The Walkers

Chapter 11 - original

Walker #71619's POV

I stayed with Walker #0 in the room after everyone left. Walker #0 motioned for me to sit across from him.

"Okay" Walker opened #0 when I sat down. "Do you remember when you came in you said something about Walker? That she was here but no one but you saw her?" I looked into his blue eyes.

I could trust him, he brought us all to safety while in great danger to his life. He will understand me.

"Yes" I said and looked down. I could feel his smile through the mask. "That's fine. Do you remember when was the first time you saw her?" He asked.

He really understood. Even if not why.

"Yeah, picking up in Sri Lanka. It went a little wrong because Walker #80485 was caught on the way." I told and explained to him about everything that had happened in Sri Lanka, included that part with the walker. When I got to the part where we sang "Alone"  he laughted, like Walker #62691.

"Okay" he said as he calmed down. This piece is really entertaining, I must admit.

"Did you happen to see her ID number?" He asked. Everyone who came in here had a sort of little tag with the ID card on the top right. "Yes, it said #76267." I said.

For some reason tears welled up in his eyes.

"Simply b- because a few hours ago the signal d- disappeared and ... never mind, I will explain" he said when he saw my confused look.

"She used her phone to signal us. The site has a sign that appears the moment you are in trouble, when you use it the battery does not go down, but you can also not use the phone. The signal causes the mask and hood to stay where they are so they did not know who she is, and of course to signal the the condition is fine, bleeding, and so on. But the sign uses a lot of force. The pain she experienced was worse because she used it. A few hours ago the signal stopped working." He said and looked down.

I did not want to know the answer but curiosity overcame the fear. "What is it found that the signal stopped signaling?" I asked him carefully.

"It means she's dead," he said. "Oh my God" I said and tears began to escape from my eyes. Silence fell between us. 

 "Well, it does not look like I'm going to check on Walker #81454 and Walker #80485." I said quietly after a while.

"Yes OK." Said Walker #0 and we both went out. He walked towards the elevators and I walked towards the shared bedroom.

I found my bed and climbed on it.

I did not want to meet and talk to anyone.

She died ...

and how old was she? 13?

So young ...

and all because she was a walker.

Because she's protecting us. She died alone, without knowing if we are alright.

I stopped crying after a while, I just thought about the walker that probably every dream was to be here, surrounded by walkers, with someone to be by her side.

I remembered that Walker #0 said something about the fact that if someone died he could pick one walker who could see him and guide him.

But if so why me?

Did I really help her so much while we were talking on WhatsApp?

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard a voice below me.

Walker #80485 and Walker #81454 were there looking at me. I got out of bed.

"This is the captured walker," I said in a broken voice. I showed that Walker #81454 realized that tears were glistening in her eyes. I nodded.

"she is dead." There was silence again.

After a few minutes Walker #80485 wiped away her tears and grabbed Walker #81454 and mine in the arms.

"Come on" she said and dragged us out. "Dinner" she said.

And really, tonight has already arrived. How fast time passes. We went to eat and Walker #80485 put us potatoes on a plate.

She seems to me a genius.

Or she reads thoughts.

Because on the way I decided I was not going to eat. What right do I have to behave normally as if she is not dead?

From Walker #81454's surprised face I realized she thought like me too. We sat down and started eating.

Now I understand why potatoes are so suitable for walkers, it has improved my mood miraculously.

Walker #62691 sat down next to us. We talked and laughed for a while.

It was really fun.

We stopped only when the rest noticed how tired we were. The four of us went to the shared bedroom (it was a little hard, mostly because I almost fell asleep on Walker #81454's shoulder in the elevator. But that's a secret).

When we arrived Walker #80485 offered the bottom bed for me, and because I got stuck twice in the damn ceiling I did not complain.

The last thought I had before I fell asleep was that I was here a week. A whole wonderful week, and tomorrow I will wake up for my eighth day. And all this in the company of walkers.

I was in my room, talking to Walker #76267. She was sad because some walkers insulted her because of the country she came from. That was not right. Mostly because of the trust she gives the walkers.

I talked to her for about five minutes until she told me she needed to go.

I started arguing with the same walker who insulted her.

The place has changed.

I was in a rectangular room with rough iron walls. The west window had a window so the people there could look at the room I was in.

But I caught it in one second.

My attention was given to a  person front of me, handcuffed in chains that came down from the ceiling and stained with blood in all sorts of places on the body.

I ran to him.

To the sound of footsteps perhaps he looked up.

It was a girl.

And not just a girl.

It was Walker #76267.

I tried to lower the chains but she shook her head.

"Listen." she said. Her voice was hoarse from disuse.

I kept trying to get the chains out.

"N- no, stop, there is no t- time." She told me and I saw that she had a hard to speak.

She weakened quickly.

I leaned over to her.

"I could n- not go on w- with the sign. Tell th- them. T- Tell wal- Walker #0. I'm- I'm alive." She said and shivered.

Blood dripped from her mouth but she tried to smile at me.

Steps were heard and she looked out the window quickly.

She looked at me again and I felt like she was taking me out of my own dream.

I woke up quickly.

It took me a moment to realize that Walker #80485, Walker #81454, Walker #62691, and Walker #0 looked at me in surprise.

And another second to realize that they have entered (somehow) into my dream.