To Be A Survivor

Chapter 14: Ain't It Fun

I rest my head against the wood wall, the less than soft fabric of the blanket brushing against my arm, and the floor cold under my fingers. My eyes are closed and my breathing steady; I'm on the verge of falling asleep, but I'm snapped out of it when I hear the shuffling of another person sitting down beside me.

I turn my head and open one eye, and smile at the dark haired girl sitting beside me. A smile tugs at my lips, reaching about half way in my tired haze.

"Hi, Mom," Penelope greets with a grin, sand I give a small wave in reply. "Are you tired from running?"

I nod. 'That and the exploding chicken.'

Her jaw drops. "You blew up a chicken?"

'We didn't. It stepped on a land mine.'

She blinks, as if trying to imagine it in her head. "Poor chicken. Archie went with you, right? She must've been sad. She's like me. She likes animals and babies. Oh, me and Molly played with Mr. Higgins today. She thinks he's awesome."

I raise a brow in question, and Penelope immediately understands what I'm not asking.

"Mr. Higgins is what I named the toy bear you gave me," She says with voice full of enthusiasm.

My once half smile turns into a full one, and I can't help but feel a bit prideful at the fact she likes her gift so much. I look over at my Pooh bear that I got from Sam. I love it because it reminds of before, when I was innocent and good... but Penelope is still innocent and good, and so are her brothers. They are still pure even after losing their family and being in the township when it was attacked.

I admire them for that. I wish I could have been like that, but I can't. It's too late for me to be pure. But knowing that Penelope is happy because of something I did... it's an amazing feeling.

'Where are your brothers?' I question, knowing that wherever they go, she is usually one to follow.

"They wanted to watch the runners put up that wire that will help keep the zombies out. Simon was one of the people doing it. Milo likes talking to him. Willis just likes to see the runners. They both really want to be runners, like you."

My gut twists at that, like it always does when they speak about wanting to be like me or wanting to be a runner. They're good and innocent and pure, but if they grow up to become runners they won't be; They'll loose that, and I don't want that to be taken from them. Being genuinely good without burdens is hard enough to find as it is. I don't want them to lose that.

"I don't want to be a runner though," She says suddenly. "I want to stay here and help with the plants or-or the animals. I like working with animals."

That makes me feel somewhat better, knowing that that is one less child I'll have to fight with.

The door opens, and in come the two objects on our conversation. I raise a hand in greeting, but a frown plays on my face when I see the mischievous smiles on their faces. It sparkles in their eyes and I'm immediately suspicious.

What have they done?

"Hey, Mom!" Milo says in excitement. "We got to see the runners put up that barbed wire around the fence. Simon said it was to make sure no zoms get in when you have that peace meeting with New Canton. Also, we talked to Archie because she seemed sad and she said someone named Mildred Van Dur Grauf exploded."

'That was the name of one of the chickens we found. She stepped on a land mine.'

Milo snorts while Willis's eyes go wide. "She named her chicken that?"

'I named mine Susan.'

"Just Susan?"

I shrug. 'Well, I guess if Mildred was related to her than her name is Susan Van Dur Grauf."