The Human Race (Book 2): The Fighting Chance

by Tahnee Fritz

  I know the girls Sherry has chosen to surround herself with. The red head, Jessica, she’s pretty nice. She’s the only person I can relate to in the slightest. Her family came here right after the wall was built and haven’t left. The girl sitting next to her is stockier with a chubby face and long, black hair. Her name in Claire and likes to eat way too much. I’m not saying that to be mean or anything, but it’s true. Every time I see her, she’s got some form of food in her mouth. Right now, she’s the only one eating a pretty big slice of apple pie while the rest of us haven’t touch the stuff. The third girl, sitting on the other side of Sherry, is someone I absolutely cannot stand.

  Every time I run into this girl, she gives me the dirtiest looks and keeps walking. Her name is Mandy. She never has anything nice to say to me, but really tries to be nice when we’re with Sherry. She’ll say hello to me in a snotty tone of voice and avoid me for the rest of the time. But, when Ryder comes around, I’m completely nonexistent. I’ve seen her check him out on many occasions. She’ll eyeball him like he’s a piece of candy and loves doing it while I’m around. I know he’s handsome and I know other girls probably check him out. Mandy is just the only one who does it to piss me off and she loves doing that.

  Right now, Mandy hasn’t paid me any attention. She’s too busy ogling baby Isaac and listening to Sherry go on and on about how hard it is to sleep at night. The same boring things I’ve heard about a million times. I haven’t really been paying too much attention to what those girls are talking about. I find that if it doesn’t have anything to do with something exciting or newsworthy, I kind of don’t listen. I smile and nod at whatever they say, but adding to the conversation is definitely not something I’m going to do. These girls never talk about zombies or vamps or adventures, so I’m pretty quiet on these little get-togethers.

  “I just can’t believe how much he cries overnight. I figured he would for the first couple weeks, but he’s two months old and he still won’t stop.” Sherry says and I twirl my bangs around my finger.

  “My mom said that most babies cry at night until their potty trained, if not longer.” Claire adds in and I toss a lose strand of hair to the floor.

  “My little sister never cried at night. Mom and dad had to go in and check on her every once in a while to make sure she was still breathing.” Jessica states and I let out a yawn.

  Sherry smiles, “Yeah, I’ll just have to get used to it. Seth can sleep right through the crying, but I wake up every time. I’ll feed him and change his diaper and he falls right back to sleep, but then the crying starts again in an hour.”

  “Okay, so enough about babies.” Mandy speaks up and they all look her way. “Let’s change the subject. Jess, I hear you have a new boyfriend.”

  Jessica’s cheeks instantly blush, matching the color of her hair, “Yeah, his name is Luke. He’s pretty amazing. We met at my dad’s café.”

  “Oh, that is so great!” Sherry says with a smile.

  “Yeah, I wish I had a great guy.” Claire states.

  “Is he hot?” Mandy asks.

  Jessica runs her fingers through her hair and says, “He is pretty good looking. A little nerdy with his big glasses, but I like that.”

  “Boring.” Mandy says, “I hate nerds or guys with glasses. I’m more into the hot, shy ones with the messy brown hair. A guy who could really take care of his girl.” She sort of gives me a sly smile and I know who she’s talking about.

  “Well, every girl on the planet wants that kind of guy. We just have to find the one we know we don’t want to live without and make him ours.” Sherry states. “I found mine.”

  Mandy runs her fingers through her bleach-blonde hair and says, “I found one. I’m just trying to work on making him mine. He just has a girlfriend right now and I need to eliminate that problem.” Definitely a snide look being passed my way.

  Girls can be so petty and mean when they’re jealous. Mandy would never have a chance with Ryder, even if they were the last two people on the planet. I know him and I know he doesn’t go for girls who are demanding or whiny when they don’t get their way. He likes the girls who can do things for themselves and save his ass on more than one occasion. That’s why he loves me and I love him right back.

  So, it’s a little natural for me to laugh at her attempt at making me feel threatened. I can’t help but let the smile cross my lips and shake my head at her. I’ve gone through too much in my life to let this girl get on my nerves.

  “What are you so smiley about?” Mandy snarls at me.

  I shrug, “Oh, I’m just having a great night. I love hearing about how much you want a guy in your life. Makes me so glad I have Ryder and I’m never letting him go.”

  “Bridget without Ryder,” Sherry sighs, “I think the world would come to a screeching halt if that ever happens.”

  I nod, “Heads would probably roll at that point.”

  Sherry knows there’s an odd amount of tension between Mandy and I. She’s pretty good at handling it and always takes my side. I don’t even know what happened to get that girl to hate me so much. I don’t care to find out, but it’s just weird how people can be like that.

  “Oh, I doubt it.” Mandy states.

  It’s very rare for me to ever want someone to be a zombie or a vampire. I’m not supposed to wish that sort of thing on humans. Mandy is an exception. If she were a zombie, I’d get to have the pleasure of shooting her in the head and feeling great about it. If she were a vamp, I could torture her and let her boil to death in the sunlight. Either way would be a win in my corner. I know that’s horrible to think about. She just brings that part out in me.

