The dining room had been quiet for most of the evening, save for the faint scraping of utensils on plates and the muffled hum of conversation. The long table stretched across the room, lit by a few flickering lanterns and the soft glow of a battery-powered lamp placed in the center. It was their last night in the office building, and there was a certain heaviness in the air, the weight of both their pasts and the uncertain journey ahead.
Kate sat at the head of the table, watching her group—the people who had, in one way or another, become her family(Carla is helping the kids to sleep). They were eating together for what might be the last time in this place. After tomorrow, they'd be on the road to the school, leaving behind the relative safety of this temporary haven.
She set her fork down and leaned back in her chair. "I've been thinking," she began, her voice cutting through the low murmur of conversation. All heads turned toward her. "We've been through a lot together, and we're about to take another leap of faith tomorrow. But before we go, I want to know more about all of you—how we all ended up here, how we became this group. I know bits and pieces, but... I'd like to hear it from you."
The table fell silent for a moment, the only sound the creak of chairs as people shifted in their seats. Then Amelia spoke up.
"I'll go first," she said, her voice steady but soft. She sat a little straighter, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the edge of her plate. Her eyes seemed distant, as though she were looking back through the years. "When it all started, I was hunting with my dad near a mountain out west. We didn't even know the world had gone to hell. No news, no radio, no cell phones. Just us and the forest."
The others leaned in slightly, their attention rapt. Amelia rarely talked about her past, and her voice carried a weight that made everyone listen.
"We were out there for weeks," she continued. "Hiking, camping, hunting... it was the kind of time we hadn't had in years. My dad loved the outdoors, and I loved being with him. It was... peaceful. Until one night."
Her voice caught slightly, and she paused to take a breath. Kate reached out and gave her a small nod of encouragement. Amelia glanced at her, then continued.
"We were staying in this little cabin near the base of the mountain. It was old but sturdy, surrounded by trees. One night, my dad heard something outside—rustling, groaning. He thought it was a bear or some other animal, so he grabbed his rifle and told me to stay inside. I—" She hesitated, her hands tightening into fists. "I heard him scream. I ran outside, and... they were everywhere. A horde of them. My dad... he was on the ground, and they were—"
She stopped, her voice breaking. For a moment, the room was silent. Marcus reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look at him, but she nodded slightly, as though accepting the silent support.
"Before he died, he told me to run," Amelia continued, her voice quieter now. "He told me I had to survive. So I ran. I went back to the cabin, grabbed my crossbow and whatever supplies I could carry, and I left. I didn't stop running for days."
The group sat in stunned silence, the weight of her story pressing down on them. Henry, sitting a few seats down, spoke up.
"That's when I met her," he said, his voice gruff but warm. "A few weeks after everything went to hell. I was holed up in a gas station, trying to figure out what the hell to do next. She stumbled in one night, half-starved and looking like she hadn't slept in days. I gave her some food, and we ended up sticking together after that. Strength in numbers, right?"
Amelia gave him a small smile, her eyes softening. "You saved my life," she said simply.
Henry shrugged. "We saved each other. And then, a while later, we found Victor."
Victor chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "I was the idiot stuck in a car surrounded by walkers. They pulled me out, and we've been stuck with each other ever since."
The group chuckled softly at that, the tension easing slightly. Then Amelia's expression turned serious again.
"After a few months, we met Eve and Matthew," she said. "We were scavenging in an old grocery store, and they showed up . At first, we thought they were going to fight us for the supplies, but... they didn't. They were kind. They shared what they had and invited us to come back to the station with them."
Her voice softened, and she looked down at her hands. "They saved me again. They gave me a home, a family. I wouldn't be here without them."
Kate felt a lump rise in her throat as she listened. Amelia's connection to Eve and Matthew suddenly made so much sense. No wonder she was so fiercely protective of Lucas and Mia.
"They were good people," Marcus said, his deep voice breaking the silence. "They kept this group together when everything was falling apart. Losing them... it broke all of us."
Daniels nodded. "But we're still here," she said firmly. "Because of them. Because of each other."
Kate looked around the table, her chest tight with emotion. These people had been through so much, and yet they were still standing, still fighting. She felt a deep sense of gratitude and responsibility. Whatever lay ahead, she was determined to make it worth their while.
"Thank you for sharing that, Amelia," Kate said softly. "And thank all of you for sticking together, for keeping this group alive. Tomorrow, we take another step forward. Whatever happens, we face it together."
The group remained gathered around the dining room table, the lanterns casting a warm glow across their faces. The somber mood from Amelia's story lingered, but there was also a quiet resolve in the air. They had all endured, survived, and continued to fight. Kate, sitting at the head of the table, turned her attention to Daniels.