This was taking too long.
Zachary paced back and forth, half to entertain himself, half to keep himself warm. It had been too long since Divine had walked away to the Safe Building and disappeared inside with all the People-Smells. Not too long, but long enough that the sun had inched over some since she had left. When was she coming back? Would she come back at all? What if the People-Smells took her? Kidnapped her? Would never let her go? Grrrgh, he had so many questions!
"Sssnot right," he growled to his companions. "Gotta do somethin."
"She'll come back, just wait a little longer," Ryan assured before letting out a few, wet coughs.
"What if she doesn't?" Zachary asked. "Maybe hurt. Maybe trapped. Gotta find her."
"You can go find her then, but I'm staying here," Ryan huffed. "Not gonna risk gettin shot."
"Whatever," Zachary rolled his eyes (or as rolled as they could get in their ruined, festering sockets). "Come with me," he snapped at Toni as he started off. The other Hunter shot him a glare from under his hood…But after a few seconds, sighed, then trudged after him. The pair cautiously made their way over to the Safe Building.
Behind them, Ryan sat alone, until he finally groaned, let out a few more wet coughs, then heaved himself up to his feet to follow them.
x-X-X-x
She felt so clean, so unnaturally clean. Divine had been scrubbed away and washed down the drain, and left Betha Fandell back in her place. Except, Betha didn't quite look the same as she remembered. Now with the grime and the dirt gone, she looked a little less terrifying, a lot less like a Witch. Which, was reassuring, cause if she was gonna turn into a zombie, the last thing she'd want to be was one of those. At least she didn't have claws, yet anyway. Fingers were still as short as she remembered chewing them down to.
But the girl in the mirror was still so foreign to her. Pale skinned, and hallowed cheekbones. Dark circles that surrounded eyes with golden irises, and sharp ribs sticking out from below her chest. God, even if she wasn't a zombie, she may as well be on her way to joining the undead. It didn't make sense. When did she start turning? Was she even turning? Aside from the dull hunger that was always in her stomach, or faint ache in her knees and ankles from walking everywhere…Nope, nothing felt different. Nothing that was different to her, anyway.
It was frustrating. She had been spending all this time observing this stupid flu, and she still didn't understand it. With a sigh, Betha back away from the bathroom mirror to resume dressing. After Maribelle had given her a thorough scrubbing, Harmony had returned to bring some clothes, and then both women vanished into the house to let Betha dress in peace. The clothes were clean, almost stiff from disuse. Their previous owners had not worn them in long, long time. Curiously, Betha lifted the collar of her sweater to her nose and inhaled deeply.
She smelled nothing. Which, had to be a good sign, right?
For the first time in months, she was clean. Actually, truly cleaaaan! Sure, Betha did her best to keep herself from becoming too gross and disgusting. Only really ever seemed to trade out underwear when she could, and other than that….No, no that was really it. Yikes.
Once Betha deemed herself properly dressed, she finally exited the bathroom. No one was waiting for her in the hall, so she ventured into the living room where the little girl, Noelle, was still playing. Noelle paused a moment to glance up at her, but quickly returned to her play. Betha brushed past her silently, and headed back into the church proper. All eyes turned towards her when she entered, and despite the comforting smiles Maribelle and Father Barnes gave her, she couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of her neck raise.
They were still wary of her.
The man that had been guarding the door, Damon, had stepped away from his post to join the others around their small table of meager munitions. He especially gave her a suspicious glare, and Betha had to fight back a toothy snarl.
"Ms. Fandell, you're looking much better!" Father Barnes greeted her warmly. "Hungry? Tired? We have no problem accommodating you."
"Yeah, a little, I just," Betha started to speak as she broke into their circle. "I just…have some questions I'd like answered first, if that's okay?"
"Of course dear, don't be shy to ask," Maribelle encouraged her. Betha nodded. Right, well, first thing was first then.
"Why are you all here?" Betha asked. "Are you guys the only survivors of this town?"
"No no, there are others, they're just…Not here. They're safe, we assume," Father Barnes started. "When all of this began, the military came through town. They saved the healthy people, the ones they deemed immune to this disease. Those not immune were left behind."
"So you're infected," Betha stated. "But you don't look it."
"They called us Carriers," Harmony spoke up. "We "carry" the disease with us, so they left us here."
"With all those goddamn monsters," Damon grumbled. Maribelle shot him an intense, withering glare.
"We've done what we've had to do to protect ourselves," Maribelle said. "Eventually, our neighbors have either passed on from this world, or passed on from the town. Especially once all the snow came blowing in…"
That made sense. She had also noticed herself how far and few in between the Infected seemed to be once winter had kicked in. At least, the commons anyway. Perhaps the Specials had bunkered down themselves, burrowing in like rabbits, waiting for spring to come when the snow melted and thawed out. Even with intense fevers, nothing could combat harsh, iciness of the world right now. Which, reminded her…
"So, uhm, I have another question," Betha began. "See, I uh, didn't come here alone…"
"Oh, why didn't you say so sooner?!" Maribelle perked up. "Where are ya friends? Ya shoulda brought 'em with ya, we'd be happy to have them too, right Father?"
