2 SET 2

I gently pull away from him and stare into his happy

eyes and he rubs noses with me. My stomach growls and his does the same in

response. He looks down at our stomachs than back up at me with pleading eyes.

"I'm hungry, but I don't want to get up," he whispers, his hands creeping

lower. I push off of him and get off the bed, giving him no choice but to get up.

"I decided for you because I feel like I haven't eaten in days," I dramatically

say and grab my stomach as if in pain as it growls again. He clambers off of the

bed and we slip down stairs. I make sure to shut and lock the front door as he

locks the backdoor. We make sure the windows are shut and locked. I walk back to

the kitchen to see Danny going through the fridge. Most of the food is still there,

but most of it is moldy and rotten. He picks up an unnamed carton and takes the

lid off. I watch intently as he gently screws the lid back. I laugh slightly as he looks

at me with a face that smelled something rotten.

"What was it?"

"I don't know what it was before, but now it is spoiled milk," We both laugh as

he throws some wilted, but still okay to eat, vegetables and some soft and a little

mushy fruits on the counter. He then pulls open the freezer to see it stocked full of

frozen food. He smiles and laughs a little before looking at me, "How hungry are

you?"

"I could eat a feast,"

"Then a feast you shall have, Princess," He pulls out some beef steaks and

plops them down next to the vegetables. He goes to the pantry and I follow him.

He flicks on the light and stumbles backwards, me catching him. I smile and heave

him back to his feet. I step in the room.

"The only things you love more than me are survival and food, huh?"

"You know food brings survival and survival brings you,"

"Then what is the best thing in this room?"

"I like all of it," He grabs some flour and a few onions off the shelf, "Grab that

bag of potatoes?" I watch him cook, as I find a CD player and some old rock and

roll CDs. I turn it on and quietly jam out to music. He sets the table and places the

food between us. He lights some candles and we have a romantic date night. After

we cleaned our plates, washing the food down with some wine we found in the

pantry, I pull him upstairs.

"You want to sleep in the boy's room?" He shakes his head, pouting, "Fine,

you can sleep in her room, I'll sleep in the guest room," He just pulls me to her

room. He shuts and locks the door behind us, "Who's keeping watch first?"

"No, for once in the time that we are alone together, we are both going to

sleep during the night," He takes off his shoes, flicks off the light, and picks me up,

setting me on the bed. He cracks open the window and then crawls under the

blanket, pulling it over me as well. I close my eyes, finally feeling safe for the first

time.

I roll over, waking up to an empty bed. I stand up and go through the closet

quickly, knowing that Danny is cooking breakfast from the sounds from the

kitchen. Finding a few shirts that I like, I pack them, organizing my bookbag so I

know where everything is and it all fits. Next, I slip into the parents room, keeping

my head down and away from the bed as I go through their dressers and the

closets. As I get a pile of laundry stacked up, a risk a glance at the parents. I see

something shiny and curse at myself for having the curiosity to look again. I step

to the side of the bed and marvel at the bloodied diamond earrings on the

rotting corpse. I take a deep breath and take them off, slipping them into my

pocket. I then check the nightstand for anymore. There were a few that I like so I

take them as well. I check the other nightstand and find nothing of sizable value. I

hear footsteps up the stairs, down the hall, and into the starry bedroom. I scoop

up the clothes and go to the room to see a bewildered Danny sitting on the bed

with a tray of food. I plop the clothes down on the end of the bed and we eat

breakfast before trying on all the clothes. We chose a few outfits each and shove

the rest in the closet.

"Now we go to the barn, right?" I ask Danny, unconsciously tucking my

revolver into the back of my waistband.

"Yeah, I hope there are tools there, a pipe maybe? I don't like relying on my

gun. It doesn't have a silencer, the noise would just attract more if we had to

shoot one." I nod once, a grim look on my face.

We heft our packs on our backs get out of the house the same way that we

came in: through the lock picked front door. The house had a wrap around porch

so we carefully walk around it until we go to the backside, barely making a single

sound. Danny tells me to stay behind him using sign language, something he

taught me awhile back because I wanted to be able to talk to him if I couldn't talk.

We step inside the barn and I pull my gun out, locked and loaded, ready for

trouble. Danny sweeps the ground area with his gun raised, his precise steps

scare me. What has this boy done with his life that makes him so prepared? I don't

get a chance to think about it because, suddenly and without warning, we hear a

creaking sound from above, but as we look up, the thing jumps down in front of

us, knocking Danny's gun away. I have enough time to look at our attacker before

my gun is swiped from my hand as well. Trying to get away and stumbling

backwards, I fall down on my butt. Frozen with fear, I felt as if I couldn't run away

or move away any farther. Danny's legs give out and he falls just like I do, but he

reaches for his gun as well. That's when I hear her voice, a voice that was once

soft like silk, but now hard like steel.

"My name is Sadie Marks and you've just met your killer." A girl with rich

purple hair mixed with a few different shades of blue stands before us. She has

tight black leggings on, a black tee shirt flecked with different colored paint, a

gray zip up hoodie tied around her waist, and a black leather jacket. A long metal

pipe is over her head and her mouth is curled into an evil smile.

"Wait! We're survivors and we need food. We didn't mean any harm to you

by coming here, it looked deserted," Danny nearly shouts, holding up his hand to

block the non existent attack. The pipe lowers slightly. I look at the girl as she

sizes him up. I watch her eyes as they dazzle over my boyfriend.

"Yeah, maybe you could come along with us. Safety in numbers right?" I

frantically say, trying to snap her out of the trance. I look at Danny, trying to read

his reaction, but his eyes are trained on the metal pipe. The pipe lowers all the

way.

"Really? I mean, I was waiting for my parents to get out here so we could all

leave, but I guess you guys are good enough. So since you offered..." Sadie says

with a wicked grin, glancing at Danny like he's the best thing she's ever seen. She

pulls us off the ground, offering Danny her hand first, and then oddly spins

around three times before exiting the barn. "How exciting is this? Let me pack up,

you can borrow whatever you need from the house. There's more food that I

saved up there, we can bring it with us."

Danny and I look at each other at the same time with the same look of

disbelief. Sadie Marks was our new group member.

My eyes suddenly flew open, and I grasp the handle of my karambit in surprise. Danny

was shaking me, and it had become late afternoon, yet it felt like I was only sleeping for a few

minutes. Sadie was standing off to the side, her face nearly expressionless.

"Wake up, Kaitlyn, it's time to go. We're headed for the forest, there might be less trouble

there, " he whispers. I nod, stretch, and rise, adjusting my backpack so it sits more comfortably

on my shoulders. As the sun dips lower behind the hills, we approach the edge of a large forest.

The trees sway slightly in the breeze, but other than the rustle of leaves and the small crunching

from our foot fall, there is no sound at all. Danny leads the way, and we push on into the foliage,

rustling through the leaves and into the forest, making our way under the canopies of a

thousand leaves. As we walk, Danny and I continue our sign language conversation behind

Sadie's back so she doesn't get mad at us talking. I just start to relax and enjoy the scenery

around us, when an odd noise echoes through the trees from our left. We all freeze in our tracks

to get a better idea of what it was, and where it was coming from. It sounds as if someone had

broken a tree limb, but a dead, hollow one. We all stare at the spot the sound came from before

Danny speaks.

