{"id":227,"date":"2013-07-21T16:10:48","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T16:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=227"},"modified":"2013-07-21T16:10:48","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T16:10:48","slug":"chapter-43","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-43\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 43"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 43<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The first day at the base, I hadn\u2019t known that it\u2019d be my new home.<\/i><\/p>\n

It rained all day.\u00a0 All it did was make everything worse.\u00a0 The world was crying, like it knew what had happened.\u00a0 I was crying; I\u2019d been constantly crying, it felt like.\u00a0 I\u2019d had my own personal rain since Reaper\u2019s Sabbath, no matter how sunny the day.<\/i><\/p>\n

Everyone expects me to just be able to move on, live past it.\u00a0 After all, I was alive.\u00a0 I guess that I was able to, the first day after, on Sunday, before the dead rose.<\/i><\/p>\n

Once that happened, what would make me happy to be alive?\u00a0 The fact that the world didn\u2019t want us anymore?\u00a0 Or maybe that everyone I knew and loved was now roaming the streets craving for my flesh?\u00a0 I wanted my simple life back, when I was able to be shallow and carefree, when my only worry was whether or not Daddy would accept Bradley Lee.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s so hard, now.\u00a0 Everything has gotten so hard; nothing is easy anymore.\u00a0 Not even simple things.\u00a0 Nothing, ever since the Osiris Virus claimed our lives, as brutally as it did the ones it killed.\u00a0 You know why we call it that?\u00a0 I gave it the name.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s after the Egyptian God of the Dead, you know.\u00a0 He was killed and arose from the grave, just like everyone now.<\/i><\/p>\n

I want everything to be simple again.\u00a0 I can\u2019t handle this world.\u00a0 I can\u2019t be tough like everyone else.\u00a0 I don\u2019t even want to try.<\/i><\/p>\n

If people don\u2019t like that, I don\u2019t care.<\/i><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t care about anything anymore.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Monday, April 16, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\n5:00 p.m.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

They had been in the church all day.\u00a0 No one wished to go outside, and no one could really blame anyone else.\u00a0 They\u2019d all been living in the hell that had once been their world for a full day, almost, and none of them wished to adjust.\u00a0 Kayleigh spent the day more observing than actually attempting to interact with people.\u00a0 Why bother?\u00a0 For all she knew, everyone would begin to die before her eyes, just like everyone else she had cared about before.<\/p>\n

Oddly enough, the clothes she\u2019d been forced to wear on Saturday, the clothes she\u2019d resisted before because they weren\u2019t her thing at all, suddenly felt homey.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to change out of them; she felt like they showed the state of her.\u00a0 Her knees were close to her as she remained sitting against the wall.\u00a0 She wanted to feel enclosed, her own personal bubble that shut out the world and everything it had become.\u00a0 She wanted to live in the fantasies of the world before.<\/p>\n

Before.<\/i>\u00a0 What a connotation that word had taken on.\u00a0 It wore the heartache that embraced Kayleigh like a silk shawl, proudly displayed it.\u00a0 Before <\/i>– it meant so many things.\u00a0 Before<\/i> was when she was happy.\u00a0 Before<\/i> was when her world seemed to sing and tune out any hint of darkness.\u00a0 Now that darkness had become the world, happiness was to be forgotten.<\/p>\n

Would she ever be happy again?<\/p>\n

She seriously doubted it.\u00a0 All day they\u2019d been in the church, Kevin checking himself constantly throughout the day for symptoms of the virus.\u00a0 So far, there were no such signs.\u00a0 It gave the others hope, because the virus had struck so quickly before.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t doing so now, giving them the belief that it had either left the air, or that Kevin was to be amongst the rare immune.\u00a0 Kayleigh didn\u2019t want to believe either one.\u00a0 It meant she could get attached to the strong protector.\u00a0 Attachments were dangerous and, thus far, the only one she had allowed had been a small one to Howie.<\/p>\n

