'We want to go too,' Marcel chimed in. I liked Marcel, he was a mixed-race lad in his mid-twenties, his bald head glistened under the lights in the cafeteria. His dark, almost black eyes shone with joy. His younger brother Lex, was a few years younger than him, only difference between them was that Lex had long black plaited hair.
'We would be happy to have you,' I smiled and the others agreed. Just then a young boy, barely fifteen in age came walking through the doors. I'd met him in the battle, I couldn't really get a read off him. He didn't seem as warm and kind as the rest of Ester's people, but I didn't feel anything bad about him either. He was a tall boy, with shoulder length curly black hair, dark blue eyes and pale skin. He walked over to the table and for a moment my gaze turned to Frankie, her face went whiter than white, it was like she'd seen a ghost. 'I'd like to come as well, I'm good out there. There's no one I've met better at using the crossbow than me, and I know how to handle myself,' he said confidently.
'What do you think Easter?' I asked.
'The lad is right, he'd be a great addition to your group,' she replied.
'Alright then, welcome aboard,' I smiled.
'Thank you, you have no idea what this will do for my people. I will give you whatever aid I can,' Ester looked more relaxed than I had seen her since our arrival. 'I would advise not giving the vaccine to all of your people at once, it will cause them to have spasms which will appear as if they are turning. They will need to be strapped down so they don't harm themselves,' I told Ester.
'Thank you for the warning,' Ester replied happily. After we had successfully treated all of her people she came to us and offered what spare food and medical supplies they had, we were so grateful as this would go a long way to helping us survive on the road. We now had fifteen people in our group, it meant more people to feed but it also meant more people to watch our backs.
'Any chance we can use your TV room?' Frankie asked Ester.
'Normally we don't use it, but I think we can make an exception for you,' Ester smiled.
'Awesome,' Finn said excitedly. Frankie, Jensen, Finn, Delilah and Rowena all went off to watch some old TV show, I smiled thinking that I was glad they got to just relax for the evening. We thanked Ester for all her help, we had gained much more from her and her people than we thought we would. I sat down with the others to decided where we'd head to next, I knew where we needed to go in order to have any hope find people but I waited for the others to come to the same conclusion before saying anything.
'I'm thinking we need to head towards Manchester,' Tessa told us.
'I think your right, though I don't like the idea of going into a big city,' Brooke replied.
'I know how you feel, but most of the surrounding areas have been burned down,' I answered sadly.
'There's a reservoir in Audenshaw we could camp at,' Dom piped up.
'Audenshaw was one of the places that had been almost completely burned down during the initial bombings,' I informed them.
'Do you want me to go and tell the others our plan?' Tessa asked.
'No, let them be. They deserve to enjoy this time,' I smiled.
'I think I might go and join them after I've put this little one to bed,' Dom said happily. 'I'm not tired Dom,' Violet told him loudly.
'Yes well, we'll be going on a long journey soon and you need all the rest you can get,' he answered strongly.
'Fine,' she huffed.
I couldn't help but laugh, it was those tiny, happy moments that kept us going, kept us safe, I thought smiling. Dom took Violet to bed while I told the others that we'd stay another night before heading out, they gladly agreed. We chose not ask Ester for any cars as we could see that they had very few. While our journey would be long, we needed others to survive so that we could eventually rebuild.
I went into my room to count up what supplies we had, now we'd been given plenty, I smiled to myself thinking how lucky we'd been to find these people. A short while later, Frankie popped in for a visit, I'd not seen too much of her since being here.
'Hey, everything alright in here?' She asked smiling.
'Yeah, just packing the extra supplies Ester gave us,' I replied happily.
'You know I think this is the first time in a while that we haven't had to worry about food or medication,' Frankie said joyfully.
'I know what you mean, I noticed that you and Jensen sorted things out. What was wrong him?'
I stood there laughing as Frankie told me what was wrong with him, I couldn't believe Jensen could be so daft. I knew she wasn't stupid and was responsible, she too thought he was an idiot.
