It hadn't been very long after the Outbreak that our paths crossed. I had mistook him for a Walker at first, his black hair had been slicked back with blood and it had splattered against his pale, well defined cheekbones. He did not move or open his eyes when I shot down the small herd of Walkers that had surrounded him.
"It's rare to meet someone willing to die for someone they do not know." He grasped the still warm barrel of the sliver pistol I gripped tightly in my left hand to draw it away from his face. His tattered steel colored trench coat flapped discouragingly in the light breeze as he slowly stood.
Main Street had become a prime spot for Walkers in the last few weeks, So finding someone alive and well had seemed like a pipe dream.
The first two weeks, the living dominated the mixture of locally owned shops and the occasional national franchise. Families huddled around phones until the power went out. Luckily, the Army National Guard had set up a temporary shelter at the hospital for those coming in from the backwoods and many congregated there.
Unfortunately, the hospital became the epicenter for the Outbreak and it spread faster than Pneumonia had a few years prior. Many refused to leave dead loved ones and, in turn, added to the large population. They broke down the chain link fence surrounding make shift tents in the parking lot in search for more… food.
The dark haired man's movements from then on were fluid with the remnants of a metal pole clenched in his right hand. He cleared the way for me and continually looked back to make sure I kept up with his brutal pace. Something in his ever changing blue green eyes refused to remain hidden. Confusion, agitation, anguish maybe?
"I have a car not far from here." I hadn't had a drop to drink in two days so the statement sounded more like a bag of rocks than anything intelligible.
"Show me." He wiped his hand on his black pants and tugged at the empty right sleeve of my plaid shirt.
Familiar places flitted past as we ducked past original brick buildings. I allowed him to firmly grasp it while he kept the few Walkers in front of him at bay. Once they were dispatched, he yanked the material towards him. "I'm going to pick you up." With ease, he knelt down and lifted me onto his broad shoulders just as I managed to holster my gun.
A little squeak ached as it climbed up my throat and escaped my lips. "About fifty feet to your right once we get behind this building." I swallowed, "Aidenn, by the way."
"Khan." He grunted as his pole squelched and slid clean through another Walker's head then back out again.
When the way was clear, he bent down beside the passenger door of my sister's black Escalade and I quickly slid down his rigid back. The door slammed shut once were both seated inside.
Khan stared blankly for a moment at the steering wheel before he took the keys from my outstretched hand and turned them in the ignition. "Do you know how to drive?"
He stared at the Garmin in my hands with disdain, "Yes," His attention refocused on the road once the GPS started spouting out directions. "However, it has been a while."
"Where are we?" He asked as his hands shifted on the wheel.
"Littelton, New Hampshire." I smiled sadly as a lone Walker caught my eye. It banged against a ground level window inside the book store.
"Keep heading straight and I'll tell you when to turn." Khan's hand flicked to the GPS and waited for me to state my address. "You should slow down too…" Khan growled and I took it as a signal to stop speaking. I continued to watch as houses passed and eventually came to a three way stop. "Turn left here. My house is on Miles Pond. It's across the border and about a half hour drive from here."
I promptly passed out once I'd given him the directions and came to several hours later in my living room. My sister owned a small two level cabin on the waterfront where we watched the leaves turn every fall in lawn chairs precariously perched in the backyard. Only a few straggling walkers had come from nearby turned neighbors by following the dirt road down in search of food.
I groaned and sat up with my back pressed against the recently acquired worn leather couch. I chuckled at the memory of April, my older sister, and her boyfriend Max hauling it in. I jumped when Khan's palm rested on my left shoulder.
"You passed out from dehydration and over exertion." His hand covered my left to help me hold it.
"Just because I have one arm doesn't mean I can't hold a damn cup." I grumbled before swallowing the contents in one gulp. When I opened my eyes again, Khan's gaze had darkened. "Sorry, it's been a few weeks since I've seen anyone living."
He nodded and crossed the threshold of the cabin with my now empty cup in hand and I could see he had made himself busy waiting for me to wake up. A steady fire was going in the small stone fireplace with a decent stack of wood set in the metal rack beside it. All of the items i'd collected from the mini mart had been brought inside and some of them had been put away in their correct cabinets.
Khan came back into view and I gasped softly. He had taken one of Max's jackets out of the hall closet, the one I'd bought him last year for Christmas. It remained unzipped and hugged his muscular frame.
"I'm wearing something that belong to someone you cared about." He stated as he moved closer with a cup of hot cocoa. How he had warmed the water for it was beyond me. The cabin had lost electricity two days before and the camp stove had broken in my clumsy attempt to take it down from the top shelf. Khan started to unzip the dark brown parka but I shook my head.
"No, keep it on." I bit my lip and accepted the second drink, "It's going to be cold tonight."
Khan nodded and slipped one of the warm llama blankets over my shoulders before he sat down beside me.
"I noticed the photos." He pointed to the few photos stuck to the fridge with magnets. The unspoken question of Are they still alive? hung bitterly in the air.
I shook my head and wiped a few tears away from my eyes. "No, they turned a few weeks ago." I gulped and motioned with my head to the backyard. "My sister was still alive." I sighed and set the mug down on the glass table set evenly in front of the couch, "She was a nurse and she was the one who made sure my amputation was a success."
Khan remained neutral and handed me the cup back. "She was killed?"
"One of my neighbors had turned as well and attacked her when she came home from a run…" I cringed as the memory flashed briefly. "Max was the one who attacked me. He bit my arm and my sister cut it off with the wood cutting ax outside." My voice wavered and I tried not to cry.
Khan grabbed another blanket and stood. "You need more rest." He left no room for discussing his own past and how he had ended up where he did. "I will wait a bit longer to check your shoulder."