Chapter 5: Heart to Heart

"... Again, I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll talk to him when we get home."

"Of course, Ms. Smith-"

"Le."

"Ms. Le. Jayden is a good boy but... that anger..."

"I know. I'll handle it."

Jayden sat in the backseat of his mother's Honda Civic, sporting several bruises on his face and a busted lip. His messy, curly black hair shadowed his eyes as he curled in on himself as she got in the front driver's seat. Kim Smith... or rather, Kim Le now, was a beautiful Vietnamese woman in her late 20s with long black hair styled in a braid that hung over her shoulder, dressed in a black jacket, grey tank-top shirt, denim jeans, and black dress shoes. She adjusted the rearview mirror and eyed her son silently.

She sighed softly, staring up at the car and pulling out of the school parking lot. "Wanna tell me what happened back there, Goofball?"

Jay shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, glaring out the window. Kim eyed him with a worried look before focusing on the road. "Bạn có thích nói chuyện như thế này không?" 'Would you prefer to talk like this?'

Silence.

Kim chewed the inside of her cheek and frowned to herself, gripping the steering wheel. "You hurt those boys, Jay..."

That got a rise out of him. He clenched his fists and glowered out the window. "They were bullying Robbie! Calling him names... so I stopped them."

"You broke their noses. You could have done worse if the teachers hadn't stepped in."

"They deserved it!"

Kim opened and closed her mouth, watching her son's thunderous expression. Her eyes softened. "... how about we get something to eat, huh?"

"I'm not-" Jay's stomach cut him off, growling loudly like a raving beast. He blushed in embarrassment as his mother smirked at him from the rearview mirror. "... Vâng, làm ơn.." 'Yes, please.'

Kim giggled softly, pulling into a nearby Chinese food shop called 'Mama Chang'. "Được rồi." 'Okay.'

The pair had gone inside and ordered their food. It didn't take long for it to be made. The service was fast and professional. It took 10 minutes in total for their food to be prepared. Afterward, both mother and son got back in the car and drove into a nearby park, parking there, taking out their food, and watching the cars drive by.

Jay had gotten orange chicken and rice, a simple dish, but one he enjoyed. Hana, on the other hand, had gotten fried rice with deep-fried chicken, sprinkled with onions, green pepper, carrots, scallions, and fried red chilies. The family of two ate in peaceful silence before Hana broke it.

"... those boys may have deserved it, but you need to practice restraint, Jay."

Jay paused, swallowing his food and glaring at his lap. "I dunno what that means."

Kim huffed softly. "It means to pull your punches. To hold back."

"Oh..."

Jay frowned and looked up, turning to her. "I thought that I was supposed to protect people with my strength n' stuff. Like police officers or superheroes or army guys, like Dad."

Kim's expression became strained at the mention of his father. She set her bowl down and sighed. "... if there's one thing I can say about your father is that he's strong and is a protector. But he does one thing that you don't."

Jay eyed her curiously. "What's that?"

"He doesn't abuse his strength," Kim said firmly, locking eyes with her son. Then she smiled. "My father... your grandfather, used to tell me stories. Stories about men... and women, who started with nothing, and grew into power. With that power, they sought out their tormentors and put them in their place."

Jay smiled. "That's good, right?"

"Perhaps from a certain perspective... but those very same men and women would go on to abuse their newfound power and influence. Becoming worse than their tormentors." Kim said, shaking her head. "Your father has discipline. He... doesn't abuse his strength to harm others. When he did, he always knew when to show restraint and mercy."

She smiled, tapping her son's forehead. "You need to know when to show mercy, or else you'll end up finding yourself going too far... and doing something you'll end up regretting later on."

"... show mercy," he mumbled, chewing his food in silent contemplation. His expression turned blank and he gripped his chopsticks. "But what do I do when mercy doesn't work?"

Kim paused, staring at her son in mild surprise before she shook her head and rested a hand on his hand. "Then you do what you can... now let's finish this food and head home, alright, Goofball?"

Jay smiled. "'Kay." he pouted. "Also stop calling me Goofball!"

Kim smirked and ruffled his hair playfully. "Maybe when you're older. But right now, you're my little Goofball~!"

