{"id":504,"date":"2015-08-12T04:42:24","date_gmt":"2015-08-12T04:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=504"},"modified":"2020-08-30T19:06:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T19:06:42","slug":"chapter-117","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-117\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 117"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 117<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This morning, I went upstairs into the attic. Nick had already gone to go take care of the animals, and the kids were with Gretch. I went up there with a purpose. It took me a few attempts, but eventually I sat down and started reading the very first of the journals. They\u2019d been my idea, but I had no clue back then how important they\u2019d become. At the time, I figured they\u2019d be good for helping us cope and waste time. Reading them reminded me of who I used to be, back before the world changed, and who I became once it did.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not that girl anymore. I barely remember her. The first one threw away everything that mattered. She put up a strong front and hated the idea of letting anyone in. The second, well, she tried to let others in. Those she did became her new family. However, she was still so hot-headed and stubborn. She still fought to keep that strong front coming. She hated weakness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m a wife.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m a mother.<\/em><\/p>\n

In a lot of ways, change doesn\u2019t begin to describe the last ten years. But it\u2019s not a bad thing. I feel like this is who I was this entire time. I simply didn\u2019t know it. Or maybe I refused to see it. Nick helped me realize what true strength really is. I had it so wrong once. And our children remind me every day of why life is still so precious.<\/em><\/p>\n

To think, this is the life I once wanted to throw away.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so thankful I got that second chance at it.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

As Lucky sunbathed by the nearby window, Riley adjusted the hem on one of the legs of the pants lying in her lap. Once the undead had fallen, she, like AJ and Kevin alike, had needed a new purpose to focus on. Her forever workaholic personality demanded it. It had taken some time, but time she had and eventually was able to research the ways clothes had been made before technology came around. Leather-making, cloths, furs, anything helpful. There was a loom AJ and Kevin had managed to rig up on the other side of the living room, where a TV had once stood. A lot of badly-made clothes followed, but eventually, she had learned how to knit, sew, and crochet.<\/p>\n

From journalist to zombie-killer, from zombie-slayer to clothes-maker\u2026 the differences were more than slight. But, oddly enough, everything felt so natural. While pregnant with Josh, she\u2019d had a lot of time on her hands once she entered her third trimester and Nick kept fussing for her to take things easy. So she\u2019d read, and she\u2019d learned the skills that would give her a new purpose there on the base. Once their son was born, she\u2019d lost the urge to go find adrenaline rushes, the way AJ still did. The first time she held him, all her priorities shifted into their rightful places. She never questioned it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama?\u201d Leslie called, pausing from practicing her letters in a workbook Gretchen had given her. She was sitting happily on the bear-skin rug, a present from AJ from his first hunting days post-zombies. No one was sure how he\u2019d managed to find a bear in southern Florida, but they assumed it had been a zoo survivor.<\/p>\n

Riley glanced over as she finished with the hem. Josh was outgrowing his clothes again, too quickly for her liking. \u201cWhat is it, Cupcake?\u201d<\/p>\n

Leslie grinned. While she looked a lot like her mother, her smile was all Carter. \u201cWe talked \u2018bout why today is special. Did you fight zombies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup, I did it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy too?\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t hide the smirk if she tried. Your father used to sing as he battled zombies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThriller!\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley laughed and rolled her eyes. As Nick had always wanted, that song would never die off. At least, not until they were long gone. Their children had learned the song almost as soon as they could talk. He\u2019d insisted upon it. And deep down, she couldn\u2019t deny him, though she wouldn\u2019t admit it. The rest of the kids on base soon learned it as well, mainly because of the Carter kids. \u201cAlways Thriller.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCause this is Thriller! Thriller night!\u201d<\/p>\n

In that moment, she felt a sharp kick against her stomach and winced, rubbing her hand over it. Maybe the Michael Jackson love was imbedded in the DNA at this point. In many ways, Thriller was their song. Their escape from Target and journey to the base had been soundtracked by it, for one. No, it wasn\u2019t exactly romantic, but she\u2019d fallen for Nick\u2019s goofy charm and optimism, not because he was some smooth Casanova. Thriller suited them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd no one\u2019s gonna see ya cause the beast\u2019s about to strike!\u201d Nick sang as he burst through the door. \u201cHoneys, I\u2019m home!\u201d<\/p>\n

