Other than the formal greeting before they set off Sweetie has been uncharacteristically quiet. Rosaline suspects it's due to the incident with the Adapteds the previous day. She's aching to converse but is uncomfortable being the conversation starter.
Every few steps she catches herself staring at Sweetie's legs. Their golden brown tone glistening in the sun. Sweetie doesn't dress appropriately for survival, Rosaline thinks. She almost always wears shorts, shorts that are shorter than she's ever known before, tight fitting shirts, and barely any layers of protection. Sweetie has said she likes to be comfortable, so around the farm she dresses lightly. On their trips away from their home she adds clothing, but not nearly enough for proper protection—to Rosaline at least.
Rosaline doesn't understand how or why she does this. If she's honest with herself she doesn't mind it. Sweetie is nice to look at. The feelings she's been having since she met Sweetie are confusing. She's never really been attracted to someone before. Not in a consuming way as this is.
The only people she's ever known, apart from her family, were in the community. There wasn't anyone there that made her feel the way she does when she's around Sweetie. There was one boy, only a couple years younger than Rosaline, that she thought was cute. His physical appearance was rendered a moot point once he opened his mouth. He was intensely irritating.
There was also a woman that Rosaline felt a certain level of attraction to, though she never really thought of it as attraction. She thought the woman was fun and enjoyed being around her. The way she felt about her was different than the way she felt about the boy. The woman was enticing, but never appeared to reciprocate the feelings Rosaline thought she, herself, felt.
No, with Sweetie it's most certainly a different animal. This enchanting woman has taken over her mind since the morning they first spoke in the kitchen. She's lagging behind again, damnit. “Pick up the pace Ros!” her mind says to her.
She shuffles her feet and sprints to close the gap between them. She reaches out and brushes Sweetie's arm.
"Hey." Rosaline awkwardly says.
Sweetie slows down and looks at her. She doesn't respond, but her eyebrows do raise.
"What...um...what's up with you?"
"Me?" -Sweetie shakes her head- "Nothing."
Her attention directs back to the trail in front of them. Rosaline frowns, not satisfied with her answer.
"There's something..."
Sweetie's pace picks back up. Rosaline reaches out and tugs on her hand.
"Hey, talk to me."
Sweetie pulls her hand away, but finally does stop and fully turn to face her.
"What?" Sweetie asks, an abnormal level of haste to her words.
"I don't know, I just..."
Rosaline trails off. She exhales and wipes the sweat from her forehead.
"You're always really talkative, and ever since yesterday it seems like you've been avoiding me."
"I'm not avoiding you."
"Are you sure? Cause, that's what it feels like."
"I'm not!" Sweetie says, snapping at her.
Rosaline's eyes bulge, her brow raises, she's taken aback by Sweetie's irritated demeanor.
"Okay, okay." she says, in a calming manner.
The wind carries an awkward quiet between them. Rosaline's gaze moves to the ground as her foot nervously swirls dirt around.
"Look, um, if you're freaked out by what happened it's cool. It took me a long time to get used to fighting Adapteds."
Sweetie's face scrunches, her eyes glare at Rosaline.
"You think that's why I'm upset?!"
"So, you are upset?"
"Shit, nena! Of course I am!" Sweetie replies, her voice raising.
Rosaline's bottom lip curls under, her hand slides into her pocket.
"Well, why then?"
"Why? Girl YOU freaked me out!" Sweetie says, emphasizing on the word 'you' heavily.
Rosaline’s head tilts to the side, a genuine feeling of confusion rising in her.
"Me?"
"You were like a...I don't even know what, but it was scary."
"Oh." Rosaline replies, bobbing her head.
"You were so mad and-and hateful. Those things are sick and ruthless, and it's like you became that."
Rosaline falls silent, her gaze no longer meeting Sweetie's. Her face flushes, a cold chill runs along her arms. A sour feeling bubbles into her gut.
"Look, I'm not tryna make you feel bad. I just, I don't know how to feel about this. I don't know how to feel about you now."
"Now?"
"I thought you were cool and I liked you, but now it's-it's weird and different."
Rosaline nods her head, but doesn't speak. An uneasy feeling washes over her. The pit in her gut tumbles over and over. It never once crossed her mind that Sweetie, or anyone, would view her this way.
"Let's just get the eggplant." Sweetie says, then turns away from Rosaline.
Rosaline stalls for a moment, allowing Sweetie to get a few feet away from her, then follows behind. She's never liked someone before, not really. She's never allowed herself to have emotions in this way. She loves Mikey and she loved her mom and sister, but this feeling isn't the same.
She thought that maybe there was something there with Sweetie, something deeper than she's experienced before. Now all she can think about is how to right this wrong that she didn't think she did, and that she doesn't agree with. The Adapted don't hesitate, they don't give chances. Treating them the same way is the only thing that's ever made sense to her.
“How can she not understand this? This is how it has to be or you die. It's that simple.” she thinks. “I'll let her cool off and give her some space.” her mind continues to race. She hopes they can move past this and get back to where she thought this was going. She has to hold onto hope for that. She doesn't want to go back to being numb, like she's been for so many years. She can't go back to that. Not now, not when she's found someone else to care about as something other than family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"These are your days then? Moving from small town to small town?" Karo asks, his stoic manner having eased.
