{"id":225,"date":"2013-07-21T16:09:34","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T16:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=225"},"modified":"2013-07-21T16:09:34","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T16:09:34","slug":"chapter-42","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-42\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 42"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 42<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It was raining.<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The first day after the dead had risen, it was raining.\u00a0 It was a complete downpour, accompanied by rain and thunder that I used to love watching next to my window.\u00a0 There\u2019s something so wild about thunderstorms, rainstorms.\u00a0 They make you feel that, if you go out and just enjoy the rain, it\u2019s natural \u2013 a cleansing, I guess.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not one to be religious.\u00a0 I\u2019m not one to search for signs.\u00a0 But, honestly, it felt so fitting to have such a fierce storm after\u2026 that day.\u00a0 The rain was pounding down harder than ever, with the winds trying to threaten our current hiding place.<\/i><\/p>\n

It reminded me of someone trying to scrub a stain out of a carpet.\u00a0 No matter how hard, how much effort, how many cleaning chemicals, some stains never truly vanish.\u00a0 It felt like whatever the hell is up there was trying to wash away the terrors of the virus, and that\u2019s a stain that will never fade.<\/i><\/p>\n

I guess when you really think about it, it could be that higher being was washing away the traces of the world that existed before the dead rose.\u00a0\u00a0 Depends on how you look at things.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure where I stand on that yet.\u00a0 There are so many things about this that I know.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s even more about this that I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot I don\u2019t know period.<\/i><\/p>\n

I do know that day was the first of many adjusting to my new life.<\/i><\/p>\n

I do know that it was raining.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monday, April 16, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\n12:30 p.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

Two people lay almost completely intertwined on the floor of the store; both were caught within the blissful ignorance slumber provided for them.\u00a0 A large golden retriever lay closely next to the young man.\u00a0 The blonde canine happened to be the only one awake and peeked her head up every now and then in a silent watch till her master awoke again.\u00a0 Peaceful looks were set upon two sleeping faces, as the young man\u2019s arm went over the girl\u2019s body.\u00a0 He shifted a bit before becoming still once more.\u00a0 The arm, however, jolted Riley out of her dreams and thrust her back into reality.<\/p>\n

She awoke with a start from that motion that morning \u2013 well, afternoon, once she checked her watch.\u00a0 She jerked around, confused at her surroundings, confused at seeing someone asleep next to her.\u00a0 The scene around her startled her:\u00a0 a dimly lit store, illumined only from what peeked through from outside.\u00a0 The daylight barely reached where she sat, giving the area a more dusky setting.\u00a0 Her hand reached for the flashlights she and Nick had found yesterday.\u00a0 Even from where she was at the back end of the store, she could spy overcast clouds outside.\u00a0 From above came the pitter-pattering of rain tapping steadily on the roof, followed by the booming of thunder and flashes of lighting that lit up the store better than anything else.<\/p>\n

Rubbing her eyes, she focused, as everything came rushing back to her.\u00a0 Her mind flashed back to images from the night prior:\u00a0 the armies of the undead coming to meet her, finding Nick, escaping there.\u00a0 Stretching a bit, she spied Nick, lying closely next to her.\u00a0 It\u2019d been he who had accidentally woken her up, she realized.\u00a0 He looked so peaceful right then, a smile creeping gently across his face.\u00a0 It was almost cute; he looked so innocent, young, and free, momentarily, from the horrors of the walking dead.<\/p>\n

They hadn\u2019t been able to sleep immediately yesterday.\u00a0 First, they\u2019d had to pull down the gates in front of the store and kill any random zombies within the building.\u00a0 It\u2019d been hours before they both felt they had cleared out the Target of any danger.\u00a0 While what they\u2019d faced hadn\u2019t come close to all they\u2019d seen roaming outside before, it had been enough to remind them that there was no safe place for them anymore, only safer.\u00a0 Once they had finished, they had agreed they needed some sleep.\u00a0 So she had followed Nick to the sporting department, covered the floor around them with sleeping bags, and finally lay down to rest.\u00a0 As they\u2019d fallen asleep, Nick had told her more about himself, and even though it felt wrong, she\u2019d shared very little of her own previous life.<\/p>\n

One of them, however, was supposed to have stayed up and kept watch, and then they would switch off.\u00a0 Riley couldn\u2019t remember who was supposed to have stayed up last, but she cursed their stupidity.\u00a0 If anything had gotten in, they would have been sitting ducks.\u00a0 But it did confirm that they\u2019d cleared the store for the moment, because any zombie would have smelled them out while they\u2019d been sleeping.\u00a0 Grabbing her crowbar, she stood, deciding to see if she couldn\u2019t get a change of clothes before Nick woke up.\u00a0 It would be less awkward, she knew, and why wake him when he was sleeping so soundly?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll hear if anything\u2019s roaming the store.\u00a0 Won\u2019t happen if they didn\u2019t eat us while sleeping.\u00a0 Even if I do, I\u2019ll run right back to him to make sure he\u2019s safe.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 Plus, Spunky\u2019s there with him\u2026 I\u2019ll hear her if something happens, right?<\/i><\/p>\n