"I know that sound..." Danny mutters, and immediately starts to go toward it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Could be trouble," I point out in a hushed tone, and

Danny answers quickly as he continues walking to the unknown.

"That was a silenced pistol. Someone needs our help." Without further ado, he jogs off

through the bushes, and I quickly follow with Sadie close behind me, practically on my heels.

Danny suddenly stops short, whipping his rifle up to his eye, aiming at something. Sadie and I

fan out on his right and left by instinct, ready but not armed. In front of us, a body lay at the base

of a huge oak tree, its head blown clean off. Kneeling beside the corpse, and stripping its shirt

off, is a hunched and shirtless figure, a man, given away by his bare chest, which is bronzed

and well muscled. As I grip my Karambit as tightly as my fingers will allow me, the man slowly

turns to face us, and I let a small gasp escape my lips. A dirty and offwhite mask covers his

face, a simple smiley face sloppily drawn on it with the fresh blood from the corpse. It seems as

he stares at us a moment before finishing divesting the corpse of its clothing, slipping the shirt

on and settling it around his frame nonchalantly. As he begins to stand up, Danny quietly orders

the masked man.

"Freeze, or I'll shoot." The man ignores the warning and stands, calmly facing us. A 44.

Magnum is prominently on his hip, evidently the weapon used to end the life of the now shirtless

corpse.

Danny orders him again, "Stop right there. You've got a lot of explaining to do." As if to

emphasize this, he switches the safety off on the AR-15 with a muffled click. The only reaction

from the masked figure was to begin buttoning up his new gray shirt, a stained button up that

was once an expensive piece of clothing. Danny takes a step forward, and the man pauses.

A deep bass rumbles out from under the mask: "If you don't quit pointing that at me, I'll

blow your head off." With this pronouncement he finishes buttoning up the shirt, and slips a

blood spattered black leather jacket onto his shoulders.

"You asked for it," Danny mutters, closing one eye to aim better. Before Sadie or I can

react, the masked man leaps forward, jerking the rifle's barrel up toward the sky, and violently

kicking Danny in the crotch. Danny moans, and as he starts to collapse the stranger wrenches

away the rifle, casually pointing it in my direction.

"How do you like them apples?" he growls at Sadie and I, who are frozen with shock,

and then to Danny, "You'll be fine, boy. Learn some respect for your betters." With that, he

disdainfully drops the rifle on top of the groaning Danny. Sadie suddenly levels her shotgun,

sliding the pump along the barrel. The stranger leaps sideways in a tumbling role as her finger

squeezes the trigger, only to be rewarded with a dull "click". Landing on his feet, our newly

found foe slams his hands down on Sadie's, and the shotgun drops from her nerveless grasp.

To my surprise, and secretly a little amusement, he grabs her by the leg and shoulder, hefting

her up like a sack of grain. My amusement is short lived, however, as he hurls the hysterical

Sadie directly into me, knocking my breath away and sending us both rolling. I rise slowly,

expecting a bullet, but the man is just standing over Danny, watching him. A chuckle rises from

deep in his throat, slowly growing louder. Danny begins to rise, and the man does nothing to aid

or stop him, just watched, chuckling.

"Had enough now, kids?" he inquires, the laughter cutting off suddenly. Danny stands all

the way, and stands unsteadily in front of the stranger, who shows no further implications of

violence. As I disentangle myself from Sadie, I hear Danny's voice.

"Who are you? And why did you kill him?" I perk up my ears as an answer was quietly

delivered.

"Jeff MacLennen. Cadet in the army, 24 years of age. I needed a new shirt, and he

attacked me. Two birds with one stone." Danny is silent for a moment, and Sadie takes the

opportunity to rise, and bolt toward MacLennen, her hands are clenched into fists.

"Sadie! Stop!" Danny hisses, but it was too late. As Jeff turns, she swings a punch to the

side of his mask, knocking it off. Unperturbed, Jeff enfolds her under one of his arms,

completely incapacitating her with a quick, practiced motion.

"Let me go, you freak!" Sadie hisses, kicking and hitting like a toddler trying to get away

from a playful uncle, but MacLennen's arm holds her like a vise. Jeff turns toward Danny and his

features come to light. He has a handsome face, grizzled with blond stubble and possesses

bright, piercing blue eyes. A pale white scar ran down from the center of his forehead over his

right eye, mutely testifying to a past injury.

"I'll bet the trouble with her is the noise," he comments wryly, glancing down at the

squirming bundle under his arm. Sadie snarls, tosses her head back to hit him, and even tries to

bite him, but nothing fazes him. Danny doesn't agree or disagree to his comment, but stares at

Jeff as if he can't believe what he is seeing. MacLennen unexpectedly releases Sadie, shoving

her away and bending down to retrieve the fallen mask. Straightening up, he flung at Sadie, "Try

turning the safety off next time, girl." Turning his bright blue eyes to me, he says "Got a place to

stay?"

"N-no, not yet. I think we were going to make a camp," I reply without thinking, both

confused and apprehensive, my hand gently resting on my cracked rib. The mysterious man

nods, his face thoughtful. Danny quickly bends to retrieve his rifle, only to have a combat boot

planted on top of it.

"I don't trust you with that, boy," he whispers to Danny, and then continues, "There could

be anything hiding out there...in the dark. I've got plenty of room." He glances at me slyly as he

says 'in the dark'. Withdrawing his foot from Danny's rifle, he steps back and crosses his arms,

surveying us all with an icy blue stare. I carefully climb to me feet and walk over to Danny to

give some support, and he smiles wanly.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think we can take care of ourselves," Danny says, returning

the inquisitive stare with a slightly challenging glare. "Let's go, Kaitlyn. If we hurry, we'll have

time to set up before night falls." With that, Danny turns his back on MacLennen and starts to

stalk away. Sadie insolently sticks her tongue out at Jeff, and quickly follows. I look after them

for a moment, wondering what to do. Turning back, I am shocked to notice that suddenly I a,

alone. The only other occupant of the clearing is the headless corpse. Unnerved, I turn and

follow Sadie's retreating back deeper into the forest. I long to speak with Danny, to comfort him

and reassure myself that he was alright, but the opportunity doesn't present itself. As evening

falls, we step into a small clearing next to a gurgling stream.

"I think we'll stop here. It's unlikely we'll find a better source of water,�� Danny announces,

and unbuckles his backpack, carefully lowering it to the ground.

"Fine with me," Sadie asserts, and follows Danny's example, shedding her pack. I say

nothing, slowly discarding my backpack and pull out my tent, a vague feeling of apprehension

stealing over me. I dismiss it quickly. Danny knows what he's doing. That freak probably just

wanted to kill us, anyway. However, a small, nagging voice told me If he'd wanted to kill you,

you'd likely be dead already. Why didn't you go with him? As we finish setting up camp, Danny

motions for me to follow him as he heads for the stream. I wait a moment and then follow,

hoping Sadie won't notice, or at least won't eavesdrop.

