{"id":270,"date":"2013-07-22T03:51:29","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T03:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=270"},"modified":"2013-07-22T03:51:29","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T03:51:29","slug":"chapter-62","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-62\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 62"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 62<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Life.<\/i><\/p>\n

Death.<\/i><\/p>\n

I used to crave death once.\u00a0 I\u2019d challenge it and beckon it to come at me so I could make it my bitch before I let it take me to abyss I thought I wanted so badly.\u00a0 I would do anything to escape the world and life I despised once.\u00a0 And then the world ended.\u00a0 Then I met the others.<\/i><\/p>\n

Funny how a fucking apocalypse can change your outlook on everything.<\/i><\/p>\n

I have a sense of friends, a sense of family.\u00a0 Stuff I didn\u2019t have before, with the exception of my mom, really.\u00a0 She\u2019s the one person I still miss.\u00a0 It\u2019s also amazing how shit like that, shit I never considered important, is what changed my view on all that.\u00a0 Maybe I didn\u2019t consider it so damn vital cause in my eyes I never had it till now.\u00a0 Drugs solving things, my ass.\u00a0 Fuck you, undead therapists!\u00a0 All I needed was people to give me a chance.\u00a0 It\u2019s done a lot more than those pills.<\/i><\/p>\n

Of course, as soon as I stop wanting death, that\u2019s when it comes my way.\u00a0 When I finally begin to appreciate the life I\u2019ve been given, and no longer want to throw it away\u2026 that\u2019s when death finally receives all my old challenges.\u00a0 That\u2019s when it beckons me, hearing my call far too late.<\/i><\/p>\n

So fucking typical.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, July 6, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\nWeek Eleven<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re worried about your boy, aren\u2019t you?\u201d AJ asked Riley, as Kevin drove the ambulance outside the base.\u00a0 They\u2019d thought perhaps the cage idea would work just as well outside the base and help keep the base itself clear of any nearby zombies wanting to roam inside.\u00a0 AJ and Riley were camped out in the back, taking pot shots at the corpses that followed.\u00a0 While AJ\u2019s hit the mark, hers were missing more than usual.\u00a0 It almost amused him; a lot amused him these days, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The main hunting group had split up, for a change.\u00a0 Nick and Brian had driven off to one side of town and had been given the additional help of Howie, since theirs was supposed to be \u201clight\u201d hunting.\u00a0 AJ, Riley, and Kevin went to the other side, intending to hunt more and stay out longer.\u00a0 Nick\u2019s and Brian\u2019s excursion was yet another search for people.\u00a0 As they\u2019d had no luck with the previous searches, they thought perhaps spreading themselves out might garner them more luck after over a month of nothing. Still, from the looks of it, the separation was making Riley more anxious than normal.\u00a0 AJ hummed to himself as he shot random zombies from the back of the vehicle, the doors open so he could take down the marks.\u00a0 They were also supposed to try and seek out ghouls to kill, to clear out as much as possible, making their trip a hunting search and rescue, so to speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are too; hey, I\u2019m glad someone\u2019s getting some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ!\u00a0 Oh my god, you\u2019re impossible.\u00a0 We\u2019re nothing close to that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKey word being yet,<\/i> honey bunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019ll tell you if we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged, lining up his shot carefully.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t need you to; guys know that shit.\u00a0 The signs are clearer than the purple spots of the Osiris Virus.\u00a0 Hey, pop the CD in the player for me, Kev.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley rolled her eyes as she leaned out the back to fire a few times herself.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re getting as bad as him, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe must be doing something right.\u201d\u00a0 AJ grinned as he took down another member of the undead.\u00a0 \u201cHA!\u00a0 Gotta do better than moan and shuffle, you cocksuckers!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least you\u2019re not singing Thriller<\/i> all the time,\u201d Kevin remarked, as they pulled into a seemingly empty park.\u00a0 Riley helped Kevin unload the kennel, while AJ climbed on top of the ambulance to get a better shot on any zombies that got too close before they set up.<\/p>\n

The young woman smiled to herself.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s weird, but that\u2019s becoming my favorite song.\u00a0 But do not<\/i> tell him that; I\u2019ll never hear the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStep right up and get your brain blasted!\u00a0 That\u2019s right, fresh living meat here, ready to blast your ass into oblivion.\u00a0 Best me and get the prize!\u00a0 Braaaaaaaains!\u201d AJ yelled, waving his gun around in hopes of attracting some undead while waiting.\u00a0 While he succeeded, it wasn\u2019t a big enough of a horde to satisfy him, as he took them down quickly, making them fall like rotting ducks in a row.\u00a0 He grinned satisfactorily, adjusting his shades.<\/p>\n

