Everyone had left for bed. It was somewhere around midnight and while Kathleen was sure the group of interrogators were sound asleep, she was not. Her mind raced with thoughts and images.
For the last year she had spent her time emptying the town of all its goods and surviving with little to no communication. The idea of being around other people was thrilling, and while she wanted nothing more then to be surrounded by them. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that rested at the pit of her stomach.
She didn't know these people and she already had a amazing set up in Tower Heights. What if she went with them and it didnt go well? What if they weren't nice people, or if the place wasn't secure enough? Kathleen was the kind of person who liked answers.
But in this world that was something she always had to push down, because almost every question was left unanswered. Kathleen sat up from her fetal position and pushed the covers off her body. She needed fresh air. She felt as if she were trapped in those four wall of her bedroom, and her breath began to speed up.
Kathleen slipped on a pair of battered converse and took her machete. She left her apartment and embarked on her short journey to the roof.
The roof was where she could get air, it was safe and secluded. She pushed open the rusted metal door and walked out into the cool breeze of the Virginia air. Judging by the change of weather and color, it was turning into fall. And soon she wouldn't be able to leave her house without being bundled up in layers upon layers of thick clothes. She'd have to stock up on her food and wood. Hibernation was coming, along with winter.
Goosebumps rose on her legs, making her shiver. She was in a pair of short spandex shorts and a long sleeved black shirt with a flannel tee on top. Kathleen walked over to the edge of the building and sat down, looking at all the scary creatures that roamed below. She liked the fact that she remained untouched at the top of the tall building, that they could try all they wanted, but they could never hurt her. At least not from up there.
She heard the crunch of gravel beneath a pair of feet before she saw the person. She tightened her grip on her machete and turned around to see a sleepy teenage boy. It was the one that had helped her earlier in the day.
"I heard you come up, wanted to make sure it wasn't something bad" he said sheepishly. Kathleen grinned and patted the spot next to her. He was quick to walk over and sit down on the ledge, looking below. "Thank you for earlier" she said.
"You were the one that saved us" he replied. The monsters below groaned in need, wanting something to fill their desperate starvation. Kathleen got a handful of gravel from the flooring and let it trinckle out from within her closed palm. She watched on as they followed the noise the gravel made, and searched in utter confusion for it. "I just merely helped, nothing much to it."
Kathleen never took compliments well. She always felt as if she didn't need them and that turning them down was what she should do.
The boy looked at her for a moment and sighed "are you going to come with us tomorrow. To alexandria?" he asked. Kathleen shrugged her shoulders and ran her fingertip over the blade of her large knife. "I really don't know, am I allowed?" she asked, the boy nodded. The idea of following them was nice, and while images of riding off into the sunset danced in her mind, she knew that was far from the truth.
"I've just met you guys, I dont even know your names" she confessed. Her voice was soft like silk, and the boy could've sworn it got lost in the wind. "Of course your allowed, your answered the questions right. And for the names, you'll learn them in time" he said. She nodded and pressed her finger down a little bit harder on the blade. She bit her lip from the dull pain and watched as blood oozed from her fingertip.
"I'm Carl" he said. She smiled at the name and wiped the blood off onto her thigh. Carl seemed like a name for a old man with a fat saggy belly. But for some reason it seemed like a good name for him. Don't get her wrong, he didn't have a fat saggy stomach, nor was he old. But it just seemed to fit him. Like the name wouldn't fit anyone else, but it was just right for the boy that sat beside her.
"Kathleen" she murmured. The wind picked up and her hair wipped around her. She shivered as the flannel no longer kept her at the perfrct temperature. "Abraham might be mad that he wont be the only ginger in the group anymore though" he joked.
She laughed softly and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Her hair was a dark red that curled at her elbows. It was a thick, frizzy, curly mess and the humidty that the summer had brought had only worsened it. She couldn't wait for the fall weather to kick in so her hair wasn't similar to a afro anymore.
"Nothing can get rid of us" she said back, a smile on her face. "Tell me, how many souls have you had the pleasure of sucking?" he asked. She laughed, a full belly laugh and shook her head. The smile on her face was face splitting and showcased her perfect white teeth. "Oh I lost count after a hundred." They were both laughing with large smiles on their faces and tears at the corner of their eyes.
The wind had continued to pick up speed and caused Kathleen to bring her knees to her chest and stare at the sky in wonder. A smile was still on her face and she couldn't remember the last time she truly smiled. Carl wrapped something around her shoulders but she was to busy staring in awe to acknowledge it. The stars were out and shining bright, blazing out beems of silver.
The moon was full that night and Kathleen smiled, remembering a story her mom would tell her when she was small. Kathleen had been fascinated with the nights sky ever since the first time she saw it. It was a wonderous thing with more then it let you see. She hummed in content and shut her eyes, letting the air snip at her cheeks and wip her hair around. She always felt as if nothing could do her harm when the moon was out and its children, the stars, were shining.
"Have you ever heard the story about the moon and the sun?" she asked him. Her voice cracked at the end. The memories of her mother flashed before her eyes, but she pushed them back. "No?" he said. She looked st him and smiled, then began her story.
"The moon had met the sun once and found he loved her so much, that he died every night to let her breathe. He died and the sun came out and brought us light. But every night he would die, no matter what. It didn't matter that the wolves wanted to howl at him for eternity. Or that the ocean needed him to move. He'd die and sacrifice it all for her. And one die every tens of years, they'd meet again. And he'd hold her beauty in his mind until he got to see her again. And he'd die every night for her, again."
It was silent, the only sounds being heard were the sounds of the ghouls. Kathleen didn't mind the silence, she was to busy paying attention to the stars. She smiled and pointed to a constellation. "Thats the big dipper" she said. Carl looked at the constellation and listened to her story about it. He was fascinated at how much she knew about the sky, about the universe that was up above.
He wondered if that was why she was out tonight, to look at it all. He wondered if maybe there was a reason her voice cracked while she told all these stroies, and why. He watched as she droned on and on, not once stopping to ask if he was bored. He wasn't.
Kathleen sighed realized that she wss finally tired, and that her trapped feeling was gone. "I should go to sleep" she said. She scooted back from the edge and got up, handing the jacket that Carl had given her back to him. "It was nice talking to you" she said. Carl quickly got up and smiled at her. He had to look down to look at the small girl that was only five inches.
"It was. Maybe we can do it again, when we get to Alexandria" he said, with hope in his voice. She smiled at him and began to walk away. Once she was at the door, she turned to look at him. He was staring after her with a small smile on his face. She blushed and said "Hopefully" before descending down the flight of stairs to her room.