"Rorie we need to talk" I say walking into the kitchen
"Yes?" She replied
"We have to put Zarah down" I said "She ate something and caught whatever it is that these things have and attacked Kipp and I will not have that around anyone else."
"No." she said stern
"Rorie it's either put the dog now or leave." I said angrily "I can't have that here not with Jessie, definitely not with Teagan and I will not have that with my team either."
"Alright, just. Just let me say goodbye" She replied
She walked outside while the team and I stayed in, after a few moments we heard a shot fired, we all winced when it went off, then another was fired. We waited for Rorie to come back in, five minutes passed. We figured she needed time she just put her dog down. Then ten minutes, I suspected something was up. I figured send out Kipp since they were a thing, so he goes out and we hear a yell, we rush out to find Rorie along with her dog, she had a bite on her leg. The look Kipp gave me when I walked out is a look I'll never forget, he had such pain in his eyes.
"Kipp I'm sorry." Lacey said sincerely
I didn't know what to do, we were all. Frozen. We get she didn't wanna put us in danger but she could have called us out, we could have tried helping, she could have at least said bye to Kipp.
"You should've just shot the dog instead of making her do it Axel." Kipp said crying
"I didn't know it would lead to this." I replied
He got up slow and started walking towards us, Me personally I was getting ready to take anything that was coming to me but he walked passed and went to get a shower before entering he turned slightly,
"Giving her a proper send off when I'm done. Look nice" he said and kept walking
We prepared everything while he was in the shower, we didnt exactly have something to make it one hundred percent the real thing but we compromised, Lacey grabbed some silk sheets we make a make shift coffin out of some wood laying around. When he walked out and see he nearly cried again, we had flowers and everything he was happy how it turned out. They deserved it they were good together.
"Alright Lacey, Kace, Brennan we're going out to get stuff." I said
"What about me?" Kipp asked
"You're gonna stay here with Teagan" I replied
"No I wanna get my mind off of this can't Kace stay?"
I looked at Kace and he gave approval so I allowed it. We hopped in the truck it was pretty silent the whole ride, and the same while getting supplies. There was no laughter, no talking, not even when we sat down for dinner, that laughing happy family I knew was gone, I can understand why but its the most horrible thing I've witnessed and i'm in a zombie apocalypse for god sake. After dinner everyone went separate ways, the house was quiet. Final alarm came and we all went to bed, well they did I got up and went to do some work in the office, Zoned in on my work I didn't notice someone was in the room till they spoke.
"Axel" Kipp said
"God you scared me dude a heads up woulda been nice." I said spinning in my chair almost falling
"That was your heads up"
"Very funny" I said pulling him up a chair
Sitting down he looked at me and said "I know I kinda put the blame of this whole thing on you earlier, I just wanted to say I'm sorry"
"It's alright, I get it." I said looking at him "I'd be absolutely crushed if something like that happened to Teag."
"It wasn't your fault I really shouldn't of freaked on you, it's just I didn't expect something like this to happen, at all. She could've asked for help ya know?" Kipp said tearing up
I got up and pulled him into a hug "It was probably for the best bud, she didn't wanna hurt any of us, she didn't wanna hurt you."
"What's hurting most is that I didn't get to say goodbye, I didn't get to tell her I loved her. She'll never know I loved her, Axel." He said laying his head on my shoulder
We talked for a few more hours just rambling about life, the good and the bad, where we want to be in life, shared a few laughs, and even a few tears. I haven't done that with anyone for awhile now, last time I have was with my younger brother Lieajah he died a few months into the outbreak, we got surrounded I told him to follow me out, he fell behind and there just wasn't no saving him. I'll always regret not saving him, 14 years old he went too early. But sitting here with Kipp I feels that again, I feel that connection it's amazing having that connection again being this close to someone getting lost in thought and being able to tell a person anything without being scared or feeling like if you say something to this person they are going to throw it out into the world for everyone to know, well, not like it matters right now we're kinda the only ones left that we know of.
Waking up hit me harder than a brick being thrown at my face, staying up that late and being old is horrible I don't suggest it, Kipp being his bright bushy tailed self was up bouncing around like he has just had forty cups of coffee. God I wish I could do that, I haven't been able to do that since the start of this apocalypse shit, this has honestly been the hell-hole of my life. I've lost so much trying to make sure I stayed alive, trying to make sure Teagan and the rest of the team made it out okay, I've spent so much time protecting and shielding everyone instead of living my life and worrying about me, This is who I am. This is who I was made to be, I was made to be someone who pushes all of their problems down deeper and deeper and constantly covers it up by taking other peoples problems making them my own, fixing theirs and leaving mine hidden deep down, I was made to hide. Just like I am now, hiding from this god dammed zombie apocalypse instead of going out there and facing it. If you think about it there really isn't much difference between us and the zombies, they're dead inside, they wanna continue to hunt down everyone and anything until everything just so they can tear us apart, they want the world to be as dead and torn apart as they are. But yet I wake up in the morning, gear up, drive around this hell with a few of my best friends jamming to a few good throwbacks and just living life until a risk comes, take the risk and get back to the so called "perfect" life we live. With the first alarm ringing I was out the door and in the truck ready to go live another perfect day in this perfect life with my perfect friends. Enough life lessons back and sappy shit back to the kick ass zombie story.
The ride was silent, no singing, no music, no chitchat, nothing. I took a glance in the mirror at Kipp, taking my eyes off the road for one second.
"AXEL WATCH" Lacey yells out causing me to swerve and go off road.