"Are yours different?" Jack replies.
Karo pauses, his gaze moves to dirt road.
"About the same, probably that way for most."
Jack nods, but doesn't say anything.
“You've been taking care of that boy for two years now?”
“We have. It's been a struggle, but he's a good kid.”
"How long will the boy be down?"
"It's always different. Sometimes not even a full day, other times it can be worse. It's often the latter."
"Rough way of existing."
Jack's brow raises, "Yeah." he says. He sighs, letting loose the tension building up in his chest, "So, what happens now?"
A long moment passes, then Karo turns to the door.
"Let's go back inside." he says, as he twists the handle.
Karo stayed the previous night at the small house with Jack and the others. Daisy awoke first to find Karo outside. He told her he was keeping watch. When Jack rose for the day he found Karo still out there, intently scanning over the environment.
Daisy and Norman have gathered in the dusty ill-kept living room. They're discussing the best way to go about attempting to revitalize Patrick when Jack and Karo come back inside. Jack joins his husband on the couch while Karo takes a place in the center of the room, against the wall.
"You all take care of that boy, putting yourselves in danger to do so. Much more danger. You're good people. I haven't seen too many of those." Karo says, his voice low and soft.
Daisy looks to Norman, her brow raised in surprise. Norman returns the expression.
"You said you don't fight, you run. That's smart, but not always possible. I can help with that."
"Why would you do that?" Daisy asks.
Karo lets a moment pass before answering.
"Part of me is lonely, and part of me doesn't want to see anymore goo
d people die sooner than they should. Not when I can help prevent it."
Norman leans forward, clasping his hands.
"What makes you think we want your help?"
"Want and need are two different things. You need my help. It's not something I take pride in, but I've gotten pretty good at killing the infected. Gotten quick about it too."
Norman's eyes move to his partner. He can see Jack's mind working.
"And how would this work?" Jack asks.
"Before that, you all should know about me. Who I am, where I'm from. It's only fair."
"Okay then cowboy, spill it." Daisy replies.
Karo grimaces, but continues, "My name's Karo Petrosyan. I lived in a community in Florida called Oasis, before all this went down. It was upscale, gated, well maintained, a food mart, restaurant, activities center, all of that."
Karo takes a breath, letting out a soft sigh.
"When the outbreak hit, our community banded together and closed it off. A retired Army Colonel lived there. He organized reinforcement and defense, set up an accountability system. Did a good job of it too. My wife..."
Karo hesitates, swallowing hard.
"She was a doctor, set up a make shift hospital. Several of our residents weren't there when the outbreak happened, and most of them never returned. I was there for seven years after the disease spread."
He pauses again, clenching his jaw.
"After a while we started taking people in. My wife was pregnant by this point."
Karo's lungs fill with air, his stance tenses.
"One of these new people came to admire my wife. He didn't let it be known, but she was suspicious of it.
Daisy's breathing skips and her chest quivers.
"I came home one day to a dark and quiet house. Unusual for Maria. I found her pinned down by that man in the kitchen."
Norman grips Jack's hand tight. Jack rubs his husband's back, comforting him.
"Gardening was a hobby of hers, she always left her shovel by the back door.”
Karo's hand runs over his neck then scratches his jaw.
“They called it excessive."
"Oh, fuck." Daisy says, her voice low, her eyes wet.
"If murder is the offense then the punishment is exile. No exceptions."
A somber feeling falls over the room. A long moment passes before Karo speaks again.
"That's my story. I've been out here, on my own, for the past six years. I've met people in that time. Some good, some bad. I only took up with one group. They were kind and caring. It got them killed."
"And you don't want to see that happen to us?" Daisy replies.
"I'm not attached. I can make the tough calls. I can keep you all alive, allow you to concentrate on the boy, if you want that."
Jack, Norman, and Daisy trade wondering looks.
"I'll give you time to think about it." Karo says, already heading for the front door.
Jack rises from the couch.
"No." he says.
Karo stops and directs his attention to Jack.
Jack continues, "I don't think that's necessary."
Jack's eyes move to Daisy then to Norman.
"We could use your help. We don't want to get infected, and we're not accustomed to killing those things. You are. You need company, and we need a fighter."
Daisy and Norman nod in agreement.
"Alright then. I'll keep watch." Karo says.
"What did you do before the outbreak?" Daisy asks.
"I worked in finance." Karo replies as he exits the house again.
Daisy shakes her head, her emotions welling up.
"I could never imagine going through that." she says
"It certainly sheds a light on his surly demeanor." Jack replies.
Norman stands from the couch and embraces his husband. He kisses his cheek before looking to Daisy.
"I should check on Patrick." he says.
Daisy rises from her chair.
"I'll come with you."
Jack walks to the small kitchen. He peers out the window at Karo. So much pain must run through this man, knowing that someone you love is still alive in this mess of chaos, and not being able to see them, to be around them, to hold them. He leaves the house again and joins Karo on porch. Even if they stand in silence, he wants to be here for this person.
