Richardson quietly left without another word. Sam felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She didn’t know why she was crying, and that made her even more angry. She balled her fist and punched the wall just under the window. The pain shot through her hand as she shook it. The tears flowed freely, although she lied to herself and said they were tears of pain.
* * *
Aaron parked the truck near the front of the Home Depot. He only had the moon to give him light, but he thought he did a good parking job, considering it was his first time. He killed the engine and left the truck, knocking over a walker in the process.
He pushed his way through the horde of undead to the broken sliding glass door. It was pitch black inside. The stench of the undead was far more potent inside the old store. That would be the hardest part of gathering supplies, just pushing undead out of the way, and not vomiting from the stench.
He would have to wait until morning. He couldn’t see one foot in front of him inside.
He knew this wouldn’t be a short trip, so he came prepared. He grabbed a bag of vegetables Susan had given him, and used the open door to climb on top of the truck. He took a bite out of a tomato and pulled out a book he’d brought along. He’d read in the moonlight many times in Baltimore. It brought back memories.
While he read about the history of the former United States of America, his thoughts kept drifting to Sam.
He forced the thoughts away each time, but only for a few minutes until her lovely face popped into his mind again. He felt silly, as they ate a wonderful dinner of squash and chicken a few hours ago. They talked and laughed, and Aaron successfully dodged some nasty glances from Carrie from the other side of the cafeteria. Sam offered to knock her out, to which Aaron politely declined.
After Aaron’s family was murdered, he made sure he stayed alone. He didn’t hate people. He believed people could be great or terrible, but didn’t want to spend too much time with anyone to find out which they were. With the undead, he was safe.
Then Sam fell in his lap.
It was a strange trap. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to spend. He felt terrible leaving her behind at Lexington, but she would never understand the relationship he had with the undead. Would she?
He knew she was special. He finally had a best friend. He liked Richardson, and thought Lexington High was a great place. It was an example of the good people could do, but he knew if Sam weren’t there, he wouldn’t be either.
His thoughts constantly shifted between trying to read under the moonlight, and Sam. He took a short nap until the sun finally peeked over the horizon.
Time to get to work.
He pulled his list from his pocket and gave it a quick glance as he pushed his way into the store. Hammers, nails, wood, saws, axes, push-lawnmowers, it was quite a long list. He’d be busy for a while.
The Home Depot had been looted before over the years, before the undead mass grew too large, but there was still plenty to find. Aaron had no trouble finding everything on his list. The hard part was getting it all into the truck. He knew he knocked down a corpse that used to work there at least twenty times. There were just so many of them.
He carried two large bags of gardening soil on his shoulders and walked slowly back through the store. He knew the nutrients in the soil were long gone, but loose dirt was loose dirt. As he walked down one of the aisles less crowded with undead, he saw something that caught his eye.
It was a gas-powered generator.
It was a mid-sized model, large enough to be on wheels. He’d never used one before, but remembered his father and Uncle Frank talking about them many times, and how they wished they had one.
An idea came to mind, something he read about in an old magazine.
He smiled, then patted the shoulder of a former employee. The walker gave him a moan.
* * *
Sam sat on the front steps of the school, only a short distance from the front gate. She sat there all day, only moving to eat a quick lunch. Everyone that walked by saw her mood and wisely decided to leave her alone.
The hours passed. Sam knew the longer Aaron was gone, the less chance he had of being alive.
She fought emotions so long throughout the day that she grew numb. She sat there watching Gabe nap in a chair by the gate. He would turn every now and then and give her a nod, but knew better than to approach her.
As the sun started to set, the people of Lexington wrapped up their chores. The children vanished inside. Not many people stayed out after dark, as there just wasn’t anything to do, and deep down, people were still afraid of the dark.
Garrett and Ray walked by. Sam expected them to keep moving, but her mood took a turn for the worse when they slowed down. Garrett gave her an ugly smile.
“So your bald boyfriend stole one of my trucks?”
“He’s not my boyfriend, Garrett. And he’s coming back.”
“He’s already dead.”
Ray laughed. Garrett kept taunting her.
He gestured to himself. “You’ve had all this in front of you since you got here, and you go and make the wrong choice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Would you just get out of here? Leave me alone?”
“You won’t be able to resist me forever, beautiful. You’ll be mine one day.”
They walked away, laughing the entire time.
Later in the evening, Paul Sorenson took over for Gabe watching the gate. Sam guessed it was a nice break for Paul, instead of hanging out with chickens all day, slaughtering them for meat and taking their eggs.
Paul didn’t keep track of the gossip that floated around Lexington. Instead of sitting by the gate, he sat next to Sam.
“What are you doing out here, girl?” he asked. “Figured you’d be inside with your new friend. It’s a hell of a job he did with that library.”
“He left.”
Paul scratched his blond head. “Is that why everyone is running around here so sad today?”
“I guess so. It’s, uh, definitely got me down.”
“Hell, girl, you’re always down. Everyone here is scared to death of you.”
