When Was? (Book 2): Who Are You Acquainted With?

by Krueger, Allison

  “Your family weren’t survivors. Not like me. Not like my kid.”

  “Not all your kids were survivors.”

  John wiped his bloody mouth and nodded. “You’re right, because one of ‘em was killed by the Acquainted. The other one was assaulted by the same Acquainted, same one raped my wife. The woman you killed with a baby in her stomach.”

  Morgan spit and stared at the ceiling. “You’re going home tomorrow.”

  “That’s new- I got to you so mad you’re sendin’ me away?” John felt his face, rubbing his split lip.

  “You and Norman are both going.”

  Norman jumped up and grabbed the bars. “You let me out and I’m comin’ back to kill you.”

  Morgan looked back and rolled his eyes. “Shut the fuck up before I come in there.”

  John slowly got up and stared at him. “Why?”

  “For the same reason I show off Rachel’s tits to your people. For the same reason I made you fuck her! Watching your daddy die is gonna seriously fuck you up, and if you don’t die from the shit I’ve done to you this last month, the tuberculosis flowing through you is gonna give you one hell of a slow and painful death... Just like the brave woman and child you make fun of.”

  “Brave.” John laughed. “I find that hard to believe- unless you mean brave for bein’ with you.”

  “You are SO lucky you’re dying and got a kid to watch it happen. Because if you weren’t, you’d be skinned, burned, and hung on the fence... The same shit, that, in the end, is going to happen to your daughter. All. Because. Of you.”

  • • •

  That night, Argentina.

  Walking out of the house, Rachel saw Dutch sitting against her home, holding Jessabelle in his arms as she slept. Jeremy leaned against his father, half asleep. “Oh hey, you’re still here. Sorry, I forgot all about you.”

  “That’s quite alright.”

  “Come on in.”

  Heading inside, Dutch took Jeremy and Jessabelle to the couch and joined Rachel at the table.

  “Okay, from the start- we never spoke- why are you here?”

  “I was hoping the Tribual and Argentina could become allies.”

  “Why?”

  He put his head down and let out a laugh. Looking back at her he smirked. “Honest answers?”

  “Honest answers.”

  “Because if you aren’t our ally, you’re our enemy. There’s no in-betweens, and if you’re not our ally, we kill you.”

  Rachel jumped up and pulled out her revolver. “Excuse me?”

  “Many people have turned down partnerships and as a result many people have died. The Tribual don’t allow people to become enemies. Now, you’re either with us, or you're against us. We have enough to worry about with the Acquainted.”

  "That’s why Maligna freed you, isn’t it?”

  Dutch laughed. “No, we’re real friends. Do you think they’d risk death to free the enemy? What sense would that make?” He smiled, staring at Rachel’s revolver. “It’s like this, you have two options. You can become an ally to the Tribual, or you can become a member of the walking dead.”

  “Fuck you!”

  Rachel’s shout woke the children and they both sat up on the couch, looking back at her and their father.

  He laughed. “I’m taking that as a no then?”

  “You’re taking more than that.”

  Dutch smiled. “Morgan Williams is a powerful man. He’s a living man too by the way. I heard you slit his throat. Morgan could kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again if he wanted. But me. I, am a powerful leader. I could make the dead fight each other, Morgan knew what he was doing when he captured us.” Dutch looked at his kids, Jessabelle was crying and Jeremy was shaking. “He had me in chains. I was locked up in a closet and practically starved. Don’t make me have to hurt you.”

  Rachel laughed. “You hurt me?” She shot Dutch in the arm, causing the children to scream.

  He fell to the floor and clenched his gushing wound.

  Rachel walked over to him and aimed for his head.

  He got on his knees. “Please, no! Not in front of my babies... Please.”

  Rachel looked at him with an expressionless face. “We’ve fucked up a lot. John, he let Gordon live, and it’s possible that he’s a part of the reason why Morgan’s in our lives. We never killed Morgan when he first showed up, or the second time, or the third time... And we lost a lot. We make mistakes, and we learn from them." Rachel fired a shot into Dutch’s leg and screams filled the house.

