straight to form any real curls and too curly and thick to allow any assimilation. Finally, she took a hair tie from her wrist and pulled a few locks into a half pony tail.
“I am strong. I am confident. I will overcome.” Harley assured her reflection before exiting the bathroom and joining her parents in the living room.
“They come out at night here,” Marty whispered.
“What does that mean?” Harley asked, sitting on the hardwood floor and tucking her knees under her chin.
“It means that from now until morning, we have to stay downstairs and take turns sleeping.”
“You guys do that?”
“We did last night,” Fehny said, frowning at her cup of tea. “They came at the house and scratched at the doors for hours. Staying up is a safety precaution.”
“Alright.”
*****
Marty took the first shift. He woke Fehny up when it was her turn, and she woke Harley up for the third shift.
Harley sat, listening to her parents’ breathing and the unnerving sounds coming from outside. The house was completely dark except for the lone light of a single candle. Ominous thoughts began to troll through Harley’s head. The amount of Derby Deads was overwhelming.
She thought about what would happen when she left the next day. Her parents would probably protest, and she would break their hearts. Harley didn’t want to wait too long to go to Sandy’s Beach. Each passing moment was a moment that Allie was either surviving or dying. A car alarm went off outside, causing Harley to jump. Once she calmed down, she realized that a Derby Dead had blindly bumped into a car. She sighed, knowing that what awaited her in Sandy’s Beach would be ten times worse than what she had discovered in Derby.
Four
Sandy’s Beach, Oregon
As the skyline drifted into view, softened by rays of light that were lazily filtering through dissipating rain clouds, tears rose to Harley’s eyes. She needed to be strong, but the thought of leaving her parents behind had chipped away at the wall of strength she had built over the past couple of days. As she drove, visions of that morning danced in her head. Martin and Fehny understood that Harley needed to continue her journey as hastily as possible. However, despite their lack of reluctance, Harley still felt as though she had betrayed them. She didn’t even notice when she reached the cheerful “Welcome to Sandy’s Beach” sign.
The unfocused femme's heart skipped a beat when she observed her surroundings. Sandy’s Beach had gone to hell. Buildings were smoking, cars abandoned; and the hollow cry of undead demons echoed through the cityscape. Harley drove slowly through the town, trying not to think about what was lurking in the shadows. She wondered if the government had given up on society, if it really was “every man for himself”. As she crept through the town, going on back roads in order to avoid the blockage caused by abandoned vehicles, sweat dripped down Harley's face. The walkers seemed to be preoccupied by some other lost soul; Harley could hear their moaning across town. Then, something dashed across the road, causing Harley to slam on the brakes. A bedraggled woman with fear in her eyes and blood on her clothes pounded on the window.
“Please! Please help me!” She pleaded, shaking.
Harley rolled down the window. “Are you hurt?”
The woman looked at her limp arm. “One of them grabbed on to me, it’s bleedin’ real bad.”
Harley thought back to the conversation she had with her dad about being
“I am strong. I am confident. I will overcome.” Harley assured her reflection before exiting the bathroom and joining her parents in the living room.
“They come out at night here,” Marty whispered.
“What does that mean?” Harley asked, sitting on the hardwood floor and tucking her knees under her chin.
“It means that from now until morning, we have to stay downstairs and take turns sleeping.”
“You guys do that?”
“We did last night,” Fehny said, frowning at her cup of tea. “They came at the house and scratched at the doors for hours. Staying up is a safety precaution.”
“Alright.”
*****
Marty took the first shift. He woke Fehny up when it was her turn, and she woke Harley up for the third shift.
Harley sat, listening to her parents’ breathing and the unnerving sounds coming from outside. The house was completely dark except for the lone light of a single candle. Ominous thoughts began to troll through Harley’s head. The amount of Derby Deads was overwhelming.
She thought about what would happen when she left the next day. Her parents would probably protest, and she would break their hearts. Harley didn’t want to wait too long to go to Sandy’s Beach. Each passing moment was a moment that Allie was either surviving or dying. A car alarm went off outside, causing Harley to jump. Once she calmed down, she realized that a Derby Dead had blindly bumped into a car. She sighed, knowing that what awaited her in Sandy’s Beach would be ten times worse than what she had discovered in Derby.
Four
Sandy’s Beach, Oregon
As the skyline drifted into view, softened by rays of light that were lazily filtering through dissipating rain clouds, tears rose to Harley’s eyes. She needed to be strong, but the thought of leaving her parents behind had chipped away at the wall of strength she had built over the past couple of days. As she drove, visions of that morning danced in her head. Martin and Fehny understood that Harley needed to continue her journey as hastily as possible. However, despite their lack of reluctance, Harley still felt as though she had betrayed them. She didn’t even notice when she reached the cheerful “Welcome to Sandy’s Beach” sign.
The unfocused femme's heart skipped a beat when she observed her surroundings. Sandy’s Beach had gone to hell. Buildings were smoking, cars abandoned; and the hollow cry of undead demons echoed through the cityscape. Harley drove slowly through the town, trying not to think about what was lurking in the shadows. She wondered if the government had given up on society, if it really was “every man for himself”. As she crept through the town, going on back roads in order to avoid the blockage caused by abandoned vehicles, sweat dripped down Harley's face. The walkers seemed to be preoccupied by some other lost soul; Harley could hear their moaning across town. Then, something dashed across the road, causing Harley to slam on the brakes. A bedraggled woman with fear in her eyes and blood on her clothes pounded on the window.
“Please! Please help me!” She pleaded, shaking.
Harley rolled down the window. “Are you hurt?”
The woman looked at her limp arm. “One of them grabbed on to me, it’s bleedin’ real bad.”
Harley thought back to the conversation she had with her dad about being
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