Beside the Dying Fire

Henry's POV

Savannah told me to go to Kai and Sarah after our run, for I would finally be rewarded with a nice apartment to myself. For the past 2 years that I had been in this community, I had shared with 3 other boys and the place was filthy and run down. I was just skipping with excitement.

I slowly opened the door to their office, but they didn't notice me. They were too focused on their conversation.

"Every time that a new survivor walks through that door, I always think about those who have just briefly been with us," Kai told Sarah.

"What do you mean?" she seemed confused.

"You know, like the people who have been with our group, but weren't of the original squad. For instance, today it would be Danny or Antonio or whoever else. I just think about those ones that we've lost."

"Like Zoe and Felicia?"

"Yeah, and Alyson. Samuel, too."

"Ajax."

"Payson."

"I don't know why you put a memorial up for him. He turned against us."

"Because he was a hardened survivor. He was the better with a knife than I've ever seen anyone else. No offense, twin."

"Lots taken."

"Over his years as an assassin, he kept a count of how many kills he had. 337! Could you imagine taking that many lives?!"

"Wow, I thought that I had killed a lot of people, but damn."

"That's why I put his watch up there. It's because in this world of death, he wasn't afraid to cause the death."

"That was so cliche," Sarah mocked him.

"I am remembering one of our own!" Kai seemed annoyed.

"Why focus on those that we've lost?! Focus on what's still here! Focus on Savannah and I!"

"FIGHT ME!" he yelled jokingly.

"YA KNOW WHAT, I WILL!" Sarah joined the fun.

They both playfully threw their fists into a position as if they were going to be in a fist fight. Sarah stood up and swung at Kai. He flinched, but the impact never came. She stopped her hand just before it made contact with his face and delicately placed her finger on his nose and then immediately removed it.

"Goddammit, Sarah," Kai laughed out.

Sarah began laughing, too.

"Did you just poke his nose?" I interrupted them.

They both simultaneously stopped laughing and looked at me with blushed cheeks.

"N-no, the correct term would be 'I booped his nose'." Sarah told him.

"How long were you standing there?" Kai asked.

"Too long." I answered.

Neither of them spoke.

"So... Savannah sent me because she said that I finally earned my own apartment," I broke the silence."

"Y-yes," Sarah stuttered, still embarrassed. "I can take you."

"Yeah, get out of here and think about what you've done," Kai joked with Sarah.

"Thanks," I made it more awkward.

Sarah walked me out of the museum and into the cold, dark night.

"So," I tried to make conversation. "Are you two-"

"That's incest, you ignorant swine!" She ferociously answered my question. She was obviously mad. It was clear when she glared at me, making me fear for my life.

"You aren't related," I mumbled under my breath. She shoved me into the street. I stumbled, I almost even lost my balance. Underneath her innocent, pale skin, she is really as fierce as a hurricane and as deadly as a raging forest fire.

"So how was your first run?" Sarah asked, still pissed.

"Killed a few walkers and brought back those others, do it was not bad at all."

"What do you use as your weapon?"

"Hmm?" I was confused.

"As in what do you use to kill things, dipshit. I have my knives, Kai: his ax, Savannah: hatchet, Antonio: katana. What makes you so special?"

"Oh, I have my shovel," I ignored her rudeness.

"A shovel?"

"Yes."

"But why a shovel instead of like a sword or knife?"

"It's a long story."

"It's a long way to your apartment," she pointed out.

"Well, it all started 2 years ago. The day before I got here in San Diego," I paused. "The day my dad died."

"So was it your dad's?"

"Let me explain," I sneered at her. "I was just-"

"Shut up," Sarah interrupted me, looking around.

"Well, excuse me! You asked me to tell you-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" she whispered. "We're being followed."

I scanned the surroundings. The soft scurrying of feet in the snow. Sarah grabbed my wrist and began sprinting down the street.

"Those men that you were chasing on your run, did you kill them?!" she demanded.

"I, uhh- They ran right into the center of the herd. We just assumed-"

"Assumed?!"

Y-yes, they were weak. The walkers were all around them."

"Did you see them die?!"

"We just-"

"DID YOU SEE THEM DIE?!?!"

"N-no," I was getting scared.

"Listen, Henry. Those men, they're the ones that kidnapped people 3 weeks ago. They're the ones that Savannah ran around killing. They're the ones that killed Hailey."

"I thought that you killed them all in the war!"

"We killed as many as we could, but they retreated. We have had our defenses up since, thus why Cameron always wants to take watch on the gates."

"Then how did they get in the gates?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING SECURITY CAMERA?!?! I HAVE NO IDEA!!"

At that moment, a man ran out from an alleyway, blocking our path. He held a knife and was ready to strike. I stopped running not to get killed, but not Sarah. She kept running until she was about 5 feet away. Still going full-speed ahead, she dropped to the ground at glided across the slow feet-first at the man. She kicked the man right in his ankle, causing him to cascade to the ground. As the man recovered, Sarah got up and stomped on the man's back, dooming him to the ground. Her other foot stamped the man's fist, making him release the knife. Sarah picked up the knife and stabbed it into the back of the Flicker's neck. As I watched her, I was tackled to the sleet. Sarah looked at me in shock. She held her knife in the attacking position, but she ultimately just dropped it. All of a sudden, another ran up behind her and bludgeoned her on the back of her skull with a wooden club. As soon as my consciousness faded, I assumed that I had the same fate.