First Steps | A Zombie Apocalypse Story (Completed)

Day 14.0

Clarissa

I slowly sit up, my stomach instantly growling. I guess with everything that just happened last night, I didn't exactly think to eat something. I roll my head in a poor attempt to get the crick out of my neck. Sleeping on the floor isn't exactly the best thing. We could've opted to sleep in the beds of the house, but Paxton encouraged us to all sleep in the living room in case of an emergency. He wanted us to be ready to go at any moment.

The first thing I thought of this morning was Taylor. Everything the past few days happened so quickly that I haven't really had the time to think about anything other than surviving. And it is exhausting. We had to find somewhere for safety, but it's safe to say that these safe havens are a bust, considering how quickly the one we were just at went down.

Is anywhere safe?

I look around at everyone, just watching them. I made sure that Paxton was able to sleep on the couch. He offered to keep watch after having a short ten-minute nap, but he passed out almost as soon as he laid down. He's still just a kid when you think of it. He may have entered the adult world with work and responsibility, but he still has room to be young. And I'm afraid that he won't be able to enjoy that.

Hannah at this point also has crashed, having been through so much already, I mean, she doesn't even know if her family is alive or not. I look around, Charlie not in sight, nor Bobby. But I think I know where Bobby is. He offered to take watch for part of the night, so he's been up a while. I walk toward what I assume to be the office, and when I enter, I find him.

"Hey, Bobby. Have you seen Charlie?" I ask, looking around the room. Two of the four walls had tall bookshelves filled with books of all sorts, which took up the entire space.

"She's out back," he replies, still looking outside.

"Thanks. You can go back to sleep now. I've got it covered," I say as I begin to exit the room.

"I'm worried about Charlie." I turn around at this statement, walking and sitting beside him.

"She carries so much weight on her shoulders cause she thinks I'm incapable. And now the loss of the guy who's her best friend and boyfriend? And our mom... I've never seen her like this." He sighs, looking down at the ground.

"How are you holding up?" I say, changing the topic. He doesn't say much, so I really have no gauge as to how he's dealing with his mom and everything.

"I just wanna be helpful, learn how to kill one of those things." We both look into the neighborhood, watching the loitering dead. It's hard to believe that the dead are walking.

"I can help you out. I'm still getting the hang of it myself. And you're not incapable. That day, before the school went to... well you know, you saved my ass. You are badass, dude. You tackled that infected without hesitation. I can't thank you enough for that. And with some practice, you'll be able to fight those things just like Paxton," I reassure, patting on his shoulder.

"Thanks for believing in me, Clarissa. You're the only person that has treated me like a regular adult. I may struggle sometimes, but I know that I am just as capable as any other twenty-something-year-old. Thanks." I smile warmly at his statement. The key to helping people with certain special needs isn't to treat them differently from the rest of society, but rather is to give them the opportunity to be like other kids, or adults in this situation. If I've learned anything from teaching, it's that.