A bang from the front of the truck caught my attention. I spun around with my knife raised up, but lowered it as I saw Gabriel and Jim standing on the hood.
“What the fuck are you thinking, girl?” Gabe asked as he covered my back, using his own knife to fend off a few of them. The moans had become static, a constant. I tuned them out while I focused all my energy on killing.
“Scarlet and Gavin can barely walk alone. They wouldn’t have made it.” I stabbed an eater right through the jaw, quickly pulling out and looking for the next victim. My breathing came fast, both from the adrenaline rush and having to kill so many people.
“Looks like there’s only about a dozen more,” Jim said as he lunged forward and killed one. He pressed his hand to my back as he fought with his right hand. I smiled to myself despite the heaps of bodies surrounding us. I actually felt empowered.
As Gabe killed one last eater, the world around us quieted. The last body fell to the ground. I let out a sigh of relief. My entire body tired, completely drained of energy. I sat back against the cab of the truck and dropped the knife onto the bed, leaning back to calm down.
“You did good, Lana.” Jim crouched in front of me and pulled my head towards him. He planted a kiss on my forehead and caught my eyes. My breath evened out.
“Can we give her a medal of honor or something?” Gabe laughed as he sat on top of the truck, his feet dangling off the side near my head. Their words were definitely encouraging. Yet, I couldn’t quite process them. Killing was killing. While what I had done was only to keep my friends alive, it wasn’t right. I shut the negativity out, focusing on the task at hand alone.
“We should catch up with the others,” I said. I pushed off the bed of the truck, my legs wobbling beneath me. Jim hopped off the truck first. He landed into a pile of eater bodies, his feet sinking into pure decay. I scrunched my nose at the mutilated bodies. He reached his arms up and caught me around the waist, helping me onto the pavement.
The group was out of sight, far enough ahead that we couldn’t spot their dark clothing. We speed-walked. Jim suggested not running to conserve our energy—but at the same time, we had to make up time and catch up. Both men walked beside me. They spoke to each other about finding camp for the night and finishing the trek to Scarlet’s sister’s house tomorrow. I tuned most of their conversation out. Each step was a mini-victory, and I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
“I think we’ll have to jog to catch up,” Jim said.
“If I knew they could move this fast I wouldn’t have gone after the eaters.” I laughed grimly, my emotions off. Jim and Gabe picked up the pace, jogging with their arms pumping at their sides. I pulled out my water bottle, took a swig, and then followed behind.
Luckily, the foursome was only a few minutes ahead of us. Scarlet saw us first as she walked backwards, knife in hand. She waved and had them stop and wait for us. Marcus clapped his hands until Mike scolded him. My mouth tightened in a line.
“You’re fucking crazy,” she said. She came to me first, enveloping me in a tight hug. I returned it a hundred percent, glad they were all okay. It made my sacrifice worth it.
“We’re going to veer off to find a shelter for the night. Any objections?” Jim asked as he chugged his water bottle. Nobody spoke up, so we walked a few hundred feet and got off at the next exit.
The sun faded away behind the overhang of trees. Rows and rows went on for miles it seemed. We took a left off the exit down a paved-two lane street. I kept expecting a break in the forest, but the road cut straight through, not a single house. I clung to Gavin, helping him walk despite the fact that he ‘didn’t need it’—his words. Jim and Gabriel led the way, the rest of us meandering in their wake.
We broke through the woods and found the main street. On each side of the road, buildings stood beside each other. Only one stoplight hung the entire way. My nerves prickled, silence greeting us.
“7-11 up ahead. We’ll stay there.” Jim pointed forward where I could just barely make out a large green sign peeking out behind growth. I wanted to full-out sprint to get there, but I knew it would do me no good. Plus, at any moment a group of eaters could emerge.
We stopped across the street from the convenience store. A gas station and pharmacy were on either side, a cafe nestled beside the 7-11. I listened for any sign of movement, or a herd of eaters stomping along. But it was deadly silent. The door of the store had shattered, but otherwise it appeared safe.
