Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. ~Albert Einstein
Silence.
Silence is all that greets them as they stand upon the metal grating. They stood and waited as the infection dissipated, running off in different directions or idling around. She half expected to hear the clamoring of boots and a gruff old voice yelling at them. Any moment now he would come out from inside the generator room with a snappy order to help him get up to them. But where was he? He was coming right? He had to. But as the moments dragged on it seemed he might not be.
But that just wasn't right. Bill was invincible in her eyes. He had become this constant fixture in her life the past two weeks. Zoey had come to love him like a grandfather, and him not coming back seemed impossible to her. Sure, there were three Tanks but that should have been no problem. He could handle anything. Rough and tough, badass Bill just could not die.
But, the fact of the matter was that he did. She would never hear him tell her to guard him while he healed himself. She would never hear him make angry remarks at a 'No Smoking' sign. She wouldn't get to hear him yell at Francis for being an idiot. Again. She wouldn't hear him tell them what they should do next.
She kept telling herself that it should have been her. She should have gone instead of him. He deserved to live more than she did. He should have been allowed to fight on, to make it to the Keys and be safe! It was his plan, and he didn't even get to see it through. The make sure they made it. He should have been able to relax on the beach in the warm sun. Be safe from this hell.
But he wasn't. He was stuck in this hell hole and they couldn't even get his body for a proper burial. He was gone.
All she could think about was what he meant to her as she gripped the cold metal railing.
"Rest in Peace Old Man"
I miss Bill T.T