A World Fallen

by Carter, Nicholas Lawrence

  On this day there would be no joyful reunion, no feverish planning, no quiet moments of intimacy, no brotherly bonding, no fortifying of windows and doors, no tune ups to cars, no children playing with dogs, no sisters-in-law catching up over tea, no board games played by the fireplace, no, not on this day. On this day there would be no solace.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  It’s been years since she’s had the opportunity to lay or sleep on anything soft, and even with the option she couldn't fully take advantage of it. She couldn’t sleep on the make shift bed in the room. She tried, but it felt so foreign. After Mikey feel asleep she moved to floor. At some point in the night she awoke to Mikey moving down to join her and wrapping himself in her arms.

  She wasn’t sure what was going to happen when she revealed herself to these strangers. She had an intense feeling that doing so was the right move, but still she wasn't sure. After they all lowered their weapons the family invited her and Mikey to join them around the fire. They fed her and Mikey and engaged in a short conversation. These new people could tell she was worn out. They offered to let her sleep in one of the rooms with Mikey.

  She’s not naïve. These could’ve been bad people, they still could be. She barricaded the door and the window before laying down. No one disturbed them during the night. No one came to the door in the morning. Despite this she’s suspects these people were keeping an eye on her and Mikey throughout the night. They’d be stupid not to.

  She lay still with the young boy in her arms, being careful not to disturb him. She was awake for a few hours before he awoke. He’s earned a good night’s sleep. When his eyes open for the day he is greeted by hers staring back at him. She smiles and caresses his head.

  “You were pretty tired, weren’t you buddy?” she softly asks.

  He nods and yawns, stretching his arms out.

  “Well, you’re awake now.” -she sits up, then gently rises to her feet- “So let’s get up.” she says.

  Mikey leans and up looks around for his shoes.

  “Are we leaving?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” she replies. She points to the dresser pressed against the door, “Help me move this.”

  She and Mikey push the dresser back into place, then step out into the hallway, exiting the bedroom. All of the other doors in the hallway are closed. She’s not sure if this is a good sign or not. She can hear someone moving around downstairs. She takes Mikey’s hand and heads toward the commotion. She strides naturally, fully confident in her abilities if a struggle were to arise.

  As they descend the stairs it becomes clear that someone is in the kitchen. They turn the corner to see the woman who they previously followed. She’s putting dishes away. Presumably from a breakfast shared among those that live here.

  Rosaline watches as the girl extends to put plates and cups in the upper cabinets, her shirt lifting just enough to see the small of her back. This woman is short, almost the same height as Rosaline, but taller by an inch or two. Her skin is caramel in tone, she has long dark brown hair, and her clothes are much tighter fitting than Rosaline, herself, would enjoy.

  The woman bobs her head as she wipes down the counters. There are two plates of food left on the table between them and the woman. Mikey reaches for them, but Rosaline pulls him back and shakes her head. The woman turns in their direction then jumps back, her arms flailing in the air, a surprised and irritated look upon her face.

  “¡Ay bendito! You scared the hell outta me!” she exclaims.

  Mikey’s jaw drops, he looks up at Rosaline.

  “Bad word.” he quietly says.

  “Bad word? Oh, I’m sorry!”

  Rosaline waves her off.

  “No, no, it’s fine.”

  “You tryin’ to teach him some shi-stuff and I’m messin’ that up.” the young woman replies.

  “Really, it’s fine. I swear around him. I just think he’s too young to join in.” Rosaline says, trying to ease her.

  The woman forces a smile, attempting to quell the awkwardness of this encounter.

  “You two been standin' there long?” she asks.

  Rosaline shakes her head, but before she can reply Mikey blurts an answer of his own.

  “Yes.” the child innocently replies.

  Rosaline tugs on his arm and shoots him a stern look.

  “No, not long, no.” she says.

  The woman giggles, turning back to the counter to drop the rag on it.

  “You two were pretty out of it last night, my name is Sweetie. Don't know if you caught that or not.”

