- Take her to the dorms. Willy and Omar, unload the supplies. Mitch, Aasim, and I are going after Tenn.
Louis said as soon as they arrived at the school, ignoring the firebrands scattered around the courtyard, and killing the few zombies that had entered the place.
Violet and Ruby helped Clementine to her feet, being escorted by Mitch and Aasim, who were killing the zombies along the way.
AJ followed close behind, also killing some of the zombies whenever he needed to, oblivious to the surprised looks he received.
Aasim ran up to the main building, whistling, smiling as he saw Rosie coming down the stairs waving her tail.
Willy and Omar were removing the last boxes from inside the cart, and Willy ran toward the dormitories soon after.
- Aasim!
Louis called out to the boy, who came out of the main building with Rosie by his side.
- Rosie is fine! Are we ready?
Aasim asked, looking at the bodies scattered around the courtyard.
- Omar, don't forget to burn the bodies, we'll be back as soon as we find Tenn!
Louis exclaimed, looking at Omar for a moment, before rushing out the gates at Mitch and Aasim's side, with Rosie ahead of him.
(...)
Lee looked at the certain amount of zombies further ahead. A small horde, nothing for him to worry about. They must have been attracted by the explosions he heard earlier.
He stared at the wrecked ship ahead for a few moments, observing the bodies scattered about.
He turned and entered the forest, walking calmly through the trees, avoiding the few zombies around him, who tried to follow the sounds of his footsteps.
He smiled slightly as he looked at the decaying body beside him. Although it no longer had any teeth in its mouth, it was still trying to get close to him, probably to try to tear off a piece of his flesh.
Honestly, Lee was surprised that the zombies had "lived" for so long, and even more surprised that they were still standing.
A person who died a short time ago and became a zombie, fine, he could understand, but a body that had been wandering the world for years should have become one with the ground by now.
Maybe the virus in their brain, or whatever it was, slowed down the decay of the body a bit more.
It was official, most zombies were mere inconveniences.
Sure, a zombie bite was still dangerous, and it was not as if the virus no longer existed, quite the contrary. But bodies with a more advanced level of putrefaction no longer meant so much risk.
What would James think of this? Since the boy still considered them human...
It had been a while since he had last seen the boy. He hoped that he was still alive.
Lee walked quietly through the forest for some time, until some muffled voices caught his attention.
At first he planned to just ignore them, he didn't want any more trouble, and it could very well be some remaining members of Delta's search party.
Lilly may have thought otherwise, but he saw through her lie.
He sighed and crouched down, walking slowly toward the voices.
Lee arched an eyebrow when he saw a boy, quite young, crying while discussing something with a short-haired girl just ahead.
He looked at the scene slightly confused, it was more like a fight of feelings between friends, or whatever.
He stared at the girl for a moment, curious to know why she was covered in guts.
Lee put the knife back in his waistband and stood up, planning to leave. It had nothing to do with him, and he didn't have to worry, they weren't trying to kill each other... yet.
The boy shouted more targets, and Lee turned around again, puzzled by the somewhat "unusual" situation.
- I can't... I can't believe you did that to Sophie... and... and now you want to act like nothing happened?!
The boy said loudly with sobs, taking a few hesitant steps away from the girl, who was rather quiet, a little confused perhaps.
He leaned against the tree and watched the two of them, thinking more deeply, that the situation was a little more confusing.
They were not from Delta... well, they did not appear to be. Maybe there was a commune nearby?It would make sense, Lilly wouldn't have gone so far out into the middle of nowhere if that wasn't the case.
But for some reason, they didn't seem to be from the same community, and why were there only two people there? One of them being a very young boy.
Maybe he was just paranoid, but it was being paranoid that he had survived so long on the road.
- Tenn, please believe me, I did not mean to do that to Sophie. Do you think it felt good to kill my own sister? But Delta is a good place, where we can really live! She didn't realize this, but I hope you will.
The girl said, and Lee arched an eyebrow, even more puzzled.
