by Miriam Bell
“You knew I was outside your door all night,” He gives another irritating smirk, “protecting you.”
He leans in further. His fingers lightly pick up the braid laying against my chest.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought you were doing when I opened the door and saw you sleeping with Chevy.”
The comment doesn’t faze him. His fingers continue to travel down my soft braid. I step away causing the braid to drop from his grasp. The action forces his eyes to snap back up to my face.
“Clover braided your-” His question is cut short when Jay’s yell echos off the lobby walls.
“Shhhhhhit!”
The curse is almost drowned out by Clover’s booming laugh. I didn’t know she could laugh so hard.
“What the hell is your problem little girl? There are infected everywhere. You could have gotten hurt. I could’ve hurt you!”
Jay’s voice is stern but I can hear Lonnie laughing through the thin walls. I don’t think Clover is in any real danger.
“Damn it! Where is my bow?” Jay bellows.
Chevy trots out of the guy’s room and sits outside the door licking himself.
“That’s what you get!” She tries to contain her laughter. “That’s what you get for pointing an arrow at my puppy.”
Jay storms out of the room mumbling more curses.
“This is a church Jay. Stop cursing,” Bryan states calmly from the bedroom.
Noticing Connor and I across the room Jay blurts out, “Where are my weapons?”
Connor straightening his shoulders responses “That depends. What are you planning to do with them?”
He gives a threatening glare to Jay. Shaking his head, Jay steps toward us.
“Nothing. I’m not going to hurt her. What do you think I am?”
Lonnie exits the bedroom with a smiling Clover behind him. He glances back to her and laughs. He had always been a little bit of a prankster so seeing his expression only makes me want to laugh. I smile instead.
“Okay, Okay, jokes over.” Lonnie says and puts his hand on Jay’s shoulder. “Where are our weapons? We need to get on the road soon.”
He smiles at his brothers stern expression. Would it kill Jay to have a sense of humor?
Connor motions to a door near me.
“In the closet over there.”
Jay turns on a dime and marches to the closed doors, throwing them open he drops down to the floor. I hear a clutter of sounds and then he’s out of the room- weapons attached and bow in hand. I hear him talking to himself as he passes by- something about hating dogs.
Lonnie places each of his blades back to their normal resting place. He stops as he passes by Connor- leaning in to speak low. I become very still wanting to understand his words.
“Next time you take my weapons, I’ll retrieve them from your dead hands.”
All the humor in Lonnie’s voice has vanished at the remark. Connor’s eyes give off a dangerous glint.
“Next time I take your weapons, you won’t be alive to know I did.”
Lonnie to stiffens.
“Never take your weapons off in the red zone,” I recite loudly to them. “I got it. Lesson learned.”
I walk to the tension filled space.
“Lonnie, Connor is going to train me when we get back to the prison. He’s really good- took out the horde we came across all by himself, remember?”
Lonnie stares at Connor. I take note that they’re about the same height, a little different in weight and built but overall a match between them would be a fair fight. I reach out and give Lonnie a little shove.
“Next time I bug you to spar me, you better watch out, cause you’re going down.”
I smile, trying to break up the bad vibes swimming between them. He finally looks at me and gives a tentative smile.
“I can’t wait.” Lonnie remarks and then turns to leave. “Five minutes,” he calls as he passes through the doorway.
“Yeah, that was fun,” I say breathing a sigh of relief.
Four minutes later I’m walking out of the Church, saying goodbye to Bryan.
“Thanks for putting up with us,” I say to him.
“You’re welcomed to come back anytime.”
I’ve decided I like Bryan. After Lonnie and Jay had stormed out of the lobby, Bryan leaned against his bedroom door frame and whistled low.
“Anyone who threatens a man who took out a horde, needs Jesus,” he stated.
“You got any parting words of wisdom as I go?” I ask walking backwards down the church’s old brick walkway.
Bryan smiles back and says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua Chapter one verse nine.”