"Mooooooooom...!"

...

My eyes snapped open and I took in a deep breath, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. I sat up in my bed and wiped away my tears, glaring at my blanket and gripping the sheets in frustration. Damn it... God... damn it.

Why am I thinking about her now of all times? So random... so dumb...!

I took in a shaky breath and bit my bottom lip, sniffling, and leaned over, opening my drawer and pulling out my journal and pencil. The lead was slowly wearing itself out. So I was going to either find a new one or get a sharpener. I haven't come across any sharpeners during our scavenge hunts for supplies.

I sighed, opening the journal and flipping through the pages, landing on a blank page and beginning to write.

...

Jay's Log.

Day 37: August 26th. Going on the... the third week, I think, or is it the fourth? I... I dunno. It's getting hard keeping track and counting this high, but whatever. I had a bad dream this morning... or well, I guess it wasn't bad. I dreamt of my Mom, before the apocalypse. It was when I got in trouble for beating up some kids for picking on my friend, Robbie.

He was kind of a nerd. Dorky like Doug. I saw him fix up my Dad's broken watch one time... he was really smart. He wanted to work on spaceships and stuff for NASA when he was older...

After my suspension, a few weeks later I heard he made a bomb or something and put it in one of his bullies' desks. Nobody got hurt thankfully, but it was quickly traced back to Robbie. After that, last I heard, his parents sent him to some boarding school.

I hope he's okay.

We're running low on food again. We've been hunting for the past week. Things are looking scarce, though. The walkers are eating the animals we can bring in for food. Things are looking bad. Kenny and Lilly are butting heads a lot and Lee is trying to keep the peace.

Dunno how long that'll last. That's all for now.

...

I closed my logbook and exhaled through my nose, closing my eyes and setting the book down. Hopping off the bed, I made my way over to the bathroom and grabbed a water bottle. The water inside was down to half, so I grabbed a clean rag poured a little water on it, and used it to clean the dirt and muck off my face and body.

I miss having power, Christ...

Huffing, I discarded the dirty rag and took a sip from the bottle before putting the cap back on. I maneuvered around the room and went back over to my desk, pulling out the bottom drawer and taking some clothes out.

I ended up putting on a black long-sleeved shirt, tan khaki shorts, and grey sneakers. I rolled the sleeves up slightly and stepped outside my room, taking in a deep breath and allowing the fresh air to fill my nostrils. I blinked, eyeing the slightly darkened sky and furrowing my brows. How long was I out?

"Finally up?"

I shifted on my feet, turning around and seeing Doug carrying stacks of wood under his arms, alongside some rope and... bells?

"Oh, uh, hey... Doug." I muttered awkwardly, looking around and peering off the balcony. In the parking lot, Katjaa was sitting on one of the couches near the RV knitting a torn-up shirt. Clementine and Duck were playing soccer... and Clem was kicking Duck's ass.

I noticed a distinct lack of Lee, Kenny, Lilly, and Carley. "Where are the others?"

"Lilly had the idea of heading to the old Air Force Base she worked out before the dead started walking around," Doug answered, walking down the steps. I followed him. "So she took Lee, Kenny, and Carley over there to see if they could scrounge up any supplies... maybe some food, too."

"Taking all our heavy-hitters on a potential suicide mission, leaving us defenseless?" I mutter with a furrowed brow, squinting. "Hardly a good idea."

"That's what I said!" Doug said with relief, shaking his head and making his way toward the makeshift barricade the adults were working on. A mix of wood, dumpsters, and several cars out front. A decent defense. It'll be hard for walkers to get inside, and easier for us to pick them off. "But... Lilly was dead set on making this run. They've been gone for a few hours, now."

I nodded, frowning. "And Larry?"

"Got into another argument with Lee and Kenny... once Lilly devised that plan, she had him 'rest' in their room." Doug huffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Larry's all muscle. Isn't he ex-military, too? Surprised he isn't helping out more."

"With Lilly in charge, there's an obvious bias towards the guy. I mean, he's her dad. Can't blame her. Still, though... heart condition or not, he could be doing a whole lot more to help out around here. Hell. Helping with this wall would be enough." Doug muttered with a sigh.

