How that kid could get up so early, I would never know. She woke me up, shaking my arm. The first time in a long time I needed to be waken up. Though before I met Sophia I really didn't have that much of a heading. I was just surviving.
"Okay! Okay! I'm up! I'm up!" I said drowsily, wiping the sleep from eyes and stretching, even though it was better to sleep in a tree then a hardwood floor, it was still pretty uncomfortable.
"Come on, we should get moving!" Sophia said as she handed me my bag.
"Okay! Jesus kid, we'll get moving." I said. She was pretty anxious to get moving. Though if I knew that my brother was only a three day walk or so away, I would have already been moving.
After a small breakfast of the can peaches I had we started to head out again. It was still pretty early, the freaking sun wasn't up yet, though the morning was beautiful. There where birds chirping, the sky was a pretty mixture of pink, pale purple, and yellow. It kinda reminded me of life before the world started to burn, and was pretty nice.
"It's almost peaceful out here." I said, Looking up at the sky. I looked back at Sophia, but she was off in her own world. So I decided to just let her be. We kept walking, and after awhile I got tired of just being silent, so I decide to try and find a topic to talk about.
"I wonder what month it is."I asked out loud, but I was mostly thinking it.
"One person in our group was counting the days, it's at least October or so." She answered, looking at me.
"Wow. That's all? Christ, it feels like it's already been a lifetime..." I stated, last I checked it was at least August or something like that. So there was only like a two month pass. Time really does go slow when you want it too.
"Sooner or later, winters coming. Going to be a regular winter at Vally Forge." I stated looking around, making sure it was just me and Sophia.
"Vally Forge?" Sophia asked looking at me with a confused expression.
"Yeah. The Winter at Vally Forge." I said easily. But Sophia still looked just as confused.
"It was during the revolutionary war," I said "How far in history did you get to in school?" I asked.
"We where talking about the Aztecs and that guy who conquered them because he wore gold armor, or something like that." Sophia explained.
"The guy your talking about is Hernán Cortés. He was able to conquer the Aztecs because his armor was made entirely of gold considering the Aztecs believed in a god entirely of gold, which was made out of Cortés' armor, so he was able to take over." I explained.
"Oh." Sophia said.
"God you missed so much awesome things in history class." I said.
"Like what?" She asked.
"Like American history. The wars we went through were amazing!" I said in a dreamy and excited tone.
"Could you tell me it?" Sophia asked, her eyes shining.
"Sure." I said, and with that I started to explain different events that happened in American history. I literally explained everything, from the French and Indian war, to the American Revolution, to the Civil war, to everything else after that. I tried to sort of down play the violence in each war, but when I was explaining Pickett's Charge and how his tactic basically got all his men killed, wounded, or captured, she seemed to be the most interested. So by the time I was explaining the conditions of Fort Delaware, I didn't hold back any details.
The sun then went down for the second time and me and Sophia found another tree to sleep in. She was obviously too excited to sleep, considering by my calculation we where suppose to be only one day away back to the traffic snare. So she just started talking about her mother again. I just smiled and encouraged her.
"Hey Zach?" Sophia asked.
"Yeah?" I answered, looking up at the tree branch where she was laying.
"How old are you?" She asked.
"...Old enough," I joked. Truth be told though, I wasn't exactly certain on how old I really was. Last I remembered I was fourteen, and my birthday was on the first day of winter. And considering there wasn't any snow on the ground, there was a good chance I was still fourteen. "What about you?"
"Twelve..." She answered. "When's your birthday?"
"December 21," I answered, "what about yours?"
"May 11th," She answered, "hey Zach?"
"Yo?" I answered back, my eyes slowly getting heavier.
"Do you think my group waited for me?" She asked, fear piercing in her voice.
"Of course they waited for you," I reassured,"From your description, your people sound like good people. The kind of people who wouldn't leave their kids in a forest crawling with walkers."
"What if they needed to leave? What if someone got bit? What if..." She trailed off, but I had a feeling on what the last one was.
"What if your mother got bit?" I asked, and judging by the woeful sigh she gave out, I was right on the money.
"Kid, you're probably freaking out over nothing. Worst case scenario, there probably just up all night worrying about you. I'm positive nothing bad has happened," I said, "anyway, it won't be long now. Just give it one more day at the least."
"Yeah, your probably right." Sophia said, sounding a lot more confident about the situation.
"There you go. Now get some sleep, your gonna need your energy." I said.
"Okay," she answered back, stifling a yawn,"goodnight."
"Night." I replied, and then fell asleep.
...
