He shrugged, “Not bad. Itches like a bitch but I think I’ll live.”
“Good to hear. How about everything between you and Christina? Everything ok?”
“Yeah, fine. Why do you ask?” he frowned.
“No reason. Just noticed a little drama here and there, wanted to make sure you two were ok.”
“Yep, no problems. Thanks for asking, though.”
“No problem.”
“What about you and Sarah?”
“Not bad considering the whole Zombie thing,” I laughed, “Other than that, nothing to complain about.”
“Good, wouldn’t want our leader distracted by girl trouble,” he said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes at him and snorted, “Leader, I’m just the guy pretending to know what he’s talking about.”
He laughed in earnest at that, “Well whether or not you actually know what you’re doing, keep doing it, it’s working.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Michelle popped back out into the living room, “Thomas,” she whined, “You’re supposed to be chasing me.”
“Oh yeah, sorry,” he said stiffening and snarling once again.
Michelle gave a little squeal and bolted from the room, Thomas following in slow pursuit. I smiled as they continued their game and was about to return to my book when yet another blur appeared in the room, this one flying through the air to land in my lap. I had just enough time to partially catch the projectile and lessen the impact on my still sore ribs. I let out a small grunt of pain, which was drowned out by Sarah’s laugh. She settled down, and I asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing. Can’t I just be happy?”
I put on a thoughtful look before replying, “Um, nope.”
She slapped my chest, “Oh stop it.”
I smiled, “Seriously, what’s up with you?”
“I’m just in a good mood,” she said smiling.
“Well good,” I said returning her smile.
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about your brother.”
“Ok, what about him?”
“Well, that fight earlier, it looked like he was about to take it a little too far there at the end.”
“Yeah, I know. I already talked to him about it.”
“So he’s ok?”
“Fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, he just lost control a little bit. Everything’s fine now. He told me he would keep everything in check.”
“Good. I just wanted to make sure he was ok with the teasing.”
I smiled, “He’s a big boy, he’s fine.”
“I know, but everyone has their breaking point.”
“Thanks for your concern but I think he’s going to be ok.”
“Just checking.”
“I’ll let him know that you’re concerned for him.”
“Whatever,” she smiled before reaching over to the coffee table and grabbing an outdated magazine and flipping through the pages.
We sat there, her in my lap, for another twenty minutes before a glance outside gave me a great idea, and I nearly kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner. “Up,” I said patting her leg.
“What?”
“Come on, get up.”
“Oh, ok,” she said sliding off my lap.
I walked over to the sliding glass door and gauged how hard it was raining. Making up my mind I walked into the bathroom and grabbed some shampoo, body wash, and a towel. “I’m taking a shower.”
“What?”
“Look at it out there, it’s pouring. I’m taking a shower.”
“It’ll be freezing.”
“I don’t care. I’m tired of rinsing off with a washcloth. I’m not wasting this,” I said nodding out the window.
I stripped to the waist and pulled off my boots and socks. I was about to head out the door when Sarah stopped me, “Wait.”
“What?”
“If you’re going to do this then at least be smart.”
“What am I doing wrong?”
She raised an eyebrow, “Your towel is going to get wet genius.”
“Oh,” I said glancing down at the towel in my hand.
“Give it to me,” she said holding out her hand.
I passed her the towel, and she walked towards the kitchen. After a second she returned with the towel wrapped in a garbage bag. She handed it back to me, and I smiled, “What would I do without you?”
“You’d be completely lost.”
“Agreed.”
“Hold on,” said Matt, “I think I’ll take one too.”
I sighed, “Ok fine. Go for it,” I said handing him the towel and other stuff. He took the offered items and headed out into the rain. “Anyone else going to shower?” I asked the group. Some nodded, and some spoke up saying that they wanted to shower as well. Even Sarah gave in and said it might be a good idea. “Alright, girls in the front yard. Guys, backyard.” It didn’t take very long for everyone to grab towels and toiletries and head out into the rain. I stopped Sarah before she headed out front. “Hey, wait a sec,” I said grabbing her hand and pulling her close, “I was wondering if you might want to, you know, shower with me?” I said grinning.
She laughed, “Sorry, but no.”
“Dang it. Well, it was worth a try,” I laughed as she turned away and headed out to join the others on the front lawn. I sighed and went to take a shower in the backyard. Before walking out into the downpour, I unwound the bandages that encased most of my body. The rain was freezing, but it felt great to wash away all the dirt and sweat that was difficult to take care of with just a bowl and a washcloth. After rinsing away the soap and wrapping myself in a towel, I ran inside as fast as I could to keep the towel dry. Back inside I dried off and changed into a pair of comfortable clothes to pass the evening in. A few seconds later Sarah came running into the room soaking wet and shivering. I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. She was still so damn beautiful, even when she was soaked. I walked over with a fresh towel and wrapped it around her and rubbed her shoulders to get her warm. “How was it?”
“F…freezing,” she said through chattering teeth.
“You knew it would be.”
“Doesn’t m…make it any better.”
