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Chapter 4. Wayward
I was impressed. Not even a week and Daniel was already twirling a pistol in his finger before snapping it in his grip and shooting zombies straight between the eyes. Well if i had doubts on keeping him, they were gone now. He even handled the AK with ease that almost made me jealous. After a shootout with a few deadheads that blocked the safe house, I had to ask.
"So, when we first met, I figured you'd never fired a gun before. Was I wrong?" His answer was only that of a childlike smile and a shake of his head.
That night he boiled some water over a makeshift burner and cooked some raviolis in a can. It was nice to eat something other than nut bars and beans. And ever since we met, dinner time was something to look forward to. Instead of wolfing it down, we ate slowly, laughing at each other. Tonight, my mouth watered and my stomach drowned out the noise of any moaning outside.
"How did you end up alone?"
"Didn't we already go through this?"
"You were vague on details. And I mean your friends. What happened to them?"
I dipped the plastic spoon in the warm can, poking a half-eaten ravioli. "We split up. There was a zombie underneath the engine of our car. It grabbed onto Kantarou's leg but Maggie shot it. Unfortunately, the entire time we spent driving here, it was beating and biting on the gastank. When it died, the car blew up." I took another bite and chewed it over, staring into the can as I remembered it clearly. "The explosion was pretty much like a giant bomb that alerted all the zombies in the area. We couldn't keep track of each other and went in seperate directions."
When I looked up at him to register the pity look on his face, I was shocked to see him smiling instead. That wasn't really the reaction I was thinking of. I put the can back down near the fire and pulled out the blanket from my bag. He looked at me questioningly.
"Tired already?" I nodded at him and turned my back to him. "Yeah." I kinda lost my appetite.
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"So! We're heading out today, right?" he asked in the morning, a bright smile on his face. Hoesntly, I didn't want to face the outside world already. I curled up tighter in the safety blanket.
"Tomorrow," was my answer. I didn't want to go. Not yet.
"But, you said that yesterday." I could practically hear the disappointment in his voice. Like a child being told that it would be the next day that they'd go to the park. Why did he want to rush things so badly?
"One more night."
I heard him shift and sit back down, the metal of his gun being laid back on the table clear in my head. "Fine," he sighed. I'm not sure what I felt, but the uneasiness was coming back. I picked up my uzi and excused myself.
"Bathroom," was what I said when I left the safe house for a moment alone.
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I walked over to the door that sererated us from them. I stared out at the almost vacant parking lot. In all my days, outside almost looked peaceful. What was stopping me from leaving though?
I had people to meet on the other side of this city. Knowing Maggie she would be half way there by now. So why was I refusing to budge?
Are you scared? Was I afraid that once I got there, they would be gone. That they didn't make it. Or was I afraid of dying on the way there, and leaving them stranded, alone. The idea of being bitten made me green.
There was rustling behind me. I had growned used to having someone else around that I didn't even flinched at the sound. The sun was setting over the gloomy city and I wanted to watch it. "Bedtime?" I asked without even turning my head. I could hear him shuffling around, moving a few boxes to make for some room.
"Yeah. I want to get a good sleep for tomorrow. You?" I rested my head against the cool bars, something that was closely related to fear settling in my stomach. "Uh, yeah. I'll be there in a bit."
I couldn't really understand this feeling. It wasn't like I was scared of Daniel, but all I knew was that there was something in the air that made me the nervous-nancy I was growing to hate. Something just didn't feel right.
When it grew dark, I turned my head and looked at him. Curling in a blanket next to the heater. He looked so harmless. I walked over and grabbed my own blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders and leaning against the wall. I stared at him and the warm glow of the heater.
I shut my eyes, pushing my fear away. There was always tomorrow to look forward to. But even that thought wasn't enough to help me get to sleep.
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"-sleep like the dead. Wake up."
I scrunched my eyes closed, hearing someone talking. What time was it? I cracked open my eyes just to squeeze them shut again. The sun was practically pouring into the room. I rubbed my eyes and tried again, this time, I was greeted with Daniel's face. I tried not to groan.
"What?" I asked, shifting up. Looks like I slid off the wall in my sleep.
"Geeze, its already like... Ten. Come on. I'm ready to take on the horde!"
I snapped awake instantly at that. Horde?! s**t. I ran my fingers through my hair as I watched him bounce around the room, trying to make a quick breakfast. I wasn't really feeling up to this until I smelled the creamy mushroom soup. Damn him and his food.
Everything was packed and waiting by the door as we ate. He scarfed it down as if someone was going to steal it as I slwoly sipped at mine. Mmm, warm and good, just like old times. I guess the bright day and food actually motivated me to move forward. Time stood still for no man, and it certainly wasn't going to wait on my feminine a**. I licked my spoon as he threw his can away. "We look for stores today, alright?"
He didn't seem disappointed. In fact, he was excited to finally leave this place. "Clothes, food, and supplies. Got it." His joy was becoming infectious as I found myself smiling as well.
 SikFox · Thu Feb 26, 2009 @ 07:45pm · 0 Comments |
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