Survivors Series (Book 2): Heroes Never Die

by Voeller, Cody

  Back in the living room, I passed the small picture around, laughing the entire time. There was my little brother, probably about seven years old, wearing a blue dress with red buttons and a white collar and cuffs, he even had a red plastic headband in his hair. But it wasn’t the dress that had me clutching my ribs in laughter, no, it was the expression on his face. He was so angry, his face was scrunched up in anger, teeth bared. It was the funniest damn thing I had ever seen and, if the laughter around me was any indication, everyone agreed. “Ok, ok, let’s all calm down a bit,” said Michael as the photo completed its journey around the room.

  I gasped as I reeled in my laughter, “The only thing that comes close to being as funny as that is the time you got slapped.”

  “When?” he asked.

  “When? Do you make it a habit of getting slapped?”

  “Probably not, but you do,” said Sarah.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh you know,” she said grinning, “freshman year. Halloween.”

  “Yeah ok. Just keep that quiet,” I said as everyone laughed.

  “Why what happened?” asked Michael enthusiastically, ready to shift the focus to someone else.

  “A tale for another time,” I said glaring at Sarah, “Besides, I need to finish my story.”

  “Ah come on James, isn’t this enough?” asked Michael raising the picture.

  “Last one, I promise.”

  “Fine, continue.”

  “So we were out fishing in Eastern Oregon, and we had hired a guide. It was me, Michael, our sister, and our dad. So we’re fishing, and Michael was the first one to catch anything, it was a huge fish, anyways the guide takes it off the line and tells Michaels that he wants to show him something on the fish and tells him to get closer. Michael leans in, and out of nowhere, the guide slaps Michael with the fish. Just wham, right in the face,” I said laughing, “You…you should have seen his face then. Just pure shock,” I laughed hard.

  Everyone, including Michael, was laughing at the story. It felt good to laugh like this, it felt normal. We kept laughing, telling stories and drinking. Things felt just like they would on any Saturday night back at school. This is what I would be doing if the world hadn’t ended. I drained my glass several times and was beginning to feel a little buzzed. This could be said about most of us, while others were flat-out drunk. There was one among us that was solidly sober, that was Thomas. He was still taking painkillers, an extremely low dose, and was refraining from drinking while on them. He was watching out for Christina as well as the group. We were in good hands and let out a small sigh of relief. It felt good not to be in charge, not to be responsible for everyone, even if it was for an hour or two.

  Another hour or so passed and our number had dwindled considerably, most having gone to bed. Those that were still up were I, Sarah, Hannah, Matt, Jessica and, having put Christina to bed, Thomas. I was enjoying the sensation of Sarah on my lap as she talked quietly, and slightly drunkenly, with Hannah. I held my glass loosely by my fingertips and tilted my head back, closing my eyes. I breathed slowly, simply listening to Sarah talk about something that I couldn’t quite pick up on. Suddenly I felt my head dip, and I was aware that it might be bedtime. I downed my glass and set it on the ground. “Hey babe, I think I’m going to go to bed,” I said gently rubbing Sarah’s back.

  “Ok,” she said smiling. “But where are we going to sleep?”

  I frowned before realizing that Jasmine was still in our bed. I glanced around the living room “How about right here?”

  “Where?”

  “We can push the couches together.”

  She shrugged, not really caring that much, “Ok.”

  She got off of me, and I stood, stretching, “We’re going to go to bed.”

  “Good idea,” said Hannah, “Come on Matt.” Taking his hand, they walked off towards the girl’s room.

  I was about to protest but was silenced by Sarah whispering in my ear, “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.”

  I shrugged and started pushing the couches together. With help from Thomas I was able to make a bed for Sarah and I. “Night James,” said Thomas.

  “Hey, Thomas.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Look, I hate to ask but do could you…”

  “Keep watch on the girl in your room and let you know if she wakes up? Yeah sure.”

  “Already thought of it have you?”

  “Just being safe.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “No problem.”

