Just Us

Part 17

Maria stands at the door waiting for a response after knocking a countless number of times.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming, jeez" a voice on the other side speaks, their voice being deep and rough. Once the footsteps slow down, making their way to the door, the sound of locks clanging fills the silence, before the door is opened suddenly.

"Shit didn't realise it was you Maria, come in darlin'," the voice speaks again, belonging to a man with long dirty blonde hair, tied up messily into a small bun. He's wearing a denim jacket and a red flannel shirt underneath, both covered in stains of blood, I'm unsure if it's his or something else's. 

We all step in quickly, hoping to get out of the cold climate and into a warmer room, Maria directing us into the dining area I was in not long ago after my incident on the night watch. The environment appeared the same, however, instead of a room with empty chairs, it was now filled with members of the town.

"Oh, I see there's a meeting going on, Tommy, Joel, can I speak to you alone?" Maria asks, signalling to the hallway that both Kayley and I were occupying. Tommy nodded his head and stepped out into the hallway, Maria following closely behind. 

Footsteps made their way to our meeting spot, and around the corner came another man, slightly taller and older looking. His greying hair, parted to the side, beard and an uncountable amount of scars scattered his face. His clothes, similar to Tommy's, besides his brown jacket, were covered with splatters of blood. 

"What's up?" Tommy asked, leaning his weight onto his left foot. Joel completed a similar action by leaning on the door frame. 

Instead of responding, Maria looked over at Kayley and me and ushered us to answer. 

"We saw a group of 4 people whilst on our route. They mentioned something about needing to find a town. There were two names mentioned, Alex and Evan." I spoke, looking at Kayley for confirmation and she just nodded her head. 

Joel pushed off the door frame as his expression changed from boredom to fear. "What did they look like? What clothes? What were they holding? Where were you?" He asked, stepping a few feet closer to me.

"Uh," I muttered out, attempting to remember the exact details, everything however seemed to leave my mind under the pressure. 

"Two large bulky men, their names weren't identified. A smaller man, his name was Evan, he had a greying beard and a bit of a gut. There was also a woman holding a map, she had a large scar across the front of her face. They were all wearing cargo pants with warm jackets, Evan wearing a woollen jacket himself. The two bulky men were holding sniper rifles, and Evan held a small pistol. They all looked middle-aged, between thirty to fifty. This was on the main road, north of Jackson, after the river going upstream, route number 6, I believe." Kayley responded, stepping in and talking as if there was not a care in the world. It seemed although she had a photographic memory, the majority of the things she said, I barely noticed. 

"Shit, Tommy, you recognise them?" Joel said, stepping closer to Tommy now.

He sighed, "Yeah, unfortunately, I do," Maria instantly looks at him, it appears they all recognise the names and descriptions.

"Who are they?" I ask, gaining the attention of Joel and Tommy, hoping for them to explain what they know. 

Both Tommy and Joel turned slowly. "They're called the Aeros," Tommy responded. I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I recognised the name however I couldn't place it. 

"They're the group that raided Jackson. The night your mother died." Joel cut in, stepping closer to me, and giving me a comforting look. Sudden images of that night flood my mind, the sight of fire, people rushing around whilst screaming, my mother trapped under the wooden log, screaming and crying for help.