{"id":250,"date":"2013-07-21T22:37:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=250"},"modified":"2013-07-21T22:37:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:37:31","slug":"chapter-53","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-53\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 53"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 53<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m horrible in a crisis.\u00a0 Heh, I\u2019m sure the others have said that by now in their journals.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they\u2019ve complained all about me.\u00a0 Useless Kayleigh\u2026\u00a0 I hear them muttering it a lot, when they think I can\u2019t hear.\u00a0 Even I after I learned how to shoot cause of that damn psycho, Riley.\u00a0 That still wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0 Oh, no.\u00a0 They keep wanting me to be like this super zombie fighter, or lifter, or cooker.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not!<\/i><\/p>\n

I never chose to survive into this hellhole.\u00a0 I\u2019m doing my best.\u00a0 They need to leave me alone.\u00a0 At least Howie understands.\u00a0 He defends me a lot when the others get upset with what I tell them, or my saying no.<\/i><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how to be what they\u2019re asking of me.\u00a0 Before this, I expected to go to college, marry my dream boy, be loved and pampered, and have a few kids.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I wanted out of life.\u00a0 It was simple, it was lovely, and it\u2019s what I dreamed of above all.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not my fault my dream got shattered, and I got thrown into this nightmare.<\/i><\/p>\n

They say they all lost people.\u00a0 That\u2019s true, but they\u2019re not me.\u00a0 We all deal with loss differently, don\u2019t we?\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to be what they want me to be, and they need to learn to deal with it.<\/i><\/p>\n

At least I\u2019m not alone in being attacked.\u00a0 Howie is, too.\u00a0 Howie is on my side.<\/i><\/p>\n

Better than being alone, I suppose.<\/i><\/p>\n

Not that it helps me deal any better.\u00a0 It\u2019s still hard.<\/i><\/p>\n

I still struggle.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Wednesday, May 2, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek Two<\/i><\/p>\n

Kayleigh sat there, away from the others.\u00a0 She felt like such an outsider anymore.\u00a0 A wall had come between them. It was Howie and her versus everyone else.\u00a0 There had been a silent division amongst the group since the last time a fight had broken out.\u00a0 While everyone was making an effort to keep another from happening, the tension was clearly there and clearly felt.\u00a0 She could see everyone creating mini-cliques within their small \u201cfamily,\u201d as Gretchen said they should think of themselves.\u00a0 Family?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 She\u2019d had her sorority sisters as family, and her real family, and lost them both.\u00a0 She had no family anymore.<\/p>\n

It was a feeling she\u2019d never experienced before, and to be quite honest, she didn\u2019t like it one bit.\u00a0 She felt isolated, misunderstood, hated even.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter whether it was true or not, though she believed it was.\u00a0 What mattered was how it affected her.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t helping her adjust; all it made her do was yearn for the world before.\u00a0 The world she had thrived on even with the war, the world that had shone upon her and promised her that life would always go her way.\u00a0 In the end, such a place didn\u2019t exist anymore.\u00a0 It was almost like she\u2019d lost yet another person she cared about \u2013\u00a0 that was how it felt.\u00a0 An old friend she didn\u2019t know existed, or something.<\/p>\n

She glanced up when one of the several conversations caught her attention.\u00a0 She saw Howie and Kevin debating back and forth, not too far from where Riley, Nick, and Gabby were playing with Spunky together.\u00a0 And they got on her for not doing anything useful\u2026 well, playing with a dog wasn\u2019t exactly useful, in her opinion.\u00a0 It was all the same, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe if you listened to me, Kevin\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never listen to anyone; what would you know about listening?\u00a0 I\u2019ve listened, taken your suggestions into consideration, but I don\u2019t agree that what you think we should do is best for the group, and you need to accept that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why you need to be-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone has to lead, and because of my military training, I know the most about survival in tough conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie was attempting to talk to Kevin, yet again, about his ideas for fortifying the church against the zombies and keeping it their stronghold.\u00a0 Kevin, it seemed, had other ideas; however, he hadn\u2019t disclosed them all to the group just yet.\u00a0 That annoyed Kayleigh just a bit because, in all honesty, they should know exactly what he thought the group should be doing.\u00a0 Also, she agreed with Howie:\u00a0 in the end, why should they leave the church when they could keep making it stronger?<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin, look, why don\u2019t you just-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut it, Howie \u2013 god, you\u2019d get us all killed in about ten seconds flat, and that\u2019d be on a good day for you.\u00a0 Let Kevin be \u2013 he, at least, can keep us alive, and he, ya know, actually knows<\/i> what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh rolled her eyes as she glanced back at her least favorite person among them.\u00a0 \u201cDid anyone ask you, Riley?\u00a0 No, didn\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one asked the balding Barbie either, yet here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt herself freeze the moment she heard the response.\u00a0 Her hand unconsciously touched the spot on her head where the zombie had yanked out the now lost chunk of hair.\u00a0 It was starting to grow back, slowly, but the patch still felt desperately exposed to her groping fingers.\u00a0 \u201cUgh!\u00a0 You\u2019re such a bitch!\u00a0 Just like you said.\u00a0 You know, I bet your family\u2019s glad they\u2019re undead; I know I would be if the other option was being related to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, the other woman almost lunged.\u00a0 Nick, having grabbed her arm, was actually what stopped her.\u00a0 \u201cEnough.\u00a0 C\u2019mon, Rye, you\u2019re better than that, picking fights and alla-that.\u201d\u00a0 She sat down once more, looking furious.\u00a0 He looked over in Kayleigh\u2019s direction; the look wasn\u2019t the friendly one he usually gave.<\/p>\n

