“Ok so maybe I’m not in tip-top shape, but give me a break, I took a pretty good beating.”
“Yeah, you did. Let me see if I can help,” she said shifting the pressure she was putting on my back.
She rubbed my back and shoulders for about fifteen minutes before I could tell her hands were getting sore. I chuckled and turned around. I took one of her hands and began to rub it gently, “Your hands must be tired.”
“I don’t know how you can rub my back for so long. Don’t your hands get tired?”
“Sometimes but I get better with practice. And I’ve had a lot of practice,” I said grinning.
“Oh shush,” she said smiling back.
I held her as she fell asleep, her body relaxing and her breathing becoming easy. I was incredibly impressed and proud of her. While I had been bedridden and unconscious, she had stepped up to keep people calm and maintain order. She spent far too much time worrying about everyone else and ignoring the things she needed, like sleep.
We both had to have been exhausted. We slept through lunch and dinner and probably would have slept until morning if we hadn’t been awoken by a frantic Jackie, well more like a tired Alex on her behalf. I groaned as I prepared to get up to answer the pounding at the door. “Stay where you are,” said Sarah as she got up and climbed over me. I was thankful that she was so willing to get up because my muscles were incredibly sore and I didn’t feel like moving.
“You got it,” I said sitting up.
She opened the door and saw a groggy looking Alex standing in front of her. “What’s wrong Alex?”
“Jackie sent me. It’s Phil. He’s asking for the morphine.”
I started to get up but was once again stopped by Sarah, “I can take care of it,” she said quietly.
“You shouldn’t have to,” I said still trying to get up.
“But I can and I will. You stay in bed.”
I really didn’t want her to have to deal with this kind of situation, but the look in her eye told me that she could handle it and that she wouldn’t accept anything from me but compliance. “Ok. Do you know how much to give him?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, well don’t keep him waiting. He’s probably in a lot of pain right now.”
“He is,” confirmed Alex.
“Ok, I’ll be right back,” said Sarah warily.
I watched as she left with Alex, staring blankly at the wall for a possible ten minutes as Sarah took care of everything and came back. When she walked into the room and sat next to me she didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to. Her face was blank, but her eyes said everything. I didn’t know what Phil may have said to her before he died but it clearly had an effect on her. I slipped my arm around her shoulders and held her. She didn’t cry or yell, she simply sat there in silence, breathing slowly and staring straight ahead. “Come on beautiful. We need to go back to bed.” She remained silent as she eased herself down and I held her close. Her arms wrapped tightly around my middle, and I had to bite back a moan of pain as my ribs called out in protest. I ignored the pain and turned my attention to the girl next to me. I hoped that she wouldn’t have dreams of what she had done and I hoped that I could provide some small comfort to her. I stayed awake as she drifted into a fitful sleep. She mumbled, tossed and turned and almost kicked me a few times. She finally calmed after a few hours, and I was able to go back to sleep as well. When we woke in the morning, I realized that I had skipped most of the meals yesterday and was extremely hungry. I got up without waking Sarah and headed to the kitchen to find some food.
I was alone in the kitchen as everyone was still asleep and I looked over the food we had available. I grabbed a loaf of bread that had been made yesterday, some peanut butter, honey, two cans of peaches and two Gatorades. I took my small armload of food back to my room and set it out on the bed. I gently woke Sarah with a kiss on the cheek and asked “You hungry?”
She nodded yes sleepily and slowly sat up. I tore off a piece of the bread and squeezed a small amount of honey onto it and passed it to her. She smiled and took the bread, popping it into her mouth. We ate slowly, saying very little to each other and simply recuperating in each other’s presence. When we had eaten our fill, we were feeling more human and ready to face the day.
Once up and changed I walked outside to talk to our visitors. Knocking quietly on the Pole Barn door I was greeted by Alex who was no longer half asleep. “Morning, Alex.”
“Morning, James.”
“So Alex, I was wondering, now that Phil is dead what your plans were. I know you were waiting until his death to leave. Is that still the plan?”
He stared past me as he answered “Yeah, that’s still the plan. We’re going to take care of Phil’s body and then hit the road.”
“All of you?”
“Yes, we’ve all decided to go.”
“Well, then I’m more than happy to give you any supplies you’ll need and of course weapons and ammunition.”
“Thank you, James.”
“I wish I could change your mind.”
“It’s not just me, it’s all of us. We voted to stay together, and the majority of us voted to leave.”
“Ok, just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“We could use a truck,” he said hopefully.
“I think I can manage that.”
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem. We’re all in this together after all.”
“That we are,” he said smiling.
“Do you need any help with Phil?” I asked solemnly.
“No, we’ve decided to burn him. Just makes the most sense.”
“I was going to suggest that. Ok then, if you don’t need anything else, I’ll let you get your things in order. Just take what you need from the garage and the armory.”
“I can’t thank you enough, we can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s the least I can do. I’ll see you later.”
“Later James.”
