stay alive // jack metzger

seven

"Jack you shouldn't-" I tried to call out to him, but anger surged his face as he ran down the road. "Jack, you don't know what's back there!"
   "I do know what's back there, Ana," Jack said, stopping in his tracks and turning around to face me. "R-Ryan could have left a note or a walker talkie or something for us to know. Aubrey is back there, for christ sake!"
   "It's not Aubrey anymore if she's still there," I said, trying not to anger him anymore. "You know that to be true, Jack."
   "She didnt deserve that, Ana," He said, tears welling in his eyes. "No one back at that house deserved what happened to them."
    "No one in the world did either," I said, stopping him again from turning around. "And you are now exception. Going back there is suicide. You know it and I know it."
    "Yeah? Well my whole will to live was thrown out of the window that day," he said to me, stepping backwards. "So what do I say to suicide? Fuck it."
    He started to sprint down the road again, his shoes crunching on the gravel with every step.
   "God dammit, Metzger," I said and ran in a bolt towards him. My hand was on my gun just in case.
   We made it to the house, breaking the curve in the woods. The house looked haunting, something I never imagined it looking like. Windows were broken in and the red truck that was parked out in front was gone.
   "Some of them got away," I said, catching my breath as I pointed to where the truck was. "Ryan probably got the living out of here."
    Jack ignored me and ran up the steps of the porch, not looking back. I groaned at his lack of compliance and I followed him into the house.
    He was silent at first, something that scared me. But when he picked the dining room chair up and threw it to the wall, that made me jump even more.
    "Come on!" He screamed, saliva jumping from his mouth. "Aubrey, come on!"
    "Jack, stop," I yelled at him as he grabbed the nearest objects around him and smashed them all he could. I covered my ears, trying to drown out the episode he was having.
    Suddenly, the noise stopped and a piece of wood fell to the ground with a small thud. I opened my eyes and saw a corpse limping it's way into view.
   Aubrey's corpse came around the corner of the house, something that made my bones crawl. Tears formed at my eyes as Jack stood there stiff as a board.
   "Jack," I said to him. "I can-"
   "No," he said, looking at me from over his shoulder. "It's gotta be me."
   Jack pulled the knife from his boot but before he could lung to her, a bullet went through her skull, black blood seeping from the wound. Jack and I'd eyes widened as we looked at the staircase to see JJ standing there, gun welding.
    "Jack," He said, letting out a sigh of relief that was mixed with an 'oh shit' sound. JJ ran down the stairs and met Jack in front of him.
   Jack looked up at him and punched him square in the mouth, not flinching one bit. JJ got back up and wiped the blood from his mouth.
    "I figured you were gonna do that," He said to Jack. "I'm sorry, I-"
    "No," Jack said, not letting the tears fall from his eyes. "It's what needed to be done."
    "JJ, do you know where everyone went?" I asked, getting to the point we came here for.
    JJ looked at me in horror, confusion filled his face.
   "All I saw was the red truck pulling away," he said, looking at the ground. "I couldn't see who was in the truck or how many, but I know some people got out. I-I couldn't make it outside in enough time."
    "Why?" I asked, my hand on my gun tighter in case he was bit. I wasn't about to let what happen to Aubrey happen to him.
   "It's-" He started, but left our eye contact to not show his emotions. "Audrey."
   "What happened?" I asked quietly, stepping closer to him.
   "She tried to help," JJ said, his voice cracking. "Got Maddie and everyone out of the house but-"
    "It was too late?" Jack asked quietly, looking down at Aubrey. "Just like Aubrey?"
   JJ nodded, trying not to show anything to us.
   "I took her upstairs, tried to calm her from the shock of everything," JJ said. As I looked at him more, blood covered his clothing. "I kept kissing her. On her forehead, cheek, lips, trying to calm her down but the shock took her before anything else."
   "I'm sorry, J," Jack said, quietly.
    "It's a fucked world to be in love in, man." He said quietly looking down at Aubrey's corpse.
    "We've got to find the others," I said breaking the silence that was growing. "And we've got to do that quick."
    "Maybe Ryan left a map, a note, something," Jack said, starting to search the room around the destruction he had just caused. "Did you see him before they left?"
   "I couldn't really," JJ said, searching with us. I started to look outside at the lingering dead that were still in the yard. My eyes focused on the laundry line where the clothes were splattered with old blood.
   I went to the side of the house and looked out at the gravel where something caught my eye.
   "Guys," I said and bolted out of the house, the guys following me. We stepped out on the gravel and to the side of the house.
   "Ran off," Jack read from the outline in the gravel. "Left this, hope it helps. -R"
   "Left what?" JJ said, looking around our surroundings.
   "That," I said, pointing to a rock that had a piece of paper under it. We all three ran to the rock and Jack picked it up. He unfolded the paper and saw the map with a red sharpie line on the roads.
   "We found what we came here to see," Jack said, turning to me. "Now lets go find the rest."