The Dead Live (Book 3)

Chapter 30: Shortly After (Bens POV)

I stood there for a few moments, as I was a bit confused on who it was that Christian was even talking to. Hell... I was lost with every thing that was going down right now, as I was in shock with all of it, and I had not a clue as to what was going on.
I turned my head over to who it was that Christian was talking to, as I saw that to my surprise for some odd reason or another, in my head, that the person was Shannon. Now I was starting to get really lost, as I looked at all of the people that appeared to be finishing off the dead that they had shot at with their rifles that were on their back.
I blinked a few times, as I then began to realize at the same time too, that a lot of them were people I recognized, as most of them served important roles out side of our community, by going out of the walls. It was clear that they must have survived the attack, which now seemed fairly possible to me, as Chester, Sasha, Liam, and Kims kids had made it out of there when it had all gone down.
The other possibility was that they could have also could have been out side when it had all happened as well. I knew a lot of these people had families with kids in them, and I could tell that they were not happy at all with what had all gone down just a few days ago.
I kind of felt sick, just thinking back on all of it at the same time too, as I remember finding Lilly's body in the hall way, her skull crushed in, as my little brother, Liam, who was simply just 5 years old, was the one that had to finish her off.
I was not sure if it was going to make him strong, or if it was going to destroy him, knowing what he had just done. I could tell already, though I was sure that Christian thought that he was just fine, he was in fact no the same as he had been before. He did not have any sort of smile, nor any kind of emotion for that matter.
Hell... Some times it felt like Christian was the same as him as well. Which I really did not blame the both of them fot either, as I knew that they had both gone through some rough shit. We all had though, as I knew that the world was different than it was when I was younger, and there was no going back to those old days.
I shook my head at the same time too, as I knew that I was getting lost in my head again, like Christian had told me time and time again not do, especially not at a time like this, and not at a place where there was a bunch of the dead all around us. Well... There was not any dead left as I looked all around me, seeing that they were all down on the ground and not moving.
I shivered, as it felt like none of this was real... All of our lives were changed for ever now, and it was for sure not for the better... How many people were even left alive in our community now? I felt like the number could potentially be less than a hundred, just based off of the fact that I had seen no one around when I had been walking through the community over to past couple of days.
At the same time too, I also realized that there would be no one out side of their homes during a crisis such as the one that we were in right now, as the dead were every where. I still felt like there were not many left alive, as I had been told of the last community, as there had been no one left alive there.
Ours was quite a bit bigger, as I was sure that it might have been harder for them to kill every one here. Hell... Maybe there had been people alive in the last one, but the left because they saw it was not safe, and they were not all to sure as to where it was that they should head off to.
I shook off those thoughts once again, as I heard Shannon began to speak back to Christian, after it felt like it had been for ever. I lifted my head up, as I listened to hear what it was that she had to say back to him, at the exact same time as well.
"Well... Look around you... What does it look like just happened?" She said back to him. I blinked a few times, as I was a bit surprised by such a feisty response back at Christian, as normally she was a bit afraid to even be around the guy. It clearly surprised him as well, as he squinted hid eyes at her to try to act like he was the tough guy.
I rolled my eyes at him, as I felt like he was being a bit of an idiot, and he should just give up on this one, as it was clear to me that Shannon had won. He seemed to stare at Shannon for a little while longer, as she held a big grin on her face through all of it, as I could tell that she was not going to be phased by him this time.
Christian seemed to give up after a little while longer as well, as he shook his head, and then he turned his head around, as he began to look around him in fact, such as Shannon had just said for him to do. I blinked a few times, as I was a bit surprised that he had given in so easily, but I shook my head, as I knew that this was not the time to be having questions such as that.
I remembered what it was that Shannon had just said to him as well, as I did the same as he was doing, as I saw that there were in fact a lot of the dead all around us. This time how ever, much unlike the last few days, or even few weeks for that matter, they were dead, dead, and there was no rising from the grave this time.
