by Adams, Taeya
The first thing she does was uses the bathroom and took bath – Dean had fixed the hot water. When she got out of the shower, a fresh pair of new clothing was on the sink. She got out, wrapping a towel around her not-so-skinny body. She goes over to the sink and wiped the foggy mirror.
She smiled a bit at her reflection. Her tan face was gaining some of its color back as well as her brown eyes. Her eyes trailed down to her somewhat popping out collar bones. Only one necklace sat there and it wasn’t her key one. She panicked for a split second and noticed that she would be going out naked. In record time, she got dress.
In jeans with a tank top and hair still wet, Forres ran out of the bed room and bumped into someone. It was Max. “Sorry. Have you seen my necklace?” She asked, super-fast. He hadn’t even processed what she had said before yelling: “Thanks,” and running down the hall to the main room.
“Uh… Welcome!” He called to her as she into the main room.
“Hey guys,” She announced. Everyone – in the room – looked over at her. “Have you seen my-,” Before she could finished, Zander held up Forres’s necklace. She let out a sign of relief. “Thank god. I was worried.”
“Yeah, I’m fixing it,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Why? Was it broken?”
“I kind of broke it to open the case,” Forres send Zander a look as he said that. He ignored that and kept on fixing the necklace. “They know. You were shaking on the floor of the bathroom.”
Forres looked at the others who were pretending not to hear it. “Oh man. I don’t remember being in a bathroom. Was it bad?”
“No, I guess not,” Bex shrugged. “Not like the other ones.”
“How often does this happen?” Thaddeus asked, looking over. “Are they seizures?”
Forres didn’t know so she was grateful when Bex answers for her: “Doctors called it that but of course they have doubts. It only happened every time she doesn’t get her medication which when we were little was pretty often with the nurses.”
“No, not with Baxter. She was always on track and there,” Sargent butted in. He dragged out all of his “s”.
“Did something happen to her?” Austin asked He noted the tone in Sargent’s voice was sad.
“She was shot in front of Forres and Oliver when they were younger,” Bex explained.
Zander perked up as well as Dean. “Oliver Thurston?”
Bex nodded, narrowing her eyes on Zander.
“How…?” Dean started then the light bulb went on. “He had cancer…,”
“Has,” Sargent corrected. “He still has it.”
Just as Sargent finished that sentence, Max came in and said, “I have finished the map!” He gave it to Felix and he put it on the table. The two groups huddled around the map, except for Eleanor and Zander, who was still working on the necklace. “From basement to the top floor of the roof,” He looked over at Forres, “Did you find your necklace?” He asked.
“Yeah, I did. Thanks for your useless help,” Forres sassed. “What’s the map for?”
“St. James,” Felix answered.
“Why?”
Felix shot her a glare for asking too many questions even though she only asked two – that was too many for Felix. “Because,” He started with a bit of annoyance in his tone. “Your case is there, Chyler’s mother might be there and so are survivors. So we need to go.”
Forres nodded, pretending not to catch the annoyance in his tone.
As they study the map, Eleanor sat next to Zander on the couch. “How did you learn to do that?”
“Do what?” He glanced over at her then back at Forres’s necklace.
“Learn to fix a necklace. I mean, I can do it but it’ll turn out horrible,” she laughed.
He smiled. “My mom taught me how to do a lot of things and one was fixing necklace because my sister would break them all the time.”
“I’m sorry,” She said.
Zander looked at her just as he finished fixing the necklace. He studied her face. Her dark blue eyes went well with her long dark red curls that were pulled back into a high ponytail. Her curls went well with her fair Native American tan skin which made Zander want to touch her face and push back a strain of hair that escaped the ponytail. She was beautiful and everyone knew that. She was someone Zander could see spending the rest of his life with her. He bits his lip but accidently blurted out, “You are very beautiful…”
Forres looked over at Bex and wiggled her brows as the group, which was gathered around the table, lowered their voices.
“I didn’t mean that,” Zander started; Eleanor raised her brow. “No, no. You are beautiful, today…You’re beautiful every day, even covered in blood…,” She tilted her head like a confused dog. “I did not mean that in a weird way even though it sounded like that…,” The group snickered at him. “Shut up!!”
Eleanor smirked at his red face. His face was as red as a tomato. “Uh…,” She laughed, blushed a bit. “You are beautiful today too.”
Zander looked at her and cocked an eye brow and said very seriously, “Does that mean I’m not beautiful any other day?”
Chapter Thirty
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 12:59 pm
“Okay so it a-go?” Felix asked later that day.
Austin was look through the binoculars from the window. He was trying to see St. James from the building they were in but there was no chance. He gave up then turns to Felix. “Sure.”
“What’s a-go?” Rayne asked, walking into the room. She stopped in her tracks and looked at them.
“Nothing,” Austin growled at her then goes into the kitchen. Most of the group was in there. All silence and barely eating.
Once Felix got in, he explained what they were doing. “We’re splitting into three teams. One group will stay here and man the fort. The second group goes and gets guns. The third gets propane tanks, food, and supplies.”
“Propane tanks?” Forres’ head tilted the side like a lost puppy.
