Chapter 12: Time is Running Out
LOLA’S POV
“-and she was always using up the water you know? Jeez, our water bills were going through the roof! And I only had a job at Hot Topic yeah, so they were hard to pay as well.” I said, reminiscing with the rest of the camp about life before the apocalypse.
“Well now we all have something to use against her, so thanks for that Lola.” Laughed Rick as he ruffled Carl’s hair.
“They were the good times.” I sighed, getting a spoonful of the mashed potato that Lori had prepared earlier on and eating it.
“Could you pass the fish please?” asked Amy as she held her plate out to Rick who set another few slices of the freshly caught fish on her plate. “Thanks.” She smiled, her cheeks turning a cute rosy colour.
“I gotta ask you man, it’s been driving me crazy.” said Morales as he looked over at Dale who was sitting relaxed, slumped back in his camping chair.
“What?” asked Dale.
“That watch.”
“What’s wrong with my watch?” chuckled Dale, grinning through the entirety of his talking.
“I see you every day, same time, winding that thing, like a village priest saying mass.” Stated Morales.
Andrea and Amy nodded in agreement in sync with each other.
“I’ve wondered this myself.” I giggled, forking a piece of carrot into my mouth.
“I’m missing the point.” Said Dale.
“Unless I’ve misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end.” I explained with a laugh, “or at least it’s hit a speed bump for a long while.”
“But there’s you every day winding that stupid watch.” Continued Morales.
“Time, it’s important to keep track, isn’t it?” replied Dale, “The days at least. Don’t you think Andrea? Back me up here.”
Andrea shook her head and rolled her eyes in amusement. She let out what appeared to be like the beginning of a laugh, but took a big gulp of her beer to cover it up.
“I like, I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that’d been handed down through generations.” started Dale, obviously the start to a story which we were all intrigued to hear, “He said ‘I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father’s before me. I give it to you, not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it, for a moment now and then, and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it.’”
“You are so weird.” Mumbled Amy as she looked at Dale, at which everyone one of us surrounding the campfire laughed hysterically at.
“It’s not me!” chortled Dale, “it’s Faulkner, William Faulkner. Maybe it’s just my bad paraphrasing.”
It was almost dark at this point of the day and the entirety of the camp, except for Ed who was in his tent feeling ill after Shane had beaten the shit out of him those few days ago, was huddled around a lovely campfire. We were all eating the veggies and bits of Woodchuck as we laughed and talked with each other. Other missing members from the camp that weren’t currently by the campfire with us were Shane and Zelda. I wasn’t sure where they had gone off too, but I prayed that the both of them were safe.
“I can’t believe it’s my birthday tomorrow.” Huffed Amy as she leaned on my shoulder.
“Oh really? You never told me, you jerk!” I laughed as I playfully punched her in the arm. “How old are you turning?”
“I’m turning twenty tomorrow.” She smiled, “it’s crazy how time flies, hey?”
“I didn’t get you anything.” I sulked, hanging my head low. My blonde hair gave off golden tinges as the fire illuminated it.
“And where on earth would you get me something in an apocalypse?!” she laughed.
“I can always make you something.” I smiled, “hold on Amy, I’ll be right back.”
I gave her a quick hug before getting up from the dusty ground and making my way to the lookout that was only a two minute walk away from camp.
It was still only slightly light outside, so it would be relatively safe to wander a way for only a little. We never got any dead-ones up this far so none of us in the camp were too worried about one of those things stumbling across. The real reason that I wanted to leave for a bit was so that I could make a flower chain for Amy. We were always out on the lookout sitting in the flowers talking with each other and playing with the Cards Against Humanity set that I had created for Zelda and I a year ago or so. The only flowers up on the lookout were now either closed or daisies, so a daisy chain would have to do. I picked a sufficient amount of daisies for the chain and weaved them together to create the flower crown that I would present to Amy in advance as I wasn’t too sure how long these flowers would last without water.
I put the flower crown happily on the top of my head to try it on and giggled as I took it off, looking at my lovely little creation and thinking of Amy’s reaction when she sees it.
All of a sudden, I heard tortured screams from a voice that I knew too well to recognise as being Amy’s.
Startled, I dropped the flower crown onto the floor. Amy’s yell wasn’t the only one I heard. Soon, the noise from the campsite was getting ridiculously loud for someone to have just maybe spilt something or done something equally as clumsy. No, these screams were panic driven.
I bolted back to the camp, abandoning my flower crown and leaving it perfectly woven on the floor.
As soon as I arrived back at the campsite, a terrifying horror awaited me. The campsite was flooded with hysteria, people screaming and worst of all, people being attacked. As I ran into the campsite I saw shots being fired.
“Amy!” I screamed, not being able to locate my friend.