I give a small wave.
“See you around.”
Bryan’s worded response is captured by the wind.
As I catch up to Connor and Clover, Connor leans over to her and says, “The Bible is strong with that one.”
She chuckles.
“Maybe you should have cooked some bug potpie and made him a little green.”
He snickers back at her.
“Protein, you can not handle, I see.”
They both bust with laughter.
It’s strange to see Connor laughing- actually laughing with no cockiness, no arrogance. I stare at him a little dazed by the musical sound. The moment is cut short when he pulls out his two knives and begins searching the trees. I follow his cue and unsheath my weapons. Their weight is reassuring in my hands but no infected appear.
Connor shifts his attention from Clover to me and says, “Since you’ve begun taking lessons. Here is another. Lesson two: When threatened by Lonnie or another, keep your weapons available.”
I sigh.
“Lonnie wasn’t serious, besides you hid his weapons. What if infected had gotten in? They would be dead.”
Connor purses his lips.
“Not the point,” he bites out.
“Uh, huh,” I remark, rolling my eyes.
We continue hiking toward the vicinity of the prison, taking shortcuts through the woods when available. If anything threatening is near it stays hidden as Lonnie glares toward Connor’s nonchalant persona. The wind’s breeze cuts into my body making me thankful for grabbing the jacket yesterday. I start thinking about scavenging some gloves when we break through the tree line and view the fourteen foot metal fence surrounding the prison.
Barbed wire circles the top of the fences, protecting those inside. People speckle the opened yard, tilling the dirt, cleaning strips of clothing and talking among the rolling grass.
“Wow,” Clover breaths in amazement, then shakes her head.
In her fascination she finally appears her age. I’m relieved at the knowledge that not only will I be resting safely, but Clover as well.
“You can sleep a full week here and not be bothered,” I say.
Clover’s eyes light up as she falls in step beside me.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” She smiles up to me. “Our family lived away from any large group. I was never allowed anywhere near the town. I only had one friend besides my sister. Question,” she continues. “If y'all didn’t know about the infected, why stay inside the fence?”
I try to observe the prison from her perspective.
“Most of our community are descendants from the people who were originally locked up in this prison for their crimes. When the Country was attacked the majority of inmates fled to find their families, a few stayed making the prison their home as free men. I don’t know all the details but eventually some of the survivors from the nearby town, Zebulon, moved in.” I pause. “Life had been hard so moving into the prison seemed like the best option for survival.”
I look toward Clover. Her eyes are wide.
“I wish I knew more,” she says focusing on the massive cement fortress. “All I know is that at this moment I’m thankful.”
I watch two
small children chase after one another. One tags the fence yelling “Base!” at the top of his lungs.
“Thanks Millie,” Clover says, watching as the two boys run back to a concrete wall.
Connor speaks up. “Don’t thank her yet. Let’s make sure they let us in.”
Tension grips his shoulders as he puts his blades away in one graceful movement. I do the same when we reach the sizable prison’s gates. A guard shack stands right beyond the border. It’s cement brick walls matching the main building behind it. A dark skin man steps out from behind a solid door. I recognize him instantly. Tyrus steps up to the gate, his fingers curling around the narrow metal.
“Well,” he drags out the word as if enjoying the way the letters sound on his tongue. “What do we have here? Jay you got us some fresh meat?” His eyes narrow in on Clover. “Went and found you a little girlfriend? You gonna have to raise her up first.” Tryus smiles a cat-like grin. “Young, that one.”
For some reason, Tyrus likes to tease Jay, always has. However, Jay never responds back, never banters or argues. I believe the silence only makes the game that much more enjoyable for the veteran guard.
Lonnie speaks up ignoring most of Tyrus’ questions.
“Yeah, we came across these two in the woods back toward Meansville.”
His voice is laced with amusement when he notices Jay’s reddened cheeks.
