by A. Rosaria
“Paul, you better move away from her. You know what needs to be done.”
He didn‘t move from his sister‘s side. Crying over her, he was gone, gone in his sorrow, and weirdly Sarah knew how that felt. They all should by now. There was no one left in this world who had not lost someone they cared about. To lose a sister after having endured this much was a hard blow. She thought back about her brother, her baby brother. She glanced at Ralph. He had lost his father and mother, after they survived the initial catastrophe. They survived, only to die shortly after their reunion. She was there when it happened. And now, she was there witnessing a similar tragedy. She felt partly to blame for coming up with this stupid plan and for not being able to convince them it was a bad idea.
Four men and one woman lay dead who shouldn‘t be dead right now. There was so much death around them, surrounding them, taking every inch of the planet. It was silly that the few survivors were going after each other. Now, she saw how wrong she was in killing Anton. Bile shot up her throat with the nausea she felt. She went to her knees, puking.
Ralph rushed to her side and put a supporting arm around her. She liked this show of affection, but with everything happening around them, she felt it was too much. She just wanted to go away. Be someplace alone, even away from Ralph, no matter how much she liked him. Her only desire at the moment was to be left alone.
The shot rang out. She looked up, the taste of bile still fresh on her lips. What she saw didn‘t improve her mood. Paul held Clem‘s wrist. The gun in her hand still smoking.
“You fucking bitch, stay away from her, or I‘ll kill you.”
“Take your hand off me and we‘ll forget this ever happened.”
Don held his hands out, palms facing them as he drew closer.
“Clem, let this slide. There is no need for this. We have plenty of time, so please let him grieve.”
Clem threw an angry look at Don. “Are you taking his side now?”
“It‘s not like that. You are getting carried away. Please calm down.”
“Yeah, you better listen to your boy toy,” Paul added.
“I‘ll say it one last time!” Clem shot Don a look. “And you better stay out of this.” And back to Paul. “Don‘t make me ask again.”
“What are you going to do, kill me?”
It happened so fast it was only a blur to Sarah. One moment Paul held Clem‘s wrist, the next Clem had a blade in the man‘s chest. He looked astonished at the blade, while blood seeped through the corners of his mouth. His fingers loosened from Clem‘s hand and he fell to his knees. Clem kicked him in the chest, sending him onto his back next to his dead sister. In quick succession, Clem shot them both in the head.
Everyone stood nailed to the ground. Don‘s mouth slacked open. Ralph held Sarah tighter. The other two men stared wide-eyed at what happened. Clem holstered her gun and looked at each of them in turn.
“Listen well! He left me no choice. I had to do what I had to do.” She pointed at the dead soldiers. “This all had to happen. Don‘t let there be any more deaths today.”
She walked past Sarah on her way to the van, giving her an icy look as she pulled the door open.
“Search the bodies for anything useful. When done, we return to camp.” She got in and slammed the door shut.
Sarah realized in that moment what her future would be like if she didn‘t change the direction she was going. Now, more than ever, she was certain that she wanted to flee this all. In no way could she become this person. So detached. So ruthless.
“Please,” she whimpered for only Ralph to hear, “after this, let‘s just go, just the two of us.”
He rubbed her shoulder. This was enough for her. She didn‘t need to hear him say it. She hoped he agreed. With Ralph at her side, she was sure she wouldn‘t become like Clem. Ralph stayed with her while the others went through the soldiers‘ belongings. His not partaking was a sign he had cast this group aside. Sarah felt she could breathe easier now. Soon they would be alone again, just the two of them. She closed her eyes, not wanting to witness any more. Just for a while she didn‘t want to be in this world. She just wanted to feel his embrace and enjoy it. Not knowing how long it would last.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ralph sat in the back with Sarah, Ethan, and the other guy—Steve, he thought was his name, but he wasn‘t sure about that. He held Sarah closer. He had not let her go from the moment he dragged her down and saved her from being shot. He had been so close to losing her. No way would he leave her side again. It was clear what had happened shocked her as much as it did him. He knew Clem and Paul didn‘t like each other, but he never thought Clem would kill him. The short time he knew her, he thought better of her. How wrong he turned out to be, blindsided by her countenance and her liking him. Something must have snapped in that woman a long time ago, and the way Don clung to her was scary. Blind devotion. At first he thought it was love, but it was more like obsession. Sure she was great, had potential, but she was totally broken. A creature of this new world, all humanity drained from her. Before you knew it, the great human she appeared to be turned into a husk of instinctive, shallow, self survival and then you would be dead.
