“We’ll share this,” he said. “We’ll sleep in a line. I won’t touch you or anything, I promise.”
She nodded. “I believe you.”
“Sleep with your feet pointing to the lake, as close as you can get.”
“Why?”
“Cause if corpses come, I want you to be close to the water. They won’t go in the water. I’ll be in between them and you.”
She said nothing, just kept an eye on him as she positioned herself near the river. Aaron lay across from her, trying not to touch her. The crackling fire was a nice lullaby, a little different than what he usually fell asleep to at night.
“So that’s your family there, in the pictures?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about them.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get to know me?”
She turned to look at him, but only saw an ear. “Well, I do now.”
Aaron smiled, and told Sam about his family, about his two aunts, uncle, and father. Sam was jealous, as she could tell he truly had enjoyed growing up. She’d spent her early years just surviving, moving from one place to the next.
He told her how they all met on the day the undead rose, and how he was born on that very same day, about how they each had shaped who he was. He rambled on until the fire nearly died, and he heard very quiet snores from Sam.
He leaned on an elbow and looked at her. He couldn’t help but smile. She looked so peaceful, and beautiful.
Sam was a strong and tough woman. Aaron knew she had a tough life, and that made her who she was. Cold and distant, only looking out for herself. They couldn’t be more opposite. But when the choice came to run, or come back for Aaron, she chose to put herself in danger.
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then put his head next to hers and fell asleep.
* * *
The stench of death pulled Aaron and Sam awake at the same time. They were both unaware that Sam had moved her head closer to Aaron, and slipped a hand under his shoulder. He helped her to her feet.
It was still night, but dawn was approaching. The fire had burned out.
Six corpses walked through the trees. Aaron quickly gathered his pictures and bow and quiver, and helped Sam take a step toward the water. Her ankle still hurt, but at least she could put more weight on it.
“They just never give up,” Sam complained.
She sucked in a breath as she sank into the cold water. She had left her shoe near the fire. Her bare foot hurt as she stepped on rocks and pebbles. She almost slipped twice. Aaron kept an arm around her waist.
They crossed the river. Aaron stole a glance at the corpses, and was angry with himself when he recognized one of them.
The corpse that used to be a cop, that Aaron first saw on 295, was there. The other corpses with him just moaned and stared at Sam, hungry for flesh, but the cop looked at the river, trying to figure out how to cross it.
“Son of a bitch,” he said. “A damn thinker.”
Sam held onto his shoulder. “A thinker? What’s that?”
He stepped away from her and nocked an arrow. He drilled the thinker between the eyes. “Let’s get going.”
They kept following the river, putting distance between them and the corpses on the other side. Sam walked on her own, but slowly; Aaron kept pace with her. The sun was up. He didn’t think they were far from Lexington.
“Aaron, what was that? What’s a thinker?”
He sighed, still angry for not seeing it earlier. He knew he’d seen the undead up close more than anyone alive, and he shouldn’t make mistakes like that.
“Some of them can think,” he explained. “I’m not saying they can sit and play a game of chess, but some of them can open doors, use tools, figure out simple shit. The other corpses will always follow a thinker, like some kind of herd. Very dangerous.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that. And I’ve seen a lot of walkers.”
“That’s ‘cause people always run from them, and not look.”
“And you don’t?”
He was quiet.
They walked for another two hours, until Sam finally saw something she recognized.
The woods cleared out to their left, and she saw the back of a house. It was a different angle than she usually saw it, but she recognized it as a house on her street.
“Aaron, we’re here.”
She broke away and checked out the backyard. Just beyond the house was Honeyton Road.
She was almost home.
“Just another ten minute walk down the road, and we’re there,” she told him, a bright smile on her face.
Aaron looked at the backyards around them. Everything was in shambles, everything deserted. Like Sam told him, he didn’t see any corpses. He could still faintly smell them, so they couldn’t be too far away. They had to get moving before they picked up her scent.
Honeyton Road didn’t run next to the river. He wondered if the people of Lexington even knew they had a fresh water source not too far away.
“And you doubted me,” he said with a laugh.
She gave him a serious look. “I won’t again.”
It was more like a twenty minute walk down the road. Aaron was tired and Sam’s ankle was killing her.
But they made it.
Chapter 8
Lexington High wasn’t hard to spot. The similar houses stopped, and gave way to a large building on the right side of the road. Aaron saw the tall fence surrounding it, and two moving trucks near the front gate. He actually heard voices, and even laughter. There was some banging, like someone was working with a hammer and nails.
Sam’s pace picked up, despite her ankle.
Aaron slowed down.
“It’s good to be back,” she said. “We’ll get some nice cold water from the spring-house, then-”
She turned to look at Aaron. He was no longer next to her, but ten feet behind her.
“Aaron? You okay?”
He didn’t move, and Sam was actually worried. She took a few steps closer to him. “What’s wrong?”
