Chapter 6

Kmart hugged Claire. The redhead was shocked, she couldn't even react. She didn't back away but she didn't hugged Kmart back also.

"What the hell Kmart?" Claire muttered.

"I'm sorry Claire." Kmart sobbed on the redhead's chest.

"What's happening? What's wrong with you? What happened?" Claire asked non stop.

Kmart backed away a little from Claire and the redhead saw Kmart's eyes with tears. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier." Kmart said as she wiped her tears.

Claire looked away from Kmart and sighed softly."Forget about it. Just don't do it again. You really had me worried."

"I won't. I promise you that. I will never do what Angie did way back then." Kmart said.

Claire turned to Kmart, a little shocked. "What did you just say?"

"I already know why you're like that." Kmart replied. "Carlos told me."

"I'm gonna kill that soldier later." Claire muttered.

"Claire? Can you explain to me everything?" Kmart asked and looked at Claire.

"Explain to you what?"

"Why you're so emotionless. Why your heart turned into a stone." Kmart replied.

"A stone? Really? I'm still human." Claire met Kmart's gaze.

"Please Claire?"

Claire rolled her eyes. She was silent at first, she wasn't sure if she's gong to tell Kmart. She sighed and decided to tell her everything.

"I have two siblings, my older brother Chris and our youngest sister, Carrie. Our parents died when I was twenty so Chris and I took the responsibility to take care of our ten year old sister. Chris was working out of the city so we barely see him. Carrie grew up on me because I was always with her. I played the role of not only being her eldest sister but also her mother. I love her so much I always keep my eyes on her. I always protect her. Then when this outbreak happened she was in her school. I immediately went there and looked for her but she was nowhere to be found. I went to our house but she wasn't also there. I looked for her everywhere but I couldn't find her. But I know that I lost her that day." Claire sighed as her eyes brimmed with tears.

Kmart held her hands. She had never seen the redhead so vulnerable ever since she joined the convoy. She looked at Claire's eyes and there, she saw the sadness the redhead's been hiding all these years.

"But I got over that eventually." Claire continued and secretly wiped her tears. "Then I started to make a convoy and saved all the survivors of the outbreak and found Carlos, LJ and Angie along the way."

Claire looked away remembering the days she had with Angie and how she died and Claire wasn't able to save her. The most horrifying day of her life since her sister's loss.

From the tanker Carlos and Betty are watching Claire and Kmart. "Do you think they are already getting along?" Betty asked.

"Maybe. I believe in Kmart. She can make Claire's heart soft again." Carlos smiled as he continued to watch the two in the Hummer.

"How sure are you?" Betty frowned.

Carlos smiled at Betty. "She has something that can make it."

"You're confusing me." Betty said.

"I told her everything about Angie."

"Oh. Claire would kill you for that."

"I know. But look, it turned out to be some melodramatic conversation. They are not fighting. And who knows, maybe after they talk, they can be friends already." Carlos replied.

"But what if not?"

"Guess I need to hide from Claire." Carlos shrugged.

Betty slapped Carlos' shoulder. "I believe in Kmart too."

"Is she the replacement of your sister?" Kmart broke the silence between her and Claire.

"No." Claire snapped. "She had never been Carrie's replacement. I treated Angie as my own sister. She was the one of the reasons why I got over Carrie. She made me happy and she was always there for me." Claire didn't notice that her tears finally rolled down her face.

"How did she die Claire?" Kmart looked straight at the redhead's eyes.

"She did like what you did during our scavenging." Claire replied. "I told her to stay in the Hummer and never go out until I came back. But she didn't listen. She went to the place where we were checking the place. She went up to the second floor of the mall then an undead attacked her."

"The undead bit her and she turned like one of them?" Kmart asked.

"No. It wasn't because of that. It's because she fell. She had her head hit the floor and died of internal hemorrhage. Since that day, I stopped believing that I can be happy during this apocalypse. I stopped loving other because I don't wanna get hurt again. I stopped caring for others."

"It's not true Claire. I don't believe you." Kmart muttered.

"How can you say that?"

"You have Carlos, LJ, Betty, Mikey and everyone else in this convoy. They are your friends. And for sure you love them and you care for them." Kmart replied. "I know that the Claire you used to be is still there." Kmart pointed at her chest. "Don't stop loving. Don't stop caring. And don't stop believing that you can be happy like the way you used to be. Life is unfair but if you'll learn to live with it, you can get used to it. And yes sometimes people come and go but don't let it affect your entire life. Claire the earth is dying, you may never know if tomorrow will come to you. Just live your life to the fullest like it's your last day. Who knows, maybe someday you'll wake from this nightmare and you'll be able to live a normal life again."

Claire was amazed from what Kmart had told her. She couldn't believe that this teen can say those things to her. "How can you be so positive?"

"Because that's what keeps me from moving forward." Kmart simply replied and smiled.

"You're so impossible." Claire shook her head as she smiled also.

"Hey, I have a proposal."

"What proposal?"

"I'll behave and follow your orders but we will be friends and you'll stop hating yourself and be happy again."

"What's in return?" Claire asked.

"I'll never leave your side and make you happy as possible as I can."

"Seriously?"

"I'm serious Claire. Look we share this Hummer together but it seems that we don't know each other like we don't exist in each other." Kmart said.

"How can I be so sure that you'll never leave me?"

Kmart removed one bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Claire's. "This will remind you always that I will never ever leave you. I will be your side kick." Kmart said.

"You know I won't let you do that." Claire snapped.

"I was just joking. But seriously Claire I want to be your friend and I promise that I will never leave you." Kmart hugged Claire. Just like earlier, Claire was a little shocked from what Kmart did. But then she hugged her back.

"Thank you." Claire muttered.

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me and I'm sorry for everything." Claire said.

"I will never give up on you Claire and you are already forgiven. Friends?"

"Friends." Claire smiled again. Claire felt happy ever since the day Angie died.

THE END.