I smiled, “Well let’s see if I can warm you up.” I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her back quickly. After stepping away she toweled off and got dressed, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and one of my sweatshirts. She finished off by drying her hair and putting it up in a messy bun. I smiled when she was done and took her back in my arms. She rested her head on my chest, and I breathed in the smell of her mint shampoo and smiled contently. I would have loved to stay like that forever, but after standing there for several minutes we walked back out to the living room, I was sporting a perfectly round wet mark on the front of my shirt.
The rest of the day and afternoon passed quickly and quietly, filled with quiet reading, board games, cards and a quick game of tag inspired by Michelle that ended in a bruised ego as Jason hit a wet spot in the kitchen and fell on his ass. As the day ended the rain seemed to only fall harder, and I was starting to get concerned about the incomplete cold storage. The clay would help keep the water from seeping down into the ground but the large hole that acted as the entrance was only covered by a tarp and, by the sound of the wind outside, we would probably have a good deal of water to clean out before we could start digging again.
As night fell Sarah and I were sitting in our bed, she was reading to Michelle, and I was reading my book. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was getting pretty late. “Hey, we should probably get her to bed,” I nodded at Michelle.
“No,” cried out Michelle as she noticed my nod.
“He’s right sweetie. You should be getting ready to go to sleep.”
“But I don’t want to,” she whined.
“Hey,” Sarah said closing the book they were reading, “We talked about this. You need to be a big girl and lis
ten.”
She frowned but said, “Fine.”
I scooped her up in my arms and started to carry her to the girl’s room, “Come on. Time for bed.”
She laughed as I bounced her up and down, pretending to drop her and tickling her as we went. “If you want her to go to sleep then you probably shouldn’t rile her up,” said Sarah.
“Oh, right.”
We reached the girl's room, and I softly knocked on the door. Carrie opened the door a crack and said, “Hey James. Can you wait for just a second? Some of us are changing.”
“Yeah sure.”
We waited in the short hallway outside the master bedroom for probably three minutes before the door opened again, this time by Jessica. “Hey James, Sarah,” she said stepping aside so we could walk in.
I set Michelle down, and she ran over to her pile of pillows, blankets, and toys. She jumped into the pile and burrowed under the covers. I smiled and went and sat on the ground next to her, careful not to step on anyone else’s stuff. I closed my eyes and was taken back to my childhood by the sound of rain on the skylights. “You know,” I said opening my eyes and speaking softly to Michelle, “When I was your age I would come in here when it was raining really hard like this and I would just listen to the rain. I loved to listen to it hit the skylights. Go ahead, close your eyes and just listen.” I watched as she closed her eyes and I couldn’t help but smile as everyone else in the room did the same. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke softly “And if you think that’s cool you should go into the pool room. There are half a dozen large skylights in there, and the rain is very loud. It’s pretty cool,” I laughed as everyone opened the door to the pool room and headed inside. The heavy rain absolutely pounded on the glass, and the noise echoed across the large room. I scooped her up in my arms, and we stood in the dark, entranced by the sound of rain, for a good five minutes, just listening to the pattering of the downpour. “Ok, Michelle,” I said in a voice so low that it was almost a whisper, “It’s time for bed.” She smiled softly and nodded against my chest. The low, constant rhythm of the rain against glass had a calming effect on her, and she seemed like she was ready to fall asleep in my arms. Back inside I knelt down and set her amongst the numerous blankets and covered her with the topmost one. I leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead, saying, “Good night Michelle. Sweet dreams.”
She mumbled tiredly, “Good night daddy.”
I felt emotion rise up and lodge itself in my throat, cutting off any response, all I could do was stand up and walk away. I spared a glance at Sarah, and she smiled at me. I shook my head to clear it and continued on my way out of the room. I didn’t stop when I reached the hallway, I didn’t stop until I reached my room. I closed the door behind me and put my back against the wall. I sighed deeply as I sank to the floor. There was a gentle knock on the door, and I said softly, “Come in Sarah.”
She opened the door and, after seeing me on the floor, sat next to me. “You ok?”
I nodded slowly, “Yeah I’m fine.”
“Really? You don’t look it.”
“Just a little surprised.”
“Why?”
“Did you hear what she called me?”
“Yes,” she said smiling, “but that’s no reason for you to freak out.”
“I didn’t freak out,” I said defensively.
“You kind of did,” she laughed.
“How…Why would she call me daddy?”
“Oh come on James, are you serious?”
“Of course, I am.”
She picked up my hand and held it comfortingly, “James. You have to know how she feels about you. You helped rescue her.”
“No, you did,” I interrupted.
“She knows you planned it, she knows you helped. And that doesn’t matter anyway. You play with her, you brought her back her toy. You rescued her after you were captured. You protected her and taught her how to shoot. And let’s face it, you pretty much treat her like she’s your daughter.”
“Do I really?”
“Yeah kind of,” she nodded.
“I’m not trying to replace her dad or anything.”
“I know. You don’t try and do anything. You didn’t mean to become a leader, you didn’t try and become her dad, and you most certainly didn’t try to become the best guy I know.”
