{"id":266,"date":"2013-07-21T22:49:01","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=266"},"modified":"2013-07-22T15:31:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T15:31:31","slug":"chapter-61","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 61"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART VI: \u00a0NO REST FOR THE WICKED<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 61<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

This was one of the hardest days of my life (up until that point) – not the<\/span> hardest, but one of.\u00a0 I fell apart.\u00a0 I just fucking just shattered.\u00a0 Last damn straw for me, and I broke, because it was my fault.\u00a0 And she was there for me, once again.\u00a0 When everything fell apart around me, there she was, helping me try to keep myself together.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get why.\u00a0 When I manage to look in a mirror, I still see that loser who never made it.\u00a0 The guy who failed at everything he tried.\u00a0 Family.\u00a0 Acting.\u00a0 School.\u00a0 Relationships.\u00a0 I look, and I just see the failure.<\/i><\/p>\n

What does she see?<\/i><\/p>\n

It all goes back to loyalty, ya know?\u00a0 It can save you.\u00a0 It can kill you.<\/i><\/p>\n

Of course I was finally allowed to really go on a zombie run.\u00a0 Not just the guard duty or sniping where Kevin allowed it (because Riley was hella stubborn with him about me being able to handle it, saying she\u2019d keep an eye on me).\u00a0 This time, I mean a good ol\u2019 zombie hunt.\u00a0 Like the ones I always went on before my head fucked up.\u00a0 It was my first time since the stupid seizure that I\u2019m on these damn meds for.\u00a0 So what happened?<\/i><\/p>\n

Once again, I failed.\u00a0 And this time, it really cost me.<\/i><\/p>\n

Yet, there she was, by my side.<\/i><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think that was the day I fell in love with her.<\/i><\/p>\n

I think that was just the day I realized I had.<\/i><\/p>\n

Song quote of the entry\u2026 which, I will say, wasn\u2019t a classic song or a song I\u2019d have listened to in the world pre-zombies.\u00a0 It\u2019s country.\u00a0 Brian played it for me the other day, and it made me think of that day.\u00a0 So, I\u2019m quoting it because it fits.<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Okay, for real now\u2026 Song Quote of the Entry:<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I wonder if I ever cross your mind?<\/i>
\nFor me it happens all the time.<\/i>
\nIt’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk and I need you now.<\/i>
\nSaid I wouldn’t call but I lost all control and I need you now.<\/i>
\nAnd I don’t know how I can do without.<\/i>
\nI just need you now.<\/i><\/p>\n

Oh whoa<\/i>
\nYes I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.<\/i>
\nIt’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now.<\/i>
\nAnd I said I wouldn’t call but I’m a little drunk<\/i>
\nand I need you now.<\/i>
\nWell I don’t know how I can do without.<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>
\nI just need you now<\/i>
\nI just need you now.<\/i>
\nOh baby I need you now.<\/i>\u201d<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

– Lady Antebellum, \u201cNeed You Now\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

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

Monday, June 11, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\nWeek Eight<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re walking ducks\u2026\u201d AJ retorted, as he walked down the abandoned road, Kevin and Nick traipsing beside him with Spunky.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was sitting ducks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we ain\u2019t sitting, are we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you guys, I saw something in those houses.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cKeep an eye out.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be long before they catch our scent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really think we\u2019re not the only ones left, Nick?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ, I know you think we\u2019re it.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t believe that.\u00a0 How can we be the only ones lucky enough to survive?\u00a0 We\u2019ll find them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t lose hope; maybe they were just trying to stay safe.\u00a0 We need to check, to make sure.\u00a0 The more people we have, the better chance we have at surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick nodded, as he followed the two best shooters of their group.\u00a0 The base had finally been cleared of zombies, after two months of tirelessly hunting them down.\u00a0 The methods had gotten creative, including the idea of leading the zombies out with the ambulance blaring Thriller,<\/i> much to Nick\u2019s own delight. Now the former sniping job had changed to keeping the entrance properly guarded, so that none could get back inside the base.\u00a0 It seemed, for now, the group finally had a clear zone of their own.\u00a0 Precautions were still taken, yet everyone seemed to breathe just a bit easier than before.<\/p>\n

