Merman - Romance

Chapter 23

“Of course she doesn’t, just try not to jump for every bit of bait she throws out there,” Kyle advised.

“But Ridec has the right to stay here with us if he wants to, she can’t make him leave.  I need him,” Rea explained.

“Need him?”  Kyle was hoisting himself from the ground and helping Rea to her feet as he spoke.

“I think there is hope for the earth, I believe this disease can be cured,” Ridec put in quickly by way of explanation and everyone stared at him.

“Believe…now that’s an interesting word, not nearly as confident as the word ‘know’,” Jessell pointed out.

“I just need to do more tests,” Ridec explained.

“More tests while zombies keep running at us and trying to eat our faces?  I don’t think so,”

Jessell said.

“You could cure me?”  Kent asked.

“No he can’t,” Jessell countered.  “He can’t cure anybody he’s just too big hearted to admit it!”

“He can do it, I believe in him,” Rea said coming to stand right up close to Ridec with her bust brushing just lightly against his arm, Jessell shucked her away.

“All I need are like five zombies at various stages of decomposition or disease,” Ridec explained.

“All you need?”  Jessell repeated incredulously.  “Should we just go outside and say ‘hey Mr. Zombie would you be willing to sign up for a brand new test my fiancée is doing?’

“I’m your fiancée?”  A huge smile spread across Ridec’s face.

“Why now?”  Linda cut in.  “Why have you suddenly decided you can find a cure for this disease that has been ravishing the earth for hundreds of years?”

“Yeah,” Mary wanted to know.  “You just wake up one morning and decide you can do it after all these years?”

Kent look discouraged as if recognizing the truthfulness of their words, this boy was just giving false hope.

“It’s not like that,” Ridec said hurriedly.  “I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I could do something.  I never even knew about these creatures until a few days ago.”

“What?”  The word was chorused by Rea and Kyle.

“Where the hell have you been that you wouldn’t know about these zombies?”  Mary demanded.

“What’s with the million questions?”  Jessell cut in after sparing Ridec an angry look.  “We live far from here, near the sea.  Ridec here got lost and washed up on the sea and I came to find him.”

“You live on a boat?”  Pete wanted to know.

“I…”  Ridec started to say.

“Something like that,” Jessell cut in.

“We did find him near the sea,” Mary said thoughtfully.  “Can your boat fit us all?”

“I don’t think so,” Jessell said with just a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Don’t believe her,” Rea screamed.  “She just doesn’t care about us; she only cares about her own safety.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Kent said.  “Living on boats has been proven to be dangerous.  Boats have to come back to shore for food, water and maintenance and when they do there are usually lots of zombies on the shoreline waiting for the people.”