Isabel didn’t know what the hardest part of surviving was. Would it be the cruel reality of losing everyone? Seeing humanity fall to pieces? Figure that nobody could help you. She didn’t have a clue. The only thing she knew was that she hated herself for that. That what might you say? That wish. And yet, the girl felt guilty about it, although she didn’t know that a simple sentence would grow into her casual nightmare, night, and day. It couldn't be canceled. 

Isabel never thought that a simple wish to lead to the end of humanity, and mostly not the death of her parents. The ones she loved the most, that made her life good enough for her to handle it. All that significant karma, that bad luck; everything was troublesome to her ever since she was a baby. 

She didn’t stop apologizing. Speaking words of wisdom and praying to God that this would end, but it was no help. This was her fate, and she couldn’t stop it from existing. Every single day, she’d wake up after dreaming about her past life, wondering about how great it was. Yet when she opened her eyes, she remembered that her reality wasn’t this way anymore. 

As she saw Jonas and his little brother earlier, it made her realize it some more; it was this way, and she couldn’t help it. Isabel’s beloved Earth would burn to flames as innocent people would die, a man’s hunger growing into their end. Or a teenager’s foolish wish, she might as well add this. Lucia kept on repeating that it wasn’t anyone’s fault and that it had to be this way, yet the oldest couldn’t stop herself from feeling bad. 

I made that wish. I made humanity this way. I killed mom. Truth was hurting her, because of how real this way was, of how this was affecting more than just herself. Now zombies would stroll through the streets as humans would beg for mercy, screaming before becoming brain-eating monsters. 

The girls reached their house, safe and sound. Cautiously, both peeked around, Isabel holding her gun to her chin as Lucia had her dagger tight in her palm. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be anybody in their house, waiting for them to have a moment of weakness to come and attack them. 

Remaining silent was the key, as the others could presume that they weren’t here, simply. After a minute of silence, the sisters figured that nobody seemed to hide. Lowering their weapons and exhaling, they started to fill the fridge with the short supplies they had found at the grocery store. It wasn’t so bad when they inspected it; they had enough to survive a month, which wouldn’t be so bad. 

Isabel’s throat tightened. Maybe, in a month, would she be dead in a dark alley, eaten by nasty creatures. She shook her head; she was close to adulthood and the oldest in the family, so she had to take care of Lucia and herself. Effectively, her youngest sister was humming, a nervous smile on her lips as she closed the blinds and locked the door with a few locks, making sure that nobody could enter. 

“You don’t have to do this, Lucia.” Isabel spoke softly, her expression growing empathetic as she noticed how responsible Lucia was. 

“Yes, I do. Both of us have an importance in this, and it’s my job to make sure we’re safe.” 

“It should be mine. I’m the oldest. Come on, relax a little, I’ll make sure you’ll still have shelter by the end of the day...” The oldest replied as she shook her head, dropping her hands on Lucia’s shoulders. 

Lucia’s expression darkened, but it was unreadable. Was she mad, terrified, grateful, happy? Isabel couldn’t really know. It was a mix of shock, disapproval, fear, and gratitude. She would stare at her sister with a blank expression, her brows furrowed as she kept her hands in her hoodie pockets. 

“You should be the one to relax, Isa.” 

“What?” The concerned one yapped, her tone becoming harsh. “What are you saying, I’m completely relaxed!” 

“Mh-hm, if you keep telling yourself that, you might as well end up in a zombie asylum for the rest of your life. And you’re not fine, because you can’t even take care of yourself, so imagine taking care of someone else!” 

Isabel remained silent, looking down. Lucia was right, and she hated admitting it. She always pressured herself a lot, convinced that everything was her fault and that she had to do things the right way, and perfectly. But now, her sister described it perfectly, the truth hitting her like a dagger right into her heart. She swallowed hard, not knowing what to respond. 

“Fine.” She spoke in a weak voice. “But don’t you dare laugh at my abilities ever again!” 

“I didn’t laugh...” Lucia mentioned, raising both of her hands in the air in innocence 

“I bet you were about to, though. Don’t lie to me.” Isabel retorted, trying to stop the smile that lifted the corner of her lips. 

“I’m not lying.” 

“Whatever.” 

*** 

A few hours later in the afternoon, Lucia had just finished preparing dinner, a simple pepperoni and cheese pizza. Isabel took care of their security, using measures to assure that nobody except themselves would be able to break through. She didn’t have all her plans done, but she felt like she was doing it in an effective way. 