“They helped Millie out so we decided to bring them here,” Lonnie says and looks past Tyrus into the busy prison, searching their faces.
A few of the people stop their chores to watch the commotion at the gate.
“They have some valuable information.” Jay finishes, catching Tyrus’ eyes and holding them.
Tyrus nods in understanding, deciding not to tease Jay for his still rosey cheeks. He turns toward me.
“Millie, I almost didn’t know that was you. You get a new hat?”
The question annoys me. I want to be inside the safety of the fence.
“You gonna let us in or are we gonna stand out here all day?” I ask.
“I don’t think I can let that creature in.”
Tyrus motions toward Chevy at the metal fence.
“Yeah you can. He isn’t going to do anything. He’s a puppy,” I say getting more annoyed by the minute. “Let us in, already.”
I almost stomp my foot in irritation earning Tyrus’ laugh at my expense.
“Well, now red, hold your britches. I’m waitin on Old Tom to show up. He’s always the slowest,” Tyrus replies looking out toward the tree line.
Old Tom will never show. A sharp pain bounces around in my insides as I announce, “Tom’s dead.”
Shock etches across Tyrus’ face. I imagine I hold the same expression of horror on mine. A curse escaped his mouth as he launches into action. He quickly unlatches the gate and throws it open, allowing us to step inside, between the outer and inner gates. No longer caring about Chevy, he latches the metal chain back into place once we all have passed through. With a shaky hand, Tyrus reaches for the large bell located beside the guard shack’s door.
The sounds hurt my ears as the aged metal rings out five distinct chimes. The signal for our town leader, William Herdon, to come to the gate. Chevy gives a howl with each toll. It’s like he is mourning Tom even though he never had the pleasure of licking his hand. Clover sweeps down picking him up gently. She nervously runs her hand through his thick fur to quiet him.
“Shhhhh,” she says attempting to comfort the puppy. “Everything will be alright.”
He gives a small whine in her arms. With my attention on the puppy, I don’t keep track of Tyrus. Soon, I find myself wrapped in his big arms. He is an average height man in his late thirties- toned from chopping wood. He also helps police when needed but mostly he takes turns with a few others watching at the guard shack when the scouts go out for supplies. He smells of sweat and clean cotton.
“Millie, I’m so sorry,” he murmurs. “Was it a heart attack? I always thought he would give out one day- he was too old for scouting.”
I push off of him a little, attempting to brace myself before I speak.
“No, Tyrus it wasn’t a natural death.”
My voice cracks a little at the end. Tyrus’ brows furrow in confusion.
“What happened?”
I’m saved from answering by our leader’s arrival.
“What is going on down here?” Mr. Herdon’s face is flushed when he comes to a halt in front of the inner gate- the long walk down to the guard shack causing him to be short of breath. Sweat beads on his wrinkled forehead. Mr. Herdon must have hurried out from behind the main building. He‘s older than my dad but I don’t remember by how much. His grey hair blows in the cool breeze. I’ve always liked him, ever since I was a kid. He would sometimes sneak extra blackberries to me that Susan, his wife, would pick for them along the metal fences. I loved the taste of them and would look forward to those months.
I escape further away from Tyrus and bump into Lonnie. I need to work on knowing my surroundings.
“We had trouble out in the red zone. Tom didn’t make it,” I say as my body sags under the weight of my comment. I glance into the faces of those around me and feel Lonnie’s arm circle around my body, drawing me near. I let him but realize my mistake when I look up into a pair of grey eyes.
Mr. Herdon stutters incoherent sentences at the news but quickly falls silent.
“My friends, Connor and Clover, saved my life,” I continue glancing their way.
Mr. Herdon’s gaze follows mine to the new strangers then travels to Tyrus, who is leaning up against the guard shack. Tears flow down the man’s dark skin, forcing my heart to clench.
“Don’t tell me how it happened. Not until we are behind closed doors,” Mr. Herdon says in a whisper.
