Dead.

Chapter Seventeen

A week strolled by, each day was much the same as the one before it. David fed the fire, they ate, they did a small amount of exploring of the farmlands and then they rested. Cass's bruises went from a mottled purple to a sickly yellow and green and her shoulder stopped hurting as much. It didn't help any dull aches but it was better than nothing. David made for quiet company, always thinking about the next move and he refused to move on yet, until they were both ready and in less pain. Cass knew that he meant her and she was grateful for it but they couldn't stay at the little cottages forever. They would need more water and more food and so they departed.

The weather was cold still, but the snow had relented enough for the journey. It had been a day on the road and David was convinced there would be other survivors in a smallholding nearby. It wasn't near enough the city to be as dangerous but was close enough for supply runs, it would make sense people would hunker down there, or so David said. Cass was able to walk better than she had, she still looked a mess but she was able at the very least. She followed on from David and would have done anything for a proper night of rest.
"We're almost out of water, we have to start rationing." David said to her, casually and Cass just nodded. Drinking the snow would mean infection risks and she didn't have any of her supplies. She shivered against the cold and looked up to see where they were heading finally come into view on the horizon.

"Do we walk through the night?" She asked David and he seemed relieved to see something positive.
"We shouldn't, but I want to get there as soon as possible." He remarked. They had already had enough run ins with corpses to last a lifetime and they didn't need any closer calls like that. David pushed on and Cass followed. The closer they got as the sun set, the surer she was that she was seeing lights flickering. The winds grew to a ferocious speed and Cass looked around; David reached out to grab her as snow started to spatter down.
"Keep close, don't get lost." David called above the weather, as though it would help. The temperature dropped, it plummeted and Cass could feel it right down to her bones as they carried on their march forwards. Cass had to squint her eyes against the snow as it blew into her face and she kept hold of David's arm, determined not to get separated in amongst all of this. It was almost impossible though, all things considered.

"Open up!" A call from somewhere made Cass jump from her skin and she turned upwards to see flickering lights like fires. She coughed and David wrapped an arm around her as they were guided into a smallholding. David had been right after all.
"Shit, you two must be stupid to be out in that." A woman's voice sounded and Cass looked up to see a short haired woman looking at them.
"Take them up to the Lakeside. Get the doc to have a look." She said and there were no weapons, it wasn't like last time. It was more peaceful. Warmer.

Cass was sure she couldn't feel her legs as she was helped up and the walk was agonising in the cold as they were brought to an old-fashioned cottage, not unlike the one they had just come from. It was warm, so warm on her cold limbs that it was painful and she felt her knees sag as a man's voice spoke up.
"Get her in a bed. Him as well." There were orders being barked and whatever danger Cass might have felt from this all, given their prior experience, was given up with her own consciousness.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" A voice permeated the fog and Cass drew in a sharp breath as she opened her eyes and saw a blond-haired man standing over her in a cozy little room. She looked around and didn't recognise the surroundings at all. She started to move, clutching the blankets and pushing up.
"Alright, easy. You're lucky to have all your fingers and toes." He chuckled a little at her, dazzling blue eyes looked her over, "Dehydration, malnourished, someone gave you one Hell of a beating because you had some bruises on you and exposure." He was talking like a medical professional and Cass was sure she was dreaming. She didn't believe what he was saying as she watched his every movement like a deer about to bolt for the nearest exit and she swallowed, her throat was dry. He pointed to some water by her bed and she sat up. She accepted the drink and the man hovered nearby.
"You're lucky you found us when you did." He said to her quietly, "You can call me Doc, everyone else does." He said with a king smile and Cass looked around. Everyone else?

"Right, well, come downstairs, get some food. We're not very big, but we took over the smallholding after the outbreak." He explained as he watched Cass peel herself from the bed and move to grab her coat. It was clean, she noticed and so was she. She looked down at herself. Her clothes were clean.
"Ah, don't mind that. The girls fixed you up." Doc promised and Cass nodded, still sceptical. She had to use the handrail to get down the stairs and there was a fire roaring in a fireplace as others sat around drinking something that smelled good from cups. She eyed them all as they turned, she only recognised David among them and her heart fell. She had been hopeful it was a dream, so she might have seen the others.

"Hey, this is Cass." David introduced her and he smiled, "Hope you don't mind, she's taking the meal to go." David said as he took a cup from a kind, elderly looking woman. They laughed among themselves and Cass eyed them all over. She didn't know what was funny. David pressed the hot mug into her hands and Cass stared at him.
"David-" His look cut her off as they ducked outside and went into the next-door house. He didn't knock and he followed her in.
"He's still recovering and the others are out making friends." David said quietly and gestured to the front room but didn't follow her as he went to the side room, a kitchen by the look of it.

The fire was on, it was warm and Cass managed to hobble her way into the room and she saw a figure laying in an armchair by the fireplace, like he was King of the Castle. She almost dropped her mug but found a space to put it on the mantlepiece of the fire as she approached slowly, so she wouldn't wake him. She didn't believe she was awake, reaching out to touch him but his hand caught her mid-action.
"Hey, doll." His voice was rasped and she stared at him. He was very real.