“You like pepperoni pizza?” Lucia called her, the scents filling her, a delicious aroma that enlightened her nostalgia. 

“What’s that question? Of course I do!” 

The sisters sat down as they began eating, staying silent. It wasn’t awkward, but they could tell something was off- not in the way that zombies would be at their door. But that they had to tell each other something, but that they were too scared to tell it. The oldest swallowed a piece of pizza and stared at the floor, then took a deep breath before speaking. 

“Lucia. I must tell you something.” 

“Tell me something? Like, a secret? Is it positive or negative? Please, clear your thoughts.” 

“No, it’s more like an opinion.” The girl admitted, before meeting her sister’s gaze and quickly looking away-not very subtly, though. 

“An opinion about?” Lucia questioned, raising a brow as she finished her glass of water. “You’re making me want to know it, and you know I hate it when you do this.” 

“You. Well, about how you acted towards the Evans brother.” 

“I don’t wanna hear it.” 

“...” 

Silence. 

“...” 

Still silence. 

“Okay, maybe, but sometimes must accommodate, so please stop being stubborn and hear me out, would you?” 

“Speak.” Lucia mumbled with attitude, folding her arms over her chest as she glanced away. 

“I believe you should’ve been kinder with Blake. You literally pulled that fucking bread away from him as if you didn’t even care about that kid.” 

“That’s right. I don't give a fuck about Blake.” 

“You don’t?” Isabel asked, shocked. “I know you hate Jonas and Sam, but Blake didn’t ask anything, and to the point of saying that you don’t give a fuck about him is pretty intense.” 

“He wasn’t even related to your relationship with Sam. If he’s not bothering you, he’s not a problem, which means I don’t have to worry about his innocence. I care about everything that’s a problem to you, and he’s just not part of the list.” 

Isabel stared at her sister, speechless. Lucia cared this much about her and wanted to protect her. And it was real sibling affection. She wasn’t being mean for no reason; she wanted to protect her oldest sister. The girl’s heart twisted in her stomach-she should’ve been the one acting this way, not her youngest sister. 

“That doesn’t bother” She shook her head, “Whatever Blake is to me, you can’t treat him this way, he’s in the same situation as we are, and as you always say it, violence is never the answer.” 

“Isabel, what did I tell you? We’re doing what we can to survive, and it’s us against the whole world! Stop trying to think about others, but when the situation shifts this way, you must be selfish and think of your own survival. I know it sounds stupid, but please, Isabel, could you even listen to me once?” Lucia spoke, raising her voice as her eyebrows arched. 

Visibly, the fourteen-year-old girl was angry, as her pride took over her common sense. It frustrated the eldest, who let out a groan of frustration. 

“But that’s not related! Try to be kind, at least!” 

“But you really don’t understand, do you?” 

Isabel opened her mouth to speak, but then, gunshots surprised them both, outside of the house. A submachine gun hit a target multiple times, as they could hear weak grunts and awful sounds of bodies dissolving. Instinctively, the sisters leaned down, although it wouldn’t change anything as the windows were closed. 

“Zombies...” The oldest whispered, her body trembling as her medallion was hitting her chest as she lowered her head. She gripped it with one hand, giving a small peck to the cover. “Don’t worry, mom and dad, I’m going to be fine.” 

After a while of insufferable gun shots and noises, silence finally reigned. The girls peeked around and finally stood there, trembling with fear. Well, that was what Isabel thought. When she glanced at Lucia, she noticed that she kept a poker face, taking deep breaths as her body stood still. She didn’t know how she managed to keep her cool. Her sister lifted her chin, showing an expression that betrayed how vainglorious she was. 

“See, that’s what I told you, Isa. If you don’t want to live in fear, you must take care of your own self-and me too- to assure everything would go well. You can’t keep having jump scares when you hear gunshots and start trembling, because you won't survive long.” 

Isabel froze, her thoughts wandering as she thought. All that bad luck, that pain she kept in her heart.... It should’ve hardened her, but instead, it made her even more sensitive, as she was acting even younger. Her youngest sister was more mature than she was, and it troubled her to see how coward she was. 

“I’m sorry...” She muttered 

“In those situations, you must try to hide your feelings-it's not good for you but it’s better because it can block the fear...” Lucia stated, ignoring the apology, brushing a strand of black hair away from her eyes, “Don’t be afraid, because that's your worst weakness.”