Quarantine

Winter Wonderland

Warning. This chapter contains words that may be unsuitable for younger audiences. Readers have been warned, and you have no right to get angry now. Enjoy.

I woke up to find myself alone on the ground. I placed my forearm on the ground, and looked around as my groggy mind started to clear. My muscles felt extremely tired, and my body still felt cold.

I pushed myself into a sitting position when Jackson walked into the room. "Your up finally. It's like trying to wake the dead with you. No pun intended."

I smiled, and stood up. My pants were still stuck to my legs, and my long sleeve shirt seemed partially dry. I grabbed it, and found it to be slightly damp, but slipped it on anyways.

"Where's Rose, and Charles?" I hadn't seen them yet, and was starting to get curious.

"They're up front looking out of the windows. It snowed last night, and it still is." He seemed rested, and calm considering last night.

"I guess I'll just look for anything of use..."

"It's alright. I already checked." He interrupted my mid sentence.

"Oh... okay. Did you find anything?" I quickly thought of a question.

"Not really unless you want to eat old ketchup packets, and rotten meat. Luckily the ice machines held the melted water in them, so we've got full bottles." I was glad that he ended on a high note.

I nodded, and walked out of the back room, and stopped for a moment to look at the snow shining through the glass windows. They were grimy, but the brightness broke through the thick substance. Rose, and Charles were sitting at a booth, and starring at the road.

I walked up to them, and Rose made to scoot over, but I intended to stand.

"It's alright. I'll stand." I spoke quietly.

Rose nodded, and Charles said. "I bet it snowed about 2 inches last night. Maybe more, but I can't tell."

Rose nodded her affirmation, and I just decided to go with majority vote. "How are we going to move through this if it snows like this for another day? We don't have a lot of food, and we need to get somewhere that does have some."

Rose added to my list. "And I need some warmer clothes. I think we all do actually. We won't last long in tat cold weather."

We all circled the table, and I shuffled over when Jackson wanted in on the talking. "I did weapon inventory, and all we have is this pistol, and 11 bullets. We don't have any blunt weapons."

I spoke up after that. "Make it two guns, and 13 bullets." I pulled the pistol from my pocket that was surprisingly dry.

All three looked at me in shock. "Where'd you get that one from?" Charles asked the question.

"This one is the one I threw. The one Jackson has used to be Dan's..." I let it hang there in the air. We had all liked Dan.

"Why didn't you show it to us in the first place? We could have been more confident in checking areas. It would be safer that way." Jackson sputtered out the negatives.

Charles started to say the positive. "Maybe he was. If you would have known that he had a gun you would expect him to have your back. If something went wrong, and you got hurt Rose would blame him."

Jackson glared at Charles for a moment before smiling. "That's a good point. Next time, let us know Ethan."

"Jackson." I stated hesitantly, thinking about my knife as well.

"What now?" Said Jackson.

"I also have a knife..." I grimaced, and looked away.

He looked at me with glaring anger. "Whats up with you and secrets, huh? First, your relationship with Charles. Second, the fucking gun, and finally a knife! A fucking knife! I spent hours scrambling through the draws for a stupid can opener, and you had a god damn knife the whole time!!!"

"Well, do you need it?" I stuttered slightly. The words drawing like knife across my skin.

"Not anymore Ethan! I resorted to slamming it against the edge of the table, and waiting half of it! Your gonna get us killed. You know that? You think your such a fucking badass Rotter killer, but your not! You think you execute things cleanly? Well, you don't. Your running skills are by far the best thing about you, and I know why. Because YOU CAN'T HELP ANYONE!"

His voice thundered into my eardrums, and every word sent one more tear rolling down my eyes. Charles was looking down, and Rose had left. Jackson was red in the face, and was breathing heavily.

Charles glanced up, and said just above a whisper, "Big words coming from someone who was going to leave his girlfriend to die."

Jackson froze, Charles stiffened, and I was trying not to cry out loud. I looked between the two as Jackson's face contorted into one of cynical denial.

"I wasn't abandoning her. I was making sure someone survived the explosions if it went off. There's a difference." He was trying not to slip, and I could tell.

Charles let another thing slide. "You couldn't think up an escape plan. Us 'kids' did it for you. You almost got us killed once, and I don't even know you. What if your holding Rose as a hostage, and we don't know it?"

Jackson's face turned almost purple. "I. WOULD. NEVER. EVER. HURT ROSE!" He was screaming at us.

Charles had one more thing to say. "But you would hurt us?"

Jackson finally lost it. He screamed at Charles, and I. Unleashing a string of cusses so profound, and fast that I hardly knew what he was saying. Then, he lifted up one of the pistols off the table which we had set down, and pointed it at Charles.

Jackson seethed through his teeth. "I'm gonna make both of you walk outside right now. Your both gonna end up getting Rose, and I killed. She doesn't need anyone but me. Understand?"

Rose was glancing from the back room, her face as white as the snow outside. I looked back at Jackson who was moving the gun back and forth from me, and Charles.

"Okay, but at least let us have a weapon." Charles tried to negotiate, but to no avail.

"You have a weapon. Ethan's knife." Jackson spat my name out like poison.

I looked at Charles. His whole body was shaking, and he had lost his momentary gain of courage. We had pushed Jackson so far that we couldn't believe what he was saying.

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Well, this just got interesting.

What will Jackson do next?

What will Rose do?

Did Jackson deserve the remarks?

Peace, and enjoy.