Savior

I don't know why we're still here. We never stay in the same place for too long. But what mom says goes. I think Anna's fever has gone down. I've been worried. I thought she had been infected somehow. Like, maybe it was air born, but it was just a bad cold. Shes only thirteen. The world went to s**t when she was six so this is really the only world she knows. I think mom is losing it again. It's dads anniversary or what my mom morbidly calls, his deathaversary. I worry about her. She is strong, but sometimes, I wonder how long? How long can she stay sane in this world? Are Anna and I enough to help with that? Or will we cause the madness? 

"Nikki!" The blonde woman called out. 

"Yeah mom?" Nikki put the journal in her backpack and put it around her shoulders before blowing out the candle and crawling out of her sleeping area. She walked through the baby isle and was greeted by her mom. Anna was to the left at a make shift table eating come sort of canned food. 

"I need you to make another run. We need more medicine if Anna is going to make a full recovery."

"Where else can I go? I've already looted every store in this s**t hole town."

"Language in front of your sister. Don't you care for her at all?"

"Mom... Of course I do, how could you even say that?"

The woman sighed. "I'm sorry honey. You know I don't mean that. It's just-"

"A tough day. I know. I'll venture a little farther this time. See if I can hit some homes this time around."

"Just be careful. The houses are dangerous."

"Don't worry mom, I'll be back before you know it." Nikki out her short dirty blonde hair into a bun before grabbing her machete and M9 silenced pistol. It was her fathers. She walked up to her little sister and knelled down in front of her. "Hey kiddo."

"Please don't call me that. You know I hate that." The brunette said while lightly shoving her sisters shoulder. "Where are you going this time?"

"I have to go and get you some medicine. I shouldn't be gone long. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. Really. I don't think you have to go."

Nikki placed the back of her hand against Anna's forehead. "Liar. You're still warm."

"Is it a crime for me not wanting you to go out there?"

"I'm the stealthiest one out of all of us. You know that."

"Yeah, that's not saying much."

"Hey!" Nikki mocked hurt. "No need to be a d****e canoe." She sighed. "I'll be quick. Keep an eye on mom. Make sure she doesn't do anything weird. Still got your walkie?"

"Duh, I never fo anywhere without it."

"Good. I'll try my best to stay in range." They shared a hug for a minute. "I love ya."

"Love you too sis."

Nikki searched the eighth house and still came up empty. "There just isn't anything here anymore." She said to herself. She went to the living room and immediately went down to the ground when she heard cars in the distance. There was a red charger in pretty good shape all things considered and a truck that looked to be modified with armor and spikes on the tires. She also noticed a mounted gun on the back. "They're heading back home." 

She tried to get a signal for her walkie talkie, but she was out of range. "I should've never gone out so far." She ran outside and checked her surroundings. There wasn't any signs of infected, but she knew better than to just run out in the open road, she still had to make good time. She ran and boosted herself up a wall and grabbed the ledge of the roof before pulling herself up. 'One good thing about this town,' She thought, All of the buildings are close together so it makes it easy to stay away from infected and still get place to place. 

She got to a distance where she could see two familiar vehicles parked. They were right outside of where her family was hiding out. "S**t, s**t, s**t." She grabbed her walkie. "Anna, please tell me you're okay. Over." There was no response. "Anna Come in! Over!" She clipped it on her jean pocket before jumping down onto a car roof, than to the ground, running and taking cover behind a garbage can. There were too many men for her to handle alone. She still couldn't see her family, so that had to be a good sign.

Then the man with spiked, jet black hair spoke. "I'm going to give you to the count of ten to come on out!"

"Nikki?" A whisper came through the walkie. She quickly grabbed it and turned it down a little. "

"Anna? Are you okay? Where is mom?."

"Ten!"

"There are scary people outside who say they want our stuff. Mom is trying to block the door. ." 

"Nine!"

The terror in her sisters voice made her want to cry. "I know you're scared honey."

"Eight!"

"But I promise I'll get you out of this."

"Seven!"

"Put mom on."

"Six!"

"Honey?"

"Five!"

"Mom! Take Anna and go out the back."

"Four!"

"There are people out there too. Look, I'm gonna distract them for as long as I can."

"Three!"

"I need you to find a way to your sister and get out of here."

"Two!"

"Mom that's suicide!"

"I love you both so much."

"One!"

The men rushed inside and broke the barrier down. The woman took out two before being grabbed herself, telling Anna to run to the back before being pulled out. Anna ran as fast as she could, tears filling her eyes to the brim. She opened the back door to see a tall man looking down at her. He was about to grab her, but went wide eyed before gasping for air and falling to the ground. Nikki standing there now, blood soaked her clothes from her previous victims. "Come on!" 

They were about to make a run for it before they heard their mother scream. It caused Nikki to stop. "There's nothing we can do Nikki!"

"I know. Come on." They started their escape, but Nikki felt strong arms wrap around her. "Get off of me!" She shouted.

"I found two more!"

"Run Anna!" She did as she was told. Nikki tilted her head forward and rammed it back into the mans nose, causing him to drop her. She lost her balance, but quickly found her footing again. She had to lead these people away from her sister. She upholstered her pistol, but was too slow to pull the trigger. She was slammed to the ground and received a jab to the nose before a hard right hook to the side ribs then to the face, causing her vision to blur. She could feel the dirt and small rocks scratching at her back as she was being dragged away. She was defenseless. 

She was brought to her knees, still being restrained from a monster like man behind her. She saw her mom with a knife to her throat. "Why are you doing this?" Nikki asked.

"All I wanted was you stuff." The man admitted. "This woman here, which I'm assuming by the looks is your mother, made that a tad bit too complicated by killing some of my men. And I wouldn't be surprised if you killed some too. So I'm sure you can understand that actions have to take place."

"It was self defense you f*****g prick!" Her comment got her a slap to the back of the head. 

"Look it's you or her so who's it gonna be?" The man asked.

"Me." Nikki volunteered. "I killed more of your men than her, just kill me and let her go. Get it over with."

"Interesting." He thought for a moment before slitting the mothers throat. 

"NOOOOO! You son of a b***h! I'm gonna kill you!" She shouted as she saw her mothers lifeless body fall to the ground. The man walked up to the squirming woman. 

"Oh sweet lips, I'd like to see you try." The woman spit blood and hit his eye. "That's just rude. Take care of her, leave her to the infected, do whatever you want, just make sure she dies."

"Yes sir." The man restraining her replied. The man knocked her to the ground and gave her a series of kicks and punches as two others joined in. She couldn't do anything, her vision was blurring and it was hard to breath. There was a kick to her face before the beating stopped. "F*****g b***h." The man spat before telling his men to get back in the truck.

Before he got in, he heard a gun shot, followed by hot white pain in his abdomen. He looked around and saw no one. Then, there was a growl. He turned around and was met by a German Shepard lunging and mauling his face. More gunshots arose as the truck sped off. Nikki tried crawling to her mothers corpse, but everything in her body hurt.  She didn't make it far before her injuries got the best of her. The last thing she saw was a woman's figure over her then nothing.