check.

The spring was large and had a bolder in the middle of it, causing the water to bend around it. It was where Alexander and Scott kept their soaps and could be used to gain privacy if needed.

On land, rested against the trunk of a pine tree, were the plastic bags of clothes, the bottles, and the bats, close enough that if anything were to happen, they could easily grab them.

Alex looked to the sky and a smile tugged at his lips.

"I wish you were here." He muttered.

After bathing and washing his dirty clothes, Alex used the clean towel to pat his skin dry. A wave of peace washed over him as he was now clean of the filth the world had been stained with, even if it was momentarily.

He now wore a white polo shirt that stopped a few centimeters shy of his waist. The cotton felt smooth against his skin and so did the black denim that stopped at his ankles. Covering his feet were his black sneakers that had been clinging onto dear life by their fingertips. They were clearly nearing their end and soon needed to be replaced.

Across from him was Scott, dressed in all black from head to toe. Droplets ran down his face from the strands of blonde hair that were pressed against his forehead. Under his eyes, laid darkened bags that held the weight of many sleepless nights and exhaustion.

It had been one long week and a half since the meeting took place and countless missions to acquire adequate supplies for the long trip.

"So, um, how's she doing?" Alexander broke the silence between them.

"Olivia? She's getting better. I just wish I could stand right in front of the bastard that did that to her. I'd take great pleasure in taking his life as slowly and as painfully as possible," Scott snapped.

"H-He? I thought you, um, said she didn't know who shot her?"

Does he know?...

Dammit is he playing with me?...

"She said she didn't see the person but I just assumed, you know?" Scott responded.

Alexander sighed in relief, scratching the back of his head slowly.

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

"I mean how can you just shoot a girl, in the leg of all places, in a damn zombie apocalypse. How heartless can you really be to do something like that? I swear-"

"Scott, um, the doctor told me to collect some water samples from the stream south of here," Alex interjected, grabbing the bottles from against the trunk.

"I'll come with you." Scott offered.

How can I tell you what really happened?

I don't think you'd ever forgive me if I told you...

N

o...

I can't tell you...

"No, it's fine."

"Suit yourself," Scott responded. He gestured towards the baseball bat with his index finger. "Don't forget to take your bat. Who knows what's out there."

"Ha, after that bath I kinda forgot zombies are running around eating people." Alex joked as he gripped the baseball bat in his left hand.

It would have been impossible to do so comfortably if not for the white straps attached to the bottles, which allowed him to carry all three in one hand.

"Hurry on back."

With that, Alexander scurried away, his figure disappearing behind the vastness of green. He carefully navigated his way south and with each step he took, he could hear the subtle flow of water drawing closer.

Soon, from beyond the green, peeked a shade of blue. A blue that signaled the presence of an endless runnel and offered the fruit for his labor.

A grin overtook his face and his legs accelerated to a gallop's pace, dodging branches and bolting towards it.

He now stood above the flow, watching his reflection as it stared back deep into his soul. It was unrecognizable but he still searched for a glimmer of his old self. A glimmer of who he was, no matter how small.

But that glimmer was shrouded.

Who have I become?

Only a few months ago, his visage would have sported a genuine smile and an aura of true happiness but now? Now, his reflection echoed nothing more than grief. Nothing more than a suffering he buried each day with humor. A mask that was becoming too heavy to shoulder. Everything wasn't cheery and happy.

It was far from.

This mask might've fooled everyone else around him, but in his mirror image, no lies lasted. They were washed away, down the stream, no longer to be seen.

Alex sighed and brought himself to a crouch. He rested the bat beside him and uncovered the blue plastic bottles.

"And if the world could stop,
And start again my dear,
I promise I'd find you and,
Wipe away your tears,"

His voice harmonized with nature and could melt into the perfect symphony with the birds he heard earlier. It was a song of true love, a song he had sung to the love of his life every morning.

He continued his rendition as the bottles filled up with the water from the brook.

"Because no matter where we go,
And no matter what we do,
I'll always come right back,
I'm, running back to you.
True love is what we share,
So I'll always be right there.
I say, nothing in this world can...ever...take your...place."

After covering the last bottle, he placed it beside him and glanced at his watery image once more, imagining the person he used to be.

His voice trailed off when suddenly claps reverberated around the forest. His neck snapped upwards and rotated to locate where the round of applause originated but it was pointless.

He could not find the source.

He reached for the bat and stood up slowly, backing away from the edge of the rivulet.

"Who's there?" He questioned. "Show yourself!"

From behind a pine tree on the other side of the stream, a man emerged.

He was clothed in Olive drab and strapped across his chest was a black assault rifle. Various knives were strapped to his belt along with a silver and black Desert Eagle that was holstered on his side. His boots were a nightly black and the surface of them shone as if they were recently polished.

Only small particles of dirt stuck around the bottom.

His face was shaded by the cap he wore but Alexander could see it clearly. Down his left eye was a scar from a knife and his dark brown eyes were menacing. His grin was wide, enough to show a small gold cap on his left canine tooth.

A puzzling look compelled Alexander's face when his eyes met with the tag that lined the left pectoral of the mysterious man.

"H.D.R.D"

"Hello, Alexander Kane. It's nice to see you again."