“Thanks, Paul.”
“Don’t mention it. Yeah, that Aaron fellow, he’s a good guy. A little strange, but I like him. He actually helped me clean up the chicken shit yesterday morning. No one ever wants to help me with that.”
“Why do you say he’s strange?”
Paul looked back at the pretty young woman, trying to find the words. “Hard to say. He’s just so…happy, I guess. I hear he lived in Baltimore?”
“Yeah.”
“Right in the middle of all the walkers?”
She nodded.
“Well, that’s fuckin’ strange. Shit, isn’t he afraid of them? Just don’t make much sense to me.”
Before Sam could say anything she heard an engine off in the distance. She’d heard the sound many times over the years, and recognized their truck.
“Unbelievable,” she whispered.
Paul didn’t see the truck until it turned into the school and stopped at the main gate. “Speak of the devil.”
Aaron waited while Paul ran forward and opened the gate for him. He drove the truck slowly next to the other one, shifting it back and forth as he crept forward. He still wasn’t comfortable driving.
Sam didn’t move an inch from the steps.
“Hey there, Aaron,” Paul called as Aaron climbed out of the truck. “You have everyone here worried sick.”
“Hi, Paul.” They shook hands. He ran a hand over his head, which was slowly growing some hair. “I just needed to get some stuff, that’s all.”
“Gabe’s pissed at you, you might want to steer clear from him. Richardson gave him a tongue-lashing for letting you leave with the truck.”
“I’m sorry. But I had to leave, and I knew Richardson would throw a fit. A little white lie never killed anyone.”
Paul slapped him on the shoulder. “You got balls, young man, I’ll give you that.�
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“I got supplies for you. Wood, nails, should be enough to rebuild that second chicken coop.”
He raised the truck door so Paul could see for himself. The older man’s jaw dropped. “Aaron, this is…wow.”
Aaron gave Paul a slap on the back and went back for the truck keys. He almost ran right into Sam. She stood there rigid with her arms crossed.
She wanted to reach out and hug him. She also wanted to slap him across the face. She compromised, and did nothing.
“Where did you run off to?” she asked, danger in her voice.
He was confused. He had planned as much as he could. He took the truck, knew he’d have to stay out overnight, knew he’d have to face Richardson when he got back. He didn’t think Sam would be mad at him.
“Getting supplies,” he said. “Things we all need.”
“You could have been killed. Why didn’t you take me with you? We go out, you see how dangerous it is, so you decide to go out by yourself?”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“And I don’t want you to get hurt. That’s why we go together. Do you see how this works? How are we supposed to look out for each other if you do stupid shit like this? I’m new at this friends thing, but I don’t think this is how it works.”
She walked away. She didn’t even look in the truck to see the many things Aaron brought back. He took a step forward to stop her, but decided against it. He’d seen Sam’s temper, and figured it was best to let her cool down.
Hell, I’m lucky she didn’t stab me with her knife.
Paul shook his head and leaned an arm on Aaron’s shoulder.
“Girlfriend mad at you?”
“We’re not a couple, but she is a woman,” Aaron said. He gestured to Sam as she disappeared around the side of the school. “I don’t get it. I know she’s had a tough life. I can’t even imagine the things she’s had to go through, and the people she’s had to deal with. But she’s pissed for not letting her come with me to get supplies? She’s mad at me for watching out for her?”
“She’s protective of you, that’s all.”
“That’s a weird way of showing it isn’t it? Getting mad and walking away?”
Paul nodded. “It’s refreshing, I think. The world has changed, damn walking corpses everywhere. I know you don’t remember any of the old world, but women were a mystery then too.”
There was a voice behind them.
“Aaron.”
They turned to see Richardson peering into the back of the truck. Aaron tried to read his face, pick up on what was going through his mind. His expression was blank.
Richardson had trouble believing what he saw. Garrett and Ray, in supply runs covering their last six months, couldn’t get as much as Aaron did in a single day.
The truck was almost completely full. Wood, tools, drums of water, blankets, clothes, soil. There was a little of everything.
“How the hell did you get all of this?”
Aaron didn’t just stop at Home Depot. He’d hit a few other places too, including a Target and a Walmart.
He was anxious to get started on his project.
“A lot of luck,” he lied.
They locked eyes. Aaron could see a spark of anger.
“Would you mind walking with me a minute?”
Shit. Here it comes.
Aaron turned to Paul as they walked away. He knew the supplies wouldn’t stay on the truck long.
“Paul, I have some things near the front covered with a blanket. That’s all my stuff, something I’m working on. Watch it for me, okay? Don’t even let anyone see it.”
Paul nodded. “Will do.”
As soon as Richardson and Aaron were away from the front gate, Richardson blew up.
* * *
Sam navigated the halls of Lexington with a candle. She didn’t see anyone at all until she made it to the cafeteria. Two people she didn’t know were sitting by themselves, enjoying a quiet conversation. She passed through the cafeteria and headed for the library.