"Of course, all are welcome!" Father Barnes nodded. "There's nothing to fear here, anyone in your party is free to shelter with us. Where did you last leave them?"
"Uhhhh, that's the thiiing," Betha grinned weakly. "You're saying all are welcome, but I dunno if you'll be saying that after you see them. Like, you gotta bear with me here on this, I'm not crazy, but I, uh-"
Everyone stared at her with intent confusion.
"-Uh, uhm, but, see, my friends….My friends are-"
The caterwaul of a Hunter rang loud and clear in the otherwise quiet church. Betha felt her blood run ice cold as the group around her jumped, hands already reaching down for the guns laid out on the tables.
"Watch the windows!" Damon roared. "Don't let that little fucker break through!"
"Noelle!" Harmony cried, breaking for the backdoor. There was a second cry, the screeching of an infected. Harmony screeched to a halt as she whirled around with wide eyes. "Jeff!" she screamed. "It's gonna kill Jeff!"
Before Betha could even asked, the small group charged off to a side door. It crashed open with a loud bang as Damon kicked it open, and everyone hurried outside. The banging of the door snapped Betha back to her senses, and she raced after them. She could hear the snarling and growling before she even reached the doorframe.
"Wait, stop!" she cried. "Wait, wait!"
The survivor squeezed her way past, ducking grabbing hands and ignoring pleads to stay back. Up front, it was Damon, shotgun raised and ready, pointed right at Zachary.
Her Hunter's lips were peeled back in a threatening snarl, back arched where he stood atop a brick wall. They were in some small side yard, blanketed in snow, save for worn paths where someone had been walking. Lo and behold, directly below Zachary, jumping up and down in vain, was a Common.
The common was dressed for the weather, and if no one had known, it looked like a normal person. But the gutteral growls that came from it betrayed that fact, as did the long chain that snaked out from under its collar that led to the opposite wall.
If she had to guess, Betha would say that Zachary- And Ryan, judging by the wheezing cloud of smoke that was rising up next to the former- Were trying to hop the wall into the yard, when the Common had surprised them. Idiots! Stupidheads! She told them to WAIT, dammit!
"Put the gun down, Damon!" Betha ordered. The man grunted at her, but didn't lower his aim. "Damon! Put! The! Gun! Down! If-if-if-if you shoot him, I'll kill you myself!"
"Girl, what in the hell are you talking about?!" Damon exploded at her. "That's a bloodthirsty monster right there! It's gonna kill us if I don't shoot!"
"He won't!" she screamed back. "Because he's my friend and he won't hurt anyone who doesn't hurt him!"
"Friend?!" Damon barked incredulously.
"Yes! My friend!" Betha repeated. "Just watch! Zach! Zachary!"
The Hunter on the wall stopped snarling, but kept up his chainsaw rumble of a growl at the common below him still attempted to swipe at him.
"Zach, it's okay, it's me! No one's gonna hurt you! Leave it alone Zach, just come here," she said to him, stepping closer to the wall, but staying way out of reach from the common. The common finally took note of her, and with a shriek, attempted to lunge at her- Only for the chain around its neck to snap tight and jerk it backwards. Zach still growled, but crawled along the top of the wall away from it, and closer to her.
"That's it, good boy, come here Zach, it's okay, you're safe, I pinky promise you are. Come down here, let them see you're not dangerous."
"Deathstick," Zachary mumbled at her.
"I know there is, but he's not gonna shoot you, I swear he won't. Just come down here. Ryan? Ryan! Are you there!"
"I'm o-kaaay!" Ryan croaked from the other side of the wall. He exploded into a coughing fit, and from their side of the wall, they could see the smoke cloud moving.
"Grabber!" Damon yelled, but no one moved or said anything.
Zachary eyed the group behind her warily, but finally after a few more gentle words of encouragement, he slowly slid down the wall towards her. When he reached the ground, Betha gently took his arm and pulled him up into a standing position.
"Just stand up, you're not as scary to them this way," Betha told him, and while his lips pressed into a thin line, he didn't protest. Betha smiled at him, and turned back excitedly to the group-
Only to be met with the biggest, widest stares anyone could have ever seen. They looked at her as if she had grown an extra head, or three. Their weapons were slack in their hands, as were their jaws. Her smile faded to an uneasy grimace.
"Uh, hey?" she said to them. Harmony stepped back in fear. Confused, Betha cleared her throat, and tried again, "Hey?"
"M-Ms. Fandell?" Father Barnes finally spoke. "Do…Do you realize you weren't speaking English?"
"W-…What?"
"You can talk to 'em?" Maribelle whispered in awe.
"I can?"
