The Dead and the Restless (Completed with undergoing editing)

Chapter Ten (Edited.)

I stretched out my arms and took a deep breath. My mind tugged at me to get up, but I found myself staring blankly up at the white ceiling. The same strange feeling that I received whenever I awakened here filled me up. It's been weeks since I arrived here, but I still couldn't get used to it. I guess I just can't believe it sometimes. If I was told two months ago someone told me that I would have food, shelter, and a good night's sleep, I'd laugh in their face and tell them they were just dreaming.

Speaking of food, though...

I put a hand on my stomach. It wasn't so caved in like it used to be back when I was on the road. I was starting to actually have some meat on my bones, and it made me realize how scavenging for months and not knowing when your next meal would be can really take a toll on your body. I was sick the first day I started eating, I couldn't deal with having so much food at once after having close to nothing before. This was all just...surreal.

When I got up I realized that I must have slept in because almost everyone was up. Actually, everyone was up. I saw Walter talking to Jackal at a table and Sienna and Abbey were reading something. I was glad that Walter was settling in good, even though he had put a gun to Liam's head when we first met, and soon later held a gun to my face. Despite that, he hasn't caused any more problems, and I could understand where he was coming from with doing whatever it took to protect a loved one, even if it meant putting a gun to someone's head.

Speaking of Liam, I looked to see where he was on my trek to the kitchen. He was standing lazily at the doors, his crossbow slung around his back, and a bored expression on his face. This was usually how the days passed in the cafeteria, either we were on shift, did a past time, or slept. Sometimes, there was excitement, but it wasn't a common thing.

Walking into the kitchen, I found a can of peaches and a spoon. The usual. Then I started back toward Craig, ready to have our daily lunch together. Sometimes I liked to think that maybe he'd wake up one day to find me eating peaches in front of him, completely healthy. He'd be so surprised.

We always talked about a safe haven when we were in the apartment. Somewhere that we could go to live, to not worry about our next meal or if each moment would be our last. A place where tomorrow would be a promise again.

I settled myself on the bed next to him, brushing the hair out of his eyes. It was getting longer. He was definitely going to need a haircut when he woke up.

"Hey," A voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to see Lucy sitting upright on her hospital bed. She had a bubbly look to her. It might have helped that she had the biggest smile I'd seen on anyone since the virus started.

"Hey," I said, smiling faintly. I couldn't help but smile even just a little, she had an optimistic air that just lit up the room. She was also incredibly beautiful, even though she seemed quite emaciated. Her cheek bones were prominent, but her hazel eyes and long lashes complimented the freckles that splayed across her cheeks. She almost had a doe like essence about her.

"Your name is Lease, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "Lucy, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, pulling her chestnut colored hair over her shoulder. "I just wanted to thank you again. My dad, um, Walter, was a little nervous about things."

"You weren't?" I asked. I instantly felt a bit rude for saying that.

"I was," she admitted, but her warm smile didn't falter. "But I'm a little bit of an optimist. I just kept hoping that things would get better, especially since we got to the hospital. And here we are."

"Here we are," I said, studying her. It was incredibly how she even managed to remain optimistic, especially with a baby on the way. I willed my instincts to give some sort of sign that she was off, that she was dangerous, but I couldn't feel a thing. She seemed genuine.