‘I should let you go to sleep. Thank you, err that was unexpected but nice, apart from the bit where I lost my shit’ I murmured.
‘Stay? That is if you’re not tired. I have some questions.’ he fumbled over his words
‘I don’t tend to sleep well anymore’ I half smiled, ‘I’ll answer some questions, but I reserve the right to pass on as many as I would like’.
‘You got it’
I moved over to the foot of the bed and sat on the corner with my legs crossed. I hate question time, but at least I’m comfortable.
‘What happened to your family?’ he sat at the other end of the bed and mirrored my relaxed pose. To lull me into security I assume.
‘Which one?’
‘Both’
‘My parents were bitten by some snappers but managed to get away before they were ripped apart. I put them down when they turned. They were my parents, but they also weren’t, my parents are in another world. It’s a hard one to deal with’ I waived it off with my hand.
‘My blood family were blown up by a raging asshole with a lot of serious ammo at his disposal.’
‘Blood family?’ he enquired.
‘We were bought together by blood and protected each other with our own’.
‘What happened to you? I can see it; you’re weary of people. From the way your friend acts around you I assume that it’s a recent thing, as in the last four years, recent’.
‘Pass’ I didn’t even consider answering that, there are some stories that I didn’t even share with my blood family.
He nodded; he didn’t press it.
‘What was your plan for today?’
I hoped that it wouldn’t come up. Do I answer? He’s probably already guessed. Fuck it, leap of faith.
‘I had a gun with one bullet and that bullet was for me’ my voice didn’t waiver.
‘You were going to give up’.
‘That’s not a question’
He hesitated before speaking again, then ground out his question ‘why?’
‘I lost two families and a whole lot of shit happened in between and I didn’t have it in me to start again’.
‘How do you feel now?’
I thought about it for a minute while Rafe waited patiently.
‘I used up my bullet; which I’ve had for two years by the way and right now I’m not running out to get another one’.
He left that line of questioning, at least for now.
‘Have you ever killed anyone’.
‘Pass’. He was expecting a no and my avoidance has given my answer away.
‘Why?’ I raised my eyebrow at him, hoping he could see it in the dim light of the moon. He cocked his head to the side. Enough light then.
‘Because if I didn’t, they would have killed me or worse’. I closed my eyes; their faces were flashing through my mind. I didn’t regret it though; they absolutely would have killed me and in some cases my friends too. I just wish that I didn’t have to.
Rafe paused for a minute, to allow me time to recover. I looked up at him and was surprised to see his eyes shut. I couldn’t read his face.
‘Why did your friend hurt you enough to scar you when he was teaching you?’ That one was said with a slight ounce of venom.
‘I learnt faster’ simple but an effective explanation. I was pleased with myself. From the deadpan stare I was getting from Rafe on the other side of the bed, he didn’t appreciate it.
‘Do you have any questions for me?’
I have a lot of questions floating around in my head but the one I opted for was ‘what about you? Do you have any family?’
‘Orphaned’ I went to say sorry and he waived it off ‘it was a long time ago. Car accident. Daniels has tried to absorb me into his family, so at least I have somewhere to go for thanksgiving’ he chuckled without mirth. His eyes widened fractionally then closed I frustration ‘I suppose that you haven’t celebrated thanksgiving in a while’ he was annoyed at himself.
‘I have absolutely no idea what the date is and haven’t since it all started, so if I have a good day, I can call it whatever I like. We’ve celebrated Christmas on a hot sunny day before, mid-summer I’m sure. We had just found a truck load of food and if that’s not Christmas then I don’t know what is’ I grinned.
‘I have other question, well, a statement and a question’ I half raised my hand, awaiting acknowledgment to continue. I got a nod and a smile, double whammy.
‘You’re here on a work trip to a world that has ended, it’s a hot summer, hard work and just a bit shit. Why are you still wearing the suit?’ I asked with a hint of amused astonishment to my voice. Maybe a little more than a hint.
