{"id":491,"date":"2015-08-08T04:39:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T04:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=491"},"modified":"2015-08-08T04:39:42","modified_gmt":"2015-08-08T04:39:42","slug":"chapter-113","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-113\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 113"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 113<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t care what everyone else thinks \u2013 I can\u2019t wait<\/span> to go back to England!<\/em><\/p>\n

I get why some people don\u2019t want to.\u00a0 Gretchen and Brian, Nick and Riley, and even AJ and Selena all have little kids now, and they don\u2019t want to take them away from a place they know is safe.\u00a0 Plus, it\u2019s the only home their kids have ever known.<\/em><\/p>\n

Florida\u2019s my home too, and it\u2019s not like I want to leave it forever, but lately I\u2019ve been feeling like there\u2019s no future for me here.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a kid anymore, but I\u2019m also nowhere close to where the other adults are in life.\u00a0 They\u2019re all in their thirties and forties, while I\u2019m about to turn twenty-three.\u00a0 There\u2019s literally no one my age left on this side of the ocean.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit it:\u00a0 I\u2019m lonely.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t help but think that if I never go back, I\u2019ll never have what Gretchen and Riley and Selena all have:\u00a0 a family.\u00a0 I know we\u2019re all like one big happy family here on the base, blah blah blah, but I want a real<\/span> family of my own someday.\u00a0 A husband.\u00a0 Children.\u00a0 I want to know what it\u2019s like to be someone\u2019s wife, someone\u2019s mother.\u00a0 I think my mom would want that for me, too.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll never have that here.\u00a0 There\u2019s no one left for me.\u00a0 Nick and AJ and Brian are already taken \u2013 not that I would be interested anyway.\u00a0 They\u2019re more like my big brothers than anything else.\u00a0 Then there\u2019s Howie, who\u2019s like an uncle to me \u2013 that would be way<\/span> too weird.\u00a0 And Kevin\u2019s like my second dad, so not even going there!<\/em><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s why I have to get out of here and go somewhere else.\u00a0 Callum could still be there, but even if he\u2019s not, there has to be someone<\/span> out there for me.\u00a0 I just have to find him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Wednesday, April 13, 2022<\/strong>
\nTen years after Infernal Friday<\/em><\/p>\n

The day was already getting warm when Gabby walked down to the aircraft hangars.\u00a0 Behind them, she could see Brian puttering around in the field he had so meticulously planted.\u00a0 Otherwise, the base was quiet.\u00a0 The kids were still in school, she assumed, and Nick was probably out on his boat, where he spent most nice days like this one.\u00a0 He claimed to be fishing, but Gabby knew he just liked to spend time on the water.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t blame him.\u00a0 Sometimes \u2013 more often these days, it seemed \u2013 she needed to get away, too.<\/p>\n

It was probably still cold in England, but spring would be coming soon.\u00a0 She imagined spring and summer in England would be lovely, without the undead stinking up the place.\u00a0 She wondered if their old friends were still living in the castle, or if they\u2019d spread out to the cottages in the nearby village.\u00a0 That was if they were still even living in England \u2013 or living at all.\u00a0 She knew it was possible \u2013 likely, even \u2013 that they weren\u2019t.\u00a0 But she also knew she would never stop wondering until she went and found out for herself.<\/p>\n

That was where Kevin came in.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, Gabs!\u201d he called, waving to her as she walked into Hanger 5.\u00a0 He was standing on a stepstool near the wing of one of the smaller planes, wiping down its exterior with a cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning.\u201d\u00a0 She gestured to the plane.\u00a0 \u201cIs that the one we\u2019re taking up today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup.\u00a0 Now that you\u2019ve got the basics down, I figured it\u2019d be good for you to get some experience with different aircrafts, just in case you can\u2019t fly out in the same plane you flew in on.\u00a0 If you remember, when Nick and Riley and I went on our little expedition to California back in the day, our plane exploded shortly after we\u2019d landed.\u00a0 If we\u2019d had to rely on another plane to get us home, it would have helped to know how to fly it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby nodded, trying to seem self-assured, even though her stomach was twisting in knots of nervousness.\u00a0 Sometimes she wondered if she was a fool for wanting to fly into the great unknown.\u00a0 She had it good here, relatively speaking.\u00a0 The base was safe and had enough resources for them to be self-sufficient.\u00a0 The same could not be said of the rest of the world.\u00a0 What was she getting herself into?<\/p>\n

