The next morning I snuck into my dad's room. I knew he was out with his army and figured he'd be gone for a while. I decided early on in the day that I was gonna snoop around his place for pictures of my sister and mom to replace the ones that Andrea had gotten ahold of; I knew he hoarded them. Once I finally got over my nerves of getting caught, I spotted a photo sitting on the mantle. I picked it up, scanning over it; Penny, my mom, and I sat together, all smiles. The picture had been folded back where I was so you weren't able to see me once you bent it back. I shoved it into my back pocket. My dad didn't deserve to have this picture.

I glanced over to my left. A large case of weapons caught my attention. Could he have hidden pictures in there? I mean, I'd never know unless I checked. I cleared my head of my thoughts as I stepped over to the case, opening one of the glass doors. I carefully took out a gun and held it in my hands. I stared at the weapon, my eyes flickering over the sleek black exterior. I've never held one before and it was surprisingly heavy. I know it's hard to believe I've never touched a gun especially now with the biters, but my dad was the one who was in charge of all the firearms; all I had was my sword. I turned around, aiming the gun at his bedroom. I pretended like he was in asleep in bed. I made popping noises with my lips, moving the gun like I was shooting him. The gun slipped through my hands and fell to the ground.

"Shit." I quickly bent down and picked it up, praying to God no one heard that. A soft rustle of chains rang out from far back in the corner of the room. I stared at the area in confusion, the wonky black curtain drawing me in again. I put the gun back before cautiously heading over towards the curtain. I hesitated before grabbing it and slowly pulling it back. A cage sat behind it. I could feel the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself as my eyes ran up and down it in disbelief. They fell upon the keyhole. I turned around and walked back over to the case of weapons. I started to rummage through the drawers to find the key. When I found it, I stepped back over to the cage and carefully unlocked it. A small figure emerged from the darkness, stumbling towards me. It had a bag over its head, a straightjacket with chains wrapped around its body. My heart began to thud heavily in my chest. What the fuck was this? Who was this?

I put my hand over the bag. It trembled as a sick feeling took over my stomach. I took a deep breath before finally ripping it away. My jaw dropped in disbelief. My little sister stood before me, a biter. Tears instantly began to roll down my cheeks as I reached out to touch her face. She was calm, just like she used to be, as my fingers made contact with her cold dead skin. A loud, shaky sob was suddenly ripped from my throat, my hands flying up to my mouth to cover it. I never wanted to see her like this. Penny began to growl from the noise of my cries. She lunged forward with full force. I jumped back, my heel catching on the rug that was on the floor. I fell onto my back, Penny coming down with me and trying to sink her teeth into my skin. I let out an anxious yelp as I placed my hand on her forehead, pushing her head up and away from me.

The door to the room flew open just as my arms began to shake from the dead weight and force of her pushing to get me. I let out a louder cry of agony. Penny was suddenly torn away from me, still growling. A sick squishing sound filled my ears followed by a loud thud. I frantically scrambled to my feet, my legs shaking from the adrenaline surging through my veins. My dad and some of his men stormed the room.

"My little girl!" my dad hollered in disbelief and terror as he discovered Penny's lifeless corpse on the ground. My voice wavered as I spoke.

"You sick fuck," I choked, fighting back the urge to ambush him right on the spot. Someone wrapped their arm around my waist, roughly pulling me back away from the scene. I tried to pull free of their grip to get closer to my dad, but it was no use; I was growing weaker by the second. "You're fucking sick! You're crazy!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face as I was dragged outside. I finally tore away from the strong grip around my waist and started to sprint to my room. I was gonna grab my sword; I needed it. Footsteps were quickly following behind me, making me go even faster. I needed my sword now and no one was gonna stop me. I slammed my door in whoever was following me's face, quickly locking it before they could get a chance to open the door back up. They began to kick the door over and over again as I frantically reached for my sword. My ears rang with rage as I drew it and pointed it at the door which flew open seconds later. Merle almost walked right into the blade.

"Put it down," he ordered in a low voice. My chest heaved up and down, breathing hard.

"I'm gonna kill him," I growled, tears staining my face. "I'm gonna cut his fucking head off and carry it around town so I can show everyone what happens to people like him."

"Don't you dare," Merle scolded me. "Don't you dare pull that shit. You know you wouldn't get outta that alive." I paused, letting his words sink in. I broke down, dropping my arms. My sword clattered to the ground.

"He let her turn," I sobbed. "He let his own flesh and blood turn! He let her suffer! He shouldn't get to live!" A gunshot randomly popped from outside. Merle rushed over to my window to see what was going on.

"Get out. You shouldn't be here." He shoved me towards the window on the other side of my room.

"W-what? Why," I questioned in pure confusion. What was he talking about? What was happening out there?

"When ya get down there, leave. You can't stay here. You gotta run the fuck outta this town."

"And go where," I asked frantically, an almost sarcastic tone to my voice.

"Somewhere that's not here; the farther, the better," Merle instructed, his hands resting on my shoulders. I felt my lip begin to quiver again, silence ringing in my ears. I slid under his arms and hugged him tightly. He seemed taken back by the action, but wrapped his arms around me. I didn't wanna let go. Merle was the only one who made me feel like I mattered in these last few days of talking to him. He rubbed my back comfortingly. "Ye're the strongest kid I know," Merle whispered in my ear. "And if you see my baby brother again, give 'im my regards." I pulled away, my cheeks wet and eyes stinging.

"I will," I promised, swinging my leg over the side of the windowsill and lowering myself over the ledge. I could hear my dad and his army's angry, heavy footsteps storming up the hallway. They were getting closer and closer, the sound like thunder. Merle somberly kept his eyes on me, the two of us exchanging one last glance before I let go and fell to the ground. I almost lost my balance as I hit the grass harder than expected, but that didn't stop me from taking off. I bolted towards the barricades, climbing up and leaping over as fast as I could even though people were yelling and pointing me out. I sprinted down the road as fast my legs would let me, my heart racing. I had no weapons, no supplies, no nothing, but there was no turning back.