{"id":260,"date":"2013-07-21T22:44:30","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=260"},"modified":"2013-07-21T22:44:30","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:44:30","slug":"chapter-58","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-58\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 58"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 58<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

So, I was wrong about Howie.<\/i><\/p>\n

I admit it.\u00a0 He\u2019s got layers.\u00a0 Everyone, everything in the world has layers.\u00a0 If you decide to watch and observe long enough,\u00a0 sometimes you can peel them off to see what\u2019s inside.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t bother trying that with Howie.\u00a0 Can you really blame me for screwing that one up, though?\u00a0 You gotta admit the man was an ass snob when it came to me, because of my looks, because I ain\u2019t a damn norm.\u00a0 Then I judged him the same way.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t right, but understandable, I guess.<\/i><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t make judgments anymore, but it\u2019s human nature.\u00a0 In a way, it goes back to instincts.\u00a0 Animals size each other up before one decides whether or not to make that other animal its bitch.\u00a0 Yet now, you can\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Like it or not, we need every live (key word being \u201clive,\u201d obviously) human being left on the planet.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t matter how big a cunt bag or ass hat some people are.\u00a0 In the end, you need them for survival.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sucks, don\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\n

So when you know that, you search for others.\u00a0 You gotta figure, the odds of there only being ten survivors on the whole damn planet is pretty frickin\u2019 slim.\u00a0 But on the other end, the odds of people surviving in a world completely overrun by zombies when your ass is alone?\u00a0 That\u2019s even slimmer.<\/i><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t let yourself be realistic in this case.\u00a0 I know I always bitched about how people deluded themselves in the world before, and you know what?\u00a0 They did, so much it did way more fucking harm than good.<\/i><\/p>\n

But in this case, even if you feel it\u2019s pointless, you gotta try.<\/i><\/p>\n

In a world this fucked up, you can\u2019t give up hope.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s weird, me saying that.<\/i><\/p>\n

Still, I say it how it is, and right now, that\u2019s what it is.<\/i><\/p>\n

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

Tuesday, May 15, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\nWeek Four<\/i><\/p>\n

AJ sighed, thinking of everything that had happened in the last month.\u00a0 It had been exactly one month since the day the dead rose, and so much had changed in so little time.\u00a0 The world, himself, even the two he\u2019d met first, Kayleigh and Howie.\u00a0 He felt guilty now about judging Howie, having since learned why he acted the way he did.\u00a0 Yet part of him still argued that the man was a royally snobby pain in the arse and that he didn\u2019t need to feel guilty.\u00a0 Still, despite himself, he did.<\/p>\n

AJ cursed his emotions mentally, remaining stoic by the doors of the multipurpose room.\u00a0 His hand reached for his paint brush, happy he\u2019d dug his art set out of Howie\u2019s now wreck of a Lexus.\u00a0 It felt like revisiting an old friend.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t painted since the Osiris virus hit the world.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he loved doing it any less; it was just the simple fact that he hadn\u2019t had the time to think about it.<\/p>\n

In the world before, artistic expression, whether it was poetry, music, or painting, was always simply his own personal form of therapy.\u00a0 When it got to be too much, that was how he got it out.<\/p>\n

At least, after the incident.<\/p>\n

And now, in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world, where he could no longer go out, anyway, unless it was to hunt, it seemed to be the best solution once more.\u00a0 He\u2019d been painting for the last hour upon the double doors of the multipurpose room.\u00a0 He wondered if he\u2019d be smited for painting on the doors of a church building.<\/p>\n

But then again, if God existed, how much worse could things get anyway?<\/p>\n

He shrugged his thoughts away and continued with his work.\u00a0 He\u2019d only pause now and again to check out his surroundings, along with his companions. Companions – is that really what they are?<\/i> he wondered silently.\u00a0 After being isolated, aloof, and alone for so long, it felt odd in his mind.\u00a0 A discarded puzzle piece that didn\u2019t quit fit, yet was shoved into place anyway.<\/p>\n

He paused once again, taking a good look around the room now.\u00a0 Everyone was off in their little groups.\u00a0 Gabby was once again arguing with her mother.\u00a0 It had become routine, actually.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, I\u2019m sick and tired of you keeping me inside!\u00a0 How long do you expect me to hang out in here and do nothing without going out of my mind?!\u201d<\/p>\n