But like any twenty-two-year-old \u2013 twenty-three tomorrow<\/em>, thought Gabby with a little thrill \u2013 she was itching to go out into the world, finally ready to fly the coop, figuratively and<\/em> literally.<\/p>\n

She had come to Kevin with her proposition shortly after the new year, when the future was on everyone\u2019s mind.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to teach me how to fly,\u201d she\u2019d told him.\u00a0 \u201cI know it sounds crazy, but I\u2019d like to go back to England someday \u2013 by myself, if no one else is on board \u2013 and I don\u2019t know if Nick\u2019s boat is big enough to get me there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let Nick hear you say that.\u00a0 No man wants to be told his gear isn\u2019t big enough, if you get my drift,\u201d Kevin had joked, winking at her.\u00a0 Gabby wrinkled her nose, but she had laughed along with him.\u00a0 It was nice to finally be at an age where he felt comfortable talking to her that way, like another adult, an equal.\u00a0 For too long, she had been treated like a child, even though, in her own mind, she had grown up the year the dead rose.\u00a0 Sometimes, she was sure Kevin still saw her as the little girl she had been when she\u2019d first come to the base with her mother, but slowly, he\u2019d begun to accept that she was an adult now.<\/p>\n

Even so, Gabby could tell he wasn\u2019t comfortable with the idea of her flying overseas on her own.\u00a0 He was still like a father to her and considered her to be sort of his surrogate daughter.\u00a0 Naturally, he was worried that if something went wrong, he would never see her again.\u00a0 \u201cWhich is exactly why I want you to teach me, so I\u2019ll know what to do if something happens,\u201d Gabby had said, when he\u2019d expressed these fears.\u00a0 It had taken some time and energy, but eventually, her persistence had paid off.\u00a0 Gabby\u2019s powers of persuasion proved stronger than Kevin\u2019s reservations, and she\u2019d convinced him to give her flying lessons.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been at it since February, and after two months, Gabby was getting to be a pretty good pilot.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t yet been up in a plane by herself, but although Kevin still went along for the ride, Gabby did most of the flying these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready, kiddo?\u201d said Kevin, swatting her playfully with his rag.<\/p>\n

She realized she had been spacing out and smiled sheepishly.\u00a0 \u201cYep.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

They climbed into the cockpit, Gabby sliding behind the controls while Kevin settled into the co-pilot\u2019s seat.\u00a0 She started the engine, as he had shown her many times before in other aircrafts, and felt the vibration under her feet as it roared to life. \u00a0Slowly, she guided the small plane out of the hangar and onto the runway, centering it over the faded line that still ran down the middle.\u00a0 The takeoff was always her favorite part of a flight.\u00a0 She made sure the wing flaps were up, then shifted the throttle to full power.\u00a0 As she released the brake, the plane began to roll down the runway, bouncing on its wheels as it picked up speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet ready to pull up,\u201d Kevin warned in a low voice, almost under his breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 Gritting her teeth in determination, Gabby pulled the control column toward her, easing the nose of the plane upward.\u00a0 She let out the breath she\u2019d been holding as she felt the plane lift off the ground, the runway disappearing underneath it.\u00a0 There was always that moment of uncertainty, when she worried she wasn\u2019t going to get off the ground in time.\u00a0 Once she was safely in the air, she could breathe more easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s fly west today, over the water, eh?\u201d suggested Kevin, pointing to the right out his window.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d agreed Gabby, her heart accelerating with anticipation.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t flown over water before, other than Tampa Bay.\u00a0 Usually they headed eastward, staying over land in case they needed to make an emergency landing.\u00a0 But, of course, she would need to feel comfortable flying over water to make it across the Atlantic Ocean.\u00a0 The Gulf of Mexico would work for now.\u00a0 She took it as a sign of Kevin\u2019s trust in her that he had been the first one to suggest it.<\/p>\n

