The Strong Will Survive

Chapter Six - KC

So, one Saturday, I was outside making sure that my barricade was alright, when I heard a car. I turned around and a car was spiraling out of control, dangerously close to the Costco. Fabuleux. Juste fabuleux. The car's front window was facing the right way, so I waved my arms and yelled, "Put on your BRAKES! Mon Dieu, why won't you listen! YOUR BRAAAAAKES!!!" Surprisingly, the car slammed to a stop. I took a second to hurry inside and grab my knives in case the car had zombies in it, because why not? It was a crazy time.

The car's back door opened, and a dog and what looked like a sleeping kid tumbled out. The dog went and relieved herself. Who could blame her, she was probably stuck in the car pour toujours, forever. The kid didn't move. I slowly stepped closer. The kid didn't move. I turned him over with my boot. His skin was pale and stretched tight over his cheekbones. A Bedridden zombie. Dang it.

The passenger and driver doors both opened at the same time. A boy and a girl stepped out, one on each side. I had my knives in my hands and brandished them towards the kids, two in each hand. They looked kind of scared of me. I liked it.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" I pushed them backwards without even touching them. The girl spoke first. "I'm sorry? Say again?"

"Who. Are you. And what. Are you. DOING HERE?"

"Uh, my name is Lilith, this is Jared, the boy lying there is Reggie, and that's Daisy," she said, pointing to each of them in turn and finishing with the dog currently taking a dump. "We're running. Do you live here?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "Come inside. I'm in a good mood, otherwise you would be back in that car and driving away FAST."

I led them in through the back door, the one that I kept unlocked for this very purpose. We used the path that I had marked to get to my living space.

They sat down on my couch and told their story. Turns out, there were more people that had their parents, friends, and family turn. Jared had been living alone, anyway. His mom walked out on him and his dad died, so nobody in his family had turned.

Lilith had a more intense story. Her brother was, indeed, a Bedridden zombie. Her parents were missing, probably zombies. AND her best friend was a Bedridden as well. Throughout her story, I thought that she was juste une petite fille, a weak little girl. She was really whiny, I thought. She seemed a little selfish until I told my story. Then, her eyes widened. Apparently, she had thought that only her family and friends could turn into zombies. Just as well. I saw in her a partially hardened heart, one that had been shocked into something it wasn't.

"Dude. You stole that Camaro?" Jared asked incredulously.

"Yup. The occupant was, how do you say? A FREAKING ZOMBIE. HE didn't need it, and I did. It's a win-win. He gets to eat flesh, and I get an awesome car before I even get my license." 

The boy, Jared, turned to me. "Can we stay with you? We've got a car, that's it. I have nothing. Lilith has a suitcase. We're relatively quiet. We-"

"Stop right there. I'll let you stay with me, on one condition. The zombie stays in the car. If you can't do that, hit the road. I'm in a good mood now, but it shifts quickly, being an apparently hormonal 15-year-old. At least, that's what my mother's psychology books seemed to say."

My sarcasm broke the somber mood. Jared stared at me for a while, then broke into laughter. Lilith giggled, Daisy the giant furball dog barked. It was good to laugh. I hadn't had anyone to be sarcastic to in a while.

They stopped laughing when a thump echoed from the door. Probably something fell, but that seemed to shock us back into reality. Lilith had a terrified expression, and so did Jared. I broke my punk-rock facade for a second and hugged those two noobs. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, je m'excuse, I'm so sorry, je m'excuse, je m'excuse, je m'excuse." They looked startled, but touched... Somehow.

I don't know why, I was just comforting them. They looked sad and scared, and Lilith kind of reminded me of Jamie: a little, innocent kiddo, just forced into another horrible world.

We set up a camp area for each of them. Jared's was a little further apart from Lilith's and mine, for obvious reasons. It was fun. I made dinner: tofu-and-pepper tacos for Jared, Lilith, and me. They thought it was beef. I didn't tell them that it was tofu, just to mess with them. But I knew the flavor, and it felt like home. Vegetarianism was my dad's thing, and then it was mine.

I took Daisy outside with Lilith. She said, "I don't know much about you, but this is imperative to our friendship: Are you a fangirl?"

"No, but if you teach me your ways, I'll teach you French, oui?"

"Alrighty then."

We sat in silence for a while, watching Daisy frolic in the parking lot. Right then, I knew that if we ever got out of this mess, the three of us would be really great friends. But first, to get rid of zombies once and for all. We needed a plan.