  “Night.”

  “Night James,” he said taking the lantern and walking off towards my room, presumably to check on Jasmine.

  I lay down next to Sarah on our makeshift bed and put my arm around her. It wasn’t that comfortable, nowhere as near as comfortable as my bed, but I wouldn’t care if I was sleeping on a ladder as long as she was next to me. Her breathing was slow and even, telling me that she was already asleep. I smiled and closed my eyes, letting the alcohol carry me into hazy oblivion.

  I was soon shaken awake. I didn’t know how long I was asleep, but I knew it couldn’t have been long, I was still feeling the slight effects of the alcohol. “Yeah,” I grunted.

  “James, you need to get up,” came Thomas’ voice from the dark.

  “Why?” I groaned again.

  “Because the girl is awake.”

  Any lingering effects of the alcohol instantly vanished. I got up and did my best to not wake Sarah “How do you know?” I whispered.

  “I was checking on her, and before I opened the door, I heard her crying.”

  “Ok,” I nodded. “Wake Michael for me would you?”

  “Sure,” he said before limping away.

  I checked my watch and saw that it was a little after three in the morning. I ran a hand through my hair to shake off any remnants of sleep. I paced slowly in the dark for the short time it took Thomas to wake Michael. “Thanks, Thomas,” I said when they showed up, “You look like you’ve been up for a while. Why don’t you go back to bed?”

  “Nah, I’m fine.”

  “We got it from here,” I said pointedly.

  “Alright,” he said nodding his head.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  I turned to face Michael who was still half asleep, “You look a bit tired.”

  “Yeah well, I was just asleep.”

  “Well, you better wake the hell up.”

  “Why? What’s this all about?” he said sobering instantly at my quiet, yet firm tone

  “She’s awake.”

  “Oh great,” he groaned, “I was hoping that we’d get lucky and she’d stay in her coma.”

  “Shhhh,” I hushed him, “keep your voice down,” I said nodding to Sarah’s sleeping form, but it was too late.

  “Don’t worry about me,” she said stretching, “I want to meet her too.”

  I cursed silently as she got up from our bed and stood next to me, “Sorry we woke you,” I told her.

  “Like I said, don’t worry. Come on, what are we waiting for?”

  I grabbed one of the numerous flashlights that littered the house and turned it on, “Just you princess,” I teased. She rolled her eyes and walked off towards our room and off towards trouble.

  She knocked gently on the door before slowly opening it. I brought the light up slowly so as not to frighten her and the beam fell upon Jasmine’s crying form, clutching the blankets and sheets to her chest. Seeing her crying had the same effect on me that any other girl would. I forgot about the threat she could represent and only wanted to comfort her. Any threat Sarah felt must have taken a backseat because she raised her hands to calm the girl. She shushed her softly and sat down next to her, rubbing her arm comfortingly. I sat the flashlight down, so its beam pointed at the ceiling and I crouched down on the ground. “Hey,” I said softly “Are you ok?” She nodded. “Can we get you anything?”

  “M…my clothes.”

  I realized tha
t she was still naked from earlier and I nodded, “Unfortunately the clothes you had on were a little…damaged, but we can get you some new clothes. Brand new in fact. Anything else?”

  “Food and water?”

  “Of course. Sarah, do you think you could grab her some clothes, I think they’re all in the girl’s room. Some food and water too?”

  “Yeah sure,” she said getting up, “Be back in a second.”

  “Thanks,” I said turning my attention back to Jasmine as Sarah left the room. “Now I know you must be scared, but you’re safe. We found you passed out on the road after a rainstorm, you were almost dead.” I moved the light, so it fell more evenly on her face and paid close attention to her eyes as I continued, “Before we go any further let me tell you our names. I’m James,” There it is, I thought as a recognition, fear, and anger flashed across her blue eyes, She defiantly knows who you are, I thought before pointing to Michael, “and this is my brother Michael.” Nothing, no recognition, “and the girl who just left was Sarah.”

