Quinn - Year 22

"Moo moo!" Finn giggled as he hit the keys on his xylophone. 

"Yes, music!" Shianne smiled at her grandson.

"You've got it!" Shianne said confidently letting go of Jess's hands.  

Jess plopped her feet down awkwardly.

"That's Grandma's big girl!" Shianne exclaimed lifting the giggling toddler in the air. 

While Shianne played with the children upstairs,Quinn waited for Sonny and Charles to come home downstairs.The two soldiers were later than usual. She expected it had been another busy day. Both she, and especially Rayna, were anxious to get back to their careers. Only a few more days and they would be cleared and ready to go on patrols once again. 

Sonny quietly entered the house. "Rayna's in the backyard with my Dad, and Finn's upstairs with my Mom!" She said happily, waiting for Charles to follow. 

Sonny was alone.

"Where's Charles?" Quinn asked.

Her stomach plummeted when she saw Sonny's face. 

"I'm so sorry Quinn," Sonny said softly.

"Where's Charles?" Quinn asked again, she could feel her eyes starting to burn.

"I don't know how to tell you this..."

"Just do it!' Quinn exclaimed trying to keep herself calm. She couldn't jump to conclusions...not yet. She wasn't sure that he was...

"He's gone." Sonny said silencing her thoughts. 

"How?"

"We were on patrol...and he fell...and I couldn't help him...they got him."

Rayna and Quinn - Year 21

"Oh," Quinn said suddenly.

"Oh?" Rayna responded.

"Oh," she said again as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. 

This cannot be happening at the same time, Rayna thought to herself. Both sisters grabbed their stomachs and stared at one another. It was time. 

Jess was born first.. 

A few minutes later Finn followed. 

Both sisters were now mothers...

~ *** ~

Following the birth of Finn, Sonny decided to move in to help. Although unspoken, there appeared to be a little tension between Aaiden and Rayna's partner. 

On the other end, Quinn progressed in her relationship with Charles. 

Although, it would be more ceremonial than anything else, Rayna asked Charles to be her husband. 

In private, Rayna and Charles committed themselves to one another. 

Rayna felt like her life was now finally complete. 

Aaiden - Year 20

Rayna and Quinn enjoyed their days off...

...but they still maintained focus on improving their skills for work. 

They also started forming bonds with their fellow soldiers.

Quinn was immediately attracted to Charles Meador.

While Rayna preferred the company of Sonny Brown. 

Both relationships moved quickly. 

On most days, Sonny and Charles would come home with the sisters after their shifts ended. 

Since it was not safe to travel after dark, they would just end up spending the night. 

Aaiden, in particular, was not thrilled with this. 

With the lack of contraceptives, Quinn found her nightly "fun" with Charles had resulted in pregnancy.

Rayna happily found herself in the same situation. 

Shianne, surprisingly,was very excited that she was about to become a Grandma. 

Everyone, but Aaiden, seemed quite thrilled. 

Quinn - Year 19

On her 18th birthday Rayna had joined the military as required. She had shown no fear or hesitation when her first day had arrived. If nothing else Rayna had been excited to get an experience out of the home. 

She had become more physically motivated and spent most of her free time working out. Quinn did not share in her passion. 

The military had also helped expand Rayna's knowledge base and she used her new skills to set the home up with a functioning stove. 

The family spent the next two years happily content with their new method of cooking and the stories Rayna would bring home from the base.

~***~

Quinn woke up early the morning of her 18th birthday. Rayna had come back from work the night before with a new uniform for her younger sister.

Unlike her sister who oozed confidence Rayna felt her stomach flip-flop as she dreaded the day ahead of her.

"Why aren't you dressed?" Rayna suddenly said. Quinn had not heard her enter.

"Sorry..." Quinn mumbled, "I just woke up."

"Well hurry, we have to be ready for our pick up at o'500."

Quinn quickly dressed carefully pinning her hair back under her cap.

Her nervousness this morning was mixed with excitement. This would be the first time she had left her home. Once their pickup arrived Quinn looked out the window, it was her first time viewing the city without a fence interrupting her sight. 

Quinn nudged her sister when she spotted something moving near them.

"It's just a deer," Rayna sighed.

Quinn remembered learning about animals in home school, but she had never seen one in real life...it was much more beautiful than she had imagined. 

As they got closer to the base, the beauty quickly diminished. All around them was wreckage. Half destroyed buildings blocked the horizon and the air smelled putrid. 

Quinn wondered why it looked this bad.She only thought Zombies craved flesh...had they done all of this as well? 

Takeover - Year 17

The helicopters came first, their loud propellers ending the 17-year silence of Roseward's skies. Aaiden actually believed for a second that they might be saved. They soon realized the disease had been too devastating. It had taken over a decade for the military to recoup. 17 years now had passed and the nation was still overrun by Zombies. 

The nights were filled with gunfire as a military installation was hastily put up. The building was protected by a tall electric fence plastered with yellow warning signs.

It took a year before Aaiden and Shianne had their first visitors. A twenty something man with a short buzzed hair cut and a young woman with a tight black bun stood on their doorstep both adorned in riot gear with large unidentifiable guns strapped to them. On the first day they provided the family with a generator and 4 cellular phones. 

On the second visit they gave the family a piece of news that would change the course of their lives.