The Dead Always Win

Oakby Survivors

As the sun slid through the oak blinds of the plainly painted hallway, Max slowly raised up from his white and red American-style sheets and took in his surroundings. It took him a few seconds to remember that he hadn't just woken up from a bad nightmare, but just woken up from what was the worst eight months of his life.

He threw the covers back and swivelled around, looking at Alice who was still fast asleep on the mattress on the floor. Max insisted that she could sleep in Evie's bed, but due to all they'd been through together and the negative connotations attached to Evie's room in general, she'd stayed in Max's room just like she used to, when they would stay up and talk all night, much to the annoyance of anyone else trying to sleep.

Sat at the end of Max's bed was a golden labrador who awoke the minute he heard Max getting up. He bolted over to him and wagged his tail as he did, not wanting to sleep in the wash-house alone, he had stayed in Max's room.

Max slipped past Alice's bed, careful not to wake her with Woody not too far behind and exited the bedroom door as he finally saw the sunlight, he walked on past it and through the living room and the kitchen until he finally stepped outside into the courtyard of their house.

He sat outside for a minute, on a small brick wall that was lined with concrete slabs, just outside of his house within the courtyard. It was almost as if he were waiting for activity within Grace's house where Nate and Joel had slept.

The wash-house to the right was draped in orange ivy, the grass patches a crystal white colour. It was almost magical being back in Oakby one last time, he got to say goodbye to his old life forever- even though he didn't really want to.

Nate had said previously that it wasn't a permanent solution, that it wasn't somewhere that they could stay for more than a couple of days just to get back on track, it was merely a stop for the night so that Nate could get a rest from driving, their fuel was also running dangerously low.

He thought about how leaving again would make him feel. He'd never get to sit out in the countryside within the safety of the brick walls again, with a tank full of fresh water and more whenever it rained. Woody may not have anywhere safe to play in the future as any dog should have.

Max watched as the leafless winter tree swayed in the wind, one where the lookout post was. It had been so long since he had been in Oakby, that it felt like a dream. But suddenly, he was brought back to reality when Woody sneezed next to him, feeling the cold winter chill get to his bones.

"You know, you can go inside if you want?" He got up and opened the door to his house for Woody who sat down in front of it.

"Woody?" He asked again, unsure why he would rather sit outside in the cold with Max rather than be inside where it was slightly warmer.

Max rolled his eyes. "What am I gonna do with you, huh?" He asked him rhetorically, looking on at the big puppy.

In victory, Woody ran to the far side of the courtyard and grabbed a green tennis ball between his jaws, he turned around and ran to Max, releasing it at his feet and looking up at him expectedly.

Unable to resist, Max swiped it off of the ground and smirked as he threw it to the other side of the courtyard, the ball hit the oak gates and fell back down again as Woody raced to grab it, he jumped and fell into the gate but quickly came back to Max, sitting down in front of him.

"Give!" Max ordered, Woody mischievously turning his head away from Max's hand.

"Giiiiive..." He asked again, Woody dropping it suddenly and awaiting the next throw. Max launched it through the air as it crashed against the brick wall, Woody retrieved it for him and set it down at his feet.