"Kaitlyn, I know that this probably makes you uncomfortable, but I just want to be sure

we're safe," Danny whispers, "After that...demonstration, I just didn't think it would be smart to

stay with that psycho." His confident attitude had dampened somewhat, and he seems a little

unsure.

"I agree, Danny. This is probably the best choice, I'm just a little shook up," I try to shut

out the quiet voice which told me I am lying. Danny looks relieves, and pulls a water filter out of

his pocket. "Great. Would you mind gathering our canteens? We could all do with a refill."

"I guess," I start to walk away.

"And Kaitlyn?" His voice is small, worry filling to space between us. I turn back to him.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I know that must have hurt,"

"Babe, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about," I lie through my teeth as the pain of my

cracked rip cuts through me.

"Heh, yeah? Why me?" A small smile forms on his lips, then it disappears, "Kaitlyn?"

"Yeah?"

"Come here," I look slightly confused, but step to him. He wraps his arms around me and

presses his lips to mine. I feel everything he feels for a moment, then I feel it melt away. I wrap

my arms around him and close my eyes. Seconds crawl by like hours until his lips finally pull

from mine. I slowly open my eyes to see the tears rolling down his cheeks, "Babe?" his voice so

quiet, more feeling the breath of the word than actually hearing it.

"Hm?" The slight sound escaping my lips makes him look down his nose at my lips

instead of my eyes.

"I miss you. I miss how it was before we found her. Back on videochat in your room, that

one time I got you to dance and you almost broke your sister's figurines," A small laugh escapes

me and Danny smiles, "Okay, I'll let you go get the water now," he says, but doesn't loosen his

grip on me. Unexpectedly, Sadie screams, the sound reverberating through the glade.

"THEY'RE COMING!! RUN RUN RUN!" she screams, tearing into the clearing with her

backpack on. Turning around, she quickly raises her shotgun and fires a blast back toward

camp. A sickening splattering sound immediately follows. Danny and I dash back to retrieve our

packs, only to find the camp overrun by zombies, staggering their way toward us. Snatching up

my gear, I take off up the stream, Sadie and Danny following.

"What about the tents?" Danny hollers.

"We have to leave them, I'm not trying to take it down!" I yell back as we gallop across

the ground, leaves and sticks crunching under foot.

Suddenly, a shot rings throughout the woods, originating from somewhere across the

stream. Seconds later, a huge flare flowers into a red-orange glow, arcing up into the air roughly

a mile away. Without thinking, I leap into the stream, fording it quickly, and scramble up the

opposite bank toward the signal. Glancing quickly behind, I see Danny and Sadie are following

my lead, and are catching up quickly. I think about slowing down so they can catch up, then the

thought passes as quickly as the ground does under me. Time flies by as we run, the groans

and hollow screams from behind us giving wings to our feet. I remember the first time I was told

to join the track team. I always responded with "I'd rather run to save my life then to win a

medal." It never crossed my mind until now that it was a possibility. Suddenly, the trees melt

away, and a huge iron gate looms before us, behind which lounges a rundown mansion, a

lopsided tower spiraling off the back. Even from a distance I can tell it had been fortified, all the

windows are boarded up and the gate is locked.

Panicked, I turn to Danny., who is not right beside me, "What now? We're trapped!"

Before Danny can reply, a screeching noise fills the air, as if someone is keying a car.

The gate swings open. Without thinking, I dash through, followed by Sadie and Danny. Whirling

around, I slam it shut, Danny wrenching the rusty bar across it, which gives the same screech I

heard moments before. As we gasp for air, safe for the moment, Sadie brakes the silence.

"Hey, who let us in? And where are we?" Startled, I look around. Sadie is correct, not a

figure can be seen in any direction, just waist high grass and weeds, steel shacks and wooden

outbuildings, rusting sawblades, and that huge foreboding mansion. I can see it much more

clearly, and realize that a sagging porch hung off the front, spindles missing from the railing.

The porch itself is littered with body parts, and stained with dried blood.

"Well, I guess we should explore," Danny suggests, lifting his AR-15 to a ready position.

"Sounds good," Sadie agrees, glancing over at me, but I shake my head violently from

side to side.

"No... There is something eerie about this place." My voice a whisper. Danny ignores me

and takes about two steps forward when music starts. It is more of a humming noise, a wavering

rhythm with no discernable source drifting over the grass. Somehow, I feel as if I know the song

dimly, like a lost memory I can't retrieve. The melody of a music box, that one sound that makes

any scary situation worse if you've watched horror movies. Sadie has her head cocked to one

side, and Danny is frozen, glancing all around trying to locate the source of the melody. It

ceases, just as suddenly as it began, leaving an eerie silence save for the zombies clamoring

behind the fence. Out of nowhere, Jeff MacLennen appears, rising up out of the grass and

weeds in front of Danny. He's wearing his mask again, and a polished hunting knife is loosely

cradled in his right hand. Danny's rifle snaps up, only to be roughly knocked aside with a grunt.

Sadie stifles scream, and looks at him like a lost puppy. MacLennen doesn't speak, but instead

surveys us for a minute or two. Just as I am about to break the silence, he turns, gesturing for

us to follow him, and breaks into a quick trot across the field. Unthinkingly, I jog after him, and

Danny grabs my arm.

"What are you doing? He's dangerous," He hisses under his breath. Jeff halts about

thirty feet away, and stares at us again, the bloody smile on his mask both repulsive and oddly

alluring.

"We don't have anywhere else to go, and nothing to lose. I'm going," Sadie announces,

and strides past us toward the solitary figure.

I stare into Danny's face, pleading with my eyes, and he sighs, releasing my arm. We

both run after Sadie, falling into stride with our unexpected rescuer. After a few seconds of silent

travel, Jeff suddenly stops in front of a little shanty constructed of corrugated steel. Wrenching

the door open, he again gestures for us to follow him and disappears inside, closely followed by

Sadie. Glancing at Danny, who nods, I duck inside into total darkness. I grab Danny's hand,

scared of the darkness. From somewhere in front of me, Sadie pipes up.

"I can't see a thing. A little light, huh?" There isn't a reply, but a flashlight flicks on,

illuminating a set of concrete stairs leading down.

"Go on through. I'll follow in a moment," Jeff hisses out from behind the mask, and a

flashlight is placed in my hand. Jeff moves toward the entrance and takes hold of the door,

slowly pulling it shut. Sadie begins skipping down the stairs and I hurriedly follow, fearing she

might become lost in the depths beneath us. All is quiet as we descend, save for the sound of

running water. The stairs culminate in a long stone passageway, dimly lit by electric light bulbs

which cast a feeble glow down from the ceiling, elongating our moving shadows.

From behind me, Danny's voice shakily makes itself present, "Where are we? What is

this place?"

A rumbling voice answers from behind, "The logging tunnels beneath my home. They

were flooded, once." We hardly travel fifteen feet when Sadie squeals,

"Look! Paintings!"

