Glass cracked under my foot as I slowly walked through the ruined store, keeping an ear out for any infected. It felt so odd to walk through the ruins of a former mall, knowing that it used to be filled with people. Now the plants and wildlife had taken the place for themselves, giving the mall an eerie quality.

Ducking under the cracked iron shutters of the nearest store, I looked around and smiled when I realized it was a small hardware store. Perfect!

I quickly scurried through the aisles, making sure that there wasn't anyone or anything inside before I actually looked at the shelves. Looters had obviously ransacked the place already but they seemed to have taken only what they deemed necessary.

Zipping my back bag open, I quickly stashed away the pockets of vegetable seeds while grinning to myself. I didn't need all of them because once I had grown them, I'd just pick the seeds from the plants and replant that.

The bags of fertilizer were too heavy to carry with me though, especially if I had to flee from a Viral or Starved. I did snatch a few bottles of the liquid fertilizer and stashed that away before zipping the bag shut again and lifting it over my shoulder.

With any luck, I'd find a store that would sell bigger bags but for now, it would have to do. Sadly there weren't any lights but I did find a few sets of rechargeable batteries and a battery charger.

By the time I had scanned the rest of the stores, it was already way in the afternoon. Dusk would soon settle in, making it that more difficult to actually try to find your way around and not bump into an infected.

A chilly wind blew through the open doors, making them creak ominously as leaves fluttered inside. My heart stuttered and froze before pumping rapidly when I heard feet scuff against tiles.

Voices sounded in the distance, making me relax just a fragment while I silently cursed myself for not leaving any sooner.

"Right here is just fine. Drop her down."

Slowly, I pushed myself on my hands, inching my bag on the ground again. I had a bad feeling as the male voice rasped out commands while multiple feet moved around.

A grunt sounded as something dropped on the floor, seconds before I heard a child whimper softly. Glancing over the shelf, I saw three men dropping down a child no older than five beside the still form of a pale woman.

"Fucking animals." Anger exploded through my body as I saw the child struggle against her bonds, a big strip of tape closing her mouth, probably to prevent her from making too much noise.

The men ignored the child as they chained the woman to the nearest post. As their jackets slipped to the side, a flash of light glistened on the machetes and makeshift knives they had strapped in their belts.

"Stop looking at me like that brat. If you wanna blame anyone, blame your mommy for getting bit." One of the men sneered as he kicked the shivering woman in the ribs. "There ain't no cure for that shit, stupid bitch should've looked after herself."

A garbled cry echoed through the room, succeeding in shutting everyone up as they all tensed, drawing their weapons instantly. I nearly scoffed at that, rolling my eyes. What were they going to do, hack away at an infected?

The sound the creature made as they did would more than likely alert the whole block of what they were doing.

"Oh shit..." One of the men gasped as the doors creaked again but this time I heard more than what I wanted.

Wheezing, gasping breaths filled the silence as I watched the young male stagger inside. His formerly hazel eyes were now bloodshot, dark liquid slipping between his fingers as he paused mid-chew.

His clothes were ragged, worn out and smeared in fresh and old blood, grime and muck. Twitching slightly, the young male looked around the room, frowning as his eyes slid over the four males in the middle of the room, the woman chained to the post and the small girl shaking in her tiny boots.

My stomach churned as the male slowly removed his hand from his mouth, black blood trickling over its throat. I covered my mouth to muffle the gag as I came to realize that this man was a Starved.

And it had been biting into a heart like it was a fucking apple.

Blood and other gore dripped from its lips as he licked them, snarling venomously as it dropped the flesh on the floor, ducking down into a crouch. I could almost see the virus burning through its veins, telling it what to do.

As soon as it realized that it actually stumbled upon humans, the thought of a fresh kill made it let out a piercing shriek. The men stumbled as they spun around, hoping the child and chained woman would be enough of a distraction to sate the Starved.

Instead, what they got was more than they had bargained for.

The chained woman herself struggled against her chains, shrieking in dismay and anger while the Starved rushed after the closest man. With a grace I'd expect from a lion, it leaped through the air, fingers tangling in the man's shirt and hair as it flew over him before I heard him howl in pain.

A wet, squelching sound resounded before the man's screams stopped abruptly, followed by the clattering of chains and two pairs of feet rushing after the fleeing man. Rushing forwards, I grabbed the shaking girl and snatched her up in my arms before running for the exit.

I made sure to keep her face tucked against my chest, leaning down to whisper reassuringly in her ear, trying to mute out the sounds behind me.

Call it fate or a stroke of pure luck but the fact that these people came here to get rid of an Infected, might've very well saved my life. The child in my arms shivered as I hid behind a building and slowly pried the tape off of her face.