God, this day had put things into perspective for him. Joining a group just to be in a group was not the smart thing to do. He should not have been so forthcoming in joining just because he liked Brenda and Skip. A few great people didn‘t necessarily mean a great group. This group could turn out to be more dangerous than the zombies. At least with them you knew what they wanted. Clem might like him now, but that could change one day. He would be the one with a knife stuck in his chest then, and after he bled his last drop of blood, Don would laugh in joy, despite them having been the best of friends seconds before. That guy would forever be sucking up to Clem.
It wasn‘t only the dead that had changed for the worse, but also the living had, and he was no different. He looked at Sarah. She had her eyes closed. She had also changed. There was no way they would have been this close in the old world. Not everything had changed for the better. The worse had yet to come. There surely were more bad things ahead for them if they survived this ordeal. And he had to watch out for himself and Sarah, so that they would not turn into creatures who forgot who they once were, only living to survive.
Ralph was deep in thought when someone called his name. He didn‘t react immediately. It was Steve calling him, a twenty-something guy, with scruffy, shoulder-length hair, and a bad tan that made him look like an orange.
“Hey, you, yeah, you.”
The man waved his hand in front of Ralph‘s eyes. Ralph slapped the hand away, slightly annoyed at being disturbed. He wanted to be left alone. He was done with this group, and once he was back, he would leave. Only Brenda he would consider taking with him. That was if she wanted to come along. She seemed to have it together. However, she might want to leave the group after she heard what happened to Paul and Linda. They seemed to like her and he was sure that wasn‘t without reason. They probably were friends.
“So what‘s it going to be?” Steve asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you kidding me? So you didn‘t hear a thing I said?”
Ralph shook his head. Whatever it was, it couldn‘t be that important. The guy didn‘t seem the serious type. So far he had been silent and in the background, often caught gawking at Clem. Another fool enthralled by that woman.
“Are the two of you going to join us or not?”
Ralph sighed, he would rather wait before telling anyone, but he saw no harm in doing it now, as long as Steve stopped pestering him. “No.”
“No, what?”
“We are not going to join you.”
“You must be kidding me. After all we did for you guys? Paul and his sister died for your little hides. Now you say you won‘t join our group?”
“Leave him be,” Ethan said. “Can you really blame them? They are not blind like you.”
“Shut it, old man. We took care of th
ose creeps for them and paid the price.”
“Sarah warned us,” Ralph said, “and I told Clem it was not wise to attack. She decided to do it on her own and dragged us all along.”
“Now you put the blame on her? You asked us to join you, to get to the research center, to get answers.”
“Come on, Steve. That is enough,” Ethan interfered again.
“Old man, are you now siding with them? Maybe you should leave with them. We don‘t need the likes of you.”
“Maybe I will. Goddamn you fools and me for following Clem in her madness. That bastard Albert was right. He might be an asshole at times but at least he has his mind on his tongue instead of hiding his thoughts in shadows like Clem.”
“Screw you!” Steve said. “And you too, Ralph, you and your slut girlfriend.”
The only reason why Ralph didn‘t jump at Steve‘s throat was because Sarah was sleeping in his arms. It riled him the way Steve insulted her. Steve was the bitch for following someone blindly and hiding from reality. Ethan backed away from Steve; he must have read Ralph‘s intentions. Steve didn‘t. He kept on spitting out abuse after abuse. Ethan stopped trying to calm the man down. Slowly and gently, Ralph rested Sarah against a corner of the van. He shifted his weight so he could move easily.
