An Era Of Zombies

Part 6: Tent B

Dr. Ashton had pronounced Asia as safe. Well, mostly safe. This was rare and no one knew exactly how it happened. Then Janelle had sent Asia to tent 21. She gave me my favorite number. Once I got there I noticed that Sonnet was inside. The tent was really tiny, there was only enough room for 2 sleeping bags and a small space to set our backpacks.

"Oh Asia! Hi. I'm your roommate for now," Sonnet said to me when she noticed my presence.

Sonnet had her glasses off and her long blonde hair fell onto her shoulders. Sonnet was wearing a cotton white T-shirt and black sweats. She told Asia that she could exchange her clothes for a T-shirt and black sweats like her but Asia felt too tired to change so she just laid down onto her sleeping bag. Then Sonnet laughed and asked,
"Don't you want to brush your teeth first?"

Asia was too embarrassed to say that she hadn't brushed her teeth since a month ago.
Oh no. The others I met today had probably smelled it. Ugh. I'll just make something up.

"Oh I lost it when Will brought me here. Do you guys have any extra here?"

"Yeah. Go to Tent B. It's our accommodations tent. There should be someone else there to help you."

Asia grabbed her coat and left the tent. Asia walked right into Will. He was wearing black jeans and a blue coat. When she bumped into him, he dropped his pile of books on the ground. Asia had fallen with an oomph.

"Are you okay,"  Will asked.

How odd he actually seems to care. Will stood back up and held out his hand for her.

"I can get up myself," she muttered and helped him pick up the books he had dropped.

"What's this?" She asked.

She had picked up Pride & Prejudice and Zombies. Asia had read the book before and had to admit that she loved it, until Zombies became a horrifying reality. Why does Will have this?

"Nothing! I better get going anyways," he says and tries to grab the book back. His 2 other books were leather bound journals.

"You can't learn about zombies from that book Will," she remarked.

"I like to read."

"Wow. You like to read?"

"Life is made of words and a book is made of words. It's amazing."

"Who said that?"

"I made it up myself."

"I like to read too. I left my only 2 books back in the woods though."

He was looking at her now with an expression that was close to adornment.

"So why are you up anyways?"

"Looking for tent B," she answered and then remembered that her breath probably smelled horrible.

"I gotta go." And then she began walking away only to realize that she didn't know where tent B was. "Do you know where tent B is? I'm lost."

"Yeah, let me drop these by my tent really quickly," he said and then left her alone.

He was back in a minute and he led her towards tent B. It was one of the bigger tents and then she saw the small B on the tent. It was painted in black on the plum colored tent. It was hard to see in the dark though. She went inside and thanked Will for his help. She had told him that she could handle it from here. She found a bucket labeled Dental Hygiene and plucked a red toothbrush and mint toothpaste tube from it. Then she poured a small cup of water from one of the many canteens and brushed her teeth. Some of her teeth had begun to bleed from infrequent brushing and she had to spit it out into the cup. Then she dumped the cup somewhere in the woods in the valley and left the cup in a bucket called Used Cups, the toothpaste back where she found it and took the toothbrush with her. As she was making her way back to her tent , retracing her steps, she saw Ford walking out of the tent. He was smiling as he left.

Sonnet was inside. She was also smiling.

"So what was Ford doing here?" She asked.

"Oh, well. I don't know. He said he had left something here but I know he was lying." Sonnet sighed. "Maybe he was messing with me."

"Do you have a crush on him Sonnet?" It seemed like it.

"Yes, I do. But there are girls that are as pretty as Darcy here and I bet that he has his eyes on one of them. I shouldn't hope for it," she said.

"I think he likes you Sonnet."

"I'm such a nerd though. Look at me, I practically scream nerd. I'm good with technology, I wear glasses, and I don't know how to fight."

"So?"

"He's like a hero though. Did you know that I researched him before he got here."

"Isn't that a little stalkerish?" Asia asked, a little uncomfortable.

"I'm a pro hacker and Janelle asked me to do a background check on all the people here. Ford is a like a robin hood," Sonnet said.

"You think he's amazing don't you?"

"Yes."

"He's too good for you Sonnet," she told the other girl

"He's just a friend. That's how he treats me."

"Explain."

"He'll sometimes stop by my tent but only if he needs help with something. Maybe that's the only reason he talks to me."

"Nah, I think he just likes talking with you," Asia said. It was true, Sonnet was a great conversationalist. Asia had just met her but she already felt like they were becoming friends.

"I don't know. But I'm going to sleep. Good Night Asia," Sonnet whispered and she closed her eyes.

"Good Night," she replied quietly and laid down herself.

She dreamed of her old life. She dreamed of the orphanage. It had been a home to her but now it had probably been destroyed. She missed it terribly. She missed the life she had before that blasted injection had been made. She felt like she might cry. For her past, for her mother who was likely to have either been turned or killed, and for the future that she had dreamed about but wasn't going to happen anymore. But Asia held on, she would get that future somehow. We are masters of our own fate, that was how her favorite quote went. Asia refused to let these zombies destroy her life anymore.