"So tell me more about the mysterious Lynn who hides guns in her suitcases?" Riker took Lynn's hand as they sat against the wall in the hallway.
She blushed softly, "A girl's got to be prepared!" She joked.
"So, what do you do when you're not drawing?" Riker smiled and swung their intertwined hands up and down.
"I like to read or just hang out with my friends, or watch a good scary movie!" She smiled at him.
"Sweet" He responded, "What about your family? What are they like?" He asked unknowingly.
She paused and let her light brown strands fall in her tear filled blue eyes. He leaned over closer to her face, searching her eyes as she blinked, letting a tear fall out.
"My.... my dad died when I was about 10 or 11..."
"Lynn..." Riker began, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked!"
"No, it's fine..." She peeked up from behind her light brown locks, "I usually don't talk about it, but..." She pushed a strand behind her ear and squeezed Riker's hand, "I trust you..." She whispered.
Riker gulped softly as he stared at her flawless pale skin with a half smile in his lips. He paused, and waited for her to continue.
She swallowed hard as she tried to find the words to begin, "My father was a scientist." She smiled, staring off into her own memories lingering around her mind, "I guess that's why I know so much. I got my brains from my father." She smiled, "We used to watch horror movies together and make fun of how make they were. He even helped me make a scary movie one time for this film festival at school. I was so young, but it was still so fun. I didn't have a lot of friends before I met Jordan..." She admitted, "And my dad was always there for me." A tear slid down her face as she glanced up at Riker's tear filled eyes.
"I loved him..." She broke her gaze and covered her sobbing eyes.
"What happened to him?" Riker leaned in closer to her.
"He... he died at work one day. The whole office went up in flames." She explained, "They think a cigarette started the fire.... a stupid, tiny cigarette." She started crying harder.
"How could something so small destroy my whole life?!" She cried harder.
"Hey! It's ok!" Riker wrapped his arms around Lynn, pulling her into him as she sobbed, hugging her knees and leaning against his strong body.
"I'm here." Riker pet her hair and closed his eyes. He kissed the top of her head and the pulled her back to look at her bright blue eyes, "Listen. When we make it out of all this, you and I can have a horror movie marathon and make fun of everything, alright?" He smiled.
She smiled with red, puffy, blotchy eyes. She nodded.
"I just got a message from Zack. We got to head back." Jeffrey informed a gaming Killerman.
"Alright." Killerman stood up and grabbed his gun.
"Hey, thanks for saving me back there." Jeffrey thanked him.
"Anything for a bro." Killerman nodded.
"We're bros?" Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, "I thought you hated me? You could have easily let me die back there."
Killerman shook his head, "I wouldn't have." He stretched out his arms and reloaded his pistol in his belt.
"All this time we've been fighting, I don't understand." Jeffrey shook his head.
Killerman led the way back into the hotel's hallway, popping a bubble with his bubble gum.
POP! The large pink bubble popped in thin air.
"My families dead. You guys are all the family I have left." The boy admitted.
Jeffrey stopped and stood with his gun in hand, "But I was mean to you. And you were mean to me!"
Killerman tilted his head back and laughed out loud once, "I respect you! You're a tough guy! I look up to you. That's why I pick on you all the time! I gotta have fun with someone around here!" Killerman laughed again.
Jeffrey stared at him dumbfounded, "You're one strange little boy!"
Killerman approached his with an outstretched hand, "You're alright, Jeffrey."
Jeffrey took his hand and they did a bro hug, "You're alright too, for now." Jeffrey smiled.
"JEFFREY LOOK OUT!" Killerman shoved the much larger than him Jeffrey out of the way as a corpse approached them from behind.
Jeffrey slammed back against the pale colored pastel wall in shock. He let his guard down and was still trying to figure out was going on. All he could see was Killerman being ripped apart before his eyes. Jeffrey's jaw dropped as he watched the far too young boy being ripped open and organs being stripped away from him into the mouth of a once living body.
POW!
Jeffrey didn't remember shooting the monster. His subconscious took over with a need to survive. With his adrenaline still running the corpse roared, charging at him.
He missed it's head.
The reanimated corpse came at him. Jeffrey pulled a pocket knife from his pocket and stabbed the balding pale head over and over, toppling over on the ground in rage. He landed on top of the corpse. He took the blood covered knife and stabbed it over and over once more. In fury and adrenaline, he finally stopped and stared at the creature. He was sweating like crazy and panting like a maniac as he pushed himself away from the monster and backed against the wall. He stared at the zombie for a long time and then looked to Killerman.
And suddenly everything was coming back to him.
It had never really occurred to him what was happening until right then. He swallowed hard and stared at the poor innocent boy for a long time.
Jeffrey shook his head, scrambling to get to his feet. He was shaking, blood splattered across his clothes and grief stricken face.
He darted off in a full sprint to find the others.
"Zack just called on the talky." Ross shook me awake. I blinked my sleepy, droopy eye lashes at him, revealing my tired brown eyes, "He wants to meet up on the 45th floor. He found an emergency phone up there. It's got an office on the floor and he thinks we'll be safe there for now. He said the corpses haven't seemed to get to far up." Ross explained to me.
