{"id":515,"date":"2015-08-15T03:07:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-15T03:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=515"},"modified":"2015-08-15T03:08:02","modified_gmt":"2015-08-15T03:08:02","slug":"chapter-120","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-120\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 120"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 120<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This one\u2019s for the mothers who have lost a child.<\/em>
\nThis one\u2019s for the gypsies who left their hearts behind.<\/em>
\nThis is for the strangers sleeping in my heart.<\/em>
\nThey take what they want, and leave while it\u2019s still dark.<\/em><\/p>\n

No one is glamorously lonely all by themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a song for The Undead.<\/em>
\nThis is the music for one last cry.<\/em>
\nThis is a prayer that tomorrow will help me leave the past behind.<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s a song for The Undead.<\/em><\/p>\n

This one\u2019s for the bridesmaid, never the bride.<\/em>
\nThis one\u2019s for dreamers who\u2019ve locked their faith inside.<\/em>
\nAnd this is for the widows who think there\u2019s only one.<\/em>
\nFor the dying fathers who never told their sons.<\/em><\/p>\n

No one is glamorously lonely.\u00a0 Follow your heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, who\u2019s up for gator!\u201d AJ asked cheerfully, once again using a wheelchair, at Selena\u2019s insistence, to give his ankle a break for the night. \u00a0He smirked at the platter at the center of the table.<\/p>\n

The group of thirteen was seated around the table at the club, still their go-to place for special occasions. Flowers had been hung around the room, as well as spare cloth turned into ribbons to decorate and celebrate. Gretchen had just sat down, with Brian at her side and her two daughters at the other. They\u2019d had to push two tables together now so it could accommodate everyone. Beside the Littrells sat the Carters. Josh and Leslie next to Kayleigh Jo and Evette, then Riley and Nick at her right. Of course, at one head of the table was Kevin, in his rightful place. At his right hand was AJ, then Selena and, of course, little Asha. Gabby sat the other head of the table, in the place that had once been her mother\u2019s, with Howie beside her.<\/p>\n

Two white candles were lit, one at each end. They served as a small memorial for two of the original ten who had been lost, but not forgotten. Never once would they be forgotten. Their names would live on little KJ Littrell, and their memories would stay on in those they left behind. Gabby smiled. She was sure her mother would be happy with how things had turned out for them. She had survived, as Jo had pleaded for her to do with her dying breath.<\/p>\n