“Jim and I will check it out,” Gabe said as he stepped into the middle of the street.
“I’ll come, too,” Mike said, following right behind him. Jim nodded and joined the two men. I sat down on the curb, Gavin’s knife still in my hand. Marcus came over and sat between my legs, playing with some broken off gravel.
“Let’s play tic-tac-toe,” I said as I picked some grass from behind me. I handed three piles to Marcus and let him set up the game. We used the rocks as the O’s and the grass as the X’s.
Scarlet laid down on her side. “My legs are killing me,” she said when I stared. My heart ached for her, but I knew she’d feel better once we made it to her sister’s. Gavin watched Marcus and I play with invested interest.
“I’ll give you this bar if you win,” he told Marcus, waving a Hershey’s.
“Betting now?” I asked, laughing as my eyes darted between our game and the store. It was difficult to see through the foggy, dust-covered windows, but I could hear the guys’ movements, doors shutting, and murmuring.
Just as Marcus was about to win the game, the men exited the front of the convenience store and waved us down.
“You lucky boy! You won.” I pretended to pout, sticking out my lower lip and wrinkling up my nose. But I was glad we were able to pass the time so well.
Gavin laughed as he tossed Marcus the melted chocolate bar. I reached down for Gavin’s elbow and lifted him to his feet, handing him the walking stick when he needed it. I made Marcus carry the pot since it was a big responsibility.
“Wow,” I said staring all around me. The store had been completely ransacked inside, not a single parcel of food left on the shelves. We checked the back room, but that too had been looted. We were able to find some useful items like nails and batteries, plus a box of matches from behind the cash register.
“Come get this door with me,” Jim said as the other guys began securing. I followed him to the back storage room and held the door open for him. He used a crow bar to break the wood paneling. The door popped off, the hinges snapping.
He carried it while I trailed behind as he secured it to the front of the store. Using nails and a hard-covered book, he got it to stick in the entryway. By the time we had finished with the door, Gavin started a fire and was already finishing with the cans of beans.
“Come sit,” Gavin said. I took the spot next to Gabe and smiled at him as his arm wrapped around my shoulders. Jim stomped over and sat across from us beside Mike.
“How was the bar?” I asked Marcus.
“Oh, my gosh. So good. Even though it melted in Gavin’s pocket, I just drank it kind of. Like it was really good. I didn’t save anything. Sorry.” He looked down at his hands.
“That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find more,” I told him. Gabe handed me a can of string beans. I ate two and passed it down to Scarlet. She sat on her hip, most of her weight resting on her wrist as she hovered over the ground.
“I’m going to go look for some Advil or something.” I didn’t like seeing her in pain, and I hated that she had to go through this alone.
“There’s some in our bag,” Jim grumbled. I had forgotten that we stole it from the hospital. I jogged across the store to my bag, pulled out two packets, and then handed them to Scarlet.
“Thanks so much, Lana,” she said with a small smile, her eyes dimmed.
“What’s our plan?” Mike asked as he stared into the fire like he’d been hypnotized.
“We’re going south to find Scarlet’s sister.”
<
br /> “I mean after,” he said, rolling his eyes. He glanced up but refused to meet my eyes. He looked only at the men. It bothered me, but I ignored it. Gabe’s arm tightened around me. Jim’s lips pursed.
“Further south. We won’t last a winter without food and resources. Our best bet is moving below Washington, DC and off the coast a bit. I don’t think this is an appropriate time to speak about it.” Gabe’s eyes cut to Marcus, who stood just a few feet away. The anger in his voice was obvious.
“Well, when is? I want to know what me and my son are doing.”
“We’re leaving first thing in the morning so we don’t have to walk when it’s very hot. That’s all you need to know. Truthfully, that’s all we know,” Jim said. He had the can of beans now, and I watched him eat one measly piece and pass it along. Of course, Mike ate a handful before giving it to his son.