'For such a bright lad, he can be a complete twat sometimes,' I said laughing.
'I know, but at least we're okay now and he's promised to stop being so overprotective.'
'At least that's something,' I laughed.
'How are we doing on medical supplies anyway?' She asked feeling cheerful.
'Really good, we've got plenty of bandages, antibiotics, strong painkillers and stitching materials just in case.'
'Seems like we have everything we need.'
'We're as ready as we'll ever be.' I told her cheerfully. It felt nice to see everyone in such high spirits, we had saved these people from the biggest threat out there and they wanted to throw us a party. I had insisted that there was no need but Ester had persisted on it, we headed down to the cafeteria to find large banners had been put up and balloons on the ceilings. I sat between Rowena and Finn as we waited for the others to come in, everyone sat smiling and laughing.
While we had not done this for a reward it certainly felt good receive one, Violet was enjoying playing with the other little kids, Brooke was happy to be somewhere peaceful, Dom was still the same jolly man he always was. Tessa seemed more normal than she had in a long time, I hoped that she finally dealt with her dads death. Rowena seemed to fit in well with the new people and took the time to try and get to know them.
'She's got you wrapped around her finger,' I said to Dom.
'As soon as I heard about the party I couldn't let her miss out on it,' he replied laughing.
'Quiet everyone,' shouted Ester.
The whole room fell silent upon her voice. 'First of all I wanted to say thank you to everyone who did their part in the battle against the dead. We had no deaths and minimal injury, not to mention we struck a blow against the dead!' She said with strength and joy in her voice.
The whole room cheered for a moment before Ester quietened them down again. 'The biggest thank you of all goes to Jade and her group, they've given us something we never thought possible. Hope, for the future! Because of these brave people we have a chance to help save the country, maybe even the world,' her hearty yet feathery voice could both command and comfort her people.
She was a leader to whom I was in awe of, if she had not been the commander of these people I would of asked for her assistance in our mission. For such a small woman she could hold her own not only that, she also inspired the kind of confidence and loyalty in people that was rare nowadays. I felt encouraged by this woman in the same way that I did by my family, I saw something in her that I had not seen in a long time.
If we ever became a large enough group like this one, I would see it again. I saw a person leading a group not by fear or malice, but by loyalty and compassion. Ester had the ability that few leaders did, she was stern and hard when she needed to be but, also kind and caring to her people.
Frankie stood up and took a bow as once again the room erupted in a cheer, at that moment I felt more proud than I ever had before. While it was Morgan who made the vaccine and Tessa who had been our guinea pig, it was my Frankie who had gotten us this far. She rescued us from not only the dead and the cannibal's, but also from ourselves. We all would have given up if not for her strength, compassion and her patience for us all.
'I've been waiting for the right occasion to give you all this, and I think now is the time,' Ester said happily. She pulled a thick red quilt off a big pile of boxes r
evealing copious amounts of alcohol. Fuck me, it had been a long time since I'd seen that much booze. There was everything from Wine to Vodka, to one of the most expensive single malt Whiskey's I had ever seen.
'Holy crap, where you been hiding those Ester?' Asked one of the men from her group. 'Ha ha, wanted to make sure you didn't get your grubby hands on it Terry,' she laughed. A few of the older residents opted to take care of the kids while the rest of us celebrated, we said goodnight to Violet who was told to behave. We laughed as Dom took her to the nursery, none of us had high tolerances to alcohol so we decided to go easy. Ester had one request before we opened the booze though.
'I'd like to speak to the woman responsible for the vaccine and personally thank her,' she told us pleasantly.
'That's not up to me, you'll have to speak to Finn after all it's his mother,' I replied.
'I'll do that, be right back.'
We sat waiting for Ester's return while other members of her group came and thanked us, Frankie glowed with pride as each person came to speak with her.