“We are going to blow them up in front of the mental hospital with all the zombies and drive a path through to get to the entrance,” Felix stated.
Forres stood, thinking. “You didn’t think this through,” She was surprises Felix didn’t think this through well enough. “If you throw the tank close to the wall, the wall will explode and zombies will get in. What if-“
“I said that but it’s the only way in.” Felix interrupted. “We have to try.”
“It has too many flaws!” Forres exclaimed. “We can’t risk the people inside getting killed.”
Felix’s face darkened with a bit of rage. “How do we know that there are humans inside? Have you checked lately? And if there are survivors, how do you know that they are bit? How do you know they aren’t already dead as we speak, searching for a pumping heart and waiting for us. How do you know that?” Forres stayed quiet because she didn’t know. No one knew. “Please if you have a better plan, tell me and I’d be happy to do it but until then you need to follow my rules. Got it?”
Forres bit her tongue from mouthing back. She just nodded.
Felix left the room, pretty steamed.
*****
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 1:27 pm
The two groups – that was going out – stood in the hall, getting ready.
The group that was staying was Sargent, Andrew, Chyler, Rayne and Thaddeus. The group going to get the tanks consists of Forres, Max, Buzz, Jackus and Felix. The last group going for guns was Zander, Eleanor, Dean, Bex and Austin.
Forres didn’t like the idea of going with Felix because she had requested her in her group. Chyler didn’t like idea of being with Rayne either. As Forres just got on her coat, Rayne pulled her away from earshot of the groups. “Can you get me something while you’re at the store?” Rayne asked.
Even though Forres didn’t like Rayne so well, she wasn’t in the mood to get on anyone else’s back side. “Sure. What is it?”
Rayne handed a paper.
<
br /> Forres unfolded it and read the word: “Estrogen?”
Rayne shushed her in fear that someone might hear. She then pulled Forres a little bit further from the group. “It’s just over the counter pills for fertilization?”
Forres raised a brow.
“It’s hard to explain. Please just get it for me. A bunch if you can.”
Forres frowned and leaned in and whispered: “Do you plan to over dose?”
“No. I plan to take them one at a time each day. Please, Forres. Just promise me you’ll get them. A bunch of them for me please.”
Forres looked from Rayne and to the paper that had Estrogen written on it. Forres thought it must be a secret on why she needs these pills. But no matter how much she hated Rayne, she wouldn’t wish death on her. She wouldn’t wish death on her worst enemy matter of fact. Finally she said, “Fine.”
Rayne breathed out air that she was holding in. “Thank you so much! Please keep this a secret.”
“But,” Forres quickly added. “I’ll give you a bottle a month if you don’t hurt anyone. Don’t even hold a weapon…”
Rayne searched Forres’s face and saw in her brown eyes she was hurt. “You think I killed Ben. You know me. I would never hurt anyone.”
“I don’t know anyone,” Forres said. She looked down and blinked away the warm tears that were forming in her eyes. “Promise me, Rayne. Promise me, you won’t kill anyone and I’ll get you these pills.”
Rayne doesn’t try to see if Forres was crying because by her voice Rayne could tell she was. “I promise,” She said. Rayne hated to lie or break promises to Forres but she’ll do anything for the pills. Even if that means killing Forres for them.
Chapter Thirty-One
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 1:42 pm
Andrew locked the door behind them.
Instead of slowly creeping down the steps, the two groups ran down the steps. Forres let out a laugh and slipped a bit. Max caught her at the waist and got her to her feet. “Careful, princess,” The others pass them. Forres straightened herself and nodded. She goes down as he muttered: “You could’ve said thanks.”
At the bottom of the stairwell, Felix and Austin were on each side of the doors. They both looked at each other as Felix touched the door handle. Silent they counted to three together. Felix swung open the door and Austin went out. He checked both ways before yelling, “Clear” to them.
The groups filed out into the lobby of the building. “Where did they’d go?” Zander questioned as Forres thought of all the places they could have gone.
“Who cares?” Dean laughed. Forres followed a trail of blood on the floor. If this was normal – which was highly likely – Forres would get on her knees and would clean the floors spotless with a toothbrush. She followed the bread crumb trail to the elevator they had gone in before. There was blood on the doors in the forms of claws.
Do you know what I’m thinking? Forres questioned the voice in her head.
Well I am you… The voice answered. I don’t think they couldn’t have gone in there. Unless…
“Unless they are mutating…,” Forres muttered under her breath.
Austin let out a sigh. “We are burning daylight. We should hit the road.”
The groups started to pile out except for Forres and Max. Max was watching Forres because she was talking to herself. He couldn’t hear what she was saying because it was under her breath and soft. Max looks at the group that had left them alone. “Forres…,” she mustn’t have heard him. Max walked over and touched her shoulder. Forres jumpped as if he was a zombie sneaking up on her. “You okay?” He narrows his gray eyes on her.
Forres glanced at the elevator. “Oh um… Yeah. We should…,” she looked over at it again and softly adds: “go…”
“Yeah. Let’s go,” Max said. He had to pry her away from the elevator because she just kept looking at it as if it would open and something would pop out.
Nothing did.
