The Strong Will Survive

Chapter Nine - Lilith [EDITED]

 I had to admit, our plan scared me. No, terrified me.

We had decided to raid a hospital after somehow kidnapping two zombies. KC had decided that she and Jared would take one zombie, him being kind of incompetent in fighting (although, with KC and me combined trying to teach him, he was getting there). I would try to recruit Benji and use his help to take another down. Even though I was better at combat than Jared, I couldn't face one of those zombies alone. We would then hold the zombies in a nearby apartment until we needed them. They would be tied up and gagged.

The hospital aspect may have scared me the most.

Although we couldn't know that it the hospital where the zombie virus had originally began, I still had recurring nightmares about that first woman's bloody mouth and crazed grin. I couldn't look at a hospital without cringing. I couldn't even imagine going inside one.

And yet we would have to. We couldn't just whip up our own little medicinal concoction in the back of Costco - all it had were mild meds like ibuprofen. We had to get professional supplies.

It would be insanely dangerous. There could be diseases lingering in the air. There certainly would be bad smells from the corpses that were sure to be rotting in the building. Oh, and whatever zombies hadn't been able to break out.

But we couldn't just sit around and do nothing. KC had at least managed to convince me on that point

I grabbed a gun and called to KC and Jared, "I'm going to go get Benji! Good luck with your zombie!"

"Yours, too!" Jared replied. He hurried over and gave me a quick, one-armed hug. Then, he returned to organizing our remaining food, a habit that seemed to calm him, even with the alarmingly low pile - for a Costco, that is. After all, KC had been forced to get rid of anything that had needed refrigeration within the first month and there were many powders and mixes that we simply couldn't use.

I grinned at Jared's retreating back. It was nice, having friends. Living ones, that is. While we hadn't established the same level of closeness that Kenzie and I had possessed, there was something about living in a life-or-death situation that really brought people together.

On a related note, I was eager to see Benji again. There was something different about him. A boy living alone during the zombie apocalypse? He should have been hardened and distrusting. Instead, he was friendly and helpful, although less so at KC's bluntness. But then, who wouldn't have been thrown off? After all, this was our terf. We were familiar and comfortable in it, and outnumbered him three to one. I would have been just as cautious.

I double-checked to make sure my gun was off safety mode with a bullet in the chamber before stepping out onto the NYC streets.

*

I walked toward the alley where I had first met Benji. This time, I was extra careful about zombies. I certainly didn't want a repeat of our first meeting

I didn't necessarily want to do this with a boy I had barely met and (however I might have felt about him) couldn't truly trust, but I supposed I had no choice. No way was I taking on a cruel, fast, strong zombie alone.

I stepped into the alleyway, glancing around. "Benji?" I called quietly. Then, a little louder: "Benji!"

"Do you want to be killed, or are you stupid?" his voice hissed from the shadows behind me. I whirled on my heels and my gaze was met by glittering moss-colored eyes.

"We need your help," I whispered, breath catching in my throat.

A hand snaked out and pulled me into the shadows to sit beside him. I knew better than to ask what he had been doing there in the first place. "Tell me. And for God's sake, be quiet!"