Apocalypse
Monica's POV

They trekked for miles along the outskirts of wooded area, trying their best to keep quiet. On one side, the woods provided them with cover and protection; the snapping and crunching of leaves and twigs on the forest floor gave away most zombies before they were upon them--not to mention the horrible noises they made. There were also times that there were streams running through forests. Although not perfectly safe, having water on hand was always a need.

They just had to be careful to tread lightly.

"We should rest soon," David announced, then added in response to Mikhail's eyeroll, "At least for a few minutes."

"Why do you want to take a break? None of us really need one. We need to get as far as possible before nightfall." Monica huffed out between breaths.

"Yes, but I would rather you not be half dead by then."

It amazed her how calm and patient he could be when he wanted to get to where we're going more than the rest of them. She was not going to slow down this group. She had to keep going.

David reached out a hand and grabbed her shoulder. "Monica, stop. Take a breather. Please,"

She stopped, and so did everyone else. She swore she  heard Mikhail mutter something along the lines of, "Pathetic little mortals", but that didn't make much sense so she figured she must have misheard him. Heather was already taking a swig of her water. She did the same, falling back to rest against a nearby tree afterward.

"Okay, we breathed. Multiple times. Let's-a-go," Mikhail turned to start walking off. Heather, without a word or barely a glance behind her, reached back and grabbed his backpack before he got too far. He glared at her, which she ignored, but he stayed put, his arms crossed over his large chest.

"How much food do we have left?" David asked. "I only have a few cans left in mine."

Heather rummaged through her bag. Her and Mikhail did the same.

"Only a few in mine too," she said.

"Mine is mostly filled with food. Since you guys wanted me to carry the heavy stuff. Because I'm, you know, strong and tough." Mikhail replied.

Heather, still bent over her bag, pointed over in her and David's direction, "Mine is half full of food. Mikhail, give them some of your food. Have them put it in their bags. We don't want all the food in one pack because if we lost it, we'd be in some trouble."

"I won't lose it," Mikhail promised.

"Just give us some, Mikhail," David sighed.

"I won't lose it," he repeated, not moving.

"I swear to God, Mikhail--" Heather started in exasperation, straightening up and slinging her pack back over her shoulders.

"He might not like that very much. Be careful." Mikhail cut her off.

"Oh, you better be careful!" She was about to lose her cool. "Or I'm going to feed you to the next zombie I see."

"That wouldn't be very nice... And how exactly would you go about doing that?"

"Keep it up and you'll find out," Heather hissed at him.

"Well, you've definitely peaked my curiosity. I kind of want to find out..."

David stepped towards them both with another sigh. "Guys..."

As David tried to calm Heather so she wouldn't end up killing Mikhail, she stared off into the forest. She was thinking about home. About her family. About that horrible day... What would have happened to her if David hadn't been there?

She probably would've been dead already. She probably never would've met Heather, Mikhail, or Tony. Her friends.

A quiet rustling out in the forest and a small cry found its way to her ears. She looked at her friends, but they hadn't seemed to have heard it. When the sound came again, she swore it was a voice.

With panic, she realized it sounded like a small child. She took off running into the forest, leaving her backpack on the ground where it was.

"Monica?" David had stopped mid-sentence and had turned to stare in confusion as she sprinted past him. His voice turned to worry and fear. He began to chase after her, calling out to her. "Monica!"

She didn't answer back. She was too focused on the child. What if they were in trouble? She paused for a couple seconds; she couldn't hear them anymore.

"Why did you run off? What's wrong?" David had caught up with me and took me gently by the arm, pulling me back in the direction of our friends. "We should stay with the others,"

"I heard someone..." I whispered, listening to my surroundings. David did the same, going silent.

After a few minutes he spoke, "Monica, I don't hear anything..."

"I know I heard someone, David. They are out here somewhere. I-I just have to find them." Why couldn't I hear them anymore? My heart was pounding fast as I spun in a circle, searching. I wasn't about to leave a child out here.

Then I saw something.

"Over there," I pointed, "Is that..." I went to take a step forward, but David stopped me as the figure staggered out from behind a group of trees. It was a young girl with long, tangled black curls. She wore a pink sweatshirt with the studded word "Princess" across the front over a pair of blue jeans. She had a small backpack on, that looked like it might have been mostly empty. She was covered in both dirt and blood. Clutched tightly against her chest, was a very dirty, brown stuffed monkey.

"It looks like she might have been bitten. Stay back," David put an arm out in front of me to shield me.

"No," I gasped, "But she's just a little girl."

"It doesn't exclude her from the horrors of the world." David put a hand near the knife at his side and took small steps toward her. "Can you talk?" He asked her.

She stared blankly at him.

"I need you to tell me if you are okay. Were you hurt? What is your name?" David asked gently, every step he made careful. He removed his hand from the area where his knife was. He turned back to look at her, "I think it's somebody else's blood. Her clothes look like they are perfectly intact. No holes or bite marks anywhere I can see."

David stepped aside, still alert, as I came forward and bent down a couple feet from the girl. "What is your name, sweetheart?"

She looked up at David nervously and then down at me. I held out my arm, offering her my hand. "My name is Monica. And this is David. He's a friend. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

"It's Sofie..." She answered. She looked behind her as if she expected her sister to be there and shivered. "Sissy said she'd be back... She said she'd be back, but..."

"Was she supposed to return yesterday?" I asked.

She nodded, "She told me to stay and close my eyes and be very quiet. But those monsters are scary... Have you seen my Sissy? Is she with you?"

"Monica," I stood up and David pulled me aside. His voice was hushed. "Her sister is probably dead. She would've returned for her little sister already if she were alive. She wouldn't leave her out here on her own for too long."

Sadly, he was most likely right. I turned back to the girl. "Your sister isn't with us... but she told us that you were out here and that we should find and take care of you." I lied, only wanting the best for her. I wanted her to have a future.

"But why wouldn't Sissy just come back? Where is she?" The little girl inquired.

"Your sister couldn't get back to you, she was in trouble. She's okay now and she's on her way to a safe place, just like us. We'll meet her there."

"Oh..." Sofie's bright blue eyes were full of innocence. She believed me.
This little girl had won my heart already and I knew I'd do anything for her. But when we got to the safe haven and her sister wasn't there... she'd be upset. Angry, maybe. She'd hate me-and most likely everyone else. But I had to do what I had to do. When she grew up, she'd understand. Why I had to lie to her.

She'd understand everything was in order to keep her safe.

"Come on, Sofie." She put her small hand into mine. "I'll take you back to meet the others."