Like she cared what Nick thought?<\/p>\n

Shockingly enough, Riley did, in fact, let it go and went back to playing with Gabby and Spunky.\u00a0 Jo watched with a small smile at her daughter, as she talked with Gretchen some feet away.\u00a0 Gretchen seemed okay, so far.\u00a0 Best out of them<\/i>, not that that said much.\u00a0 Brian was next to her, but he really wasn\u2019t saying much.\u00a0 What words he did say, at the moment, seemed to be towards AJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you think he\u2019s still alive?\u201d Jo was asking Gretchen, as they tried to tidy up the multipurpose room of the church a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u00a0 He was studying the virus under like a Hazmat suit, he said, so maybe he was protected.\u00a0 Maybe they were finding a way to fight it.\u00a0 I just hope he won\u2019t worry, \u2018cause when I left, I couldn\u2019t leave a note and didn\u2019t know where I was going.\u00a0 But he\u2019ll find me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Her gaze shifted back to Howie and Kevin, who were still going back and forth.\u00a0 So much so, they hadn\u2019t even noticed the other confrontation.\u00a0 Kevin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.\u00a0 He looked tired.\u00a0 See, if he let Howie help, he wouldn\u2019t be so tired, <\/i>Kayleigh mused.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, we need to start doing something.\u00a0 The sooner we get the base clear, the sooner we can make homes for ourselves.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of the problem; we\u2019re starting to get a form of cabin fever in here,\u201d Kevin spoke up, addressing the whole group now.\u00a0 \u201cNick, Kayleigh, and Brian, I want you guys to take the Hummer and do a base run, clearing out any spots you can.\u00a0 Jo, you and I will see if we can\u2019t try out guard duty of the church.\u00a0 AJ, I want you on sniper duty on the roof of the church, like we talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ smirked as he stood and stretched.\u00a0 \u201cUp on the rooftop, sniper-AJ Claus, I\u2019m just never gonna pause\u2026 I\u2019ve got my gun all ready to go, aim at those zombies and watch the heads blow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian raised a brow at him.\u00a0 \u201cRandom.\u201d<\/p>\n

A simple shrug was the only reply.<\/p>\n

Howie stared at Kevin, when it became obvious he wasn\u2019t getting an assignment yet again.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about me?\u00a0 I should<\/i> be-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can go instead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t ask you, Howie; I asked Kayleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Riley?\u00a0 Or Gretchen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin rolled his eyes, while she smirked.\u00a0 That was what happened when you didn\u2019t explain the reasoning behind your decisions, and Kayleigh felt no real guilt for pestering or even trying to get out of her assigned duty.\u00a0 The others were giving her various versions of the same look of irritation, with the exception of Howie, who had the look, but was directing it at their leader.\u00a0 She tapped her foot, waiting for an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiley is staying because I need someone who I know can handle fighting well without a gun if they get past me and Jo, staying in the church as a final backup to ensure survival.\u00a0 She\u2019s better hand to hand than with a gun.\u00a0 Nick was telling me how they escaped, and Riley can handle it with Nick\u2019s axe.\u00a0 Gretchen is preparing dinner and needs more than one field session before I want her out there.\u00a0 Howie needs more work.\u201d\u00a0 This earned a dirty look from the former businessman.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Gabby\u2026\u201d he added on, seeing the teenager about to pipe up about how she wasn\u2019t going to laze around.\u00a0 That was what she always said, trying to make a point about Kayleigh, which annoyed her to no end.\u00a0 The brat was no more useful than the others claimed she was.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026she\u2019s too young.\u00a0 You\u2019re going with Nick and Brian and doing your part.\u00a0 Besides\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Here he paused with what Kayleigh could clearly see was a patronizing smile. \u201cYou could use the field practice, especially after you\u2019ve had several runs on the skeet range.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby looked like she was about to argue this point, but actually decided not to, focusing back on the golden retriever, who seemed to sense her annoyance and lick her face appreciatively.\u00a0 Brian nodded at Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cMakes sense.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go grab the weapons.\u201d\u00a0 He walked to the pile they kept by the altar, where AJ was already going through them to pick his zombie-slaying weapon of choice.<\/p>\n