He looked past her. He had no idea what was beyond those gates, inside those walls. “Sixty people, you say?”
“Give or take, yeah.”
He was quiet, then looked Sam in the eye. “It was a mistake to come here. But I really enjoyed meeting you, and helping you get here. You have a good life, and take care of yourself.”
Sam’s jaw dropped as Aaron turned around and started walking away. He didn’t even look back.
The old Sam wouldn’t have cared. She was home and safe. She would have walked through the gates without a second thought, leaving Aaron to whatever life he wanted to live.
But the old Sam was slowly disappearing, and Aaron was part of the reason why.
“Whoa! Hold on!” She hobbled up to him and spun him around by the shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t go in there,” he said. He wiped some sweat off of his bald head.
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “I’m afraid.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “Is this another of your weird jokes?”
“It’s just a lot of people. I’ve never seen that many people in my life.”
“You were in a house, surrounded by a million walkers. You could have died at any second. And you’re afraid to be here with living people?”
“I know the undead, Sam. I know everything about them. I know nothing about this place.”
“You can’t just walk back to Baltimore. You’ll be dead before the end of the day.”
He smiled mysteriously. “You don’t know me very well.”
“Well, how can I if you just leave?”
He gave her a confused look. It almost sounded like she wanted him to stay.
“Aaron, listen. You need food and water. Stay here for a day. You don’t like it, fine, then go. You’ll barely see anyone, and I’ll watch your back.”
Aaron’s stomach growled. He was hungry. Maybe a short re
st wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “Okay.”
“Good.” She gave him a smile and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”
It was the first time she had ever offered a promise to anyone.
* * *
There was always an armed guard at the front gate, and this day was no different. Larry saw the two people approaching, and recognized their gait as human. That didn’t stop him from pointing his gun.
It was only when he recognized the beautiful woman that he relaxed.
“I don’t believe it. Samantha? Is that you?”
“It’s me, Larry.”
“Holy shit. Garrett told us you died.” He unlocked the gate.
Aaron studied everything he could, trying to keep his nerves in check. He saw people walking in and out of the school, and disappearing around the side. He actually heard children laughing somewhere. Two men were leaning against one of the trucks, just talking.
Larry gave Samantha a hug she didn’t return and looked back to Garrett and Ray.
“Hey guys!” he called. “Look who managed to not die!”
Garrett saw her and sneered. He motioned for Ray to follow, and he obeyed. Sam’s posture stiffened slightly as the large man and his sidekick approached. Aaron picked up on it. He was behind Sam until then, but he moved up to stand next to her.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I thought you were worm food back in Baltimore.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like you stuck around to see.”
“Hey, fuck you. The streets were getting rough. We called for you guys, you didn’t show up. As far as I’m concerned, you were dead.” He looked at Aaron, who hadn’t said a word. “What are you looking at? When did you start picking up strays, Samantha?”
“You leaving me doesn’t bother me. I would have left you in a second. What does bother me is you being a piece of shit. Anderson and Murphy tried to rape me, so I killed them. You pick rapists for all your runs?”
Garrett laughed, Ray joining in right behind him. That only made Sam more angry. Aaron still said nothing, and watched both Garrett and Ray closely.
“Can you blame them, Samantha? You’re a gorgeous woman, and I remember that winter outfit you had on. I would have screwed you too. Hell, you should be flattered.”
He reached out and tried to stroke her hair. She slapped his hand away. “You don’t touch me!”
Garrett reached out and grabbed her hair. “Oh, you like it rough?”
Larry felt the need to talk, but not act. He was afraid of Garrett, like everyone else. “Whoa, Garrett.”
Sam’s first instinct was to reach for her knife strapped to her leg, but she didn’t need to.
They barely saw Aaron move.
He moved fast and with purpose, like his father had taught him. A quick kick to the groin, just hard enough to make Garrett let go of Sam’s hair. He circled around and kicked Garrett in the back of the knee, bringing the larger man down to his size. Then he snaked an arm around Garrett’s throat and locked the jerk’s wrist in a hold his uncle showed him. He wrestled him to the ground easily. It was like his father told him. A man can’t do much without air.
Everyone was stunned by the display. Ray finally came back to his senses enough to reach for his holstered gun. Sam grabbed Larry’s gun from his hand and aimed it at Ray’s head.
“Ray, don’t move.”
Ray did as he was told.
Sam knew at that moment, that not only did she trust Aaron completely, but she would also fight for him.
He obviously felt the same way.
Garrett struggled underneath Aaron. “Who the fuck do you-”
Aaron choked Garrett while applying more pressure to his wrist. Garrett let out a gasp and felt his face turning red.
“Shhhhh,” Aaron whispered in his ear. He made sure only Garrett could hear him. “Just listen. If you go near Sam, if you even give her too hard of a look, I will kill you. You hear?”
“When I get up-”
Aaron squeezed harder. Just a little more pressure, and Garrett’s wrist would snap. Garrett struggled to breathe as drool fell from his mouth.