I blinked a few times, as for some reason I felt like I was lost, and had not a clue as to what was going on still, or what had just happened for that matter, when the answer was clear to me. The dead were gone, at least, most of them, and it was a lot more safe to go down the streets, than it was yesterday.
I turned my head back to Shannon, and then I nodded to her at the exact same time as well. She was paying me no sort of attention how ever, as I saw that she still had her eyes locked on Christian, as he was still looking around, so that he could take it all in, and understand what had just happened in fact.
I dipped my head a bit low to the ground as well, as I some times forgot that I had not quite reached the status of being an important guy in this community, as it made sense as to why Shannon had her eyes locked on him, rather than paying any sort of attention to me.
I let out a bit of a soft sigh, as I hoped that I could get to the status of being an important person some day, although I also knew that Angela had told me that I did not want to be important, as it was a lot of stress, and a lot of the reason that she had not taken the offer as leader when our mother had died.
I shook my head, as I stared at the ground for just a little while longer, as I was glad that no one had noticed me, as most people had their eyes on the fact that they needed be finishing off the dead that were still around us right now. I felt like I should join them on it as well, but I was too lost in my head at the current moment in time.
I continued to stare down at the ground as well, as I locked my eyes with one of the dead that had a big scar on its eye. I tilted my head, as I was a bit confused on what was going on, as it was not the first time that I had seen a person with a scar on its eye over the last couple of days.
I was fairly certain that it was not just some sort of coincidence either. I lifted my head up, as I shook my head at the same time too, as I hated to look at the dead, as it made me feel quite a bit sick when ever I did so. I turned my head over to Christian instead, who no longer had his eyes around him.
He instead had his eyes on Shannon for a bit of some time, as for some reason he had a smile on his face, as she was smiling right back at him as well. I blinked a few times, as it felt like I might have missed some thing important. I stared at Christian, as it did not seem like a fake smile either, as it was clear that he was genuinely happy, which was very rare from him.
As I stared at him for just a little while longer, I decided that I was going to speak up to the both of them. I sighed heavily, as I tried to remember what it was that I was even going to say. I looked down at the ground, as I saw the dead below me, it then jogged my memory back in.
I then nodded to my self, as I stared at Christian for a bit more time, as neither of them seemed to want to say a word to one another. I then began to speak up loudly, so that the both of them could hear me, and perhaps some of the others around me, that might know what was even going on.
"So... What exactly happened here, and what was the plan?" I said to the both of them, even though I knew that Christian would not have the answer to that question. I knew that I should be looking at Shannon for an answer, but I instead stared at Christian, as it seemed like he knew what was going on, and I did not feel quite as nervous talking to him, most of the time at least.
I stared looking at him for a bit of some time, as it did not seem like either of them were going to answer what it was that I had just asked in the first place. It was as if I was not even there, or if I had not spoken in the first place. I looked around me, to see if any one else had heard me, but it was clear that their attention was making sure there were no more dead still left alive.
I felt like a bit of an idiot, and I was lost on all that was going on right now, as I then turned my head back over to the both of them, I then saw Christian nod to Shannon, as it was clear to me that they had either not heard a word that I had said, or for some dumb reason, they were just ignoring me.
I rolled my eyes, as I just looked around me for a little while longer. That was, until I heard Christian begin to speak back to Shannon, which I felt like I should have seen coming, based off of the fact that he had just nodded to her. I turned my head, and I blinked a couple of times, as I then listened to what it was that he was about respond back to her with, after quite some time of silence, besides the moans of the remaining dead.
"Impressive... But now we have a bunch of the dead coming to our community, and our walls are weak... Plus, I do not think you got all of the dead either... I am sure that there are still some inside of some homes, or trapped some where, missing limbs..." He said back to her. I looked at him for a bit of some time, as I was a bit lost on what it was that he was getting at.
It was clear to me that he understood all that was going on right now, but I was at a bit of a loss for words, as I felt stupid, as I had not a clue as to what it was that either of them were getting at in the first place. One thing I could get from all of this, was that it was clear that Shannon had done this on purpose.
