Necropolis

Elaina. Day 1. 19:57.

I studied the bandage wrapped around Anne's head. I had been murmuring little nothings to her as I worked, a habit I blamed my mother for. I'd been trying to de-condition myself from that particular habit my whole life, but it seemed that it was one I was going to be stuck with forever. The worst part about this particular habit was that she wasn't even conscious to hear what I was saying.

"See? Not so bad," I was saying to her. She was bleeding through, though. "We might just change that bandage in a minute, though, we've got a better one now," I murmured. "It feels okay? Not too tight? Well, don't worry about it, we'll probably have that one off and a nice, fresh one on in just a minute. You're doin' great." It was bizarre talking to an unconscious girl, and more than a little unsettling, but I couldn’t seem to shut myself off. And while I was no medical expert, but if Bernard seemed to think she was all right at least for the time being, I was not going to work myself up about it. As long as she was breathing evenly and not going into convulsions I was just going to keep an eye on her.

From where I was squatted down beside her, I glanced up to see Kevin standing alone, head tilted to the side, eyes squinted slightly, staring at what appeared to be nothing in particular.

I touched Anne's brow, brushing a piece of hair out of her blood-stained face. Biting my lip, I studied her a moment longer, then straightened and moved toward Kevin. "You look like hell," I said, looking him over. "Can I help?"

Kevin turned and looked at me. He blinked. "What would you do?"

Taken aback, I was at a loss for words. "I... don't know. That's usually your area, isn't it? Knowing where we're all supposed to be and when?"

He looked away, closed his eyes. "Then no... you can't." Opening them with a little sigh, he began to limp away.

"Kevin... hold on..." I caught up. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to..." I looked away from him, frustrated with my inability to communicate. I looked back up at him. "I know it's not enough," I said carefully. "But I am trying here. And I know you are too." I took the risk then. "Maybe you're trying too hard, verdad? Take a second. Just breathe for a minute. How's the leg? Do I need to get you something for it?"

He stopped abruptly, turning to face me, eye-to-eye, flinching slightly at the sudden strain on his injured knee. "There is no such thing as trying too hard," he said. "You go through life doing everything you fucking can to make it. You let up for a second, you die. Ask Angie and Tazin. Keri. Abbie. Derrick. They know."

The look on his face was like a physical blow to the chest. "That wasn't what I meant," I said softly. "I just meant you should let us help you. Stop trying to do it all by yourself. You've always tried to take on the world on your own, but come on, Atlas, share the burden." I gestured to the busy people around us. "Lord knows you have enough shoulders here willing to do their part."

I braced myself for the next cutting reply, but he surprised me by allowing his shoulders to slump. "You can get me to my bed. I think my knee is about to give."

Wrapping his arm around my shoulders and securing my hold on him around his waist, I looked up at him and said very simply, with what was almost humility, "Thank you."

He grunted in response as we made our way back to the bed. "What're you doin' here anyway?" he asked gruffly.

"Anne." I nodded in her direction. "We have a few pairs of eyes on her, though, so mine can be spared for a little while."

He grunted. “Right. I think I’m gonna need Bernard. Something tore in my knee when I kicked the door.”

I felt a little pang, thinking about how his knee had to be hurting like fuck right now. “Oh Kev…” I sighed. “All right. Soon as we get you back, I’ll go get him.”

He winced as we stopped at the bed. “We should also get everyone together. If you see Jo, tell her to bring everyone to me. She has this group’s respect. They’ll—“ A sharp intake of breath as I helped lower him to a sitting position on the bed. “Listen,” he finished tightly.

“Lie down. I’m on it.” He didn’t make any move to do so. In fact, he leaned forward slightly. Adopting a tone that was just a hair sterner, I pressed his shoulder with my hand. “Really, lie down. It’ll take a minute to get them all over here, and you need this time to decompress.”

I turned and began to walk off, then stopped and walked back toward the bed. I took a few steps forward, and reached out, then hesitated. I touched his forehead briefly, brushing his hair with my fingertips. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I said, then withdrew my hand and walked away briskly, shaking my hand to relieve it of the tingles running up my wrist and into my arm.

