It was like a dance.
Connor watched as Abe's blade sliced through another rotting, walking corpse, and the thing fell gracefully at his feet like it was a choreographed waltz. A second, and then a third went down, all from a smooth series of short, flowing strokes. Abe was a master at his art, the blade being just an extension of his body. It was incredible to watch, soothing, enough that Connor had started to wonder what it meant when his favorite pastime had become watching someone cut through dead bodies like they were made of butter.
Amir pulled the truck through the gates and Abe started loading deadies into the bed. Once the group was gathered up, Amir and Abe would take them to The Pit, an eighteen-foot trench about forty miles away. There they would unload the bodies and burn them. This process had to be done a few times a week to prevent the deadies from piling up outside the compound. The more deadies in one place, the more likely there would be more coming. Best to keep the numbers under control.
Abe had only been with the camp for a week, but he had fast become something of a celebrity with the story of how he had saved their beloved leader and the rest of her team. The fact that he could dispatch a deadie quicker than most was a nice bonus.
Connor leaned against the bricks and continued to watch as they readied the truck. There were a lot of things that made Abe interesting to the rest of the camp, but most of those Connor didn't think twice about. What Connor liked about Abe was the way he stood, the way his body seemed relaxed but was ready for action at any moment. They were about the same height, about an inch shy of six feet, and while Abe wasn't skinny like Connor, he was slender, muscled in a low-key kind of way like a swimmer, or runner. He wasn't a big guy, but there was something about Abe that made him seem larger than he really was. There was something unassuming about his presence, but it filled the rooms he occupied. It was hard not to feel when he was close, and even harder not to look at him.
Connor was aware he was spending a significant amount of time watching Abe. Thinking about Abe. Watching Abe while thinking about how he shouldn't be thinking about Abe. But he couldn't help it, Abe was fascinating.
Abe also knew when to ask questions, and when not to ask questions. He was tactful and minded his own business when it came to certain personal matters. Abe had never brought up the subject of Connor's muteness. He had also never asked about the scarf. It was obvious he had noticed that Connor wore the thing twenty-four hours a day, Connor had caught Abe studying the thin gray cotton more than once, but he had never said anything about it. That small bit of space, that tiny bit of privacy in a world where telling your life story to strangers was sometimes a way to keep yourself alive, was so important. Connor was so grateful for it.
"Connor?" a small voice from the bottom of the ladder made him look down. A little girl was standing there, her small hand shielding her eyes from the grey afternoon glare.
Connor climbed down, skipping the last few rungs and hopped to the ground at her feet. He waved a hello and signed N-I-K-K-I.
She waved back, but it was lethargic. "Miss Wiles sent me out of class to see Dr. Rose because I have a cough. She gave me this."
She held up a small slip of paper and Connor took it.
She needs honey tea, lemon if you've got it. – Rose
Connor nodded, smiling at Nikki and motioning for her to follow him to the kitchen. He gave her a few bags of the dried lemon tea and brewed a cup with a spoonful of honey to take back to her bunk. After writing a note for her mother he sent her off with a thumbs up.
"You're good with kids."
Connor turned and met Abe's soft smile. He had his sword strapped into the new harness Aaron had made for him. The buckles across his chest and the thick leather of the straps, combined with the black, long sleeved military sweater he had gotten from Amir, made him look nothing less than completely badass.
It was really cool and really not fair.
Pulling out his notepad, Connor scribbled, No way you're back already.
Abe shook his head, "Aaron took my place. He said Sera wanted to talk to us as soon as possible."
Eyebrows lifting, Connor turned and started to head toward the infirmary, writing as he walked.
Are we in trouble? What did you do?
Abe scoffed, "I didn't do anything, I'm an angel. If anyone's in trouble, it's you."
Sera's office was in the infirmary and down the hall from Rose's. When Dead Day hit, Sera had been a year and a half into medical school. She had been studying pathology, not general medicine, so she served as a backup for Rose—especially since the people of the compound thought of her first and foremost as their leader.
Upon entering the office Connor immediately dropped down onto one of the two cushioned chairs in front of Sera's desk and Abe followed suit.
When everyone was seated, Sera leaned back and rubbed at her eyes. "We have a small problem."
Connor tensed. Sera sometimes understated things, so it was possible "small problem" meant "small catastrophe."
"We have a serious infection going around. It presents as a cold, but it turns into a flu with an upper respiratory infection after a few days. It sort of snuck up on us and now five people are bedridden." She stopped and closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. "We could wait it out, let this thing run its course, but it's dangerous. In the conditions we're in now, it could be fatal for some of our older folks."
"Okay, so what do we do?" Abe asked.
"We need antibiotics."
"Where do we get antibiotics?"
"Well, most of the pharmacies in the big cities have been cleaned out," Sera said, "but Rose says there are clinics in some of the smaller towns north of here that might have what we're looking for."
