"What do you mean 'I guess you could say that'? It's a simple question, who are you and are you with Terminus?" I ask, not daring to lower my gun.

The curly blond onerespondes. "Put your gun down and we'll talk."

"Why do I have to be the one who puts my gun down?" I challenge. 

"Lauren, just do what he says." Oscar whispers.

"Yea Lauren, and maybe I won't blow your head off." The Asian one taunts. 

I hesitate for a second and then put my hands up. I hold the barrel end of the gun and hold it out to them, my left hand still raised. The Asian one takes it and places it in his belt behind his blue and black flannel. 

"Good, no killings for now." The curly one says. 

"Now who are you?" Christian asks.

"I'm Austin and this is Dylan." Curly respondes pointing to the Asian one named Dylan. "And you are?" 

Zainab answers him. "I'm Zainab, this is Morgan, Christian, Oscar and you already know she's Lauren." She points to each one of us. 

Austin looks at me with confusion. "Arent you the one that came in with the bearded man, the sheriff kid, the Samurai, and the archer?" 

My eyes widen. So they were a part of Terminus! "Um, yea." I say slowly. 

"So you are from Terminus?" Morgan asks.

Dylan and Austin laugh as if we said something funny. "If we were from Terminus, you'd all be dead right now." Dylan says in between laughs. 

"So you're not from Terminus? "Christian asks.

"I guess running is the only thing you're fast at. Duh!"Dylan remarks. 

"How do you know who I came in with?" It all sounds suspicious to me. 

"We watch the camp. See who comes in and never comes out. We tried planning how to break you guys out, but I guess your poncho friend beat us to it." Austin says as he puts his gun in his holster. 

Poncho friend?

"Come back with us, we have a house and everything. " Dylan offers.  

I look to my friends.  We could use some help. Morgan needs medical attention and we're all hungry and thirsty. We silently agree to go. 

"Sure, we'll go. But try to kill us and realize it's two against five." Zainab warns. 

We finish packing up our camp and grab our weapons. We follow Dylan and Austin through the forest. If they saw us and followed us, then they must've seen Carl and the others and where they went. 

I catch up to Dylan. "Did you see where the...urm...sheriff kid went?"

"Nope." Was all he said.

"Ugh."

"Why?"

I did not want to go through this again. "Just wonderin'." 

"Cool."

I fall back to talk to Zainab. "Hey stitches." I smile.

"Ugh, really? I used to have stitches!" She smiles back.

"Uh huh, but that nickname is gonna stick with you for the rest of the apocalypse and in the history books I'll change it without them knowing." I joke. She gives me the 'really' face and pulls her dark poofy hair into a pony tail. "So, you and Oscar." 

"What about it?" 

"Oh come on Stitches! You had a crush on him since camp!" I remind her. 

"And you to him." She points to Christian.

"Used to. Besides, I have a boy friend now." I sadly smile as I still say have. I might've lost him, but he isn't dead.

She completely went into fan girl mode in that moment. "What?! Who is he? Where is he? This better not be a joke!" 

I laugh at her. "Calm down stitches,geez. His name is Carl Grimes. We lost him at Terminus. He's the Sheriff kid that Austin was talking about." 

"Why was I not informed? " She gives me a fake mad face. 

"Oh sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you while we were running for our lives and while I was unconscious. Next time please remind me." I reply sarcastically. 

She waves me off. "Yea, yea. I'll let you off this time." 

We break through the trees and come into an open field. Directly In front of us is a cabin with a fence surrounding it.

"This is it. It's a bit small, but I think we can manage. " Dylan opens the chain on the gate and then locks it back up before three Walkers stumble over to us. 

Austin opens the door and we all awkwardly file in. "You people must be hungry. " he says as he walks into the kitchen and throws us each a can. "Here," he hands me back his gun."you might need this." I gladly accept both my gun and the can. 

"Thanks." I mumble as Christian hands me his knife to open my can with. 

We all immediately dig into the food. Our spoons never taking a break or being set down. Dylan and Austin tell us the rules of the 'man cave' as they call it. 

"So on any normal, non- apocalyptic day, we wouldn't let girls into our Man Cave. But since this is the apocalypse and I am afraid of the one with the braid," Dylan points to Morgan, "we will let you stay here. But there are some rules you have to follow. 1)We need at least one person on perimeter check before we all go to bed. 2)No frikle frakle. 3)Food is scares, so eat no more than three meals a day.4)Always keep the gate locked. Who ever is on perimeter check  will have the key. 5)No fighting. Play fighting is okay as long as no one is hurt or killed. 6)Kill someone and you will be driven to the middle of a quarry and dropped into it for the bitters."