I stretched my tan arms out and yawned.
"We need to get going." Ross turned and offered his hand to me. His face looked pale and serious. He seemed so tired, we all did.
We all were.
I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet, straining the large muscles in his arm.
We went into the hall, but Ross put his arm in front of the door as to block me momentarily, "Wait." He began.
"What is it?" I whispered up at him as he listened.
"Zombies." He sighed.
I wrapped my hand in his without looking up at him. He glanced down at me with a weak smile. He squeezed my hand.
We went out into the hall back to back with our guns aimed high.
POW! POW!
We took out the foul beasts without a thought in mind except staying alive and staying together.
POW!
Slow motion kicked in as I pulled the small black trigger, releasing a bullet into the head of another zombie.
It was just another zombie.
Let me tell you, being in an apocalypse changes you. It gets to your heart. You may not even realize it, but it does.
I would have been to scared or guilty to kill one of these things before, but as I stood there, none of that even seemed like it was the same person.
I was different now. More self absorbed in a way. I wanted to live. I didn't care that these things were once human, they weren't human anymore. Nothing could save them.
Or me.
I aimed the gun around, still shooting mindlessly. What's the point? The world was ending. I was different. My heart was hardened, left cold by the death of the old Jordan.
The only thing I cared about was my friends and Ross. I had to protect them. I wanted us to get out of this. I don't think I could handle any more deaths. I knew I had to be strong for them. I had to get over my weakness and suck it up. It was about time I grew up and realized what the right thing to do was. And that was to kill anything and everything that stood in the way of my friend's safety. Even if it meant killing a couple of-
"Ashleigh....?" I gasped as I watched two remaining zombies wobble towards me. Ross didn't hear my whisper and was still guarding my back.
I looked at the dull blue eyes that had once been vibrant with color.
She was my sister.
No, Jordan. She's not Ashleigh anymore, shoot her!
I shook my head, "I can't! I love her!" I whispered to myself.
It's not Ashleigh, do it! Do you want everyone else to die? Shoot her!
I gasped in suddenly, in tears and shook my head. I aimed the gun high at her head as she tilted her head slightly, her thirst for human flesh consuming her.
I closed one eye to see better, aiming with my finger on the trigger.
Suddenly a song came to mind. I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul.
What am I doing?! This is Ashleigh! Zombie or human, that's my cousin right there and I can't shoot her! Am I going to let this whole thing change who I really am?
I battled myself. My conscious was practically screaming in my head so loud I could swear it was screaming out loud. My heart and my head were having a never ending battle. I was ina grey area. What was right and what was wrong was becoming oh so hard to distinguish.
I struggled, grabbing my head that was now throbbing.
"Jordan, are you....?" Ross turned and saw Ashleigh and Ratliff making their way down the hallway, "No...."
Ross seemed to be sharing my same feelings because he hesitated as he attempted to aim his gun at them, but put it down.
I grabbed his arm and stared at him with tear filled eyes, "What are we doing Ross?" I asked him.
"Trying to get back-,"
"No. I mean what are we doing?" I shook my head at him, "I'd rather die knowing I didn't lose my heart than live with the blood of innocent people on my hands."
Ross put his gun down and looked at me with curiosity. He was obviously having the same internal battle as I was.
"These things, these people, they didn't do anything! They don't deserve this!" I shook my head, "They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Ross bit his lip and turned back to Ratliff and Ashleigh.
"I can't Ross. This isn't me." I dropped my gun to the floor.
Ross looked to the floor and then back up at me with his sad puppy dog eyes.
His gun fell to the floor in agreement.
He took my hand and we ran the other direction, leaving behind the friends and family we had once spent our lives with.
"Jordan!" Lynn called out as she ran towards me.
"Lynn!" I cried as I ran towards her and we grabbed each other in a tight embrace. I didn't ever want to let go of my best friend.
"I'm so glad you're ok! I was so scared I might never see you again!" She admitted.
I shook my head, unable to speak with tears of joy in my eyes.
Riker and Ross hugged each other, unable to communicate their pure pleasure of being alive and together.
Zack came out from the shadows with a glum look on his face.
"Zack!" I ran over and hugged him, sensing something was wrong with him, "Where's....?" My voice trailed off.
I knew.
Ross and Riker did too.
That killed them.
"No!" Riker screamed, "No! Not my baby sister!" Riker sobbed hard, falling to the ground. Lynn darted over to try and comfort him.
Ross stood frozen. I watched as his face turned as white as snow. I honestly thought he would die right there from a broken heart. He couldn't speak. Couldn't move. He could hardly breathe.
Finally, he paced around, running his fingers through his messy blonde hair in disbelief. He grabbed his face and thought long and hard about how this could have happened.
I gave him space for a while, but I wanted him to know that we all cared. That I cared.
I went over and wrapped my arms around his as I heard him crying on my shoulder. I wanted to make it go away. I wanted Ross to be ok. I wished there was something I could tell him to make his heart healed again, but there wasn't.
