State of Decay✔️

Chapter 25: A Helping Hand

It was raining as they buried Pastor Will in one corner of the lot the church took up. Marcus and Ed dug the grave while Maya and Sam built the coffin. It was a simple but sturdy thing made of wood. They wrapped Will in a sheet and placed him in the coffin. Danica took up the grim task of mopping up the blood and bits of skull and brain. She'd quietly said that she'd had enough experience with it in her time. Once everything was finished, they all gathered at the grave. They placed the coffin in the hole and buried it.

Everyone stood around the freshly milled ground.

"Now what?" Ed asked quietly, his voice breaking the rain-muted silence that had befallen the group.

"I guess we say some things," Maya replied softly.

"Sam and Jacob and I are the only ones left who really knew him," Lily said. "I guess...I guess I should go first. Pastor Will was a really nice guy. I know that sounds kind of...generic, I guess, but I mean it. He was nice without any motives. He was genuinely kind. People always say 'he'd give you the shirt off his back', and I've heard it so often that it kind of lost its meaning. But Pastor Will really would have done that if he thought it would help. When my dad and I and everyone else showed up here, he didn't even hesitate in the slightest to offer us a place to stay and food. He just let us in. I...will really miss him."

Sam cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I guess I'm the only one who knew him before all the shi...the stuff went down. Lily's right. He was a great man. He put up with a lot of my...uh, bad behavior, I guess. I was a jerk to him often enough and it never made him angry, not even close. I really can't believe he's just gone..."

She didn't seem to have anything more to say, so, one by one, the others threw in what little they could. Jacob, Ed, Maya and Marcus all said something, and the latest additions to the crew, Danica, Karen and Anson, stood by quietly in the rain. Finally, Sam said something about someone needing to man the watchtower, turned and left. The others took it as a sign and began to disperse from the freshly dug grave site.

In the end, Marcus and Maya were left standing by the grave. Maya finally stirred. "I'm worried about the two newbies," she said.

"Oh yeah?" Marcus replied, still staring at the dirt that was becoming mud.

"Yeah. They seem...simple, I guess. I mean, they've survived this long, so there must be something to them, but I'm hard-pressed to find what. I was wondering if maybe one of us should take them out on a run or something. You know, I saw a camp site behind the church, in the woods, maybe fifty or sixty feet out. It'd be an easy run..."

"I'll do it," Marcus replied. "I'll take Anson out."

"Okay. Thanks. Are you...going to be okay? I mean, I know you're not okay, right now, but you aren't going to like freak out or anything, are you?"

"No. I don't think so, at least. It's just...this is all feels so weird. I can't believe Pastor Will is just...dead. I mean, he's dead. Forever. He's gone."

"I know. I've had to put up enough with it myself. I could take Anson out if you needed some time..."

Marcus shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll...uh, I'll do it. I should keep busy anyway. Not really time to sit around and do nothing during the zombie apocalypse. Thanks, though," he replied, trying to keep his tone light.

Maya nodded, turned to leave, then hesitated, turned back and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me know...if you need to talk. Really, it's not just a thing I'm saying because I feel like I should say something. I mean it."

Marcus smiled at that. "I know you do. You're tough and strong and grim and kind of abrasive, but you definitely aren't full of shit. Thanks."