'It's not just me, I couldn't have done it without my family behind me,' she told them graciously. That was Frankie for you, she always shared the praise and glory. We opened the alcohol and shared it with the others while we watched Ester talk with Morgan on Finn's radio, her beaming smile was all the thanks we needed. We had no music to dance to but we made our own games, Frankie sat with Finn, Jensen and Tessa playing cards though she was losing badly.
I sat with Ester, Eli and some of the others from the hospital talking about the plans for the future. Rowena was with Kyle and Dom, they were talking about their lives from before the outbreak. I tried to listen to what Kyle was saying but I couldn't hear well over the noise, despite not having any feelings towards him before, something in my gut now told me that he couldn't be trusted.
Before long it was time to head off to bed, it was going to be a long day tomorrow and I for one didn't want to start the day off being hungover. I staggered to my room, I just about remembered where it was.
I lay down on my bed smiling, thinking about how good today had been. If only everyday could be like this one, I thought sadly. I took off my clothes and dumped them on the floor, feeling a little dizzy. I settled down on the bed to get some sleep, hoping that I wouldn't be too hungover tomorrow.
Chapter 18
Frankie
I staggered drunkenly to bed, I'd not drank like that in years. Even when we were on our way to Scotland and we'd got drunk at the church, I hadn't drank this much.
'I'm off to bed,' I told everyone.
'I'll be up soon baby,' Jensen replied kissing me.
'Night!' Called my family, and some of Ester's people.
I was half asleep when I heard Jensen come in, I was too drunk for any amorous activities but a cuddle wouldn't go amiss.
'Hey babe, you coming to bed?' I asked with slurred words.
He said nothing but climbed into bed next to me and put his arms round me, I could feel his hand sliding up waist reaching for my chest.
'Not tonight, I'm a little too drunk,' I said slurring my words again.
He ignored my words and carried on, I turned over to find that it wasn't Jensen next to me, it was Kyle!
'What the fuck!' I shouted. I'd recognized him when I first saw him, but couldn't think where I knew him from. I couldn't explain it, but there was something not right about him. He was too quiet, he often just sat, watching everyone. Almost like he was observing us, to find our weaknesses, I shook my head thinking that the alcohol was just making me paranoid.
He jumped off the bed looking shocked, I hoped that he had simply got the wrong bed.
'I'm sorry, I got the wrong room,' he stammered apologetically.
'Get out!' I told him angrily.
'I'm really sorry,' he said as he half ran out the room. I decided not to tell Jensen about the incident because I didn't want him to do something stupid, not only that Kyle had been drunk and it was probably just a harmless mistake. Jensen came to bed a short while later, I made sure it was him before opening my bed to him.
I let that stupid incident with Kyle fade from my mind, as I fell asleep in my fiancée's arms. I woke up in the morning feeling a little worse for wear, but not too bad considering. I was relieved to see Jensen fast asleep next to me, I decided to let him sleep as he'd been up longer than me and no doubt had more to drink. I went to check on everyone else, Dom was sat up on his bed looking rather ill.
'You alright there Dom?' I asked trying not to laugh.
'Remind me never to mix Vodka with Whiskey again,' he moaned sounding like he was going to be sick.
'I'll remember that, I'm going to check on the others. You should eat and go back to bed for a bit,' I replied laughing at him again.
I wandered down to Rowena's room, she seemed to fare better than Dom. She smiled at me as I poked my head round, she looked better than I felt.
'You look rough,' she said smiling.
'I feel it, you don't look bad though,' I replied trying to muster up some form of enthusiasm.
'Yeah, back when me and Daniel used to live with that group outside Leeds they used to have parties a lot, so we got used to drinking like that,' she laughed.
'Either they were really stupid or really safe,' I replied trying to smile without puking.
'Ha ha, I think a little of both.'
'Have you seen your mum?' I asked.
'I think I heard her go to the canteen a while ago.'
'Thanks, I'm going to check on everyone else then head down to the food hall. Would you mind telling Jensen where I am when he gets up?' I asked her softly.
