Aurei and I walk back into the house, Cassie was still out cold. I couldn't trust random people, and I can't bring in a liability and put lives at risk. But as I said before if that was Aurei, I would want someone to stop where they're going and help her.

"What are we gonna do with her?" Aurei asks, folding her arms and turning to face me.

"I'll check for bites, you barricade the door." I order her, sauntering towards the chair Cassie was in. Aurei turns around but stops in her tracks and glances at me.

"But there are no biters-" Aurei protests but I glare at her as I roll up Cassie's sleeve.

"Do what I told you." I snapped, my voice sharp and icy, Aurei nods then she moves a dining chair and slides it under the old doornob.

I search Cassie's arm for any bites or scratches, she had to pass out for some reason, and if it isn't a bite then I will have to ask her when she wakes up...if she wakes up.

Then I'll have to warn her, I may sound paranoid after the Joe incedent but I don't want to have to experience that anytime soon....although if she's bit I'll have to put her down.

You learn after you experience these things, you'll either get better or get worse...but my main priority is to keep my little sister alive...no matter what it takes.

Sometimes my mother was firm with me whenever I wanted to complain or jump to conclusions way too quickly or if I asked a pointless question that was just entirely stupid.

Consider me a bitch, a hypocrite, a heartless murder-I don't really care, what's done is done and you can't change the past...

I search her other arm that had a large cut, no wonder she was covered in so much blood, and she probably faintee due to an infection. I pick her up and carried her to the room where we got the sheets, I rest her gently on the bed.

"Better pray that you're not bit anywhere else." I grunt, but pulled the comforter over her body.

Aurei sits crossed legged in the middle of the floor, eating yogurt without uttering a word. I did a mental cringe, sometimes I can be a little extra when it comes to emergencies...but at that point, it's necessary.

"Do you know how old that is?" I ask, knitting my eyebrows at her as she looks up at me.

"I checked the date Avery." Aurei said, irritated as she continued to eat more of the yogurt. I just need to make sure that she's not planning to run away or do something completely crazy.

"Hey," I chirp, sitting beside her, relaxing my shoulders as my legs ached from being cramped up inside that car.

"Hey...what do you think of Cassie?" I ask, keeping my voice low as I stare ahead, as I rub my ankle.

"She's alright, I guess." Aurei shrugs, finishing the yogurt and throwing it in the trash.

"Look, somewhat this week, I'll teach you how to shoot...you need to know how to survive on your own..." I add, gazing up at Aurei who blankly stares down at me.

"Avery, you're changing..." Aurei said in a monotone voice, her lips form into a straight line as she furrows her eyebrows at me.

"There could be help coming our way Avery. And you're acting like that this is the world now." Aurei snaps, staring down at me.

The military could be dead by now, I doubt that anyone is gonna help us, just by learning about Bianca, there is no cure, there is no hope, if you panic-you die, if you scream-you die. One dumbass move can get you killed, by the dead or by the living.

"Aurei, you need to learn these ways..." I said, trying to remain calm and I start to stand up, by the look from Aurei I could tell that my face is stone cold now.

"But-" Aurei protests but I walk closer to her, narrowing my eyes into hers, she immediatley hushes, and her lips begun to quiver.

"You can run away all you want, but at some point even that won't help you, you'll have to remember at some point, you'll have to fight them off...this goes for the living and the dead. If you don't you're gonna die." I explain, kneeling down to her level.

"We're all gonna die someday Avery. But I won't kill everyone I see." Aurei shrugs staring back at me, her eyes lacked fear.

"That's not what I'm saying. Listen dammit, what if you're lost in the woods and the undead begin to chase you, all you do is run, but they'll eventually catch you, tear you apart and eat you alive, I can't protect you from that and every single time we run, as much as I wish I could, I can't. Because there will be a day I'm there and I won't be able to protect you. I'm not telling you to become a murder, I'm telling you to defend yourself." I growl. Then wince, I knew I was right but I went overboard with describing her being lost in the woods...it kills me to imagine that happening to her.

"I'm sorry that I had to say it like that but it's for your own good." I said, hugging her.

"You're right, I'm stupid for lashing out at you like that." Aurei admits, looking down.

"Don't think like that, you're still a child." I whisper, stepping away from Aurei.

"Avery, I'm thirteen." Aurei corrects me, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.

"So?" I shrug, then I turn to see the sun begin to set, we're lucky to have found this house before shit went down.

"I'm going to sleep now, don't stay up too late." Aurei said as she walks into the living room.

"Yeah, rest up." I said, walking towards the kitchen and going through our bags that were on the table, I open it to see a picture of Dad, before his job as a officer.

You're strong Avery, you can beat this world.

I remember the day I went to see Dad before the day of his death, if he was alive...he would know what to do.