  “Uh, no, I didn’t. I’m Rosaline. This is Mikey.”

  “Oh yeah, I definitely got your names. You made an entrance.”

  “Yeah, I...uh...we-”

  Rosaline begins to say, but Sweetie interrupts her.

  “Hey, I’m not judging. It’s tough out there. The food on the table is for you two. We didn’t wanna wake you guys up, didn’t know how long it’s been since you slept somewhere safe.” Sweetie says, while motioning to the table.

  Rosaline stares at the food, but doesn’t move.

  “It’s not poison.” Sweetie says. “What? You don’t trust my cooking?”

  Rosaline shakes her head, her hands fumbling in the air.

  “No, it’s not that. I’m sure you’re a good cook. I just...look we just met you-”

  Again Sweetie interrupts her.

  “I get it. Mira.” -she says while taking a strawberry from each plate and stuffing them into her mouth- “They’re good! Better than good, cause I did it!” she finishes, with her mouth full.

  Mikey looks to Rosaline, his eyes widened, his lips squeezed together.

  “Go ahead.” she says.

  The child wastes no time in climbing into the chair and grabbing a handful of strawberries. The child's eyes grow wide with delight as the sweet taste rushes over his taste buds. Rosaline grabs her plate from the table and walks closer to Sweetie.

  “So...Sweetie?” she inquires, with a raised brow.

  Sweetie giggles, shrugs her shoulders, then resumes wiping the counter.

  “It’s a nickname, kinda. It’s my name, my new name. We all got new names.”

  Rosaline nods as though she understands.

  “Uh huh.” she says, munching down on a strawberry.

  “Hawaii will tell you all about it later. So, you two really been on your own out there for three years?”

  Rosaline quickly swallows to answer.

  “Yeah.” -she gulps the last bit of the sweet fruit down- “You’re the first real people we’ve tried to speak to in, I don’t know, almost two years?”

  “¡Ay!, that’s a long time!”

  Sweetie moves closer to the woman stuffing strawberries in her mouth. The small warrior's eyes bulge with anticipation as they lock onto bronze woman. Rosaline's body becomes stiff, and she breathes in deep.

  “I needa put this in that bin.” Sweetie says, holding the rag up and motioning.

  Rosaline exhales, feeling slightly embarrassed.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m sorry.”

  Sweetie grins and reaches around Rosaline to put the rag away. Rosaline’s face flushes, her golden skin turning red. She looks down at her plate, avoiding eye contact.

  “Imma let you two eat. You should join us outside when you’re done. We wanna talk to you, as a group.”

  She flashes a smile to Mikey then exits the kitchen. Rosaline glances up to see the boy, who is staring intently at her.

  “Why are you being weird?” he asks.

  “What?” she hastily responds, “I’m not being weird, you're weird.”

  Rosaline scoffs then joins him at the table.

  “Okay, yeah, maybe I’m being a little weird. It’s just-”

  She pauses, her eyes darting around the kitchen, trying to figure out how to convey her thoughts properly.

  “You’re the only person I’ve been around for a long time now. I’m not really sure how to talk to anyone else, you know?” -she places he
r hand on Mikey’s- “You’re all I’ve needed, you are all I need, it’s me and you always.”

  “I know.” Mikey responds, in the childlike manner that only he can. “Why do they want to talk to us?”

  “I don’t know buddy. Just finish your food and let me worry about that, okay?” -she wipes food from his face- “You’re messy big guy!” she says with a warm smile.

  For the first time in as long as she can remember Rosaline feels safe. Sitting here at this table with Mikey eating fresh fruit brings a wave of euphoria over her. She can’t remember the last time she felt calm. Even if the group asks her and Mikey to leave, which she is fully expecting, she’s glad they got to experience this bit of peace with each other.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Man, all I’m sayin is they could be dangerous.” Rad says with authority.

  “I doubt the five year old is dangerous.” Zee interjects with a furrowed brow.

