by Vale, Silas
"I was blown up after we allowed a kid to come inside the station we were in. It turned out the kid was actually a part of a small terrorist group, which I believe to be a part of a larger cell." Shaun said this all with military-like presentation.
"I killed one of the adult men, though I have no idea how many there could be. Everything about it is a mystery, besides the chemicals in the bombs they use."
Kristen crossed her arms in front of her chest and sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "A terrorist cell?" She chewed on the inside of her lip nervously. "God- you should've told me sooner. Something like that, it's…" She shook her head. "Do you have any idea where they could be located? They've obviously started targeting us, God knows why."
"The mountains, maybe?" Ais spoke up from where she was sitting on the end of the bed. "Is everybody okay?"
"No one was hurt, but a breach in the wall like that is never a good thing."
Shaun cursed; she was right. A breach in the wall meant walkers could get in, and the loud noise had probably alerted every single one within a fifty miles radius.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Shaun asked, always the first one to volunteer himself for the worst jobs.
"They've got to be in the woods somewhere. I could go out and try to find the base, and report back if I find anything." He had excluded Ais from that part; it would be dangerous, and he didn't want her getting hurt.
"Excuse me?" Aisling was not pleased about this plan at all. "There is no way you're wandering off into the woods in the condition you're in."
Kristen shook her head. "The woods here are vast. Trying to find a base of operations in them without a lead would be next to impossible." She rubbed the back of her neck. "We're going to increase the number of guards that circle around the walls looking for things just like that. Maybe if there is a next time, we'll catch them in the act and I'll get them to talk." The way she said that was just a little disconcerting.
Shaun laughed. It was a broken sort of hopeful laugh, but one all the same. "Alright. I hope that works. I'm sorry we brought this here; I hate to be such a burden on you, in more ways than one." He was referencing his tumor. Aisling didn't know that.
As she left, he closed the door, and looked down at his fully dressed body. Sighing, he pulled on socks and shoes. "I suppose that our perfect day of lazing around will have to wait, my dear." He said those last words as if they were clunky in his mouth.
"In fact, we still have a certain someone to deal with. I believe I made you a promise that we would take care of your father."
She looked up at him, and smirked somewhat as she pulled herself to her feet. She staggered a little bit, and held on to the end of the bed to keep her balance. "You think I can beat his sorry skull in without anyone noticing?" She raised an eyebrow, trying to play it off like it totally wasn't difficult for her to stand properly. "Because I'd really like to turn him into zombie chow by any means possible."
She leaned against the end of the bed and reached back to pull her hair into a ponytail, as otherwise it just went everywhere. "So why don't we get some food, head over there, and see if he's still at the hospital. Otherwise he's probably at a bar." She sighed and shook her head.
Shaun nodded solemnly, sadness creeping over his frame. He knew the feeling, watching someone you hate get everything they wanted. It was cruel; someone who had caused all the pain in the world didn't deserve to have a decent life. Her father had been at the compound for a long while, which he hated; he didn't want to think about how they had been out in the cold while that vile man had been safe within the walls.
"He'll probably still be at the hospital. I don’t think I caused any permanent damage, but his windpipe definitely won’t work as well for a few days. But yes, food sounds excellent; we definitely burned some calories last night."
"Alright." She nodded, running her fingers through the ponytail to pull out some of the knots. "Let's go eat. It's actually nice out there today." She nodded her head towards the window, and though it was still cold, the sun certainly helped to bring some warmth to everything around them.
She stretched, standing up on her tippy-toes and arching herself backwards to get any tension out of her muscles. She sighed and relaxed, walking over to the door to grab her coat and put it on as she leaned against the wall. "I want pancakes." She narrowed her eyes. "And bacon. Holy shit, do you think they'd have bacon?" This new prospect of food had certainly woken her up, as she was now bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.
Shaun laughed, the thought of bacon filling his mind once she said it aloud.
"I'm certainly in a waffle mood, but I would never turn down a few strips of bacon." He muttered, opening the door. It was, indeed, warmer outside than the previous day, though not by much. The wind had died down, which felt nice on his wounds.
"I suppose we'll have to see." He said, taking her hand and walking with her towards the cafeteria. People were filling in, and he hoped that the line wouldn't be too long.
"They're probably starving from working on the wall." He nodded towards the men who were covered in soot and gravel. "Maybe I should have told them earlier. It might have helped."
Aisling nodded somewhat and sighed. "Who knows." She shrugged, giving his hand a squeeze. "I don't think any of us could've known that they would've started trying to bomb this place, even if we had told them." She looked around the bustling cafeteria and lightly tugged his hand to lead him over to the lineup so they could get their food.
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a wait, but God did the food smell good. It seemed to be eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns. Not quite what Aisling had hoped for, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Once they got their food, Ais turned to the rest of the cafeteria and looked around. "… I think we might have a little trouble finding seats." She glanced back at Shaun.
The place was packed, to say the least. But it was breakfast time, after all, and nobody was going to skip meals in this day and age.
Shaun nodded his head, looking around the room in detestment.
"I've got an idea." He said, and pulled her along with him to the outside. It was cold, and he covered his food so it wouldn't chill as he walked her over to the hospital ward where he had been treated.