But Forres knew something was lurking in that elevator. Rats? Possibly. But she thought it might be scarier than a few rats. Maybe dead humans…
*****
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 1:58 pm
“Where are we going?” Forres asked.
She was still in a bit of a daze and in a hurry to get back and investigate.
“Walmart,” Felix answered. His tone of voice made Forres think he was a bit annoyed with her. He was. He rolled his eyes and kept walking, looking for an unlocked car.
“How far is that?” Forres asked. She ignored the tone in Felix’s voice.
The group looked at her. “You don’t know?” Buzz frowned. Forres slowly shook her head. “Maybe five minutes to ten minutes by foot. Don’t worry. Be glad you were in a hospital for all your life. You didn’t miss much.”
“Was it bad?” She asked.
Buzz snorted. “Before or after the infection?”
Felix smiled too. “Before the infection, half the people were annoying and the other half was stupid.”
The wind picked up. The sun was shining, brightly but Forres felt no heat against her pale, tan skin even though she desperately wanted to. “It seems like you hate a lot of people,” she justified.
“I do not. I’ve hated what they became. They were the monsters under beds. It scares me how quickly they could turn on each other even without the infection,” Felix explained.
Forres looked over at him. His face has turned a bit soft but yet it was still somber. “Did you lose anyone to these monsters?”
“Are you talking about society or the dead?” He questioned.
“Yes…”
Felix looked over at her. She was looking straight ahead, not at him. He hesitated: “To society, I lost my dad. He was a cop and was on an important case. Drug Dealers murdered him. They blew up him and his partner that were on the way to the station. My mom died from a car accident. She was lawyer and made a guy go to jail. She was killed by some of the guy’s friends… My brother is just lost. I can’t find him…”
“I’m sorry…,” Forres started. “What’s your brother’s name? I could help you find him.”
Felix looked over at Forres. He wanted to hate her but it was impossible. She was that type of person who makes you like them. “Scout. Scout Hewitt.”
Forres snorted. “Hew-itt is your last name?”
“Shut up,” Felix laughed with her. He bumped her a bit. “What your last name?”
“Tanner.”
“Why that?” Buzz asked. “Did you pick that last name?”
Forres shook her head and went to shrug but she remembered why she was named Forres Tanner. “No, my foster mother did. I was found in a forest nearby, thus Forres. And I was a little tanner then the rest of the kids so Forres Tanner became my name.”
Max winced as she said that. He cursed under his breath hopping no one would see or hear him. She is…
Chapter Thirty-Two
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 2:22 pm
Bex kicked open the door of the gun store.
“Clear,” she yelled to the others after checking to see if there was any undead.
Austin goes in. His new blue t-shirt was tucked into his jeans. He had cowboy hat and boots on. “Let’s go. We’ll take a car and meet the others at Walmart.”
Zander followed. He has on a black sleeveless shirt, showing off his tattoos, with black jeans. “Let’s take two, just in case,” Austin nodded at that.
Nothing much was left in the store but they took what they could.
“What happens when the bullets are all gone?” Eleanor wondered aloud.
Bex put some guns into a bag and said, “Then we’ll improvise. We’ll use sling shots and be-be guns,” Eleanor laughed. Bex smiled and looked at Eleanor and winked at her.
“Oh?” Dean said, not really that surprised. “Looks like Bex is stealing Zander’s girl!”
Zander shot him a look.
“Shut up,” Bex barked but inside she was blushing. She did like Eleanor. She li
ked the way her dark curls were in a mess bun but the bangs clung to her forehead with sweat. She loved her thin beautiful face and her dark blue eyes. Eleanor was even curvy in everywhere Bex loved her to be.
Dean nudged Zander and nodded to Bex who was staring at Eleanor. Zander nudged Austin but as he did, Austin appears on the other side of Dean and says, “What are you guys staring at?”
Zander’s tiger eyes went wide as the guy he bumped let out a moan. Zander turned just as the zombie lunged at him.
Bex, Dean, and Eleanor pull out a gun and aimed them at the zombie who was rolling around with Zander. Austin takes a knife and steadied the zombie. He put the knife through it skull.
Zander moved his head as some zombie blood fell on his face.
Austin looked at the others who now put down their guns down. “Don’t waste your bullets. If there is only one or a few, use something without noise and a waste of bullets.”
Bex nodded, understanding but she was looking at Eleanor.
Dean snorted. “Take a picture. I’ll last longer.”
Bex shot Dean a death and before she could say anything, Eleanor jumped in, “Stop acting like children!”
Dean rolled his dark eyes and whined, “I was only joking.”
But Bex and Dean started to bicker; Zander shook his head and says, “Kids... We need to go. Let’s just go!”
No one listened to him. Bex’s jaw clenched tightly. Just as Dean’s last Australian words left his mouth, Bex tightened her fist and swung at Dean’s right eye.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Day Two: March 29th, 2020; 2:21pm
Chyler pouted siting on the couch, staring at an un-working clock.
Thaddeus sighed, understanding her boredom. “They’ll be back soon.”
Chyler crossed her arms over her chest. “How do you know that? They could be dead or undead right as we speak. Who knows?”