Her phone couldn\u2019t make any calls \u2013 no service, of course.\u00a0 Yet still, she flipped it open often, checking for a miracle that could never come.\u00a0 Every time she glanced at the screen, there were no missed calls.\u00a0 No signs of life from her family, who she knew were probably dead, after what Kevin had told them.<\/p>\n

She wondered if her unborn sibling could reanimate in the womb.\u00a0 If it could, would it try to eat out of her mother\u2019s stomach?\u00a0 They were sickening thoughts, ones that had been haunting her throughout the hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo snapped her out of her reverie.\u00a0 She had a motherly concern for the college girl, but Kayleigh simply frowned, ignoring her.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want a replacement for the people she\u2019d lost.\u00a0 Jo\u2019s daughter sat over at the other end of the church, giving Kevin the same looks.\u00a0 At least, it seemed, someone understood.\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 Why did it have to be a church they hid in, anyway?\u00a0 The entire thing was ironic.\u00a0 If God had let this happen, God could care less if zombies ate them.\u00a0 That simple.\u00a0 Her hand smoothed her hair back, trying to hide the bald patch that had almost caused her death.\u00a0 It hurt, throbbed when she touched it.\u00a0 It also made her feel less, less than what she was.\u00a0 It was a vain notion, but she could care less about that.<\/p>\n

To be blunt, she wasn\u2019t sure exactly sure what she did<\/i> care about anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh?\u00a0 Are you hungry?\u00a0 We\u2019re fixing dinner with the supplies you brought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great, jerky and canned fruit, most likely.\u00a0 Because that was just so appetizing.\u00a0 Why bother when they\u2019d be eaten soon enough, anyway?\u00a0 What, this way they\u2019d be better tasting, plumper for the leagues of ghouls just waiting to break into the barricaded church?\u00a0 Kayleigh looked away, her frown morphing into a scowl, as she focused on her cell phone, deciding to play a game on it before the battery died.\u00a0 It was simple, it was mindless, and it suited her.<\/p>\n

The noises around her could fade into the back.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have to watch as pews were forcefully separated from the floor by the men, as Jo tried to prepare a meal.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have to hear talk of plans of action or clicking noises that she didn\u2019t know the exact source of.\u00a0 Instead, she stuck to the Sunday school room, away from the moans from outside.\u00a0 She could simply play Pac-Man on her phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh, did you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning away, she focused on the floor, willing the world away.\u00a0 She\u2019d have been better off dead, even if she\u2019d once loved being alive.\u00a0 She was far from suicidal, but the events had caused her to become extremely realistic about how everything would be for her now.\u00a0 And, realistically, it would\u2019ve been better to have just died with everyone else, to be completely oblivious to the hell Earth had become, and be one of the mindless dead instead.\u00a0 Knowing\u2026 It was knowing, it was fighting, it was living, that was the cruelness of life now.<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh!\u201d\u00a0 Finally, she glanced up at the middle-aged Hispanic woman, whose dark eyes had become daggers aiming straight her way.\u00a0 Direct hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat!\u201d she cried out, irritated at being brought back to harsh reality.\u00a0 Reality was colder than she wished to be.\u00a0 Reality froze her to the bone, and she shivered simply from the thought of such.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to eat.\u00a0 Talk to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard, who had been debating something with Kevin, had decided to stroll over.\u00a0 His steps were short and speedy.\u00a0 Impatience sat upon his furrowed brow; his dark eyes glinted with an edge he hadn\u2019t turned her way before now.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, don\u2019t be childish, Kayleigh; you need to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy bother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why don\u2019t we just throw you out the door and let those things<\/i> eat you now?\u00a0 It\u2019d be easier on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before her very eyes, the tough snobbish business man softened at her reply.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right, I wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 But come on, you need to eat, at least for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rolling her eyes, she stood and followed him back to the others.\u00a0 AJ was eating and actually seemed at ease, which shocked her because how could anyone be at ease in a situation like this?\u00a0 But they all ate, and it, of course, was as she\u2019d figured.\u00a0 Bits of various jerky and canned fruit that she and Howie had swiped from that convenience store, something that was only days before, but felt like eons.\u00a0 Because it was Before<\/i>.\u00a0 There was chatter going on, she knew.\u00a0 But it felt like a simple buzzing to the ears that one could block out with ease.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026I\u2019ll make sure we all start practicing target practice.\u00a0 The head isn\u2019t the easiest place to aim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, even Gabby should know, in case something happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the worst happens, I want her prepared, Jo.\u00a0 That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/i> think we should worry more about supplies first.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have enough for long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDude, supplies can\u2019t do shit if we try and get ’em while those fucking ghouls are after us and we can\u2019t shoot for shit.\u00a0 My ass is with Kevin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh?\u201d<\/p>\n