I waved at Clementine and Duck as we passed by, and then I turned my attention back to Doug. "Well, what are you doing?"

Doug paused for a moment, frowning as he approached the barricade and set his tools down. The man sighed. "I... I dunno. Ever since we left the pharmacy I feel like I haven't been pulling my weight around here. Anything I want to contribute requires batteries or tools... things I don't have. With this, I can contribute something to the group."

I shook my head. "We're all trying our best to survive out here, you shouldn't have to feel like that."

Doug smiled. "... thanks, kiddo. But this is something I've gotta do."

"Okay," I mumbled, eyeing the bells. "What're you gonna do with those?"

"Hopefully, with all this rope, I'll be able to tie it around the barricade and near the trees around the forest across the street. The bells will be tied to the rope here." Doug pointed to the barricade while picking up one of the golden bells with his other hand. "If anything runs into the rope, the vibrations will travel to our side and jingle the bells."

I blinked owlishly, staring at him in confusion. The man stared back at me and sighed. "I'm making an alarm system."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

I grinned and pumped my fists. "It'll alert us if walkers come by!"

"That's right," Doug grinned and nodded. "And hopefully any other people that can pose a threat to us. Should give us enough time to gather our bearings and react quickly."

"Woah..." I blinked again, smiling. "You're really smart, Doug."

"Nah... it's nothin'." Doug shrugged. "It's the least I can do. Hopefully, it works."

"Need help?"

"... yeah, how about you help nail some of these boards to the wall while I set up the rope?"

I nodded grabbing a nearby hammer and some nails along with one of the wooden parts. Walking towards one of the exposed parts of the wall, I placed the board of wood up against it and grabbed one of the nails, hovering it over the board and gently knocking it into the wood with the hammer.

... or trying to. I've never done this before. But I didn't wanna sit around doing nothing.

"Carley said you saved her before?"

Doug blinked, pausing in his work and glancing at me before resuming tying the rope. "Uh, yeah. She and her co-workers were in Macon to report about a cherry festival or something and then things went to hell after that. I noticed those things were sensitive to sound, so I created a bunch of noise to distract them and get them out of their van."

He shook his head and sighed. "I couldn't save them all, though. One of her co-workers was already bitten beforehand and succumbed to the infection. The others quickly followed and the screams... oh man, the screams... they alerted more of them. The only reason Carley and I made it out was because of Glenn. Ran those things over with his car and high-tailed us outta there."

I lowered my gaze towards the ground, thinking of the delivery driver. "... Glenn. I hope he's doing okay."

"Me too. He was a cool guy." Doug nodded. "He seemed pretty resourceful, though. So I'm sure he's alright."

"Yeah..." I grinned at Doug. "But you're pretty cool, for a nerd!"

"... Thanks," Doug replied sheepishly, tying up a bell and humming. "How'd you handle this? Before the pharmacy?"

I blinked, my brows furrowing as I dug up muddled memories. "Well, stuff got bad in the area I lived in. My Mom would always go out to scout the area and grab supplies and' stuff when we ran low... mostly to board up the place until my Dad came to get us."

My hands tightened around the hammer in my hand, my eyes watering. "... He never came. And then Mom got bit. Had to take care of her when she turned... and after that, Lee found me."

Doug winced. "Oof... I'm sorry, didn't mean to..."

"It's fine. My Dad is strong. He was a soldier in the army... or used to be." I mumbled. "He was in Atlanta when everything started. By now the place is overrun with walkers... he's probably dead." I bit my lip, grimacing. "But... a part of me wants to believe he's still alive somewhere."

"... that's good, y'know? To keep that hope alive." Doug spoke up after a silence fell between us. "If your old man is anything like that, I'm sure he's just fine."

A warm feeling swelled up in my chest, an elated smile tugging at my lips. "... Thanks, Doug!"

The sound of a running vehicle alerted us. Everyone remaining at the motel paused in what they were doing at the sound. Doug cautiously stood up and looked past the barricade, only for his eyes to widen as Kenny's truck pulled up. With a bunch of supplies in the back! "Holy moly...!"

My eyes widened in surprise. "They're back!"

