Travis p.o.v

"Uncle Travis!" I flipped the burgers and turned around.

"What's up little cat?" Katie ran into my arms and I spun her around.

"Look what daddy got me." She showed me a old antique camera.

"Wow that's amazing." I exclaimed, "Take any good pictures with that yet?"

She nodded her head and moved her blonde hair from her face, "Lots but my next one is going to top them all."

"So you say, what is it?" I asked.

"You silly!" She giggled, "Now say cheese."

I smiled and she took a picture, "Good?" She hopped out of my hands and laughed. "Hey why are are you laughing?" She smiled and ran off. "Hey get back here!" I rushed over her.

"Hey daddy! Uncle Travis! Look over here!" Katie hollered.

"Hey I'm coming!" I rushed over to where I heard her voice not even noticing the burning burgers behind me.

Present...

I looked at the smoke coming from the furnace. Henry walked next to me, "How long is that going to burn?"

"Maybe a week..." I said. I stepped back and walked towards the office.

"Travis we need to talk about this. About this plan, about...her." Henry muttered he last part.

"She's dead Henry and we don't speak plans until we have your brother here. He needs to be onboard for this to work, it's up to you to convince him so the less you know the better."

"Travis I-" I slammed the door before he could say another word and sat down. I put my hands on my head and took a deep breath before grabbing a box from the draw,filled with bunch of negatives, and made my way to the dark room I made in the basement, luckily it was still intact after the bombing.

I dumped the negatives on the table and began to enlarge them using tech I bought off of a guard. After placing the pictures into a tray of chemicals I hung them up and waited for them to dry.

I turned around and looked at my wall of pictures, the ones Katie took...Tears began to fall from my face, I couldn't help it. Katie was dead and it was all my fault...all my fault. I slid my back against the table til I hit the floor and covered my face.

Flashback...

It was the middle of the night; I woke up Katie and asked her to pack her things. The government was thinning out security because of some big event in Vegas. It was the perfect time to sneak out and find Tyler like I promised. We were able to make it out, found a cabin outside the city but we hit a big snag, we had no idea where we were going. We stayed in the cabin for awhile, surviving off the rations we stacked up thanks to some clever thinking but sad to say it was short lived.

"Hey uncle Travis?" Katie asked looking out the window.

I poured a can of spam into a pot. "Yeah?"

"What was the world like before the corrupted?" She asked.

I lit the burner and looked up at her. "Well...it was bright, happy, lively, and peaceful in its own way. It did have its flaws though..." I stirred the spam in the pot.

"Like you?" I looked up at her and she smiled.

Suddenly I heard a screech from outside. I seen lights from the window and rushed to Katie and looked out the window, I seen a truck parked outside and people walking out.  "Come on!" I whispered grabbing Katie's arm, "We'll sneak through the back."

"Travis why is there people here?" Katie whispered.

"There fallen. When some cities fell the government didn't bother to save them in fear that they were corrupted. They didn't have the resources to kill them or take back the city so as long as they were far enough from the cities still standing they were abandoned." I grabbed our  bags off the table and extinguished the flame. "Stay quiet." I moved towards the back as the door opened.

"This house will do. We'll be in the city before you know it." A guy muttered. I grabbed Katie and pulled her into the hall closet.

"Yeah you got that right Danny, the government will pay." I seen a flashlight coming closer into the kitchen.

"Hey anyone smell spam?" I heard the pot move, "Hey guys look at this...someone's been living here." I bit my lip.

"And there still here." There was silence for a moment. "Whoever you are come out now, and nobody gets hurts." I heard the sound of a gun. "You got to a count of 3 before I start pumping holes into hiding spots."

Katie held on to me tightly in fear. "Don't worry...they won't find us."

"1..." I heard gunshots in the distance. I tried to open the closet door but quickly closed it when I seen a shadow. "2..."

"Uncle Travis what do we do?" I felt her heart beating, she was panicking but even I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect to run into any fallen.

"3-" Suddenly I smelled smoke. "What the hell!"

Footsteps rushed towards the front door. "The door won't open!" A guy yelled. "This place is falling apart!"

I opened the door and took a look around before taking Katie's hand. The house was on fire, but who started it?  "Hurry follow me." We ducked down and snuck towards the back.

"Hurry check the backdoor!" I turned around and seen the men. "Hey!" The guy fired his gun as a giant explosion ensued like some kind of earthquake causing him to miss and hit the roof. The fire continued to spread throughout the house. I grabbed Katie and rushed towards the door but suddenly the roof collapsed. I couldn't move, Katie grabbed my hands, "No! Uncle Travis!"