"But Dad...I'm just one girl..." I said.

"That don't mean nothing Avery. You're brave, witty, and don't let that fool them or you." Dad said before throwing a coughing fit.

"Don't let what the world thinks get to you..." Dad said, staring at me.

"Okay Dad...I'll try." I piped up, Dad gives me a grin.

"That's my girl." He praised.

I wince as Dad's smile haunted me. I miss him...but I'm not spending the rest of my days crying about killing those two bastards, I'm gonna keep moving.

Even if I did it wouldn't get me anywhere.

Cassie was still in the room, and if she's dead, I'll have to deal with her. I grab Joe's old dagger. The apocolaypse can do things to certain people that you would wonder why they would even go on with their life.

I walk down the hall quietly, turning left into the bedroom Cassie was in. At least Aurei wouldn't be awake to see this.

I close my eyes, slowly bringing the knife closer to the back of Cassie's head. What am I doing? I haven't even checked her pulse.

I slid two fingers on her small wrist but surprisingly, Cassie immediatley shoots up, breathing heavily.

"Why are you standing over my bed?!" Cassie yells frantically. I threw my hand over her mouth, forcing her back on the bed.

"Stop yelling." I growled. Cassie starts breathing heavily, I furrow my eyebrows at Cassie to tell her to stop panicking and calm down.

"Roamers are drawn to noise so hush!" I hissed, moving my hand from her mouth.

"Were you gonna kill me?!" She whispers, her big brown eyes widening to the dagger in my hand.

"I thought you were dead..." I said in a monotone voice, crossing my arms at her.

"I wasn't!" She yelps but I glare at her to stop her from whining about a simple mistake.

"Look. I will find out if you lie but I'll ask you nicely," I warn her, sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"Are you bit anywhere besides your arms or legs?" I ask silently.

"No!" She hisses.

"If I find out that you're lying, I'll kill you." I warned, furrowing my eyebrows further.

"Yes ma'am." Cassie said quickly.

"And if you try anything...you'll regret it." I add, standing up. Age doesn't matter at this point...you could be capable of anything.

"Then I wouldn't try anything..." Cassie finishes.

"Did you have anyone with you before we found you?" I ask, relaxing my shoulders.

"My older brother, Liam...but he got eaten by t-those things!" Cassie squeaks, I bite my lip, sli&ghtly annoyed by her over panicking, Aurei used to panic but after the Joe incedent...she's just hollow...

"I'm sorry...how did you get this far?" I ask, feeling the sympathy rise in my heart.

"I ran, hid in trees, then some bad men just handled most of those things as I tried to get away from them." Cassie explains, wincing at her cut.

"Let me see that cut." I said, pulling her bleeding arm closer to me, it didn't look like a roamer bite, I walk back down the hall making another right into a small, cramped bathroom. I open up a small cabinet to see painkillers, bandages, and the other supplies I need to stitch up Cassie's cut.

I walk back into the room, Cassie's eyes dart down at the cloth and the alcohol in my hand.

"Are you a doctor?" Cassie asks, clutching her arm protectively.

"My mother was a nurse...she taught me how to do stitches." I said, walking up to her.

I roll up her sleeve, Cassie winces as her face strains in pain. I put some alcohol on the cloth, putting it over her cut.

She cringes, jerking away from me, I glare at her.

"It has to be cleaned." I said firmly. Girls like her sort of get under my skin, but I don't diss anybody I just met...but if I were in her position then I would've probably done the same thing....

"Thank you." Cassie mutters as I grab the needle and the string, getting ready to stitch it up.

"For what?" I ask, the clear negativity in my voice easy to recognize.

"Saving me...I would've been a goner if it wasn't for you." Cassie adds.

"You're only making it worse when you squirm." I snapped, Cassie relaxes.

Like I said, I have to show some tough love.

"This is gonna hurt." I warn her, grabbing hold of her hand.

"That makes me feel better..." Cassie said sarcastically.

I shrug, putting the thread through the needle, then I pierce the needle through her skin, she begins to cry.

"Hey, just close your eyes." I said softly, pulling the needle through her skin and plunging it into the next piece of torn skin.

She yelps as I gently tug the two parts of skin together, then I move down to the next piece, then another.

"How'd you get this cut?" I ask, tugging the huge cut together, I bite into the thread, then I wrap the bandage around the stitches gently.

I long for a cigarette...but Joe took them and I had no time to get them back when the whole place got overrun by roamers.

But I gently grin at Cassie.

"You can open your eyes now, its over." I said, patting her shoulder.

"Get some rest, tomorrow we'll all talk." I said before walking out of the door.

I hope I'm not being too open or too soft...but I'm not completely heartless...hopefully I won't let killing those two men get to my head, because if you jinx your pride, you'll come crashing down.

And left to die.