"Your foot is sprained pretty bad. You have to stay off of it," the nurse lectured. "Two patients in the last forty eight hours. Too bad I don't get paid for this anymore."
The nurse's long, thick dark hair was thrown into a scraggly ponytail. Her green eyes were tired but she continued to tend to my foot. The shelf sliced the top of it open and created a gash. All I could think about was Nista.
"Mind if I come in?" Courtney's shy voice broke the silence as she walked in the room.
I smiled upon meeting her gaze. "Not at all."
She sat on the bed I lay on and sighed.
"You really screwed yourself, huh?"
"I didn't," I objected. "If a lone survivor were to go there, they would've died trapped under that shelf. The zombies broke free. It was made to be that way. Somebody planned on going back for that food."
"They person who set that trap probably isn't even alive anymore," Courtney sobered. "It's a shame. When we lost humanity, we lost our humanity."
"How's Nista?"
They kept us separated for an unknown reason. Nista was being treated in the room next door to mine.
"She's awake."
"Really?" I questioned. "Nobody told me."
"Jake, she's — a mess to say the least." Courtney paused as if she debated on revealing the reason.
I remained silent and moments later, she decided to share.
"She found someone when she set off the fireworks. They came to her, I guess played friendly. Then, when she wouldn't give them what she wanted, they tried to —"
I gulped. "Kill her?"
"Yeah. Nista had to kill the lady and she barely escaped."
"First time killing a living being?"
Courtney scoffed. "Yeah, I guess so."
Besides zombies, I haven't had to kill anybody. It wasn't something I wanted to do, either. That day Vick killed Andy's friend, something changed inside of me. I was still able to recall the feeling of the blood splattering across my face.
"Hey, brother." Haze shuffled into the small room.
While Haze and I talked, Courtney slipped out of the room. When I realized, I felt slightly guilty for not saying goodnight.
"How is she?" I inquired as I nodded my head in the direction of Nista's room.
"She'll be healed up in no time, man. Had to thank your friend for suggesting bringing her here."
"Heard she was attacked."
"Yeah," he responded with a sigh as his gaze fell to the ground. "Man, she's taking it hard. She didn't want to kill anybody. I know she didn't."
"She had to, Haze." I assured sincerely, "she'll realize in time. She's here now because she defended herself."
"I don't think I'll ever be able to tell her about Mac now."
I examined Haze. Although his expression was often without emotion, I caught a glimpse of the grief in his eyes.
"Maybe someday it'll help her heal to know you're dealing with it, too." I attempted to offer some sort of consolation.
"It wasn't my first time," he admitted, keeping his eyes on the floor as he sat in the chair near my bed. "I will tell you one thing, though. It never gets easier. The first was just as bad as the last."
My hunch was right. He had killed somebody before. Though I knew this to be true, I also knew he did it to keep himself and Nista alive. Everyday it becomes more clear —
Only the strong survive now.
_
As the days went on, my foot healed. The healing process was slow but the nurse assured me it would heal — just not as fast as it would've before. Us trying to survive everyday has worn our bodies down quickly. The rest of the group scavenged for Tabitha while I was kept back. This brought the feeling of worthlessness out of me that I fought so hard to get away from in the beginning.
On one of their runs, Haze and Vick found a herd of zombies. It's heading for the city Tabitha's shelter is located.
"C'mon. Tabitha wants us to meet her in the lobby." Courtney tugged at my arm as she walked by.
We shuffled into the building. I skimmed the room to realize it was just our group standing in front of Tabitha.
"As you may know, we've encountered a big problem." Tabitha glanced around to meet gazes with us. "We need to take care of it. Does anyone know how?"
She was referring to the many, many zombies just outside of the city.
"Fireworks." Haze was the first to speak up, "works good for the most part, long as you get out of there fast."
"You think that many zombies are going to get distracted by some pretty lights and little boom booms?" Christie mocked in a slightly annoyed tone. "No. Their growls are louder than that when there's that many."
"If we have enough, it might do us some good." Vick interrupted, "I wouldn't go in unless we're absolutely sure that they're coming this way. There's no need to go out if they're just going to get distracted and change direction."
"So basically do nothing?" Nista turned to Vick. "We can't sit around and wait for them to overrun us. We've seen this before."
She glanced to Haze and they shared a somber expression together.
"If we need to, I'll go." I volunteered, stepping closer to Tabitha. "I haven't done much since my foot got sprained. There's some making up to do on my end."
"I'll go, too."
