I'm Going to Find You

And 5 arrows makes 5 dead ones.

Ah wonder why more people don't hide out en trees. They're not all comfy sure, but they got one thing that a bed can't have: range. Get me en a tall oak and no zombie can make it within 100 meters close to me.

The sun es going down. That was always the worst part of the day. Ah wasn't kidding about the trees not being ah preferred place for sleep. Uncomfortable sure, but the biggest worry was falling. Nobody wonts to wake up on the wrong side of the bed with a broken leg. Or a zombie chewing your throat.

Ah tie myself down with ma wire and ah wait for sleep to come, so ah can bear the dreams that come every night.

---

"So how long have you been in town?" Asked the brunette girl sitting next to me. Ah was surprised anyone wanted to Merida DonBREGLCHH, the new lass from Scotland.

"About a week. Ma parents and ah move around a lot, but then ma mother wanted to settle down and raise the family in one home."

"Oh so you have siblings?" She asked what was probably her umpteenth question.

"Ah have three brothers. Wee devils more like it. Do you have any brothers?"

"No. Ah'm an only child."

"What is that like?" Ah ask, dying to know.

"It's a little lonely sometimes. It's just me and my parents at home. But I'm trying to make friends with everyone I meet."

"How is that going fer ya'?"

She smiled, sweet as honey. "Well, are we friends Merida?"

Ah smiled back. "Yes. Yes we are."

---

Ah wake up. It's refreshing to wake up with the sonrise. It gives me hope that the day will be jost as bright.

Ah climb down and walk ta the fallen zombies. Ah take each arrow out of their mark, only one can't be used anymore. Sometimes the skulls are still hard to pierce. Ah have about 7 arrows left. So either find more, make ma own or use something else. Wish ah had ma father's sword.

Time te get a move on.

Ah always liked forests like these. There was something about the sonlight streaming past the leaves or the sounds of animals scerrying between the trees that made me feel more at home. After the change, the forests make me feel safer. The trees er tall, ah check fer zombies with every snap of a broken twig, and no zombie has a snowballs chance in hell against mah bow.

Ah hear the sound of ronning water and rosh to it. It's a river! Not a large one but that means civilization can't be far. Ah take a long drink and ah see a train of stones. Ah can't help but smile. How did it go again?

Jump, step, step, jomp-

---

"-step, jomp, big jomp!" Ah shouted, landing on the other side of the stream. Raponzel is standing on the other side, watching with bated excitement. "Come on girlie!"

Raponzel hopped on each stone, muttering the movements as she made them. "Jump, step, step, jump, step, jump, big-"

She missed the big leap to the other side and landed with a big splash, leaving both her and me soaked.

"Oh I missed it."

"You certainly didn't miss me." Ah whip ma massive curls around like a wet dog, splashing her even more. She whips back with her golden train of blonde. And to think ah miss her old hair.

"Had enough, Mer?" She asked, peering past her bangs.

"Only when you had. Come on, the waterfall is jost down the river."

*SNAP!*

---

Ah'm back in reality at the sound of a twig snap. Ma arrow is armed and ma bow is pulled back. Whatever et es, et's close. How could ah let ma guard down? Te ma left!

Ah turn and see. Et's not a zombie but a big black bear, right across the river.

Et looks up and stares et me. Ma arrow is still aimed between ets eyes, but ah can't do et. Maybe because et hasn't harmed me before, maybe because et's not trying. Ah put my bow down. There are worse things out there than a bear.

Think of the devil, a zombie came op from behind and bit the bear. Not just one bot a smoll pack. The bear tried to bite back bot there was just too many. Ah terned tail and ran, the last thing ah needed was more zombies; or werse a zombie bear.

Ah ran and Ah kept ronning.

Ah didn't stop ronning ontil mah lungs felt like they were on fire. Ah knew ah needed te keep going, there was no soch thing as too far away.

Ah leaned against a tree, just before a clearing. Ah couldn't just stay in the open, so ah climbed et. But ah didn't see the loose branch until ah was in the air falling te the ground.

---

Another arrow and another dead one.

Ah've been stroggling to get past this street. This and every other one like et es crawling with whatever the hell these things are. Rotting skin, barred teeth with nasty bits of what ah hope was jost meat.

Another arrow and ah'm almost out.

Ah finally reach her street. There's not moch, it is deserted like the others, fortunately there wasn't a single one of those... things. Ah reach her doorstep, terrified that the door is open.

"Raponzel!" Ah shout. "Raponzel! Where are ya' girlie?!"