‘I’ll answer your questions with a statement and a question’ he smirked. ‘You’re out searching for food and you come across a guy in a suit and a guy in jogging pants. Which one looks more dangerous?’.
Touché.
‘Fair play. I know that game, except it wasn’t a suit. It was a bear’. If I had a mic I would have dropped it.
‘No one messed with me that year, I had two shot guns strapped to my back, handguns everywhere and my lucky rifle in my hand. Dressed in black head to toe’, I whispered ‘picking between the bitch with the bear and the guy in the suit, I’ll bet the guy in the suit got the most selections’ I grinned.
Rafe stared at me for a second with his mouth agape and then it slowly turned into a full-blown smile. He was beautiful and I don’t give that comment lightly. He’s tall, dark haired, well built, strong and lean. What a combination. The suit goes some way to hide it but the losing my shit hug gave it away. He tops it off with a full smile and its very disarming. I’ve gone from a complete mess to someone that could be mistaken as normal.
He leant over to his bag again, this time he had something much, much better in his hand.
‘Is… that a chocolate bar?’ I stumbled over my words, I haven’t had one in a year and not through choice. Every house that I have come across has been picked clean of all food.
Rafe chucked it to me and I caught it like it was glass.
‘Do you want any?’ I forced out.
‘No, I am not as desperate as you are’ he chuckled.
I savored each bite. It was amazing. I take it back; it’s shaping up to be a good day. I laid back onto the bed and turned my head towards Rafe and smiled.
‘That was out of this world, fucking hero’.
‘You’re welcome Peyton’. My eyes were closed but I could hear the smile in his voice.
Chapter Four
I woke with a start, panting in fear. It wasn’t the worst dream that I have had but still not pleasant at all. This time I was being chased by a group of snappers, but my legs were painful to move and I was getting slower and slower. I had no weapons to use to save myself. The group were closing in on me and I knew a painful death was imminent. It wasn’t dying that I was afraid of, it was being ripped apart.
I sat up in bed and once again I was confused by my surroundings. I was still in Rafe’s room. A glance to the side told me that he was laying still in bed. A longer look told me that he was awake. Damian used to sleep through anything, so he never woke when I had a bad dream; which I was perfectly happy with. I couldn’t stand the idea of being looked at with pity, or as someone that needed protecting. I’ve lived here long enough and I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone, but for the first time I’m lacking conviction in that statement. I’ve only had company for a matter of hours, but I don’t know if I can give it up. If I do, my next meet and greet might be with people that have more evil than nice in them.
I brave a look in Rafe’s direction, awaiting the pity to begin. He’s looking at me but not with pity, I would label it as interest.
‘You talk in your sleep’ he smirked.
Oh fuck. I only remember snippets of my dream, not enough to have a reasonable guess at what I was saying.
I pretended that it wasn’t a big deal that he has had a glimpse into my psyche ‘an
ything of note?’.
He just smiled at me. Great, no closer to knowing what information I parted with.
I know what question is coming next, will I or won’t I go with them. Part of me wants to, the other? Well, that wants me to continue living in misery, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.
Rafe was looking out the window, ‘they’ve moved on, the streets are empty’.
Okay so not tackling the big question just yet then.
‘I’m heading out to find some food and supplies, do you want to have my back? If you decide to stay, you’ll need food’ that took me by surprise.
‘Yeah, okay’.
Ben or Daniels were not out of bed yet, yesterday was a hard day for them, obviously. I wrote a note and left it on the kitchen counter, while Rafe suited up. I scanned the streets from the living room window and not a Z in sight. As a precaution I checked the windows on the other side of the house. They could have moved into the back yard, that would have been a bad surprise. The yard was empty. Perfect!
When I came back Rafe was waiting by the front door, ‘are you ready?’
