【7】

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I jump when my left earplug is taken out, looking up at the cause that cut my music short.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Glenn says, "You shouldn't stray away like that. We need to stay together."

"I'm sorry," I frown, "I just wanted to see the water before we left."

Glenn sighs, sitting down beside me, keeping his knees pulled up away from the water.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asks.

I shrug a little, not looking away from the ripples in the water as I twirl the cords of my earplugs around my fingers.

"You should," he reminds.

"Amy was my friend. I liked being around her. Being around Amy made me feel like I was with Angela again. Like a big sister," I whisper.

Glenn nods, figuring as much.

"But, she didn't go like Angela. Amy was just walking out of the RV and got bit. And Shane.." I sigh, "Shane told me not to let the geeks take anything from me. And just hours after that, Amy gets bit."

"Angela saved Jim. But, Jim is bit and he's gonna.." I cringe.

Jim was bit in last night's attack, something only earned a couple hours ago when Jacqui outed his wound to the rest of the camp.

"And now it feels like Angela died for nothing since Jim is just gonna die anyway," I glare.

"Hey," Glenn scolds, "Don't think like that."

I sigh, my shoulders slumping more a though the weight of everything was bearing down on me.

"I wanna go home," I admit.

Glenn scoots closer, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I miss dad. Grandfather and grandmother, too. I miss school. I miss baseball games. I miss Gong Yoo movies. I miss Jeju visits. I miss the only bad people being Dauen and Suhyun," I list off.

I could feel the tears building up as I try and speak, "I miss Angela."

"I'm sorry, Hana," Glenn breathes, pulling me tighter to him.

Going to the city used to be risky. Now, staying at camp was risky. My home was an ocean away, not at all possible of ever going back to. No way of getting back to my dad, my friends, or just simply- my life.

Glenn reaches down taking off his shoes and socks before rolling his pant legs up. He mimics my actions, setting his feet in the water below us. Once settled, he reaches to the music player, handing me one earplug and keeping the other. I breathe out a single laugh and place the plug in my ear, Glenn doing the same then pushing for the fourth track of the CD to play. 

Once the song starts, Glenn pulls me closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder and rubbing my arm comfortingly.

--

It was hardly an hour on the road in which we stopped to let Jim go.

"Hana," Jim calls, weakly waving me over.

I let go of Sophia's hand, slowly walking up the small hill to where he sat at the bottom of a tree. I squat beside him, actions similar to when he was only by that tree at camp when he was caught digging those holes- those graves. Jim grunts in pain as he reaches to the front pocket of his shirt, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

"Keep this. Read it when you're fluent," he tries to smile, only to cough afterward.

I take the paper in my hand, looking to it and wondering what it held.

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