“Karo is, uh” -Jack clears his throat- “an interesting name.”
“It's Armenian, I'm a first generation immigrant, my parents were both from Armenia. My wife was first generation as well.”
“Is that right?” -Jack's brow raises- “Where from, if you don't mind my asking?”
“Brazil.”
Jack nods, not really sure of what to say. Karo sighs, then continues.
“It's, odd, I guess, to come all that way, to a land that's supposed to be better, to give your children the chance at a better life, then this happens, and now, Maria and I aren't even together.”
Tears well up around Jack's eyes. He doesn't know what he would do without Norman. What an awful, awful thought. He shakes his head, wiping away the dampness. He looks to Karo and offers a forced smile, a facade that he hopes isn't recognized, but the rugged man's gaze doesn't move from the trees in front of them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The journey back to the farm for Rosaline and Sweetie was a quiet one. Rosaline thought it better to let Sweetie come to her if she wanted to engage, which of course didn't happen. She wasn't surprised by that. She expects it will take a bit of time for Sweetie to figure out her feelings.
As they enter the perimeter of the farm Rosaline notices that no one is outside. Odd, considering there are a few hours left until dusk, and usually at least one person is late to finish their daily tasks. Perhaps today it's her and Sweetie that are the late ones.
Only a few times on their trek back did Sweetie turn to make sure Rosaline was still with her. At least she checked at all. A tiny inkling of care. Small, but it's something, and she'll take it.
Sweetie's pace picks up once they cross the perimeter. By the time Rosaline reaches the edge of the gardens Sweetie is already past them. Sweetie didn't stop to bury the eggplant. Rosaline slows to a light walk as she watches her traveling companion round the house and out of sight.
As Rosaline nears the barn Hawaii steps out, leaning up against the large wooden door.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asks.
Her brow furrows.
"Sure?" she replies, the word packed with curiosity.
Hawaii slides the barn doors open.
"Let's talk in here."
Rosaline's head tilts, her eyes squint, she wonders why this interaction feels odd. She watches Hawaii enter the barn, then follows behind him.
Hawaii takes a seat on a stump near the door. He motions to the stump opposite him, requesting Rosaline to join him. She takes her seat, her gaze never moving from him. His knee bounces, vibrating his forearm that is rested upon it. He clasps his hands. His eyes are fixated on the floor. She notices that he's yet to look her in the eyes since they entered the barn.
He clears his throat, then raises his head up, and their gazes finally meet.
"You don't talk about your past much. Bad memories?"
She nods, but doesn't respond.
"Listen, uh, I don't know how to say any of this. I don't really know what I'm doing right now."
He inhales heavily and sits up, leaning back as if there were a wall to rest upon.
"Yesterday has been difficult to process, to understand. The way-"
"You want to know about my past?"
Her question is abrupt, almost as if she blurted it out in fear. Hawaii's mouth opens, but he pauses his thought and nods.
"I was born in the wild, that's what my mom called it. We didn't live anywhere, we didn't have anyone. It was just me, my parents, and my sister."
Her hand brushes over her hair. Hawaii can feel the nerves shooting through her veins, it's palpable. Her leg jitters now as well
.
"My dad died when I was about a year old, so I don't remember anything about him. The next eight years I spent with my mom and sister it was only us. We never stayed in one place for long. We came across infected a lot. My mom was very good about getting rid of them, and so was my sister. The first time I killed one I was five. They were good teachers."
His eyes bulge at the thought of a five year old having to kill something, anything at all.
"One night we weren't so lucky. Those fucking things took the only two people I had in a matter of minutes. Regan, my sister, told me to run, and I did. I ran for hours. Until it hurt. Until I couldn't do it anymore. When I woke up after that night I knew all that mattered was beating the disease. Living as long as I could just to spite it."
She exhales forcefully, as though saying those words brought a realization to her.
"For the next six years I lived on my own. I scavenged, I hunted, I killed when I had to. Then I got sick, I don't know how or what caused it, but lucky for me I stumbled upon a community. I lived there for two years. I already told you about them. Ever since I left there it's been me and Mikey against the world. He brought happiness and feeling and purpose back into my life. He gave me a real reason to want to live. And now, well, now we're here."
She leans back, stretching out her legs. Her eyes break from his and wander around the barn. He sighs loudly
"Thank you for sharing that. I guess I understand you a little bit now, more than I did. That doesn't change what I have to say though."
Her eyes cut back to him. The vulnerability he just saw in her is gone. Fire lay within these eyes.
"After seeing how you killed those Talkers, I've felt disturbed. It was, I don't know, brutal. In that moment you changed. You became something else."
"Like what?" she asks, her words delivered sternly and with haste.
He shakes his head, looking at the floor once again.
"I don't know what to say Rosaline. It was scary, really scary. It made me wonder if it's safe for us to be around you, for Outlaw to be around you, for Zee to be around you-"
"Mikey? You think he's not safe?"
"I don't think you'd hurt him. You care about him, you love him, that's easy to see, but I do worry for him."
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