Her blue eyes watered instantly, either from what she's seen or the tape pulling at her lips. I managed to sooth her as best as I could, rocking her in my arms as I heaved her up. My eyes scanned for the stance of the sun, cursing softly when I realized nighttime was approaching fast and I was nowhere near my base.

An idea took form in my mind and even though I detested it, tried to fight against the logic presented to myself, I knew there was no other way.

Eric's base wasn't too far out of the way and would more likely be willing to give the girl a new home. I just hated having to interact with any other human, especially my former best friend. He'd be more than eager to try and sway me to come live in their hideout.

I could still hear the sounds going on behind me so I softly started singing a lullaby in the girl's ear while pressing her closer to my chest, hoping she didn't have to hear what I was so clearly hearing.

The wet, disgusting sloppy sounds of flesh being ripped apart, the satisfied grunt of the two Starved as they feasted on the men. I could even hear the frantic gasps of one of the men as he crawled out of the store.

"Help...."

I tensed, glancing over my shoulder to see the man trying desperately to crawl away from the pair. The woman glanced up at his voice, blood dripping from her lips as she slowly pushed herself up.

The man must've known what I was seeing as I turned back around and moved away quicker, hunching my shoulder and starting into a run when his desperate scream blasted of the walls from the shopping mall.

"HELP ME!"

My gut tightened as the Starved woman screamed and dove in for the kill. I pushed back the guilt of leaving the man to die a horrible death and instead focused on the child in my arms, and trying to get to Eric's base before those Starved decided they needed more flesh on the menu.

---***---

A sigh of relief left me as I put the little girl down and grasped her hand. She leaned closer, wrapping one of her arms around my leg, which made walking rather awkward. Yet I understood her fear, the need to be closer to safety so I ignored it and walked towards the sport facility further ahead.

The building had been reinforced, fences chained shut and a makeshift hallway made up to funnel any people or infected coming closer into a spot that was easy to reach. Already I could see the guards in their little watchtowers stand to attention as we walked closer.

Whimpering, the child tugged at my leg, reaching her hands up until I stooped down to pick her up again. I swallowed nervously as I spotted their weapons being pointed at me, could feel my heart starting to race.

"Hands in the air."

I raised one hand, clutching onto the kid as she refused to let go and instead burrowed her face deeper against my throat.

"Hands in the fucking air!" The guard commanded, to which I rolled my eyes while motioning towards the child. "If I do that, she's going to drop down. And you can see as well that she isn't in a state of mind to let go just yet."

He grumbled slightly before motioning his gun to move along. I stepped further down the hallway, hearing the gates roll shut behind me.

"State your business here, stranger."

I sighed again before explaining that I knew Eric, who was supposed to be rather high up in the rankings of this place. The guard looked at me suspiciously but called it in anyways. He listened to the voice replying to him, nodding along before he moved me further to the building.

"Well...I'm not sure I have to be surprised you're still alive or surprised you're willingly venturing into civilization." Eric's voice washed over me like a relaxing balm, managing to shake off the last tension I felt as I chuckled and hoisted the kid higher on my hip.

Eric glanced at her and frowned. "I didn't know you've become a father, Ash." Shaking my head, I walked closer to my friend, though keeping a distance as the guards were still aiming my way. "She isn't mine, Eric. Found and saved her from a pair of Starved."

"Starved? How the fuck did you survive them?" Eric exclaimed in shock before looking down at the shivering child. His eyes softened before he nodded his head to himself. "You're not here to join us, are you?"

I shook my head, confirming what we both already knew. "Just here for the kid, Eric. And maybe to trade off some stuff."

He rolled his head slightly, glancing at us before back at the building and groaned. "You know my hands are tied, I can't let any newcomers in without doing a checkup, Ash."

Annoyance filled me with equal amounts of respect. "I know, you can't put their lives at risk for the sake of two newcomers. Just...just put her into quarantine, hell, I'll even stay with the kid until you're sure she isn't infected. All I ask for is a family for her to take her in. She's been through a lot."

Eric nodded slowly, motioning for the guards to open up the gates which led to the emptied out swimming pools. I sighed, hating that I was going to be trapped for a few days in quarantine all because I wasn't a coldhearted bastard.

Still, I wouldn't change the way I acted if I could go back in time. The men who were heartless enough to leave here there had met a gruesome fate while the child and I lived.

I just wished I hadn't have to be put in a virtual fishbowl until these people knew we weren't sick. There was nothing I could do about it though. I'd just have to sit it out and grit my teeth until I was allowed to go home.