"Katie run! Run as fast as you can I'll be fine." I coughed loudly as I felt the the smoke burn my lungs.

"I can't lose you...not you too." She began to cry.

I heard screaming behind me, "Katie run please, I promise I'll be right behind you!" Katie nodded and started running out of the house. I tried my best to push myself up despite the giant piece of wood on top of me and my body stuck in the debris. "Katie don't stop!" I was finally able to get myself free when I heard a scream. "Katie!"

New flashback...

I rushed into the backyard and looked around, frightened that Katie might of been hurt. "Katie! Katie!"

Tyler rushed up behind me, "What happened?"

"Katie...she-"

"Ssshhhhh!!!" I heard her say. I turned and seen her near a tree. "You'll scare them away." She whispered.

I took a breath of relief and walked slowly towards her. I seen a bunch of butterflies on the lilies Katie made us plant in the spring. "Wow..."

"I never seen so many rhopaloceras in one place..."

Katie giggled, "You mean butterflies dad."

"Oh yeah, right butterflies." He corrected himself.

"Uncle Travis take a picture." Katie handed me the camera and got as close as she could to the tree without scaring the butterflies.

"Say butterflies." I whispered.

She giggled, "Butterflies!" She loudly whispered.

I focused the camera and snapped a picture, not realizing I had the flash on. Suddenly all the butterflies went airborne and flew into the bright blue sky, engulfed by the sunlight. Katie waved at them, "Bye butterflies! Come back soon!"

She grabbed me and Tyler's arm and pulled us towards her. Tyler started to wave. "The lilies will be waiting for you!" He called out.

I smiled at the radiant happiness surrounding Katie and couldn't help but wave too. She was truly a ball of energy...

Present...

I looked at the picture, Katie smiling as the butterflies hovered over her in the sunlight. Petals danced in the air and for once everything hit me at once...that radiant smile...was gone.

Rachel p.o.v

The man pushed me and Michelle inside. We tried to escape, we ran but the guy was too smart. He knew the house better than we did and therefore he caught us easily, throwing us into the stair railing, then the wall...then he kicked us on the ground and didn't stop.

My vision was getting blurry, I seen Michelle's body lifeless on the floor. He dragged her and Alex out of the house, blood stained the floor. Eventually I was next, and I had slowly lost conscious as I felt him tug on my legs.

Derek p.o.v

I walked slowly into the house, holding a metal pipe I found outside. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, stair railing, even the floor was stained. What kind of monster could have done something like this?

I walked into the living room. The place was beat up and dusty, there wasn't much furniture either besides a couch and a chair. I suddenly seen something in the fireplace, I walked towards it and pulled the wood out with my pipe. It was a photo...I could only pick out a guy in a scientist outfit due to the photo being badly burnt. I looked down at the wood and seen something else, a book. I grabbed it and opened the page, it was hard to read but I tried my best to make sense of it.

James Con....
... virus resear...
Day 1
Today we are cond....for the recently discovered virus...found in monkeys...believed to be dangerous to mankind...physical contact... caution...

Suddenly I heard sound coming from upstairs. I grabbed strongly to my pipe and walked slowly up the stairs. I walked into a room, where I heard static and found a walkie stained with blood splatters. Hello? Please is anyone there? Please help me...

I grabbed he walkie, it sounded like a little girl. "Hello?"

Oh my god...your...alive! You have to help me! This guy he's got me trapped in some kind of basement, I dropped one of my talkies in my house and kept the other just in case anyone came but he'll find out I have it soon. Please come quick.

"Okay calm down, I'm coming to get you. What's your name?"

Katie...

"Its nice to meet you Katie, I'm Derek. Okay so do you remember anything? Anything that can help me find you?"

Um..I seen a lot of trees...and a lot of rocks and a big stadium I think?

"Stadium?" I questioned trying to figure out what she meant.

Yeah it was round and had messed up buildings or something and it was surrounded by a broken wall.

"That must of been one of the fallen cities. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Um...oh no he's coming back. Derek please find me...I hear voices, I think there's others here too.

"Katie I...Katie?" I heard static on the other end. I sighed, "Damn..." I looked around. "Sorry brother...but I got a girl to find." I walked downstairs and noticed one of the bodies with a gun hanging from his corpse I slowly unhooked the strap and threw it over my shoulder. I looked closer and seen a name tag on th guys vest that read, Danny Harper. From the look on his outfit he looked like a guard but it had to be some mistake guards never left the city, but then again No one did. So who were they?