Because of this, they were finally able to execute what Kevin had been planning for some time.\u00a0 The large group, which had long since begun to feel like family, started to split up, so that they could move into some of the homes on the base.\u00a0 Nick, Riley, Gretchen and Brian chose a house that was sandwiched between one occupied by Howie, AJ, and Kayleigh, and another one where Jo, Kevin and Gabby lived.\u00a0 Riley and Gretchen had become quite close and insisted the four of them share a place.\u00a0 Kevin had developed a fatherly bond with Gabby and felt she and her mother needed him for extra protection.\u00a0 And oddly, Howie and AJ now had a camaraderie that no one had expected, and Kayleigh trusted them more than anyone else.<\/p>\n

Still, the one thought weighing upon them all was the lack of additional survivors.\u00a0 As much as he wanted to truly believe what he\u2019d told AJ and Kevin, Nick wondered if there were any, at least in Tampa, maybe even Florida.\u00a0 No one had seen any signs of life anywhere on their trip to the base, and wouldn\u2019t that have been when they\u2019d see the most?\u00a0 People trying to escape or find help?\u00a0 Or the various trips AJ or Kevin had taken, sweeping the area further and further away from the place they now called home\u2026 None had been successful, even with Kevin risking their own safety by calling for survivors through his bullhorn.<\/p>\n

All of it left Nick to question what he wanted to so desperately to believe.<\/p>\n

Still, he found himself feeling the need to be hopeful.\u00a0 To be that dreamer who always tried the see the best in things.\u00a0 He could be wrong, and he knew it would be far from the first time.\u00a0 So he would do his damndest to keep his doubts to himself, to convince the others that they weren\u2019t alone, and that they\u2019d find more people someday soon.\u00a0 AJ was the realist of the group; Nick, on the other hand, fought to be the optimist.<\/p>\n

Spunky growled more and more frequently, as they got further from the Hummer and closer to the elementary school in which Nick thought he\u2019d seen signs of life.\u00a0 It was a familiar sight, West Shore Elementary, the school he and his sister BJ had gone to for a short time.\u00a0 The building was two stories, red brick and surrounded by trees.\u00a0 Across the street was a row of little houses from the neighborhood Nick once lived in.\u00a0 His family had moved across town around the time Aaron and Angel were born.\u00a0 Nick had just turned eight, and BJ was only six and in kindergarten.\u00a0 That had been before the fights, the tension, and the divorce.\u00a0 The homes were modest, older, and gave Nick another stabbing pain that he forced himself to ignore.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 All memories, in the past.\u00a0 Dead with them.<\/i><\/p>\n

AJ and Kevin moved around the parking lot, peering into the few cars found there.\u00a0 Nick, however, inched closer to the school building.\u00a0 A flash of movement caught his eye, and he opened the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful, Nick!\u201d Kevin scolded, hearing the groan the door gave.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t go in by yourself, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright.\u00a0 This time I know<\/i> I saw something, someone\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Suddenly, Spunky barked loudly, running ahead between Nick\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpunky!\u201d Nick yelled, chasing after her.\u00a0 His feet pounded against the pavement, in sync with his heart, as he ignored the yells from both AJ and Kevin behind him.\u00a0 He ran down the darkened hallways of his first school, light peering through the windows and casting an eerie glow throughout the building.\u00a0 Unable to see the retriever, he followed the sound of her growls.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick!\u201d AJ called.\u00a0 Nick could hear his heavy panting as he ran after him, his footsteps reverberating through the dark, empty halls.\u00a0 Kevin stayed in the doorway, presumably keeping watch, so no unexpected company would get in.<\/p>\n

Nick recklessly pursued Spunky, with no thoughts about the noise he made.\u00a0 The golden retriever he loved so much bounded ahead, in pursuit of something beyond Nick\u2019s senses.\u00a0 Finally, he was forced to pause, to catch his breath, as his lungs burned for air.\u00a0 He panted heavily, bent over and still out of shape from the partying life he\u2019d led before the world was taken over by the undead.\u00a0 He could still hear AJ, trying to catch up.<\/p>\n