I left Alex at the door and headed back inside. Everyone should be getting ready to get up, and I wanted to inform them of the group’s plans. I also wanted to let them know that Phil was dead. I wasn’t sure how close the two groups had become, but regardless of their familiarity, they needed to know that a man was dead and that we would be losing a sizable portion of our group.
I sat in the living room waiting for everyone to finally get up. I smiled as Sarah joined me, “Hey, beautiful. How are you?”
“Much better now. What are you doing?”
“Just waiting for everyone to get up. I wanted to let them know that Alex and them are leaving today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They’re going to go after they take care of Phil’s body. I told them that they could take whatever supplies they needed.”
“Makes sense.”
“I told them they could take a truck too.”
“What?”
“They needed it. Plus we can make do without one, and if we can’t then, we can go get another one. It wouldn’t be very difficult.”
“I guess not,” she said agreeing with me.
“Wait a second,” I said smiling, “Did you just agree with me?” I asked in mock awe.
“Yeah, so?”
“I think that’s a first.”
“Oh shut up,” she said slapping my chest.
“Yes, dear,” I said pulling her close.
“You’re such a dork,” she said smiling.
We were interrupted by Jason who yawned loudly, “Morning you two. You’re both up early.”
“Morning, man.”
“Morning, Jason.”
Jason busied himself with making breakfast and coffee, and once it was finished, I got up to grab a cup. “So anything planned for today?” he asked.
“You could say that.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m going to wait until everyone’s up, so I only have to say it once.”
“Now I
’m curious,” he said setting down his coffee.
“Yeah well, you’ll have to wait for everyone else.”
“Alright,” he nodded.
The three of us talked and watched as others began to rise and start their day. Once everyone was up and at least half awake I decided to break the news. “Can I get everyone to the living room, please? There are some things that I need to say.” A calm fell over everyone as they went to sit in the living room. Once gathered everyone looked to me to begin. I glanced around the room and let out a sigh, “Late last night Phil, one of the other survivors, died.” A small gasp traveled through the room. “Phil was suffering from Pulmonary Fibrosis. The simple explanation is that his body was losing the ability to use and absorb oxygen. In time this would have likely lead to a heart attack. Instead of drawing out his death, Phil opted to be given a high dose of Morphine to end his life. Alex and the others will be burning his body and then taking off. I told them that we would supply them with any supplies that they want and they’ll be taking one of the trucks,” I looked around to gauge the reactions. I was surprised to see that no one really minded that they would be leaving or that they would be taking some of our supplies “So, everyone’s ok with this?” There was a collective nod, and I was almost shocked into silence. “Ok, well I guess that’s all. I don’t know when the funeral is, but I think we should all be there.” Another collective nod. “Great. That’s all I got.” Everyone got up and started to get back to what they were doing before.
“Hey, Michael.”
“Yeah?”
“Come here a sec, I’ve got talk to you.”
We went into my room and closed the door. “What’s up?” asked Michael.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure, anything.”
“I need you to go to the armory and get a bag together for the other survivors. I want them to have enough weapons and ammo, but I don’t want them taking the Carbines.”
“Yeah sure, no problem.”
“Thanks, man.”
A couple hours later Phil’s funeral was held in the backyard near the tree line. We helped build a large pyre for him, and Alex said a few words. I had seen death, I had seen pain, and I had witnessed torture, hell I had tortured, but none of that got to me as much as seeing two young children weep over the most important person in their lives. One image that I know will be burned into my mind forever is the image of Eddie putting his arm his brother David and trying to comfort the crying kid. It still makes my heart ache.
We helped load up one of the trucks with canned and dry goods, camping gear and ammunition. We said our goodbyes and I watched as Michael hugged the two young boys and even offered Eddie her most prized possession, the stuffed bear she’d clutched for comfort the day we saved her. There was crying and laughing, wishes of good luck and promises to try and get word back. By midday, we watched as our guests rolled down the driveway and turned right, heading towards Washington and eventually Canada.
“I wish they would have changed their minds and stayed. I don’t think they have much of a chance out there,” said Liz.
“Yeah I know,” I said sadly, “But you can’t win them all.”
Chapter 14
Breakfast the next morning was quickly interrupted as Carrie yelled from the girl’s room, “You’re such an asshole, a stupid, selfish asshole.” Jason ducked out of the room, but his attempt to find safety was in vain as she followed him out into the dining room. “How could you say such a thing? You’re such a jerk,” she finished as she stormed out of the house.
Sarah looked at me, and I raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged and followed Carrie out. I walked over to an ashen looking Jason and asked, “So, what’d you do now?”
“I…I don’t know,” he stuttered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” asked Michael sarcastically.
“We were talking about nothing really when she all of a sudden brings up kids.”
“Kids?” asked Justin.
“Yeah, and I may have mentioned that I might not want kids.”
“And you wonder why she’s mad?” laughed Michael.
“What did I say?”
“Dude, you told your girlfriend that you didn’t want kids when most of the world is dead. Isn’t it like a custom for survivors to rebuild society?”