Haze stepped up, turning to meet my eyes. His expression was hawkish and firm.
I furrowed my brows at him. "You can't, man. Nista needs you here. They all do."
"I won't let you go alone." He objected, "that's a death wish. You're family now, brother. We don't send family out to die."
Tabitha spoke after a brief pause. "Someone needs to keep watch on them and make sure they don't come any closer. I'll let you all decide who."
How can somebody be so cold? Her son, Joseph, didn't seem that way. I figured she had to have always been inexpressive as she seemed to be a pro at it.
"Mom! We have a man down upstairs. He's not breathing! We have to help him, now!"
Joseph ran downstairs frantically as he pled with his mother to let him help the old man. I examined him and noticed him and Tabitha resembled each other to an extreme. He was around my age, maybe a couple years younger. I knew him from when he helped nurse me back to health.
"Joey, you know what you have to do."
"Mom, we can't keep letting people die. I won't let it happen anymore. Frank has a family here — a son, a granddaughter —"
"Things being the way they are does not mean people don't die of natural death. He's old, Joseph. We can't save him. Get ready to execute."
Joseph walked away, heading back upstairs in defeat. The anger took over and I couldn't bite my tongue anymore.
"How can you just let your people die?" I called out as she walked away. "They're your people. You're supposed to protect them."
She called over her shoulder, "Some people can't be protected. When it's your time, it's your time."
It dawned on me that Tabitha only saved us because she knew we could be of use.
"Who killed that shelter full of people, Tabitha?"
She immediately came to a halt and turned back in my direction. Her curly hair bounced as she shuffled towards me assertively. For once, her voice was toned in anger. She honed in on me, getting up close and personal as she stared into my eyes.
"I killed them. I poisoned them so my people could live another day. We had a trade deal and I sent them tainted water. Had I not done that, we may not be here right now."
I stared into her eyes as I fell speechless.
"If you live to see the new world, you'll see. This world doesn't belong to everyone anymore. It belongs to whoever takes it."
"It'll never work that way." I barked, "everyone that's living now should be cooperating. We're all we have in a world full of the dead now. You can't pick and choose who you save."
I wondered how Kara would've responded to Tabitha. A wave of sadness washed over me when I realized Kara couldn't see me fighting to live her way. When she died, I promised I would honor the last conversation I had with her.
"Better be ready. Doesn't look like the herd is swaying at all." Vick seemed a bit concerned. "You know you don't have to go out there. We can figure out another way."
"I've been useless these last few weeks." I argued firmly, "I have to help out. Just lying there resting — I felt like deadweight."
"She isn't meant for this world." Vick stated blatantly. "She killed a shelter full of people. We can leave, let them fight off the zombies themselves. They won't make it."
"Are you trying to say we should let the shelter fall?" I inquired skeptically. "That'd make us no better than her, Vick."
"She killed them on purpose. We aren't the ones who would be killing them, the zombies are."
"The people in her shelter are innocent. If you're going to take it out on anyone, let it be her. They're just here because it's where they feel safe. We have to keep that."
As I shuffled away, I ran into someone familiar. It was Joseph, Tabitha's son. The expression on his face said it all.
He wants to come with us. I wondered if Tabitha had something to do with it or if she even knew. Haze accepted his offer and even though I was skeptical, I trusted Haze's judgement.
_
"You ever light off fireworks, Joe?" Haze asked as we stood near the vehicles, preparing to depart. "You gotta be real careful, y'know."
"I know. I did it a couple times way back with my dad before he died," Joseph responded confidently. "I'll never forget it."
"Does your mom know you offered your help?" I butted in curiously. "We don't need any problems."
"I'm twenty four years old — I don't have to ask my mom for permission, especially not in the apocalypse."
"We'll set them off a less than a mile away in every direction around the herd. That should break them up," Haze planned. "You two go together. I'll go alone. You go North and East."
Haze? Going alone?
"You're not going alone." Nista approached, stepping in assertively. "What the Hell do you think this is, Michael? A suicide opportunity?"
Michael. That must be Haze's real name.
"Last time you used fireworks, you attracted the wrong attention. You got hurt. I don't want that to happen again." Haze stared into her eyes with a gentle yet firm gaze. "I can't —"
"You won't lose me. You'll never lose me, Haze. You're stuck with me."
Smiles both appeared on their exhausted faces.
Even in this world, love exists.
__
Author's note:
I apologize for the delay in updating. Also, I know this chapter was a little 'slow' but I promise this is building up to something more. I hope you're enjoying the story! :)