That was when he heard the sound that sent chills dancing along his spine:\u00a0 the moans the undead produced when they discovered a member of the living.\u00a0 His body protested, as did AJ when he finally rounded the corner, only to see Nick sprint ahead once more.\u00a0 His face was damp and sweaty from the heat and humidity multiplied inside the musty building, turning red as he exerted himself beyond his own expectations.\u00a0 The moans grew louder, as Nick went further into the school, bursting through the double doors and into the cafeteria.<\/p>\n

There, amidst the tables, was a horde of animated corpses.\u00a0 The stench slammed into Nick immediately, now that he was so close to so many.\u00a0 He felt the bile begin to rise in the back of his mouth and swallowed it back down with a gulp.\u00a0 Spunky was only feet ahead of him, barking and growling at the incoming creatures.\u00a0 The groans rattled in their rotting throats when the scent of Nick hit them.<\/p>\n

He readied his gun, firing shots at those approaching him.\u00a0 This had been what he\u2019d seen.\u00a0 Simply more zombies within a building.\u00a0 Nothing of the living.\u00a0 He\u2019d screwed up again.\u00a0 Down, the zombies fell, one after another, but there were simply too many for him to tackle on his own.\u00a0 Spunky seemed to sense this, as she lunged at them, trying to trip them up in an attempt to protect her master.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpunky, NO!\u201d Nick screamed, about to run in himself.\u00a0 He was grabbed by the collar by AJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on!\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced at the sound of his faithful dog\u2019s yips, as the zombies overtook her.\u00a0 They began to feast upon her, biting eagerly into her flesh.\u00a0 They resembled an ant hill, feasting on a piece of fruit in the summer sun.\u00a0 The smell of blood hit the air.\u00a0 Spunky\u2019s whines shredded Nick\u2019s heart to pieces.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t even see her anymore, within the horde, as she was being devoured alive.<\/p>\n

AJ tugged at him again, as he tried to save her once more.\u00a0 His arms wrapped around Nick\u2019s chest, keeping him from going irrationally into the nightmare playing out in front of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u00a0 I have to save her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on!\u00a0 You can\u2019t do anything for her.\u00a0 They\u2019re gonna be back on us any minute, and there\u2019s too many of these fuckers to take on!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ, let me fucking go!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 Not without breaking my goddamn arms, I ain\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

The sounds of his companion were suddenly silenced mid-bark, and AJ forcibly dragged him away.<\/p>\n

The image haunted his mind.\u00a0 His last friend of the world before, eaten before his very eyes.\u00a0 All because of him.\u00a0 She had wanted to protect him.\u00a0 He was the one who had wanted to go in there.\u00a0 Once again, he had failed.<\/p>\n

But this time, it had cost him more than ever.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The night was peaceful.<\/p>\n

They were in their new homes that night, and no roaming undead could be spotted from the back porch, where Nick sat on the porch swing, the rifle laying across his lap.\u00a0 Even though he knew the zombies couldn\u2019t clear the high fences that surrounded the perimeter, he felt the need to be cautious.<\/p>\n

Without the fluorescent lights of the world impeding, the stars in the sky could be seen clearer than Nick had ever seen them before in his life.\u00a0 He swung back and forth, ever so gently, simply staring up at the stars.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t cried at all that day.\u00a0 Not when he\u2019d seen his loving dog being eaten alive.\u00a0 Not after.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t even cried when he had learned about the death of his family the day the dead rose, or when his toddler undead brother had attacked him.\u00a0 Instead, he had simply buried his feelings away, with all the other pain he wished not to show.\u00a0 He did now as he\u2019d done before.\u00a0 Whenever someone asked if he was okay, he simply nodded in response, cracking a joke to ease the tension.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t ease the pain.\u00a0 Nothing did.\u00a0 But it hid it well enough, so it sufficed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick?\u201d\u00a0 His head turned to see Riley waiting in the doorway.\u00a0 She was finally in something other than the army garb they\u2019d all been wearing when they stayed in the church\u2026 SpongeBob boxers and a t-shirt, actually, with her hair pulled back in a loose bun, a few tendrils falling into her face.\u00a0 It made Nick wonder if she had raided one of the former occupants\u2019 closets.\u00a0 They had split up the rooms earlier.\u00a0 Nick, not caring, took the downstairs room, Brian the bedroom upstairs, and Gretchen and Riley had decided to share the master bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he finally said after a long pause.\u00a0 Nick didn\u2019t want to be alone, not then, but he didn\u2019t want to be bothered either.\u00a0 He was just in a place of numbness and pain, flitting back and forth between the two like an indecisive kid at a candy store.<\/p>\n