The next morning was like the last. Sophia woke me up, we had a makeshift breakfast, and we head out again. I decided to carry on the conversation this time, and just talked about my brother. There was a lot to talk about. In my opinion, he was the greatest brother in the world. He always dropped everything to take care of me, and even though he was annoying, a real tight ass, and an ego maniac at times, I still loved him.
"He sounds nice." Sophia said.
"He was. He kinda reminds me of this one person..." I started to say but I then trailed off.
"Reminds you of who?" Sophia asked, looking at me.
"That's the thing, I don't remember. That's weird." I said shaking it off, thinking if I didn't remember whoever it was, they probably weren't that important.
"Why don't you go look for him?" She asked.
"I wouldn't even know where to start." I said. And that was the truth. Georgia was a big ass state, Troy could be from either at the end of the forest to the border to Florida by now.
"Oh." Sophia simply answered.
We kept walking and after about ten minutes we stumbled upon a grave yard. Sophia was originally two steps in front of me but when we got to the graveyard she stuck by my side, gripping my arm.
"If you're worried about the corpses down in the ground coming back up, there isn't a need to be. Unlike Michael Jackson's Thriller video, they won't pop up from underground. That seems to only be happening to the dead ones up here, not the ones from six feet under." I explained looking at the different names and years, but I un-sheathed my sword, just incase.
"Oh." Sophia answered, but she still seemed on edge. We kept walking until we saw a church, the doors where open and it seemed to be deserted, so I decided to check it out. When we got to the doors I put my finger to my lips, signaling the little girl behind me to keep quiet. She complied as I opened the church doors all the way, gripping the hilt of my sword.
But someone else had already beat me to it. There were three dead bodies on the floor, and they where obviously walkers at one point, so there was a good chance that Sophia's people have already been through there.
"I think your group beat us here, Sophia." I said, putting my sword back in its sheath on my belt, then closing the door.
"And that's good, right?" Sophia asked, looking around the abandoned church house.
"Well, it means we're probably only one step behind your people, which means their close, so yeah, this is a good sign." I said, smiling at Sophia.
"Awesome!" She exclaimed. I couldn't help but smile. I saw the sun start to set in the horizon, then looked around the church, seeing that it was secure enough. And contemplated on staying there for the night. I grabbed Sophia's hand and led her to the end pew of the church, and sat her down.
"Wait here. You see anything, just holler." I said, and she nodded in agreement. I then dragged the three corpses out to the lawn in the church, and used my sword to slice their stomachs open. I figured a long time ago that considering the smell was the thing that kept the walkers away, I just laid the walking corpses that I put down out in front of wherever I was staying and split their insides open. I wasn't sure it totally worked. But better safe then sorry, now especially, considering I had a kid that wasn't even mine to worry about.
I walked back into the church, closing the door behind me, and putting through the handles a stick I found outside, keeping the door secure.
"We're staying in this creepy old church?" Sophia asked, looking worried.
"This is house of god. We should be safe under the security of Him." I said sarcastically, though that didn't seem didn't seem to be easing Sophia into the situation.
"Look it's secure enough, and I don't exactly want to spend another night up in a tree," I explained, trying to get her to see things in my perspective, "it'll be fine."
"I-I-I-if you say so." She said shakily, clutching her doll to her chest. I gave her a blanket to use as a pillow and I walked to the pew behind her, just incase anything happened. And unto the sun went fully down I checked the map to make sure we where on the right track. From the looks of it we where, not too far either. I was only off by a day.
I looked over to Sophia, who was looking around the church house with a worried look on her face. Christ this kid worries a lot. I thought to myself. I could never remember a time when I was as apprehensive to that extent. Though then again, I was some what cool with the world ending. I didn't really have any ties. No friends, little family, not even a dog or a cat to worry about. Just me... And Troy. I knew he needed to leave, he couldn't just sit around and wait for me to get out of school that day, and he did leave me supplies, the map I was looking at, the knife I use, even the sword I use.
But when I think about about it in another perspective, it really irked me. He just hauled off and left while the world was ending, with our mother of all people. I could have just as easily died that first day, and he just turned his fucking back on me. We were all we had for the love of god.
But soon after I throw that world class hissy fit, I do always remember that he gave me my sword, he left me supplies, and in the letter he left to me; which I always keep in my pocket, he at least said 'I love you', which he rarely did been before the world ended. So that was a nice gesture. He did love me, he just had a hard time expressing it. Like that one forth of July from when I was ten...
We never really did anything on the holidays. No matter what they where. On Christmas all we did was just watch TV all day, but for some odd reason he walked up to me on July 4, 2004 with a stupid grin on his face.
"What?" I asked, wondering what my older brother was up to.
"Come with me." He said, holding out his hand.