There on the wall hangs a huge picture of a tall man, dressed in overalls and a blue plaid

shirt. Behind him stands a forklift and a stack of logs. He bares an uncanny resemblance to Jeff,

and the title reads, "Father: Conrad MacLennen." N

ext to it is a portrait of a short woman, with

black hair and brown eyes. Dressed in a soiled white tank top and the inevitable filthy blue

jeans, she is standing on an exquisite porch in front of the mansion. Her face looks tired, but

energy and youth seems to radiate from her. The title reads, "Mother: Sheila MacLennen".

Looking out, I see that the walls are covered with such paintings. Across from us, on the

opposite wall, is one of a raven-haired girl, hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, standing in front

of a boy slightly older than her. She has dark brown eyes and a tanned complexion, white teeth

shine out from her face in a perfect smile. She adorns a red hoodie and filthy blue jeans. The

boy above her is wearing a black t-shirt with a rock band's logo on it and ripped jeans. His hair

is the same blonde as MacLennen's, but his eyes are brown. Although he has a smile that

matches his sister's, his eyes have a sharp steel edge, like how a trouble makers eyes shine

when their mischief is a success. The title reads, "Sister and Brother: Zoey and Evan

MacLennen." As we carefully step down each stair of the seemingly never ending staircase,

more paintings adorn the walls: Children playing together under a canopy of pine trees, Conrad

and Sheila standing together, sunsets from the forest. As we progress down the passage,

however, the themes fade from happy and sweet, to darker, foreboding, troubling pictures.

Scenes of a field, littered with corpses. Jeff, sitting disconsolately in a chair with his head down,

while the ghosts of his family stand behind him, looking concerned. Jeff sitting alone in a

rundown shanty. Something seems off about this painting, and as I look closer, I find that it is

composed entirely of the words, "Pain, kill, loss" in different colors and sizes.

"They're dead, aren't they?" Sadie mumbles. She gets no response, but she doesn't

need one, she knows it's true. We all know it's true. I hear a sigh behind me and I feel a wave of

understanding for Jeff wash over me, I know what it's like to lose family.

As we approach the end of the dim tunnel, a flight of stairs ascends beneath a huge

arch. Painted onto it was a swirl of images. The longer I look at it, the more images seem to

swirl and fade in and out: Skulls, corpses, birds, weapons, animals, people, smiles, sun, scenes

of both joy and sorrow. The title of the mural reads simply, "Dreams."

"Up the stairs," grates MacLennen from the rear. Sadie turns, halting us all in midstep.

"What do they mean? The paintings?" She demands, then on a softer note, "They're

beautiful."

"Visions. Dreams. Memories. A life long gone." MacLennen responds, then quietly, "I've

lost them all..." he trails off into silence, and gently herds us toward the stairs. Upon reaching

the end, I look around in shock. I am expecting a dingy, dust-filled room, with rat bitten furniture,

or blood stained floors. But instead, I'm greeted by a trim, tidy antechamber, with a coat rack on

the wall, and a doormat for shoes. The floor is hardwood, and swept clean of dirt and dust

bunnies.

"Shoes off," MacLennen directs quietly, and I unthinkingly comply, along with Danny and

a somewhat subdued Sadie. Jeff then leads the way through a wooden door, into what I

assume is the living room. To my left, a large fire is crackling, and a large leather sofa lies in

front of it, an end table close by. A folding chair sits across from the couch. The fire provides the

only light, causing the room to be rather dim.

"You live here?" Sadie asks as she looks all around.

"Yes," is the monosyllable answer. I long to sit down, to rest, but MacLennen keeps up

his steady stride, through another door. This room has a large, rectangular table with five seats

around it. This room is well lit by a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling above the table,

and through an empty doorway to the rear I can see a wood stove, icebox, and cupboards.

"Sit down," MacLennen suggests, waving his hand toward the table.

"Thanks," Danny comments, a little uncomfortably, and pulls a chair out for me while

Sadie sits at the opposite end of the table. Danny plops down next to me, just as MacLennen

reemerges, carrying a steaming tray of some sort of meat. He sets it in the middle of the table,

and sits between Sadie and I.

"Eat up. You're just in time for dinner," he smiles suddenly, and produces a stack of

plates from the bottom of his chair. I serve myself and scoop up a forkful. My stomach growls

and I remember that I barely ate lunch today. After a few tentative mouthfuls, Sadie begins

wolfing her helping down. I put the bite in my mouth, slowly chewing. The meal is... odd tasting

to say the least, but we are all so hungry that all conversation is stalled as we dig in.

As she comes up for air, the pig of a girl at the other end of the table inquires, "What is

this? It's great!"

"Raccoon, mostly. And a little 'possum." Jeff replies through a full mouth. Sadie looks

utterly horrified for a moment then rapidly starts to eat again. I spit out the one mouthful I have

and look at Danny, pushing my plate away, clutching my stomach. He is staring at his empty

plate like it has betrayed him. MacLennen's rumbling laughter rolls out, and he throws his head

back, the light from the chandelier illuminating his scar. The clear blue eyes stare at me for a

moment, and then he says,

"There's no 'possum, just raccoon. Don't be so squeamish."

"I can't eat this. This is disgusting." I say looking at him, my lips curling up in distaste.

"Your loss." and Jeff's arm flashes out, snatching my plate and depositing its contents on

his own. Sliding my plate back across the table, he quickly finishes the remains of my meal. Still

chuckling, he gathers up our empty plates and disappears into the kitchen.

"What if he poisoned it? We could die in seconds. Or a slow agonizing painful death!

Wouldn't that be an adventure!" Sadie giggles like a crazy person.

"Sadie, we are always at risk for dying. And plus, Kaitlyn would be the only one to

survive since she didn't eat and this guy wouldn't be able to handle her." Danny huffs, a little

disparagingly.

"Hey, that's not fair..." I mutter half heartedly, my stomach churning.

"It's true." Sadie quietly says under her breath.

"Shut up, Sadie," I growl

"Actually, he ate Kaitlyn's food so he'd be dead too, which means, Kaitlyn would die too,"

Danny mumbles and I look at him. I think about snapping at him.

"Foolish girl. If I wanted to kill you, I'd tear your head off and feed you to the walkers.

You're not the first kids here, I'm sure you won't be the last." Jeff reappears from the kitchen as

we leap up in surprise. He continues, "Head to the living room, let's get some things straight."

I follow Danny's back into the adjacent room as Sadie rockets down onto the couch,

sitting directly in the middle. I pause, wondering whether to take the chair, or take a risk by

sitting by Sadie. Jeff remedies the situation bluntly.

"You, sit with her. No trouble, understand?" Sadie nods once, and Jeff motions Danny to

the folding chair. I hesitate, staying put, looking at the spot next to Sadie with distaste, "Sit, no

harm will befall you." I look at him, but don't move. The last time I trusted her, I was kept silent

for over a week. "Alright, Little One, you stand." He chuckles again, that same throaty noise, and

lowers himself down next to Sadie.

"First, names. You know mine." He turns to Sadie, "You are?"