Doug and I stepped back and began to push the dumpsters to the side to make room for the truck to pull into the parking lot. Kenny parked his truck and stepped out, grunting in surprise as Duck slammed into him with a laugh. "Oof...! Easy there, Ken!"

"You're back!" Duck beamed, squeezing his father tightly.

Katjaa walked up to her husband and kissed him on the lips. "I'm glad you're okay."

Kenny grinned. "I ain't gonna leave you two behind, you know that."

Lee and Carley stepped out next. Clementine leaped into the professor's arms. "Lee!"

"Woah, easy there, Clem!" Lee chuckled, squeezing her shoulders gently and lowering her to the ground. "You uh... doing good?"

"Mhm." Clementine nodded with a smile. "Me and Duck were playing soccer!"

"Oh really? Who won?"

"Me, duh!"

I walked over to Carley and smiled. "Knock any walker heads while you were out there?"

"Look who's finally up!" Carley teased with a smile. "You know I never miss a shot. How are you holding up?"

"I was helping Doug with the barricade."

She turned towards the technician, who waved at her silently before returning to working on his alarm system. "Well, you two are doing a good job."

"Thanks!"

Larry walked out of his room with a grumble, moving over to Lilly as she got out of the truck, and pulling the rifle off her shoulder. "How'd it go?" his gaze trailed over to Lee briefly and narrowed his eyes. "They give you any trouble?"

Lilly briefly followed her father's gaze and sighed in exasperation. "Dad. It was fine. We were fine. No need to worry."

"Alright, alright." Larry eased up with a soft grumble. His expression softened a bit as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright."

Lilly smiled. "Me too."

I watched them from the corner of my eye. Huh. Larry's always been an asshole, so it's weird seeing him not be one. I'm chalking it up to bias, though. Considering it's Lilly we're talking about.

"Woah! Look at all this food!"

Duck drew my attention to the back of Kenny's pickup truck. My eyes widened in surprise at the big haul that they managed to bring back from the Air Force base. What we were looking at was at least several months' worth of food if rationed properly... ACTUAL food, too. Not snacks we got from the rundown shops around Macon, or the small game we get while hunting.

Legitimate food that could last us a while.

"Ah, right... we have Mark to thank for that." Lee mumbled.

Who's Mark?

"Who the hell is Mark?" Larry said viscerally.

On cue, a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties with slicked-back brown hair, and blue eyes covered by a pair of glasses with a 5 o'clock shadow stepped out of the truck, looking around the motel before greeting us with a polite smile and wave. "Hey there."

"This... is Mark," Lilly spoke up with a soft sigh, gesturing towards the man. "We wouldn't have been able to get this stuff without him. The entire place was overrun with walkers, but he locked himself away in one of the commissary closets."

"We offered him a place to stay in exchange for food," Kenny added.

"So the military is dead to rights?" I drawled, unimpressed. "Unsurprising."

Doug walked over and smiled in elation. "Well, whatever the case, you've got our thanks, man. We were running low on food!"

Mark chuckled, shaking his head. "Believe me. I should be thanking you guys more. I probably would have been walker chow if your people didn't show up when they did..."

"No." Larry shot a distrustful glare Mark's way.

Noticing this, Lilly coughed and clapped her hands and gathered everyone's attention. "Okay! Let's unload this stuff and have a little feast. A small celebration for a successful operation?"

"Can we help?" Clem asked with an excited pump of her fists. Duck idly mimicked the gesture, looking up at Kenny and Katjaa expectantly.

Lilly smiled warmly at the girl. "Sure..."

Kenny shrugged his shoulders. "Don't see why not?"

Larry brushed past us and picked up one of the heavier boxes. Lee and Kenny shared a glance before moving in to help. One by one, everyone chipped in. I helped Clementine carry one of the boxes filled with water and juices since she seemed to be struggling with the weight.

She needs to bulk up those noodle arms.

"When's the last time we've had an actual meal like this?" I mumbled, bemused.

"Since the farm... I think...?" Clementine replied through strained breaths.

I shot her an amused look and rolled my eyes. "Don't go and pull a muscle."

Today was a good day, all things considered... hopefully, it'll stay that way.

A/N.

Can think of this as an interlude before we get into the cannibals and starvation.

That's gonna be fun.