Beware the living

Chapter 3 "Facing Fears"

Three days have passed now and Jack hasn't said a word to me or anyone else.
Whenever I try to reach out to him he wanders his sight to his tent and dissapears again for the rest of the day. Besides that our food is running dry and Jonathan already selected the people that have to go on the next suply run.
It's me, Cindy and Kate. I'm happy about the way Jonathan selects the groups.
I always got paired with Cindy,Kate or Jack. I honestly would be scared to go with Rodrik he seems like an ex convict instead of an acountant. He's creepy and doesn't talk about the days before the world went to shit.
I always feel like he's hiding something, I'm pretty sure everyone does. What could he hide from us that would be so shocking we wouldn't want him here anymore.
Allot of grusome thoughts poped up in my head but I tried to ignore them. Yet one of the thoughts stood out. I could imagine Rodrik being an organ dealer of some kind. He has that "I sell organs for a living" face. I wish Jack was here to talk with, he would've come up with a whole story for Rodrik.
I should try and talk to him before I head out with Cindy and Kate, you never know I might not come back this time.

After packing my backpack I head out to the courtyard.
We have been holding up in a small police station. We put the fences under electricity, the Infected are smart enough to stay away from it. The station itself is secure we bariccaded all the windows and any possible way the infected could get in. At night we usualy sleep in our tents in the courtyard,Jonathan said that the police station is save but if some infected managed to get in we would be pinned down.
He promised that by winter we could sleep inside the safety bunker underneath the station.
Jonathan seems like a control and power obssesed freak sometimes but I do feel that he acctually cares about our safety.

I cross the courtyard and crawl into Jack's tent.
He's reading a book he found last week while searching the deputy's office.
"Crime and Punishment" could there have been a more mainstream book in a police station.
Jack looks up to me and annoyingly says "What do you want?"
"I just came to say goodbye."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"On a supply run with Cindy and Kate, I don't know when I'll be back or if I'll be back."
"What! Why am I not on the team with you!"
Jack closses his book with a slam and crawls out of his tent.
I follow him.
"What are you going to do?" I ask while trying to keep up with his pace.
"How can he not put me on the team, we are a team Jen we head out together or we don't head out at all!"
I grab Jack by his arm, he turns but pulls his arm away from my grip.
"He wanted to give you time. He's just looking out for you please sit this one out ok?"
I said.
Jack looks at me as if I just asked him to jump off a brigde.
He's thinking and finally answers;"Only this time but next time we run together right?"
"Always"
He smiles. I haven't seen him smile in days, he's starting to heal, or atleast to forgive me a little.
We head back to his tent and things feel normal again or well apocalyptic normal.
"So Kate and Cindy huh they are a dreamteam, Kate as a sharpshooter and Cindy knows her way around here. Plus they are both hot" Jack explains.
"I might die out there and you are thinking about how hot Cindy and Kate are." I say and laugh a little
"You will be fine don't die!"
"I wont" I lied. I haven't been out there without Jack having my back.
Everytime I got in trouble I was saved by someone else . In all this time I haven't been able to safe myself once.
Jack hugged me,I put my arms around him and cherishd this moment. This could be the last time I get to hold him.
Kate walked into the tent "Oh shit I'm sorry. Am I interuppting something" She says jokingly.
Jack releases me and we both blush and just stare at Kate.
"Well anyways Jenna, we are heading out are you ready?" Kate continues.
I nod and walk out of the tent. Leaving Jack behind like this feels wrong but it might just be that I'm scared of dying without him to protect me.
"You really need to start taking care of yourself. Jack isn't going to be around forever" I'm right.
I need to start surviving instead of relying on Jack.
And today is the perfect day to start. I follow Kate towards the gate of the police sation.

Cindy was waiting for us and holding Kate's stuff.
Cindy looks at me and asks if I'm ready, I nod and we head out into the wastelands.
We tske the usual route, through three blocks of typical familly houses then we pass a school and adventually the statue in the park with 3 angels. Today we are supposed to search the local mall for anything that is usefull,food,water,ammo and clothes since winter is around the cornor. You would think that after we find what we need we would go back to the camp well nope. We always stay a night and head out the next day to find a new location with food or guns. It's how we have survived for 2 months still I hate to sleep in the open like that.
By the time we reach the mall the sun is going under. We didn't walk into a single infected thats suspiciously weird. "I remember coming here as a kid" Cindy says while looking at the plaza of the mall.
"God we used to be those typical movie teenagers that would skate around the mall causing havoc" she continues.
Kate looks up at the big hole, in the glass dome ceiling and jokingly says,"maybe If we find some boards at the ToysRus we could relive your youth"
"Very funny Kate let's look for food first shall we."
Kate roles her eyes," Fine,fine but come on don't say it wouldn't be tempting"
We hear a loud noice coming from behind one of the stands. We all grab our guns and wait for another sound or sign of something.
Something flashes from the stand to a big pile of rublle. "Was that an infected" I whisper to Kate.
"Most likely" Kate answers.
We are all staring at the big pile of rubble waiting for something to come out.
Cindy throws a rock to the pile and an Infected jumps up. When it lands it charges itself at us. I freeze but Kate is calm and shoots 2 times. Her first shot landed perfectly and the infected went down. "Let's move before more of them show up." Kate says and we continue following Cindy to the super market that was build into this mall.
You froze again you need to learn to face your fears. What if you are alone next time what are you going to do just stand there? Get your act together Jen!