  Sherry is quick to change the subject again. Isaac squirms a bit in her arms and she lets the other two girls help make him smile. They enjoy it and go about tickling his tummy and making baby sounds at him. It’s easier for me to sit back, relax with my feet dangling over the arm of the recliner and secretly wish Mandy would be lying on the floor in agony right now. She’s staring daggers at me so I deserve the right to think horrible thoughts about her.

  I’m still a little crazy and demented when it comes to certain things. Living on the outside of the wall for five years will do that to ya.

  * * *

  I guess the night could have gone worse. Spending time with Sherry wasn’t too horrible, even though they talked about Isaac and passed him around the room the whole night. I’ve never held a baby before Sherry had him, so it was quite awkward to hold that little boy. I had no idea what to do and he screamed at the top of his lungs the second my hands touched him. That’s why it’s best not to have those little things. It’s easier to give them back when they belong to someone else.

  The sun set about two hours ago. This city has a strict nine o’clock curfew so we had to head home about that time. Sherry gave me one of her infamous bear hugs before we walked the short distance to our house, then up the short flight of stairs to our bedroom. Carter disappeared into the basement and closed the door behind him.

  There’s one thing I love most about this house and that would have to be our bedroom. It’s nothing too spectacular, just a king sized bed and a dresser Ryder and I have to share. There is a walk-in closet, which is nice, and the bathroom connects to this room as well. The reason I love this room the most, is that it’s part of a normal life I thought I’d never have again. I got so used to sleeping under the stars or in the back of some random vehicle or in a building somewhere. This room and the bed I sleep in every night is probably one of the best things there is to a person like me.

  Other than Ryder, of course.

  I kick my boots off at the foot of the bed and change into my shorts and tank top pajamas. Ryder sleeps with only a pair of black sweatpants on, which I have no complaint about at all. I love seeing him without a shirt on. It’s hard not to stare sometimes and he laughs every time he catches me making googly eyes at him. I can’t help that I love seeing his stomach and chest and even that annoying little scar on his shoulder. It migh
t be a reminder of something horrible, but to me, it’s a reminder of the night I fell for him. If he hadn’t shown me that scar, we might not be here today, so yes, I enjoy seeing it with the added bonus of everything else he hides under his shirt.

  Ryder climbs into bed first as I flip the light switch off and get under the covers. The only light comes from the moon shining through the crack in the curtains on the window facing the backyard. I forgot how nice it was to sleep without a light on until we started staying at this house. I got so used to always having a fire going that it became natural. I even fell asleep with the overhead light on the first few nights after we got here. It just took a little while to get used to things in the city.

  I still find myself trying to get used to some things.

  “Looking forward to work tomorrow, Bridge?” Ryder asks, covering himself up with the blanket.

  I nod, “I don’t think you can call what I do work when I enjoy it so much.”

  He smiles and says, “Wish I could say the same.”

  “I thought you liked doing that construction stuff.” I question.

  He shrugs, “I do, it was just never my dream job.”

  “Yeah, I get that, but you are doing something that contributes to the community here and that’s pretty important.” I reply.

  “You are right about that.” He says, I can hear bitterness to his voice.

  “There’s something else though, isn’t there?”

  Ryder sighs as he turns to face me, “Do you ever miss the way things used to be? Like before we got to the city, not before the vamps and zombies?”

  “Well, yeah, I think you’d be a little crazy not to miss some things out there.” I reply. “Why?

  “No reason.”

  I roll onto my side and stare at him. He’s not normally the one who starts talking about things outside the wall or our life as travelers. This life in the city was something he’s always dreamed of having and he couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks after we got here. It has been slightly over a year now, but he shouldn’t be changing his mind about this place already.

  “Ryder, what’s wrong?” I ask. “You aren’t normally this down in the dumps.”

  He tries to pass me a meaningful smile, but I can see right through it, “I don’t know what’s wrong. I love it here, I really do, but I just wish it was more than this. I wish it was more than just waking up in the morning and going to work every day. I miss the changes that came with being on the outside and I guess I thought that after a year of living here, I would start to see that again. I was wrong.”

  I shake my head, “You’re not wrong. You do different things all the time. You build houses and give people the opportunity to start a new life here.”

  “I guess I do.” He says with a smile.

  “See, there’s no reason to try searching for a different calling in this place. You found something that really makes a difference in peoples’ lives and that matters to the world.” I say, hoping anything that’s coming from my mouth helps. “Unless you really want to change things up a bit. Keith and I would love to have you help us outside the wall. I know how much you enjoy doing that.”

  He shakes his head and quickly says, “No. Carter tells me all the horror stories that goes on out there and I’d rather not be a witness to that. It’s bad enough that I have to worry about you being out there when those things show up. I’m not that good with a gun, so it’s best I stay on this side of the wall.”

  I give him a playful punch to the arm and say, “You don’t have to worry about me. I know what I’m doing out there no matter what Carter likes to tell you.”