I nodded my answer and we left the house. It was a warm morning and silent. Just how I liked them. On my shopping list today was coffee, maybe I’ll get lucky and find an unopen box of cereal and some biscuits. The reality will most likely be a can of something not-so-nice but it’s nice having hope even just for an hour.
We walked in silence, listening out for dangers. I had canvassed all the houses in this street and they were all empty, time to look further out. Occasionally Rafe would nod towards a house as a silent question but after six of seven no’s he stopped asking and followed my lead. We only came across four snappers and worked together to quietly take them out. The first one I dealt with myself, not used to having a partner. I ran and stabbed it in the head before it even realized that I was there. A glare from Rafe told me that I had to work on my teamwork. It was just one snapper, not a problem.
I got the distinct impression that Rafe was observing me. He was watching for dangers, but I noticed him watching me too.
We walked into an avenue and tried the first house in the street. In my experience the first houses can sometimes be a goldmine. Everyone assumes that as it’s the first it would have already been gutted. If enough people make that mistake then often, they are untouched. We looked through the front windows and then headed around back, its better to make the noise away from the main street and out of sight.
Rafe grabbed a shovel on the way around and when a quick test of the back door proved it to be locked, he rectified that problem. We waited for movement within the house. Silence. Proceeding with caution we cleared the rooms one by one. In the kitchen I opened the larder door and a snapper launched out faster than I could react. It knocked me down to the ground and was pawing at me. Both of my hands were on its chest pushing as hard I could to get it off me. Its rotten snapping face was inches from mine.
Rafe grabbed it by its shirt pulled it off me and stabbed it in the head in one swift move. He pulled me back to my feet with speed and was searching my arms.
‘Did it get you?’ he asked with undiluted concern.
‘No, not even close. Thank you though, I forgot how useful it was to have someone with you on these trips’ I said surprising even myself.
‘Did you not go out with someone when you went, err shopping?’ he questioned.
‘No, other people are too noisy. There were too many close calls, and some died. I can’t even count the amount of times I almost died from someone else’s mistake’ I looked over to the jug that was sitting on the kitchen counter. One of my group died when we were out searching for food, he knocked a glass bowl off a surface in the kitchen and the resulting smash notified the snappers outside to our presence. I barely got out, but Sam didn’t.
Not wanting to linger on that subject I quietly opened all the cupboards, result! Either this family wasn’t in when disaster struck, or they left without packing. The cupboards were full. I quickly took out the camera and memory cards and put them delicately on the side and then started grabbing tins and stuffing them into my backpack, Rafe was doing the same. I didn’t get the cereal, but I did find crisps, even better! We both looked at each other with our bags full and grinned.
I was gently putting the camera back into my bag and I glanced to Rafe who was looking with interest.
‘Memories?’ he asked.
‘Memories’ I confirmed. He nodded in understanding.
We both shot our heads in the direction of the front door; loud footsteps were making their way up the stairs to the door. They weren’t sloppy like the snappers; whoever this was they were alive. Rafe slipped his hand into mine and we crept out the back door, we stood with our backs to the wall listening and hoping that they would enter the front door. Then, I heard him speak and I knew that voice. I would recognize it anywhere. Damian.
I felt the blood drain from my face, Rafe looked over to me and gripped my hand tighter. Willing me to keep my shit about me.
‘How do you know him?’ he whispered in my ear.
‘Dead boyfriend’ I choked out.
He looked just as confused as I was. We heard Damian try the front door and start to move around the porch. The footsteps were coming in our direction. Frozen to the spot I couldn’t move.
Damian’s eye widened as he saw us and then he started laughing when he saw that it was me.
‘Shit, Davy you’ll never guess who I found!’ This wasn’t a laughter I had heard from Damian before, it had an evilness to it.
I didn’t move towards him; if anything I took a tiny step back. He saw it.
‘Surprised to see me Pey? I’ll bet you are after leaving me for dead in that hospital’. He was still smiling that odd smile at me.
‘I thought they had got you’ I forced out; my throat was closing on my words ‘you didn’t come back’ my mind was filled with questions. ‘Why Damian?’