  “I’ve been beaten, I’ve been toyed with, and I was forced to fuck my own father... Shit gets to you, man. Shit just fucking gets to you... Morgan Williams changed me. I’m not the person I used to be, I’m not taking chances.” Rachel pulled her pistol from the back of her pants, aiming it at the children while keeping her revolver on Dutch.

  “Welcome to my Argentina.”

  “NO! GOD DAMMIT, NOOO!”

  Chapter 18:

  Tubercu-licious

  The next morning, Rachel woke up to the sound of silence. Billie’s side of the bed was empty and her wheelchair was gone. “Billie?” She sat up and looked around the room. “BILLIE?”

  After a moment of crying, the door pushed open and Billie rolled in. “Hey, I’m right here, what’s the matter?” she asked, going over to the bed and climbing up.

  “I thought you left,” Rachel told her as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Why would I leave?”

  “Because of last night!”

  “No, okay, it made sense, honestly. I know you didn’t wanna do it but it had to be done. It’s nothing your dad or anybody else wouldn’t have done.” Billie wrapped her arms around her.

  Rachel rubbed her eyes. “I’m a bad person.”

  “What? No! If you sent those people packing they just would have come back. You did the right thing.”

  She sniffled. “Thank you.”

  “I’d never leave. I love you too much.”

  Rachel rubbed her eyes and smiled. “I love you too.”

  As Rachel stopped crying, she heard Morgan’s voice echoing from outside. “VROOM! VROOM! VROOM! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR BEFORE I RAM IT DOWN!”

  She threw her arms down and screamed.

  Outside the gate.

  “Rachel Fucking Miller! Open this god damn door because I swear to fuck, I will fucking tear it the fuck down!”

  Running down to the gate in her boxers and one of John’s baggy shirts, Rachel saw Morgan, standing atop a black truck. The truck had a long pole sticking from it, and tied to it, was John. He was completely naked, covered in blood, dirt, and bugs.

  Morgan grinned as he leaned against John. “Rachel, would you be a deer and open this cock sucking door?”

  John lifted his head and opened his eyes. “We’re in Argentina?”

  “Fuck yes we are!” Morgan laughed as Rachel opened the gate. “Dammit, like father like daughter, or whatever the fuck the saying is. You both look like shit... One more than the other mind you.”

  As a crowd of Argentinians gathered, Rachel walked up to the open gate and stared at Morgan.

  “Do you realize just how much shit you’re gonna be eating?” Morgan lifted his head and ran his fingers across the scabbed scar on his neck. “You’re gonna be eating so much fucking shit, that it’s not, even, funny.” He put his head down and stared her dead in the eyes. “You’ll be eating shit for breakfast, shit for lunch, shit for dinner and shit for supper! For dessert, it’ll be dark shit cake with runny shit frosting. When it's time to clean all that shit off, you’ll be having a golden shower and scrubbin’ down with a cake of shit soap! And what do you get to wash it all down with? A couple piss flavored shit-shakes... Rachel. You. Are. Fucked.”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off John.

  Jumping off the hood, Morgan stormed up to Rachel and grabbed her face. “YOU ALMOST KILLED ME! YOU SHOT ME IN THE CHEST AND YOU SLASHED MY FUCKING THROAT!” Morgan punched her in the fac
e, knocking her to the ground. “And here I am- bringing you not one, but two fucking ‘no hard feelings’ gifts!”

  Morgan walked back to the truck and climbed up. “Davey, give them Norman.”

  Pulling out his knife, Morgan cut John free, dropping him off the truck and to the ground.

  Davey drug Norman to the gate. He was naked, covered in blood, dirt, and bruises. His arms were tied behind his back, and mouth gagged.

  Rachel took the gag out and he screamed, “You’re fuckin’ dead! You hear me? I’m gonna kill every last one of you if it’s the last thing I do!”

  Morgan smiled, watching as Janey hurried down to help John. He laughed. “Now, Rachel, I believe the appropriate response would be- THANK YOU!”

  Pulling out her revolver, Rachel shot Morgan, hitting him in the leg and causing him to fall on his windshield, cracking it.