It made him sympathize with her, though he understood Jo\u2019s reasons.<\/p>\n

Nick was massaging Riley\u2019s shoulders, as she sat contentedly in front of him, rubbing Spunky\u2019s ears.\u00a0 She\u2019d pulled a muscle earlier, climbing down the roof from a sniper trip.\u00a0 A zombie had gone unseen, and it\u2019d pulled her by her arm roughly down to the ground.\u00a0 Nick had been about to climb down when it happened.\u00a0 He\u2019d been the one to save her, with a direct shot to the creature\u2019s head, before it had a chance to bite Riley.\u00a0 It was one of those reality checks, reminding them, startlingly, how nothing in their lives was safe anymore.<\/p>\n

The two blondes were sitting next to Brian and Gretchen.\u00a0 The girls were having one chat, while Nick and Brian shared another.\u00a0 It was an easy-going conversation, AJ knew, because it was one of the rare moments when Brian seemed to look relaxed.\u00a0 Kevin\u2019s cousin was the one in the group with the biggest walls built around him, understandably because he was the one with the rawest wounds that hadn\u2019t even begun to heal.<\/p>\n

Howie and Kayleigh weren\u2019t back in the church yet.\u00a0 Unbelievably, the two had actually volunteered to go and attempt to get the food once more, after the last failed attempt.\u00a0 It was a move that had shocked them all, yet made it clear that there was, in fact, more to the outcasts of their small group than any of them had first thought.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d all been sketchy with the idea at first:\u00a0 the two weakest links, out together?\u00a0 But AJ had to admit, Kayleigh\u2019s shooting skills had been improving, finally.\u00a0 He\u2019d been right:\u00a0 when she\u2019d finally decided to try, she had become a decent marksman.\u00a0 Not one he\u2019d recommend for sniping, but as help for zombie hunts, she\u2019d be alright.\u00a0 Not to mention, now that the two were actually volunteering, who wanted to discourage that?<\/p>\n

Kevin was taking a nap.\u00a0 The leader had fallen asleep while trying to read one of the books they\u2019d found in the offices of the chapel.\u00a0 No one had the heart to wake him yet; he was definitely burning both ends, trying so hard to protect them all.\u00a0 AJ knew he\u2019d been doing the same, but at least he suffered from insomnia, so he had an excuse for the lack of sleep he\u2019d been getting.<\/p>\n

He glanced at his painting once more.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t much, done in impressionist style, as he preferred that the most.\u00a0 It always reminded him of how one\u2019s surroundings appeared when looking out the window of a speeding a car.\u00a0 In the painting, he always created the image while wondering what it would look like if someone stopped the car, so to speak, and cleared up the fuzzy images he\u2019d created.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a self portrait, but simply the blurred image of a figure, standing atop a hill to look at the chaos below, did look familiar.\u00a0 The world was in flames in his image, the fire consuming everything around.\u00a0 AJ thought he saw a face within the fire, a slackened one, unstaring and unknowing.\u00a0 He shuddered at his own creation.\u00a0 Sometimes he disturbed himself with his images.\u00a0 He wondered what the others thought of him painting a mural on the doors.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like he had asked them or anything; he\u2019d just done it.\u00a0 As was his way.<\/p>\n

The doors burst open, causing AJ to jump out of the way just in time.\u00a0 Instinctively, he let the paint brushes fall to the floor as he grabbed for the gun strapped to his leg.\u00a0 He aimed, prepared to fire at the first moan.\u00a0 He released a sigh of relief when he realized the tired-looking man in front of him was simply Howie.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, AJ!\u00a0 Make sure something\u2019s dead before you try to re-kill it!\u201d Howie cried out in surprise, almost dropping the bags of food he carried.\u00a0 Kayleigh was behind him, picking up the food she\u2019d dropped accidentally.\u00a0 Between them, they carried various cereals, crackers, peanut butter, sodas, bottled water, and anything else that was pre-packaged, such as chips and cookies.\u00a0 Now, AJ knew there was no God, no Heaven, and no Hell, besides the one on Earth.\u00a0 However, seeing that food brought him damn close to Heaven right then.\u00a0 He noticed they carried no alcohol, and at once, his throat burned for the liquid that had once dominated his life.\u00a0 He yearned to drink himself into oblivion, the way he had just a month before, when the world had died.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ?\u201d Howie\u2019s voice called, snapping him out of his craving-induced reverie.<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, man.\u00a0 Is there more?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOut in the truck.\u201d\u00a0 Howie had learned his lesson and refrained from using the battered Lexus again.\u00a0 It seemed their last trip had changed Howie in several ways, rather than just one.\u00a0 \u201cWe brought some books we found in the store, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Gabby\u2019s face brightened, and she ran past her mother and AJ and out to the truck.\u00a0 Jo stood to chase her, and AJ shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI got her.\u201d\u00a0 He chased her out of the church, to where the cars were parked.<\/p>\n