Her bewilderment was reflected in their eyes. It shouldn't have surprised, nothing really should anymore at this point. But she immediately remembered when she first walked up to the church doors, how Damon's voice had sounded fuzzy and unintelligible to her ears at first. The last time she heard a human voice was that military convoy from who-knows-how-long-ago. Long enough that she didn't remember what English sounded like right away.
A wheezing cough broke her thoughts as Ryan climbed over the wall and slumped over it.
"Madeit!" he choked triumphantly. Now all eyes shifted to him, and at least he was still smart enough to realize when something was seriously wrong. "Uh oh…"
"Ryan, it's okay," Betha assured over her shoulder. "It's all gonna be fine."
She turned back to the group of people- These survivors, these Carriers, these left behind, and said to them, "I'm guessing you have your own questions now?"
x-X-x-X-x
The window slid open easily- After he had applied a little force to it anyway. Might have broken something about it, but he didn't care. He had his way in. Let Zach-ar-ee and Ry-un waste their time, make noise, cause distractions. He was gonna get something down. Despite the window's small size, Toni squeezed himself through the opening, and landed below onto plush carpet. He was in a darkened bedroom, not a problem for him. His eye adjusted quickly, and in mere moments, he was slinking along the floor to the door.
Thankfully, the door wasn't shut all the way, and he was able to catch the edge with his claws and pull it open. It opened to a hallway, and a myriad of smells. People smells. Prey smells? Not prey smells. But people smells. And his person smell. His person. Div-ine. Prey-but-not-prey. He breathed in deeply, following her scent to a small room that he quickly recognized as bathroom. Cleaning room. Water room. His lip curled back in disgust; he didn't want a bath right now. But Div-ine-prey-not-prey was not there, so he continued on.
The hallway ended and dumped him into a room- Living room, couches, coffee table- Girl-
Girl?
It felt like a dream had suddenly settled over him, a haze. He looked at the girl- The small girl- Little girl- Dark hair, dark skin, bright eyes. Playing on floor. A voice echoed in his head, a high pitched, happy squeal of a voice that bounced against the walls of his skull.
"Papà? Papà! Play with me Papà, play with me!"
"Josefina?" he whispered out loud. The name had suddenly come to him and tumbled off his lips without a second thought. It sounded so familiar, so natural the way he said it, but Toni could not recall why, or even how he knew it. It made his head hurt. He hadn't felt this dizzy since that time, that man, with the peoples, Jorge-
"Hello?" the little girl spoke cautiously. She was staring at him. He stared back at her from under his hood, eons passing by them in utter silence as they regarded each other. He noticed the things in her hands- Toys, his inner mind supplied helpfully.
"Plulll….Pllluaaaay?" Toni said slowly.
The little girl looked between him and the toys in her hands.
"Play?" she echoed.
"Plllaaay," Toni repeated, and without even realizing he was doing it, he slid forward- Closer and closer to her until he was on his stomach, and reaching out to pick up a dropped doll off the floor nearby. "Plaaaaaay."
The little girl gasped softly.
x-X-x-X-x
I think I've spent at least a decade now writing this story. And I will probably spend another decade, slowly but surely, writing it still. I started this story in my sophomore year of high school, and I'm now at the tailend of my 5th year in college. I've started and ended several other fanfics, some i'm still writing to this day, many of which i have no foreseeable end. The nice thing about writing the Survivor's Guide is that there is an end in sight, I know where the end is, but it's just a matter of getting there. But I'm not in any hurry to rush this story along. Sure, I wish I could write as quickly as I could back in high school, but at this point in my life, it's just not possible. And I believe in giving my best when writing these chapters, because I want to share something worth while to you all. Yes, there can be literal years between updates, but rest assured, the project will never be abandoned, it will always be in my heart, and I will always be writing for it in some capacity.
So, with that in mind, I just want to thank everyone for reading so far, a big shoutout to people who have been reading this fic since day one, and to everyone who may have found it recently and are excited to see this ride to its full end. Your never-ending patience is all I can ask, I, a busy adult with busy adult things to do that aren't writing 24/7. I don't make any money writing this story, I do this purely because I just can, out of the goodness of my heart. It's something I love to do in my spare time, and it will continue to be, something I do in my spare time. This is a very selfless, but also very self-indulgent hobby. The most I, a a writer, can ask, is that you read, favorite, and drop me a line telling me what you like about this story. It's all I can ask for, knowing that someone else out there is interested in my ideas and my stories.
I don't HAVE to post this, I don't HAVE to share this. But I do because I want to, because I want other people to be a part of the journey too. The same can be said for a majority of fanfic authors, so the moral of the story is, just remember that fanfic authors are people too, and remember to support and appreciate them in any meaningful way you can. Thanks for reading, and as always, you can look forward to reading more in the future. I'm actually really excited to write the next chapter for this particular story, cause it's a chapter I've been wanting to write for YEARS. Stay tuned for Chapter 16: P is for Past.