As if she had heard Riley\u2019s thoughts, Spunky stood, trotting around to Riley and plopping down in front of her.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t taken long for the dog to take to her.\u00a0 Not to mention, Spunky had an innate ability to sense the presence of anything undead before she or Nick could.\u00a0 Watching Riley, she gave a tilt of her head; clearly, she wanted some affection.\u00a0 Obliging, Riley patted her with a smile.\u00a0 She reminded Riley of younger days with her brothers and the loyal German Shepard they\u2019d once owned together.\u00a0 She bit her lip, as the memory tore open the emotional wounds of just a day before, of the knowledge that her brothers had been left back in the home she\u2019d grown up in, left to rot.\u00a0 But no, they wouldn\u2019t even get that privilege; they were likely roaming the world with the other members of the living dead, rather than resting in the peace they deserved.<\/p>\n

With a quick glimpse at Spunky, once she left her dismal daydreams, Riley pulled herself back into the present, where she needed to be.\u00a0 \u201cKeep an eye on Nick for me,\u201d she told Spunky, careful to stay quiet, so as not to wake Nick up.\u00a0 Taking the dog\u2019s soft whine as a yes, she watched as the retriever calmly walked back over to him and curled up beside him as she had before.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmart dog\u2026\u201d she mused and then crept cautiously to the women\u2019s clothing section.\u00a0 Riley wasn\u2019t exactly concerned about how she looked.\u00a0 It was more the idea of ditching the clothes that had witnessed so many horrors.\u00a0 They had been covered in a mix of her blood, as well as the congealed fluid of the undead.\u00a0 They had been torn, ripped, and probably smelled horribly if she took a whiff.\u00a0 Personally, she didn\u2019t wish to know.<\/p>\n

As she thumbed through the clothing racks, she kept herself blocked by them, in case any of the zombies could see her through the windows from outside.\u00a0 It was doubtful, given the help from the gates, as well as the distance mixed in with the storm outside, but she knew to be careful.\u00a0 Another flash of lighting zipped outside, causing her to turn and just watch the front of the store with interest.\u00a0 Always, she\u2019d been fascinated by storms.\u00a0 When she was younger, she used to worry her father constantly by trying to play out in the rain.\u00a0 It was a habit that never completely died, for when she was older, she\u2019d often go on drives in the rain, finding them peaceful in a way that made sense to no one but herself.\u00a0 As she inched closer towards the front doors, crowbar still in her hand, she watched the downpour wistfully, and the urge to go out in it rose once more.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t, no matter how tempting it was; it\u2019d be her death, and she knew it.<\/p>\n

Riley turned away, frustrated by the limitations forced upon her.\u00a0 Nothing was hers anymore, yet somehow, everything was, in an annoying contradiction that only served to frustrate her more.\u00a0 She sighed a bit; her shoulder still throbbed some, not that she\u2019d tell Nick that at all.\u00a0 Skimming through the racks, she searched for a shirt to fit her.\u00a0 When she saw one she\u2019d make do with, she stripped off her tank top, having left her hoodie back with Nick and Spunky.\u00a0 It revealed a slim body that had been used to playing sports, and often.\u00a0 Riley was about to put the new shirt on, when the smallest noise caught her attention.<\/p>\n

It was miniscule, nothing more than a footstep, she figured.\u00a0 In times before, it would have meant nothing.\u00a0 Only now, it meant everything.\u00a0 She ducked down immediately, crouching low and inching her way towards the source of the sound.\u00a0 Still in just a bra and pants, she gripped the crowbar tighter than ever and lunged for the source, once close enough.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t take a good look at what she was attacking, but she knew what it had to be, as she tackled it to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa!\u00a0 Riley!\u00a0 Wait!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her hand flew in midair, ready to slam the crowbar down upon the undead.\u00a0 It was only seconds before forcing it down, that she realized it was Nick she saw below her.\u00a0 It was on his chest she sat, not a ghoul\u2019s.\u00a0 It was him she had almost killed, not some member of the living dead.\u00a0 The metal rod fell from her hands in shock and clanged angrily against the floor.\u00a0 Slowly, her eyes crept downwards, till her gaze met his, as she felt her cheeks grow warm.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d she apologized almost inaudibly, still in shock that she\u2019d almost accidentally killed her one companion left in this hellish world.\u00a0 Spunky had heard the commotion and had run up, barking excitedly until she discovered who her master\u2019s attacker was.\u00a0 She then sat, titling her head as if she, too, was asking how Riley could make such a mistake.\u00a0 Riley of course, was asking herself the same thing.\u00a0 She should have known better.<\/p>\n