Once they had the rope swung over the branch, AJ jumped down and walked over with a broad grin on his face.\u00a0 He knew that he enjoyed this too much, but at the same time, he couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 This made him feel useful, gave him something to focus on and the ability to fight the depression before it could sink in.\u00a0 It connected him to a positive reality, as twisted as he knew that would sound if he ever said it aloud.\u00a0 He always knew he\u2019d find his niche in the world, but what he hadn\u2019t guessed was that it would take an apocalypse to make that happen.<\/p>\n

Was I really that fucked up?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cCage me, baby!\u00a0 Lock me up!\u00a0 AJ\u2019s been a naughty motherfucker!\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley laughed as she and Kevin secured him inside. Once the kennel was securely latched, AJ gripped the bars like he was in jail.\u00a0 He actually did know what that was like; he\u2019d done a few stints for petty theft during some of his poorer eras.\u00a0 However, jail was never this much fun.\u00a0 The other two forcibly pulled him up and above the zombies\u2019 reach.\u00a0 AJ snickered to himself, as they went to climb their own tree posts, not too far away.\u00a0 He adjusted his sunglasses, reloaded his gun, and gazed down below.\u00a0 \u201cYooo-hoo\u2026here, zombies, zombies, zombies\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re insane!\u201d he heard Riley yell.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, fuckers!\u00a0 It\u2019s chow time!\u00a0 Hey Kevin, next time we do this, I need a bell.\u00a0 Or a triangle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slowly they came, as if they truly were following AJ\u2019s summons.\u00a0 He grinned as he saw them below.\u00a0 Aiming carefully, he fired off the rounds, yawning a bit.\u00a0 He needed a new thrill.\u00a0 As the world ended, adrenaline had become his new addiction, helping him replace the drugs and at least ignore his urges for the bliss of alcohol.\u00a0 AJ did wish they\u2019d stumble onto other people, despite his obvious cynicism that it wouldn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t want to find others; he did, badly.\u00a0 It was just that the part of him that always had to stay with the cruelty reality provided wouldn\u2019t let him believe it without solid proof.<\/p>\n

They had yet to find any.<\/p>\n

AJ let his voice carry to the zombies hopelessly reaching for him from below.\u00a0 There was no real conscious thought to their actions.\u00a0 They were mindlessly groping for him, their prey, kept just out of reach in order to keep them there.\u00a0 Around them was a pile of fallen bodies, evidence of how much work had been done in such a seemingly short time.\u00a0 His eyes skipped around, spotting Kevin sitting comfortably against the bark of another tree.\u00a0 One would think Kevin was watching a sports game or something, given his ease in that position.<\/p>\n

While he reloaded his gun, a song came to him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t even remotely fitting to the situation.\u00a0 He calmly wiped his brow, adjusting his beloved sunglasses, and glanced down below, to the reanimated audience that was waiting there for him, eagerly hoping for his arrival.\u00a0 His smooth voice was bold and strong as it carried over the chorus of moans.\u00a0 \u201cIf I can see it\u2026 then I can do it\u2026 if I just believe it\u2026 there\u2019s nothing to it\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

A series of shots rang out, striking the incoming dead down.\u00a0 AJ focused on the inner circle just below him.\u00a0 He could have done this all day if someone managed to feed him through the case somehow.\u00a0 \u201cI believe I can fly\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

A new sound came to his ears, loud, sharp and close, but he couldn\u2019t recognize the source.\u00a0 \u201cI believe I can touch the sky\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

BANG-CRACK!<\/p>\n

The kennel jerked, causing AJ to turn almost wildly, even though he couldn\u2019t see anything through the other side.\u00a0 Even if he could, he couldn\u2019t turn well enough to do so.<\/p>\n

Have those rotting pieces of shit found a way to reach me?\u00a0 <\/i>He shook the thought away.\u00a0 That was impossible.\u00a0 A squirrel could have rattled it.\u00a0 Or a bird, for all he knew.\u00a0 He shifted, ready to take aim again.\u00a0 The kennel jerked a second time, forcibly, thrusting him forward and slamming his head into the bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in the flying squirrel\u2019s left nut?!\u201d<\/p>\n

