Pilot 1/3

"Shit!" I shouted as I ran for my life, never have I ever ran so fast. A horde of zombies charged my way through the woods. The branches and leaves underneath my feet made a hell of a lot of noise as I sprinted to find safety. My bullets were scarce, I hadn't even killed enough of the monsters to make it look like less of a horde. As I ran, I could see a fire nearby in the distance. Maybe it was another survivor, I thought to myself. In the last 3 years I hadn't seen any survivors, not after my parents anyway. I looked back to see that I had lost the horde, just about. I ran towards the fire and I came across a cabin. It was small, enough for one person. They must have gone inside and forgot to put the fire out. Luckily, the horde hadn't noticed it. I quickly put it out using the remainder of my water and my foot to stamp on it. "Idiots" I mumbled as I walked inside of the cabin with my gun at my side.

"WHAT THE-" A guy shouted as he quickly jumped up from his chair and pointed his gun at my forehead. He was tall, I'd say around 6'2, blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was scruffy, just like his clothes. He wore a plaid red and black shirt and blue skinny jeans.

"I mean no harm, there was a horde of zombies, I saw your fire. Your welcome, I put it out before you could have been eaten" I rambled so I wasn't shot. The guy chuckled and lowered his gun. "Cocky? Aren't you..." he laughed and I screwed up my face at him.

What a jerk, I thought to myself.

"No, I'm Aria actually" I said as I looked him up and down.

"Casper" he said and shook my hand. Not that I asked him to but oh well. He looked at me and smiled.

This was the first encounter with someone in a long time, after my parents passed away I went on my own journey. I think I was looking for freedom but really I just wanted to be far away from my home town. I couldn't bare to stay there, so I left.

Casper handed me a cup of coffee. A grin spread across my face. I sipped the drink and indulged in the warm brown liquid I had missed so much.

"Glad you like it" he laughed as he watched me. I nodded frantically and laughed to myself. I usually don't let my guard down this quickly but this guy seemed...different or shall I say intruiging.

"So, Aria. What brings you out here" he said as he set his coffee cup down on a small brown table. "I come from around South West of here. My whole town got infected. Including my parents. I was lucky, so I packed some stuff and left. Now I'm here." I said as my smile turnt into a frown. Casper looked at me and frowned too. "I'm sorry to hear that. How long have you been on your own?" He asked as he sat up, now concentrating on me.

"Almost 3 years" I said as I looked at him.

"The first two years of the last 5 years were spent in my town, it was a good little town. We adapted to our new world, we survived as long as we could but eventually our walls couldn't hold anymore and well let's say people began to drop fast" I said and his face was now pale. He began to imagine what it was like but quickly snapped out of the horrifying images he had created in his mind.

"Damn, I'm so sorry. Well you can stay here as long as you like. It's nice to have some company" he said and I blushed a little.

"What about you?" I asked and sipped some more coffee.

He sighed. "Well in the last 5 years, I lost everything. I've been on my own for around 4 years now. I've lived here for 3 of those years." he said and smiled faintly at her.

"I like it, I just never thought I'd find a survivor. The last 5 years have been a blur of events." I said and Casper nodded. "I agree, as much as I don't want to cut this short, its getting pretty late. There's a spare room. It's not massive but it's got a bed and a wardrobe. So make yourself at home. And there's hot water too if you want a bath" He said and took the empty cup from me. I smiled at him and walked into the room. "I'll take anything" I muttered to myself as I picked up the towel on the bed.

The bath was warm, it felt like luxury. I usually cleaned myself in lakes or cold school shower cubicles. This felt like being home again. I shampooed my hair, which was another luxury. Once I was finished I stepped out and dried myself. I put on the t-shirt Casper gave me to sleep in. I put my pj shorts on that I always carried in my bag and climbed into the bed.

For the first time in a long time I felt like me again. I sunk my head into the pillow. This was better than a tent or a hard floor, I thought to myself. Whoever Casper was, he seemed to be one of the nicest people I had ever met. Although I invaded his home, he still was kind enough to share it with me. Even if it was just for now, I appreciated it.