Fern looks completely terrified, her bushy eyebrows were knitted together and she just froze, Aurei got between them as she tried to calm Dakota down, I secretly load my revolver just in case I had to put someone down.

"Like what?" Fern asks quietly.

"Is there a cure? Or are you trying to make one?" I ask, Dakota jut scowls at her.

"Unless you're not completely bullshitting us, start talking." Dakota  said coldly, Aurei looks at him, she steps aside.

"Okay okay....I'll speak." Fern said, looking apologetically at Aurei who was pleading with her eyes for her to tell us what she knew.

"I'm probably one of the few that survived....but there isn't a cure....you die regardless, and when you die....you come back unless...." Fern said making her finger in shape of a gun and acting like she was shooting herself.

"Then why are you still trying to stop this?" Aurei asks.

"Because if I can stop the ones who are bit or scratched from turning, it would make everything easier....I'm truly sorry about your mother....but the bite only kills you, contact with a reanimated person will result in you becoming one of the reanimated, the dead. So these people who are tearing people apart and eating them...they're dead, not infected....the only thing you can do is aim for the head." Fern explained.

"Soon as the human host dies, the inner lust for eating human begins to grow within the human body."

"Basically...no matter how you die...you become one of the undead." I translate.

"That's right." Fern said.

"And they can only walk, and eat the living." Fern adds.

"So there is no cure and there never will be." Fern continues.

Dakota storms off, Aurei runs after him.

"I'm sorry for throwing that all on Aurei....she's just doing everything she can to live." Fern said.

"We all are." I said.

"But remember what I said, the dead will eat anything with a beating heart, they won't stop....until you put a bullet between their eyes." Fern said before walking off.

"For now on.....no more secrets like this." I said before walking off.

Since the roamers are dead...they are decomposed to the point if I were to bend their arm I could break it since their limbs are just used to tear living things apart.

I walk into the bedroom to see Dakota preparing his gun.

"Kota?" I ask.

"I told you not to call me that." Dakota snaps, I spin him around for him to face me. I glare into his icy blue eyes that scared me slightly.

"You're not thinking clearly." I said sternly, he breaks away from me and turns towards the window, he grabs my hand and yanks me with him.

There the undead were, walking around, not exactly towards the house, they were just wandering, we kept the lights off so they don't really know we're here.

"We'll be okay, but if we leave now, we can't see." I said, Dakota backs away from me.

"Fine, but tomorrow we're leaving, the biters are always a threat." Dakota said before walking off, Aurei stood there trying to grab ahold of Dakota but he shakes her off.

Aurei takes a deep breath then she walks towards me.

Dakota is right, the roamer are always a threat to us and we couldn't forget that, even though they are so rotten that I could just rip off one of their arms.

"Avery.....are you okay?" Aurei asks.

"I'm okay as long as you are." I said.

"I'm fine Avery." Aurei said coldly.

"Why did check on me?" I ask.

"You answered your own question." Aurei said, knitting her eyebrows at me.

"No you didn't." I said.

"I saw the biters outside, I was going to tell you but it looks like you already know." Aurei said, she had her glock in her hand.

"We're leaving in the morning, grab your things." I said.

"Got it." She said before speeding out of the room....I need to write my will now....because I'll eventually run out of time.

I grab my notebook then begun writing.

Aurei if you're reading this....I'm dead or something has happened to me and I can't come back....Just know it's never your fault, just remember the things I have told you.

1. Avoid the cities....go with that smart gut of yours and watch your back if you have no other choice but to go.

2. Bring a knife, sometimes there isn't enough ammo to back you up, so get those dead bastards by the skull.

3. Never let your guard down, I know you hardly do but times change and you always stick to your guns.

I love you, just know that you can do it....you keep this with you no matter what because people forget. Focus on the things you have to do, and don't change anything about yourself....and keep in mind you're still learning.....and you decide things that are the best for you, don't let anyone tell you who you are....only you know that. So keep friends close and enemies closer.

I'm sorry I couldn't be there....but you have to be strong, it's what Dad would have wanted you to do.

~Avery

Even if I don't die, we could get separated....and as long as she's with Dakota or Fern....I'll be okay.

Dakota walks back into the room, I look up from my notebook.

"Dakota?" I call out.

"Yeah?" Dakota asks.

"If anything happens to me....please watch Avery..." I said, he glares at me.

"Stop it, nothing can happen to you...." Dakota said, looking down at my notebook.

"Yes it can." I said, moving his hair and tucking it behind his ear.

"Fine, but you're better live dammit." Dakota said, I give him a weak smile.

"No promises." I said, he shakes his head.

