Chapter 15: Never is a Promise

By the time the sun is fully up, Crystal is already distributing the rations for breakfast. For four people now, not just three. Again, the moment of questioning whether this was a good idea crosses her mind, but she shoves it away. They'll just have to keep travelling and raiding places to keep the supplies up… even after what happened the last time.

She does check on Ethan, the swelling of his bruises and wounds have gone down significantly and she can get a better idea of what he looks like. He was young, probably not much older than her, strong jaw, tall based on the way he's stretched out on the mattress, and with a thick head of chestnut brown hair. His eyes were brown too if she could recall correctly too. Overall, despite his many wounds, he wasn't bad-looking, not by a long shot. As she checks some of the wounds on his arms, her face feels warm, and she keeps stealing glances at him while he's still asleep. She shakes her head to clear it and checks his ankle.

She'd given him another dose of morphine before sunrise when she saw how uncomfortable he was. He looked to be in so much pain and considering what he'd been, it was a gift in disguise. It allowed him to sleep for another few hours and for her to talk to Nicholas and Ava about the new situation. She knew they needed to.

Crystal stands outside, cleaning one of the guns when she hears movement inside.

Nicholas steps out with a bag of dog food and Farley panting in excitement.

The boy puts the plastic dish down and pours the right amount. The dog happily chows down.

Their loyal companion had improved so much. His fur had grown back, he'd gained a good amount of weight considering how scrawny and thin he'd been, and even though his tail was still a stub, he was the happiest he could be. F.K. had found where he truly belonged and now, he could be considered a hero to someone else.

Crystal continues her task and the two try to remain distracted for a time.

"Is he going to be okay?" Nick asks.

"Ethan?"

"Yes."

"I think so. He's still in a lot of pain and his road to recovery is going to be long, but I think he'll pull through."

"Good," Nick says.

After a moment, he adds.

"I'm glad we found him."

"So am I," Crystal admits.

"Everyone deserves to be saved," the boy adds.

"S-Sure… of course."

"Why do you think someone would tie him up and leave him there?"

"I don't know Nick… It just shows that there are other evils out there, not just the Wanderers."

"I like Walkers better," the kid says. "They are technically the Walking Dead."

"Sure, I guess Wanderers sounds a little too whimsical. I guess that's my grandfather talking."

"You had a grandpa?"

"Of course, we all did."

"We don't. He died before we were born."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but you did have a grandpa… two from both sides of your family."

"Yeah, my Dad's dad was the one who died before we were born, but my other Grandpa was a bad man."

This causes Crystal to freeze and look at the boy in shock.

"Why… do you say that?"

"Because my mom always called him a bastard," Nick answers.

It horrifies the older girl to hear such words come out of his mouth. Usually, she scolded them for using foul language and was careful not to use it herself.

Crystal kneels down to Nicholas' level.

"How did you… when did you?"

"He drank a lot of alcohol and did a lot of pills. He also stole money from Mom and Dad all the time. I'd hear her yelling at him over the phone at night when she thought that we were asleep or she'd throw him out of the house whenever he came. I saw his face once, even when Dad or Mom didn't want me to. He had blue eyes like Mom's and a wrinkled face and a beard. He didn't look evil or mean-looking. I heard his voice too. He sounded old and… sad. I know I shouldn't have looked but I did, my other grandpa… was so sad."

Crystal looks into the boy's eyes and immediately pulls him into a hug. She even rubs his back in a soothing motion. Battling tears, she can't believe that this sweet, innocent boy was exposed to such hardships. While she cannot blame the parents for anything, it broke her heart that even though they tried to protect their children, they still caught on and could tell that something was wrong. Kids were intuitive for sure and knew more than adults gave them credit for. While they may not understand it all, they know that something is wrong, and they blame themselves.

What shocks her the most is that Nicholas knew that his grandfather was sad… addiction of any kind makes a person so helpless and while she'd likely never get the whole story, the man obviously needed help and was caught in a horrible cycle.

The most unusual thing about this admittance was, the boy was worried that he'd get in trouble for looking at the face of his grandfather, like disobeying his parents was worse than what the old man actually put them through.

Sometimes she wished for that innocence again, not the crushing reality that she lived and is living now. Those kids are lucky that they can escape the stress of hunting, killing, rationing, travelling, and surviving each day… worried if something could go wrong. If they were able to escape even for a little while, it made Crystal feel better inside. She knew that Nicholas worried about his sister and did his best to protect her from reality… especially when it came to their parents. But the boy shouldn't be burdened with this responsibility. He should be able to play and have fun. These two were robbed of their childhoods without a doubt.

"Oh, Nick," Crystal whispers. "I'm so sorry you went through that."

"Why? It's not your fault," he points out.

"I know, I'm just sorry you were so scared and sad," she says, squeezing him tightly. "I can promise you… that I will do everything I can to make sure you feel as safe as we can… okay?"

The kid shakes his head.

"No."

"No?"

"No, because you can't promise that we'll be safe. I hate when grown-ups lie like that. Saying it will be okay and we'll be safe when it's not true. Mom and Dad said it so much when it wasn't true! I don't want that!"

"Oh…" is all she can say.

Damn this kid...

She looks at the kid, pushing his bangs out of his face, knowing he'll need a haircut soon. The look in his eyes. So vulnerable, but so strong. There was some strength there and a little wisdom. This kid had aged years in a short amount of time and while admirable, it was also sad.

"Okay… how about instead of me promising you something. You promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Promise me that you'll stay a kid for a whole lot longer, okay? Don't try to grow up too fast and let me take care of you. Sound good?"

Nick nods. "Yes, but only if you never lie to me or Ava. Okay? No more lies."

Damn this kid! she thought.

Crystal swallows and curls her lips tightened into a thin line as the images come back… Her entire body tenses up and she closes her eyes for a moment to let them pass.

She then gives her head and a quick jolt to shake them away.

"Okay, never"

The two embrace each other for a long moment. Crystal wipes the tears from her eyes.

"We still have to shake on it," he says.

He then spits in his hand and holds it out.

While disgusting, Crystal had done the same thing and Dylan and Andrea had too when they were young. She does the same thing and seals the deal.

"And don't go breaking it," he says.