Tyrus sniffs then straightens abruptly at his words. I notice the wetness on the edges of Mr. Herdon’s eyes as he tries to withhold his mourning for his oldest friend.
Clover, catching Mr. Herdon’s attention, appears young and innocent against Connor’s stern stance- his eyes still locked onto the arm around my waist.
“I wouldn’t be here without them, so I invited them to come back with me,” I remark changing my attention from Connor to Mr. Herdon’s mournful expression.
I mentally beg him to stay strong in front of the cousins. I want our leader to hold himself together, to understand, to not cause any problems. I want him to allow Connor and Clover in our home without issues and I want to go back to my small quarters and forget everything.
Before Mr. Herdon can utter a word, Connor steps forward and thrust his hand through the metal fence. Our leader peers strangely at Connor’s dirty skin but grasp his hand anyway in greeting.
“I’m Connor. This is my cousin, Clover.”
“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen someone shake hands,” Mr. Herdon replies wiping a sweaty hand on his pant’s leg.
He notices the fluffy animal cuddled in Clover’s arms.
“That’s our pet, Chevy,” Connor states as Herdon’s eyes roam over the small creature. “He’s a puppy and will be useful when he’s older. I plan to train him.”
I’m surprised by this last statement. Train him? Yeah, right.
“I’ve read how they can be handy but I’ve never witnessed it before,” Mr. Herdon replies, gaining back some of his familiar gleam.
Connor gives a slight smile.
“My cousin is also very attached to the tiny thing.”
Clover smiles a wide and endearing smile.
“Who wouldn’t be?” she chirps in a child like manner.
I blink, wondering how this could be the same girl who sliced off the legs of an infected. Connor steps closer to our distraught leader.
“Listen. I’m sorry for your loss but if you turn us away…” he lets the statement drop.
We all understand what waits in the red zone. It’s a lesson I wish I’d never asked to learn. I can tell visually when Mr. Herdon relaxes.
; “I’m sorry. It’s been such a long time since we’ve had visitors from the outside. I guess I’ve lost my manners. I’m William Herdon. I help with organizing our small community.”
Connor smiles a kind and reassuring smile at him. Who is this guy? I gawk at them both. Connor almost seems friendly. I realize Lonnie is thinking the same thing- his arm tightens around me as Mr. Herdon continues to rattle on about the prison.
Thankfully Lonnie doesn’t remark on Connor’s attitude adjustment, instead he quietly asks me, “You okay?”
I step away from him when he loosens his hold.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
I glance toward the others. Connor’s smile only brightens at my actions.
“In light of you helping out our Millie, you and your cousin are welcome to stay for however long you would like, but anyone who lives here must contribute to our community,” Mr. Herdon says wiping sweat off his aged brow. “I don’t see a problem with Chevy either.”
He crooks his head to get a better look at the puppy.
“A tame dog is rare these days,” he adds curiously.
Connor nods his head.
“Yes sir, very rare,” Connor replies as he reaches out to pet Chevy on his head.
The puppy flicks out his tongue catching the tips of Connor’s fingers.
“Clover and I would be glad to help out, you just tell us what you need.”
Seeing Connor so respectful is strange. I didn’t think he had it in him but thinking back to what he had said about being raised like a soldier, I really shouldn’t be surprised.
“Alright. Tyrus open the inner gate,” Mr. Herdon says as he straightens and directs his focus on the twins and me, “Y'all take an hour, get dressed, get something to eat, whatever you need to do and we will all meet up in the boardroom. I want to know what happened out there.”
He backs away from the swinging gate as Tryus lets our group enter onto the prison grounds.
“Connor, you and your cousin will have to come with me. I’ll show you where you will be staying while you’re with us. Be prepared to answer questions today as well.” Mr. Herdon takes a big breath and continues, “It can wait though, everything can wait til we can all sit down and discuss this.”
Lonnie interrupts our leader, “Has anybody else returned yet?”