  “Sweet cock sucking fuck!” Morgan rolled off the hood and quickly climbed inside. “IF YOUR DAD WASN’T DEAD ALREADY, I SWEAR TO FUCK I’D KILL YOU FOR THAT!” He swung his pistol at the window, shattering it. “In the end of the day, if one thing doesn’t kill you, another thing will! And it’s gonna be ME! M-FUCKING-E!”

  As the truck zoomed away, Rachel cut Norman free and rushed to John. “John?” she cried, helping Janey walk him into Argentina. “What happened to you?”

  “Morgan,” he mumbled.

  Climbing up to his feet, Norman shuffled over to them and spit.

  John looked at Rachel. His eyes near red. “Rachel, I want you to run.”

  “We don’t run.”

  “Rachel, I said-”

  “If we run, then everybody we cared about died for nothing. Then Carl, and Kesler-”

  “Rachel!” John coughed up blood and looked at her. “I want you, to run.”

  Going home, Norman and John slipped on some clothes. Norman then joined Janey sat on the couch and John sat in his bed.

  Billie and Rachel both sat in John’s room, watching him as he made himself comfortable.

  “Rachel, you mind givin’ me and Billie a second?”

  “Why?”

  “Just- for a second. Please?”

  Rachel nodded and got off the bed. “Okay.”

  As Rachel left, Billie rolled up closer. “How are you?”

  John smiled as he licked the blood from his lip. “Is that a real question?” He laughed. “I guess I’m happy to be layin’ on somethin’ soft.” John stared at Billie for a minute before his smile dropped. “Don’t tell Rachel... But I am dying.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Morgan, he gave me a disease that ain’t exactly known for goin’ easy on people...

  “I wanted to thank you for being here for her. I don’t know if she told you this, but I’m pretty sure she attached herself to you so fast because of Trinity. Her last girlfriend... But I can see how much she really cares about you, I know what you two feel is real and I just- I love you so much for what you’ve done for that girl...

  “Back when I taught her how to swim, I saw this smile... It was amazing, I didn’t think it could get any bigger. Then when I taught her how to ride a bike, she fooled me and her smile was probably ten times that size.” He laughed. “But then I see her smile when she’s around you, and... It just, warms my heart. Because I know how much she cares about you, the happiness you give her... Thank you, Billie.”

  Billie teared up and blinked. “Yeah, no problem.”

  “That girl’s never had it easy. Growin’ up her parents never gave her the love she needed, they never sounded like bad parents, but they weren’t the one’s a child needed...

  “The night I found her, some stranger, ten years old, covered in blood... Little thing was killin’ infected before I was.” He smiled. “And I just made things harder on her when I was tryin’ to help. I’m the reason so much has happened to that kid, and I made things worse when I left the first time...

  “Billie, you’re a good person. You’re better. I just want you to know how much having you in her life, means to me. I’m tellin’ ya, I never seen that kid’s smile so big...” A tear ran down his face. “I know you’ve lost so much by comin’ here, but thank you for bein’ there for my daughter.”

  Billie bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah, again. No problem, John.”

  “You take good care of her for me when I’m gone... Okay kiddo?”

  She smiled as her eyes watered. “I will.”

  “Okay... Send her in here, would you?”

  Rolling out of the room after saying goodbye, Billie sent Rachel.

  “Hey, so what was that about?” she asked, walking in and sitting beside him.

  Staring at her, John grabbed her hand. “I’m so proud of you...”

  She laughed. “For what?”

  “The person you’ve become. You’re strong, smart, responsible. You helped raise Carl. You’re a leader! Hell, just a few minutes ago you scared off Morgan Williams!” He laughed. “Not a single day goes by where I haven’t been thankful for you bein’ in my life. Findin’ you gave me so much. It gave me a reason to keep pushin’ forward, it gave me Argentina, a family...”

  “It also gave you this-”

  “I did this to myself. If I was smart I woulda killed Morgan back when Maligna tricked us. I had my gun, if I used it instead of his...