Velna watched as the group dispersed. They were looking for something, she didn’t know what, but if she wanted to stay alive she probably needed to let her presences be known. If one of them just saw her walking around in the rafters they might think she was a zombie and shoot her with out question. She slowly walked over where she saw the leader. She figured out a way to get there once she was on the ground and carefully went to the first beam she could find to shimmy down.
She slowly and quietly made her way to where the bed was set up her moccasin covered feet didn’t make a sound as she ran to her destination. She watched him as he propped his foot up and laid his head back, she didn’t let her presence be known until she spotted his gun. It was laying next to him, to close to his grasp for her comfort. She looked around for something that could shield her in case he shot before he thought. Which wouldn’t be surprising thinking about what he had just been through.
“So you are the leader of this group of survivors?” She asked slowly walking into site and leaning against a container of some sort of food. Whatever it was was sturdy enough to lean on.

"That's right. Who the hell are you?" He asked wearily, looking at her from half closed eyes.

"Someone that has been here a hell of a lot longer then y'all have." She replied,.

Kevin laughed dryly at the girl's spunk. "Whats your name, kid?" He asked.

"Velna," She replied confidentially.

"Kevin. How long you been here?"

"Sense this whole thing started, I was in here when the outburst or whatever started." Velna replied crossing her arms across her chest.

"...And just how old are you?" Kevin asked skeptically.

"I'm fourteen, what difference does it make, as long as I can take care of myself it doesn't matter." Velna replied hotly squaring her shoulders to make her small frame look a little bigger.

Kevin narrowed his eyebrows. "Fair enough. You cant be any more useless than the morons i have with me now. And its a helluva lot safer here than outside. Just don't fuckin' go and do stupid shit and you should be fine.

"Stupid stuff never does anyone good, and yes, you have a bunch of morons with you." Velna replied relaxing her shoulders just a tad. "The zombies in the offices were the only ones in this building."

"Figures you wouldn't let us in on that tiny fucking detail," Kevin said.

"Well, A. y'all are nothing of my concern. I can go back up to the rafters and keep safe if I wanted, B. I can go anywhere in this building with out touching the ground. Including the office building, but excluding the freezers." She replied letting a smile play at her lips happy that she had kept them from knowing of her existence.

"Better make up your fucking mine if you're gonna stay," he said readjusting his leg.

"Why?" Velna asked glancing around.

"They're on their way here," he replied. It was then Velna heard the feet coming. She chewed on her lip. Of course she would, wasn't that why she had come down here. He wasn't stupid, he was just turning the question on her to make sure she was up to sticking around. She would have to prove she could take care of herself. Well, she had been doing that for a while and she wasn't about to stop now. She smiled,

"Course I'm staying, that is what I showed up for." She looked for the quickest way of escape just in case something went wrong.

Day 1. 8:20pm. Kevin.

I was too tired to fight with Velna. I had exactly one bullet left in the pistol, and with the pain in my knee, I probably wouldn't be able to hit shit even if she was violent. She seemed like a good enough kid, though. Rough, maybe...but willing to help.

Just like--

I shook away the thought before it really registered. Velna had taken up a position sitting on a bed opposite me, right on the edge of an aisle way, providing a quick means of escape should things take an unexpected turn. Her shoulders were square; tensed. She was worried, even if her face showed nothing but a cold indifference.

Just like you.

I stared at her for more than a minute, and with every passing second I found her face more and more familiar. The narrowed eyebrows, the slightly clenched jaw, the eyes that meet yours but never quite see you. And you never, ever see into them. One way glass, those eyes. People try to peer through it, they cup their hands around their eyes, to stop the light from reflecting off the glass, trying to catch a glimpse of what lies within. But they never can.

Just. Like. You.

I closed my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows. The pain was getting to me--gotta ask Bernie for something to fix that. Dull the pain.

Dull the pain from your knee, or the pain in your heart?

...Did it matter?

I realized at that moment that all I wanted was to fall into a bottle of DosEquis, make it all go away, to fade into a fuzzy blackness, only to awaken to a torrent of vomit.

Poetic today, aren't we?

I'd have to go searching for some Dos later. Maybe some Jager and a Redbull chaser. They began to show up, two and three at a time. Adara was walking, supported by Mev, Elaina, Jaime and Bernard walking together, Bernard stained with Anne's blood, and Joanna, walking in alone, without her shotgun for the first time that day. Dave was already nearby, sitting in a chair and staring into space. For the first time since I met him, I felt something other than hatred.

"Hey guys...this is Velna. Welcome her warmly. Velna, meet the crew. I figured we should all hang out for a while...get to know one another. We're gonna be spending a lot of time here. Best at least know everyone's name."

