Let's See How Long You Last

****

The sounds of moaning and sniffling stir me from my slumber. My hand reaches for the bare shoulder of the woman lying next to me. A gentle shake is all it takes to interrupt the sounds, allowing me to ask, "Hey, Jackie, you okay?"

Her hands appear from under the blankets, and she rubs her tired eyes, "Sorry, I just re-lived some things. You don't need to worry about me."

Not pushing the subject any further, I let her keep her secret.

'She's right; I need to focus on getting stronger…' My mind drifts back to the mysterious Elaine and the task of saving her. The situation might be safe in this building for a while, but if I don't progress, living the same days, again and again, will become Hell.

'I have to continue deeper into the city.'

With that thought, I sit up from the comfort of her bedroom and aim for the kitchen. The supplies we liberated from Mike and his friends eliminate the need to worry about food for a while.

At least during the current length of my cycles.

"What are you thinking about?" Jackie's soft voice reaches me as she steps out of the bedroom wrapped in a blanket, "You have to leave, don't you?"

The question startles me as I quickly come up with an answer, "I'm not go-"

"It's okay. Remember, do what you want to do. You don't owe anyone an explanation." She immediately interrupts me and places her fingers on my lips. "What do you need from me?"

Her reminder is followed by silence.

'She's not wrong,' I didn't want to apologize because that wouldn't be right either. I have to change my mindset if I want to succeed. How does someone even respond to that?

"Let's make bacon," I decide as I approach the refrigerator.

Jackie sighs as she gives up and helps prepare breakfast. Seeing no reason to ration the food, we definitely go overboard as eggs, bacon, pancakes, and breakfast sausage arrives on the table.

Seeing the feast finally reach completion, I look at my young assistant and pick up a fork, "I'm going to head deeper into the city."

She listens attentively, nodding her head and not reacting as I attempt to hand her a plate.

"You need to stay here. I don't know what I'll encounter, and there needs to be somewhere for me to return." I take a bite off the pancakes in front of me, waiting for her to object.

The longer I chew, the more I realize that her objection isn't coming.

I gulp down the food and continue, "If something happens, you need to take care of the guys without me. I'll come here eventually, but I can't be committed to a single location at the start."

Jackie waits in silence, expecting further instruction.

Not sure how to break her silence, I keep talking. "…That's it. I'll take one of the guns with me, but the rest of the gear is yours. Stay alive no matter what!"

She finally speaks up, "Befor—"

"No, Jackie, you're right! I need to be more assertive. You will follow my instructions because I'm the one that saved you. I can't risk wasting another perk to resurrect you if something happens. You will stay here." I interrupt her, knowing that denying her will only be more complicated if she requests to accompany me.

"That's not what I wanted, but I'm impressed." Jackie smiles at my words instead of getting upset, "I just wanted to let you know what I saw before you go deeper to save more people…"

My hand covers my face in embarrassment. Of course, she isn't upset. She has been bizarre after her resurrection.

"You stayed in your apartment during the initial outbreak, right?" Jackie reminds me that I didn't experience as much as some people. "Did you even see any zombies before they turned into the creatures we've been facing?"

I quietly listen. 'I know they are zombies. I've been infected before… what is she getting at?'

"After they first turn, they can look just like a normal human," Jackie begins describing her experience with the pharmacist.

"Shit, I knew things were messed up, but they can look normal?" I reconsider my knowledge on the topic.

Her thoughtfulness may have prevented me from an early death.

"The convoy that most residents left on headed towards the center of the city. If you're going deeper, you might run into people that have been recently turned." Jackie places a hand over mine, "Don't let it surprise you."

Breakfast quickly finishes as we talk about less distressing topics. Looking at the plates still full of food that we won't finish, neither of us moves. It is time for me to leave the safety of the fortified building, and we both know it.

Jackie shoves leftovers from the meal into plastic bags while I start cleaning the dishes. Shoving them all into a camouflaged rucksack equipped with a brace to distribute the weight on my back, the smile never leaves her face. She seems genuinely happy to help me prepare.

"I've packed food, water, an extra magazine with 30 rounds, your knives, and some first aid gear for you." She lifts the large pack onto her back, "let me carry it for you until we have to say goodbye."

I grab a rifle from our supply pile and load a magazine.

We don't exchange a single word as we depart the apartment and head down the stairs. The bleak atmosphere of the eerie building is completely canceled out by the beauty walking by my side.

"I'll be waiting. In this life or the next, I'll always be watching for your return." Jackie reassures me as she climbs into the forklift and begins to awkwardly move the vending machines.

'Well, she'll get better as we get more practice…' I think as the forks pierce the machine, forcing it from the barricade.

Before I rush out of the now open door, I check my weapon over one last time and slide the corded knife into my waistband. Jackie jumps off her vehicle and runs to my side.

She gives me a passionate—but brief—kiss and one last hug.

Further goodbyes don't seem appropriate, so I pull the straps tighter on my rucksack, ensuring it is tight to my body, and march into the sunlight.

"Good luck!" She waves to me from the doorway and disappears before I quickly hear metal scraping against the ground, followed by the familiar tones of the forklift reversing.

'Good… This will act as a perfect base.' I snap my fingers, reactivating my abilities before taking my first step.

'I just need to take care of something to ensure it remains that way.' My thoughts fall back to the giant, car-flipping monster that I had faced in the past. 'This time, let's see how long you last.'