Marcus scrunched his nose after eating a bite. “These taste like poop!” I couldn’t hold back my laughter. My shoulders shook as I laughed with real happiness for the first time in what seemed like longer than I could remember.
“What?” Marcus shrugged. “They do…”
“You are right, young man. They’re not the best.” Gavin sat back next to Scarlet. The fire was small enough that an outsider couldn’t see it, but large enough to boil water.
After the beans had been eaten, we went our separate ways. Mike went to put Marcus to bed, grumbling about reading a magazine. Jim and I took the first watch of the night.
We sat against the makeshift front door. As my back pressed against it, it felt like I held it up. I wasn’t tired, but my body went limp. Jim pulled me against him, his arm snaking around my shoulders. His hand rubbed the top of my head. His fingers combed through my hair.
“Did you have a wife or girlfriend or anyone like that?” I asked as my mind ran.
“No. I’ve told you that. I didn’t have anything to leave behind.”
“Why didn’t you ever?”
“I wasn’t into the whole expectations thing. Couldn’t live up to what people wanted me to. I didn’t care about anyone enough to make the effort.” His fingers continued to swim through my hair. My eyelids fluttered.
“And now?”
“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” He laughed.
“I don’t even think that term means anything anymore.”
“I’m not getting attached to any of these people and neither should you. You saw Scarlet crumble when Kev died. And she only knew him days. Michael’s barely hanging on. Gavin can barely walk without his stick. You should detach yourself.”
“You said you cared,” I told him as I pulled back. His words were harsh and completely uncalled for. How is that a life worth living? I genuinely cared about everyone with us, and if someone were to die, I would be shattered.
“I care to a certain extent. But I refuse to be attached. Even to you.” His navy eyes narrowed in on me with severity.
“So when I die you won’t be sad?” I cocked my head to the side, raising my brows. I had a hard time believing that was true. But I supposed I didn’t know Jim as well as I thought.
“First of all, you aren’t dying anytime soon. Secondly, of course I’d be sad. But I wouldn’t want to kill myself over it.” I wanted to cry at his rejection. My stomach twisted.
“Why would you pretend to care?” I whispered. His body tensed, so I shut my mouth and leaned back against his chest, shielding myself from his watchful eyes.
“Why are you making this into more than what it is?” he whispered back as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“I’m not. I just find you to be so fucking annoying sometimes, Jim. I’m done talking about it. I’m over it,” I said, shaking my head.
“What are you over exactly?” He pushed me back so I had to look up at him. I averted my eyes as his fingers lifted my chin.
“I don’t care what you do anymore, Jim. Let’s just get through this shift so I can go to bed.”
“Go to bed now. I can handle it alone.”
I shot up from the floor.
“Of course you can. Because you just want to do everything alone. I bet you’re going to leave soon, too. Right? Because that’s your MO. Consider this me detaching myself.” I flipped him off and stormed over to our sleeping bag beside Scarlet and Gavin. I just prayed I’d fall asleep before he crawled in.
“I need you.”
My shoulder jerked backwards as someone’s hands pressed against me. I opened one eye at a time, both blurry while they adjusted to the dark room. Jim hovered over me, staring at my sleeping form. I cocked my head to the side while I sat up, confusion settling.
“Please,” he begged, his voice unlike anything I’d heard from him. I felt well rested, but with the darkness around me, I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Jim reached his hand down to me and I just stared at it, debating taking it or not. To me it meant so much more than getting up or not.
I ended up taking his dirty hand and letting him help me. His put his pointer to his mouth, shushing me. He dragged me down the aisle to the fake front door. On the other side of the glass window beside it was red lettering. There was only three thick letters, the paint dripping to the ground it was so thick.
JIM.
My heart picked up as I glanced around, searching for something else. Not even the wind whispered outside. I pressed my hand to the window, realizing the paint was on the outside. Who did this?
“Is this a joke?” I asked as I removed my hand from the cool glass.
