Had the worst day ever and was inspired... I think I had one profound line in it.
Please enjoy and if you have time drop me a review
The truck had been silent for forty miles. What they had said before that time had been no more constructive than the silence. Tallahassee let his eyes drift out the driver side window for a moment. Wichita had been steadily gazing out the passenger side window for the last half hour.
"We should find a place to stop," he said, his voice raspy from disuse. She shrugged, refusing to look at him.
"Whatever," she said lifelessly. He wasn't about to say anything more as he eyes her pulling at her sleeve. Dried blood made it hard, a crusty shell clinging to her skin.
Again his eyes wondered to the emptiness around the car. The middle of Iowa's crop fields made him feel even more isolated from everything. A farmhouse rose out of the dead land and he stopped the truck. It looked sound save for a broken window and a corpse on the front lawn. "Wait here," he said getting out.
"Fuck you," she snapped back at him, slamming the door. Nothing inside the house stirred and they entered. A zombie was in the garage, chasing rats, but no one else was around. Tallahassee took care of it silently with a knife.
The mild disarray of the house was not bad and they deemed it a worthy place to stay. "Candles," she said carrying a box from the kitchen. At one point some foolish person must have thought that candles without matches and flashlights without batteries was a survival kit, as the box indicated.
"Lets bring in the bags… you can lock everything down while I seal up the window," he said. She didn't say a word, but must have agreed as she moved past him, back outside. He followed and opened the back hatch, grabbing his duffle. Tallahassee paused as he watched Wichita stare at the bags, then slowly her hand fell on the small red suitcase. He could see the thoughts swirling in her head. "We don't have to get rid of it if you don't want to," he said even though he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. Wichita seemed to snap to and grabbed her bag, slamming the trunk shut.
Retreating back into the house, Wichita locked, and covered the windows and doors while Tallahassee boarded up the broken one. When he stood back and wiped the sweat from his forehead he looked over to see her standing in the doorway. "The house is locked down. I left the candles and matches out on the counter, and there is some shit I found for you to eat," she said bitterly then turned to go.
"Hey," he said stopping her. She turned back, glaring at him. "Maybe we should talk about this," Tallahassee sighed hating every syllable that escaped his lips. She could go fuck herself as far as he was concerned, but something unknown and hidden was holding him back.
"Florida just shut the fuck up right now," she snapped. "There is nothing to talk about," she hissed.
"Obviously there is," he growled back at her.
"Just don't!" she barked, standing rigidly barely able to get the words passed her clenched teeth.
"You're not the only one hurting," he said putting the hammer he had in his hands down so it wouldn't find its way to her skull.
"Oh Jesus Christ!" she snapped. That had been it. The straw that broke the camels back. She threw her arms into the air. "What the fuck kind of investment did you have?" she screamed at him.
"I-" Tallahassee raised his voice but was still cut off.
"No! NO!" she pointed a finger at him. "I just lost my boyfriend! I just lost him when he bled out right through my fingers! I just- I just lost my sister!" she was so angry the words got stuck in her throat. "I just had to SHOOT my baby sister!" it was clear Wichita was no longer in control of anything she said. "What did you loose? Huh! What?" she shouted picking up a lamp and hurling it at him. Tallahassee ducked out of the way. "This is all your fucking fault! You made us stop! Because of you they're gone!" she screamed then retreated away slamming a door down the hall so hard that the whole house seemed to shake.
Tallahassee felt tired and cold and just sank onto the nearby couch, letting his head hang down. "God…" he murmured putting both hands on the back of his head as he curled up a bit more. He just needed to redo the last day and a half. He sighed raising his head again and scrubbing a hand over his face.
"Hey, can I talk to you?" Columbus asked. Tallahassee tipped the brim of his hat back waking from the edge of sleep.
"Is there anyway I could stop you?" he asked. Columbus shot him a look. "What?" he muttered moving a little in the hammock to get more comfortable.
"I need you to say we gotta stop at a Wal-Mart or something," Columbus said. Tallahassee opened one eye looking at the kid.
