Once Alive, Twice Bitten.

Chapter 9: Harper's P.O.V.

My mother looked paralized with fear. I held and hid behind her thigh since her stub of an arm was too high for me to reach,

"Meloney?" The man asked. She shook her head in disbelief, "Is... Is that...Harper?" He said, sadness and joy shaking in his voice. She reached for her hoilstered gun,

"Meloney, it-- its me... John. Dont you reconize me?" She still looked unsure and was about to get closer to the stranger but not before she turned to me,

"Stay by the truck," she said then she reached for her holster, "and if somthing goes wrong you--"

"Aim for the head," I assured her. She did a rare thing and smiled, then she kissed my grimy cheek and traveled toward the stranger. She exchanged words with him that I couldnt hear but when I saw them embrace I knew the coast was clear and I ran join them,

"...come with me!" He said enthusiastically to my mom as I finally caught up, "I built a new camp by our old one and it'll be just like old times," he grabbed my mom's hand, "Meloney please? Just a couple days at least...for Harper? Poor girl looks like shes been on the road for ages," my mom did that rare thing again and smiled faintly as she took her hand from him and smoothed my black ratty hair,

"Fine but only for a few days," she agreed. They exchanged a few more words before we all agreed how hot it is and how much we should get to the lovely camp that has sweet shade and a pond with a small waterfall that we can bathe in,

"You smell like rot," my mother laughed, revealing her beautiful dimples, "have you been playing with the lurkers Johnny?" He laughed nervously,

"I dabble in different activities, I guess you could say," he laughed again, "how about you?" He gestured at her stubby arm. Her chuckle was a bit forced,

"Ancient history,"

We countinued the rest of our ride in silence. But when we finally reached the camp and I was alone with her, we began to pitch our tent when I finally asked the question thats been burning in my throat for hours, "So how do you know John?" She didnt respond for a few agonizing moments,

"He's my brother-in-law," she sighed. I did the family tree in my head and figured it out,

"Oh," was all I could say.

A few more moments,

"Please tell me what happened mommy," I begged.

"It hurts baby, it hurts my heart," she whispered, "besides your too young and--,"

"You always say that!" I snapped throwing down the tarp that was in my hands, "When are you going to realize that we live in a world where I can be dead tomarrow! I would rather die knowing what my life was, rather than dying as an oblivious child." She began to weep, which broke my words and make me choke on the rest of the speech that I had been rehearsing for months. I joined her on the other side of the not-pitched tent and hugged her, "I love you mommy." I said, stroking her arm, "Please, I need to know," she nodded in complience and told me the story. She told me how painful it was giving birth to me without any epidural.

She described the bloody scene at our old camp from the lurker attack nine months later. How she ran out with me snuggled in my carseat, and waited for my dad until a lurker came amd bit her arm. She told me all about Janice the "angel from heaven" that swooped in and saved her multiple times that day, including sawing off her arm. She explained to me that she wasnt sure what to do once they got out of the burning hospital so she took off with me in her arm. My mother shed a few more tears as she confessed her undying guilt for leaving Janice and her team behind. A beat later, after drying her tears she told me that she found grandma just sitting in her rocking chair with grandpa at their farmhouse when I was only three. And thats where we lived for a couple years (some of which I remembered) but then my grandpa fell down the stairs and died as he hit the bottom, we didnt even hear it as it was nightime and we were all dead asleep. We found out the hard way when he almost ate my plump, little face the following morning. My mom stabbed him in the forehead, grabbed my grandmother and took off. We have been on the road since...till I had to put down my grandmother. She cried some more and I rubbed her back lovingly and supportivly,

"I'm still here, mama," I said positivly. She sniffed and laughed softly,

"Yeah sweetheart, you are arnt you," she hugged me close and I loved every second of it.

Before today, she was just as dead as the lurkers. I almost was afraid she would turn while we were still inside that small truck and I wouldnt know it until it was too late and I had been bitten. She never did of course but the idea never left me. However, now that we are here and I see her move and speak, I know she's still alive. That my old mom, the one before the apocalypse,

the one I never got to know,

would return someday.

John cleared his throat behind us,

"Uhm... well the pond is open if anybody wants to wash off," he wore only a pair of plad pajama pants and nothing else. His hair was ruffled and brown and his green eyes shined as they reflected the sunset behind us.

I also noticed, small traces of black crawling up his left hip. I was about to say something, but for some reason, I remained mute. My mother didnt say anything so maybe it didnt matter.

...Or maybe it did.

I began to walk towards the truck and grabbed my clothes from the suitcase that I never bothered to unzip before today, then I headed for the pond after my mom instructed me to do so. I left her side with John taking my place beside her in the grass. I herd their murmers of conversation but I couldnt make out any of their words.

When I got to the pond, almost unwillingly, I released my knife from my grasp and got undressed, first unzipping my jacket then peeling off my dirty summer dress.

The water was warm like a bathtub and I had only been in for a few minutes when I herd shouting. In a panicked dash, I grabbed the newer pair of clothes, slipped them on and ran to where I last left my mother. I hid behind a bush as their shouts continued. Before coming her I made a side trip to the truck where I snatched up my mothers gun and her throwing knives. Couched nehind the bush I herd my mother's angry tone, "... how could you do this to us?! My whole life is fucked up because of you!" she was standing up as he continued to sit, "you selfish bastard," she hissed in disgust and disbelief, "you killed my husband -your brother - her FATHER all just to get back at him for something he did in fucking highschool John!" She hesitated, "I'm gonna kill you John," she pulled her knife out of her boot and he calmly climbed to his feet,

"But dont you want to see his grave? What about your sister Becca's grave? Yea remember her, the one you didn't save?" There was a fire to his voice, an uneasy fire that made me want to flee,

"I wasnt about to let my nine-month-old baby get mauled by a fucking biter John. And you bringing my sister into this bullshit!" She began to yell. He balled his hair into his angry fists and when he let go big patches of it fell to the ground,

"Meloney why cant we just be together? We were ment to be together in the first place but Daniel ruined it. This is a chance for a fresh start, Meloney please...please..." he reached for her cheek the same time as I reached for a throwing knife. She retracted away from him as I took aim,

"You bastard," she repeated, thats when he lunched at her but stopped midway to pick a knife out of his shoulder. It began to ooze but not like blood...more like mud. He turned to me, and was about to get me next when the tip of my mothers knife shined through his throat. We stood there in silence and watched his dead body for movement when we herd a sound coming from the ground to our right. It was muffled but we could vaugely hear her screaming, "Help! Help!"

There was a shovel next to it and instinctivley, she grabbed the shovel while I lunged for the grave and began to dig with my bare hands. The girl under the dirt let out a long and loud scream.

"Hurry, Harper, hurry!" My mothers panicked voice reached my ears through the madness. I was scared for the girl in the dirt but I grew more afraid for my mother and myself because even through the chaos of digging up the grave, I heard a moan behind us. I stopped and turned, the dirt making it hard to see since it was in my eyelashes and all around my face but I saw him.

John.

He stood up, took the knife out of his neck and started walking towards me.