“It’s gotta be John, right?” Jim scrubbed his hand down his jaw and began pacing across the entryway. I glanced at the window again; the red paint dripped onto the sill leaving a growing puddle.
“Your brother?” There was no way he could’ve found us. We left him after the burning house and ran through the woods. Surely, John wouldn’t have waited this long to come after us. Would he?
“Who else would know my name? They were moving south. I mean, that was the original plan. What if they caught up with us? Or tracked us?” Jim asked, his steps calculated and quiet. His voice straddled on delirium, strained and low. I grabbed his shoulders to stop him from walking away. He licked his lower lip, his nostrils flaring.
“I don’t know. Would he rape Scarlet?” These had to be connected instances. Jim glared at me, giving me a knowing look. “As what? As a message to us?”
“We can’t tell the others,” Jim whispered as he glanced towards where the group slept side by side. A light snore sounded, strangely comforting. It reminded me of normal life.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Let me handle this. I’ll hang back when we move this morning, try to sniff whoever did this out. There could be a lot of them.”
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” I didn’t understand the motive. If it was John, I guessed it would at least make sense. But I doubted they’d find us. We’d been walking for days, veering off randomly. We’d be impossible to track.
“They won’t do anything to you. I promise.” Jim wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me towards his chest. The gesture only reminded me of what a hypocrite he was.
“‘Cause you care so much, right?” I used his own words against him, pushing back with my hand on his chest. I was still a bit bitter over what he said earlier.
“You know I care about you. Why are you making me say it?” His brows furrowed as his eyes cut into me.
“I need to hear it,” I whispered.
“Fine. I care. I’m attached.” He waved his hand, turning his back to me. I bit the inside of my cheek, holding back a smile. I didn’t want to rub it in his face since it was obvious from the way he awkwardly swayed that he was uncomfortable. But his words lit a fire in my gut.
“So what are we doing about the writing?” I pointed behind us towards the red glass. He spun around, facing it.
“Help me get it off?” he asked. I nodded.
Jim pulled the makeshift door open a crack so we could sli
p through. He went through first. I squeezed out behind. The wind whipped against my face, and I tugged my sweatshirt around my body. I scanned the surrounding area quickly, searching for Jim’s brother in the shadows. My eyes strained as I tried to squint to see across the street.
Jim already had the J wiped down. I used the elbow of my sleeve to begin on the M. The paint-like substance was thick. It turned into a big mush of red splotches, but the name wasn’t recognizable after I rubbed it around. I figured that was good enough.
When we got back inside, I let out a sigh of relief that the air was still decently warm. The cold wind from outside had woken me up. I knew if I went back to bed I’d be restless. Jim shut the plank door, barely making a noise, and I sat down, leaning my back against it.
“Why don’t you take a nap?” I offered as I opened a magazine from the rack. It dated back three weeks, but reading was reading. An idea popped into my head. I stood up and walked down the front aisle, searching. I heard Jim rustle from back where I had left him.
Much to my satisfaction, I found a book rack in the back of the store that had at least a dozen in its hold. I smiled as I spun it around, trying to be quiet. Most had bare male chests on the front, but it didn’t matter to me. I grabbed a paperback, walked over to my backpack, fished out a light, and then sat back down beside Jim.
“You love those books, huh?” He smiled as he looked up at me.
“Not really. But I love to read. Free entertainment, you know?”
“Not a big reader myself,” he murmured.
I shut the book and placed it on my lap. “What did you like to do? Before all this?” I asked.
“I worked a lot of long hours and made my body tired. I’d go home, drink whisky, then pass out. Repeat Monday through Friday. Weekends sometimes I’d go to John’s. He had a wife, you know?”
“Your brother did?” I cocked my head, because so far all I knew about the evil man was that he raped women, kidnapped me, looted houses, and overall was just a shitty, conniving, murderous person. I didn’t really want to hear about him before the outbreak. I didn’t want to humanize him in my mind. But my curiosity was too vast.
The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 Page 31