"Come again?" he asked sharply. "Why in gods name would I do that? That place was a death trap before, now its like basting yourself in butter and saying eat me," he said.
"I know, but…" Columbus sighed. "I wanna get something nice for Wichita but we are never apart so I figure this is the only inconspicuous option," he said.
"I can't believe I am hearing this. How many rules are you breaking?" Tallahassee laughed. Columbus rolled his eyes.
"Six, but that's not the point," he answered so promptly and so seriously it made Tallahassee laugh again.
"Okay okay, fine. Tell you what spit fuck, I'll humor you. I'll call the stop and take the girls with me to get some twinkies and booze. Just don't spend all fucking day looking at the rings," Tallahassee said with a smirk as he tipped his hat down again.
"Thank you," Columbus said.
"You gotta do something for me in return though," the cowboy said just as Columbus was about to retreat. The younger man felt his heart sink.
"What?" he asked dreading the answer
"Let me just get one nap in where Little Rock doesn't come around and wake me up wearing the goddamn Hanna Montana wig…" Tallahassee said. Columbus smirked.
"I can do that," he nodded.
Tallahassee stood up and walked out to the kitchen. He grabbed one of the candles and a matchbook, sticking it in his pocket. "Stupid little romantic… fucking… goddamn it!" he hissed bending over and grabbing the counter.
Wichita slammed the door and crossed the room, sitting down on the bed. She was panting from yelling and so mad her whole body shook. It was his entire fault. The stupid cowboy had done this and now he was so calm and removed from it she just wanted to kill him. She didn't care if he was the last man on earth that wouldn't eat her. He had done this and she could never forgive him.
"Hey we're gonna make a stop," Tallahassee said pulling off the road.
"What?" Wichita asked.
"We're gonna stop at this Wal-Mart here," Tallahassee said.
"No," she shook her head. "That's a bad idea," she said then looked at Columbus in the seat next to her. "Tell him it's a bad idea," she touched his arm.
"You know there's no stopping him," Columbus shrugged.
"Just a quick in and out," Tallahassee said. "Columbus can watch the doors while you me and the little one go grab some stuff on the food end," Tallahassee said.
Wichita stood up, feeling stiff and cold. She was just numb to everything. It couldn't all be real, it had to just be a bad dream that she would wake up from. She crossed her arms in front of herself, holding on at the elbows. Her thumb brushed the hardness of the dried blood and she looked down.
She couldn't make it seem real. Then again she wasn't really sure she wanted to. Wichita couldn't bear to replay the events in her head. The vague understanding of what had happened was all she could manage.
She looked down at the truck. The deflated air mattress was still tied to the top. It made her smile for just a moment and she closed her eyes.
"Oh, and there's Orion," he said pointing up at the black sky. Most of the power was off and more stars were visible than Wichita thought possible.
"How can you tell them apart?" she smiled snuggling in closer against him under all the blankets.
"I dunno, I just used to like this telescope I got for Christmas," Columbus said with that tone of voice he got when he talked about himself. She closed her eyes for a moment taking in every sensation. The open night air licking her cheeks, the muffled sound of Tallahassee and Little Rock in the truck below them, the steady beat of Columbus's heart, the way he drug his fingers up and down her arm lightly as she laid against him.
"What else is there up there?" she asked. His eyes danced across the sky for a moment.
"Big dipper…. Little Dipper," he pointed. She looked up picking out the stars against the black backdrop. When she stopped he was staring at her.
"What?" she asked. He shrugged shaking his head a little.
"Oh… just thinking it's a shame," he murmured. "You can't see something more beautiful than the stars like I can." She smiled earning a smile from him. Kissing him for a moment she nestled back down.
Wichita looked away and paced back into the room. She had to face it. She knew she had to face it because the numbness was killing her so slowly it was unbearable.
Tallahassee lit the match and brought the candle to life, lighting his way as he moved back from the kitchen and started down the hall. The shadows danced on the wall like the grim reaper. He wasn't going to let her blame him for all this. He was determined to tell the truth that she obviously hadn't put together yet.
