The End of Days

[20]

The infected hovered against the metal of the chain link fence, the wire digging into the rotted fingers where it clutched, teeth chattering in anticipation.
Liam had been stuck there for a moment, meaning to put it down but something stopped him. His hand itched at his side and before he knew it the bone of his wrist was presented, hovering near the rabid mouth for a taste.

"Liam!" He jumped back, hand tucking into his pocket instinctively. Adam had been taking a piss after a long stretch of road they'd ended up in the last couple hours. The look on his face said he had some explaining to do.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Nothin. I was just.." Liam's jaw ticked and he forced his eyes away. What was he doing, anyway?

The last few weeks he'd been pretty occupied at least when it came to his thinking. He distracted himself with Adam and the Sanctuary but he never once allowed himself to accept what had happened.

His family died that night and maybe so had he. That was the truth. Liam tried to ignore the wound on his back. It had yet to heal but Adam was helping, despite his complaints. It was red and tender but it was getting there.

He found himself trying to forget what it really was. Liam would make up a movie in his head of the bear that had jumped him, entertaining himself while he tried to fall asleep. But that was just a lie. He hadn't been sure how to accept the truth despite being the only one who knew it.

"..can I tell you something?"

"Oh Jesus kid, let's go." Adam shrugged him off, as if they'd have a feelings talk or something. If he thought Sam was a hard sell, getting through to this fool was like taming a rabid animal. He slowed at the hands on him but had yet to soften.

"I'm serious. Just give me a minute." He breathed a bit when it was granted. His eyes settled on the walker and his hand reached out. What if it was a fluke? What if it was a buy one get one life free kind of deal and he used up his only coupon. Would this turn him? Would he really die this time?

"Don't shoot me." Liam tried, hand shaking as he held it out. His wrist was grabbed and tugged away. "Dumbass, I already know!"

"What?" Adam just gave this look like he wasn't stupid. Liam guessed getting jumped by a bear and walking it off was a pretty strange occurrence but given you could be jumped by a zombie and not survive a scratch, he figured it wasn't that far of a stretch.

Half an hour later they had a makeshift fire, some shelter and some rodents for dinner. And Liam found himself admitting everything to the man he hardly knew and hardly liked. Everything from his group to Chang to the strangers.

He didn't agonize over everything he lost, over the crevice it left in his chest but on the moment he should've died. Being torn into, feeling the flesh ripped from his body. And waking up the next day and the next as if the impossible hadnt just happened.

"Well look at you," Adam mumbled in his harsh tone, Liam scoffed a bit. "Yeah. Special, right?" But he didn't understand it. Why he got a second chance or how many he had left. If Liam could be bit tomorrow or ripped into and survive all the same. He found himself feeling at his chest, maybe checking for a heartbeat. It was there. Was that supposed to make him feel better?

"Come 'ere."

Liam looked up, hand dropping. He'd sat on the opposite side of the pit. After that first night, they were never intimate in that way again, they kept their distance except in..certain areas.

Adam didn't look at him but the bag had been moved from his side of the sofa he'd pulled up. Liam hesitated, picking at his food but joined a bit later and ate there.