  “My name’s Jasmine,” she said meekly.

  Well, at least she’s telling the truth about that, I thought. “Ok Jasmine, like I said you’re safe. My friends and I have made a safe place here, lots of food, water, and protection. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”

  “Thank you,” she said as Sarah walked back in.

  “You’re welcome. Now, I think maybe you should eat, dress and get some rest. There will be plenty of time for questions tomorrow, and I want you to be rested enough to answer them.”

  “Ok,” she said taking the clothes from Sarah.

  “Michael, Sarah, let’s give Jasmine some time to get a handle on everything.” Sarah looked curiously at me but didn’t object. “We’ll see you in the morning, Jasmine.” She only nodded as she dug into the food she had been given. Once we had left the room and closed the door, I turned to Michael. “You better be ready to be awake for a while. I want you to stand guard till morning.”

  “Damn it,” he mumbled, “Fine.”

  “Good, now Sarah…”

  “Wait a second,” she interrupted, “Why do we need a guard? And why aren’t you asking her more questions before tomorrow? Wouldn’t it make sense to get all the info from her and then tell the group? And…”

  “Sarah, just hold on a second,” I said raising my hands to stop her, “I’ll tell you everything in just a second, I’ve got a few things to tell you first.”

  She frowned and crossed her arms in displeasure “What exactly do you have to tell me?”

  I sighed, “Well, you see the thing is…”

  Chapter 18

  To her credit, Sarah remained quiet while I quickly explained the situation with Jasmine. Her arms stayed crossed, and her face darkened slightly, but she stayed silent until the end. “So let me get this straight,” she said in a low whisper. “She,” she nodded towards our bedroom door, “is from Luke’s camp. She spent most of her time with George, who you killed, and she recognizes you or at least your name. You knew all of this, and you decided to keep it from both the rest of the group and me?”

  “Yeah, that about sums it up and I’m still not going to tell the others.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t want everyone poisoned against her before they even meet her. Just because she was at Luke’s and just because she was with George doesn’t mean she’s bad or that she was even with George under her own choosing. I wanted to give her a chance, and she hasn’t lied to me yet.”

  “Yet,” repeated Sarah.

  “True. And until she does lie to me, I’ll remain healthily suspicious of her. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to tell you because I’m still suspicious.”

  “Just one of the reasons?” she raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. I don’t like to lie to you Sarah, ever.”

  “Whatever,” she said skeptically.

  “Oh come on. You can see why I did it.”

  “I guess.”

  “Good. Now, I need you to help.”

  “How?”

  “You, Michael and I are the only ones who know about her, and while I have Michael watching her, he can’t watch her all the time. But you, you can be around her all the time and not have her notice.”

  “Ok. But I want you to know that I’m not happy about it.”

  “Noted,” I said rubbing her bare arms. “Now why don’t you go back to bed? You can still get a few hours of sleep.”

  “Aren’t you going back to sleep?”

  I glanced at my watch and sighed, it was close to four in the morning, and I still had some adrenaline in my veins. “No, I think I’ll stay up, for a bit at least.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Go back to bed,” I said kissing her on the forehead. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”

  She smiled, “I guess you didn’t really lie. You just forgot to tell me everything.”

  “I like the way that sounds better.”

  “Thought you might.”

  “Goodnight beautiful.”

  “Good night James,” she said as she walked towards our makeshift bed.