  “You know what I mean. She followed us back here, and we didn’t even know it.” Rad says, the pitch of his voice escalating.

  “She’s obviously resourceful, and sneaky. That could be a good thing for us.” Hawaii says, his tone more hopeful than Rad’s.

  “We gotta be careful about this.” the lumbering man says again.

  Outlaw's brow raises, his hands weave in the air, “I with Rad on this, we don't know them, they could be lying.”

  “That's what I'm sayin!” -he points to the young Outlaw- “See, he gets it.”

  “You know I got your back.”

  Sweetie's face scrunches, her eyes roll before directing them at the two agreeing males.

  “Of course you two agree, what else is new? Look, all Imma say is she don’t seem like the type to ask for help.” she says.

  Hawaii holds his hands up, stifling the early signs of a conversation getting out of control.

  “I agree with Rad too, we do have to be careful, but they need help and we could use the extra hands around here. I’m not saying we're for sure letting them stay, just a trial run. There are five of us and only two of them, and one of them is a child. If it doesn’t work out we make her leave.”

  “And what if she don’t wanna leave?” Rad posits through wide eyes.

  “Like I said, there are five of us. If we want her to leave she’ll be gone.”

  “Alright, man, it’s your call.”

  “No, I want us to be together on this. If any of you are one hundred percent against this say it now.”

  He pauses allowing them time to contemplate. He knows he’s asking a lot of them. They’ve never discussed adding to their family before, much less actually doing so. The group remain silent, none truly opposed to this, even if a sense of nervousness does linger in the air.

  “Alright then, it’s settled. They’ll stay in Outlaw’s room for now.”

  “What?! Where am I gonna stay?!” exclaims Outlaw, miffed by the pending intrusion.

  “With Rad, like you did last night, or with your sister.”

  “Hell nah chacho, his ass ain’t stayin in my room! I need my space!” the older sister firmly interjects.

  Outlaw shakes his head, his annoyance clearly written all over him. His sister grins, waving her hand mockingly at him

  “It’ll be fine Outlaw, we’ll make another bed today.” Hawaii says.

  “Yeah, yeah, fine, whatever. It sucks being the youngest.”

  Sweetie pats her younger brother's head, “It sure do chacho!” she says.

  Outlaw shoots her a disgusted look and swats her hand away. She sticks her tongue out at him, being overly animated. The front door opens behind them giving way to Rosaline and Mikey. Timidly, the two descend the porch steps and approach the family. Hawaii stands to greet them.

  “Good morning.” he says, motioning at the two empty make shift chairs in their circle, “Please, join us.”

  An awkward tension permeates throughout the air. None in the family truly know how to approach this situation. Hawaii clears his throat.

  “We want you guys to feel safe. We don’t have any guns with us, no weapons at all. That’s not what this is about, uh...”

  His voice trails off. He inhales deeply, and grimaces. Zee puts her hand on his leg, then leans forward, smiling in the inviting way that she does.

  “Listen, There are only five of us, and as you can see we live in a big area.” she says.

  Rosaline slowly nods, but doesn’t say anything.

  “We could use some extra help around here, and from the looks of it you two could use some help as well. This could be good for all of us.”

  “She’s right, but if you do decide that you want to stay here with us we have some rules.” Hawaii adds.

  Rosaline’s attention turns to Mikey. She can see the excitement in his widened eyes. He doesn’t want to leave, especially after the breakfast they just had. For her that is all it takes for her decision to be made.

  “Rules? Such as?” Rosaline asks.

  “We have a perimeter. It’s strict. We don’t go past it alone, and we never go anywhere away from the house after dark unless we have previously scheduled it. There are a lot of chores to do around here. We rotate them to keep it fair. The only exception being the gardens. Zee has full control over those, and usually handles them by herself, since she’s the only one who understands how to do it-” Hawaii says.

  “-shit, and me with cooking!” Sweetie adds, cutting him off. She directs her attention to Rosaline, “¡Ay! Bad word, I'm sorry!”