Nick looked at Riley with a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t mistake anyone for a zombie this time, if they make it in.\u00a0 Remember, zombies are the dead people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry not to sing \u2018Thriller\u2019 as you hunt them down.\u00a0 You\u2019re turning the song into overkill.\u00a0 Try singing \u2018Another One Bites The Dust\u2019 instead \u2013 keeps the hunting songs fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, \u2018Down with the Sickness\u2019 is a good one for it, too!\u201d AJ called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could just sing \u2018Achy Breaky Heart\u2019 and maybe throw them off their game,\u201d joked Brian, as he came back with the weaponry.<\/p>\n

Nick shook his head playfully, giving a look of sympathy towards Brian.\u00a0 \u201cNow man, that\u2019d be more of a punishment to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sighing, Kayleigh went and took one of the smallest handguns they had from Brian.\u00a0 He gave her a tentative smile that she decided to ignore, as she sulked about her current assignment.\u00a0 She had just<\/i> learned how to shoot, so wasn\u2019t that enough?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like she was any good or anything.\u00a0 In fact, her shooting lesson had completely tanked, and she knew it.\u00a0 They all knew it; it was one of the many complaints about her.<\/p>\n

Not that she cared.<\/p>\n

Honestly.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you at least shoot something?\u201d Nick asked as he slammed his foot on the gas pedal, jerking them all forward and causing him to hit his head against the roof of the Hummer.\u00a0 Grumbling, he rubbed it irritably.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying!<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOw!\u00a0 Hey Nick, warn us next time,\u201d Brian muttered, as he was thrust against his own seatbelt.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s just get out and scope the area, see if any are lurking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u201d\u00a0 He climbed out, his gun ready to go as he glanced about cautiously.\u00a0 Brian followed suit, while Kayleigh stayed in the car.\u00a0 There was no way she was willing to go out and actually look for those things<\/i>.\u00a0 It was bad enough when they found them by accident.\u00a0 That was why she didn\u2019t want to do this.\u00a0 This was a mistake.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t going to try, and she\u2019d lie about it if someone pestered her.\u00a0 The drive had felt long and arduous, and the entire time, while Nick drove and Brian fired off consistent shots at any ghoul that was spotted, Kayleigh had simply watched.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s bad enough I have to handle a gun.\u00a0 I\u2019m here with you, but I am not<\/i> going out hunting for those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, Kayleigh, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright.\u201d\u00a0 Nick walked a few feet away, scoping the area for any sign of the undead.\u00a0 She heard a blast and turned her head in time to see another member of the walking dead slump to the ground.\u00a0 He looked like he was taking all his frustrations out on the undead.\u00a0 Something AJ kept telling her to do, because she knew everyone else thought she <\/i>was the problem.<\/i><\/p>\n

Brian opened the door calmly and leaned in.\u00a0 \u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I know this isn\u2019t easy, but we do need you to help us do this.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you want an area that\u2019s zombie free?\u00a0 It ain\u2019t pleasant, but it\u2019s better than having them burst in on us at any moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even want to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but here\u2019s a benefit:\u00a0 once we get the base clear, we\u2019ll probably be able to live outside of the church, get some space from each other,\u201d he pointed out, giving her a knowing look.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not the only one here who wants that.\u00a0 Trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused, taking it in.\u00a0 Brian had a point:\u00a0 at least if she helped, as much as the thought grated her, they\u2019d eventually be able to move out of the church.\u00a0 She\u2019d be able to get away from Kevin, from AJ, from Riley.\u00a0 Then she could do as she pleased and not be under scrutiny all the time, which was forever driving her up the wall.\u00a0 The thought had its appeal, she supposed.\u00a0 Then again, she was sick of the others trying to force her into all this when, again, all she wanted was to be left alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, I guess.\u201d\u00a0 Holding her gun with a death grip, she stepped out of the car and followed him back to Nick.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one hates you.\u00a0 Just so you know,\u201d he told her, as she and Brian approached him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never said-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good at reading people, and none of us do.\u00a0 We just need you; that\u2019s why we get mad.\u00a0 Even Rye.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the last part, she had to bite her tongue.\u00a0 Anyone could see he and Riley were close friends already, and she wasn\u2019t up for a battle over what she really thought of the other woman.<\/p>\n