Day 1. 8:24pm. Bernard.

"I'm Bernard," he said and extended his arm to Velna, "nice to meet you." She frowned at it curiously, as if she was looking for a buzzer concealing in his palm. Her suspicion didn't last long; she grasped his hand and gave it a firm handshake.

"You're a doctor?" she asked and peered upwards at him. He nodded, but again a shiver ran through him as he felt himself being judged by the child. It was as if she was calculating his worth, his use. Her face broke into a smile and Bernard felt relieved. Clearly, he had passed whatever test she'd been devising.

Bernard turned to Kevin on the bed and tuned out the voices of the others introducing themselves. It wasn't particularly hard; conversation was at a minimum and what little there was sounded short, quiet and detached. Kev didn't even try to explain himself to Bernard, but he hadn't anticipated it. Kev had decided to go and fight. It was his decision and Bernard didn't expect him to show any remorse.

He looked at Kevin's leg and sighed. It looked as if he'd strained it even more. Shit. Bernard rubbed the injured tissue but Kev's face remained impassive. There was nothing to be done, really. Kevin would just have to play the waiting game.

"Just hold on in there, Kev," Bernard muttered and turned away. He understood the situation. Everyone relied upon Kev, needed him, required him. It was his determination and steel that had kept them alive, but now his recovery was set back again. "If you keep on pulling it, it'll heal wrong," Bernard cautioned and Kev nodded as if he understood.

Now, though, they needed a plan. Like when Kev had delivered his speech, they needed their goals reassessing and the people motivating. Everyone was here, so why not set the ball rolling...?

Bernard coughed loudly for attention and the group was instantly quiet. The harsh sound bounced back from the roof and walls to create an eerie impression that there were far more people in there than he could see. He had silence. Now, he needed words.

"Listen in, everyone. We need to make some decisions." It was difficult, just talking. It was difficult to speak to a crowd. "So far we've made quarters and got food and drink for ourselves, but what about actual defences? What have we done to stop ourselves getting hurt?"

Everyone was listening now. Bernard's hands had begun to shake so he clasped them behind his back. Behind him, Kevin saw the shaking and grinned.

"Seriously, the less work there is for me, the better!" That got the vague stirrings of what once may have been called laughter. "We need to barricade the entrances and set shifts for watches. Looking at you all, sleep is a much needed medicine so we should all see about getting some kip. If anyone has any suggestions then could they speak to Kev, Jo or me now."

Bernard glanced across at Jo to see her stare at him with an inscrutable expression. It may have told of betrayal or usurped power, but Bernard did not know.

"That is, of course," he said calmly, "unless Jo or Kev have anything to add." His gaze switched between them expectedly and he felt suddenly uncomfortable. Jo's gaze had not changed.

Day 1. 8:29pm. Joanna.

"We've done enough," Joanna whispered, still staring at Bernard.

Kevin spoke up, louder, but not unkind. "Bernie, I think we've had enough action for one day. Everyone's tired. Let's just chill for the night."

Bernard looked at her curiously, then looked at Kevin, and nodded. "Okay then."

Everyone fell into awkward silence again. Kev looked around, then started talking.

"Well, let’s get some introductions going. Y'all know me...I'm Kevin. If you don't know me from school, you either suck or you're from out of town. I work--worked at the gun store across the street here.” He gestured vaguely. “And if any of you fuck with me...well, I can still fuck you up with a bum leg." There were a few forced laughs from the audience, though they all knew it was true. Kevin shifted slightly and grunted. “So, anyone wanna go for a beer run? I could use a bottle of DosEquis right about now.”

There were a few more chuckles, and a couple people left to grab the beer, but Jo wasn’t sure who had gone. As Kevin was talking, her eyes grew unfocused. She had dropped her gun back when they met the others, never wanting to hold it again. She didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be surrounded by all these people. She just wanted to crawl into her tent, close her eyes, and forget everything for a few hours. She wanted --

“Hey.”

Jo sighed. She turned to see a boy standing next to her. She had seen him before…

He looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?”

The tents… Jamie. She leaned back against a shelf and closed her eyes. “No.”

She heard him shift a bit. “Oh. Is there . . . is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

Jo opened her eyes again. Kevin was staring at them, but she met Jamie’s gaze instead. “How’s your friend?”

Jamie bit his lip. "She still won't wake up. I think she might soon, though."