It had been a few hours since she fought with Aaron at the front gate. She was calmer now, and felt some guilt. She couldn’t help being angry at him, but she knew she didn’t handle that very well. She needed to talk with him, clear the air.
She was surprised at what she saw in the library. It was late, so she didn’t expect to see anyone. She thought Aaron would be asleep in his bedroom that was once an office, and would take pleasure in waking him, like he always did her. Instead, he was sitting in his living area on the couch. There was a single candle on the end-table and a book in his hand. There were children gathered on the floor around him, half of them asleep. Sam recognized Nikki in the crowd.
He was reading to them.
Sam walked close enough to hear and quietly leaned against a bookshelf. She watched him for a few minutes as the children hung on his every word.
Aaron noticed her, just barely in the shadows. He flashed a smile and closed his book.
“Okay guys, let’s take a little break,” he said. “Hell, maybe we should call it a night. Your parents would kill me if they knew you were here this late.”
There were a few protests, especially from the ones that didn’t have parents. But in a few minutes the kids were ready to go. Not all of them brought candles. He motioned for Nikki. “Do you mind helping the kids get to their rooms?”
Aaron planned to give Nikki a lot of chores, maybe even bring her in on his project. He wanted to help get her mind away from her recent tragedy.
“I can do that,” she said. She leaned in close to his ear. “Samantha’s been mad at you all day. Watch yourself.”
“So I hear.”
Nikki rounded up the kids and lit a candle. The ten or so children left as a group.
Sam and Aaron were alone.
“Looks like the kids really liked that,” she said. She sat on the couch.
“Yes. Something called Harry Potter.” He took a seat in the chair. “It’s actually really good.”
There was silence. Sam thought she knew what she wanted to say, but now her mind was blank. Aaron spoke instead.
“Listen, me and you, we’re okay, right?”
“Yeah. I said my piece. I didn’t like you going without me.”
“It’s just that, you’re my best friend. So I’ll come to you before anyone else here, but I’m gonna keep you out of danger.”
Sam leaned forward and held his gaze. “Look, we’re a team. It’s sweet you want to keep me safe, but this isn’t a safe world. That’s not what I need. Next time, you take me with you. Okay?”
“Richardson already gave me the lecture.”
She laughed. “What did he say?”
“Eh, something about trust, and teamwork, how I was irresponsible. Then he offered me Garrett’s job of supply runs.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. It was pretty funny. I told him no.”
“I don’t blame him. I’ve never seen anyone get around the corpses like you.”
I should just tell her.
He pushed the thought away quickly. He never told anyone his secret. He was afraid of how they’d react. Would people push him away for being different? Would they try to study him to figure out why the undead ignored him? He didn’t think anyone at Lexington would try to hurt him, but he had learned over the years that human behavior was unpredictable.
“While I was out, I got you some stuff.”
She said nothing. She watched him get up and disappear into the darkness, in the area of his bedroom. There was some rustling around, then Aaron reappeared dragging a box behind him.
Aaron pushed the box in front of her. “Go ahead. Check it out.”
She pulled out a medicine cabinet. It looked brand new. Aaron had no trouble finding one that had never been used, still wrapped up, at Home Depot.
“We can nail that up on your wall somewhere,” he said. “I see you have that small mirror in your room. Well, this is better.”
Sa
m looked at him. She was speechless.
“There’s more in there,” he said. “Keep digging.”
She pulled out some curtains and a chess set.
“I saw your curtains were getting nasty. And the chess set’s for us. I’ll teach you to play sometime. Then we can play checkers or chess.”
She didn’t know what to say. No one had ever been so nice to her before. She knew part of that was because she kept people at a distance. She tried to keep Aaron at a distance when they first met, but that was useless now.
She really liked him. That terrified her.
“Uh, Sam?” Aaron said. She just stared at the chess set. “You alright? I mean, we don’t have to play chess if you don’t want.”
“I’m going to bed,” she announced. “Thank you for everything. Really.”
She packed up her presents and left without another word. She didn’t even bother lighting a candle. Aaron watched her go. He was too confused to say anything.
“Just remember, women are a mystery,” he reminded himself.
Chapter 11
Four days passed. Sam saw Aaron in passing, but they hadn’t spent any time together. She missed him. Aaron was learning more about Lexington, while Sam was asking people what she could do to help. In the past few days, she had helped Susan plant more seeds and pick vegetables off the vine, and helped Larry clean out the spring-house.
It was a good feeling, she discovered, earning her keep.
It was the middle of the day. Sam was working with Mary Taylor in the storeroom. They were cleaning up, moving things around, still trying to organize the supplies that Aaron had brought in.
Sam didn’t talk much. She took direction from Mary, and gave any kind of help she needed. They were dragging a mattress across the old gym floor when Mary spoke.
“So, you pretty much know Aaron Thompson better than anyone, right?”
Sam rolled her eyes. Everyone was still smitten with Aaron, even more so since his return with the supplies. The only person she knew of that hated him was Garrett.
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