Dead and Grey *dark*

A Bit of Good

The devil and his army, all live inside your head, and they flourish.
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Theo
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I can't help but flicker my eyes over to Delia. I can feel every emotion radiating from her, all emotions that I've felt before.

I never wanted to be here, driving over this bridge again. And I'm still not sure why I followed these girls and their friend back to the same place I had just escaped from.

Yesterday I wiped my hands clean of them and had even finessed a bag of food that could last me a month if I stretched it. I could have left it at that, after all, they're not my responsibility and they'll most likely be dead in a week. It's foolish for them to think that this is going to end and that the world will go back to being normal. This is our extinction period, and I'd be naive to think otherwise.

But even knowing that, I couldn't leave them to die. I saw how protective Delia was over her sister, the flame in her eyes matched my own when I had thrown them back into the house after Delia's close call. Their small town wasn't hit hard, and as far as I could tell, many people escaped, or else they'd all be dead and running the streets. It's a false hope that the rest of the world won't follow.

I couldn't sleep last night, but that's something that I've grown accustomed to. Being in the marines, we were constantly put in high-pressure situations, always on the enemy's side of the line.

My thumb taps repeatedly against the steering wheel as memories threaten to take over. I shove them down like I've learned how to over the years.

"Are you ready for this?" I speak out into the silence, hoping to quiet my mind. I wait for Delia to respond with a snarky comment but she doesn't. Instead, she looks down at her lap like she's studying the pattern of her jeans.

"Yes. We are." Sams gentle voice speaks for her. That's all the confirmation that I need. I like Sam. She has spunk, but her hope will be her downfall, it will be everyones. Grant, on the other hand, I'm not sure how I feel about him. On the outside, he's just a goofy kid, but there's something about his gaze that always finds its way to Delia. She never seems to notice.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Delia finally speaks, her words portray a false sense of confidence that I see right through.

We quickly approach the city and the familiar scene sends an eerie chill down my spine.

It's hard to see the damage from far away, but as we near, the bodies come into view, scattered around the streets like trash thrown from a car window. These bodies have been torn limb from limb, leaving nothing behind but chunks of whoever that person used to be. A few audible gasps sound behind me as Sam and Grant observe the horror, Delia stays silent beside me, looking at the wreckage. I wonder what's going through her head.

As expected I see no living bodies. The fact that we found a drivable car is a win that no one else seems to appreciate as much.

"Just a few more minutes," I grumble just loud enough for them to hear. Most of me is calm, in the whole scheme of things, I've been in more dangerous situations than this; but, I planned to stay away from people altogether, living or dead. I still don't know why I went out of my way to help these people die. A thought lingers in my head, wondering if I also wanted to die. The thought isn't scary though. I haven't been afraid of death for over half of my life. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make for my country, for my people. But I have no people anymore, I have nothing to come home to. I have no home.