Take it from someone who knows: when you lose something you can't replace, there is nothing anyone can do to make it better.
I rubbed his back and let him know I was there. Right then and there I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I couldn't.
So I didn't say anything.
I pressed my head into his and cried with him. That's all I could do.
Caleb and Jeffrey both came in with their heads down.
"They're back!" Lynn called out with a little hope.
"Caleb!" I cried, leaping to my feet to welcome him back to our little hole of sadness.
I wrapped my arms around him and he weakly hugged me back, "I'm glad you're ok!" I turned and searched around, "Where's Kariann?"
Caleb refused to look at me. He just brushed past me, ignoring me. He walked over and sat down in the shadows.
I looked over at Jeffrey with pain in my eyes, "Killerman?"
Jeffrey shook his head and went over and hugged Lynn.
I sighed. I walked back over to Ross, unable to cry anymore. I was running out of tears. I'm pretty sure my heart was fading away.
To be honest, I don't even know if it was there anymore.
"You ok?" Ross asked me as he noticed my breathing increase tremendously.
I shook my head no and before I knew it I was conked out on the ground unconscious once more.
"Jordan?" Mrs. Miller called out to me, "Jordan, sweetie, can you hear me? Please respond?"
"What?" I sat up and rubbed my aching head.
"You fell out of your seat and hit your head." Mrs. Miller explained.
I squinted and brushed off my eyes. I gazed around at the familiar faces around me.
Megan was sitting beside me in our seats, Jeffrey in front of us, Kariann on my other side.
"Ashleigh and Caleb are waiting on us at the hotel!" Kariann informed Mrs. Miller.
Mrs. Miller nodded and headed to the front of the bus.
"Ashleigh? She's alive?!" I gasped at Kariann.
Kariann gave me an odd look, "Why wouldn't she be? I think you hit you're head to hard!"
"Yeah, you kept talking about Ross and zombies!" Jeffrey laughed at me.
"She always talks about Ross!" Megan rolled her eyes and hit Jeffrey with a pillow.
I reached up to touch Megan's face, "Are you guys real?" I asked them.
Megan swatted my hand away from her, "Are you ok?" She helped me back into my seat on the bus.
I started sobbing like a mad man.
"Jordan?"
I cried so hard I thought my eyes would fall out.
I hugged Megan tightly and then Kariann. I hugged Sandra, and Patricia, and Michelle and all of them. I even hugged Jeffrey. I sat down beside him.
"Do you remember? We went to the hotel and R5 was there! And Killerman! He died! And Zack the janitor helped us! And Ross! He got mad because I kissed you!"
"What? You kissed me?" Jeffrey said suddenly interested.
I would have rolled my eyes, but I was too excited, "Yeah! On the cheek! And Ross got jealous, but I told him it was ok! And I almost drowned! He saved me! And you guys saw me in the shower! But a zombie attacked me and I-!"
"What the heck have you been smoking?!" Jeffrey joked.
I shook my head, "It was all so real. But you were there. And you!" I pointed at Megan, "And you!" I pointed at Kariann, "And all of you were!"
"Was I there?"
I turned to see Zack standing with Rydel holding his hand beside him.
"Zack...." I gasped.
"Who's Zack?" Lynn asked me.
"What are you looking at?" Megan continued.
I stepped into the middle of the bus and walked towards him.
"They can't see us." Zack explained.
"What do you want? Do you remember-?"
"Oh yeah!" He smiled, "I should of all people."
I gave him a confused, questioning gaze and then fixed my eyes on Rydel. She looked as if she was a lost puppy who had been captured by the stray dog hunters. I stared deep into her scared eyes.
"Help." She mouthed.
"What?" I asked her.
She took my hands, "It's him." She whispered in my ear, pulling me into a hug, "Zack did this."
"Rydel!" I opened my eyes but she was gone. Zack stood there staring at me with a creepy grin, "You ok?" He asked reaching out for my hand, "Let's get out of here."
I turned back before taking his hand. Everyone on the bus was dead. Their bodies were sprawled out with blood dripping out.
I turned back to Zack. His hypnotizing eyes stared at me, "You scared?"
"Of you?" I denied his hand and backed away from him slowly, "Never!"
"Oh, it's not me you should be scared of." He shook his head and leaned back with his arms crossed against a bus seat, "It's you."
I was about to question him when I looked down at my blood covered hands. I felt the warm gooey liquid between my fingers. My mouth parted slightly, but I didn't speak.
"You killed them, Jordan. It's you."
I looked up, but Zack was gone. His body was on the ground... lifeless and bloody.
I grabbed my hair and screamed at the top of my lungs, "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Jordan!" Ross shook me violently.
I sat up covered in sweat and tears. I sighed. It was just a dream.
Or a nightmare.
"Bad dream?"
"Yeah, the worst-," I shook my head and looked up at Zack and paused.
He smiled at me, feeling my forehead, "You'd better rest." He said with a smile.
"Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."