He had been a fool to not stop it, but Columbus would have tried to do it on his own anyway. Tallahassee's involvement had been inconsequential. How dare she accuse him of not caring. He loved Little Rock like his own, and Columbus had grown on the man just the same. How dare that bitch say he had let it happen.
"Bring the cart here," Tallahassee said lifting up the cases of water. Little Rock pushed the cart closer and he loaded it.
"Come on," Wichita said. "That's enough, lets go," she urged. The store was too empty. Too silent.
"No, come on, just a couple more things," Tallahassee said letting Little Rock stand on the front of the cart while he pushed it. Wichita sighed but tagged along behind him, her eyes scanning every nook and cranny.
A shot. A shout. The sound of a struggle. The cart was abandoned and they were in flight towards the sound. Wichita got there first. She shot the zombie and skidded up beside Columbus dropping to her knees. "No, no no!" she breathed seeing the chunk it had taken from his neck. Instinctively her hands went to the wound as Tallahassee and Little Rock ran up.
"Oh my god!" she squeaked. Tallahassee looked around. The store was coming to life around them.
"We gotta move," he hissed and threw his keys to Little Rock. "Start the truck," he said.
"No, no, no, no, no! Don't move!" Wichita hissed as Columbus tried to move. Frantically she tried to stop the blood but it was like a river. "Babe you have to calm down… we've got to stop the bleeding. Ohio just lay still!" she commanded trying to hold it together. Little Rock ran away while Tallahassee grabbed a rack and beat a zombie to death.
"Grab him we gotta go!" Tallahassee said.
"Florida he's bleeding to death!" Wichita exclaimed. Tallahassee threw a shirt at her.
"Try to get it stopped," he said as if it were a novel idea. Wichita pressed the cotton up against Columbus. Tallahassee was enough to keep the horde at bay while she cradled him up.
"You're going to be okay," she said. She chanted that over and over to him. Columbus tried to say something, but it was no use and too late. His ragged gasping turned into sputtering coughs as blood cascaded from his pale lips. "No! Columbus no!" she shouted at him. "No! No don't do this!" she exclaimed knowing nothing more she could do for him. "Baby please! Please! No!"
Tallahassee looked at the zombies then over his shoulder. Columbus was done and he knew it. The best thing he knew to do was keep moving. Shoving one final zombie back Tallahassee spun around and grabbed Wichita around the waist. "Come on we gotta go!" he snapped.
"No!" She screamed fighting against him. "No! No! I won't leave him!" she shouted. Tallahassee wasn't going to give her a choice. He drug her kicking and screaming away as Columbus lay drawing in his last breaths. Wichita wasn't even making words with her screams as Tallahassee pulled her through the front doors.
Little Rock pulled up and he threw her into the back, slamming the door as zombies gave chase. Wichita didn't make a sound after that. No one did. Finally Tallahassee was the one to break the silence. "Fuck!" he shouted. No one spoke as he sat panting.
"It gets worse," Little Rock said in a small wavering voice. Tallahassee felt his stomach lurch. Little Rock held up one hand revealing a ring where teeth had been on her wrist.
Wichita drew in a shuddering little gasp. "No," she murmured.
"It's okay," Little Rock breathed.
"No… no," Wichita breathed.
"Krista… it's okay," Little Rock said again, just as controlled as the first time.
"NOOOO!" Wichita finally got her wish and the full reality of the situation broke the dam of control she had been holding onto. "NO! NO!" she sank to the floor on hands and knees and screamed as loud as her lungs could go, rocking back and forth.
Tallahassee ran down the hall at the sound of the scream. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Wichita's voice was absolutely the sound of anguish. Her scream was loud and long each time, dying in a rasp when she finally ran out of air.
"Wichita!" he shouted beating on the door.
"Go away!" she screamed through the door making his ears ring. "Go away!" she screamed even louder a second time. He wasn't sure what to do. Her sobbing was the most horrible sound he had ever heard. Complete and total defeat resonated with every wail she let out and then he realized he had made that sound before. When he had stood over his son's grave he had screamed just the same way as his heart broke.
"Nooo! NO! NO! NOOOoooo!" she beat her fist on the floor. It was the only word she could make come out. It was the only one that seemed fitting. She had to say no and stop it from being true.