“You and that cunt of yours will be sorry when Clem—”
Ralph propelled his body forward, fists swinging. The first one hit Steve‘s eye, the second cracked his nose, the third hit the man‘s jaws. Bloodied, Steve fell at his feet, blood oozing out of his nose and ears. Ralph grabbed him by the collar and pulled his right fist back, ready to swing.
“Stop, you‘ll kill him,” Ethan yelled.
Ralph jolted out of his frenzy, realizing Steve wasn‘t breathing. His stomach churned. Not again, he thought. All this wishing not to become a monster, to not let it get to him, and now he had killed again, and just over some words said in anger. He recoiled from Steve, pressing his back against the Van‘s wall. Steve wheezed out air and back in, and a cry escaped his bloodied mouth. Ralph sighed in relief. The man was still alive. Relaxing his shoulders, he slumped down, sitting next to a still dozing Sarah.
Steve tried to say something. His face contorted in pain. In agony, the man crawled to the opposite corner, quietly glaring at Ralph. Ethan pushed the rifle lying on the ground next to Steve away from him, but not far enough. It was then that Steve noticed the weapon. His eyes flared as he went for it. Ralph had not expected it and was too late to react. Within seconds, Steve had the rifle in his hands and Ethan was too late to grab it from him. Not taking time to aim, Steve shot and missed. He hit the spot between Ralph and Sarah. The van swerved violently and started to slow down. Steve pulled the bolt back and pushed another bullet in place. This time he aimed. Ethan went for the rifle. The next shot went out the side of the van. Ethan pulled the rifle away from Steve and hit him in the head with the stock, knocking him out cold.
“Goddamn that boy. I‘m glad you didn‘t kill him, but I sure wouldn‘t have blamed you. He certainly deserved to die for what he just did.”
The door slid open from the outside. Two angry faces looked in. Don and Clem.
Clem snarled, “What‘s going on in here?”
Seeing Steve unconscious and bloodied lying on his back, Clem cast an angry look at Ralph‘s blood-covered hands. Any kinship she had shown before was gone. A cold and calculated woman now watched him. Those accusing eyes told him that whatever might have happened, she already took him to be at fault.
Sarah woke up, wiped the drool from her mouth, and sat up. Drowsy, she looked around, her eyes growing bigger at what she saw. She looked surprised at Ralph and his bloody hands.
“What happened? I think I heard shots fired.”
He didn‘t answer her; his focus was on Clem as she stared at him. She shifted her eyes to Sarah, and a contemptuous smile appeared on her lips.
“What happened is that your boyfriend beat the crap out of a dear friend of mine. This won‘t look good on me and my group if I allow this to pass.”
“You don‘t have to worry about us,” Sarah said.
He wanted to stop her from saying it, but it was out before he could do anything about it.
“We already decided not to join your little group.”
Smiling, Clem looked from Sarah to Ralph. “You both decided this? After what happened with those soldiers, I agree you are not a fit for our close-knit group. Though if you think you can freely walk away after what just happened, you are wrong. We stick up for each other. Ain‘t that so, Don?”
Don nodded while avoiding Ralph‘s stare.
“Ain‘t that right, Ethan?”
“Steve started it. He literally asked for the beat down he got, and he was the one who went crazy with the rifle. Could have killed the both of you, so please calm down.”
“Calm down? You are telling me to calm down? You never were part of the group, were you? Always sitting by yourself, never really saying anything. Until now that is. The first chance you get you go against us.”
This couldn‘t be happening. What was her real intention? It couldn‘t possibly be because the fight with Steve. No, she was too smart to not understand what really happened. She knew Ethan was right and chose to not believe him. This was something else completely. Even Don looked confused and unsure about what was going on. Clem must have seen an opportunity and grabbed it. But an opportunity for what?