  “Rachel I love you, so much. We might not have blood, but you are my daughter. And I loved every second of bein’ your father.”

  Rachel’s lip shook. “The way you’re talking right now... Kinda funny, right?”

  “Don’t make me say it.”

  She stared at John in silence for a minute before she started to cry.

  “I know how I want to do it.”

  “You’re not leaving again!”

  “I’m sorry.” John pulled out his wallet and slid it into her shirt pocket.

  Rachel pulled out her revolver and held it on her lap. “John?”

  “No- I’d never want you to do that.”

  “I don’t mean, just, for you... I mean, there's one in here for both of us.”

  He looked at her confused. “What?”

  “Right now, and we wouldn’t have to say goodbye. We could just go together.”

  John took his old revolver from Rachel and dropped it on the floor. “That’s not an option.” He kissed her head. “When the fighting’s over, when all this is said and done, you’ll be the last one standing... You’re gonna beat this world.” John slid his watch off his stump and handed it to her. “Here, somethin’ to remember me by instead of the gun.”

  Rachel sniffled as she took the watch. “This is the one Mandy got you, right?” Turning it around she read the engraving. “Partners till the end of time.”

  “It was fitting for me and her, and it’s fitting for us too. Partner.”

  Her tears ran faster. “Thank you,” she saidas she put it on.

  “Looks like it fits you pretty good! It was always tight on me, not sure why I never gave it to you sooner.”

  She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “I love you, babygirl.”

  “I love you too.”

  He put his arm around her. “...Thank you for giving my life a purpose.”

  “And thank you... For, literally everything!”

  “Send Norman and Janey in, please.”

  Wrapping her arms around him, she gave him a final hug and kiss goodbye before getting up and heading to the door.

  “Rachel?” he asked as she grabbed the knob.

  “Yeah?”

  “Give me a smile? I want my last image of you to have that beautiful smile on it.”

  Trying not to cry, Rachel wiped her eyes and smiled.

  John closed his eyes. “I love you, Rachel.” Sorry.

  “I love you too.”

  A few minutes later, Janey helped walk Norman into John’s room.

  “Hey, you ready to go?” Norman asked quietly.

  “Yeah,” he said, getting up off the bed and
sitting Carver’s revolver on the dresser.

  Janey stared at them, puzzled. “Go where?”

  “Spot I picked out.” John let out a little chuckle as he pulled a piece of paper and a pencil out from the dresser. “Funny ain’t it. Last place I see you’s gonna be where we first met.”

  Norman glanced at Janey and then out the window. “Funny ain’t the word I’d pick.”

  Twenty minutes had passed while Rachel waited for them to get out. She was worried something happened, and sent Billie in to check.

  “Billie?” Rachel cried from the table.

  Rolling out from the bed room, Billie sat a revolver and a letter down.

  “Carver’s Colt Pyth-…" Her eyes widened. “Where’s John?”

  Billie teared up and slid the note to Rachel. “It says he wanted to go beside his brother. He didn't want you to see him turn and that was the whole reason Morgan gave him back... But he says you know where that is if you have to go. He also left you something in his wallet, but it's not in there.”

  Chapter 19:

  Divine

  The next day, Rachel’s bedroom.

  A soft moan escaped her. “Fuck,” Rachel mumbled.

  “You awake yet?”

  She kept her eyes closed. “No.”

  “No?” Billie laughed as Rachel let out another moan.

  She opened her eyes. “What are you doing?”

  Billie pulled her hand out from under the sheets. “I wanted you to start the day in a good mood.” Billie kissed her and started to crawl off the bed.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I’m gonna go make breakfast.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Why?”

  “You're not finished yet,” she said with a laugh.

  Shortly after, the two got up and went to the kitchen.

  “I’m not gonna lie, you look pretty sexy in nothing but one of his shirts,” Billie said, staring at Rachel’s exposed butt as she walked to the table and sat down.

  “I know.” She poured herself and Billie a glass of water.

  “And that watch, damn girl, you keep getting hotter and hotter!”

  “Well I look the same as I always have naked, so what are you saying? You only like me for my things now?”