Silver Horizons (Silver Horizons #1)

Silver Horizons | 11

"The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts." – Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

 

I never confronted Kyle about what happened with Annie, about how he shot her despite my promise to Forest. I never talked to him mainly because he decided to isolate himself and not talk unless he was giving out order or answering a question. Albeit, he only answered the questions concerning zombies and the necessities rather than his own actions or himself for that matter.

            It was like it never really happened, except it did.

            Forest didn’t talk about it either. He didn’t ask questions. It was like he forgot about Annie completely. Strangely enough, he also seemed okay with shooting zombies, if not with more vengeance than before Annie died. It was like he was getting back at the zombies, getting back at them for their zombie friend biting Annie, which resulted in her getting shot.

            We’d been in Fred Meyer for a little over a week, and it was like we’d never met each other before. Another survivor could walk in at any given moment and think that we’d just arrived and haven’t had time to get to know each other yet.

            The only person who dared to try and talk about what happened was me, and both Forest and Kyle would usually just brush it off as nothing. On occasion, I’d get a reply, but it would never be anything short of ‘whatever’.

            Kyle constantly reminded us every single day that we needed to get out of Fred Meyer and get back on the road with a new car, but every time he would say that, Forest would respond and say, ‘whatever. Do what you gotta do’.

            I could never tell if Kyle realized what Forest was referring to each and every time or if he even cared.

            Eventually, I’d had enough of the silence, ignorance, and rudeness of them. “Alright, guys. Knock it out.” Kyle and Forest stopped doing whatever it was they were doing—separately, of course—and looked up at me with blank expressions on both of their faces. “The silence . . . ignoring each other . . . it’s gotta stop.”

            No answer. Nothing. Nada.

            “Seriously,” I said, begging beginning to seep into my voice. “All of this . . . no more. I’m growing sick and tired of it. We’ve known each other well over a month now, and we’re acting like we don’t know each other at all.”

            Zero. Zip. Zilch.

            “Re—“

            I was cut off by Forest. “Maybe we don’t really know each other as much as you’d like to think we do.”

            At first, I was excited that Forest decided to take a stand and speak, but once I’d heard what he said, my hopes and dreams were crushed yet again.

            “Don’t think like that,” I snapped, pointing at him with my index finger. “We’re a group, okay? A team. We support each other. We take care of each other. We’re there for each other. You guys are acting like you’re an individual. Like you only support yourself. You only take care of yourself. You’re only there for yourself.” I took a deep breath. “But that’s not true. You’re not alone. Stop acting like it.”

            Kyle scoffed. “We are alone in this, Elijah. Don’t you see?”

            “You’re acting like Annie was the linchpin, which she wasn’t.”