Reborn

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

Hollowed Hearts

A week has passed since we arrived at the complex. It is now day ten of this nuclear wasteland and yet, nothing has changed. We have managed to survive off of the small amount of food that was left here inside the abandoned rooms. Unfortunately as of yesterday, we have run out of food. Today, we are going out to look for more food and supplies. I sit up on my soft bed and pull the weighted blanket off of me. The white wooden door was open, causing the light from outside to shine through, making the room dim. I stood up from the bed and put on my black coat, hearing the rest of the group talk downstairs. Grabbing my pistol, I head out of the dim bedroom and look out the window. The sky is covered by dark clouds. The wind howls outside the window. Walking away from the window, I head out of my silent room and head down the dark stairs. This past week, I have been getting better. I don't feel depressed or alone as I once did when the nukes dropped. However, I still feel sad whenever I start remembering my mother. I head inside the dim lobby, I see everyone sitting down next to each other at a table we have set up. The once broken glass doors are now covered up by a wool dark red blanket that hangs against the doors. The shards of glass were swept away and the lobby was much cleaner. Weston glances at me while Jason talks to him

"Look who finally woke up!"

I grin while walking over to the old wooden table, sitting down next to everyone.

"Hey, Weston!"

During the previous week, Weston has been helping everyone with their shooting. Setting up empty cans outside on abandoned cars as targets for people to shoot at.

"How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been getting better. Have you been doing well?"

Weston looks at me and grins

"I've been doing great!"

Looking around the table, I notice Tyler isn't sitting with us. Tyler hasn't spoken much this past week. He usually resides in his room for most of the day. I've tried talking to him, but he seems to have grown a resentment towards me.

"Where's Tyler?" I ask

"I think he's still in his room"

"Is he ok? He hasn't talked to me in a while. I'm worried about him"

Weston sighs, scratching his beard

"I don't know. If I'm being honest, He hasn't spoken to any of us. the only other person he talks to is Brian"

"Is he coming with us?"

"I would want him to come, but I think he needs some time to himself. He needs to figure his shit out"

I sigh, glancing over at William

"How are things with your brother?"

"We're slowly starting to talk to each other more than we did last week." Weston pauses, staring at his brother. "I fucked things up, Emma. Because of what I did in the past, I fucked up our bond... if we even had one. I was a bad person. I hurt myself, the people who cared for me...I hurt him. Even after I apologized to him, I still feel this...guilt weighing me down every single day"

I pause as Weston bobs his head

"I don't know, I don't think I'll ever be able to fix things with him." He looks at the cracked window, leaning in his chair "I think we should get going"

As I sit back into the wooden chair, Weston stands up and looks at everyone

"Alright, since everyone's up I think we should get going." He walks away from the table and stands near the covered doors, "Now we're gonna be out for awhile so I want to make some things clear. You do not fire your gun at anything! Unless it's a threat and you need to shoot your weapon for your safety, I don't want you firing your gun. We need to keep as much ammo as we can. Jason, I want you to stay back with Tyler, The same rules apply to you as well. Everyone else let's go"