So, the girl was from Delta, but the boy, apparently not.
One of the survivors they tried to kidnap, probably.
He sighed slightly, the boy's group was probably already looking for him. Lee had no reason to get involved.
For once since the apocalypse began, he would try not to solve the problem of others.
Lee turned away and walked back through the forest, killing a few zombies that were attracted by the screams of the discussion behind him.
The forest had another feel to it in the morning, it wasn't just the dull, or almost non-existent, sensations of the rest of his day.
Perhaps, the morning gave him a little more hope, that with the rising of the sun, something different will also rise.
Or something different will happen.
It was a very naive thought, but he liked to think this way.
It distracted his mind from the different personalities that dwelled in his body, or the twisted thoughts that ran through his head.
He kept walking for a while longer, a few minutes perhaps.
The bushes beside him began to move. At first he didn't mind too much, but was slightly startled to hear a bark.
He looked to the side, and arched an eyebrow when he saw a dog slowly approaching him, growling.
All he needed on that beautiful morning was a dog bite, what a beauty.
He couldn't help staring at the dog for a while, he had no idea when he had last seen one, he had even forgotten how they were considered man's best friend.
- Don't move.
A boy came out of the bushes just behind the dog, pointing a bow in his direction.
Lee stood still, and raised his arm. He didn't even have a gun on him, but he didn't mind being in the sights of one.
Especially a bow, from that distance, he had a certain chance of dodging. And if he was hit, he could use the arrow to kill the dog, and then take his knife and kill the boy.
If necessary.
- How did you manage to escape?
The boy asked, and Lee raised a confused eyebrow.
- Escape from what?
he asked. He was always frightened by his own voice, no matter how often he talked. It seemed to get slightly different every minute.
- Don't play the fucking fool! How did you escape from the ship? Last chance!
The boy said louder, and in a slightly harsher tone.
Lee bowed his head slightly, and smiled.
- I think you're confusing something, partner. I wasn't on that wrecked ship on the shore far from here. In fact, I was just passing through.
He explained, not intimidated.
In fact, Lee was already prepared to deal with the pain of being bitten by a dog that size, and considering that he only had one arm, he would have to try to get bitten on one of his legs.
- You expect me to believe that?!
The boy said again, looking suspiciously at Lee, who simply looked into the forest.
- I don't care if you believe it or not. I told you the truth.
Lee said, back to staring at him.
- You lying bastard! Where are Tenn and Minerva?!
The boy asked again, and Lee looked back.
A boy and a girl, it made perfect sense.
- I don't know who they are, but I found a boy yelling at a girl a few minutes walk in the direction I came from.
Lee answered, lowering his arm and looking again at the boy, arching an eyebrow at his surprised and relieved expression.
- Were they alone?
he asked again, this time not as irritated as before.
- Yes, just the two of them, arguing in front of a broken bridge. I didn't want to stick around and risk being caught in the middle of a herd, so I just ignored it.
he replied.
The boy looked at him suspiciously for a moment longer, then lowered his bow, still staring at Lee.
- If you are lying...
he began, and Lee just sighed slightly.
- Yeah, yeah, I hear threats pretty often. But I'm telling the truth, and I'm just passing through.
he said, and the boy shook his head.
- Just keep going straight ahead, and there's a road. If I see you around here again, I'll kill you.
He said, and Lee laughed softly.
It was always the same shit, always the same threats, and he was still alive.
- Okay, fair enough. I'll be going then.
Lee said, starting to walk in the same direction he was going before, feeling the boy's gaze glare at his back as he walked.
In the end he had sort of helped solve someone else's problem.
(...)
- You know what? My dear friend Aasim, you may be better at being romantic, but you suck at cards.
Louis said, throwing his cards on the table and laughing slightly when he saw Aasim's frustrated expression.
- Man, that's twice in a row.
Mitch said, also laughing at Aasim's frown, eating some of the food they got from the ship.
There was plenty left over, it would last for a long time, along with the food they had found earlier that day.