"I'm Sadie Marks," she responds with a flirtatious smile. He either doesn't notice or

ignores it, and turns to me.

"You, Little One?" I don't respond, deciding on something smart to say. He just stares at

me, those piercing blue eyes seeming to penetrate my soul.

"I was raised not to talk to strangers," I mumble under my breath.

"Kaitlyn, just stop. This was your idea. He's helping us right now, the best you can do is

not be such a toddler," Danny whispers. I huff and stomp over to the couch, sitting beside Sadie,

but only on the edge, as far from her as possible.

"Hello Kaitlyn. My, you're a feisty one," he whispers, barely audible to us. "And you?"

The blue eyes swing to Danny.

"Danny," he replies, staring right back at MacLennen.

"How do you do, Danny. Not many rules here, just understand one thing: no funny

business." He stops, looking at each of us in turn. "No fights. No theft. And take care of my stuff.

Any questions?" he finishes, rising abruptly.

"Aw, I was just getting ready to pick a fight with you, steal your curtains, and throw them

in the fire," Sadie jokes, laughing at her own comment. She gets no reaction from anyone,

besides my small smile which I quickly hide. I know Sadie would never let me live it down if I

laugh at her comment.

"Good." MacLennen motions for us to follow him toward a curving set of stairs near the

back of the room. As we follow him, I walk beside Danny, grabbing his hand.

"What do you think so far, Danny?" I whisper as we exit the room.

"I'm not sure what to think, really," Danny mouths back as we ascend the spiraling stairs.

Once we reach the top of the stairs, Jeff points to a door on the far right.

"Sadie, you sleep here. The next door over is a bathroom. Danny, little one, you're the

next two doors, respectively." He heads for the stairway, then turns around suddenly, "If you

need anything, get it yourself. Better yet, go without." He descends a couple of stairs, then, "I'll

be up. Just holler. If it's an emergency only." Then he's gone.

Sadie stares after him for a moment, then disappears into her room. I walk over and

open my door, quickly flipping on the light switch. The room has faded pink carpet on the floor,

and a closet is directly to my left. A small mattress lies in the corner, covered with blankets, with

a chest-of-drawers nearby. Over top of the bed is a framed piece of yellowing paper. On it is

written in curving, fanciful script, "Zoey". A window looks out over the back of the house from the

far wall. I dump my backpack and swing the door closed, taking refuge in the feeling of safety,

even if it's just an illusion. I stand with my ear pressed against the door as I hear Danny's sigh,

and his door swinging open and closed. I look around the room, at the sparseness of

everything. I read the name out loud,

"Zoey? So this was Zoey's room. Cute. not really my style, but cute." I walk to the closet,

scared of what I'll find.

I flick on the light, open the door, and find an old flannel jacket about my size maybe a

little bit bigger, a pair of rubber boots, and a small, untitled book. The rest of the closet is empty.

I close the door again and shut off the light. I sit down on the bed, not tired but too exhausted to

fight it. I wait a few more minutes before walking to my door and creeping out. I shut the light off

and slowly close the door behind me; opening Danny's door and slipping into his room. His

room is softly lit by just a desk lamp from the desk in the corner.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Danny says from his own closet. I look into it to

see him doing a fashion show with the clothes inside. He looks at me from an outfit a size too

big, and I giggle.

"You dork," He bows and I walk over to him, looking at our reflections in the mirror.

Danny looks down at me as I scrutinize every one of my features. I glance at the concern in his

reflected face, trying to shrug off the depression of it all, of what I've done, of what I caused.

"Stop it," His words are firm, but gentle. I ignore him, staring deep into my eyes, seeing

the evil inside them. They never used to look this way, they never carried this much pain with

them before. If only I didn't do it, if only Ashton tried to talk me out of it. I wonder what even

happened to him. Did he die just like his sister? D

anny nuzzles his nose into my cheek, his eyes

closed, trying to comfort me. I look at him and try to smile. He looks back into my eyes and

smiles. He takes my arms and leads me out of the closet and to the bed before going back and

changing into his own clothes behind the privacy of a closed door. When he comes out, he has

his dirty shirt slung over his shoulder. I smile at him, but my eyes drop to a bandage on his side.

He drops his shirt on the ground and sits next to me. I wrap my arms around him, my fingers

touching the bandage.

"What's this?" I whisper.

"Got cut on a tree a while back, Jeff decided it needed bandaged,"

"Oh," My short answer is sad in a sense, but I brush it off as Danny is a boy and boys get

hurt; that's just what they do. I lean against him, resting my head on his heart, listening to his

heartbeat. He wraps his arms around me and holds me as tears start to fill my eyes. He takes

my chin and carefully tips my head up to look in my light violet colored eyes. Then he gently

puts his soft warm lips to mine and a tingly feeling crawls up my spine as my heart races. Our

eyes close and I wrap my arms further around him, turning so I could be closer to him. His

embrace tightens and he pulls me up against him, a fiery passion in our kiss now. Minutes pass

by slowly and for a few of them, I forget where we are, I forget about the zombies and Sadie, I

forget everything. I feel his lips start to pull away and I move my head forward, trying to keep

them there. I feel his mouth curl into a smile and I open my eyes. Finally, I let him pull his lips

away from me with a smile and he looks at me with those puppy dog eyes that seem to be his

trademark when we are alone.

"You know, in this ruined world, there's no other person I'd want to share my time with."

His voice is quiet, almost as if he's scared to break the connection between us.

"Aw, you know I'm not good at all the mushy words,"

"You don't have to say anything, Love. You just being here speaks volumes," I feel my

cheeks grow warmer at his words. I lean back against the headboard and he crawls to where he

can put his head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. I caress his face with the softest of

touches, feeling the years of unneeded suffering melt away. I slide my hand up his face and

through his hair, smiling as he closes his eyes and starts to fall asleep.

"Kaitlyn?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me a story?" He suddenly sounds so young, like nothing more than a 4

year old. He sounds so innocent, so unknowing. He makes it sound like there is world peace

outside of the window instead of a disease that turns everyday, normal and undeserving people

into bloodthirsty cannibals.

"Okay, so, once upon a time there was a boy and a girl named Marcus and Falicia.

Marcus was a water fairy and Falicia was a sunlight fairy. Marcus and Falicia used to make

rainbows on rainy days, the hard days, just to make the other smile. Falicia was so deeply-" I'm

cut off by the quiet sound of his light snoring. I carefully slide out from under his sleeping form,

pulling him slightly from the headboard so he wasn't bunched up. I pull the blanket over him and

kiss the warm cheek of his peacefully quiet sleeping form. Danny sleeps peacefully, not holding

the guilt that I do. I shut off the light and creep out of his room, shutting the door behind me as

quietly as I can. My good feelings dissolve in rush as a cold steel barrel is pressed against the

side of my head, and my arm becomes turned into a twist around behind my back. I hear the

metallic click of the hammer as my arm is stinging with a burning pain. I want to scream and run,

yet I am frozen, frozen with fear, ready for my death. I close my eyes, wondering what it feels

like to die, to not have the weight of guilt. Then, a hissing, bass whisper breaks through my

reverie.