  He leans over and kisses me, “I know I never have to worry about you. It’s one of the things I love the most. Other than your craziness. Nothing tops that.”

  I smile and give him a little kiss right back. I put my hand on the back of his neck and he scoots closer to me on the bed. Our bodies touch and he drapes one of his legs over mine and rubs my back with his hand. This is another thing I love the most about this bedroom of ours. I get to have as many intimate moments with Ryder as I possibly want.

  Those moments never get old.

  * * *

  Ryder and I slept like rocks throughout the night and woke up refreshed in the morning. We ate a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs, then we were off to work. He walked with Seth to the job site, while Carter and I piled in the truck that takes us to the gate. That was a couple hours ago.

  It’s been quiet out here so far. The birds aren’t even chirping this morning. That might have something to do with how drizzly and dreary it is. The clouds threaten rain, which I really hope it holds back. We have a roof over our heads in the tower, but it does leak in a few places. On days I wear my hair down, like today, I’d rather not get soaked to the bone.

  Keith sits on the stool beside me and snacks on bread for lunch. The whole morning dragged by ever so slowly. No zombies, no vamps wanting to be brave, and no humans looking for a new home. If it weren’t for the people in the other towers, I’d feel completely alone out here. Good thing I have Keith to talk to in order to drown out the constant quiet of the woods.

  “How was your evening?” he asks as I sit on my stool and look out to the trees.

  I shrug, “Not too bad. Went to a friends, got to piss some girl off, then chilled with Ryder until we fell asleep.”

  “More productive than my night. The wife had me help her clean the house and I hate doing that.” He says.

  I smile, “You can borrow Carter for a day or two. He’s really good at cleaning our house and I’m sure he’d love to help with yours.”

  Keith laughs and takes a drink of water, “You think today’s going to have any excitement?”

  “Doubt it. Haven’t had much of that all week.” I reply.

  We could go a few days without seeing a single zombie out here. I guess that’s a good thing. Zombies are running thin around the wall allowing us the opportunity to be safe for a while. Until we see the next horde coming our way. We’re prepared for it this time. We have the manpower, the gun power, and the mind strength to do what we need to get those things away from our home. Humans live here, zombies and vampires can find a new place to bother.

  I guess they don’t want to leave us alone today. The faint sound of a gunshot shoots through my ears and I turn my head toward the sound. It’s coming from a different team. Hopefully that’s the only zombie they see so I won’t have to worry about anything today. Keith and I stay quiet for a few minutes, our guns clenched tight in our grip. I keep my eyes peeled for any movement in the trees while he searches the area around us. That single gunshot is all we hear while we wait, so we can relax again.

  Keith takes a deep breath, “Wonder who got that one.”

  I shrug, “We’ll find out when we get back.”

  He nods then drinks more of his water. It still feels too quiet and uncomfortable to be out here. I hate when it’s like this. The world is practically begging for something bad to happen to us while we are out here, almost helpless, in a world with undead creatures waiting to eat us. That’s not exactly fair if you ask me.

  I sit on my stool and rest the gun on my lap. I stare down at the metal in my hands. This thing has saved my life on so many occasions and is my favorite reminder of my dad. This gun was the last thing he was able to get for me and I’m really surprised I’ve been able to keep it in such good condition. It has yet to fail me, meaning I have yet to fail my family.

  I’m still alive after all this time without them. My heart still beats in my chest, I can feel it right now. The lump still forms in my throat when I think about them and picture them in my head. I would love to have them here in Des Moines with me. That would complete my dream life. Having Ryder and my family all together so we can be happy. My mom would hate me for coming out here and doing this every day, but she’d get over it. I think Charlie and dad would even join me and we could take down zombies as one big, happy family.

  “Bridget,” Ke
ith’s calm voice interrupts my thoughts, “you alright over there?”

  I nod, “Just thinking.”

  “I’ve been told that thinking is bad for you.” He says and I finally look up.

  “You need to quit listening to what Ryder says. He’s not always right, ya know.” I say.

  He shakes his head, “He’s been right about things before.”

  I roll my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose. The cool air fills my lungs as something else warns my mind, erasing my family from my thoughts. I get up from the stool and stare out to the trees. There’s something out there. That smell has never proven me wrong and I’ll be damned if I start getting it wrong now. That horrid, dead stench is the only gift I’ve ever been thankful for in this world.

  “You smell them, don’t ya?” Keith asks, standing from his stool as well.

  “Help! Somebody help us!” both of us hear the calls coming from the woods and I’m the first to jump out of the tower.

  That was a human voice we heard and they are probably being chased by the dead thing I’m smelling. Keith follows me and gets out of the tower as well. I hear the voice again, this time it’s closer and I can tell it’s coming from a man. There’s sheer panic to his voice as he calls for help and I’m hoping we are able to give that to him. This is the first human we’ve seen in a few weeks and the first we’ve had to save from zombies since we started this tower thing.

  “Keith, radio the others and tell them to be on alert.” I order and head for the sound of the voice.

  He nods and goes about with his task. A set of heavy footsteps rushes up behind me and I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn, only to catch eyes with Carter and his gun.