Chapter Two: A Savior

"Alice J.?" An unfamiliar voice echoed from an unknown area. Alice had been sleeping in the first car she encountered after that physically and emotionally exhausting chase from the day prior.

"Alice J.?" The voice was getting closer. She the second time it called, she became fully aware that she wasn't hearing things. She slowly lifted her head to look out the window. The clouds were gone, though the sky was grey with the winter blues. She was freezing in that car. She searched for the person calling her.

An older woman appear behind a Mercedes parked next to the Prius Alice occupied. She had blond hair, a heavy jacket, and a gun in her hand. Alice's heart dropped. She lowered her head and decided to pretend like no one could see her.

The woman's fingers tapped the glass.

"Alice. I know you're in there."

Alice stayed silent, shaking in fear for who this woman was and what she could do to her.

The door opened. Alice had forgotten to lock the damn thing.

"Alice, don't be afraid. I'm a friend of your father."

Alice's heart leaped. Her father.

The woman sighed when Alice still didn't budge or say anything.

"Listen kid. You know that fancy radio your daddy had? He sent out a mass call for help. I've known Paul since before the damn apocalypse, and I knew it was him. He specifically told anyone who got the message to find you. Luckily, it was me who found you, and not some creepy a*****e. Now we've got to go, I've got a shelter not far from here. My name is Cara."

Alice slowly rose from her seat. She stood, a full head shorter than this woman. The cold breeze blew Alice's dark brown hair behind her as they walked the opposite way of the gap where the monsters had stood.

"How far were you chased by those things?" Cara attempted conversation. Alice didn't respond to it.

"You mute or something? Your father didn't say if you could talk or not." Nothing came from Alice.

"I'm gonna go on a whim here: You still don't trust me, or you're in so much shock of your situation that you've forgotten how to communicate. Some people were like that when this s**t first happened. I remember when-"

"How do you know my father?" Alice asked nonchalantly, following the stranger.

"Oh, now she speaks. Well, if you want to know the short story for now, we dated."

"Dated? What does that mean?"

Cara sighed,"It's a really, really long story, kid. I'll explain it to you later, when we've got a warm fire to sit by and nothing urgent to worry about."

Alice stared at her feet, listening to the crunch of the snow beneath them. She followed Cara down a street as soon as they got off the bridge. They turned a corner and Cara walked down some steps to an apartment that was below the street level. She knocked on the door a few times and waited a minute. The door opened but only slightly.

"Who is it?"

"It's f*****g Cara, stupid a*s. Who else would knock the theme song to 'Happy Birthday?'"

The door shut again, and the sound of something being unlocked was heard. It opened again a second later, and an old man with greyish hair was on the other side.

"Wait- Who's the girl?" He asked.

"I got a call on the radio from an old friend of mine. She's his kid, I saved her."

"How old is she?" The man asked.

"Why the f**k do you want to know?" Cara asked.

"Chill! I just figured, if she's old enough to understand some s**t, then I could put her to work! That's how things run 'round here. Remember?"

"Whatever. Her dad just died, let her mourn a rest a while. We'll get details later."

"I'm 15," The girl uttered.

"It's okay honey, let's just get you inside and warm. You look like you're gonna get frost bite if we leave you out here any longer."

Alice followed Cara inside.