I laughed, “That’s true Jason. Better get to rebuilding.”
He rolled his eyes as we all laughed and Matt spoke up, “So Michael, who will you be rebuilding society with?”
We laughed again as Michael suddenly took on a deer in the headlights look. “I...I. What are you talking about? he stuttered.
“You know,” I said putting my arm around his shoulder, “Liz is available.”
“Look, this might be the apocalypse, but I don't need you setting me up ok.”
“Sure thing little brother. Just trying to help,” I laughed.
He shrugged away my arm and punched me in the shoulder, “Who says I need your help?”
“I never said you needed it, I was just offering it freely.”
“Thanks but no thanks, I don't need help.”
“Oh, so when did you become such a player?”
“Never said I was,” he grinned, “but I've got plenty of game.”
I laughed, “Ok big man then go ask her out.”
He frowned, “Who?”
“Liz. Go ask Liz out.”
“Now?”
“You don't have to do it now, just soon.”
He looked around at the grinning faces. There was no way he was going to back down “Fine,” he said and walked away.
“Just remember to stay away from the idea of repopulating the earth. Not on the first date,” Justin called after him. This earned another laugh from all the guys in the kitchen.
In return, we received a quick flip of the bird from Michael's retreating form. “Ok Jason, you need to fix your little situation right away.”
“Yeah, damage control,” Thomas agreed.
“So what do I do?” he asked.
“Go tell her you're sorry.”
“For what?”
“For being an insensitive jerk of course. That's all women think we are,” said Matt.
“He's right,” I assured him, “we're also always wrong, selfish, stupid and pigheaded. Go tell her you're sorry for not taking into account her feelings.”
“But I don't think I did anything…”
“Doesn't matter what you think,” I stressed the point, “it only matters what she feels.”
“Ok, ok. I'll handle this,” he said squaring his shoulders.
“Just wait a minute, let Sarah finish talking to her.”
“Sarah's talking to her?”
“Yeah...” I said, “this could be either good for you or really bad,” I said grinning, “depending on whose side she takes.” At that very second Sarah came walking through the door, and by look on her face, it would seem like Jason was screwed. I laughed, “Well, you're fucked.”
“Thanks so much,” he said dryly.
“You are very welcome,” I said as I watched him head out the door to talk to Carrie. Once he had gone, and Sarah and I were out of earshot of everyone else I asked her, “Is everything ok?”
“Did Jason tell you what he said?”
“Just that he didn't want to have kids.”
“He was a little more forceful than that.”
“Ok. What I want to know is, is everything going to be ok? I'm not going to have to lock these two apart am I?”
“Doubt it.”
“Good. I don't need this kind of crap. Where did she get the sudden idea of kids all of a sudden?”
“I don't know, but its Carrie, she's always liked kids.”
“Yeah, but why bring it up now? You don't think she could be...?”
“No, she's not.”
“How do you know?”
“Trust me, I know.”
“I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.
”
“Like always,” she said grinning.
“Whatever you say, my dear.”
“That's right, whatever I say.”
I smiled but stayed quiet, I was smart enough to trust Sarah's assessment of the situation and to trust the two of them to work it out. The last thing I needed was drama in the house.
The rest of the day was spent working and tiptoeing around the two as Jason tried to apologize and Carrie wouldn't let him. It was pretty interesting to watch as they danced around each other like two boxers in the ring. By the end of the day, I was actually starting to get irritated by their little argument. I was just about to go against my better judgment and get involved when I rounded the corner to find Carrie and Jason doing more than just kissing in the middle of the hallway. “Whoa,” I said and turned away, “I did not need to see that. You two get up. Get dressed, and I swear if I ever run into you two like this again I’m going to turn the hose on you.”
They quickly got up and covered themselves with mumbled apologies. They fled together to the girl’s dorm. After they left, I stood there for nearly a minute before just shaking my head and going to my room. I sat on the edge of my bed and was soon joined by Sarah who raised an eyebrow at my exasperated head shaking. “What’s that look for?” she asked.
“You wouldn’t believe what I just caught Carrie and Jason doing,” I said with a shiver.
“Did you walk in on them?”
I nodded and stared at her, “Yeah, kind of. They were in the hallway.”
“What?!” she laughed.
“Yeah I walked around the corner, and there they were, just going at it. What if Michelle had found them?”
“Well, that would have warranted an interesting conversation.”
“Yeah well, when that conversation does happen I’ll leave it to you.”
“Like I would let you scar that poor little girl with your lies.”
“Lies,” I scoffed, “What lies? You’re the one who’s going to tell her that all guys are evil, that we’re dumb yadda, yadda, yadda.”
“Those aren’t lies,” she smiled, “those are facts,”
I pulled her down, so she was sitting on my lap, “Facts huh?”
“Well,” she said leaning in close and smiling, “maybe not all guys are evil.”
Survivors Series (Book 2): Heroes Never Die Page 16