We nod our heads. Austin hands blankets and pillows to each of us. "Two people in the third bedroom, one on the couch and one on the floor."

Dylan picks up a pokemon card off the carpeted floor and tosses it into a box marked 'Pokemon'."I need two people to go with me on a supply run tomorrow."

"I'll go." I say first.

"Same here." Christian volunteers.

Austin examines a red faced Morgan's wrist. "Yep, defiantly broken." He turns to Dylan. "Train car prank gone wrong." The two boys break out in laughter. The other five of us look at them like they've lost their minds.

"Sorry, inside joke." Dylan says still laughing.

I look out the window next to me, the sun was in the middle of the sky. Noon already? Damn, long day it was.

Austin walks down the hallway and disappears. I hear a door open and then a cabinet door slam shut. He comes back carrying a first aid kit. "Dr. Austin up in the hiz house! Anybody with an injury please step forward." He grabs Morgan's wrist and begins to bandage it correctly.

I sit on the couch with Morgan while Austin sits on the floor in front of her. Zainab and Oscar sit in the love seat and Christian and Dylan remain standing and talk. I play with my dog tags and wait for my turn to get my head wound cleaned up.

A half an hour later, we sit in the living room and talk. Well, everyone else talks and I just sit there and listen. I don't really feel like talking, kinda got used to not having anyone to talk to for these past months.

"Where are you guys from?" Dylan asks. 

"Illinois. " Morgan respondes.

"Really?" Austin asks. "That's where we're from! What part?" 

"Plainfield." Morgan and Christian said at the same time and busted out laughing. They came together with Eric's parents. 

"South side of Chicago." Zainab chuckles.

"Same as her." Oscar jabs his thumb towards his girlfriend. 

"Marion."I say. Nobody really knows where that is, but hey, it's where I'm from. 

"Kankakee is where I'm from." Austin says. "Along with this kid." He points to Dylan. 

"Oi! I can explain my own life myself, thank you very much."

"How long has it just been you two?" I ask.

Dylan thinks for a second. "Six months I think. We had Lilly and Olivia, but ....um...ya know." 

Austin looks saddened. "Olivia was my girlfriend. She got bit and I refused to kill her, but she turned. " 

"And Lilly? "Morgan has a hint of jealousy in her voice but the sympathy overpowers it. 

"Taken by Termites. " Dylan frowns.

"Termites? " Oscar echos.

"People of Terminus. " 

"Ah." 

Austin suddenly gets up. "Sun's going down and if you want to go on this run, you have to be well energized." He tosses us some cans and takes his own into his bedroom. 

Dylan sighs. "He's been like this ever since she turned. If anything even sounds like her name, he'll go and lock himself in his room." 

"I can try and talk to him. " Morgan suggests. Dylan just nods his head and Morgan disappears down the hall. 

"Note to self," Zainab says popping  her can open, "Don't say anything that rhymes with Olivia." 

"Agreed." I take Christian's knife again and make a mental note to find my own tomorrow. 

"Who does perimeter check first?" Zainab asks Dylan. 

"I can do it." Oscar volunteers. Dylan hands him the shot gun and keys along with Austin's machete. 

"Kill any walkers along the fence line with the machete, conserve bullets.  Those are only for people." Dylan explains. 

We eat in silence after that. Dylan finishes his can first and then goes to his own room. We all agree that Zainab and Oscar take the third bedroom since it won't be awkward between them sharing the same bed. Morgan came back with a tear stained face. 

"What happened? " I ask her. 

"I told him about Eric. We kinda just hugged and cried, telling the other one that it's gonna be alright. " she had tears running down her face. Christian and I gave her the couch. 

I packed my bag for the next morning and then made a little bed for myself on the floor in the corner of the room. I laid a fluffy comforter on the ground and then put my pillow on top of it. I kicked off my boots and snuggled under the fuzzy blanket. 

"Night." Morgan sniffles. 

"Good night peeps." I respond. 

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Walkers bite." Christian twits the old nursery rhyme into our current situation. Morgan and I groan at him. 

For the first time since the house with Carl, I felt safe and secure. Oscar came back in just as I was drifting off to sleep and makes his way to the bedroom. That's when I fall into a peaceful sleep with Carl's face in my dreams.