Working up everything he had he twisted the knob and pushed the door opened, surprised to see it was not locked. "Go away!" she screamed even more harshly at him when he appeared. She was crumpled on the floor, makeup smeared down her face, clutching herself tightly.
"Wichita," he said.
"No…. nooo…. No," she shouted still rocking. He put the candle down and bent down beside her.
"Wichita please," he said. She pushed him away, but she was weak. Sitting down all together he grabbed her, overpowering her and pulling her to his chest despite her protest a she continued to sob. Tallahassee didn't say a word. He was quiet and unmoving until her screaming sobs turned into muffled gasps and moans.
"Krista," he said at last, using her real name. The only time he had heard it was during Little Rock's goodbyes.
"Please just leave me alone," she groaned though she didn't push away from him anymore. He didn't really think she could.
"Krista, it's okay," he said in his most soothing voice he had. The one he used when Buck was just a baby in the crib and it was tone over words that mattered. "Stop it now," he said as he started to stroke her hair. She made the same sniffling shuddering gasps as before then she pushed away from him and slapped him hard in the face.
"You- you- you di- did this," she spat still sniffling. Tallahassee made a decision on the spot to let her. The sound of her screams had brought out that hidden caring he had, even for her. He just didn't have the words to tell her that the reason her boyfriend and sister were gone was because Columbus wanted a to get a present. For her. Tallahassee rubbed his jaw.
"It's gonna be okay," he said moving to touch her again. "I loved them too but-" She flinched away. He was startled that she didn't address what he had just said. It was probable that she didn't even hear him.
"No! It's not!" she shouted. "They're gone! She's gone!" she screamed. "I didn't even know his name and he's gone!" she shrieked completely losing it again as tears flooded her eyes. Tallahassee grabbed her again forcing her to stop flailing around.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Wichita was always the composed one of the group. She had never broken down or become irrational. A pillar of strength had just crumbled in front of him and he didn't know what to do.
"Shhh," he hissed softly at her. She took a deep breath swallowing hard against her scratchy throat.
"I can't do this…. I can't do this," she whispered at last. "Not without them," she panted, her voice a high-pitched rasp. He let her go and made her look at him.
"When I lost Buck I said the same thing," he said seriously to her. "I picked up a gun and was ready to kill myself when I remembered that if you live through the worst day of your life… it can never happen again," he said picking each word carefully, which was strange for the cowboy. "Today is your worst day Krista, tomorrow will be almost as bad… for a long time it will be nearly this bad," he said deciding the truth was best for her. "But you'll wake up one day and it will be better, I swear," he said.
She looked at him. She hated him and resented everything about him. His presence made her sick. "I don't know what to do," she growled at him.
Wichita then glared at him with tear-filled eyes for a moment. Tallahassee was amazingly receptive when she smothered him with a hug and buried her face in his neck. Her hot tears were uncomfortable but he hugged her back knowing it was all he could do for her. "I don't know what to do either," he admitted as she clung to him.
Neither spoke for a very long time afterwards. They sat and watched the candle shrink. The shadows changed. The sounds of night outside ebbed in and out of their hearing. Tallahassee cradled her against him as he leaned against the bed. Eventually the grieving girl fell asleep.
Her head rested on his leg and her body curled up beside him. She stilled cried silent tears in her sleep and the pain was not gone from her face. Tallahassee didn't move when the candle went out. He stayed in the dark letting her sleep while she could.
Trying to formulate what should come next was one of the hardest things he had ever done. All he could conclude was that she was all he had left and he had to do anything to protect her. He would fight and die to make sure. No matter how much they hated each other at times, she was still one of he group, and all three of the kids were his kids. He'd known it since he nearly hung himself out to dry at Pacific Playland.
No zombie would ever touch her. That he knew. The biggest thing he had to protect her from though, was the truth and he knew it would make things more difficult to do so. She hated him for something he really hadn't done. He couldn't tell her though because he loved her.
In the dark bedroom of the isolated farmhouse in Iowa Tallahassee decided she could blame him.