Joanna nodded and smiled weakly. “Glad to hear it. Bernard will take good care of her.”

"I hope so," Jamie said. "It's my fault we crashed. We were just coming here to get some food. I. . . I said something to her and she turned to look at me. Then we crashed." Jamie looked to the floor.

Keri was paralyzed because I shot her… She breathed deeply, wanting to be anywhere but here. “It’s… you… It’s not your fault. You didn’t want it.”

"I know I didn't, but I still made it happen, it still happened. And I can't do anything about it now. I'm so useless." Jamie's voice began to rise, and he stopped talking. "Sorry,” he said after a breath. “I guess it's all just getting on top of me."

She bit her lip and looked at him, her eyes focusing properly for the first time since they entered the offices. Everyone’s hurting… Not just you, Jo. “She’ll be okay, Jamie.” I won’t promise that. “Listen… we have tents set up… I think sleep will do wonders for all of us. Perhaps you should go pick out a tent, get settled?” She watched him carefully. She wasn’t trying to get rid of him – not at all – but it was the only way she could think of to help at the moment.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. And I'll have to go ask someone if they've found a tent for Anne. See you." He turned away and walked off towards the tents.

Jo watched him leave, relieved that he seemed to trust her. She looked around at everyone else – conversations had started up amongst them – and her gaze finally met Kevin’s. She couldn’t tell what his look held, and was too drained to find out. Closing her eyes, she leaned back again, trying to drown her thoughts in the chatter around her.

Day 1. 8:35p.m. Jamie.

Jamie wandered away from Jo in the direction of the tents, wondering what was wrong with her. The same thing that’s wrong with everyone else, probably, he thought.

There was reason enough. Not long before, things had been different. They had been boring, unbearably so. Now, though, he missed those days. Everything was gone.

And it’s the most I’ve talked to anyone in years. The thought struck him as funny and he smiled, but couldn’t bring himself to laugh. Since he had moved to the town, he hadn’t made any good friends. He had hung out with Mev, occasionally, but that was it. And now there’s nothing to do but talk. And wait.

Wait for what? He didn’t know. It didn’t seem like anybody would come racing to their rescue anytime soon. We’re going to die here.

He shook his head. Things wouldn’t come to that. He would stay alive. So would Anne. At the thought of her, he cringed. If she died, he didn’t know what he do.

Jamie came to the tents. They were deserted. Everyone was still back with Kevin. Jamie found a tent that didn’t have anything in it, and went inside. It looked comfortable. Lonely.

As he crawled out, he looked down at his clothes. They were covered with blood, and he didn’t know if it was his or Anne’s.

He wandered again, looking for some clothes. When he finally found some that he liked, he put them on in the aisle. No-one was around anyway. He went back to the tents and threw his old clothes inside the one he had left open, although he didn’t know why. He could wear something new every day, if he wanted.

Jamie walked back to the people, and looked for Bernard. He seen him talking to a girl that he didn’t know. Adara, he thought her name was, but he wasn’t sure.

“Bernard,” he said, his tone low.

“Yeah?” he turned around and smiled. “Hey. Can I help you?”

“Has someone found a bed for Anne yet? I didn’t know if anyone had arranged anything...” He looked to Anne, who was nearby. It looked as if she was sleeping.

“I’ll figure something out soon,” Bernard said.

“Okay, thanks. So you don’t need my help with anything?”

“I’m all right for now.”

“Cool. I think I’m gonna go back to the tents, then. I’m exhausted.”

“How can you be exhausted?” a voice croaked from behind him. “You slept through most of the day.”

Jamie jumped, and turned around. Anne was sitting up and staring at him. “Anne!” he yelled, and several people turned to stare at him.

Oblivious to their attention, Jamie ran down and sat next to her. “How’re you feeling?”

“Dizzy. And tired.”

Jamie could feel tears struggling to flow, and contained them. “I’m so happy! I thought . . . I thought you were going to die.”

“Everything’s going to be all right,” Anne said. Jamie believed her.

Day 1. 8:40 pm. Katalyn.

Kat supressed a yawn as she hovered amongst the other survivors, finding it increasingly difficult to participate in the fleeting conversations. She was so tired that she hadn't even managed a flicker of relief when Anne awoke.

"I think I'd like a few hours of sleep now..." Katalyn mumbled, taking a hesitant step in the direction of the tents.