"I-" She cut off, unsure of what to say. She swallowed back her trepidation. She didn't want this to be a dream suddenly and Jeff moved over in the large armchair and patted the spot beside him and chuckled a little. Cass eased down beside him and looked to the fire. An arm wound its way around her and pulled her as close as she could get,
"I thought you were a goner." Jeff said quietly to her, "After a week..." He said softly and trailed off, leaving the unspoken words to linger in the air around them for a while. Cass had thought so too.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, still unconvinced this wasn't some odd sort of dream and Jeff sighed out. His movements clued away his ribs were still in shoddy condition but his bruising was gone.
"Don't know. I remember waking up in the van with Francis, he said you were in the other van, lying bastard. We couldn't get the car, Arman took it. His goons chased us down for a while." Jeff said, "We accidentally came across this place. We thought they'd kill us too. Instead, they offered to take care of my injuries in exchange for some food and well... I'm hardly fit to go right now." He said and gave a breathy laugh. Jeff reached over his other hand and looked her over, "You've been out for a day and a half. They said you came in; I didn't believe it." He moved some of her hair away.

"It's not bad here." Jeff added for good measure. Cass listened and watched the fire before looking up at him.
"You, okay?" It was so stupid; she couldn't think of anything else to ask right then. Jeff nodded,
"Ribs are still healing. Everything else is fine." He waved off her concerns and reached down at his side to pull a blanket up and drape it over them both.
"I think you can stay here a while." Jeff said, voice low and content and Cass had no intentions of leaving where she was right then. It was peaceful, it was warm and she could already feel herself growing tired.
"What'd he do to you?" Jeff asked, his eyes were closed and his hand rested on her waist.

"Beat her halfway to a pulp and almost let Greg eat her." David's voice from the doorway sounded and Cass lurched a little and David smirked some to her, "Tough cookie took it like a damn champ. I'll let Francis and the others know you're up." David said to them and Cass nodded. Francis had made it too, and the others then.

The door closed and Cass and Jeff were left alone. She eased back down and Jeff sighed out,
"He ain't dead, you know?" He remarked, voice full of concern, "And if it were me, I wouldn't be letting the people who wiped out my group wander around so freely." Jeff was ruthless, that was nothing new to anyone given his past behaviour and Cass knew they had a target on them now. This little community did too. She hadn't even looked around, too consumed in resting and Jeff right then.

"It'll be fine." She attempted but it did little to convince Jeff otherwise. Couldn't there be a day where they simply existed and weren't in any danger? Cass closed her eyes again and stayed where she was. Jeff's breathing evened out and clued away that he was asleep, and Cass didn't take long to follow but it wasn't for long as boots on the wooden floor sounded the arrival of others and she opened her eyes.

Francis entered, followed by Rhonda and a few others. Their numbers had dwindled again and she looked to Francis but he only shook his head. Rhonda, Francis, David and Jeff and Cass were all that were left of their once community and she wanted to know what the Hell had happened.
"The escape. It went bad, then the cold." Rhonda said softly to Cass and she sank back into the chair at the words. Francis looked as though he had seen an active warzone and was oddly quiet. Jeff was still asleep; a healing sleep, no doubt given he was still recovering and Cass thanked Rhonda as she brought over the mug that Cass had forgotten about. It was still warm and Cass drank from it. The concoction was like a thick gravy with chunks of meat in it.

"They still get rabbit and squirrel. There was even a deer the other day but no one managed to get a good shot of it." Francis spoke up and Cass just nodded. She didn't care what was in it, it was food and she finished the mug under Rhonda's watchful stare.
"We should let you both rest." Rhonda said eventually. The air was thick with grief and relief, all at the same time and it was odd. They had lost so many in such a short amount of time and it was completely shocking to think of what had happened to them. They had spent months, possibly even years building this life for themselves and now it had been taken away and they were the strangers now, the nomads without any sort of home going from place to place.

"Party's just getting started." Jeff said as he opened his gaze and looked around with a grin. Rhonda rolled her eyes at him and sighed out; Cass was sure she heard the word 'idiot' mumbled under Rhonda's breath but she didn't chase it down.
"Right, out. Let them relax." Rhonda shooed David and Francis and cast an affectionate smile towards Cass as she did so. Cass returned it and settled down once more,
"I feel like I'm not even here." Jeff said quietly, "Like I'm just... Not here." Jeff remarked and Cass listened to him as she silently agreed. It felt so surreal, all of it. She didn't feel like this was real. The death, the losses, the reunion, none of it seemed at all real and she was waiting to be woken up in the car by Jeff all over again.

"Hey, it's alright." Jeff said quietly to her, as though sensing her discontent right then and he shifted to get more comfortable and sighed, "Nothing for it. My back will kill me if I stay down here, you have the fire." He said as he got up. When he moved Cass could see the pai he was in despite him trying to hide it and she watched as his movements were ragged and slow.
"I can move." She offered and Jeff grinned at her,
"Nah, I'm already up." He assured her and Cass nodded as she tucked her legs up and closed her eyes. She didn't have the strength right then to argue with him or fight her battle. Jeff was steeling himself; she could tell because he hadn't moved, she hadn't heard his boots move and when they did, they got closer. Cass sighed out, maybe he had given up and decided to just stay. That would have been nice. She certainly wouldn't have objected but instead, a tender kiss was placed on her temple and then the steps receded, uneven against the boards. She felt herself flush and her heart racing, mouth dry for all the wrong reasons as she opened her eyes and watched the fire. It was impossible to fight sleep and she gave in, against her will.