‘I was rescued by an old friend of yours’ that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Another dead friend come to life? ‘He helped me rid the world of you, or so I thought! You left me for dead, so I thought I would return the favor. Do you remember? He tried to buy you, for me of course.’ I felt Rafes tension spike, his grip turned into a vice on my hand.
‘Then, you shot him. You pissed him off didn’t you Pey. We came back with so much artillery there was no way that you could survive. Yet here you are! Good to know that you moved on so quickly, my darling Pey’ he glanced to Rafe and then glared at our joined hands.
‘You killed… you killed our family?’ tears are threatening, but I will not give him the satisfaction ‘you are a sick son-of-a-bitch! Tell me, have you always been this fucked up or is this a recent development?’ my chest is heaving, I want to kill him.
‘Pey, Pey, Pey, don’t beat yourself up. I wanted it to be just you and me I told you so many times, but you wouldn’t listen. I could see that you would never leave them. You never asked what I wanted, did you? It was all about protecting the family and looking after Dean. You might have been on a supply mission for your family, but I went that day for one reason and one reason only. I went to get enough Morphine to put you so far under you would never come out’ he glared at me ‘then I fell as I was getting the snappers out the way of the fucking medical store, broke my ankle. If it wasn’t for Davy here’ he clamped his hand on the old assholes shoulder ‘I would have died’.
‘Shame’ Rafe glared at Damian, his eyes dark with rage.
Damian looked at Rafe ‘who’s this Pey?’ he waived his hand ‘doesn’t matter, say bye Pey. He’s going to die and you’re coming with me’.
‘No!’ I shouted at him.
Then everything moved in slow motion. Damian lifted his gun bringing it to aim at Rafe. I pulled mine out of its holster and instantly shot Damian’s leg. As he fell, I looked to Davy who was reaching for his gun. Rafe shot him in his side and then in the shoulder knocking him back to the floor.
Damian was s
creeching in agony; it looks like I hit bone. Good. He moved to take aim and Rafe shot the gun out of his hand.
I leant down to Damian ‘you’re a sick fucker you know that right? You deserve what’s coming’.
In the distance we could hear a herd of the dead coming. I turned leaving them in their pain and vaulted the fence at the back of the house. Rafe followed straight behind. It wasn’t long before we heard both men shouting in pain as the snarls came down on top of them.
I can’t believe that I missed it, Damian was everything to me for a while. I loved him, LOVED him. It just makes me sick. I’m mad at myself for not seeing his evil side. I think back through my memories of him and not one stuck out as a red flag. Either he is the world’s best actor or I am terrible at reading people. Have I read Ben, Rafe and Daniels wrong? I don’t think so but then I didn’t think that Damian would murder everyone that I knew. People are full of surprises aren’t they?
‘How can I trust you?’ I looked at Rafe ‘I trusted Damian and I read him all wrong. How can I trust you?’ the last few words came out as a whisper. I was holding my tears are bay, just.
Rafe pulled me behind a fence and out of view from the world around us. His eyes held tenderness and kindness; he wasn’t angry at my words.
He took both of my hands in his and looked me straight in the eye ‘I would never hurt you; I want to help you. You have been dealt a shit hand of cards but you’re still surviving. There is nothing I can say that will prove to you that you can trust me. You’re naturally distrustful, which based on the events of today is fair. I need you to take a leap of faith and trust me, come back home. The virus or whatever it is will happen in our world and they need your help Peyton. I need your help’ he pleaded.
‘Leap of faith, huh?’ I looked down to our joined hands, one traitorous tear fell. It was a tear of relief.
‘Leap of faith’ he murmured.
‘I’ll do it, I’ll come’. I looked up in time to see his breathtaking smile.
‘Good, because there was no way I was leaving you in this hell hole. Ben would have had some company’ he chuckled.
Wildfire (Book 1): Leap of Faith Page 3