  I rubbed my tired eyes and laced up my boots. Throwing on a jacket, I slipped out the door and closed it quietly. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the damp smell of the very early morning and glanced up at the sky. It was a fairly clear night, the storm clouds that had dumped on us the other day were spent and had moved on. I closed my eyes and listened to the small frogs down near the stream, the clicking of the different bugs and the distant call of some nocturnal bird. I spent a lot of time just walking, checking the perimeter of the property before hopping the fence and walking off into the woods. There were dozens of trails that crisscrossed the forest, some made by elk, deer, and even a few made by my dogs, and it wasn’t hard to find one wide enough for my booted feet. I let my eyes relax to allow my night vision to increase and allowed my feet to carry me along the path. I hadn’t intended to leave the fenced area, and so I hadn’t grabbed a flashlight and was forced to rely on moonlight for guidance. Based on where I jumped the fence I was heading west, parallel to the highway. I wasn’t really worried about Walkers in the woods, not after that heavy rain. My idea regarding the Walkers continued existence is easy to grasp. They are corpses, reanimated yes, but still corpses and eventually they would decay. The rate of decay is dependent on things like temperature and weather, and with the heavy rain, it was likely that any Walkers that remained outside were not much more than mush. The biggest threat to me in the dark was tripping and twisting my ankle or finding a large, nocturnal animal that wanted to make me a snack, there were cougars and bobcats in the area. Turns out I didn’t run into animals that would want to chew on my legs, but that doesn’t mean I was alone on my trip.

  The trail curved south, up a slight incline, and I walked for quite some time. The hill steepened and I considered turning back, but I decided to finish the short climb and at least reach the top of the hill. As I crested the small hill, I found myself looking out across a decent sized field that was lit only by the moonlight. I stood there, staring into the sea of night, and let the darkness wash over me. I started to notice light movement in the field and the sounds that loud animals make, grunts and snorts. I realized, as a massive head was raised into the moonlight, that spread out before me were several elk. Most of them were still asleep, but a few were up and walking around, waiting to move out to feed.

  It was easy to see that since the human population had decreased so drastically, nature was beginning to make a severe comeback. It might have been dark, but I could tell it was a sizable heard. It wasn’t just these elk that told me that nature was taking over. When we visited town, I noticed that the bushes and flowers that were once for decoration now sprawled beyond their boundaries and that lawns had turned wild, some reaching heights of my calf. The sidewalks were even becoming overrun with weeds, and a few buildings had ivy growing on their sides. The world was alive, even if most of it was actually dead.r />
  I filed away the location of the clearing for future use and turned to walk down the hill. Making my way along the small animal path I felt something that I hadn’t expected, I felt something watching me. I froze and strained my eyes and ears for any indication of danger. I felt no fear, only certainty that I was being watched and curiosity at what it could be. I stood there for several minutes, gazing into the dark woods but could find nothing and so I slowly moved on. Walking, I kept my ears open for any sound that would stand out in the calm forest. I’m glad that I was wary of my watcher because before long I heard the gentle crack of a fallen branch being snapped and I froze, the only sound I made was my gentle breathing, the only movement was my breath as it clouded and rose above my head. Pausing for another minute or two I listened but heard nothing. I walked on, slower this time and making as little noise as possible. Whatever was stalking me, for that was exactly what it was doing, was doing a good job of keeping still when I stopped. For some reason, I still felt no fear even though I was in the midst of the game as old as time, predator and prey. The gaze left as suddenly as it had come, leaving me unharmed. I could feel that whatever was following had gotten its fill and had taken off. I shook my head and walked on, guessing that this would just have to be another one of the mysteries that I could not answer.

  Making my way back to the house and hopping the fence I took one last look around the perimeter and then headed inside. Closing the door I suddenly noticed how cold I had gotten, my hands and face were freezing, and the warmed air of the house was almost uncomfortably hot. I took off my jacket and removed my boots. Sarah was fast asleep on the couches, and as much as I would have liked to climb in next to her warm body and shock her with my cold hands, I refrained. I eased into bed and inched my way towards Sarah, my hands burning as they neared her warmth. I didn’t touch her so as not to wake her but I moved in close enough to benefit from her body heat. After a few minutes, my hands and face warmed, and I draped an arm over her. She shifted and rolled over to lie in my arms. She rested her head on my chest, and I brushed some hair out of her eyes and kissed her on the forehead. I took a deep breath and watched as her head rose along with my chest. I smiled and closed my eyes, letting the tension and any concerns bleed away.