"Go ahead but some poor bastard's going to have to stay awake and I'm not fucking volunteering," Kevin responded. The shuffling of nervous feet could be heard as the group wondered just who it would be.

"I don't intend on sleeping just yet," Jamie stated hesitantly.

"And he could wake me in a few hours... I wouldn't mind that..." Katalyn added, looking longingly towards the tents. There appeared to be no further objections so Kat drifted away from the group, half turning as she reached the tents, to look back. How many will survive the night? she wondered.

Katalyn ducked inside one of the tents and shrugged the rucksack from her shoulders. I need those hammers, she decided. And a lamp.

She left the safety of the tents, pausing briefly by the food to collect the larger of the weapons and then moving on. Fortunately there was an aisle not far away that displayed various different table lamps. Katalyn picked up the first - a yellow and red lava lamp - and turned around.

"Would you mind grabbing me one of those too?"

Good setup, I reallly like it. Zombies are cool to turn into viruses and disease. How do you find a draft you saved previously?

Dave

Staring miserably around he couldn't stop thinking of Keri. The shock of it had passed but he was just so depressed. It was just so hard to believe she was gone for good. Sleep was a cure but he needed to get revenge and stay alive. It was still first day since outbreak... that shocked him. So much had happened since. He turned to see Kat, she'd been one of the people who talked to him.. and Keri... Why had Keri got on better with others? She exchanged a few words with the group and left. Sighing Dave turned to only other person he knew well enough.

"Hey, Jamie, you don't need to, you deserve a rest."

Jamie glanced round startled, "Oh... never got much chance to thank you, you sure?"

Nodding Dave replied almost mournfully, "Not like I can sleep anyway..."

"Yeah, I heard about Keri, you really love her?"

Turning away from him he let out a short sad sigh, "More than I should of."

(OOC) Mat mind carrying on this exchange, thanks in advance (OOC)

Day 1. 8:50 pm. Jamie.

Turning away from him he let out a short sad sigh, "More than I should of."

Jamie turned and looked around. Anne had since gone to bed. Jamie had wanted to talk for longer, but Bernard had told him that she needed to rest.

"I'm really sorry. I never met her, but from what I've heard, she was pretty awesome." He stopped talking, realising how bad he was at comforting people.

Shifting sadly back round Dave nodded, "She... she like completed me. It was her who should of lived... I'm a failure can't do anything right." A stray tear fell from his eye.

Jamie bit his lip. "That's not true. If you hadn't been outside when I needed you, the zombies would've gotten me and Anne. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

A shadow of smile passed over Dave lips then vanished, "Everyone hates me... who wouldn't I trashed Kev ride I got someone killed in tunnels... long story... and couldn't save my two best friends..."

"It can't be as bad as you think. Everyone's probably just stressed. After today, we all have the right. Maybe in the morning things'll seem better."

Only shallow blood shot eyes stared back, "She should of lived! It's unfair, why didn't I die, my skill practically useless, I'm a hacker... what fucking use is that here? Now Keri she was sure of herself knew how to handle guns knew how to act in a crisis... I'm useless compared to her."

"You are?" Jamie said, staring at Dave. "Oh... Well, not everyone has to have a use, do they? I can't even heat water!" He laughed, but Dave didn't.
After a short silence, he said, "I'll stay up with you. Won't be able to sleep anyway."

Adding a mere murmur Dave replied, "You know what her and me planned, to blow this whole thing wide open. At that point it seemed neither important who lived. I really was sure it would be me to die. If I die, who shall tell the Government what happened here, stop it being ignored. All these people died. I shot a man as a mercy and my best friend Derrick became a zombie. A young kid was devoured.

"Someone has to make sure this whole bullshit convention never swept under the rug." For a minute there Jamie saw a glimpse of something within Dave, a righteous anger... but then depression swept back over.

"You're not going to die," Jamie said. "And neither are any of the rest of us. We're safe here from now, and eventually someone'll work out something to do. Everything's going to turn out good."

A trace of pessimism appeared in his voice, "You really believe that? It's hard to when ya seen everything I've seen."

"I can't not believe. because if I don't, I may as well kill myself right now. You probably think I'm just some stupid kid, but hope is all I can have right now."

Staring Jamie straight in the eye, "Kill me then, all I had was Keri... now I'm empty! What else can I do? Not like revenge would help would it?"