  Rosaline giggles. She slides hair behind her ear as her eyes awkwardly dart away from Sweetie.

  Sweetie folds her arms over her chest, “I’m the only one who can cook around here!”

  Rosaline’s face flushes as a smirk reemerges.

  “Right, and Sweetie cooks” Hawaii says, “Other than that the only other rule is no guns. What I mean is we keep them put away unless we absolutely need them. It’s too easy for someone to get hurt.”

  “Yeah, so some dumbass don't shoot holes in the barn.”

  The Latina glares at her brother, his hands up, a scowl on his face. Rad pats him on the back.

  “Accidents happen, my boy didn't mean to do it.”

  Outlaw nods to his friend, then the two slap hands. Sweetie shakes her head and rolls her eyes again. Hawaii pauses for another moment, allowing their antics to calm. He looks around at the family, then back to Rosaline. He speaks with confidence, but his fidgeting reveals his nerves. For Rosaline, this is a positive. If he weren’t nervous she would be very worried.

  “We would like you guys to stay with us. On a trial basis at first. I mean, we don’t know you and you don’t know us. If it works out, then great, you’re part of the family, and if not then all we ask is that you leave without any problems. So,” he says, “what do you think?”

  Rosaline rubs Mikey’s head affectionately, cracking a smile to the boy she cares for.

  “How long of a trial period?” Rosaline asks.

  “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “I don’t think it will take long for us, and for you, to know whether or not this is going to work.” Zee interjects, “Back in our old community there were people we meshed with and people we didn’t. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just how it is, you know? But, I think it’s going to work out.”

  “Oh yeah? Why do you think that?” the short warrior questions.

  “Because we’re good people, and I can tell that you are too.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Him. The way you look at him. You get soft, your eyes glow, you feel love. People with evil in them don’t do that.”

  Rosaline takes Mikey’s hand in hers, affectionately squeezing it.

  “What do you think buddy, do you want to stay here for a little while? See if this can work?”

  He nods, his excitement overtaking him.

  “Okay.” she says to him. She kisses his head then turns her attention to Zee and Hawaii.

  “This is kind of uncomfortable t
o say, but I have to say it. This little man is my world.” Her soft demeanor fades, her brow lowers, her tone deepens. “I will do anything to protect him. Do you understand?”

  “I get it. I feel the same way about these four. None of us are going to let anything bad happen to any of us, and that includes you guys now.” he says.

  “Good. Where will we stay?”

  “In the room you stayed in last night. It was Outlaw’s, but he’s going to move into Rad’s room.”

  “Okay. So I have a question.”

  “Ask us anything.”

  “It's an odd question.”

  He grins and chuckles, “Ask me anything.”

  Her pitch raises, “What’s the deal with your names?”

  Hawaii chuckles again, “Yeah, our names are kind of weird I guess.”

  “That, or you all had pretty weird parents.”

  Her joke lightens the mood. She laughs and the family join her.

  "Well, we all grew up together in a community. We've known each other our whole lives. Our community was, in a sort of feud, I guess, with another community. They attacked us, burned our community, and lured infected in. We barely made it out. We couldn't find any other survivors. That was about five years ago. Our names are reminders of those we love that we lost." he says.

  "Well, that's not really funny." Rosaline says.

  Zee rubs Hawaii's shoulder, presenting an understanding look to Rosaline, "It's alright, this is just how our lives have gone. All we can do is move past it and become stronger."

  "She's right. My name is Hawaii because my family is Hawaiian. My uncle had a painting of the islands in his house. He used to tell me stories that his dad told him about when he lived there. It always sounded so magical. So, I chose that."

  Zee embraces Hawaii's hand, flashing a warm smile to him.

  "Zee was my mom's nickname."

  Zee motions for Rad to follow suit.

  "My older brother used to call me a 'Rad little dude' all the time.”

  "My momma always called me Sweetie when I was a little girl. I always liked it."