July 10, 2020 

7:30 P.M.

Foster Residence

____________________________

"What the hell happened to your hair?"

Angie bursts out laughing as Adam descends the stairs. He had taken matters into his own hands about thirty minutes prior, to make himself look somewhat presentable. It was a bit choppy and uneven, but far better than nothing.

"Figured I'd freshen up a bit before tonight. You can kindly fuck off."

"If you were attempting to impress anyone you should just do a buzz cut and save yourself the humiliation. God that looks awful," Angie shakes her head.

"Is anyone really going to care at this point?"

"I mean if you're wanting to score a date you should try harder."

"Not really a pressing concern right now," Adam glares at his sister. He rubs the back of head, self-conscious for a brief moment, but ends up letting it go.

"Lighten up. I'm honestly looking forward to tonight. Sure, it might be dangerous, but I'm remaining..." Angie pauses for a moment, "cautiously optimistic about all this."

"Suit yourself." 

It had taken two days for them to finally agree to travel to the location on the flyer they found. Initially, they were considering throwing caution to the wind and just going for it. Yet the more thought Adam put into it, the more he started to have his doubts about the legitimacy of the flyer. Angie was still all for it, insisting that they would have weapons on them just in case it turned out to be some form of a setup. She was much more confident in her combative abilities than Adam, however, and it showed. 

When the two had finally come to an agreement, it was decided that the evening would be the safest time to move out. Not too ridiculously sweltering, with a decent amount of light left as to not waste flashlight batteries. Angie was wearing dark khaki combat pants and black boots, along with an open blue and grey flannel over a plain white t-shirt. Inside her right boot lay a small handgun, wedged less than comfortably in between her sock and the sturdy interior of the boot. Her pants were tucked into the boots as well, offering more concealment for the handgun. Adam looked slightly more casual, wearing a pair of black jeans and running shoes. He had his green and grey Ramsey High track warmup on, which provided him with a brief taste of painful nostalgia upon sliding it on over his shirt. 

Angie handed Adam a hatchet as he reached the ground floor, which he reluctantly accepts. Angie picks up a metal bat that she had propped up against a cabinet while she was waiting for Adam. 

"Just remember, fighting is a last resort, alright?" Angie reminds him.

"Yeah I know," Adam nods. "I don't think the slow ones will give us many problems as long as we stay out of their sight, but what about that other kind?" 

"Let's just hope that we don't cross paths with any of those." 

"You have the address?" 

Angie rests her bat against a shoulder and pulls out a folded up piece of paper from her pocket. She examines it for a few seconds, and tucks it away. 

"It's a decent walk, but nothing too far. It should still be light out by the time we get there." 

Adam nods silently. The two of them walk through the kitchen and remove some pieces of furniture that they had used to barricade the door to the backyard. Angie slides the glass door open, which causes a small draft of wind to creep in from outside. The faintest smell of blood comes with the breeze.

"Do you smell that?" Adam whispers. Angie concentrates for a moment and breathes in through her nose.

"That's a little unsettling. I haven't been outside much recently but I don't think that was here a week ago."

"Let's just head on over. The quicker we get there the better."

The two siblings make their way around the left side of the house, quickly hopping the fence in place of messing with the creaky wooden gate. The sun was in the process of setting, casting out shadows that crept along the streets and sidewalks of the neighborhood. 

"It's so quiet out here," Angie mumbles as she looks around, scanning the street. She catches movement out of the corner of her eye. The blinds of a window moving back and forth at the house directly across from theirs. It could be something...or her mind just playing tricks.

"Wish it could've been this calm when things were normal, it would be kinda peaceful. Which way do we go?"

"To the right. We follow Hatch until it intersects with Sloan. Then take a left, and it'll be near the end of the street." 

With New Orleans being below sea level, it was quite easy to see a long ways in every direction. The lack of hills also led to a lack in cover. This resulted in the siblings sticking close to cars and trees as they moved down the road, ready to rely on them for concealment at a moment's notice. 

"What do you think will happen when we find the place?" Adam whispers as he walks beside his sister. Angie shrugs and steps over a small bush that was in their way. 

"We can only hope for the best. I doubt anyone has truly made sense of what's happened yet." 

"Maybe you could try and explain to them what you told me?"

"I don't think that would be a great idea. People are angry. Hurting," Angie looks out across the abandoned street, to where the sun was setting. "I doubt anyone would like to hear the truth about things. Not yet, anyways."

"But maybe it could start to make things right?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I--," Adam pauses, "I don't really know. They say that the truth sets you free, right?"

"Yes, but the truth would do little good now. We can't reverse what has happened, and neither can those who are still alive. We've gotta take baby steps and focus on making it day to day for the time being."

"That doesn't sound like living to me," Adam sighs, disappointment evident in his demeanor. 

"It'll have to do. Every day above ground is a good day, remember that."

The two reach the intersection up ahead and quickly make it across to the adjacent side of the road, reaching Sloan Street. About two houses down, they hear a growl. One of the fast infected walked aimlessly around a driveway. Twitching every so often; glowing, yellow eyes darting around in search for something to attack. The siblings duck behind a car.

"I have an idea," Adam states as he grabs a tennis ball sized rock from the grass nearby. Angie smiles and gives him a nod in understanding. 

"Just throw it far."

Adam stands up slightly and observes the infected. The thing hadn't moved from the area, still milling around without purpose. He choses a house on the other side of the road. Taking great care to be silent he stretches his arm back, and with a powerful motion, hurls the rock across the street. It collides with the garage door, causing a loud reverberation on the metal. The rock clatters to the ground and rolls a few feet down the drive way. 

The moment the rock hit the garage door, the infected sprung into action, launching itself away from its location and sprinting wildly through the street. It reaches the garage door and seems to stare in confusion, snapping its head side to side in order to find the source of the commotion. 

Adam and Angie quickly move forward, eventually passing the house where the infected was originally standing, making sure to put good distance between them and the infected individual. Thankfully, there were no other undead in their way as they moved down the road. 

"Ok, this is it," Angie says optimistically as she motions to an opulent residence on the opposite side of the street. They cross over and carefully walk up to the entrance. Voices could be heard inside, and there was some light coming through the windows. Candles. 

Angie knocks quietly on the door, and they wait. Angie pulls out the address again, and takes a closer look. 

"Wait a minute, I swear I've been here before," Angie squints at the paper. Adam folds his arms as he waits for his sister to continue. 

The door opens, and a tall man looks them up and down. He had short black hair that contrasted his bright blue eyes. Adam could've sworn that he had seen the man before a few times at school. Maybe the football team. Or basketball? Angie shakes her head in disbelief. 

"Thought today couldn't get any worse," she sighs sarcastically. 

"Angie is that you?!"

"Who else?" 

The man laughs and the two hug, old friends reconnecting. Adam stands there awkwardly, and looks past the man, into the house. He could spot a few people staring back out at them, men and women of a variety of age and appearance. 

"Well, it's great to see you still alive and kicking," the man breaks off the embrace and begins to turn back inside. "Come on in."