\u201cKid, are you crazy?\u201d he asked calmly, as he watched the teenager grabbing bags from the bed of the truck.\u00a0 His eyes wandered, searching for anything dead, as he inhaled the rotting stench that permanently saturated the air.\u00a0 One got used to it after awhile, as unbelievable he would\u2019ve thought that in the beginning.\u00a0 AJ glanced once more at Gabby.\u00a0 So far, so good.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot you, too.\u00a0 God, you sound like Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ rolled his eyes, as he reached in to grab a couple bags himself.\u00a0 \u201cShe worries for a reason, kid.\u00a0 You rebel, and it\u2019ll get you killed now.\u00a0 Of course she\u2019s gonna be on your ass about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She huffed, dropping the bags over the side and leaping out to pick them up once more.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m so sick of doing nothing!\u00a0 I\u2019m bored.\u00a0 I\u2026 I just need to get out!\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt himself nodding, as he followed her back inside, eyes peeled for any sign of undead catching their scent.\u00a0 He really did feel bad for the kid.\u00a0 Gabby had been through a lot, even before the dead had risen.\u00a0 It seemed pretty normal for her to have anger issues beyond that of the normal teenager.<\/p>\n

He smirked at his own thoughts.\u00a0 Being at that clinic, talking to therapists all the time, must have rubbed off on him.\u00a0 He glanced inside the bags and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, similar to the ones he\u2019d lost back at the hotel.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t a necessity; no one besides him really wanted shades when most of their time was spent inside a church.\u00a0 So why were they in there?<\/p>\n

Howard.<\/p>\n

Touched by such a simple token, AJ felt himself smile.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re going outside the base, Kevin?\u00a0 But I thought the base wasn\u2019t clear yet?\u201d Gabby questioned from the front of the Hummer.\u00a0 After much coaxing and reassurances, AJ and Kevin convinced Jo to let Gabby go with them on a reconnaissance trip to search for survivors outside of the base.\u00a0 AJ had proposed the idea to Kevin once he arose from his catnap, and the two agreed that the young teenager could use the break from the base and her mother, as any teen would.<\/p>\n

AJ was in the back, a gun aimed at the side window, rolled down just enough to get the shot through.\u00a0 This would have been a better job for the truck, they both felt, with AJ out in the open as bait and a sniper.\u00a0 However, the massive and enclosed Hummer seemed like the best way to reassure Jo that Gabby would be kept safe and sound.<\/p>\n

Kevin smiled at her, as AJ glanced over.\u00a0 \u201cI know, but we\u2019re trying to see if we can\u2019t find more survivors.\u00a0 Not everyone would think of turning on a battery-operated radio, the way Nick and Riley did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby nodded, aiming her small handgun out the crack of her window, similar to the way AJ did.\u00a0 As sad it was, the kid had to stay protected somehow.\u00a0 She fired off a shot, and a corpse on the side of the road staggered back.\u00a0 The shot was just off, hitting the nose rather than the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry again.\u00a0 This time, try to stay steady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another shot, and the zombie slumped to the ground this time and remained still.\u00a0 They heard moans everywhere, a larger chorus of undead singers than they had become used to inside the base.\u00a0 AJ shivered, despite himself.\u00a0 How much of the world had really reanimated?\u00a0 It was a question they could never answer, and personally, AJ never wanted to.<\/p>\n

As they got further from the base, Kevin handed a bullhorn to AJ.\u00a0 AJ raised a brow at the man he was coming to regard as an older brother.\u00a0 Kevin always had faith in AJ, trusted him explicitly above everyone else.\u00a0 In return, Kevin was the only one who was allowed to see AJ with his guard down, something he hadn\u2019t shown to anyone else quite yet.<\/p>\n