CRACK!<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the kennel wasn\u2019t jerking anymore.\u00a0 This time, it was falling.\u00a0 AJ suddenly felt the ridiculous urge to pray to the God he didn\u2019t believe in.\u00a0 He could hear Riley\u2019s screams, as he plummeted to the ground.\u00a0 What took only moments felt like years, as his life flashed before his eyes.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long; his life had been a series of experiments and outsider experiences.\u00a0 The fall wasn\u2019t going to be what killed him; that he knew.<\/p>\n

It would be the zombies.<\/p>\n

He was going to be that piece of candy he\u2019d drop on anthills as a kid.\u00a0 They\u2019d swarm him, reach for him, and devour him alive.\u00a0 The same exact way they had done to Spunky, only two and a half weeks before.\u00a0 He would know hell as they slowly ate him.\u00a0 He could fight, and fight he would, to bring as many as he could down with him.\u00a0 Still, the end would be the same.\u00a0 AJ only wondered if he\u2019d be eaten fully or turned into one of them.<\/i><\/p>\n

The kennel crashed onto the ground, ceasing his train of thought.\u00a0 He was thrown against the back of the kennel, and by pure luck, the door didn\u2019t burst open.\u00a0 His head slammed the top, and he grunted in pain, as he rolled along the ground like a discarded toy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ!\u201d he could hear Kevin bellow, as he attempted to regain his senses.<\/p>\n

He was surrounded, and he was trapped, in a mess of still corpses and still-reaching decomposing arms trying to get their latest meal out of its lunchbox.\u00a0 He breathed slowly, taking in his current situation, as he did a quick self-assessment.\u00a0 He was bruised; he was shaken.\u00a0 He had not been bitten, they could not get in just yet, and no bones were broken.\u00a0 Positives.\u00a0 This was the first time in his life that the cool detachment his clinical depression gave him actually had a use.\u00a0 AJ could analyze everything, in a way he wouldn\u2019t have been able to, had he not been so distant from his own emotions.<\/p>\n

Zoning out on the yells coming from his two companions, AJ reached for his gun.\u00a0 He only had one option, really.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to fight his way out.\u00a0 Shoot the closest ones and then hope he could blow his way out without any scratches or bites.\u00a0 It would require a miracle.<\/p>\n

But already, he\u2019d survived, against every odd around.\u00a0 Who said it couldn\u2019t happen twice?\u00a0 The cynical voice that always rested within his mind said so, but this time, he ignored it.\u00a0 Listening to it would cost him his life, he knew.\u00a0 He loaded his weapon, hearing the click above all the moans.\u00a0 It felt final.\u00a0 Like it would be the last time he\u2019d do this, or second to last, only to a suicide shot to the skull.\u00a0 Silly thoughts, ones he couldn\u2019t afford to entertain, but they floated through his mind all the same.\u00a0 He reached his hand through the bars to quickly unlatch himself and pushed on the door.\u00a0\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t open.\u00a0 He growled furiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cFucker must\u2019ve gotten warped when I fell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ!\u201d he could hear Kevin\u2019s country-tinged voice cry.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get to you!\u00a0 Are you alright?\u201d\u00a0 AJ knew the real questions behind that.\u00a0 Was he alive<\/i>?\u00a0 Was he infected<\/i> by the bite they all so feared?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine!\u00a0 I\u2019m just stuck in this goddamn cage!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shots resounded around him, and the thumps of bodies hitting the ground soon followed.\u00a0 AJ didn\u2019t know where Riley and Kevin were.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what their plan was.\u00a0 He knew they would try to help, that they would do everything they could to save him.\u00a0 Would that be enough?\u00a0 He gritted his teeth.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 As much as he wanted to, he couldn\u2019t rely on them getting to him before the ghouls did.\u00a0 Bracing himself, he slammed up against the cage door, forcing it open.<\/p>\n

He rolled out onto the grassy floor.\u00a0 His nose was hit with the stench of decomposition, closer than ever, as he stared into the glassy, fogged eyes of an unmoving zombie.\u00a0 The bullet that marked its head could be clearly seen.\u00a0 Jerking, he jumped to his feet and shoved his way through the bodies, shooting what he could.\u00a0 Without aim, the shots were off-course and random.\u00a0 He ceased fire, afraid of a random bullet striking his two companions.\u00a0 AJ shoved against the horde, trying to have as little physical contact as possible.<\/p>\n

He was forcing his way through.\u00a0 The gun had become a weapon in a new form, a way to bash biting heads aside before they could sink their teeth in.\u00a0 The sound of gunfire grew closer, and finally, AJ felt the first spark of hope that he could possibly get out alive.<\/p>\n

