For as long as he could remember there was never a moment of distrust towards people, he always had some kind of faith towards people. As foolish as it sounded, he always believed in second chances and looking for the good in people no matter what. But that was before all of this, before things had changed and he had to learn the hard way that everyone was out for blood. There was no reason to trust people, there was no such thing as second chances and it was extremely rare for anyone to have any good in them anymore. For someone like Cole McLean, all that mattered was taking care of his sister and his dad, even if it meant having to spill some blood. Taking care of his sister, Juniper Lee, wasn’t any different than it used to be, but his biggest concern was the sickly man he called dad, Isaiah. “We can’t stay at home anymore?” Juniper Lee had asked with a yawn from her spot on his back, the little girl resting her head on her brother’s shoulder blade. 

Things were so much different for the three of them, one being a prime example of just how bad things had gotten. Cole could still remember the old days, as stupid as it sounds, where he went to school or went to work or helped take care of his sister. Cole and Juni looked nothing like their father, where Isaiah had dark hair both kids had dark green hair; but at least Cole had his father’s brown eyes while Juni had their mother’s blue eyes. To think that being able to alter hair colors and eye colors used to be the peak evolution.

“There are too many bad people getting close to home, if they find us then they could end up hurting you or Dad. But as long as we have each other then everything will be okay.” Cole tried to reassure her with a small smile as he readjusted her against his back. “I can’t carry you for much longer though, you’re going to have to start walking okay?” He’d added after a moment followed by the nod of her head and the happy hum. Having to carry the bags with their supplies and medicine and clothes, along with Juni’s own weight was starting to be too much for his back.

He’d be lying if he said he knew where he was going, the streets were littered with old cars and a variety of garbage. That wasn’t even including the red stains on the concrete or the cars or even some of the shops and homes. Everything was so much different now, it was supposed to be some strain of the flu virus and it should have been resolved already. It wasn’t supposed to play out like this, it wasn’t supposed to lead to outbreaks and people getting sick and violent, it wasn’t supposed to lead to the army swooping in and creating these Safe Zones to “protect” the healthy people. 

Cole couldn’t remember the last time he saw someone, someone who wasn’t sick with this virus, but as far as he’s concerned that’s a good thing. At least he can anticipate what the sick people might end up doing, they never seem to bother him but they have a sickening interest in his little sister. But someone who’s healthy and surviving outside of the Zones? Those are the kinds of people that he had to worry about, he couldn’t trust them and he wouldn’t put his sister or his dad at risk. “Maybe Dad will find us a nice place to live, maybe somewhere big with a lot of rooms for us to use.” Cole told Juni as they walked, the girl giggling and jumping against his back at the thought.

Looking back towards Isaiah, it reminded Cole of how much the three of them stood out especially out in the open like this; the gag around his mouth was stained red even as he seemed to grunt and groan through the gag, coupled with the rope tying his hands together and let Cole lead him along like he was their pet. Clothes that were torn and tattered with a few red stains, Cole could see the bite marks and the old claw marks under his clothes. “Daddy is going to take good care of us1 Maybe we’ll find Mommy too?” Juni said as she twisted off of Cole’s back, the boy reacting instantly when she tried to get too close to Isaiah. Hazy eyes snapped from Cole over to Juni in an instant followed by Cole pushing the girl behind him when he tried to rush for the child. His reaction towards Juni was always the same. 

“Keep walking Dad, we still have a lot of walking to do. We need to find somewhere to stay, it doesn't matter if it’s one night or one week or one month or whatever.” Cole told the man before pushing him ahead of him, Isaiah seeming to calm down at the sound of his son’s voice and walking ahead of the two of them. Why did Cole still talk to his father like this, especially when he seemed to understand that Isaiah wouldn’t respond. Was it stupid hope that maybe Isaiah was just sick and he would get better if he kept talking to him like normal? 