So questioning him\u2026 well, it didn\u2019t come easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna attract a lot of corpses with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a choice.\u00a0 How else can we let survivors know we\u2019re out here?\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna need you to keep a steady round going at anything that gets too close.\u201d\u00a0 The former military man smiled at Gabby, who looked more content than she had in a couple weeks.\u00a0 \u201cYou too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hummer pulled to a stop at the side of the road.\u00a0 AJ got out and actually climbed onto the roof of the car.\u00a0 Gabby moved to do the same, but Kevin held her arm.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t.\u00a0 Your mother would kill us.\u00a0 Not to mention, if something happens to AJ, I\u2019ll need you in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning on the bullhorn with the driver\u2019s side window pulled down, AJ could hear Kevin muttering a prayer that this wasn\u2019t a mistake.\u00a0 Silently, the recovering addict hoped for the same thing as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, if your ass is up there, now\u2019s a great time to listen, after putting us through all the shit you have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s deep, Southern-twanged voice blared from the bullhorn.\u00a0 \u201cIf there are any survivors, we\u2019re here to help.\u00a0 We\u2019re stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, clearing it of all undead.\u00a0 My name\u2019s Lieutenant Richardson, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ tuned him out as Kevin drove slowly, so as not to throw him off the top of the Hummer.\u00a0 Kevin kept calling out to survivors, handling the steering wheel with one hand, while keeping the bullhorn on with the other.\u00a0 He shot off a couple of rounds at a pack of zombies, feeling more and more depressed with the fact that no one alive was coming out.\u00a0 There were no signs of life.\u00a0 Outside of the moaning, walking corpses that had become so normal in their lives, the areas they drove through were completely desolate.<\/p>\n

\u2018Maybe we are doomed.\u00a0 Are we really the only ones left in town?\u00a0 Why?\u2019<\/i>\u00a0 He shook as head, as if to try and toss the thoughts out of his mind.<\/p>\n

Once his mind snapped back to attention, he got distracted, once again, when they passed by a bar.\u00a0 He had to bite his tongue to keep from asking Kevin to pull over.\u00a0 The burning taste he missed right then taunted him, made his mind beg for the oblivion he yearned for, which only alcohol could truly bring.<\/p>\n

The Hummer suddenly pulled to a stop that forced AJ to grab at the sides to keep himself steady on the roof.\u00a0 Back to reality, it brought him, making him focus once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou alright up there?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t heard you fire in a few\u2026\u201d Kevin asked, as he leaned out of the window to look up at him.\u00a0 His normally sharp and piercing, jade eyes were now soft with concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alright, Kev.\u00a0 No sign of anyone, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t mean much.\u00a0 They could\u2019ve left the area or are hiding out in a place we haven\u2019t thought of yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 What are the odds we\u2019re the only ones left?\u00a0 Can\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI hope not.\u00a0 You sure you\u2019re okay, AJ?\u00a0 You don\u2019t look too good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Kevin.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have a choice anymore these days, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you do.\u00a0 You don\u2019t gotta try and hide it by zombie-killing all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t, from you.\u00a0 I just\u2026 I feel like we\u2019re it, and we can\u2019t be.\u00a0 Even if we are, I gotta believe we\u2019re not.\u00a0 That make sense?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave faith, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEasier said than done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSun\u2019s going down.\u00a0 We should start getting back.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ slid off the roof, down to the hood of the Hummer and then to the ground.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t noticed until then, but they had pulled onto an overpass, overlooking the roads below.\u00a0 Before getting into the vehicle, he walked over to the barricade and gazed downwards.\u00a0 A sea of rotting bodies swelled within plain sight, moaning in unison, stumbling towards something AJ couldn\u2019t see.\u00a0 The horde of zombies was almost endless, countless creatures shambling along.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave faith\u2026\u201d he muttered, looking up at the red-tinged sky, as the sun set slowly.\u00a0 \u201cAnother thing I don\u2019t have a choice about anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, he headed back to the car, lost within the thoughts he fought desperately to control.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 58 So, I was wrong about Howie. I admit it.\u00a0 He\u2019s got layers.\u00a0 Everyone, everything in the world has layers.\u00a0 If you decide to watch and observe long enough,\u00a0 sometimes you can peel them off to see what\u2019s inside.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":58,"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\/260"}],"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=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":261,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/260\/revisions\/261"}],"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=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}