"Am I coming back?" I asked, completely unsure about what was happening.
"Just come with me." He said. So I complied. We where still living in California at the time. Back when I could call Tinsel Town home, a somewhat simpler time. We walked out into a field and over the cat tails I saw a pile of random stuff.
"What going on, Troy?" I asked.
"Well, it's kinda hit me that you have never celebrated a holiday. So, considering I've never really been festive either, I decided to change that." Troy said with his dark chocolate eyes sparkling?
"Don't you think we should have done that on Thanksgiving instead of getting a bucket of KFC? Or at Christmas instead of just giving me the DVD box set of The Lord of the Rings and saying; and I quote 'These movies are the fucking shit, go nuts.'" I said.
"Well I was right, wasn't I?" He asked. But then shook his head, "but that's not the point. I didn't make an effort with those holidays because in your words those holidays are 'bullshit holidays for the boring apple pie lifestyle'. So I figured I would make an effort with a holiday that you wouldn't mind celebrating."
"The Fourth of July?" I asked.
"Well yeah. Your a huge history buff and the reason we celebrate it is because-"
"This is the anniversary of when the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence." I finished. The moon was full that night, and as I was looking at the moon Troy was doing something on the ground, though I wasn't paying attention at the time.
"Exactly, this is like your Christmas, today is the anniversary of the birth of American history." Troy explained. Even though I wanted to correct him, considering American history started at the French and Indian war, but I decided to just keep my mouth shut and let him finish whatever he wanted to do.
"So I decided to do something special for you." He said. And before I could ask what he was talking about, there was an explosion in the sky. I looked up and saw fireworks exploding in the air. Red, white, blue, and green incinerated the darkness of the night.
"Wow..." I exclaimed, completely in awe of the entire experience.
"Yeah, wow. I got a friend who got a whole bunch of these things. He sold me these, for next to nothing." Troy said, pride peaking in his voice.
"I don't what to say. It's so beautiful." I said. And though it was by far the most happiest day of my life, the rest of that day just faded into the haze of my forgotten memories...
I fell asleep with that memory. That was the first real holiday I had ever truly celebrated. I loved the fact that Troy went completely out of his way to put that together. But what I hate about this world now, those good memories are getting harder and harder to remember. I looked over at Sophia, who was now asleep on the wooden pew, holding her doll close to her.
I kinda envied her look on the world. It seemed so pure and innocent, like she expects the world to be good, along with everyone in it. The kind of innocents that kinda died with me a long, long, time ago. But in a way I was glad that it died. If I still kept it, there would have been no way I would have survived this long, and still be hell bent on seeing Sophia back to her mother.
But what would I do once I got that kid back to her group? Where was I gonna go? Would they let me be apart of their group? Stop it, I thought to myself,lifehas never been that easy, besides more peoplemeans more death. Therewas no way I would have other peoples blood be on my hands. I felt tears silently fall down my cheek. Stop. Sophia can't see you cracking at the seems. Your the only thing keeping that kid from crying every minute. Don't take that away from her. I thought to myself. I needed to keep it together. There was no room in this world for weakness. Not anymore.
I then tried to fall back asleep, but it wasn't exactly working. I quietly opened the church doors, stepping outside and sitting on the front stoop. I looked at the night sky, and the thousand of stars surrounding the glowing globe around it.
"You can make out a lot of constellations tonight." I said, trying to start a conversation.
"Why care? Their just stars." Michonne said as she gazed up to the sky.
"Eh, it's just something to know I guess, kinda like knowing the different names of birds, or flowers, or stones. Just something to know I guess." I said.
That conversation came back to me as I looked up in the sky and slightly made out the Summer Triangle.
"Michonne..." I said with a smile. Before I met Sophia I was trying to put a name to that face. Happy that I remembered.
"At least my memory isn't fading as bad as I thought is." I said out loud.
"What are you doing out here?" Sophia asked from behind me, rubbing her eyes.
"Just looking at the stars." I said lightly.
"Why? Their just stars." She said as she squinted at the night sky
"Their just something to know." I said, smiling at the familiarity of this conversation.
"They are pretty." She said, looking in awe of the night.
"Way back when, they even used the stars to get around. Used them like a map for either traveling on the sea or getting run away slaves freedom in the northern states, or go so far as to Canada." I explain.
"Wow." She said, still looking at the sparkling canvas in the sky.
"We should get some sleep. By this time tomorrow, I think you'll be reunited with your mother." I said with confidence, while walking her into the small church house.
well the group isn't that far away from our two protagonists now! I may take at least one more chapter but they are close to going back to Rick and all those guys. Getting by faster then I thought we would! Stay tuned for more! ^_^