“He’s just sick.” He heard Juni whisper from his side as they kept walking, his own heart hurting at the pain in her voice. Moments like these were when Cole wished he could make everything better for the three of them, he learned to bear the pain and focus on protecting his family. Nothing else mattered. 

“We’ll stay here for now.” Day shifted into late afternoon, the sun just now starting to dip behind the larger buildings around town. Cole followed Isaiah’s eyes to the hotel, there were less cars around here which had to be a good thing right? Maybe this area was untouched, or at the very least there wasn’t a lot of traffic around the hotel compared to other parts of town. “There will be plenty of rooms for us to choose from, but that also means Dad can get his own room too. We can even pretend we’re on vacation!” Cole told Juni with a small smile and that seemed to make her light up with a grin and a bounce in her step. 

“Well look at what the cat dragged in.” In an instant the hope in both siblings died at the sight within the hotel, quickly replaced by panic and anger at the sight of the soldiers. Soldiers and one, what Cole guessed, teenager that seemed to be leading the troops. How out of place. “Relax, we aren’t going to hurt you kids. You’re just… interesting to me right now, I mean my brother would die if he saw you three right now.” The leader responded with a wide grin, his body radiating excitement as he locked eyes on Isaiah.

“We just need a place to stay for the night.” Cole said once he managed to swallow the lump in his throat, already pushing Juni behind him and tugging his dad closer to his side. His eyes never left the soldiers, their own guns locked on Isaiah and waiting for the order. Shooting people like Isaiah must have become instinct for these men, which put Cole and Juni at an even bigger risk. “Dad doesn’t hurt people, he’s just… sick.” Cole tried to reason with them and for a brief moment he despised the panicked tone in his voice as he spoke. Could they pick up on his own fears? He knew dad could, guessing by the way Isaiah shuffled in place and seemed to grunt and groan through the gag. Maybe Isaiah was still somewhere inside of himself, was that too much to hope for? 

“Relax kid. These soldiers can stand down” There was emphasis on the stand down followed by shared looks from said soldiers before their weapons dropped, “and we can talk this out like adults. We haven’t seen someone like you in… well never. Mind if I ask you a few questions? I’m Avalon Raines, my brother is a doctor and… well we have a Safe Zone nearby, we can take you there if you’d like. You… three… will be safer with us after all.” He went on to explain as he turned his attention back on Cole, though it seemed difficult for him not to stare at Isaiah. The man’s words, Avalon, bounced through Cole’s head as he looked between his sister and his dad. He knew it wasn’t normal to travel with someone like Dad but he certainly thought there were others out there like him. More importantly, what choices did Cole have right now knowing there was a slim chance of the three of them walking out of here alive. How bad was it for Cole to entertain Avalon and his questions, especially if it meant protecting Isaiah and Juni?

“Dad doesn’t hurt anybody, he listens to me and he still protects my little sister and I. We just wanted to find somewhere safe to stay, at least for a little bit.” Cole finally answered Avalon and that seemed to make the man happy given the way he bounced around the soldiers and rambled on about his brother and how great this situation was and so on and so forth. “I’ll talk to you guys but… please don’t hurt my Dad.” Cole added and that made Avalon pause and turn to face him. Both parties hated the scared tone in Cole’s voice and at the very least it made Avalon wonder what the three of them had been through.

“I promise you this much, kid… I won’t let my soldiers hurt any of you. Especially your old man, I just want to talk to you about all of this. My brother would love to know more about you and your dad.” Avalon reassured Cole with a small smile and a nod of his head, motioning for the three of them to take a seat.

At the very least Cole could hope that the soldiers would truly leave him and his family alone once he answered their questions. Part of him wondered if maybe answering these questions would help their dad too, stupid hope that maybe this doctor would actually be able to help his father. Avalon didn’t look like someone who wanted to hurt Cole or his family; the small smile on his face and the light in his eyes as he rocked back and forth on his heels, excitement evident in the way he held himself. A chance for regret, a chance that Cole could be an idiot and he could be doing far more harm than good but… maybe talking to Avalon about all of this was a good start.