I smiled at her, “Actually, I tried really hard at that.”
“Well, keep trying,” she said sarcastically. Her smile shifted and her gaze softened “You’re going to be a good dad someday.”
I laughed, “Hopefully not too soon.”
She smiled and let go of my hand, “Don’t worry about that. Now, you can keep sitting there, or you can get up and come to bed. Either way, I’m going to sleep.”
I shook my head as I watched her change and climb under the covers. I was amazed at how she was so capable of making me feel better just by being there, by just saying a few words and holding my hand. I shook my head one last time before getting to my feet and getting into bed with her. I clicked off the flashlight that was dimly lighting the room and draped my arm around her waist. I whispered softly in her ear, “Thank you.”
“Anytime babe, anytime.”
I smiled into her hair and let out a slow breath. It didn’t matter if Walkers showed up if a hundred gang members or corrupt soldiers came knocking at my door. It didn’t matter what happened, as long as I was with her everything would be fine. I fell asleep with a smile on my lips and the smell of mint in my nose.
I woke early to find Sarah gone again, but before I could even sit up, she was walking into the room as quietly as she could, shutting the door softly behind her. Once she saw me looking at her she smiled, “Hey, sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t. Where did you go?”
“I had to go to the bathroom.”
She climbed into bed, and I could feel she was once again freezing. She was too cold for her to have been outside just to go to the bathroom. I considered asking her to tell me the truth but figured that if she wanted to tell me she would. Having to live so close together robbed us of our personal space and privacy. If she wanted to have some secrets then who was I to try and take them away? We spent a few more hours in bed before getting up to begin the day.
I stood looking out at the backyard, coffee in hand and watched as the water still dripped from the branches. I guessed the rain had stopped sometime during the night, but everything was still soaked. Turning away I walked to my room and put on my boots. Finishing my coffee, I rinsed it in the sink with some hot water and walked outside. I always like the way the air smelled after it rained. The air smelled clean after heavy rain, and it reminded me of days long since passed. I walked to the backyard and checked the damage to the cold storage. The tarp had been blown away, and when I shined a light inside, I could see that there was about three inches of standing water, water which we would have to get out somehow before we could start construction again. I sighed at the minor setback and walked to the front yard. There was still a large puddle of standing water on the driveway and part of the lawn. It wasn’t a big deal, but I would have to tell Michelle to stay out of the mud and the water. After taking one last look around, I headed inside. Everyone was milling around in the kitchen and the living room when I called out, “Michael, hey Michael.”
“Yeah?” came a reply from the guy’s room.
“Come here.”
“Sup?” he asked as he walked into the living room.
“I was thinking about heading into town. You down for a little ride?”
“Hell yeah,” he said enthusiastically.
“Great. Have you eaten?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, let’s go.”
“Wait a second. Do you honestly think I’m going to let you go without me?” asked Sarah incredulously.
“Yep,” I said happily.
“And how did you figure that?”
“There’s only enough room for two on the bike.”
> “Yeah but…”
“No buts gotta go,” I said interrupting her and bolting out the door. I heard her start to yell my name, but I was already lifting the garage door to get the bike out.
“You know she’s going to kill you when we get back.”
“Oh of course I know.”
“Then why do it?”
“What’s life without a little fun?” I asked sarcastically.
“You call having her mad at you fun?”
“More or less,” I said as I got on the bike. “Now come on, we gotta go.” I put on my helmet, and he climbed on, grabbing hold of my waist. I turned on the bike, and we raced off down the driveway.
As we drove towards Astoria, we passed the bodies of those we had laid to rest on our previous trips. Where there had been pools of congealed blood there now sat decomposing bodies washed relatively clean by the storm. It’s funny how, as we weaved through the remaining cars and bodies, we paid little attention to the dead. They had become a part of our landscape, of our daily lives and unless they were trying to eat us, we ignored them. It was this ignorance that almost led to another immediate death. As we sped past the last of the bodies Michael tapped on my shoulder as best he could. I frowned under my helmet but slowed and pulled over. Michael wouldn’t have gotten my attention unless it was important. I turned off the bike and pulled off my helmet, “What’s up?”
“I thought I saw something back there,” he said nodding behind us.
“Like what?”
“I think something moved.”
“Walker?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well if it’s a Walker then we should probably take care of it,” I said before putting back on my helmet, and he followed my lead. I started the bike and turned back towards the house. We traveled less than a block before Michael tapped on my shoulder again and I slowed as he pointed to a small mass on the ground. I parked the bike, and we climbed off to investigate. Walking over to the assumed body I pulled a pistol and crouched down. I flipped off a piece of fabric where I assumed a face would be and was shocked at what I found. It was a woman, wearing nothing more than a ratty sweatshirt and some boots. She was curled up into a small ball, probably trying to stave off death and stay as warm as possible. Cautiously I reached out and put two fingers across her neck, checking for a pulse. I was about to give up before I pressed even harder and found one, it was incredibly weak. I scooped her up in my arms and ran to the bike.
Survivors Series (Book 2): Heroes Never Die Page 18