Chapter Text
(Awsten's POV)
I watch as the walker falls to the ground, blood seeping from its head wound. I rub my bloodied hands on my black jeans, breathing heavily as I do so. I hate killing them. I hate it. These monsters used to be people, they used to have families, and jobs, and Sunday night dinners. Now its all gone. Hesitantly, I crouch down, my weight resting on my knee. I reach forward to check its pockets and bag for weapons and food. The only thing I found is a stale bag of chips and a hunting knife in his back pocket. I take one long final look at the dead man before standing up and beginning to walk along the railroad once again, leaving him behind.
I've been on my own for a long time now, ever since I lost my family and best friend all those months ago. It feels like they've been gone longer then they have been. I've had few run-ins with other people since then, though none of them have been very nice. I've never been able to kill anyone though, not even the person that shot my best friend. I'm weak, and that's why I shouldn't be alone. I used to be worse then this though, I used to be afraid of everything. I was completely incapable of living on my own. That was a long time ago. I'm a stronger person now.
I take in a long breath, ripping open the bag of chips and popping one into my mouth. I finish the chips after a few minutes, tossing the bag to the ground. That was the first time I've eaten since yesterday, and my stomach is still growling. I look down, fiddling with a string on my backpack as I inspect my stomach. I'm bound to have lost at least ten pounds since this whole thing happened.
The beaming sun is burning my forehead, and it feels like its slowly melting me. I reach back, taking my cap from my bag and plopping it on my head. There, much better.
I have learned over these last few months that, when your all alone, things get boring. Sometimes I will hum to myself or kick rocks around as I'm walking. Nothing compares to conversations with people though, and man, do I miss those conversations. I would give anything to have have another friend right now, just to simply have someone to talk to again. I feel like I'm slowly going insane from the loneliness.
I sigh heavily, my breathe burdened with all of my troubles. I'm not sure where I'm heading, I just know I need to get away from where I was. Houston had too many people for me to like in the beginning, now that its filled with dead people I like it even less. I never really had many friends there anyway. The only people I was ever close to was my family and my best friend, Denis. But they're gone now, and I have nothing left there for me but a bunch of depressing memories.
I've been walking on the tracks since late this morning, and soon the sun will be setting behind the trees and calling it a day. I wish something would happen, whether it be good or bad, anything would do. This is one of the worst days I've had in a while. Usually by now I would have went through some houses and maybe killed a few walkers, but not one thing has happened all day. Its been constant silence and loneliness all day.
As if the world was listening to my thoughts, I see an abandoned car up ahead, pulled to the side of the tracks. My heart beat picks up and it takes everything in me to not take off running towards it with excitement. Please, please, please let there be someone in the car. My initial excitement fades as I approach the vehicle, finding that it is completely and totally abandoned. The disappointment flooding through me hits like a hurricane, and suddenly my entire body is weak and numb. I yank the door open and climb inside, looking around frantically for a sign that someone, anyone was here. But there is nothing. There aren't any weapons. There isn't any food. A dead walker in the back seat is the only thing that shows that this car has been touched in months. A slow, sinking feeling settles in my stomach and my hands are shaking from frustration. I pull myself from the car and slam the door shut with all of my strength, then sink to my knees in agony. I fold my knees up to my chest and bury my face in my arms.
I need to be around someone. I can't be alone for much longer. I don't know what I will do if I don't find anyone soon. Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes, and I do nothing to stop them. 'No. Cut it out, Awsten,' I scold myself. I need to stop this. I'm too weak. But I'm running low on hope for things to get better and my life isn't going anywhere near uphill. I numbly lift my head and rest it against the side of the car. I don't make any motion to dry my tears, fore I don't see a reason to. I just sit in the silence, doing absolutely nothing. I sniff quietly to myself, going over all of the lost memories in my mind while sulking in my sadness. I feel like just another dead-brain, but I know I'm not. This is ridiculous.
A humming noise begins to break through the silence, slowly getting louder and louder. What is that? It takes me a few more moments before I realize that the sound is coming from a truck farther down the railroad back the way I came from. My mind immediately goes to the fact that it could very likely just be me hallucinating, its not the first time its happened. So even when a truck comes into my line of vision, I don't move. I only bury my face in my arms again and wait for the sound to go away. I can feel the ground begin to rumble just barely as the sound indicates that the truck is right in front of me. The slamming of car doors break me out of my numb state, and I lift my head to wipe away the remainder of my tears away with the edge of my sleeve.
There are two men standing several feet away, hovering over me. I feel inferior to them, like a young child looking up at a stranger. I'm intimidated by them, yet there aren't doing anything that should scare me. Maybe, just maybe I don't have to be alone anymore.
My eyes meet a pair of light blue ones, then a pair of dark brown ones. They are full of suspicion, unsure of me. The man with brown eyes looks at his friend questioningly.
His friend raises his gun at me, aiming at my head, although I can tell from the fact that his finger isn't on the trigger that he doesn't want to hurt me. "How long have you been out here?" He speaks in a low, serious voice. I look at him, not speaking a word. I don't want to screw this up, so I think for a long time before I open my mouth.
"I lost track a long time ago." My voice comes out rough and raspy, my throat dry from not speaking for so long. He doesn't look away from me, his eyes burning into my soul. "You've been by yourself?" I look down, my chest suddenly hurting. I nod, the slightest movement that I can only hope that he catches. They both sigh sadly, understanding what I mean. From the corner of my eye, I see the man that was talking to me glance at his friend, then nod his head towards me. I lift my head, climbing to my feet slowly with my hands in the air. He pats me down, checking for weapons. When he's done he steps back and speaks up, "You going anywhere? Or from anywhere?"
"No. I've just wandered around the last few months," I reply, trying to sound more confident then I did before. I may be weak, but I don't want then to know that I am. Maybe they have a place. Maybe they know more people. Please, God, let me have this. The men exchange a long glance with each other, as if they were having a conversation with their eyes. My hopes rise and fall as the stare drags on, until his throat and begins, "We have a place an hour or so up the road. We're a community there, and we're almost always open to taking in new people. You don't seem like too bad of a person, you wanna come back with us?" I freeze for a second, unable to comprehend the fact that I'm going to be around people again. Community. That one word keeps replaying in my head as I open my mouth hesitantly, then close it again. I don't know what to say. "Umm. . . Yes. Please," I manage to get out, every word accompanied by stuttering. My heart feels like its going to jump out of my chest and I force tears of joy back. Smiles appear in their faces, and i can't help but to smile back. Smiles appear on their faces, and I can't help but to smile back. The leader holds his hand out politely, waiting for me to grab it.
I've waited so long, so dxmn long to have companions again. I've begged and pleaded on my knees to God for months, asking and asking for him to take away the loneliness. Maybe he finally heard me, oraybe it was just by pure coincidence. It doesn't matter. I'm going to have friends again. Doubt immediately kicks in though, and my excitement fades immediately. Ignore it, Awsten.
I take in one big breath before I reach out, taking his hand in mine. I shake it confidently, and he returns the action.
"Welcome to the saviors."