\u201cMind if I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She gestured at the swing bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley settled next to him, giving a gentle smile as she looked up at the sky.\u00a0 \u201cWow, the sky\u2019s so clear.\u00a0 Guess that\u2019s what happens when humanity dies.\u00a0 The lights go out, and you can see the stars again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick just nodded, his hands fingering his gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d\u00a0 She scoffed at herself.\u00a0 \u201cDumb question.\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 Look, I\u2019ll just\u2026 leave you alone.\u201d\u00a0 She seemed jumpy, unlike her normal behavior, making Nick place his hand on hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, stay.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 I\u2019m not okay, but it ain\u2019t a dumb question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hide it well, you know.\u00a0 You could let it out.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t kill you.\u00a0 It\u2019d probably help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick sighed, letting his head rest naturally upon her shoulder.\u00a0 There were no thoughts; it was simply instinctive.\u00a0 \u201cIt was my fault.\u00a0 I led her in there.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t kill them all off, so she went to protect me.\u00a0 It\u2019s my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two swung together, a cool breeze blew around them, ruffling their hair.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault.\u00a0 You went in \u2018cause you thought there were people; that\u2019s what Kevin said.\u00a0 That\u2019s you caring about people.\u00a0 Spunky loved you, enough to sacrifice herself to keep you safe.\u00a0 It\u2019s sad, and it\u2019s tragic.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not your fault, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bring bad luck to everything I fucking touch, and I always come out okay.\u00a0 How is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you gonna try and blame yourself for the zombie nightmare?\u00a0 That it\u2019s your fault your family died?\u00a0 That\u2019s bull, and you know it.\u00a0 You were unconscious in a freaking hospital.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t for you, I\u2019d probably be dead right now.\u00a0 Or\u2026 ya know, undead.\u00a0 Blame yourself for shit that\u2019s actually because of you\u2026 but don\u2019t take on all the bullshit as yours to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remained silent, his eyes glistened in the moonlight.\u00a0 The two continued to swing, neither of them saying anything, exchanging simple glances and nothing more for some time.\u00a0 The crickets had returned; they could hear them chirping into the night, over a chorus of distant moans from zombies he knew to be outside the base.\u00a0 Finally, Nick broke the silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Riley.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what I\u2019m here for.\u201d<\/p>\n

What he did next had no rhyme or reason to it.\u00a0 All it took was a simple look into her eyes.\u00a0 He saw her there, smiling softly at him.\u00a0 He leaned in, his lips meeting hers beneath the moonlight.\u00a0 The kiss continued for a few moments, before the two pulled away.\u00a0 Riley stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you have no idea how long I\u2019ve been wanting to do that.\u201d\u00a0 She pulled him closer to her, and they kissed once more.\u00a0 It was bittersweet bliss.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure he was supposed to feel happy then, but couldn\u2019t help it, as the feeling rose within.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should\u2019ve done that earlier, but I was afraid you\u2019d slap me for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two laughed contentedly.\u00a0 He was surprised at how good that felt, how it soothed the pain of loss still beating inside his heart.\u00a0 He lay back, forcing Riley to do the same beside him.\u00a0 She settled within Nick\u2019s arms afterwards, smiling up at him.\u00a0 They found comfort within the shared embrace, falling asleep easily, and feeling the safest either had felt in a long time.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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PART VI: \u00a0NO REST FOR THE WICKED Chapter 61 This was one of the hardest days of my life (up until that point) – not the hardest, but one of.\u00a0 I fell apart.\u00a0 I just fucking just shattered.\u00a0 Last damn … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":61,"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\/266"}],"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=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":380,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/266\/revisions\/380"}],"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=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}