Nikki was lying on a large sheet of plywood placed on top of two bathroom stalls. Four walkers stood underneath her, trying to shake her off. Nikki swatted at them to make them let go. One walker tried to climb up using the toilet in the stall next to her. She kicked it in the face.
“Samantha!” she said. Tears streamed from the teenager’s eyes.
The walkers were so preoccupied with Nikki they didn’t pay any attention to Sam. She shot all four without a problem. Only the last one turned just in time to see its death.
Nikki clung to Sam as she jumped down from the plywood. Nikki cried and shivered as Sam wrapped her arms around the girl. Sam looked up to see the plywood was nearly cracked in half. In another few minutes Nikki would have been dead.
She quickly pulled herself together. She looked at Sam and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They stepped out into the hallway, and almost ran right into two walkers. The corpses stumbled forward with their arms outstretched. Sam shot them both. She recognized one walker as Helen, who sometimes watched the storeroom.
Sam could have sworn she’d seen the second walker before in the Pit.
She felt the gun being pulled from the back of her jeans. Nikki let out a small scream, then fired. The walker that had been sneaking up behind them fell to the floor.
Nikki trembled as she held the gun out. Sam gently pulled it from her grip.
“Nice shot.”
She could barely speak. “Thanks.”
They went to the nearest classroom and climbed out through the window. As they rounded the corner they saw the rest of Lexington still gathered in a group in the middle of the field.
James and Eric were checking everyone for bites and wounds. Richardson and Larry kept an eye on the school, weapons ready. Mary was with the children. Sam was relieved to see Derek and Amanda with them.
She didn’t see Aaron.
Derek and Amanda ran to Nikki when they saw her. It was obvious that Derek and Nikki had been spending more time together than she realized. Sam only gave them a second to hug each other before she knelt down and looked at Amanda.
“Where’s Aaron?”
“He’s inside.”
“What?”
Derek was frustrated. “He saved us from three of those things. Then he went back inside. He keeps saving people. He won’t stay out here. Richardson keeps screaming at him.”
Sam stood up and grabbed her hair in frustration.
He’s gonna get himself killed.
She led everyone back to the group. Mary gave her a quick hug, then she marched up to Richardson.
“I’m going inside. Give me one more gun.”
Richardson hesitated. “Samantha, he’s reckless. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but you should stay away from him right now.”
“I will not stay away from him.”
She took the gun from Richardson and walked toward the front door. She was halfway there when it opened and Aaron stepped out into the early morning sun.
He looked terrible. He had his bow slung over his shoulder and the quiver on his back. His clothes were covered in thick walker blood. He had Carrie in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck. Blood poured from a wound on her leg.
Sam ran forward to help. Larry and a few others were right behind her. They took Carrie and helped her to the ground. Aaron was exhausted. Sam had to hold him to keep him from falling over.
“She wasn’t bit,” he said. “In all the confusion, she got shot.”
He dropped to one knee to catch his breath. Sam held onto him the entire time.
“James!” Richardson called. “Get over here.”
The doctor emerged from the group and checked on Carrie. He shouted orders while digging for the bullet in her leg. She screamed while holding onto Larry’s hand.
“The school is clear,” Aaron said between breaths. “You can get your tools, whatever you need.”
Richardson looked at him. “You killed every walker?”
“Well, you guys killed a few. And I’m sure Sam did. But yeah, I finished the rest of them off.”
“How?” Larry asked.
Amanda stood near the front of the group in between Derek and Nikki.
“Well, the walkers like Aaron, right?” she said.
Everyone ignored Amanda. The only one who gave her a look was Sam. Aaron locked eyes with Derek and Nikki, and they could read his face. Nikki leaned down to tell Amanda to keep his secret.
Richardson gestured to the half-open gate off in the distance. “Who was watching the gate?” he demanded. “How did this happen?”
Aaron felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He knew what happened.
While he was escorting survivors outside, and killing walkers, he recognized where some of them came from.
He motioned for Richardson to follow him. Most everyone stayed back to help Carrie. They ran inside to fetch drugs and James’ tools. Carrie would be fine.
Richardson, Sam, most of the children, and a few others followed Aaron across the field to the Pit.
Richardson let out a breath when he saw a corner of the fence covering the Pit peeled back. They heard moans as they approached, but not as many as they should have. Aaron was horrified, but not surprised.
Only five walkers were left in the Pit, just enough to make a body ladder.
“Did someone set them free?” Richardson asked.
Aaron had secured the fence after climbing out the night before, but it didn’t matter. The walker that could think watched him, copied his actions.
It’s all my fault.
“No,” he said. “They climbed out on their own.”
Richardson wiped a tear from his eye. He paced a moment, then pulled his gun and killed the five remaining walkers. The children jumped at each shot.
Larry jogged across the field.
“We just did a count,” he said. “There’s walkers all over the school, but it looks like only ten are people we know.”