Moans could be heard in the not too far distance.\u00a0 She shivered instinctively.\u00a0 Brian smiled at her; it was a smile that didn\u2019t quite reach his eyes, however.\u00a0 In the short time he\u2019d been with the group, she had noticed most of his smiles didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Not that she could blame him, really.\u00a0 They saw the first ghouls approaching them just beyond the gates, as they strolled towards the tennis courts.\u00a0 Kayleigh looked down to see her hands shaking.\u00a0 She tried to keep them steady as her eyes found the targets.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t do this.\u00a0 I can\u2019t do this.<\/i><\/p>\n

Why not?\u00a0 You\u2019ve killed zombies before.<\/i><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t do this.\u00a0 I\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

Kayleigh Shane Jackson, are you really going to be as weak as everyone says you are?<\/i><\/p>\n

BANG!<\/p>\n

Startled, she glanced down at her gun as a zombie fell, a direct hit to the skull.\u00a0 So she had done it.\u00a0 Yet she wasn\u2019t sure how she felt about it.\u00a0 Happy?\u00a0 Not so much.\u00a0 Sad?\u00a0 Not that either.\u00a0 It was a muddled feeling.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t sure what to make of it, really, as Nick gave her a friendly smile once more.<\/p>\n

The moans had ceased, and corpses littered the area some feet away.\u00a0 She looked at Nick.\u00a0 He stared at her for several moments, as if he was thinking of saying something.\u00a0 Yet, it seemed like he wasn\u2019t really thinking at all\u2026<\/p>\n

Then the friendly blue eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed towards the pavement.\u00a0 A haunting scream roared from his throat as he fell.\u00a0 Brian dove to catch him, barely doing so before his head slammed against the ground.\u00a0 Kayleigh went to help, but Brian shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cKeep an eye out for any other zombies!\u201d he commanded, as he gently lowered Nick to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick?\u00a0 Brian what\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but-\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Brian could finish, Nick\u2019s body went into violent convulsions.\u00a0 Kayleigh watched in horror, as his body twitched and contracted in ways it shouldn\u2019t, in ways that were so familiar to her, ways that brought back horrifying memories of what had happened at the college, the events that had brought her here.\u00a0 He continued to twitch and contract, and Brian glanced up at her, looking as disturbed as she knew she had to look.\u00a0 He tossed her the keys that had fallen out of Nick\u2019s pocket.\u00a0 Nick\u2019s body rose and fell, as it rigidly jerked on the ground.\u00a0 She caught a glimpse of his face and shuddered:\u00a0 his eyelids were half open, showing the whites of his eyes, and his mouth not quite closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo get Jo!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I- I can\u2019t, I\u2026 oh my God, what if he caught the virus?\u00a0 What if we get it?\u00a0 I can\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKAYLEIGH!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 just\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have time for this!\u00a0 Just go get Jo!\u00a0 I\u2019ll stay here with Nick and fend any visitors off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh ran for the Hummer without another word.\u00a0 Despite herself, tears had sprung in her eyes.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t close to Nick, but she just couldn\u2019t handle this.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t handle seeing anyone else die.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t handle the idea of the virus striking yet again, when she thought things could maybe get better.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter who the virus was after now:\u00a0 it couldn\u2019t have anyone else.\u00a0 Too many had died.<\/p>\n

She hopped in the vehicle and slammed the door, stuffing the key into the ignition.\u00a0 She gave a small wave to Brian, who was leaning over a now still and unconscious Nick.\u00a0 The scene was disturbing and haunting as it replayed in her head.\u00a0 The minutes felt like a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Her foot slammed down on the gas pedal, and she raced for the church.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 53 I\u2019m horrible in a crisis.\u00a0 Heh, I\u2019m sure the others have said that by now in their journals.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they\u2019ve complained all about me.\u00a0 Useless Kayleigh\u2026\u00a0 I hear them muttering it a lot, when they think I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":53,"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\/250"}],"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=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/250\/revisions\/251"}],"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=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}