Jamie smiled again. "Well, there's guns around, isn't there? You could do your bit by protecting the group and get revenge at the same time. It does help, sometimes." The words that were coming out of his mouth horrified him, but hew knew they were necessary. "And, I guess, you have a friend now. Unless you don't want any, of course."

It was then Dave did an amazing thing and stood up and hugged Jamie lightly. Before breaking and for once smiling, "I won't let her down, her death won't be in vain."

"Of course you won't," Jamie said, and grinned. "If you need help, I'm always here, too."

The two of them continued talking as time went by, but Jamie's mind kept flickering back to Dave saying Kill me, then. He had only just formed a bond with the man, and he didn't seem to hold any regard for his own life anymore. Jamie hoped that nothing would happen to him, but knew that in his new world, nothing was guaranteed.

(OOC: If anyone else wants to do a post with Jamie, just PM me. I'm always free. )

Day 8. 7:00 am. Bernard.

Bernard’s watch beeped.

He woke up, and instantly regretted it.

Trying to get to sleep in the cold was bad enough, but waking up in it was worse. He creaked out of his cot and crept from the cramped sleeping area. No one woke, as usual. Only the slight movement of Kev’s chest betrayed any sign of life. He could easily have been sleeping in a crypt and, after all he’d been through, Bernard didn’t think that sounded too bad at all.

He’d slept in his clothes again, but that wasn’t a problem. Everyone stank. Plus, outfits were disposable. Since the electricity had gone down, there was no real way to wash them. The only option was to find more. And more. And more…

“Reduced to scavengers,” Bernard muttered to himself as soon as he was out of earshot of the tents. He was back in Kev and Jo’s good books for the moment, and he didn’t want to lose his renewed reputation through something foolish like waking everyone up.

Bernard had received a stern warning from Kev and Jo -- the dynamic duo, one of them was always angry! -- and he did not care to repeat the experience. In all fairness, Bernard knew that he had stepped out of line when he gave his speech a week ago, but the reprimand had struck deep. Under different circumstances, it could have been him in charge.

He stopped walking now and stretched out his cold muscles. His footsteps didn’t make a sound now, unless he wanted them to. Thinking about this, Bernard realised how much he’d changed. He was thinner, for a start, and more sinewy. His body, despite the conditions, felt better than it had done for years. Although the stress had begun to build, Bernard lived on it.

Once upon a time, stress had been part of his job. Now, it was part of his life.

Yes, he thought, I’ve acclimatised quite well, haven’t I?

Suddenly, a figure was in front of him. Bernard flinched backwards. His arms lurched up to protect his head and he ducked, quickly weighing up his options. Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Fight or--

Jamie grinned.

“Morning, Doc,” he laughed and shook his head as if he expected better of Bernard. “What’s troubling you today then?” he asked. Bernard had to grin.

“Only the fact that Kev’s almost up and walking again. He’s more trouble out of that bed than in it!” They walked side by side, comrades in a shared nightmare. “What are you doing out of bed though? It’s not your shift,” Bernard finished accusingly. They rounded the corner of an aisle and saw Dave staring back at them from a wooden chair. He nodded his head in recognition and went back to glaring at the floor.

“Well,” Jamie said in undertones, “Dave got up and left the tent at about 6 o’clock. I went to keep him company.” Jamie glanced at Dave to make sure he wasn’t listening. “And to keep and eye on him.”

Bernard nodded. “You still think he’s unstable, huh?”

“I would have expected him to do something, if he was ever going to.” Jamie frowned. It was clear he had been thinking about this a lot. “It’s that piece of paper, I think.”

Bernard followed his gaze. Sure enough, clasped tightly in Dave’s hands was a piece of paper, clearly written on. It was a letter.

Day 8. 7:05 am. Velna


Velna woke up and slowly moved out of the rafters. Even though she stayed around the adults during the day she never slept on the ground. She saw the doc and Jamie talking. Dave was sitting clutching a letter like he always did when he was away from the others.

She slowly moved around rows of clothes and other things and quietly moved behind the doc and Jamie. They were talking about Dave, atleast that was what it sounded like. She jumped up on one of the crates as quietly as possible and just sat waiting to see how long they would talk before they noticed her. She was lucky to be the only person her size, there were more clothes for her to wear then any of the others because she was the only one using the clothes her size. When the two just kept standing there not saying anythign she got bored and slowly got down and moved towards where Kev would be. She walked past the tents and then to where Kev was. He was supposed to be getting up sooner or later. She didn't care either way, she could always take off and take care of herself if worse came to worse.