- Don't worry, I still like you, even though you are horrible at cards.
Ruby said, giving Aasim a quick kiss on the cheek, who was slightly embarrassed.
- It's really nice and all. But, why the fuck did you all decide to gather in my room?
Clementine asked, lying on the next bed, her face covered with a few bandages and bandages around her abdomen.
- Because you would feel very lonely without us here, so we decided to do you a little favor.
Violet said, smiling mockingly at Clementine, who just rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.
- And who says I care?
she asked, slightly irritated.
She hated lying in bed in the same place for hours. Usually it meant that her life was at risk, or would be at risk for just standing there.
And it had been a day since they had returned to school. Well, at least, that's what they had said. She had slept the whole time since she arrived at the dorm.
She just didn't understand why they would decide to have a "party" in her room just because she woke up. This was no time to be flaunting supplies.
- Of course you would, behind all this muck, you have a good heart.
Louis said, laughing as he received a middle finger in reply.
- How is the school? As I recall, the schoolyard was on fire.
Clementine asked, running her hand over the bandages on her abdomen, and looking uninterestedly at the top bunk of the bunk bed.
- With a little work, it will be brand new. And we can even rebuild it.
Louis said, slightly excited as he shuffled the cards again.
- That's right. Louis and I were just talking. We can build a tree house for you, and throw a hammer at the heads of anyone who passes underneath.
Violet said mockingly, crossing her arms and smiling amused at Clementine's incredulous expression.
The girl then looked at AJ, who had slightly wide eyes and a silly, almost guilty expression on his face.
- We talked a little with AJ. Were you going to throw a hammer at the head of the guy who would save your life?
Ruby asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
- Clem, Clem, Clem, I expected more.
Louis said, crossing his arms and shaking his head dramatically.
AJ smiled slightly at Clementine's expression, and turned away, standing next to Tenn.
- I didn't know who he was. I was alone, scared, and out of nowhere, a huge man with a injured leg appears in my yard. I'm glad I didn't do that. I probably would have died a long time ago.
She said in her defense, putting her hand in her pocket, and sighing relieved to see that the photo of Lee was still with her.
- You know what, I guess we can throw rocks then.
Violet said, receiving a middle finger in response.
- Actually, I think the most important thing of all is to rename this place. "Ericson" my ass.
Mitch said, crossing his arms and sitting down on a chair in the corner of the room.
- For the first time in a long time, Mitch said something that made sense. I agree with him.
Louis said, ignoring the frown he received from Mitch.
- I already have a perfect name. "The Rotting Shithole".
Willy said, smiling as he saw the somewhat incredulous expressions of the others, but heard a slight giggle coming from Violet, and Ruby, who seemed to be embarrassed that she had laughed.
- Although it's a great name, Willy, unfortunately we'll have to discard the idea. But, let's consider it... maybe
Louis said, laying his cards on the table again.
- How about "Castle Violet"? Then people will know it's a bad idea to live in a place like that.
Mitch said, laughing lightly as he was hit by a pillow that Violet threw.
- Oh my God... Mitch said something else that makes sense, that's twice in one day.
Louis said dramatically, staging a surprised and emotional face, being hit in the face by the pillow Mitch threw in his direction.
- How about, "happy sunshine land"? A cute name for a bunch of fucked-up teenagers.
Clementine said wryly, already imagining the kinds of jokes Louis would make about such a "cute" name.
- Hah, not a bad idea.
Aasim said, and Clementine looked at him, incredulous.
- Oh, I can already see this place taking shape. We'll have a huge swimming pool right in front of the gates, with play areas, and a huge building painted entirely purple.
Louis said with a dreamy expression, making some dramatic gestures.
- Purple? Why purple?
Violet asked.
- There weren't many purple houses in the old days, so why not stand out?
He replied.
- My God, you guys are more fucked up than I thought.
Clementine said softly, laying back down on the bed in a relaxed manner.
- Oh, since we're going to rebuild, let's not just stick with one floor.
