The Strong Will Survive

Chapter Sixteen - KC

My face was ripped open, but I still had to cook dinner. Everybody else sucked at cooking, and I was the only one that's ever had GOOD food. I made poutine, but the world was swirling so I couldn't really see what I was doing. Then the poutine turned to empanadas, then cheeseburgers, then creme brulee. Lilith and Benji screamed at me. "HELLO? HELLO? HELLO?" Jared turned to me and said, "Honey, you gotta wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up..."

His voice continued out of my dream. Lilith, Benji, and Jared were leaning over me. I asked about my hair, because even in the zombie apocalypse, I like my hair to be on point. Apparently, they had given me painkillers. That explains the jacked-up dream I had.

I got up after a while, but I had a lot of trouble walking. I was really dizzy from my head injury and the blood loss. Benji said he needed to leave to, quote unquote, "find someone." I still don't trust that kid. I can see his face now, but I think he made some bad decisions. I'm not judging, though. I made some bad decisions myself, and I regret them all.

I was hungry, so I made dinner. I found some French fries in the freezer aisle, some boxed gravy, and cheese (I couldn't find cheese curds), and tried to make a good poutine. It was alright. I mean, nobody really liked it but me, and it was like the Walmart version of real poutine, but it made me happy. It felt like home.

Jared and I were left alone. Lilith and Benji left for some odd reason. I really think that they would be good together. Pretty sure that's called a "ship," right? When you think two people would be good together? Like Clintasha, or Spideypool, or this one that Lilith refers to as her "OTP," Destiel. What that's all about, I don't know. It's definitely not a Marvel comic book or movie. Maybe DC?

Anyway, it was just me and Jared. I feel like I've said that exact sentence before. Huh. I made him choke down some poutine with me, because Lilith and Benji hightailed it out of camp when they saw me get the Kraft Singles. Jared ended up giving me most of his share, though. More food for me. I shrugged and finished it in ravenous but small bites so I wouldn't reopen my wounds.

Jared looked at me sideways. "You need to rest. That face of yours went through quite a pounding today."

"Huh. I hadn't noticed."

"Oh my God, you don't stop, do you?"
"Nope. Can I go to bed now? Or watch a movie? Wait, why am I asking you?"

"Go turn the TV on. I think it's Halloween, so maybe there's some movies on like that. Doctor's orders."

I turned on the TV in my section of camp, and sure enough, The Nightmare Before Christmas was playing. With a groan, I dizzily crumpled onto the couch. With a horrifying realization, I turned to Jared. "Jared, is there any chance of my being, you know..."

"There is no chance of you becoming a zombie. The virus is transmitted through saliva. If one got through your leather jacket and bit you, yes. But you only got scratched. If you were bitten, I would use those defensive strategies you taught me."

"Hmm. Alright."

Jared sat down on the couch and I leaned into his chest. Jack Skellington and Zero were on the screen. I stared emptily at them. The last thought I had before I drifted into another painkiller-induced sleep was, "Dang it. More fluffy bits to this story. Where's the action? This is NOT going to turn into a silly romance novel someday..."