“ZELDA!” I yelled louder this time, now worried for my best friend and practically sister.
“FUCKING HELL! AMY! ZELDA!” I wailed, tears now welling up in my eyes as dead-ones roamed the area, rambling along and sinking their teeth into unfamiliar camp goers.
I decided that I would take cover in the RV to escape the panic. I felt around in my pocket for my handgun but couldn’t feel it anywhere. I knew I had to make a run for it and take my chances.
As I ran over to the RV I saw a blonde woman on her knees holding her arm which had a giant chunk bitten out of it with a dead-one sinking its teeth into the hollow of her neck, tearing out the skin and chewing on it enthusiastically. Blood poured from the area around her collar bone and it couldn’t be stopped. I don’t know how I didn’t notice this in the first place, but I knew who this person was. I saw the blood oozing down her favourite star scattered pale pink top. I saw the stains on her stressed jeans. As she dropped to the floor, still screaming and in agonizing pain, she rolled onto her back and her face was clear. The person who had just been attacked was Amy. Tears began to stream down my face as I watched her dying right in front of me, her body writhing in pain.
“AMY NO!!!!!” I screamed, “FUCK NO NO NO AMY!!! AAAMMMYYYY!!!”
The dead-one refused to stop biting into her and I wanted her suffering to end. I picked up a stick nearby and hurled it at the dead-one, which no doubt drew the things attention right over to me.
ZELDA’S POV
Shane and I ran at what felt like Super-human speed, both of our arms and legs working to their maximum potential. Although the apocalypse had thinned me down drastically, I still had my muscles and was still able to use them.
By the time we had arrived at the campsite, the hysteria had almost ceased. I pulled out my handgun and looked over by the RV where I saw a dead-one converging on Lola.
“NO!” I screamed as I aimed the gun at the dead-one that latched onto my baby girl and fired the shot right through its head. The dead-one had a grip on Lola’s black button up shirt as it fell to the ground, the fact that the dead-one was still holding onto her top causing some of the buttons around her stomach to pop open, the buttons popping right out of their seams due to the dead-ones superior force.
I witnessed a body fallen on the ground, now that the dead-one was well and truly out of the way, I could see Lola kneeling beside it and Andrea rushing straight over. I couldn’t tell who it was from here, but I knew it was one of ours. I also knew that whoever it was wasn’t going to make it.
Shane fired the last few shots that were needed to well and truly eradicate every single dead-one that rambled at the campsite, making it accessible for the two of us that were hidden behind a couple of bushes trying to avoid the madness. As soon as everything was quite, I thrust my hand down to meet Shane’s, giving his hand a big squeeze.
“Oh my god…” I whispered, biting my lip to try and stop myself from crying. “how could this happen?”
“Let’s get out of here.” Hissed Shane as he helped me up from behind the bushes and lead me over to where everyone appeared to be gathered around the dying body by the RV.
As Shane and I approached the body, I saw it’s face come into view, with Andreas head only slightly blocking what I could see. I had enough information by now to see that the dead body belonged to Amy who was still alive but in obviously unbearable pain.
“Oh god! Oh god!” wailed Andrea as she cupped her sisters face in her hands. She then tried to clamp her hands over where her sister was bleeding but she knew it was a lost cause. This was a very touchy sight to see and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Oh god, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.” Cried Andrea as she brought her hands back up to her sister’s face. I looked over to Lola who was sobbing and on her knees down at Amy’s feet. The sight of the two girls like this brought me to tears as a loud sob escaped my lips.
“Shhhh… Shh, it’s okay.” Breathed Shane as the waterworks came into my play, my tears taking a casual run down my cheeks as he dropped his shotgun on the ground and pulled me into an embrace, his strong hands holding my face kindly into his chest for comfort, “Don’t look baby.”
He'd never called me that before, not like he had a reason to previously, but it was nice to hear him say this. It made me feel wanted; needed. In a world like this, we need little reasons like this to keep going. Out in this horrible world, we weren't living for ourselves anymore: we were living for the sakes of our loved ones.
I could hear Amy crying as her sister continued to weep.
“Oh, Amy.” Sniffled Andrea as she stroked her sisters face.
I could hear Amy gagging and gurgling as though she were choking, but I was too afraid to look at the sight that was no doubt in front of me.
“I don’t know what to do… Amy.” Mumbled Andrea. The loud sound of Lola’s treacherous sobs echoed around the campsite.
I lifted my head and took a peek to see Amy’s hand on Andrea’s face, sliding weakly down until her hand fell back limp onto her body.
"Amy baby, no, stay with me honey." sobbed Andrea.
"Andr-" choked Amy before her eyes fluttered closed and no longer opened. She was gone. Amy was dead.