The Walking Dead

[Blackleaf]

Evelyn tried to swing her hips out of the way, but John's hand still hit her bottom.

"Ow!" she screamed. "That stings! Okay, I'll go upstairs! I was just trying to help!"

The teenager walked back upstairs. However, she was afraid that her mother would be angry with her too, so she went to her room and stayed there. She stood in front of a full-length mirror in her room and pulled her pants and panties down to inspect her backside. It was just a little bit pink from the swats, and the stinging pain was gone already.

[Thomas_III]

John finishes getting his supplies into the vehicle, thinking that his wife is getting everything ready upstairs for them to head out quickly. He doesn’t know that his youngest daughter didn’t do as he told her. For the moment though, he doesn’t have time to worry about that, as the scratching as the garage door is getting more insistent. It will only be a matter of time before the undead start to seek entrance through the doors or windows. With everything packed, he heads upstairs, ready to gather up his family and their possessions to get out of here. He’s somewhat concerned, though, when he sees his wife, son and oldest daughter still sitting on the master bed.

“Where’s Evelyn? She was supposed to tell you that it’s a situation seven!”

Ilena looks up in shock as her husband returns with such an announcement. This has obviously gotten to the point of being a family emergency.

“I don’t know, sweetie. She must have gone to her own room, maybe?”

She immediately starts to get out of bed, though. Her husband has prepared her for such situations, and she knows her part in the preparations. She immediately starts to pull the necessities out of their dressers and closet, remembering to put a small number of sentimental items in that they won’t want to lose. She pauses only long enough to look to Megan.

“Honey, take your brother to his room and help him pack up some clothes and just a couple of toys. Find your sister and have her do the same, and then do your own things. Use the duffel bags in your closets.”

Megan nods, taking her little brother by the hand and guiding him off of the bed and out of their parents’ room.

[Blackleaf]

Matt was entirely confused about the whole situation.

"We're packing? Are we going somewhere?"

Hearing the commotion coming from outside her door, Evelyn opened her door and found her older sister with her brother in the hallway.

"What's going on?" she asked.

[Thomas_III]

Megan takes Matthew straight to his room, going to his dressers to take clothes out for him.

“Because Daddy is taking us someplace safe, little bro. Let’s grab a few of your things and get back to Mommy and Daddy.”

She glances up as Evelyn speaks to them.

“Eve, we need to pack you some clothes for a trip. Daddy says that we have to leave.”

[Blackleaf]

"Safe?" Matt asks. "Home isn't safe?"

"Where are we going?" asks Evelyn.

She had a feeling this commotion had something to do with the number she was supposed to deliver, but she had no idea what.

"Was it something about...a seven or something?"

[Thomas_III]

“Eve, we really don’t have time for questions. Go and get your clothes packed. I’ll be right back to help you after I’ve gotten Matt’s things together. I have to get my stuff, too. Come on, Matt.”

Megan walks her little brother straight to his room, quickly moving to his closet to find the duffel bag that’s there for him. Their dad insisted long ago on each of them having such a bag in their room for emergencies, like this one.

“Pick a couple of toys and books, Matt. I’ll start packing your clothes.”

Back in their room, John and Ilena are busily packing their own bags, gathering up as much as they can reasonably carry. They stick to the necessities, though Ilena does put a photo album into her bag before closing it up.

“Honey, is it really that bad?”

John is silent for a moment, zipping his own bag shut. He sighs, stopping to look to her.

“It’s pretty bad, Ilena. I think our neighborhood is already gone. I heard something outside of the garage. I want to get out of here before anything gets the idea to come in through the windows.”

As if on cue, there is a crash from downstairs as a living room window is smashed in.

[Blackleaf]

"Okay," said Matt.

He grabbed some of his favorite toys and comic books and put them on his bed.

Meanwhile, Evelyn returned to her room and started packing, still feeling just as clueless as before. Why were they taking off so fast? What did she miss? As she packed her bags full of her clothes, she really started to regret going to her room instead of returning the message. She had a feeling her backside was going to regret that decision later.

The sound of glass glass breaking downstairs made her gasp.

"What was that?"

[Thomas_III]

Megan jumps at the sound of glass shattering, startled by the implications that go with it. She instinctively pulls her little brother close to her side, almost throwing the rest of his things into his bag to get it ready. Once everything is inside, she takes his hand and starts toward the door to head to her room.

“Stay close, Matt. Daddy will take care of everything.”

And, John is already planning on doing just that, as he’s pulled a shotgun out of a stash in his closet. He motions for Ilena to continue with packing, but only after setting another gun out on the bed for her, just in case.

“I’m going downstairs. Wait for me before you follow.”

[Blackleaf]

Matt followed Megan to her room and tried to help her pack by throwing things in her bag.

"What broke?"

Evelyn quickly finished packing before taking her bag downstairs, where she assumed she was supposed to go. Then she saw her father with the shotgun.

"Daddy? What's that for?"

[Thomas_III]

Megan hears the noise from downstairs, but focuses on packing. It’s their daddy’s job to handle anything that’s going on, at least as long as he’s alive to do so. That’s what he’s always taught her, anyway. He wants his kids to be able to take care of themselves, but doesn’t want them to have to if he’s able to do it for them. As Evelyn starts down the stairs, her father stops her before she can even get halfway.

“Eve, go back to your room and wait until your mother or I call for you!”

As John says this, a shambling form comes around the corner and starts to climb the stairs towards them. He doesn’t even miss a beat as he lifts the shotgun and fires it almost at point blank range. The zombie’s head splatters across the wall, though John doesn’t drop his guard for a second.

“I said to get back upstairs, Eve!”