World of the Dead

Nightmares

There it was, the question she had been dreading. While it wasn't the exact wording she had been expecting, she had been worrying about when he would finally ask and how she would respond. But with all the insanity and running, she hadn't exactly figured out a proper response. Because one, she didn't really know what he knew about death. Did his parents give him that talk? The way they had seemingly tried to shelter him and only told him that the infected were simply "sick", she wasn't too sure.

The second issue that came up was how she could be sure that they were dead. Yes, Paul was, and that was something she was certain of. But what about Liam and Debbie? She had only seen them charge the infected before running away with Kevin and Rachel. Could she really be sure? While the majority of her brain told her, yes, why are you even still thinking about it?, there was that little voice that made her question everything she was doing.

The third was that she wasn't entirely sure how to tell him. She was an only child, so she rarely interacted with kids Kevin's age. Even when she did, she was always awkward. And even if she was a child expert, she was pretty sure kids as young as him didn't really understand things like this. Unless he had experienced death in his family, she worried that he wouldn't get it or something. Plus, she sucked at explaining things like death and other touchy subjects.

She would figure out how to tell him later.

Quinn sucked in a deep breath and laced her fingers together. "Kevin, I know I've already said this, but we are in a very dangerous spot right now. There are not only the infected around; now there's a group of bad guys who want to hurt people. Like us. And right now, they're at the school, where your mom and dad are."

Kevin stared at his hands. "You mean...we can't get them? Ever?" She could tell even in the dim light that he was tearing up.

"I mean that we can't right now," she said gently.

"Then when can we? I want my momma," He whispered.

She reached over and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll figure it out. I promise."

However, she was silently hating herself for lying to him. But what good would it do either of them to send him into a state of hysteria? She had managed to keep it together, barely, after her mom's death, and she was older than him. How would he deal with it? Could he?

Not only that, but even if she believed in that extremely slim chance that Debbie and Liam survived, they would never be able to get to them. They would be surrounded by crazy assholes who seemed more than happy to kill a couple of kids.

Silence once again fell over the two. Outside, she could faintly hear things get knocked over and even the occasional shriek of an infected finding prey. It set her nerves on edge a bit, but she was fairly confident that she and Kevin were safe for now. Strangely, it was a bit peaceful. Like they were back at the school, when things were fine, protected and decently fed.

The thought of their supplies slithered into her head, shattering the illusion of tranquility. Sitting up, she grabbed the bag and began to pull essential items out. She left her personal belongings, only grabbing food and the remaining water. In the process, her notepad fell out with her list of things and rules.

Eh, why not. I have nothing else to do.

"Hey Kevin, I'm gonna go look in the kitchen for food. Wanna come?" She asked, standing.

"Yes!" he said, scrambling to his feet. Grinning, she wondered if he was bored. But then she realized that he probably just didn't want to be alone.

Minuets later they stood in the kitchen, opening cabinets and looking for anything useful. She made sure to tell him to only grab non-perishable foods, like canned and dried goods. It was a shock to see how much was left. Well, it wasn't a ton, by the end of it they had only gotten six cans and a single package of dried strawberries. Still, she thought, we're pretty lucky we found this place.