Aasim said, shuffling the cards.
- Zombies hate stairs. The more floors, the better.
Ruby agreed, resting her head on Aasim's shoulder.
- Hmm. Four. On the first floor, a giant swimming pool. Second floor, a combination pizzeria and movie theater. Third floor, beds, bedrooms, all that shit. And fourth floor, entrance to a huge water slide that drops straight into the fist floor pool. Oh I can definitely imagine such a place.
Louis said, looking at some random corner of the room while shaking his head slightly.
- I'll push you off the top if we actually build it.
Clementine said after a while, ignoring the low laughter that echoed through the room.
Her eyes focused on Willy, who walked toward her with his arms behind his back, as if hiding something.
- I found this before we left the ship.
He said, and Clementine stared at the machete the boy was holding. The sheath was a little dirty with blood, but it looked intact.
She slowly took the blade from the boy's hand, still staring at it.
-Wow... this means a lot to me, Willy. Thank you.
She thanked him, looking warmly at the boy, before taking the machete from its sheath and facing the blade.
- It's we the ones who should be thanking you.
Mitch said, standing up and looking lightly at Clementine.
- I'm not going to lie, you're pretty tough. And without you, we probably wouldn't be here, and many of us might even be dead right now.
Louis said, looking at her the same way Mitch did.
- But I don't envy you.
He added, pointing at her injuries, and Clementine rolled her eyes, sighing.
- We're safe, thanks to you. You're a little strange sometimes, but you have a good heart. We thank you.
Violet said, moving slightly away from the wall and a few steps closer to the bed.
- We can't thank you enough for everything you've done. I'm sorry for the way we treated you before. Both of you.
Omar said, looking at her with a mixture of gratitude, and guilt.
- You can start apologizing by building a statue of me and putting it in the middle of the courtyard. Since I'm such a badass and all. I think you owe me at least that much.
She said, putting her machete to the side and looking at them amused.
- Oh, she is so modest. Although it's not a bad idea, I wouldn't mind looking at her face every time we go swimming.
Louis said, making both Clementine and Violet roll their eyes.
- Can I have a statue too?
AJ asked further back, looking at them curiously.
- Of course you can, little guy. Next to mine, "Aj and Louis," the best duo in town.
Louis said, running his hand lightly through AJ's hair, who smiled at him.
- Poor AJ.
Violet said softly, ignoring Louis's hurt (fake) look.
(...)
- Damn.
AJ cursed softly as he missed yet another spear on one of the fish.
His restless eyes followed the direction in which the small animals swam. He looked around, it had been a while since he had last seen a zombie around, and he was still relatively close to the school.
He lowered his eyes and faced the gun at his waist. He would be fine, as long as he was careful and smart.
That's what Clementine always said.
He took the spear in one hand, the bucket in the other, and began to follow the bank downstream, staring at the water, following the fish with his gaze.
He wouldn't get lost, this wasn't the first time he had wandered alone through the forest, and if there was any problem, he could just follow the river back.
After a certain point, the fish began to swim more slowly, and AJ saw the opportunity appearing.
He put the bucket on the ground and raised the spear again.
- Fu... shit.
He cursed as he missed once more, and continued downstream.
He kept walking for a while, until some noises coming from the forest caught his attention.
He turned and picked up the knife at his waist, placing the spear and the bucket on the ground, staring at the trees ahead.
He walked a few steps forward, and the noise became more distinctive, along with the smell that hung in the air.
Someone was cooking a fish.
AJ put the knife away in his waistband and picked up his revolver, walking slowly towards the man ahead, who had his back to him.
He approached cautiously, and pointed the gun at the man's head.
- Don't move.
He said, watching carefully every move this man made.
- I don't have a gun, kid, just a knife. You can search me if you like.
The man's deep, rough, tired voice sent shivers through AJ's body.
The man took the knife that was beside him and threw it at AJ's feet, who looked at him with an arched eyebrow when he saw that he didn't have an arm...