Richardson lowered his head for a moment. “This is a terrible day, and this is awful news. But it could have been worse. We all worked together, and we survived. Losing ten of us, we’ll find a way to get past it.”
Larry frowned. “Eleven of us.”
He pointed at Aaron’s arm. Aaron had tried to wipe the blood off as much as possible, but now the wound was noticeable. There was a tiny amount of blood on his arm, leading to the bite wound, which was red and swollen.
“Ah, shit,” Richardson muttered, and turned his back to the group.
Everyone was silent. Sam couldn’t say anything. She saw the wound on Aaron’s arm, and instinctively backed away. She immediately felt guilty for doing so.
Nikki wiped tears from her eyes. Derek put an arm around her shoulders. Amanda was confused. She looked up at her new family.
“Does this mean Aaron will turn into a monster?”
Richardson turned back around and stared at the gun in his hands.
“Get the kids out of here,” he whispered.
The group slowly walked away. Amanda cried loudly, sobbing and calling Aaron’s name. Derek had to pick her up and carry her away. The only two who stayed behind were Sam and Richardson.
Richardson had never felt so defeated. To lose any of their number was heartbreaking, but to lose the person he hoped would take his place was overwhelming.
Sam could see the pain in Aaron’s eyes. He kept staring at his arm, then looked around at the place he now called home.
She said nothing, just kept a close eye on him.
“How do you want to do this?” Richardson asked. “I can shoot you, or give you the gun. Or do you feel more comfortable with Samantha?”
“I’ve only killed something with a gun once in my life. That was enough for me.”
“Aaron, look-”
“I’ll just leave.”
“You want to become one of those thing
s?”
“Of course I don’t. But I don’t want a bullet in the head either. I’ll be dead in an hour, maybe two. I’ll leave right now.”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron. You are one of the best bright spots to hit this place in a long time.”
Richardson looked at Sam. He expected her to say something, but she was quiet. Aaron stepped forward to give her a hug that she barely returned.
“I’ll miss you,” he whispered in her ear. He looked back at Richardson. “When you sweep the school, make sure you find that walker wearing sweatpants. I didn’t see it in there. Maybe someone else killed it. But make sure you find it.”
He turned and walked away. He waved farewell at the people he passed, and some of them broke down and cried. Even Carrie forced James to help carry her so she could get a hug goodbye.
“Sam, I know you’re hurting,” Richardson said. “But don’t you even want to say goodbye?”
She said nothing. She looked at Richardson, then back at Aaron as he left through the front gate and walked down Honeyton Road.
“Something’s not right,” she finally said.
He laughed, but it had an angry edge to it. “Tell me anything about this damn world that is right.”
* * *
Sam ran down Honeyton Road. She headed in the direction she saw Aaron walking. It was quiet on the road, away from the school. She heard birds flying overhead, but no walkers.
She ran nearly the length of the entire road. She knew if she went just four or five more houses, she would start running into walkers. She had no way of knowing where Aaron went. He could be long gone, in the woods behind the houses, for all she knew. She wanted to call his name, but knew any sound could possibly bring corpses down on top of her. There was always the possibility there were stray walkers even in the houses on Honeyton Road.
She heard a door slam, just to her left.
She turned to see Aaron leaving an abandoned house. He set his bow and quiver down and sat on the front step. He had an old bottle of whiskey he’d taken from the house.
Sam slowly walked up to him. He noticed her as he unscrewed the top, and gave her a small smile.
“My father said they used to do this back in the old west,” he said. He poured the liquor on his wound, and winced in pain. “He didn’t tell me it would hurt like hell.”
She put her hands on her hips and stood in front of him. “You’re not acting like someone with a death sentence.”
He thought the setting would be different, but it was time to be honest.
Finally, the truth.
“I’ve been bit so many times, I’ve lost count. All by accident, though. You can’t get in between a dog and food.”
“And you won’t turn?”
“Nope.” He held up his arm. “This doesn’t really feel good, but it’ll heal, and I’ll be fine.”
She nodded, not exactly the reaction he expected.
“You control the corpses, don’t you? Or something like that?”
Aaron sighed. He should have known it was only a matter of time before Sam suspected his secret.
“Or something,” he said. He patted the step next to him. “Sit down.”
She did so, and gave him her undivided attention. She looked into his eyes, the same eyes she stared at while he was deciding which move to make in checkers.
“I don’t control them,” he explained. “They just ignore me. They see me, they know I’m there, but they don’t attack me. They never have.”
She put a hand on his knee. “How?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know. I have guesses, but there’s not exactly a lab or something I can get checked out at.”
“What are your guesses?”
He lowered his head. He was about to share details of his life he’d never shared with anyone.
She saw how hard this was for him. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. He put a hand on top of hers.
“My father told me I was born right when this all started happening. They hadn’t even cut the umbilical cord yet when my mother died. Maybe that changed me somehow.”
“What’s your other guesses?”