“Clem, you are wrong. I—”
She cut Ethan off by sliding the door shut. The van started and continued down the road. The three of them looked at each other, speechless. There was really nothing more to say about it. The damage had been done. They could only wait to see what would happen, and it didn‘t sit well with Ralph, and from the look from Ethan, it didn‘t sit well with him either.
Sarah huddled closer to Ralph, their sides touching. A slight shiver passed through her, and he held her closer to him. Whatever was going to happen when they reached the camp, he would do anything to protect her and get her out safely, even if he had to kill again. He would. Too many had died already because he couldn‘t save them. His mom, dad, and that sweet girl on the bus, Lauryn.
Not this time, not Sarah.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Their fates would be decided when they got to Clem‘s camp. For now, she was stuck in this van, waiting. She had no idea how far it was or how long they still had to go. She didn‘t want to ask and she felt stupid for having slept through the fight with Steve. Apparently Ralph had snapped at him for insulting her when she was asleep. It took rifle shots to stir her awake, and by the time she was fully awake, that bitch was staring at her. To think, for a fleeting moment she had been afraid Clem might come between her and Ralph, but the way Clem had accused Ralph had drawn him closer to her instead.
It felt good to admit she had feelings for him and that he felt something for her too. However good it might feel, at the moment, they were in deep shit. Sarah had no idea what would happen once they arrived at Clem‘s encampment. The woman had thrown veiled threats at them, hinting at not letting them go. Whatever she meant, it couldn‘t be good. It was clear Steve had started it, and was the one who picked up the rifle and started shooting, trying to kill Ralph. It was unfair that Steve was spared and the brunt of guilt was laid on them. The bastard. She glared at Steve. He lay motionless in the back of the van, unaware of her ill feelings for him. His jaw slacked partially open. The guy must have really angered Ralph for Ralph to hurt him.
She had heard a loud crack when she woke; it must have been when Ethan knocked Steve out. It sounded much like when Jake had hit Tommy. He had knocked him unconscious to never wake again. What if this time it was the same? What if Ethan knocked Steve into a coma? And Steve‘s jaw slacked like that, it could be broken. How much chance did he stand surviving in this world without modern medical care? Even if he regained consciousness, there was no one who could set the bone for him. His jaw might grow together, but it would end up crooked. She hoped it
was just bruised, but it was slim hope. Steve was a real mess; you could barely see him breathing.
“Ethan,” she said, “you think he‘s all right?”
Ralph shifted awkwardly. From his facial expression, she could see the same worry on his face. All the killing must have been hard on him. Who would have expected it to turn out like this, humans against humans while a real threat of total extinction existed. One would think people would stick together.
“He‘s okay, just knocked him out,” Ethan said.
“You sure? Better check on him.”
“No need to. He moved a little.”
Steve‘s hand twitched. His brain could be damaged, making his hand move involuntarily. It would turn bad for them if Steve didn‘t regain consciousness by the time they arrived at camp. Maybe there was something they could do for him, make it more comfortable for him. Whatever had happened before, maybe if they helped him he could collaborate their story. It was worth a try; at least it was the humane thing to do to take care of the wounded man.
She scooted closer. She swatted Ralph‘s hands away, which were trying to hold her back. It was cute that he tried to stop her, but she had to do this. At her touch, he shuddered. She drew back her hand. He lurched up until he was sitting and as he did, his head lulled sideways, mouth open, eyes rolled back. Sarah pushed herself back against the van‘s wall.
“Damn,” Ethan exclaimed. “Move, before he attacks.”
Shocked, she stayed glued in place, watching Ethan tackled the zombie, holding its head in a chokehold. The zombie started swinging its arms and kicking, arching its back and rocking about. Ethan cried for help. She was too slow to move. By the time she took her first step, Ralph was already upon the Zombie, putting his weight on it to hold it down by the shoulders.
As both men were fighting the zombie, the van slowed down. They must have reached the camp. There was no telling how long Ralph and Ethan could restrain it. Ralph was sweating profusely, his muscles strained, while Ethan had to endure both the weight of the zombie and that of Ralph on top. His face was reddening with exertion.