“It was a yes or no question. Leave Sam alone, or I will kill you. Now, did you hear me?”
“Yes,” he coughed.
A new voice rang out, near the old parking lot.
“Hey! That’s not how we solve problems here!”
It was Richardson. He marched toward them. People walking by in the distance stopped to see what was happening at the front gate. Aaron didn’t realize they’d attracted an audience.
Aaron let Garrett up without saying anything else. The large man rubbed his neck and wrist, not taking an eye off Aaron. He gestured for Ray, and the two walked away together.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief and gave Larry back his gun. She looked at Aaron.
“I can take care of my own fights,” she said. Then she smiled and gave him a playful punch on the arm. “But shit, that was nice.”
Aaron didn’t smile. He kept an eye on Garrett until he rounded the corner toward the back of the school. “That’s what friends do. They watch out for each other.”
That surprised her. “You, uh, want to be friends?” The thought excited her more than it should have.
“We already are friends, Sam. I don’t know when it happened, but we’re friends.”
She smiled, and realized she was actually happy.
Richardson stopped as he drew closer, then shook his head. “I should have known Baltimore couldn’t kill you.”
“I would have been dead if it wasn’t for Aaron here. Aaron Thompson, this is Richardson.”
Richardson looked at the both of them. Sam only wore one shoe, her other foot looking slightly swollen. She leaned on Aaron slightly, an act itself that surprised Richardson. Sam simply didn’t lean on anyone.
Aaron looked unassuming enough. He was lean, well-built, with a clean shaven head. The bow and arrow on the ground next to him was a little strange, but Richardson had seen weirder things.
What caught his eye about the young man was his expression. Richardson had seen many faces over the years. Most of the young generation weren’t pleasant. He understood why. Samantha was a perfect example. It was hard to be truly happy in the world of the dead. Yet Samantha’s guest carried himself in a way that told Richardson that not much bothered him.
“Staying long, young man?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Look, I don’t like Garrett either, but we can’t just go running around beating up people we don’t like.”
“He grabbed Sam. I just told him not to do that again.”
Richardson raised an eyebrow. “Sam?”
“Only he gets to call me that.”
He laughed. “Okay. Listen, Samantha, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t hold onto that teacher’s lounge. Garrett told us all you were dead. So it’s already been taken.”
Sam didn’t care. She was just happy to be home. She looked forward to collapsing on her own mattress. “That’s okay. As long as I still got my old room.”
He frowned.
“Oh no,” Sam said. “Tell me you didn’t give my room away.”
“No, no one claimed the room. It’s just that-”
Sam knew how things worked. “They took my stuff.”
“I’m sorry. You know how it is. Someone leaves or dies, we’re lucky if I can even get their things to the storeroom before people take them.”
She started hobbling away. She turned around while still trying to keep moving. “I’ve gotta go check my room. Aaron, just stay with Richardson. Don’t leave, okay? We’ll meet up later.”
Aaron laughed to himself. So much for watching my back.
Richardson looked the newcomer up and down while Sam disappeared inside the school. He had never seen Sam take to anyone, ever, and he had known her since her late teens. What was it about this young man that made him so special?
“So, you want a tour of the place?”
&
nbsp; Aaron shrugged. “Sure.”
* * *
Richardson spent the rest of the day walking with Aaron around Lexington. Aaron hoped it didn’t show, but he wasn’t just impressed with Richardson and what they’d accomplished, he was amazed.
The entire high school and the athletic fields, as well as the parking lot, was surrounded by a strong fence. Richardson explained that, sadly, it was put up before the world ended. That was the sorry state of public schools during the time. Richardson had lived there since the beginning. Since that time, they dug up an underground stream and built a spring-house over it. They put together coops for the chickens they kept for meat and eggs, along with a ten foot high smokehouse to preserve meat and fish. They’d gathered portable bathrooms and lined them up when the plumbing stopped working. There was a forge in the parking lot for some simple metal work, along with a large sundial. Aaron watched as a woman walked through a massive vegetable garden, examining the crops.
The people worked hard, and Aaron even received a few simple hellos as he passed by with Richardson. Some of the ladies gave him looks he wasn’t used to.
Lexington seemed nothing short of a miracle.
The halls of Lexington were very efficient. As Richardson showed him the storeroom, he could see people lived in the old classrooms. They had the makings of a simple community, which Aaron had only read about in books.
Richardson took him to the garden, where a nice old woman named Susan Lively gave them each a fresh tomato right off the vine. It tasted great.
“Let me show you our last stop,” Richardson said. “Not our most popular place, but you’d better know it’s there.”
They walked to the back of the old athletic fields, far away from everything else. Aaron saw a hole in the ground, and was surprised to hear the familiar wails of the undead.
The hole was twelve feet deep, completely open, with enough room for about fifteen walkers. They perked up and reached for Richardson when they saw him.
Dead Living Page 11