They were saying her name, but she was feeling distant, completely unattached.\u00a0 It was like Kayleigh belonged to the name of a college girl, one in love and with everything to live for.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t her.\u00a0 That was some other girl.\u00a0 A girl she\u2019d once known, but had long since lost contact with.\u00a0 So why were they calling for a Kayleigh?<\/p>\n

\u201cKayleigh!\u00a0 Snap out of it.\u201d\u00a0 Tatted hands with black-painted fingernails snapped rapidly before her eyes, causing her to blink and swat them away irritably.\u00a0 Back to the world, she came, and a crashing sensation filled her as she was once again reminded of that which she wanted to forget.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, AJ! Jeez.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d the teenager asked.\u00a0 Kayleigh hadn\u2019t exactly taken a lot of notice of her.\u00a0 She knew her name was Gabby and that she was Jo\u2019s daughter, but overall, the two had ignored each other.\u00a0 Gabby seemed as sullen as her and, rather than appreciate it, Kayleigh resented her for it because Gabby already seemed to be getting the free pass Kayleigh would have died to have at the moment.\u00a0 No one forced Gabby<\/i> to come back to the here and now.\u00a0 No, instead they wanted to pick on her<\/i>.\u00a0 What had she done to deserve this?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, fine.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care about the guns, by the way.\u00a0 Do whatever you want.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to learn anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s brows furrowed as he shifted his jade eyes her way.\u00a0 If looks could kill, she was sure she\u2019d be dead, with all the stares she\u2019d been getting throughout the day.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to learn.\u00a0 We need to work together.\u00a0 Our lives depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll do something else.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to use a gun.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to try and face one of those\u2026 those\u2026 those things<\/i>.\u00a0 Not just to make the rest of you happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him, watching the reaction that followed.\u00a0 His jaw clenched, and, while it was obvious he wanted to say something, it was surprising when he instead said nothing and sat back, mulling it over.\u00a0 Jo was talking to Gabby quietly, wanting to ignore the tension.\u00a0 AJ rolled his eyes, muttering the entire time.\u00a0 Howie simply smirked.\u00a0 At her limits with the entire discussion, Kayleigh refocused back on AJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that, AJ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, you\u2019re being fucking selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, you don\u2019t care?\u00a0 Our lives could be lost \u2018cause you don\u2019t give a damn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 You can fight; I\u2019ll do other stuff.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being a selfish bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head, walking back to her corner of the room, away from the others.\u00a0 She huddled back up, pulled out her cell phone to play her game yet again.\u00a0 A glance back over showed them all discussing something.\u00a0 Probably her.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 This world was harsh and hard, and she could care less about what they wanted.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t going to do it.\u00a0 What would they do? \u00a0Let her die?\u00a0 Hardly\u2026\u00a0 None of them were that heartless, and they all knew it.\u00a0 They could say whatever they wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 43 The first day at the base, I hadn\u2019t known that it\u2019d be my new home. It rained all day.\u00a0 All it did was make everything worse.\u00a0 The world was crying, like it knew what had happened.\u00a0 I was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":43,"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\/227"}],"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=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/227\/revisions\/228"}],"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=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}