Day 8. 8:40 am. Katalyn.

Katalyn woke slowly, drawing the sleeping bag and blankets closer to her frozen body as she rubbed life into her limbs before pulling the neatly folded pile of clothes towards her. No matter what, Kat was not going to be caught sleeping in her clothes. She dressed quickly in many layers and then headed for the bathroom, tooth-brush, tooth-paste and flannel already in her hand as well as the usual rucksack with make-up and accessories. She had cut back. Now it was just a quick dash of foundation and the traces of eyeliner with perhaps a brushing of lip-stick but old habits died hard and Katalyn was clinging to anything that linked with the past.

The water was cold and Kat shivered as she splashed it across her face. She didn't spend long in the bathroom. She didn't like to be alone. Back at the tents, nearly everyone else was already awake.

"Who's supposed to be making breakfast?" Jo demanded in a voice full of irritation as she glared around the group. It was Dave's turn but no one was prepared to turn him in. He'd been through such a lot.

"I'll do it," Kat said. "Soup alright?"

Day 8. 8:45am

Kevin barely slept anymore. He was tense, despite having been in in bed longer in the past week than he ever had before. He'd never been so damned inactive in his life. He felt useless--like one of those fucktards who sat in front of the tv for days on end. He could already feel the edge, that perfectly honed reaction time, beginning to fade from his body, even after only a week. He wanted so badly to jump out of the fucking bed and start pumping iron again--he even entertained the thought of using the Bowflex that had been on display near the center of the store. But he knew that if he fucked his leg up again, it might be torn permanently.

Though his body was resting, his mind was exhausted. With nothing to do, and no one to distract him, let alone the reverse of that...his mind was left to think about anything and everything. He thought of the friends he'd never see again, who'd never known anything more than he had shown them. He thought of his parents, devastated by his brother's death, neither quite recovering. Also dead. He thought of Mev. Alive, but lost to him. A rift had grown between them, and they barely spoke any more. He thought of killing himself, for the first time in his life. He left the bullet chambered in his Springfield at all times. He thought of Derrick, who had sacrificed himself for Joanna, and Keri, who had foolishly stepped forward when she could have fallen back. Most of all, he thought of Elaina and Joanna. The former knew more about him than any other person he had known. The latter melted him with a wink, infuriating as it was. Elaina was caring, genuine, and beautiful. Jo was strong, sexy, and she didn't take bullshit from anyone, including him.

And despite all this torrent of thoughts, or perhaps because of them, Kevin's fire had died. He no longer barked orders to anyone who walked by, or gave sarcastic ripostes to every question asked of him. He spoke softly, rarely made eye contact, and shunned any offers of company. He barely ate. He had dropped nearly five pounds from his body, much of it muscle, for he had little fat to start with. He spent his time cleaning his guns with improvised supplies, dealing hands of poker to ghosts, and closing his eyes, pretending to sleep.

He opened his eyes this morning and didn't bother to look around, for he knew what was around him. He merely stared at the ceiling.

Dave: Day 8:48 am

A tears fell from his eyes soon culimanating soaking the ink. The creases forming pools. He wept and wept. He'd been sure of going on revenge for her death when he'd found letter.

Dave,
I'm going to go look for Kev and Jo. I want you to stay put. I think there are some more zombies in here and I want to make sure that they are ok. I should be back soon enough. I've got my gun, I want you to remember to give Kev that stupid dvd. Don't know how I keep forgetting to remind you.

If I don't come back and something happens to me, well don't close yourself up, and don't give up on life either. If I see you wherever we go after we die, I'll kick your ass unless you didn't mean to. So don't you dare give up on life, I want you to fight this thing full force. And when y'all get out of here I want you to tell the whole world what happened, how they blocked us in here, everything.

Love you with my life. Hopefully that last paragraph was a waste of ink.

Yours forever,

Keri

Unfortunately he was closing himself, it's what happened he'd lost his closest two friends to same thing. Glacing at eyes tear ridden he saw Jamie and Bernard. The least he could do is make sure her death wasn't for nothing. He wouldn't go mad with vengence. No, he would keep mind in control and open up. It was her wish, he was scared, though. Sighing helplessy, he put the letter in his pocket anytime he felt weak he would read it.

"Hey guys, need any help?"