That was kind of obvious though, as she was at the center of all of this, and she was the one that had brought all of the guns to the show, if you wanted to call it as such. I stood there for a little bit longer, as I waited for an answer to the question that I had asked earlier, even though I knew that I should just give up on that.
I turned my head to Shannon, as I saw a bit of a look of shock and surprise on her face, as she seemed to be thinking quite a bit on what it was that Christian had just said, as it was clear that she had not thought on it at all. She stared for a little bit longer, as she quickly then regained her self, as per usual, as I knew she did not like to make her self look foolish.
It was starting to sink in to my head at the same time as well, as to what was going on in the first place, as I saw that there were a bunch of the dead all around me. This had in fact been planned, but what was the reason for this? This could have easily gone badly and screwed us over quite a bit.
I was about to say some thing to Shannon as well, but in the end of all of that, I decided that I was not going to do so, as I felt like the both of them were just going to ignore me again, which also kind of pissed me off too, but I did my best to hold in my anger at a time such as this one.
Shannon after a little bit more time had passed too, then nodded back to Christian, as it was clear that she had an answer to what it was that Christian had just said to her in the first place. She began to speak to him as well, as I stared at her, and then I listened as to what it was that she had to say back to him.
"We have people on the towers... The walls will hold... I realize that we did not clear all of the dead... We cleared out most of them, so now people can go down the streets... We will go through the homes and the fields to make sure that they are all gone..." She said back to him, as she nodded to him at the exact same time as well.
Christian did not nod back how ever, as I saw that he still had his eyes squinted at her for quite a bit of some time. I lowered my head down low to the ground at the same time as well, as I then closed my eyes at the same time too, and I thought on what it was that she had just said.
I remembered seeing Tyler on the walls too, as he had told us that Shannon had told him to go there. It was clear at that point, that Shannon had a plan. As I looked around me at the same time too, as I opened my eyes at the thought of all of it, I then realized that Shannon was not lying at all with what it was that she had just said.
She did in fact have a plan, and the plan seemed to be working for the most part as well. I thought back on Tyler on top of one of the towers, as I looked over to the tower nearby the community home, and saw that there was a person on the tower, and they had a silenced rifle out, as they were aiming down it, clearly taking out any nearby dead coming towards our community.
It hit me even more now, as I realized that for once, Shannon was in fact right with what she had said. This was going to work... It already had worked... It was safe for people to come out, but the question was now, how were people going to even be able to know to go out of their homes.
They had seen the dead all around them the past few days, and not only that as well, but also they had heard more gun shots. If you asked me, I felt like people were going to be even more afraid to come out than ever before. I looked at Shannon for a few moments, and I squinted my eyes at her this time, though I knew she was paying me no sort of attention.
Christian had his hand up to his chin, as it was clear to me as well, that he was thinking on what it was that Shannon had just said. I was so lost right now, as I stared at Shannon for a little while longer, and then I began to step up and speak loudly once again, in the hopes that she might actually respond to me this time.
"So how are we going to tell people that it is safe to come out? The markets food is rotten now, there is not much for us to eat..." I said to her. She stared there for a bit of some time, as she still had her eyes locked on Christian, as it was clear to me, that she either did not want to respond to me, or she was just paying me no attention for some annoying reason.
Shannon stared at Christian for a few more seconds, and I was about to give up, as it felt like any thing that I had to say did not matter at all, but all of the sudden, to my surprise as well, I saw Shannon turn her head over to me, and she squinted her eyes at me this time, as if she were trying to get in my head.
I had gotten used to that from Christian though, and she was nothing compared to him, so she was not going to phase me one bit. Shannon could tell as well, as she seemed to give up fairly easily, as she then nodded to me too, and she began to speak back to me.
"Well... I will have people check homes whilst being cautious... That is first thing..." She said to me. I blinked a few times, as I then nodded to her, as she had a fair point, as it seemed like she had thought all of this through. She then continued to speak as well, as I listened to what it was that she had to say. "Food and water will be the second thing... We will get power fixed up and back on shortly after..."