“I might be a sign of how everyone will be. I’ve read it in history books. Life can change, depending on the environment. Maybe one day, walkers will ignore everyone.”
Aaron was quiet while Sam took everything in.
He was terrified as he waited for her. The truth was he wasn’t a courageous corpse killer. He had an easier life than most. He didn’t have to fight for survival. He wasn’t strong and brave, like Sam.
“Okay,” she said. “This means you don’t have to leave. We can go back, right now.”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“How do you think people will react? They’ll be afraid of me. They’ll hate me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m different, Sam.” He looked her up and down. “In the old world, because of your skin color, people would have thought you were a terrorist. Imagine what they’ll think when they find out about me.”
“What’s a terrorist?”
“A bad person. They used to kill people.”
“What’s that got to do with skin color?”
“Exactly. People hate for the strangest reasons.”
“No one will hate you. Don’t you see? You’re the best thing that ever happened to that place.”
Her words were flattering, but he was just too scared. Sharing his secret with Sam was one thing. Sharing it with all of Lexington was something else. He would miss everyone, especially Nikki, Derek, and Amanda. But he wasn’t ready to expose himself.
“I might go back to Baltimore,” he said. “Start over again there.”
“You were just gonna leave me behind?”
He was surprised. “No. I was gonna stay in one of these houses until nightfall, then sneak back into the library and get some things, my pictures. I would have stopped by your room.”
Sam stood up and paced in front of him. Her thoughts were going in different directions. She’d known for a while that Aaron was hiding something, but she didn’t imagine at all that he was immune to walkers in every way. She didn’t agree with Aaron’s idea of people hating him, but that was something she’d work on over time.
There was one thing she was absolutely sure of.
“Okay. We’ll stay here today. When the sun falls, we’ll sneak back, get some stuff, say goodbye to the kids. Maybe we’ll steal a truck. They’ve got six now, anyway.”
Aaron stood with her. “We?”
“Yeah, we. I’m going with you.”
“You are?”
She wouldn’t stop pacing. “So much shit going on, almost too much. Okay, let’s see-”
She stopped for a second to collect her thoughts, then paced again.
“Me and you,” she said. “I can’t believe we’re doing this here. How do I say this?”
He smiled. “Richardson thinks me and you are in love.”
She stopped. “Whoa, hold on there. Let’s not go throwing big words around. Love, no. It’s just that I can’t live without you. I need you.”
Aaron laughed. “My father would probably call that love.”
He took another step toward her and grabbed her by the arm to hold her still. She loved his closeness, and was afraid at the same time. Aaron could see it. She didn’t pull away from him.
Sam stuttered. Aaron tried to hold in laughter. Sam, always in control of every situation, couldn’t get her words out.
“I, when I thought you were dead, I fell apart,” she said. She put a hand gently on his cheek. “I can’t go through that again.”
He smiled and looked in her eyes. He put a hand on the back of her neck. Her hair was a mess, her clothes torn. Her sports bra and slim stomach were caked in dried blood. She had the beginning of a black eye forming.
She was still the most beautiful woman Aaron had ever seen.
“How do you feel ab
out me?” she asked carefully.
He leaned in and kissed her gently. It had been years since either one of them had kissed another person. Aaron pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She let out a satisfied sigh and pressed her body to him. The walkers, the dead world, everything else faded away.
They didn’t know how much time passed. Aaron finally pulled away, but only by an inch. He rested his forehead against hers as they both caught their breath. Sam let her hands float up inside his shirt and gripped his back.
“Since you won’t say it, I will,” he said. “I’m in love with you.”
She squeezed him hard and kissed him again. She cared for him so much, and now struggled with her passion. She didn’t want to come on too strong. Her entire body also ached.
“I love you too,” she said with a smile. “Happy now?”
“Yes, I am.”
Aaron noticed the blood dripping from her shoulder. He took a step back and looked at his arm. They were both beat up and bruised.
“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
She smiled and held his hand. “Yeah, we are.”
* * *
Aaron wanted nothing more than to kiss Sam for the rest of the day, but there were things they had to do. He led her to the river just behind the houses, the same river they followed returning to Lexington from Baltimore. He left her behind to wash up while he searched the nearby houses.
The houses had been picked clean long ago, but he did manage to find some useful items. He found a relatively clean sheet they could use as a towel, some shorts and shirts, and an old brush. He went back to the river and was worried when he didn’t see Sam. Then he noticed her, waist deep in the river. Her clothes were hung on a nearby tree branch, all of them.
She took a complete dip in the water for a brief moment, and came up shivering. Her back was to him, but he still couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
“Aaron? Is that you back there?”
“Uh, yes, it’s me.”
“You’ve seen me naked before.”
“Yes, but it was dark. And now there’s water, and sunlight, and, wow.”
“This water is freezing. Turn around so I can get out.”
He did so, holding out the sheet for her to grab. He kept his eyes clenched shut.
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