Asha wrinkled her nose. \u201cEwwww.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selena chuckled, rolling her eyes at her husband. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna make it so the kids don\u2019t eat any, and I don\u2019t fancy the idea of leftover alligator for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it like the ally-gator from Peter Pan<\/em>?\u201d Josh grinned from across the table. Riley always read stories to the kids before bedtime, and that particular one had always been her son\u2019s favorite. \u201cDid it tick-tock too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Plates got passed around so everyone could get served. Nick shook his head. \u201cThe one in Peter Pan tick-tocked cause it ate a clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley was fixing her children\u2019s places as she glanced over. \u201cAnd your father forgot to point out that it\u2019s a crocodile in Peter Pan<\/em>, not an alligator. They\u2019re similar, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore we start eating\u2026\u201d Brian spoke up once the platters had been set down and everyone was served. \u201cLet\u2019s give thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hands joined all around the table, big and small. Their heads bowed. Brian hesitated for a moment so that his eyes met AJ’s. He remembered a similar moment, only then their kindred feelings had been because of a shared lack of faith. AJ smiled knowingly, thinking of that same day. Something had brought them all together, and he was thankful for it. So much could have gone wrong. Their two heads lowered so the former reverend could start the prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeavenly Father,\u201d Brian began, \u201cwe thank You for this day, for this feast and blessings on this special anniversary. We thank You for watching over us for these past ten years, giving us the strength and spirit to survive and allowing us to do so. You have answered all our prayers in so many ways. We ask that You may continue to watch over us and that You will guide Riley and Nick\u2019s new baby safely into the world when it arrives. On this anniversary of when the world was changed, we are never more thankful of Your watchful eye and guiding hand. In Your name, we give our thanks. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmen,\u201d everyone chorused, as they looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAaaaaaymen!\u201d Asha chimed, followed by laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, everyone, let\u2019s eat,\u201d Kevin said, looking around. \u201cAnd for those sketchy about the gator, Gretchen cooked one of the seagulls Nick shot down the other day.\u201d He smirked. \u201cSince we know his fishing is really playtime in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Nick pouted as laughter rang around the table yet again. \u201cI try to catch fish. They just don\u2019t always bite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be that your singing chases the fish away,\u201d Howie joked between bites. \u201cGuess they\u2019re not Michael Jackson fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen smirked. \u201cHe could sing about the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y<\/em> instead\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick blushed and ducked his head, focusing intently on his food as he ate. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna defend my honor, Rye?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, but not in this case \u2018cause\u2026\u201d She grinned. \u201cI\u2019d like to see it happen too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDad! Josh is making faces!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJosh, not at the dinner table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTattletale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh snickered. \u201cOoh, you got in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian smiled down at his younger daughter. \u201cKayleigh, eat your dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evette ate her dinner quietly, lost in thought for a few moments. The chatter died down some as everyone enjoyed the meal. \u201cMom, do you think other people will ever find us? Like Selena\u2019s friends did?\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone at the table turned their gazes towards the oldest of the children. Kevin was somewhat thankful she\u2019d brought it up. It would be a nice way to ease into his own personal announcement. Gabby smiled at him. She needed him more than the others did now. And she was the one he couldn\u2019t bear to lose. Maybe they\u2019d be able to answer Eve\u2019s question for certain once they left.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to find out,\u201d Kevin said, causing the attention to shift to him. \u201cI have an announcement to make. In two weeks, Gabby will be leaving for England so she can see what happened to the other group. See if anyone if still alive. But when she does, I\u2019m going with her. We might try and check out other countries if we don\u2019t find anyone in London. Dr. Kwak In-Su had said the immunity was spread around the world, and I still have the list of countries. It\u2019s time we see if we can\u2019t bring what\u2019s left of humanity together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re LEAVING?\u201d Josh blurted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t be gone forever,\u201d Gabby gently reassured them. \u201cI promise we\u2019ll be back, and we could have more people with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick looked between the two of them. \u201cJust the two of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian frowned. \u201cAre you sure about this? We have a good thing here; we\u2019re doing so well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys are,\u201d Gabby explained. \u201cI want more. I know<\/em> there has to be more waiting out there for me. I have to find out. I was going to go alone; I can still go alone,\u201d she told them firmly, eying Kevin.<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cI\u2019d never ask any of you to leave. Everyone here is settled, and we can\u2019t drag the children on a journey across the ocean. Riley\u2019s still pregnant, and even if she wasn\u2019t, I\u2019d never ask to bring a newborn on a plane. Not when we\u2019re safe and sound here.\u201d Kevin sighed softly. \u201cThis is the right decision. You\u2019ll be fine here. I wouldn\u2019t go if I didn\u2019t think that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMakes sense to me. Go get yourself laid, kid,\u201d AJ teased with a smirk before looking at Selena. \u201cYou know, if you want to go with him, see the others\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cI won\u2019t leave Asha behind, and I bloody hell won\u2019t have her come with. My life\u2019s with you, even when you manage to cripple yourself and scare me half to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley nodded at Gabby and Kevin. \u201cI understand. And you know, I\u2019d almost wanna go if I wasn\u2019t still incubating,\u201d she joked. \u201cBut seriously, just be careful. Both of you. The zombies might be gone, but that doesn\u2019t mean be stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby smirked at Riley. \u201cI won\u2019t be stupid, scout\u2019s honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leslie looked at Kevin with sad blue eyes. \u201cYou\u2019ll come back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI say we have a toast,\u201d Gretchen proposed as she held up a glass.\u00a0 Kevin had uncorked an old bottle of wine, but she, Riley, AJ, and the kids were drinking water.\u00a0 \u201cTo ten years as a family. We might not be conventional, but we\u2019ve made it together. And to ten years more\u2026 with all of us and those Gabby and Kevin find scattered around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo ten years more!\u201d Brian followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen years more!\u201d echoed around the room, and glasses clinked.<\/p>\n

In a world reborn, one could only look forward toward the future. The scars left upon all of them from Reaper\u2019s Sabbath and the Day of Unholy Resurrection would never fade away. In a sense, no one wanted them to. If the pain was forgotten, history might someday repeat itself, far beyond their lifetime. Instead, they made sure their story would live on, a song of the painful lessons learned. Life was a precious gift that none of them ever intended to waste again. As the Bible once foretold, there was a time for everything. Ten years prior, it had been the time for countless people to die. It had been a time for those left to fight. And it had been a time for the dead to rise.<\/p>\n

Now was their time of peace.<\/p>\n

And with each new tomorrow, they would find ways to leave that past behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tomorrow the sun will shine and dry the tears in your eyes.<\/em>
\nSuddenly love comes alive.<\/em>
\nFor one last cry,<\/em>
\nJust one last cry\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Chapter 120 This one\u2019s for the mothers who have lost a child. This one\u2019s for the gypsies who left their hearts behind. This is for the strangers sleeping in my heart. They take what they want, and leave while it\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":120,"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\/515"}],"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=515"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/515\/revisions\/518"}],"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=515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}