"Let's just go to my room. It'll be private." He said, leading the way. Once they stood in front of the door, he opened it, revealing an empty bed and a small table with two chairs.
"Yeah, this'll work." She looked around the room and set her plate down on the table as she moved to sit down. She grabbed one of the sausages and took a bite out of it as she leaned back in her chair. "So, other than kick the shit out of my dad, what else do you wanna do today?" She raised an eyebrow at him and glanced around the room.
"I mean, we could go back to the motel room and just hang out there, but I think it’s a good idea to take a bit of a look around this place." She looked back to him. "I got a bit of a tour, but I haven't explored much. I was a little busy yesterday, if you couldn't tell." She smirked a little bit.
Shaun laughed, looking around himself. "Yeah, I say we should explore. It's nice to know where we are." His light demeanor vanished, however, when he heard a knock at the door.
"Maybe the doctor." He said, standing up and walking over to the oaken entryway.
When he pulled open the door, however, there was someone standing there he hadn't expected to see ever again.
"Hello." Iyce whispered.
A Demon Returns
Aisling froze, her eyes locking onto the child's face. All of the awful memories from the gas station came flooding back to her in a tidal wave of emotion, and she squared her jaw as she moved to her feet and walked to the door. She put a hand on Shaun's arm protectively, looking down at the small child somewhat anxiously. "How did you find us?"
There was no more worry in her voice like last time; no kneeling, no comforting the small child. All that was left was distrust and her icy cold demeanor. She lightly tugged Shaun back a step, furr
owing her brows and holding onto his arm tightly. "And why are you here? The last time we saw you, a bomb blew up in our fucking faces."
Iyce looked up at them, inquisitive. "I didn't do it. My dad did."
Shaun looked at the kid, incredulous. He still expected them to believe that man was his father? The kid was insane. "We saw you run off. You wouldn't have left your father like that." Much to Shaun's surprise, the Iyce shook his head.
"We were told to do that. But I didn't want to leave. They sent me out into the cold to look for places to blow up. But I like you guys." He said, and much to his shock, the kid hugged onto Shaun's leg. "I don't want to go back out there. They use us for bad things." His voice was shaky, and sounded genuine.
He looked to Aisling next. "I tried to catch the truck, but I couldn't. I thought you might be trying to go to the place my parents said not to go to."
His eyes were sad. They bit into Shaun's soul in a way he didn't like.
Aisling clenched her jaw, looking down at the child nervously. She hated seeing children hurt and manipulated. It had happened to her as a child, and it pulled at her heartstrings and made her unreasonably angry. "… Can you prove to us that this isn't just another trick?" She raised an eyebrow at him, her voice pacified somewhat even though it still held the telltale hints of nervousness in it.
"Because as of right now, we don't know if this is another trick. And we can't trust you until we know it's not." She didn't let go of Shaun, but didn't take her eyes off of the child. All that she could hear in her mind was the bomb, and she was in no way going to let him get hurt like that again if she had a say in it.
Iyce looked up at her, a sort of twinkle in his eye.
"Yes. I can bring you to the compound." His voice was earnest, and Shaun could tell that those words, at least, were true.
Shaun looked to Aisling. "We need to know where that is."
Her blood ran cold. That sounded like a bad idea. Aisling bit the inside of her lip nervously as she looked up at Shaun. "It could also be deadly." She took one of his hands and gave it a squeeze. "If they're able to make bombs, I… who knows what other kinds of weapons they have at their disposal. We could be killed if we find it and get caught."
She shook her head and shifted from foot to foot. "And fuck- you're right, we really do need to know where it is, but…" She sighed, glancing to the floor. "I don't want to lose you. Especially not now."
Shaun squeezed her hand in return, and opened his mouth to speak.
"We wouldn't be the ones to go. Kristen would most likely send guards first, maybe even that asshole guard from earlier. They would be able to tell us if it's safe or not." It was a good idea, but he hated the thought of staying behind as the people went to look for the compound.
He resolved that he would try to go with them, as long as he could get Aisling to stay behind. He didn't tell her that, however.
"We need to take you to see the boss." Shaun said to Iyce, who nodded eagerly.
Hopefully, this wouldn't be a trap.
Aisling nodded slowly, and looked back down at Iyce. "Let's go do that now. Why don't you meet us out in the waiting room?" She raised an eyebrow at him and lifted a hand to her cheek to lean her head against it. "She should probably be around town somewhere." She furrowed her brows. "Maybe by the wall or the gate."
She paused, suspicion creeping back into her features. "How did you get in here?" She looked down at Iyce and furrowed her brows. "And how did you find us in here?"
Iyce's face fell, though not in the way one would expect a child's face to fall. It was a sort of… Mature sadness. His eyes darkened. "I wish you wouldn't ask so many questions."
It was then that the little kid pulled the black gloves off of his hands. If one had looked a little bit closer, just a little bit earlier, they would have noticed a small, rectangular imprint on his palm.
Once he took off the glove, it became apparent what that outline was.
It was a remote. With one large button in the center.
