Consequences (Warm Bodies fan fiction)

Chapter 8

Later that day, just a few hours after the incident with the Boneys, Nora had found them and hugged them both.

Nora had heard from Kevin of what happened, though didn't know the details and felt horrible for not having been there with them. It was a shame she was such a heavy sleeper. When she had woken up that late morning, they had already left. She figured they needed some time alone together so went to the 'library' to study a bit. It wasn't until she heard all the commotion about a Boney attack and Julie having spotted being carried in, injured, that she rushed over. Nora spent several minutes repeatedly asking them if they were okay. After lovingly but firmly telling her to shut up, Julie decided bed rest wasn't in her and forced herself off the cot. R protested vehemently, but Julie wouldn't listen.

And so, they made their way out, even managing to sneak by Martinez and her staff. "Are you sure you should be on your feet?" Nora asked, glancing warily at the crutch her friend held. Julie wasn't using it much though, preferring to let R half carry her as she leaned against him for support. She wished that she had been one of the nurses to treat them. Sure, she was still learning, and lately there hadn't been very many injuries to attend to, but she would have liked to be there for them! Maybe Susan would let her attend to them next time? God knew one of them was probably going to end up here again, as sad as that was really.

"I need a drink..." Julie answered simply, having R lead them toward the Orchard, taking comfort in his support. Her leg wasn't broken or anything, and she could walk on it if she really needed to, but she would rather let R hold her close. Besides, she'd prefer it heal sooner than later.

"It's not like they serve alcohol..." Nora retorted with a half smile.

Julie shook her head. "Doesn't matter." The three walked silently to the bar, Nora tried to joke a little, trying to lighten the gloomy mood hanging over her friends, but it didn't help. Their spirits were not high that evening. The ordeal they had gone through earlier that day still in the foremost part of their minds. When they got to the pub, it was already starting to get a little crowded. It had everything a typical bar would have, including a small pool table. But no alcohol. It was quite comical watching hardened soldiers drinking their worries away with juice cocktails, but John had banished alcohol some years ago and he was hard-pressed to bring it back, despite Julie's insistence that the reason he banished it wasn't accurate.

John had believed his wife had left them and died somewhere out there because she had been drunk, but Julie knew better. She had been with her mother, had seen the agony and grief for the world's ruin, she had known her mother just wanted out. Had watched the light of hope in her mother's eyes fade away, like so many others. It hadn't been a good reason to leave them, and Julie had no idea if her mom was still out there somewhere, but she knew she hadn't left because of something as simple as alcohol. Despite this, John refused to listen, refused to believe he hadn't been enough to keep their mother with them. Even if the hope in Julie's dad's eyes had also faded at the time.

The three ordered their drinks and sat down quietly. Nora felt torn between wanting to give her friends space and wanting to cheer them up somehow, but she didn't know what to do. Either by fortune or bad luck, a couple anti-zombie "Purists" - as they had started calling themselves – were in the bar that evening and had noticed them. Or more precisely, had noticed R. Funny how well known R was becoming in the city. It wasn't such a strange thing though that he was becoming something of a celebrity. He was, after all, the first zombie to becoming alive again. But there were people like these guys walking over to them that detested even the idea of "fraternizing" with the "enemy", refusing to believe their loved ones were really coming back to life.

A short man they didn't know all that well and a surprisingly fat man stopped by their table. Julie and Nora knew him, had known he would be one of the ones to switch over to Scott's way of thinking. They hadn't known he had the brains to confront them though. "You're that 'R' guy, aren't you?" the large man asked.