Leslie shrieked playfully. \u201cDon\u2019t get me, beasty!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick smirked and began to chase her at a slow pace, while Josh shut the front door and made a beeline to the kitchen for a drink. \u201cI want little Leslie. BRAINS FOR BREAKFAST!\u201d<\/p>\n

She screamed and ducked behind Riley, who\u2019d just stood up to greet Nick. Leslie held on to her legs as Riley crossed her arms and tried to look firm, unable to quite pull it off. \u201cCareful, you two,\u201d she chastised, as Nick leaned around her. At thirty-four weeks, Riley was close. The baby could come at any time. Still, as big as she felt, rushing things wasn\u2019t something she wanted. \u201cLast thing I need to do is trip and fall into labor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d He stood up straight and pecked her lips softly before peering down at their daughter. \u201cWe both gotta be careful around Mommy, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom!\u201d Josh yelled coming out of the kitchen and setting his empty cup on the counter. \u201cI\u2019m gonna go play hide-and-go-seek with the girls!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute!\u201d Using Nick for balance, Riley reached over carefully and picked up the clothes she\u2019d finished. \u201cTry these on first.\u201d<\/p>\n

His face immediately morphed into a pout. \u201cAwww, Mooooommmm!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick swung Leslie up into his arms. \u201cHey, if you don\u2019t, then you can stay inside and do your homework instead, Little Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d Josh grumbled, coming over to snatch the clothes begrudgingly before heading upstairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know he gets that from you,\u201d Riley teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d With his free hand, Nick rubbed her stomach. Leslie nestled up against him contentedly. \u201cHow\u2019s Number Three coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop calling him or her that,\u201d she said, as she tried not to laugh. Her gaze shifted upwards. \u201cThe baby keeps kicking like it\u2019s fine. Joshie keeps telling me how it\u2019s gotta be a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick kissed the top of Leslie\u2019s head and snickered. \u201cWell, the poor guy is really outnumbered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, not my fault,\u201d she joked. \u201cBlame everyone else for only having girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not long after, Josh came running back down the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of his parents. Nick was just setting Leslie down. \u201cYou did as your mother asked?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. They fit, they fit. Can I go now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley nodded. \u201cGo ahead, but take your sister with you.\u201d With the celebration later, burning off some of her kids\u2019 energy couldn\u2019t hurt. They\u2019d be hyper enough as it was. \u201cBe back when it starts to get dark!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay!\u201d He grabbed Leslie\u2019s hand and practically dragged her out the door. \u201cBye!\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head with a laugh as she moved back towards the couch. She tried to sit by herself while keeping her balance, but Nick was quickly there to support her. Riley groaned as she eased down onto the cushions. \u201cThanks. I think I gained twice the pounds with this kid as I did with the first two. Soon we\u2019re gonna need a crane to lift me up and down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah.\u201d Nick grinned. \u201cYou\u2019re still pretty.\u201d He sat beside his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. \u201cYou know, your son doesn\u2019t believe you used to be tough. I had to tell him that you still are and that he shouldn\u2019t forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou softened me up a lot you know, Mr. Hollywood,\u201d Riley reminded him, her eyes gazing at him warmly. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

So much had changed over ten years time. The world she\u2019d grown up in had become a pure Hell. She\u2019d lost everything she didn\u2019t learn to appreciate until it was too late. By all rights, Riley knew she should have died multiple times in the first two years after Infernal Friday. But she hadn\u2019t. She\u2019d survived; she\u2019d grown; she\u2019d changed. With Nick. With the small group of strangers she now considered family. People she couldn\u2019t live without now. They\u2019d had nothing in common but one thing: the fact that fate had given them all a new chance in a world that had died, and was later reborn.<\/p>\n

And Riley would never be more thankful.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 117 This morning, I went upstairs into the attic. Nick had already gone to go take care of the animals, and the kids were with Gretch. I went up there with a purpose. It took me a few attempts, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":117,"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\/504"}],"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=504"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":557,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/504\/revisions\/557"}],"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=504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}