Waiting For the End || Blake Dixon Book One

Chapter 14 || "I've gotten all the time I need."

"Heard you were looking for me," Blake said as the man sat down beside her.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about Randall," he told her. Blake should have known that was why he wanted to talk to her, he was apparently talking to everyone about this. "I just wanted to see what you thought about it is all."

"I think it would be dumb of us to ignore the fact that we saved him and patched him up and now we are just going to kill him." Blake admitted after a pause. "But I also understand that it could be dangerous letting him go."

"But you get that we can't just kill this kid right, not for something that he might do."

"Yeah I guess, but it is dangerous, Dale. I don't know, plus it's not like anyone will listen to what I say," she said looking up at the older man.

"Well it is going to be a vote, if I can get you and you talk to your dad then we may have a chance to help this boy out," Dale explained. Blake shook her head, there was no reason her dad would listen to her. He didn't care what happened, at the end of the day he would just do whatever he needed to to survive.

"I don't know Dale, maybe Rick is right. Shane sure thinks it's the right thing to do."

"Come on, you and I both know that Shane isn't what he seems to be. Your dad already made it clear you both know what went down with Otis." Blake just nodded, Shane was definitely not the guy they should be using for a moral guide. "This kid deserves more time, we gave it to him by saving him and now we are taking it away just like that. What right do we have to do that to someone? You and I both know how precious time is, you understand that it is something to be cherished. If we are to kill this kid in cold blood, play god. We have lost all form of the civilization that we once knew." Blake took a minute to think, he was right. It was a cruel thing to give this boy more time and hope at life and then snatch it away the moment it becomes inconvenient to them.

"Alright, I'll vote to save him. I can try and convince my dad but I don't think he'll change his mind. If the kid gets more time, let's hope he doesn't abuse it," Blake told him. The man smiled at her and pulled her into his side.

"You're a good person Blake, don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Smart as a whip too." Blake chuckled and sunk into the man's embrace. "Here," he said, pulling away from the hug and fiddling with his wrist. "I want you to have this. Keep track of the time that you have and the time that you give to others. It will do you more good than it can do me anymore." He handed her his wrist watch, Blake took it and a lump caught in her throat.

"You sure you don't need it anymore?" She asked, looking at the watch in disbelief.

"Yeah, I've gotten all the time I need. You just promise you'll be smart with it, use it to do good." Dale told her. Blake nodded and slipped the watch on her left wrist, Dale watched her with a smile and Blake's grin grew at the feeling of the metal on her wrist. This is the first time she had been gifted something so important, it made her heart soar with appreciation for the old man.

"Thanks Dale. I'll take care of it, wind it every day," she promised.

"Good," he said, standing up and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Now get going, I've got a watch to take." Blake shot him another smile as she climbed down the ladder. Now she needed to find her dad, see if she could talk some sense into him.

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She found him sitting back where they had set up camp sharpening some bolts. He glanced up when he heard her approaching and scooted over so she could sit beside him on the stone fireplace. She dropped down and took a bolt copying his movements.