The Evolution of Dakota Graves

No Luck

I was done, I give up. I tried. So hard.....that I can't remember. I tried to be the best child to Daphne, kept my grades high, kept my opinions to myself. Hell, I even kissed her ass by buying her Christmas and birthday presents, it was all fake, all the smiles, laughs and jokes....what's the point in living a lie?

I stood on the balcony, I look down at the traffic, there were barely people walking around.

This was perfect, I'm on a New York trip with Brian, the perfect getaway, my only getaway. The clouds covered the sun, I just broke up with my girlfriend, she wasn't really a good one. She chased me around with a knjfe in her hand, she beat me to the point I used to just ignore her. I never hit girls.

I drop my cigarette in the ashtray, my heart was beating quickly.

"Dakota!!!!!" I heard Brian yell, my foot slips off the ledge, I grab onto the ledge to stop myself from falling.

"Damon! Come here!" Brian yells, he struggles to pull me up, my other friend Damon grabbed my other hand, the both struggled to pull me up.

"You should've let me jump." I mumble.

"Are you fucking crazy?!!!!!" Brian yelled, he got close to me.

"You think I'd let my FRIEND jump off a bloody building?!!!!" Brian roared.

I stayed silent as Brian yelled at me, tears strung down his cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot red, Damon glared at me. Damon didn't need words to make someone feel like shit.

"I'm sorry man." I admitted.

"You need help Dakota."

"I was depressed." I said lowly.

"You ARE depressed." Brian said. I'd never forget the pain I caused my two friends, my brothers.

"Hannah can't know about this." I said.

"Well apparently if she did, maybe she could talk some sense into that thick fucking skull!" Brian yelled.

"Calm down Brian, yelling isn't going to help him." Damon said as he placed his hand on Brian's shoulder. Brian violently shook it off.

"Maybe not, maybe I shouldn't be yelling..." Brian said, he stormed off into the main room, I chased him.

"Brian please man-"

"Don't, maybe I'm not the one who needs to talk some sense into you." Brian said as he quickly tapped the numbers on the dial pad of the telephone. He literally looked like he was about to crush the handset, he balled up the handset cord as the line went busy.

"Brian for the love of GOD stop!" I yelled, Damon snatched the handset away from Brian's ear.

"We can't speak to Hannah on the phone like this, especially when we haven't even cleared everything. I get that you're pissed Brian, and Dakota is still in hot water, but if Hannah is going to know, we're going to be calm, civilized young men." Damon said, Brian wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Why? Was it something I've done? Come on man....y-you're my brother for Christ's sake!" Brian said, more tears rolled down his cheeks, his hair was tousled, his eyes were bloodshot red now, that was the first time I saw Brian like that.

We've been close friends since junior high, Damon had always been the calm one, but when he's pissed....shit goes down, Brian had been like my younger brother, childish, vulnerable, but strong and caring whenever he's upset, he doesn't think clearly. Brian never cried. Ever.

"No. After Megan and I broke up....I haven't felt any better." I lied.

"Liar." Brian hissed.

"Dakota, everything is gonna be okay, we're going to listen, but you have to speak with us, and Hannah needs to know, she's your sister." Damon said, we all sat down, Brian finally stopped crying, Damon made sure I didn't do anything else, he locked the windows, the door to the balcony, he poured out all of our booze, he even cancelled his date, he sat and he talked to me and Brian.

I'm going to try, for Hannah's sake and theirs.
____________________________________________________________________

"Dakota wake up!" I hear Hannah whisper, I open my eyes to see Hannah with her hair in a side ponytail, I sit up.

"How long was I asleep?" I ask, she shrugs.

"Not too long, you're never the morning bird." Hannah says, I stand up.

People were folding up clothes, some guy gathered all the younger children and led them inside the trailer.

"I have to go Dakota, those kids want me to play with them." Hannah says before kissing me on the cheek as she runs towards the trailer.

"Hey you." I hear the voice of Darren call out. I turn around to see him wearing a red jacket over his uniform, he walks up to me.

"I thought about what you said....for now on, we're protecting ourselves, we're not gonna keep running away from the truth, we're going to grab it, and choke it." Darren says.

"Do you have a gun on you?" Darren asks.

"Yeah." I admit.

"We'll come up with a rule, but I'll let you keep yours, Ross heard about some survivors in the city, we'll go there and help them out, but from this point forward, we're using our guns." Darren says.

I nod my head then I watch as Darren calls everyone close to the center.

"Since the fever broke out....we lost people. Good people. These things do nothing but rot....they walk around, they don't feel pain, we're going to defend ourselves, so any guns will be allowed on campsite, if they're used for any other reason than your defense, they'll be confiscated, from now on, if you see any of these bastards, shoot them in the head....it's the head only, that's the only way these bastards go down." Darren explains.

"What's going on?" Daphne demands.

"The officer finally grew a pair." I said, she rolls her eyes.

"You're so vulgar." She complains.

"Don't start now Daphne, fix yourself before you try and fix others." I said, Daphne tries to argue but Hannah comes out of the trailer to listen along with the rest of the group.

I'm grateful Daphne put herself in her own trap, now she has to watch her tongue and that answers one of my problems.