Nick simply smirked at her, teasingly; his eyes were twinkling, playful now.\u00a0 For a moment, everything felt as normal as the situation could allow.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the second time you thought I was a zombie.\u00a0 Do I really look that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughing, she shifted her hair out from in front of\u00a0 her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNah, see, yeah\u2026 I knew it was you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just testing your reflexes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just wanted to jump my bones.\u00a0 It\u2019s alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Nick, not my type.\u201d\u00a0 And it wasn\u2019t a full lie.\u00a0 In the world before, as she was already starting to think of it, that was true.\u00a0 Nick would be the guy she\u2019d glance over, think was cute, but not worthy, and then walk away.\u00a0 It was a bitchy way to think, but Riley knew that was just how she\u2019d been.\u00a0 How she was.\u00a0 But she had come to feel comfortable with him in their short time together, and that was a relief.<\/p>\n

There was a silence between them, then, as they simply took in the sight of the other.\u00a0 It soon grew awkward, as she noticed Nick\u2019s eyes travel down, reminding her that she\u2019d lunged for the \u201czombie\u201d in nothing but a bra and jeans.\u00a0 She felt her cheeks flush and was annoyed at her face betraying her the way she knew it had.\u00a0 Riley didn\u2019t like people being able to read her.\u00a0 She climbed off of Nick and reached her hand down towards him.\u00a0 Gripping it, he let her help him up, and she painfully tried to fill the odd quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to, well\u2026 finish\u2026 changing, and\u2026 you have Spunky, too, so, I\u2019ll just take the crowbar and go change.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, looking at a loss for what to say, much like herself.\u00a0 She turned back towards him, concerned that she\u2019d hurt him.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t make you hit your head, did I?\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know much about his head injury, just that it had been bad and the reason he\u2019d been in the hospital to begin with.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but the bandages are dirty as hell; I need to take \u2018em off.\u201d<\/p>\n

His hand felt the back of his head, beneath his tousled blond hair, where the bandages still were.\u00a0 Nick winced a bit at his own touch, as she watched him.\u00a0 She stepped around him, glimpsing the injury for herself as he carefully peeled the bandages off.\u00a0 It revealed quite the head wound; blood had dried in his hair from the wound reopening, probably when she\u2019d crashed her car.\u00a0 It looked like someone had tried to kill him, rather than some accident, like he\u2019d described earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeez, Nick, what happened?\u00a0 What kind of accident just were you in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick sighed and shook his head, looking very disgusted with whatever answers flitted through his head at her question.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you were gonna go change.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sharpness surprised her.\u00a0 Nick seemed to be able to take things and still keep his head up; at least, that was how she had read him in their short time together.\u00a0 Riley, so used to being the one on the offense, rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cFine, I\u2019m going.\u00a0 I was just worried.\u00a0 Okay?\u00a0 But forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley felt herself walking away, irritated, back to the clothing she\u2019d been thumbing through earlier.\u00a0 Not one glance was spared back at Nick.\u00a0 To be honest, she knew she was probably too angry just because Nick was irritated about her question.\u00a0 Still, she was just so frustrated.\u00a0 She had no one left in the world, but this man she\u2019d met only a day and a half before.\u00a0 So in the end, she was so scared of ending up alone again.\u00a0 That fact alone made her want to rage at the world.\u00a0 She\u2019d liked priding herself on being so independent before, even if it had cost her everything she\u2019d never appreciated until the zombies took it all away.\u00a0 Her independence was all she had left.<\/p>\n

Her hands reached for the t-shirt she\u2019d dropped earlier, pulling it on snugly, as she stood there amongst the racks, watching the rain again.\u00a0 Steady footsteps headed her way, as she continued to watch the rain, ignoring the presence that came up beside her.\u00a0 It had too much coordination to be a member of the undead.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry I snapped at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry I cared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come off it, Riley.\u00a0 It caught me off guard, aight?\u00a0 We just met, damn; don\u2019t expect me to just want to share everything.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like you have.\u00a0 All I know about you is that you\u2019re a damn journalist.\u00a0 And the way you like to keep poking in my life keeps reminding me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley remained silent as she watched Nick from the corner of her eye.\u00a0 \u201cI love the rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was almost amusing, seeing the puzzled expression arise on his boyish good looks.\u00a0 He raised a brow at her, as she kept her eyes turned at the windows, at the storms she so adored.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the rain; I love the wild way it feels.\u00a0 It\u2019s just\u2026 so freeing.\u00a0 It\u2019s nature unleashing its rage on the world, and I love every minute of it.\u00a0 I always would go out driving in it, out to this hill overlooking the beaches.\u00a0 I\u2019d get out, sit in the downpour, and watch the lightening come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder if it\u2019s trying to clean the world,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, if there\u2019s a God, He\u2019s trying to wash humanity away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two were silent once more, until Nick spotted an overturned cart amongst the clothing section.\u00a0 His hand grasped hers gently, and Riley gave him a look as he pulled her over to it.\u00a0 They sat next to each other, both remaining silent.\u00a0 Together, they watched, as the rain continued to fall.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 42 It was raining.\u00a0 The first day after the dead had risen, it was raining.\u00a0 It was a complete downpour, accompanied by rain and thunder that I used to love watching next to my window.\u00a0 There\u2019s something so wild … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225\/revisions\/226"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}