"Little One, you breathe so loudly I could've shot you in the dark." The pressure on my

arm is released, and the revolver is withdrawn from my head. I turn to see Jeff standing behind

me. He's as shirtless as Danny, and the moonlight filtering through the skylight overhead faintly

illuminated his well-muscled torso. Ordinarily, this would have held my attention longer, but my

eyes are focused more intently on the 44. in his hand. He slowly lowers the weapon and

decocks it with an almost imperceptible "snick".

"I said no funny business," he continues, then suddenly smiles slightly, straight white

teeth flashing in the dark. I stand there with my mouth agape, massaging my arm, trying to think

of what to say. Sadie's door swings open, and I instinctively dart into a shadow.

"What's goin' on?" Sadie mumbles groggily. MacLennen turns slightly, clearly not

amused. Sadie halts in her doorway, looking Jeff up and down, then she whistles softly. Jeff

either ignores it, or doesn't hear it which is highly unlikely, because he jerks his head once to

the bedroom.

"Go back to bed, Sadie. False alarm," Jeff orders, and she quietly complies, swinging the

door shut again. He faces me again. I expect a reprimand or a crude joke, but he just stares at

me, his bright eyes looking me up and down. It is the look of a predator, a well trained one at

that. I shrink further into the shadows, not knowing what else to do. He sighs suddenly,

holstering the 44 and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Go back to bed, Little One. And try to stay in your own room for the rest of the night," He

adds with a quick grin, and turns toward the stairway. Feeling vaguely uncomfortable, like Jeff

knows more than he lets on, I slink through my own door and quietly latch it. I lay down on the

little mattress and pull the sheets up, wondering how we would get our tents back, and where

we would go next. Sleep comes gently, gathering me up and bringing me to a world of pleasant

dreams culminating in a plate of stewed oppussom.

I wake to the sound of small conversation below me. It sounds pretty one sided, and the

voice I pick out the most was Sadie's. I throw the blankets off with a quiet groan; yesterday's

marathons are making themselves known and my joints aren't very happy about it. As I descend

the stairs, Sadie's voice grows a little louder, and I realize it is coming from the kitchen. She's

engaging in a conversation with Jeff about his family. By the sound of it, she isn't getting very

many answers, if any. Sitting at the dining room table, Danny looks up with a smile as I enter the

room.

"Good morning, Kaitlyn! Sadie is interrogating Jeff about his life, but she's not getting

very far. I'm not certain what's for breakfast, but after last night I'm not sure I want to know," he

finishes with a wink. I pull out a chair next to him and sit down wearily.

"How'd you sleep last night?" I ask Danny.

"Like a rock. I'm surprised that Jeff didn't wake you up like the rest of us."

"He woke you guys up?" I ask, interested.

"Sure did. Hey, about that, how did I get covered up?" He gives me that smile, the one

that makes me realize he knows what happened.

"Uh, well, about that," I give a slightly forced chuckle and look away. Jeff enters from the

kitchen door with a tray load of bowls, Sadie in hot pursuit.

"Why aren't you answering me? Come on, tell me about your sister. What was she like?

Did she like painting like you do? Your brother, was he hot? What about your mother? Did she

feed you ratcoon too?" She pesters, pulling out a chair.

"Shut up and eat," Jeff growls with a grin, annoyed but amused with Sadie's questions.

He then lowers the bowls to the table. "Gruel for all."

"Um, first of all, what is it and second, is it good with sugar? I don't eat oatmeal, and

when I do it needs sugar," I look at the bowls concernedly, trying to smell was in them.

MacLennen glances over at me, looking faintly amused.

"Ain't no diner. Eat it up, or pass it up. Breakfast of champions."

"Can I still have some sugar please?"

"Don't have any." I look at him, then glance down at the bowl, grudgingly pulling it

towards me as my stomach growls. I can hear Sadie busily smacking her portion down,

considering she was a farm girl, I'm sure she ate these kinds of things all the time. Danny

squeezes my arm encouragingly.

"It isn't that bad. Try it." I forgot for a second that Danny grew up on a farm too. I look up

again. Both Sadie and Jeff are staring at me, Jeff curiously, Sadie contemptuously.

"Don't be so picky, Kaitlyn. I've already finished mine." Sadie grins, loving her

opportunity to make fun of me in front of everyone.

"Yeah, well, you grew up with the pigs so I'd hope you be able to swallow the slop in

front of you," My words drip with venom as Sadie shoots up from her chair and leaps across the

table at me. Jeff is faster, however, intercepting her with a stiff-arm tackle, and she collapses on

the floor five feet away.

"Stop." One word in that monotone bass, but it carries a load of unspoken threats.

"We saved you, Sadie, saved you from that little barn you were huddled up in, maybe we

should've left you with the pigs and chickens, then you wouldn't be trying to take Danny away

from me," Somewhere in the midst of my yelling, I stand up.

"Kaitlyn, stop it," Danny whispers, pulling on my arm. Jeff stands slowly, and slides his

ever-present revolver out of its holster. "You want to fight? Here. Settle it. Or, you can try to

behave yourselves like adults." He pauses. "Finish your gruel, we're going outside." With this

statement Jeff backs away from the table, hoisting Sadie up by her arm, and loading her up with

bowls before she can react, dragging her towards the kitchen. I push my bowl towards Danny,

his bowl already gone.

"I'm not hungry," Danny looks at me then back at the food.

"Three bites,"

"What?"

"Eat three bites, then you can be done,"

"You're treating me like a child?"

"You're acting like a child!" His voice is angry and firm, like the stress of everything has

finally chilled his soul. My eyes start to water and his voice softens, "Kaitlyn, I understand you

are used to not eating and you are used to getting your way with me, but it's not going to work

this time. You need to eat, and you need to stop fighting with Sadie," He pushes the bowl back

to me and picks up my spoon, "Here comes the airplane," he says with a slight smile. I smile

slightly, roll my eyes, and open my mouth. The gruel is shoveled into my mouth, the tasteless

sludge making me gag.

"Move along." Jeff's voice emanates from the kitchen doorway, "Finished, Little One?" he

inquires, leaning over my bowl.

"Two more bites," Danny says as he shoves another spoon load in my mouth. I swallow

without chewing, preparing for the next bite, but Danny scoops the rest of my food into his

mouth to my ghastly horror, "I'll make you eat dinner but I won't make you suffer through

anymore of this food." He hands the bowl to Jeff, who unexpectedly whips it backwards over his

shoulder, through the kitchen door.

"Move out," he growls, and strides through the door, leading us back through the living

room, down to the tunnel under his home. As we pass through the halls, Sadie stops suddenly,

and points to a spot on the wall. My eyes follow her motion, and I see that a new picture has

begun to emerge on the wall. A starry sky canopies the top, and a person��s head is visible, but

their identity is not discernable.

"He's making another! With stars!" She squeals, seemingly unaware that Jeff is about

three feet away. The painting's creator says nothing, waiting until we start to move again,

flicking out a flashlight as we approach the stairs.