Ah don't know how ah didn't hear the sobs coming from the second hallway. There she was, her face buried in her knees and hidden past her skerts. A blood marked frying pan wos by her feet. Ah'm on her in an instant.

"Raponzel! Are you alright?"

She threw her arms around me and buried her hysterical screams into mah hoodie. Ah hold her tight, telling her she's safe, that she's alive.

Where are... oh.

There they are.

"Oh. Wee lamb." Ah hold extra tight now. And ah just hold her ontil she calms down enough to look me in the eye.

"I- I- I-" The poor lass couldn't get a word out.

"Raponzel, ah know. But we can't doddle here, we have to go. NOW!"

Ah help her gather as many supplies as we need and quick. Pretty soon wer out the door. Ah've got ma bow, she's got her pan. Just two girls against the world. And the world es bringing a hell of a fight.

---

Ah hear a voice.

"Is she dead?"

"No, Jack. She'd be a walker then."

More voices. Sometheng's touching mah face.

"Don't poke her."

"What? She's not a zombie what's the harm?"

Now ah see a face. Ah hit the face as hard as ah can. Ah know so cause ah heard his nose crack. He falls over to cover the goshing blood which ah take to grab and draw back mah bow.

A brutish looking girl has an ax at the ready.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Hold up! Time out!" A dweebish little man with a metal foot steps between os.

"Jack! Are you okay, baby?" A darker skenned gerl en bright flerescent green get op was examining her 'baby'.

"Owww! My nose!" Moaned the boy. Looking at him ah saw that he had snow white hair, a tattoo on his neck and a jacket with derty words on et. "You broke my nose you bitch!"

"Chill, Jack!" The dweeb said then he turned to me. "We don't mean to hurt you."

"Speak for yourself, Hiccup."

"Will you shut UP, Jack!" Shouted the ax-girl. "You're not helping."

"Hey! Read. My. Jacket!"

The boy looked to me, trying to be calm. "What's your name?"

"Merida."

"Hey... Merida. I'm Hiccup."  He points to ax-girl. "That's Astrid." Then te the two on the ground. "That's Tooth and Jack is the one with the bloody nose."

"What do ya' want?" A'h ask, loosening my draw ba a bit.

"We were walking by and we saw you passed out by that tree. So we checked to see if you were okay?"

"So you saw an unconscious gerl while you all were out having a stroll in the woods and thought 'what the hell?'"

"Basically." Spoke Jack as he stood up, giving me an evil glare.

"We thought you could use some help."

"Ah don't need help!"

"Are you sure?" Tooth said, looking concerned. "You look like you could use a hand. Or... however many hands we've got."

"Eight, Tooth." Hiccop mermered loud enough to be herd.

Ma eyes jumped from person te person, ma nerves still on edge. "Why do you want to help me?"

Tooth looked into ma eyes, loving and unafraid. "Because it's the right thing to do."

Ah felt a chill run down ma back. The right thing te do. Ah thought that disappeared en the change. Everything ah've seen people do, and everything that ah've done was never "the right thing". When yer survival is at stake, the idea of "right" and "wrong" become onfamiliar.

Yet here were four complete strangers, wonting to help me. Because et was right. Ah haven't seen that kind of humanity since Raponzel.

Ah put ma bow away. "Okay."

Tooth smiled a big toothy gren and took ma hands. "Welcome to the group, Merida."

Ah have myself a smile as she pulls me to the others fer their own proper greetings. Ah look at Jack, who's still nersing his broken nose.

"Sorry about that." Ah say sheepishly.

Jack shrugs. "Ah that's okay, Mer. Happens. Besides, I let you have that one."

Ah laugh. "Of course you did."

"I'm warning you now, I'm not gonna go easy on you from hear on out."

"Yeah and hard from Jack is like a snowball in the middle of summer." Hiccop jabbed.

"Keep your quips to yourself, Peg Leg." Jack smerked back. "Don't want to make a bad first impression."

"Be nice, Jack." Tooth gently scolded, hogging his arm.

"So Merida," Astrid spoke op. "Have any family out in the big bad world? Friends?"

Ah smile. A happy smile that ah haven't had in a long time. These were good people, these were friends. Ah need more friends en thes big bad world.

"Yeah. Ah have a family. Ther out there somewhere. Ah'm still looking for ma best friend."

"What's her name?"

"Raponzel."

And ah'm going te find her. And Flynn. And ma family. Ef et takes the rest of mah life.