Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Twenty - Goldmine

"You ready Bug?" Matt was already waiting for me by the porch doors as I pulled my boots on.

We both decided to search for fuel today, Ben and Maddie ended up finding a boat in one of the neighbours lots so all we needed now was the gas and we were set.

I turned to Carter and Hayley who were slumped into the couch, their eyes closed as they snored lightly and I couldn't help but smile. Carter was sat up with his head leaning against the back of the sofa, his arm outstretched to his right where the small girl was curled into him, her arm across his stomach.

Quietly I leaned over the back and left a kiss on both their foreheads, before nodding to the others.

"Lets go".

Matt was walking silently with his head down, his hands shoved in his pockets as we hunched down the deserted roads. "Going to tell me what's going on Spartacus."

"I'm fine" My uncle shrugged "Why wouldn't I be?".

Still his eyes stayed glued to the floor as we inched on "I'm not stupid, Matt. Everyone else, maybe, I see that look on your face when no one is watching".

Matt turned around with a small grin on his face "Did you just call everyone else stupid".

"Don't change the subject dumbass" I glared my eyes to him.

Matts pace slowed as we reached the sign into a small town "You think everything always happens for a reason right" He looked to me with big eyes and I nodded "I can't help but think it doesn't, there's so many things we could have done differently".

I stopped my steps turning to him "Like what?".

"When me and Sarah got split up and some guys took me, all I could feel was anger. It's like it took over any sensible thoughts " I could tell Matt was struggling with how he was feeling, but I'd never seen him this way. Vulnerable. "This man, he said he was trying to save the world. He wanted blood".

The moment he said blood the pieces connected "Neil" I thought I whispered to myself, but Matt tilted his head to me in confusion "Short, stocky dude. Looks like he has a meth lab".

"You were there too?".

We ended up sitting outside an old police station, our legs dangling from the roof of an old patrol car. "A few days after the park, they held me and Hayley at gunpoint. I wasnt going to give in until they pointed a gun at her, but once we got to the lab I managed to fight him off. Hold him hostage to get us out".

"I killed them" I heard his shaky voice manage.

"What?" I turned to him but he couldn't move, his head was locked ahead as he pulled in a harsh breath.

"All I could see was everyone. Sarah, the baby.. you. I had to get out of there and find you guys, but they wouldn't let me leave" I reached my hand over his watching as the strong man slowly broke, Matt was always strong but a person could only be so tough for so long. The tether always broke "They were all trying to fight me off, keep me there and I had to".

"Matt look at me" I cried with him "You are not a bad person. They were deranged, I was close to doing the exact same as you when they held a gun to Hayleys head" His eyes switched around in shock as I nodded "You made a decision, and now you have to live with it. But don't let it take who you are".

Matt rubbed his teary eyes with his jacket sleeve, before leaning over to kiss my forehead "When did you get so grown up" He laughed.

"When zombies rose from the dead and tried to eat me" I laughed watching his smile finally break through "Should we check this place" I pointed to the run down police station behind us "See if they left any weapons".

Matt nodded jumping down from the hood of the car and holding his hand out to me. I knocked the glass doors with the back of my knife, waiting until two corpses in police uniform came stumbling into the doors. Matt took the first, slamming his machete across the sunken face while I took the second, sinking my blade through its rotting brain.

The inside was fairly untouched baring the papers thrown around the room and the turned over table and chairs, the reception consisted of a huge rounded desk and behind it was a single door. The rest of the rooms looked fairly simple, vending machines on each corner which were mainly empty. "Guns would be out back" Matt nodded to the door behind the desk taking lead as I followed behind.

The metal door was locked "The place looks pretty dead, we could shoot the hinges off" I shrugged already going to grab the pistol in my holster.

"Hell no. That would bring any deadhead within a few miles to our door steps, let me find a screwdriver and ill unscrew it from the hinges" My uncle rolled his eyes at my stupid idea while I sat on the desk, fiddling with the stationary on the desk.

The walkie in my back pocket starting buzzing from my back pocket as Matt went to work on the door "Katie" I recognised Carters voice straight away smiling to myself.

"Yes husband" I held the button as I spoke back.

"Me and Ben are on a run, where abouts are you. We can meet up and go back together?"

I quickly looked over the papers scattered on the desk for the name of the town "Ashwood, we are in the police station west side of the town".

"See you soon. I love you" I grinned again just as Matt pulled the door to the side.

"I love you too".

The room was almost pitch black, the only light beaming from the flashlight my uncle held. The walls were lined with metal cages, all closed with padlocks. "Use the back of your knife, the locks shouldn't be too tough" Matt added as he slammed his knife down onto the lock.

I did the same using as much force as I could until I heard the metal click, and when I opened the locker my eyes widened. My uncles face almost a replica of mine as we looked over the row of guns lining the frame "Holy..".

"Shit.." Matt finished for me.