"Hey! What's the plan?" Danny shouts from in front of me. He sounds a trifle annoyed.

There is no reply from MacLennen, who continues his quick pace up the stairs. Attaining the

top, he wrenches the door of the shed open, and we step out into the midmorning sun. Once we

are all out, Jeff slides the door shut again, turning to face us.

"Alright, runts, crash course to self-defense," He rumbles, staring us in the face.

"Self-defense?! We know self defense! We're all alive, aren't we?" Sadie bursts out. I

couldn't tell if she felt slighted, or was just trying to be troublesome. Jeff turns to her, smiles in a

way that makes it look like he knows a secret, and brings his fists up, ready for a fight.

"Fight," he told her, weaving back and forth slowly.

"Alright, you asked for it," Sadie laughs, a little too confidently, in my opinion. Either way,

I'm not about to intervene. If she wants to get her butt kicked, it's her choice, and anyway, this is

prime entertainment. She swings an uppercut at Jeff, but he knocks it away with a swipe of his

arm. Sadie tries again, a short jab, with the same result. Sadie's expression grows frustrated,

and she launches into a series of hooks, jabs, and slaps, all of which are blocked or dodged.

Then, like a cobra striking, MacLennen drops to the ground, sticks out his right leg, and swipes

Sadie's legs right out from under her. Sadie hits the ground with a thump. She lies there for a

second, looking dazed, then, she pops back up and huffs angrily.

"Yeah, so? You're like 200 pounds of pure muscle. From the Army no less! Of course

you can beat me. I bet I can take down Kaitlyn with no problem though." She looks over to me

and grins evilly, wanting to rip me to shreds. Something about her eyes, the way they analyze

me makes me angry, furious, how dare she? Why does she think that she could take me down

so easily? Because I didn't fight back the first time? Why does she always try to pick a fight with

me?

"Come and get me then, farm girl." I growl.

"None of that." Jeff rumbles out, putting an arm out to stop Sadie from getting to me, but

she didn't even try. It was as if she was teasing me, taunting me like a mouse taunts a cat. "You

will not survive ten seconds without my help." Jeff glances at Sadie then looks back at me and

continues, "A house divided against itself cannot stand, and luck never lasts long."

"It's got us here so far." Danny says. But MacLennen doesn't seem to pay attention to

this comment. As Jeff looks to Sadie, I look at Danny, sensing the growing agitation in him, the

anger tickling the back of his mind. I follow Danny's gaze and notice that he's staring at Jeff, as

if his eyes were lasers.

"Oh, I understand," I say to myself, so softly that I didn't think anyone would hear. But I

thought wrong.

"What do you understand, Little One?" I look at Jeff slightly startled.

"Huh?" That one word normally gets me out of repeating myself, playing the stupid card.

Jeff lightly chuckles.

"What do you understand?"

"Nothing." I say, wondering how he could hear me, since I mumbled. Jeff stares at me for

a moment, and gives a grim little smile. Then his gaze moves on, sweeping Danny and Sadie.

"First lesson: overconfidence kills." He addresses Danny. "In a brawl, what is the first thing to

take note of?"

"Possible weapons?" Danny answers.

"Wrong. Look out for number one. Find an escape if things hits the fan. Then, take note

of your assailant's gender."

"GENDER?" Sadie squeaks, then covers her mouth.

"Yes. If it's a man, kick him in the crotch," Jeff says, completely straight faced. I

tentatively raise my hand, "Little One?"

"You know crotch kicks are kind of like cheating in a fist fight, right?"

"It's him or you, little one. You want to be dead, or alive?"

"Okay, well, then, it works for girls too, you just have to aim differently," I mutter.

Jeff nods, then turns to Sadie. "I attack you with a knife. You have no weapon. What

should you do?"

"Um...Kick your crotch? Hope you aren't wearing a cup?" Sadie replies, looking

uncertain.

"Run away. There is no winner in a knife fight. If it's fists, aim for the bony areas. Try to

break the nose, or gouge the eyes. It's hard to fight if you can't see. Your goal is to get your

enemy on the ground. Then, stomp his head in." Jeff instructs. His eyes glint like steel, his face

expressionless. "This isn't a TV show. These people won't spare you because you're scared or

young. THEY WILL KILL YOU." Jeff grinds the final words out, staring at each of us in turn. Our

lesson progresses long into the evening, Jeff alternately giving advice, and demonstrating

defense. As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, Jeff turns to Danny.

"Alright. Danny, fight me."

"What?? Why?" Danny answers, his face screwed up into a portrait of confusion.

"I want to see how you fight. I won't hurt you...much." Jeff says. Danny absentmindedly

rubs his still sore muscles from yesterday's altercation. Jeff stands, tenses and waits. As I watch

the two of them get ready to brawl, I feel anxious, so much so that I feel sick to my stomach. My

vision starts to blur in and out, like a camera trying to focus. What is wrong with me? Danny will

be fine, he always is. Suddenly, Danny immediately swings a roundhouse punch, halting it

inches from MacLennen's face, and aims a kick between his legs instead. Jeff grunts loudly,

and all his muscles tense in that split second. He retaliates by quickly landing two jabs, one on

each side of Danny's face, and then leaps into the air, kicking Danny in the chest, and lands

back on his feet. I instinctively move forward to help Danny, but Jeff shoots me a glare that

freezes the thought. Jeff is still looking at me as Danny gets up. Jeff's attention snaps back to

Danny as he feins an uppercut, and swings for MacLennen's midriff, but the blow is blocked

almost contemptuously. The scuffle precedes for about thirty seconds until Danny connects

hard with Jeff's stomach, winding him. As he bends over, Danny drives his knee up into Jeff's

face with a growl, and blood spatters suddenly. Straightening up, MacLennen takes a step back,

his nose bleeding freely like a broken water spout. He reaches up, gingerly touching the wound

as if he is surprised. His face transforms into a hideous grimace, and an animal-like growl

emanates from his mouth, swelling out of his chest. He launches himself into Danny in an

unblockable flurry of blows, his arms blurring as the strikes gain speed and power. Danny

stumbles back, vainly trying to defend himself from the myriad attacks. I watch in horror as

Danny trips over a tree root and falls to his back. Jeff bends over him and continues the

onslaught. Moving quickly, I leap toward MacLennen and wrap my arms around his feet, just as

Sadie jumps up, tightly grabbing his upper half.

"Jeff, stop please, please stop! He's done!" Sadie cries out as we fall to the ground from

our combined force. I am vaguely surprised that she had jumped in at all, I thought she liked

watching violence. But as we struggle to keep Jeff pinned and stop wiggling, I see that her face

beams with determination and worry, probably the same as mine. Jeff throws us off with such a

force that it scares me, and then Jeff shakes his head slowly, as if clearing his vision. He slowly

rises, blood dripping out from his nose. Walking over, he bends over Danny's motionless,

bloody form and places a finger against his neck.

"He's alive," he announces to no one in particular.