"Aurei is smart, and so are you...no matter what happens to me, Aurei comes first." I said as he stared at me with disbelief.

"Stop saying that." Dakota said as he facepalms.

"You know I'm right." I argue, he backs away from me.

"Stop saying that." Dakota repeats.

"Why are you saying the same thing?" I ask, he kept mumbling some words, I reach out to hug him.

"You need to go to sleep." Dakota said, as he tried to push me down on the bed.

"Not when I know you're not okay." I said.

"I know I can't help you....but I at least want to try." I said, resting my chin on his shoulder. I could feel my other half of me screaming to get away from this man, it told me how dangerous he is....but I don't care.

"How can you help someone who doesn't even want to help himself?" Dakota asks, I sigh.

"Because I care." I said, Dakota looks at me.

"No you don't." Dakota snaps.

I grab both sides of his face, bringing it closer to mine.

"If I didn't care I would let you walk away." I said firmly.

"Avery you deserve better." Dakota said.

"Dakota, we both know I don't deserve anything, but we live life for a purpose." I said.

"I hate it when you're right." Dakota said without looking at me.

I grin, kissing him on the forehead. It felt better when I did that, Dakota is afraid of losing another person he's close with, and if he does, he couldn't live with himself....but I knew I cared.

"Go to sleep." Dakota said, he gives me a small smile before walking off.

I laid down with a small grin.

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Something filled my nose, I hear yelling and footsteps. I sit up coughing, every time I open my mouth I could feel my insides burn. I open my eyes to see dark smoke around me, I cover my nose as I try to get off the bed.

I hear glass shatter and yelling.

The banging gets louder, I quickly stuff my bag with everything I could grab.

I hear pounding, like someone throwing their weight on the door.

"Avery!!!" I could hear Dakota and Aurei yell, I begun wheezing.

"Get your ass up!" I hear Dakota yell, there is a another pound.

The door swings open and I couldn't stop myself from yelping, Dakota bends over to the side panting, his face red. Dakota pushes Aurei back.

"Go find Fern!" Dakota barks.

"Goddammit Avery." Dakota said as he picks me up and begun to run, I could feel his muscles in his arms move under my body, Aurei coughs rapidly, I try to get down but Dakota headbutts me.

"Stop it." Dakota said, as he moves his arms from beneath my knees.

I stagger as I get on my feet, I pull out my revolver.

"They got in!" Aurei yells, pulling out her gun and shooting roamers that got close to her. I do the same, putting a hand over my nose.

She wasn't vulnerable anymore, Dakota pulls us both into the living room and there we saw flames, Aurei yelps, her hand is on fire, Dakota grabs something to help her put it out, I could smell her cooking skin, a roamer tries to grab Aurei from behind but I shoot it so fast before Aurei dropped the cloth and put the fire out on her arm.

Aurei puts her hand out to stop me when I try to pick her up, she turns around and continues to shoot the roamers that seem to come out of nowhere from the smoke, I hear the door open and gunshots.

"Come on!!!!" I heard Fern yell, Aurei seems to follow her voice and Dakota begun shooting, something tackles me.

I struggle to fight the roamer that was tackling me and trying to bite into my neck while it's back was on fire, I point my barrel at it's rotting head and pulled the trigger sending a loud gunshot with blood close on my face, I hear more of the undead, I'm slowing Dakota down....

My ears begun ringing as I stuggle to get up. Dakota yanks me onto my feet and before I could try to shoot anything he tosses me over his shoulder and begun running.

I kept coughing but Dakota manages to get outside, before I knew it, I was laying in the car with Aurei.

"Come on Avery." Aurei said, lightly slapping me as I laid there.

I kept coughing, everytime I breathed it sent my insides burning.

"Why the fuck was the house on fire?!" Dakota asks, his voice bellowing as Fern starts the car.

"I didn't mean to!!! Before anything happened I couldn't stop it!" Fern yells over the undead.

Aurei takes several puffs of her inhaler, then she kept slamming her hand on my back.

"I'm...fine." I said, sitting up to look at Aurei, she had sweat all over her face but it remained untouched from the fire, her hand had a dark mark, I pull out the emergency kit, she glares at me.

"Please Avery, you don't have to protect me so much anymore so relax." Aurei said, grabbing the kit from me.

The car jerks forward and Fern screams, roamers surround our car, they pressed their mouths and hands to the windows.

"Stop being scared and press the damn gas!!!" Dakota roars, she listens, hitting several roamers in the process, sending the car running over things that felt like bodies, Aurei opens her bag, reloading her glock then she set it back.

I press my head against the window and close my only to see my little sister look at me.

"Avery-"

And just like that I blacked out.