'Sure no problem,' she smiled.
Tessa was still asleep when I checked on her, Violet was already down in the cafeteria, Brooke was in the bathroom throwing up, while Finn seemed to be doing better than most of us.
'You heading to the lunch room?' He asked happily.
'Yeah, you coming?'
'Sure, I'm starving.'
How on earth he wasn't hungover I didn't know, he'd had a lot to drink last night.
'Your awfully cheerful this morning.'
'Ha ha, yeah I guess I am. You guys all look rough as hell,' he replied happily. 'How are you not rough, you drank loads?' I asked him enviously.
'I made sure to eat plenty before drinking, and I downed a load of water before bed,' he said sounding smug.
'Hey don't go getting all smarmy on me, I can still kick your ass,' I told jokingly.
'Not in your current state you couldn't.'
I tried to take swipe at him but he moved too quickly for me.
'Ha ha, looks like your getting old,' he mocked.
'Cheeky shit, just you wait,' I told him playfully.
We got to the canteen to find Jade and those who were coming with us, plus Ester sat talking.
'You look rough as hell Missy,' Eli said trying not to laugh.
'Don't you give me a hard time, this one's been doing enough of that,' I replied jokingly pointing at Finn.
They all sat trying to hide their smiles, bastards, I thought feeling slightly annoyed.
'So when are we heading out?' I asked seriously.
'Noon, have you got everything packed?' Jade asked me.
'Yeah, I just need a good meal in me and a hot shower first,' I replied tiredly.
'Well go and get the others, as soon as everyone is ready we can get going.'
'I'm on it.' I went back down to our rooms to get the others, almost everyone had woken up and sorted themselves out. It was only Jensen that remained asleep, he looked so darn cute when he was fast asleep. His long ginger hair covering one side of his face, his pale face peaceful and youthful with no trace of the agony or pain we'd lived through. I hated having to wake him but it had to be done. I bent down to kiss his lips and move his hair, he was only pretending to be asleep as he kissed me back and pulled me on the bed.
'Morning sleepy head,' I said lovingly as I held him.
'You
look a bit rough,' he replied sympathetically.
'Oh don't you start too,' I moaned.
'Ha ha, well you shouldn't get so drunk should you,' he mocked.
I gave him a little jab in the chest, to which he sat and looked at me with those bloody puppy dog eyes.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' I apologised, kissing him. We went to the shower room to find it empty, Jensen locked the door while I got undressed. There were towels already in here for us, this would probably be the last time we would be able to enjoy not only showering but being alone like this.
'You know, I quite like you with a bit more meat on,' he told me teasingly.
'Are you trying to say I'm getting fat?' I replied winding him up.
'Not at all. As if I would ever say something like that,' he pretended to be all offended.
'Come on, we need to shower,' I said trying to focus.
Suffice to say we got a little distracted and found ourselves still in the shower almost an hour later when Jade knocked on the door.
'Sorry, we're almost finished,' I called trying not to laugh.
Jensen kissed me neck trying to get me all worked up again.
'Come on you, we need to hurry,' I told him as I tried to resist his kisses.
'What's a few more minutes?' He argued.
'Behave yourself,' I replied moving out of his reach. We finished up and dried off, fifteen minutes later we were in the canteen with our bags eating lunch. Jade gave us a playful yet scolding look but didn't say anything, Finn and Dom just smiled at us whereas the rest of the group seemed oblivious.
This was going to be the last home cooked meal for a while, I wanted to savour it.
Even though it was only pasta and chips I still savoured every bite, before long it was time to go. We said our goodbyes to everyone at the gate then set off on our journey, I would surely miss having a comfy bed and and hot food to eat. I was thankful that the sun was shining and the weather was warm today, I could only hope that the weather would prove to be a sign of good fortune.
'I know it's out of the way, but could we make a stop first?' I asked as we walked down Mossley Road.
Jensen looked at me, he knew what I was asking.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 17
