Surviving Solitude Part 7
[ At some military headquarters of nuclear controls, a 20 kiloton nuke was accidentally deployed to Regrove.
The time deployed: 700
Time predicted to reach destination: 900 ]
In the morning, Nate was gone. Where did this sexy fluff ball go? As I changed into new clothes the old goat gave to us last night, I heard Nate's voice through the door, along with some jazz music. Perhaps he was having breakfast already. I came out with just my pants on, welcomed by the once again comforting aroma of warm bread. Nate was at the table with the old man, laughing with a cup in their hands. I looked down at my watch. It read 7:58.
"... came run'n like he was scream'n bloody mary." Said Billy. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I just grinned at Nate's adorable laugh. It always made me grin.
"About time you woke up." Said the also shirtless ram, standing to embrace me. When we hugged, I thought I reached nirvana by barely touching his soft fur. Realizing where we were, I pushed off him trying to avoid the already awkward situation. "Hey, they know. So chill."
"What did you tell them?" My mood fell from cloud nine to cape fear.
"That we are gay." He confidently said with a grin.
"No we aren't." I defensively said, but I was dying when I said that.
"I told them what happened on the meadow, and trust me, you can't deny that." Well, I died for no reason.
Billy stood up and, getting our attention, said, "You know, in this town, we look down 'pon stick-lickers like yerselfs, but we know the Father isn't 'bout kill'n people. He want's ta save 'em." With that, he took the dishes from breakfast, took them to the kitchen, and brung back a plate for me. A plate of roasted potatoes and toast was the best breakfast I have ever had in a few days.
After the lovely meal, Nate fetched us some shirts, and our shoes. Even though I felt good in my gut, my heart weighed heavy with a burden. I asked for everyone to gather around the table for a talk. We listened to an urgent message on the radio about zombies dying off due to starvation, which is good. Guess they last three years without food before they go back to their normal state.
"I have to confess something to you guys." I said, their eyes peering into mine, "four days ago, we had an accident."
"We know." Said Billy.
"You do?"
"Yer friend here told us his cousin died by 'em walkers."
"I guess you don't know." I managed to say, their heads leaning in closer. "At our home, we killed someone." That was all that they needed.
As they all began to weep, Nate came forward and said, "We thought he was intruder, and he also shot our friend. He needed help, so we came down to Regrove for supplies. That was where Aiden died, and where we got chased out by the walkers, ending up here." I looked at my watch again, it read 8:16. I just felt awkward, with the silence, Nate's words hanging in the air, the guilt.
"He went ta look fer help some time back," said Marilyn, "I guess he ain't go'n ta be with Billy as his father. He has a new one." She mustered a smile at me, which made me feel better. "Did you see anyone else?" We shook our heads no.
"Liam, my son, left with a friend who was a fox called Shane. You didn't see him?" We still shook no. A knock at the door suddenly startled all of us, making Billy jump in his chair.
A voice called out to Billy saying, "Mr. Schömpf! Open the door! We know you have them in there!" What happened so fast, the only thing on my kid was where Nate was. Billy went to open the door while Martin cleared the area, and Marilyn escorted us two to the kitchen to the back of the house.
In a deep voice, she said, "You guys get to your friend, and don't try to come back, no matter what happens." With that, she shoved us out, with Martin to guide us out. "We need good people like you guys." Good!? She never knew us! No matter how much I wanted to yell at her, she wouldn't hear because she shut the back door, and we were off. Not even a block of distance between us and the house, and two gunshots rang through the chilly, solemn air. After swerving through alleys, nooks, and crannies, Martin stopped, but urged us to go on.
"Go that way, past 'em trees. Ya'll be safe after that. Now hurry!" He exclaimed, hiding behind a corner of a house, clutching a large stone. Even the child is willing to risk himself for us. This brought tears as I ran ahead of Nate. Not even a foot in the familiar meadow when the similar crackle rang once more. My powerful legs carried me so fast, I forgot all about everyone other than one thing in mind: to survive. The thick brush was so close, I could get a stiffy and reach it. Once clear, I turned to see Nate not only half way through the meadow(it was very large), but he was getting up from something. He probably slipped. The thought of that made me smile about him falling on me here yesterday. Sadly, behind him in the distance, were a small cluster of men with riffles pointed our direction. In fear, I took cover behind a tree just as the deathly sound boomed for the last time. Too afraid to do anything, I sat there for a few seconds. Eventually, I turned to a peaceful meadow, swaying like when we first came here. It was as if we were never there.
Taking this chance, I whispered just before I left, "I love you."
The watch read 8:34, but it felt like an eternity of what just happened. Up ahead was a small hill, which on the other side would be a steep mountainous slope and some field before home. On the top, is an old radio tower. I thought maybe, I could go up and see how much farther until home. Reaching the top, I looked at my watch again, it read 8:59. Took a while I guess. The control panels were dusty and covered with cobwebs. Looked like nothing could be used. Stepping outside, I noticed a string on the arm of the backpack. It had a parachute? Cool! As I pulled on it, a white light flashed like the sun sat in my face and farted. I flew out like a clump of pollen off a tree. I thrashed and clawed at nothing, trying to hold onto something. But all I got was hot wind to the face and a side of mushroom cloud in the distance. As I left the dark billowing clouds of smoke and ash, I realized I was already home, and making a surprise entrance through a window. Rolling over something and landing on the floor, I noticed several things. One, I was in my bedroom. Two, the room was a mess. Three, it smelled like boiled eggs. Finally, Chase and Daniel were on my bed, naked, dripping with sweat, and white globs all over their tummies. I remember telling him if this happened, I'd slap him silly.