Following his directions, she turned westward and flew the plane over the peninsula on which the former cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater lay in ruins.\u00a0 It made for an eerie sight, looking down on the neatly laid out streets, still lined with cars, but none moving.\u00a0 Not a sign of life anywhere.\u00a0 Not for ten years now.<\/p>\n

Soon, the land was behind them, and nothing but water lay ahead.\u00a0 It was a little bit scary, not being able to see where she was going, with no frame of reference on the ground below, but at the same time, it was exhilarating.\u00a0 \u201cHow long does it take to cross the Gulf?\u201d she asked Kevin.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of hours.\u00a0 Maybe we\u2019ll fly all the way across to Texas sometime so you can experience a longer flight over water, but for today we\u2019ll turn back soon so we don\u2019t waste fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby nodded.\u00a0 For now, she was fine with doing whatever Kevin told her to do; after all, he was the expert, and she was still learning.\u00a0 But she knew there would come a day when she would have to make all the decisions on her own.\u00a0 \u201cWhen do you think I\u2019ll be ready to go over the Atlantic?\u201d she wondered aloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you mean \u2018we\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked over at him in surprise.\u00a0 The sight of his raised eyebrows made her heart lift, too.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u00a0 You would go with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, sure, Gabby.\u00a0 If you\u2019ll have me, I mean.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell you what to do anymore \u2013 not that I ever could.\u201d\u00a0 He gave her a sidelong look, and she grinned.\u00a0 \u201cBut you\u2019re an adult now, and if you\u2019ve got your heart set on going, I can\u2019t keep you here.\u00a0 All I can do is offer to go along and give you as much help as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026 yeah, that\u2019d be great!\u201d she enthused, her fears fading away.\u00a0 With Kevin sitting by her side, the thought of leaving didn\u2019t seem quite so scary.<\/p>\n

He grinned back at her.\u00a0 \u201cAnd here I thought you\u2019d never ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaking her head, she shrugged and said, \u201cI just didn\u2019t think you\u2019d wanna go.\u00a0 The base was like your home even before the rest of us were here.\u00a0 And your family\u2019s here \u2013 Brian, I mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re my family, Gabby.\u201d\u00a0 He reached out and patted her knee.\u00a0 \u201cBrian\u2019s got a family of his own, and if anything happened to me, I know he\u2019d be okay.\u00a0 Same with Nick and AJ and the girls.\u00a0 But if something were to happen to you\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He paused and shook his head, temporarily speechless.\u00a0 If she had looked at him then, she would have seen the tears sparkling in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026I would never forgive myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby was not one to get emotional.\u00a0 Not anymore.\u00a0 She thought that all the trauma she\u2019d experienced as a child had numbed her to such feelings.\u00a0 But, hearing the emotion in Kevin\u2019s voice as he said the same sort of thing her own father and mother would tell her when they were still alive, she felt a lump rise in her throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate you looking out for me all these years, Kev, but you don\u2019t need to worry about me anymore.\u00a0 We\u2019ve made it this far, haven\u2019t we?\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked out the window, where the sun shone directly in front of her like a beacon of hope.\u00a0 It would serve as her frame of reference when she was ready to leave Europe again.\u00a0 All she would need to do was follow the sun, as it beckoned her back home.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 113 I don\u2019t care what everyone else thinks \u2013 I can\u2019t wait to go back to England! I get why some people don\u2019t want to.\u00a0 Gretchen and Brian, Nick and Riley, and even AJ and Selena all have little … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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\/491"}],"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=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":492,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/491\/revisions\/492"}],"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=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}