Aisling's blood went cold, the color draining from her face. She abruptly tugged Shaun back about halfway across the room, standing in front of him like a protective mother bear, even though she was a good six inches shorter than him and half as heavy. "Don't touch that." Her voice was level. "What is that going to do?" She studied the button with wide eyes.
She squared her jaw. "Come on, you're a kid. You don't have to be doing this kind of shit." She furrowed her brows, trying to talk him down, as she had a pretty good idea what that button would do once it was pushed. "Put that down."
Iyce laughed. It was a cold and sinister laugh, one that no child’s voice should ever bear.
"There are bombs around the entirety of the wall. This goes off, all of it comes down. And there's also bombs lacing the roof of the cafeteria. Where everyone but you is. So what will that look like?"
Shaun knew exactly what that would look like. They would be mistaken for terrorists.
Iyce’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Aisling. "What are you protecting him for? You know he only has a few weeks left at most, right?"
Shaun's blood froze.
"… What?" Aisling's heart stopped in her chest, her voice dropping in volume as the breath rushed out of her. Her chest swelled again with fury. "What the hell do you want with us? Stop trying to fuck with me." She snarled, her lip curling aggressively. "We haven't done anything wrong. We tried to help you, and you just keep trying to hurt us."
She knelt down. "What are you going to gain from this? Honestly? Why is this even worth your time?"
Iyce grinned, that same disgusting grin that had laced his face before. That grin that held all the evil in the world, wrapped up in one tiny package.
"You see, dearie, there's only one way to stay alive in this apocalypse." His voice had taken on the tone of someone much older, as if he was quoting an elder.
"Kill, or be killed."
And then he pressed the button.
When The World Ends
The rumble of an explosion shook the floor beneath their feet, and Aisling's face went dangerously pale. She stared at Iyce with wide eyes before she flew to the window. She tried to speak, but no sound came out, and she lifted her hands to her mouth in horror. Her head spun, her brain refusing to believe that this was the reality she was in.
Her knees buckled, and she clutched the windowsill to keep herself standing as she watched the resulting destruction happen outside. She couldn't even breathe, her chest constricting in on itself as the gravity of the situation slowly began to settle onto her shoulders.
A different sort of weight fell onto Shaun's shoulders; it wasn't one of sorrow, or despair, or hate. It was one of fear. They would, if not killed, be forced out into that snowy white hell once again. There wasn't a chance in hell he would be helped with his cancer. He would have to deal with it on his own, for the next few weeks max.
Shaun looked back toward Iyce, but the boy was gone.
"We have to get out of here." He said to Ais, looking toward the motel. Luckily, it was in the opposite direction of the cafeteria, so they could run to get their things and then leave.
He took her hand, and began to pull her through the hallways. "They'll kill us. They'll think we helped them set those bombs. We have to go." His voice held little room for arguing.
Aisling stumbled after him, still regaining use of her legs as they shook with terror. She squeezed Shaun's hand as if for dear life, taking sharp breaths in and out to try and keep herself together. After a moment she spurred her legs forwards to keep up with him so he wasn't just dragging her along, though she was still stumbly. One misplaced step and she was going to faceplant and break her nose.
"Where- where-" Her voice shook. "Where will we go?" She looked up at him. "There- there are no- no cities, no settlements, nothing near here, we're gonna have to g- go all the way back, I- I- I don't know if we have enough f- food and we'll have to cross the r- river again and fuck."
Shaun looked to her, con
cern lacing his pupils. "We'll take the truck." He said, all of a sudden remembering that it had been parked near the front gates. No doubt, all of the guards would have rushed to the explosion of the cafeteria to help out. Shaun himself wished he could do the same, but… They would be arrested on sight.
"Let's go." He said, hurrying across the expanse of snow that led to the motel door. Once they arrived, he threw open the door and grabbed his backpack.
He filled it with the clothes from the room, though he still had a bunch of cans from the gas station. He knew, if it became necessary, they could sleep there for the night. The generator was out of gas, but maybe they could use a bit from the truck for the night.
His mind was working in overdrive.
"Get all of the clothes you can." He said, nodding to her backpack on the floor. "We'll take the truck and leave, maybe head south. If we can get out of the snow…" He didn't continue. It was cold, but it was protection.
"O- O- Okay." She nodded and ran over to her backpack, rushing around the room to fill up as much of it as she could as fast as she could. Her hands were trembling from adrenaline, but she tried to ignore it, and once she was fully packed, she flung her backpack over her shoulder and turned back towards Shaun. "I'm ready."
She bit her lip, and after a moment quickly walked up to Shaun, cupping his cheeks gently in her hands. She pulled him down, and all at once their lips were touching.
She held it for a second or two, and then pulled away. "… I love you." She murmured, her face inches away from his. She took his hand, and just as quickly as she had been kissing him, she was pulling him out the door. "Let's go."
Those words… Shaun had not heard those words in a long, long time. His heart fluttered, and sank, all at once.
"I love you too." He had not spoken those words in a long time, either. And he meant it. He really did. He meant it with everything he had, but he couldn't. He couldn't fall so hard, just to die and leave her alone in the world. It couldn't come to that.