"He better be. If he wasn't, I'd kill you myself," I growl, tears streaming down my face,

infinite hatred in my eyes. Jeff lifts Danny's form, cradling him against his chest. Sadie makes a

noise from behind me, but I can't tell if it's a snarl or a sniffle.

"Hopefully, you girls learned something from that," he says, "remember what I've said."

Then he turns, dashing around the side of the house. Sadie looks at me, and for once, I see fear

in her eyes. She's trembling as she gazes at me.

"Kaitlyn?" I blink a few times and take a deep breath.

"Yeah?" my voice is surprisingly calm and level, even with the anger rising in my soul.

Sadie dashes to me within two steps, tackling me in a hug as she sobs into my chest. Startled, I

slowly wrap my arms around her, gently telling her that it'll be okay. I don't know why she's

crying, but now isn't the time to question her. She keeps muttering things about her father but I

can't make any sense of it, so I just let her keep mumbling. Jeff comes into view from around the

house, still carrying Danny's limp form. Jeff's clothes are soaked with water, and Danny's hair

and face is wet. Without speaking, Jeff blazes past us, over to the little shed hiding the stairway.

He shifts Danny to his shoulder, and yanks the door open.

"Come," he says, before disappearing down into the depths.

"I don't want to. He's scary," Sadie whispers. I gently push her off.

"Come on, let's go inside. I want to be the first face Danny sees when he comes to," We

both get up and sulk to the shed. There is no sign of Danny or MacLennen as we progress

slowly through the tunnel, passing the fragments of MacLennen's memories. Racing up the

stairs, I pass through the mud room and jerk open the door to the living room, not worrying

about taking my shoes off. Danny is lying on the couch, and Jeff is standing over him, a jar in

his hand. Drops of blood fall from MacLennen's face and spatter on the floor. As I approach, he

dips his hand into the jar and applies a faint green salve to Danny's face.

"He'll wake up shortly. I've given him a small shot of morphine, so he won't feel the pain,"

Jeff tells me, screwing the lid back on the jar. He lopes up the stairway, presumably to mend his

own injuries. Sadie stands quietly behind me, whimpering a little. Danny moans softly, and his

eyes flutter open

. "Kaitlyn? Where am I? Where's Jeff? Where's Sadie?"

"I'm here, Jeff's upstairs. He brought you inside," Sadie says from behind.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, concerned, gently caressing the side of his face that

doesn't have the salve on it.

"How does it look like I'm feeling? Like I was hit by a truck," Danny says, smiling wryly. "I

thought he wasn't going to hurt me...much."

��I know, shh, it'll be okay. I'm still pretty ticked, but that can be solved in a short time," I

whisper. Jeff suddenly appears in my line of vision, his nose had a bandage duck-taped on. He

clinically surveys Danny.

"Get some rest, Dan. You'll be alright." Turning to Sadie he orders, "Take care of dinner,

would you please? Everything you'll need is in the kitchen." Then he walks through the

mudroom door and disappears. Sadie scurries off to the kitchen, and Danny quickly dozes off,

leaving me alone with my thoughts. Still burning with anger, I pursue Jeff down into the tunnel. I

think I'll give him a piece of my mind. How dare he do that! Danny could have been killed! I

found him in front of the incomplete painting in the tunnel, paint accessories in his hands. He

was slowly developing the starry sky as I approach.

"Who do you think you are?" I growl. Jeff turns toward me, the faint electric lights playing

off his face, illuminating his scar. ��You could have gone without the whole beating my boyfriend

senseless thing, couldn't you? But you didn't."

"It's instinct."

"He's just a kid! He's not trained like you are, he's not from the Army!"

"I know." Silence stretches between us for a few seconds, the anger fading slightly.

"Then why? Why did you do it?" My voice is quiet, practically a whisper, but I know he

can hear me.

He looks me straight in the eyes. "You see all these paintings? The pictures of my

family?"

"Yeah, what about them?" I snap.

"They were all killed by walkers. I was too late, I could have stopped it. My family died,

and they are buried, here, to remind me of my failure. Their death tore me apart. I feel them

watching me, every day. Somehow, I think they forgive me, but I can't forgive myself. So I have

learned how to survive, how to fight, all so that I won't disappoint them. I lost my temper back

there, and months of hate and pain and anguish spilled out. That's why." He stops, staring me

straight in the face, his blue eyes flashing. Suddenly, I notice he was starting to tear up. Turning

away, he continues to work on the scene in front of him. I feel my heart hurt, like heartbreak, but

I know it is the feeling of shared guilt.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I ruined your life, you should just kill me now and avenge your

family and everyone you lost," My voice is lower past the extent of normal hearing, but I can see

Jeff picking up every word.

"You're not the first to say that. A young boy... Ashton. He was through here a while

back. I forgave him, saved his life even. And now, I forgive you. I seek only justice, and

wholesale slaughter is not justice. They are at peace, and so much the better."

"Wait, did you say... Ashton? What did he look like?" My ears perk up at the mention of

his name, a spark of hope flickers deep within me, my heart suddenly racing at the thought of

me finding him.

"Scrawny little thing. Dark black hair, light grey eyes. He was rather scared of me, as I

recall... A troubled boy. Said it was his fault, that he didn't deserve to live." A smile flashes

across Jeff's mouth for a moment, and then it is gone. "So naturally, I rescued him." I stare at

Jeff for a long time, my mind racing, my thoughts all over the place. Jeff turns away from his

painting for a moment, and I saw that the figure it portrays had purple and blue hair like Sadie's.

"You know him, don't you? Yes..." He gave an odd, throaty noise and turns back to his

work. From the top of the stairs, Sadie hollers "Suppertime!", and Jeff set his brush down. "We'd

better go, Little One."

I nod slowly, and we walk up the stairs beside each other in silence, his hand on my

shoulder blade. When I enter the dining room, Danny is sitting. His face is bruised and cut, but

other than that there was no sign of the beating he had endured. Sadie is beaming over a large

pot of steaming soup which she places in the center of the table. I sit down next to Danny, and

Jeff silently fills our bowls. The silence between us actually isn't so silent due to Sadie's

humming. I take a quick glance over to Danny, just to see if he's alright. But when I look, I find

out that he's already watching me with a kind look. We lock eyes and Danny gives me a little

smile. I smile back, aching to tell him about Ashton, but wondering if now is the right time. Would

he understand? Would he help me find him? Would he want me to find him? Dinner is, as usual,

eaten without benefit of conversation. At the end of the meal, Jeff stacks our bowls, turning

toward the kitchen, and then stops with a sigh. Setting the stack of dishes down, he turns to

Danny.

"I owe you an apology. I lost my temper, and may have killed you. You were just

following my instruction. It was wrong of me." He lifts the dishes again and strides to the kitchen.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Danny comments quietly to me.

"He's been through so much. I'll tell you later, but Ashton-" I break off as Jeff enters

again. He smiles at me, and nods.

"Kaitlyn was saying that an acquaintance of hers, Ashton by name, was my guest here

before you." The smile fades, and he sighs. "Get some rest, more training tomorrow. Then you

can go." He strides through the door, into the living room, and is gone.

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