It was that moment of distraction that the animated corpses needed.<\/p>\n

A pair of teeth dove into the inked flesh of his arm, ripping into his wrist.\u00a0 AJ roared in pain, tore his arm away, and fired off a round to its skull, as quick as lightening.\u00a0 The sharp reflexes were unable to save him.\u00a0 His mind registered that fact as he finally escaped the mob, pushing past Riley and Kevin, who were trying to force their way through it.\u00a0 A mess of scattered bodies lay behind them, an undead game of fifty-two pick up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ!\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ said nothing as he retreated into the vehicle with a slam of the door.\u00a0 What did it matter?\u00a0 He knew his future.\u00a0 His only choice.\u00a0 Life had nothing else to offer.\u00a0 Life itself was just a joke once more.\u00a0 Not that any of it counted.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 All that was left was the hope that he\u2019d be able to muster enough courage to do what he must.\u00a0 He was a dead man walking.<\/p>\n

His last decision would be to prevent that from becoming more than just a metaphor.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

AJ stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked inside the church.\u00a0 Kevin knew he\u2019d been bitten, as did Riley, and Jo, from having to treat the wound earlier.\u00a0 But Kevin had felt the need to inform everyone else before he did the deed.<\/p>\n

He felt so self-conscious about the bite.\u00a0 He glanced at it once more as he pulled his hand from his pocket.\u00a0 It was a perfect half moon, red and raw. Already, bruises appeared around it, along with a slight tinge AJ assumed had to be from infection.\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 There was no denying it.\u00a0 He\u2019d gotten the kiss of death that day, or bite of death, to be more accurate.<\/p>\n

He thought of a line of poetry then, suddenly missing the books of poems he\u2019d left behind at the Center.\u00a0 Two roads diverged in a wood<\/i>\u2026\u00a0 Both lead to death for him now.<\/p>\n

Everyone was waiting for him in the chapel when he walked in.\u00a0 He glanced around; it felt weird now, being in there, after living in an actual house for a month.\u00a0 Kayleigh and Howie weren\u2019t the best roommates at times, but they weren\u2019t as bad as he had expected either \u2013 more so Howie than Kayleigh.\u00a0 Brian was watching him cautiously from the pew closest to the door, Gretchen at his side.\u00a0 Beside them were Nick and Riley; those two were standing, Nick\u2019s arms around Riley, as she kept her eyes away from him.\u00a0 Further down was Howie, giving Kayleigh a look as she cried into a handkerchief, unable to remain composed.\u00a0 Gabby sat there, saying nothing, staring at the floor, as Jo wrung her hands nervously beside her.\u00a0 At the end, by the altar, where shattered glass still littered the floor from the attack that seemed suddenly like years ago, stood Kevin.\u00a0 His jade eyes were clouded, swirling with a mixture of emotions AJ knew was his fault.<\/p>\n

They were silent as he walked down the aisle.\u00a0 He took another long look at his wrist and a deep breath to regain his own composure.\u00a0 AJ knew he had to steady himself.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t fear death.\u00a0 He used to be suicidal and beckon for it.\u00a0 He only feared becoming one of them<\/i>.\u00a0 That was why suicide, that act that had once been considered so wrong, was now his only way out.\u00a0 It truly was the best option now.\u00a0 It felt so ironic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re meeting \u2018cause I fucked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ-\u201d Kevin started.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, dude, really.\u00a0 I got my ass bit.\u201d\u00a0 He held up his wrist now, to let everyone see.\u00a0 \u201cSo this is\u2026 Well, Kevin wanted me to do this, before I go and splatter my brains up against the wall.\u00a0 It fucking sucks, but I ain\u2019t becoming one of those mind-craving shitheads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t kill yourself!\u201d Brian suddenly cried, rising up from his pew.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know you\u2019ll turn?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo turned, giving Brian a look.\u00a0 Although things had settled down, there were still tense moments between them.\u00a0 It looked like Jo had forgiven, but had not quite forgotten.\u00a0 Or vice versa; AJ wasn\u2019t exactly sure.\u00a0 But ever since Brian\u2019s outburst that had shocked them all two months before, the two rarely agreed on anything.\u00a0 Almost out of spite, it seemed to AJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw what happened to those who got bitten.\u00a0 The infection hit them faster than anything else.\u00a0 They changed quick\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She paused, obviously bothered, but then said what AJ knew she would say.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll need to do it soon.\u00a0 It\u2019s for the good of\u2026 of us all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick stared at Jo.\u00a0 \u201cBut have you seen anyone who was immune to the Osiris Virus actually get bitten?\u00a0 How do we know a bite will even affect us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen nodded, watching AJ with cautious eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t see why a bite would infect us, when the virus itself couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe survived, for God knows why, but how do we even know we\u2019re immune to it completely?\u00a0 It could\u2019ve just been a strong resistance that can\u2019t fight a direct infection.\u00a0 I saw what this did to people in the hospitals\u2026\u201d Riley replied, pulling gently away from Nick.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026I hate saying this, but if he doesn\u2019t do it, he could end up killing us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick stared at her, shocked at her reply, before turning to Kevin.\u00a0 AJ simply watched him, the optimist who always had to believe in the best.\u00a0 When he couldn\u2019t, that was when he got lost.\u00a0 \u201cKevin, you\u2019re not going to let AJ do it\u2026 are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Their leader looked downward with a gentle nod.\u00a0 \u201cI have to think about our best chance for survival.\u00a0 I saw what happens to those who have been bitten, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you don\u2019t know it\u2019ll happen to AJ, too!\u201d Kayleigh screamed, her face red and blotchy from her tears.\u00a0 AJ suddenly felt guilty for making her so upset.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure why, but he felt responsible for her lately.<\/p>\n

