Among the Living | Completed

Chapter Twelve: Bad News

Well, she wouldn't necessarily be wrong, Dellan thought.  He did have a crush on her, which he had reluctantly realized after having that dream.  And although he'd never admit it, the only reason he'd noticed Ida was on her period in the first place was because he had been admiring Ida's butt in her skimpy pajama shorts that morning.  However, he was not going through this trouble to be romantic.  No, his motivation was out of sympathy.  Dellan obviously had no idea what a period felt like, but he gathered it was not pleasant from his observations growing up as the only male in a house full of females.

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Dellan was relieved that Ida did not appear put off by his gesture.  The two of them sat on the couch in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say beyond the "thank you" and "you're welcome" that were already said.  Dellan focused on his hands in his lap and picked at a hangnail on his thumb, acutely aware of the goosebumps that were once again spreading up his arms in response to Ida's proximity.

It's so silly to be crushing on a girl while zombies roam outside, Dellan's thoughts chastised.

"Do you know where everyone went off to?" Ida asked him.

"I think Brett went to take a nap, Damien went upstairs right after we got back, and Colin and Abby..." Dellan paused, before he came up with the lie, "they're probably sleeping too."

Maybe not sleeping, but definitely 'sleeping together', Dellan's mind joked.  That was clear to Dellan from what he'd seen Colin grab at the store and the body language between the two before they'd gone upstairs about ten minutes prior.  However, he figured it was none of his or Ida's business, so he kept his mouth shut.

"You're probably right," Ida said and stood up, "I'm going to go back."  She gestured her head toward her spot at the dining table, "thank you again."  

Dellan gave a half-smile and nod in acknowledgement before shifting his position to lay down and picked up the book he was reading before.  It was some mystery novel that was already sitting on the coffee table when the group entered the house.  He thought it was entertaining so far, but now he couldn't concentrate on the words.  Ida was all he could focus on, and he took frequent glimpses over the edge of the book to admire her face, which bore a serious expression as she fixated on her drawing.

Dellan was not aware of how much time had elapsed before his attention was pulled away from the pretty girl across the room to Brett emerging from the downstairs guest bedroom.

Dang, he looks really tired, Dellan noted as Brett rubbed at his eyes, which had heavy bags underneath.  Brett took notice of Dellan after the few seconds he took to get his bearings.

"Oh hey spor-," Brett stopped before finishing the word, "sorry, old habits die hard."  Dellan gave him a smile that meant it was ok, which Brett appeared relieved by.  "Do you know where Damien is?"

"Upstairs," Dellan replied.

Brett even sounds tired, he thought with concern.  Brett nodded in thanks and made his way to the stairs, saying hello to Ida as he walked past her.  He disappeared up the stairs, leaving Dellan and Ida alone once again.

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Dellan helped Abby prepare dinner that night, using his propane-fueled camp stove to simmer several cans of soup in a large pot Abby had pulled from one of the kitchen cabinets.  Abby was using a bread knife to slice the mold-free baguette Damien had luckily found during their supply run.  Dellan was grateful for what he assumed to be significant amounts of preservatives in the bread.

Everyone ate quietly, savoring the novelty of the bread's yeasty flavor.  However, there was a tension that settled over the group, as they could sense anxiety from Damien, who had a distant expression in his eyes.  After the group had finished eating, Ida stood to collect people's dishes but was stopped short by Damien's announcement.

"I have difficult news," he said, his deep baritone faltering a bit as he said the words.  The group held their breath, except Brett, who let out a sigh from his seat in the living room.  There were only enough chairs at the dining table for five to sit, so Brett had opted to sit elsewhere to eat.

"You don't have to tell them," Brett told Damien as he walked toward the table. "I will."  Damien looked at Brett with concern as Brett closed his eyes and tried to rally himself to say whatever it was that he and Damien were so tense about.  When Brett hesitated for too long, Damien continued instead. 

"Brett has informed me," Damien sighed, "that he has... symptoms."  Abby quietly gasped and the rest of the group sat in disbelief, dumbstruck looks plastered on their faces.  Dellan realized, in retrospect, that Brett had been acting particularly closed off that afternoon, keeping his distance from everyone in the group.

"How could you have symptoms?" Colin broke the silence, "If I'm remembering correctly, the last time you were close enough to a runner to be exposed was the supply run before we reached Yosemite.  That was a good two and a half weeks ago.  I thought it took at most a week to turn."  Colin looked around the group, panic evident in his eyes.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Brett said weakly. "I definitely haven't been bitten, which is why I wasn't concerned when I started to feel really tired.  I thought it was just the heat."

"How do you know it's not?" Abby asked in denial, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worried uncertainty.

"I coughed up blood earlier," he said dully.  His eyes were blank, as if still in shock.

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Words: 1734

Author's note: Uh oh, this doesn't sound good... what do you think happened?

Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts and theories!