"Would they still be okay to use? I thought antibiotics had an expiration date."
"It's only been a year and a half," Sera said, "they'll be fine. Besides, it's not like we have a lot of choices."
"Okay, but why do you both look like you have bathroom cleaning duty?"
Sera smiled but there was no real humor behind it. "It's just a dangerous trek is all. It's the Badlands so there's a whole bunch of cults and crazy Nazi biker gangs out there. They usually stick to their territory but sometimes you roll unlucky and cross paths. Connor knows most of the areas to avoid, and he's smart so I don't feel like a complete douchebag sending him out there." At this, she flashed a grin his way and Connor stuck his tongue out at her affectionately. "He's also got a bike and that makes it easy to travel. A motorcycle can get through the jams on the main roads, but if it can't, you can easily off-road. A bike also makes you harder to track and even harder to follow."
Connor let his head fall against the back of the chair. Travelling through the badlands was not his favorite pastime, but there were worse things.
"Okay, makes sense," Abe said. "East is mostly radiation zones, so north is your only option unless you go south first, and they sort of bombed everything south of here so..."
"Yeah," Sera nodded. "And even if there wasn't radiation, Nevada is completely overrun. I'm talking wall of deadies from state line to state line."
"What if these clinics have already been cleaned out? What if we get all the way up to Washington and there's nothing?"
There was a flash of something in Sera's eyes and she leaned forward on her desk. "We?" she asked. "Are you volunteering to go with him?"
Abe made a face like he had just put something disguising in his mouth.
"Isn't that why you asked for both of us?"
Sighing, Sera lifted her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, you got me. Anyway, if the clinics are cleaned out, you're just going to have to keep going until you find something. However, if you've been gone a whole week and haven't found anything, come back."
Connor watched the two as they talked. He had known from the very beginning that Abe was more than just a quiet kid they happened to find on the outside. His ability, not only to adapt to his new situation, but to grow and accel and fill in the gaps their leadership left was incredible. Abe talked with Sera like they had been friends for a long time, like they had been strategizing supply runs for years. The way Abe had slotted himself so effortlessly into their lives—into Connor's life—was nothing short of amazing and wonderful.
A flutter of apprehension flittered through Connor's chest as he thought for the thousandth time if Abe had said anything about staying. He wanted Abe to stay so badly it hurt. They had only known each other a week, but the idea of not being able to see Abe's face every day made despair bloom in Connor's heart. He needed to stop thinking about this. He needed to get back on task.
Sitting forward, Connor started signing. He knew he should be writing it in his notepad so Abe could read along, but he was impatient to say what he needed to say.
I know you know Abe is super badass and would do great on a run, but we have to remember he doesn't owe us anything.
"Yeah, I know," she grumbled, looking from Connor to Abe. "He's got a choice."
"What?" Abe asked, frowning.
Slumping into her chair, Sera rested an elbow on the arm and put her chin in her palm. "As you've probably noticed, there aren't a lot of adults here. And of that small percentage, only a few are in the shape to go on runs. Amir and Aaron are both ex-military, so they do pretty well, but they both have some pretty bad PTSD. It's always hard to know what will set them off and what won't so I try not to send them too often. Georgia is really good but she's got the lung infection. Nippa is pregnant, Lacy is too old—actually everybody else is too old. And if I take anyone off the guard rotation it screws up everything and there's chaos." She stopped and threw her arms in the air. "So, anyway, I did call you here to ask if you would go with Connor, but I want you to understand I am asking. You can say no if you want. You don't owe us anything."
Abe's eyes were dark and faintly intense as he turned to look at Connor. They held each other's gaze for several long seconds. Connor didn't want to sway Abe's decision but couldn't keep himself from pleading silently. He had felt more comfortable in the last week with Abe than he had in months. He felt safer, happier.
Abe seemed to understand him better than anyone else since the world had gone to shit, and Connor just wanted him to stay. He had already lost so much; he did not want to lose that too.
Finally, Abe pulled his gaze away and turned back to Sera. He nodded.
"I'll go. I gotta make sure this guy doesn't get himself killed."
Connor leaned back in the chair, limbs loose and shaking slightly from relief. He dipped his head to hide the grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth behind his scarf.
"One question though," Abe said as he scratched at his head.
"Fire away," Sera said.
"You remember I'm only seventeen, right? I never got a chance to get my driver's license. I barely got my permit. So, if something were to happen and I have to drive back..."
Sera's eyes narrowed as if Abe had said something dirty, then she sat forward and laced her hands together in front of her mouth.
"Are you telling me I should choose driving skill over total deadie-annihilating badassary?"
After a moment of consideration Abe smiled wide and ducked his head.
"Yeah, okay." The blush that spread all the way from Abe's nose to his cheeks made Connor's stupid heart skip in his chest. Abe was so adorable. He was the cutest dork to ever wield a sword.
Shit, Connor thought, I am so screwed.