The business man stared at her.\u00a0 \u201cBut he could kill us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he may not!\u201d Brian piped up again.\u00a0 \u201cThis is ridiculous.\u00a0 It\u2019s bad enough we have to kill all those things<\/i> that were once human beings.\u00a0 At least they\u2019re already dead.\u00a0 I am not about to approve of AJ killing himself for what may<\/i> happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly!\u00a0 What he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if he does turn?\u00a0 He could start killing people easily as we slept, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wanna see AJ kill himself!\u201d Gabby cried.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen too many die already!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGabby, we don\u2019t want him to do it\u2026 but he has no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he does!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrian!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s right.\u00a0 He does.\u00a0 We could wait and see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine idea.\u00a0 Good to know we\u2019ll find out who\u2019s right as Zombie AJ tries to eat our brains for breakfast and liver for lunch.\u00a0 Maybe he can even have spleen for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sarcasm ain\u2019t necessary, Rye!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you want to pretend it\u2019ll all be okay, when it likely won\u2019t be\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Her tone was softer now, as she turned toward Nick, lost within the squabbles that had broken out between the group.<\/p>\n

AJ stood there, almost forgotten.\u00a0 \u201cYo!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The fighting continued.\u00a0 He placed his forefinger and thumb in his mouth, giving a piercing whistle.\u00a0 Everyone silenced as they stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cFuck, let\u2019s vote on this shit then,\u201d he said, with a roll of his eyes.<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll for having AJ handle this himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five hands rose.\u00a0 Riley, Howie, Kevin, AJ, and Jo all voted for him to do the deed himself.\u00a0 AJ wanted to groan.\u00a0 He already knew how this vote was going to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll for waiting it out to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced around, nodding at his own suspicions.\u00a0 Brian, Nick, Kayleigh, Gretchen, and Gabby voted against him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd now what?\u00a0 It\u2019s a tie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian stared him down, their eyes meeting silently in almost an understanding.\u00a0 \u201cWe can strap you down, make sure that even if you did turn, you couldn\u2019t get to us.\u00a0 If you did, one of us could\u2026 do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His cousin pondered this, rubbing his chin.\u00a0 \u201cWe can use the ambulance, and lock you in, too.\u00a0 In case you break free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess that could work\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we can wait and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter than killing him straight off\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

They all walked outside, heading to where the ambulance waited.\u00a0 Once there, Kevin opened the back doors, stepping aside so that AJ could get in.\u00a0 He lay down on the stretcher, as Nick helped Kevin strap him down.\u00a0 He smirked at them, knowing the others were within earshot outside the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, on the bright side, I was always into bondage.\u00a0 Anyone wanna find me an undead hooker for when I turn?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick chuckled, tightening his bonds.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll turn, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

A simple shrug.\u00a0 \u201cJust a hunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once he was fastened down, they both climbed out.\u00a0 Even though he couldn\u2019t lift his head up far to see them, AJ could feel their stares upon him. The silence was almost enough to drive him crazy.\u00a0 It was tense-filled and awkward.<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll check on you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doors shut, and AJ was left within the darkness.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 62 Life. Death. I used to crave death once.\u00a0 I\u2019d challenge it and beckon it to come at me so I could make it my bitch before I let it take me to abyss I thought I wanted so … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":62,"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":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/270"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/270\/revisions\/271"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}