[S1:E01] The Days that Passed

Michael had never been to Kansas before the outbreak, and like many he never truly had the desire to ever visit it. What was there to see besides a few flat planes and a whole lot of crops? To the Ohioan it was nothing different than Southeast Ohio or his hometown of Minster. But, with supplies dwindling and the problems building up with the RV he had no choice but to head west, and the rumors of a sanctuary within the middle of nowhere was a godsend to the man that wanted to protect his family beyond all costs.

The road to Kansas was long and difficult and many of the original few perished along the way. It was a miracle that Michael and his family had survived for so long without a single casualty, but it seemed as if luck was on their side. Of the original twelve survivors that came with the group, only five survived. Within a year's travel they had managed to arrive to the state, but found no likes of the infamous legendary settlement and instead found the burning remains of an area once inhabited. Any sense of enjoyment or hope was crushed within seconds of seeing the settlement's doors eerily left open, deserted and looted. The hollow remains of a once civilization was a haunting reminder of how the new world operated. Michael could only assume that they had been hit by raiders or surrounded by the horde of death.



Only days after their discovery of the settlement, Michael and his dismal group of survivors would be found by a group of runners. The two were a friendly group of farmers who stated that they had a small settlement about twenty miles to the east--things were looking up for now. Within days the group found themselves members of a small community made up of farmers and survivors who had fled Kansas City during the day of the initial outbreak. They were a tight-knit community, but they accepted the group with open arms--that was a year ago. 

During their time at the Kansas settlement, Michael had developed the skills of becoming a runner and scavenger for the camp. Though with dwindling supplies and perishables left in the world it had become increasingly harder for the group to find anything of value as of late. The community had decided that if they were to survive crops would need to be planted and fences and ground would need to be defended. The group that Michael ran with had a new job, scan and monitor the farmland for hordes while the small group of workers worked on a fence around the farm community. Even in the snow and dead of winter the job carried on and today was no different.

A cool crisp wind blew against the empty straight planes, causing wisps of snow to fly into the air. The frigid temperature clung to the air, which felt like one was treading through an ocean current, everything was slow and sluggish and to make things worse was the wind. With each howl of the passing breeze brought what felt like burning sheds of ice and glass to hit one's face--it was the worst feeling in the world. Even growing up in the cold never truly prepared you for how cold it got and without heaters to provide any sense of warmth one was left feeling like a frigid column of ice whose joints couldn't quite move. 

"Let's check around O'hares Mill, make sure no stragglers are lurking around the south side of the bend." A voice cracked towards the group of men that stood huddled on a porch. 

Michael's blue eyes narrowed as he glanced towards Connor Flemming, the leader of the runner and patrol unit. He grew up in these parts and was a neighbor to the founder of the settlement. He knew the land pretty well and had a good head on his shoulders, he could be serious quite a bit, but he had a sharp mind that Michael could respect.

With the south fence still under construction it only made sense that the group would travel there. Michael gave a nod as he looked out onto the snow covered ground that covered the expansive farm community. The others gave their nods of agreement towards Connor--making the matter settled. "Collect up your gear and let's head out..." Connor's twang rang out towards the group, "Those crawlers ain't going to be moving so fast with all this snow, keep it simple and only use your gun if you need it."

Connor would pause as he glanced towards the group, "It's not the walking ones I'm worried about, it's the ones lurking underneath all that snow...Keep it steady and slow, watch the ground and let's all come back alive alright?"

The group shifted glances towards one another before turning back towards Connor. The thought of them getting caught out in the snow was something that was always in the back of their minds, but they hated thinking about it--at least Michael did. The father would sigh slightly under his breath. The sooner they finished their patrol, the sooner he could be back at home.