The Price of Humanity

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

"I know. I'll sort it out, you just collect anything you can from the front shelves okay?" I nod and comply. We head back into the building, we were just barely out the door so it doesn't take that much time to walk back in.

I scan the shelves, picking up a few small pieces of food – energy bars mostly – and some more bottles of water. I also pick up some puzzle books, nobody thinks they have any value in this world or the last, at least they pass the time.

I hear footsteps come out of the back, Gale's footsteps. Thankfully my back is to him and therefore I don't see anything. I freeze with a bottle of water in my hand.

I don't turn around, I physically can't. I'm frozen to my spot. I hear his footsteps walk past me and out the front door of the station.

I put the water bottle in my bag and also put the rest of them in my bag. Gale comes back a few minutes later and turns me around, pulling me into a hug.

I know this hug isn't for me, he needs comforting for what he's just had to do. I hug him back tightly, even with the bottle of water in my hand.

"We'll survive, right?" I ask, my voice muffled by his chest.

"We will. I promise." It was a weak promise, he couldn't make sure of something like that, it wasn't possible. He couldn't keep that promise. But the words were comforting anyway.

I follow him out of the store, bringing my backpack full of goodies with me. Gale's body skilfully hides the back of the truck from me where I know my father lies.

He opens the door for me and I get in, refusing to look in the rear-view mirror. The rotting smell, luckily, is drawn away from where Gale and I sit due to the speed of the truck moving along the road.

It takes us more than an hour to get home. We pass by the supermarket again, there's no sign of the people we saw were ever there.

I watch the homes and landscape fly past while Gale speeds down the roads. His fingers are tense on the steering wheel and I can see that he's anxious to get home.

When we do finally arrive home, Gale tells me to go inside and get Zane. I oblige and Zane practically sprints out to the car when I tell him what's happened.

When he returns, he has red eyes and stained cheeks.

"Champ." He calls, coming into the kitchen where I'm sitting on the counter mindless playing with a water bottle – deep in my thoughts. Horrible thoughts.

"Yeh." I reply calmly, wiping away my tears and sniffing, great my nose is blocked. He tilts my chin up with his finger and dries the tears that are persistent on running down my face.

"We're gonna bury Dad. Can you help or do you want to bring the supplies in?" I think about it for a few seconds, but decide on the option which I think will be most helpful.

"I'll get the stuff in, it's not safe out there in the truck." He nods and kisses the top of my head gently.

"Alright Champ." He whispers and then heads back out towards the front door to carry Dad to the back garden with Gale.

"Hey guys." I say, sitting on the soft summer grass. Despite the sun and the birds the reinforced fences and barbed wire doesn't exactly give me the whole 'summer break' feel.

I pick at the grass, looking down. The makeshift graves make the tears stream harder. I look between them and take a deep breath, looking up at the sky to try and stop the tears falling – it doesn't work.

"I know it's been a long time." I say, looking at the older grave, the grass has grown over the top, the only sign it's a grave is the makeshift cross with vines growing around it.

The grave on the right is new, the dirt contrasting strongly against the green grass. I sigh loudly and look between the two graves.

"I miss you. Both of you, more than I could ever imagine I'd miss someone." I pick up a flower from the ground in front of me and begin to pull the petal's off one by one.

"I suppose it's better for you to not see me as I am now though." I say absentmindedly playing with the flower. "This world breaks people." I look up at the barbed wire and sigh.

"I suppose people always have it in them, this world just brings it out, shows the true nature of people. But I never thought that I could kill someone, hell it wasn't even a possible thought for me to think." I close my eyes and relax my shoulders.

"I love you. See you on the other side." I say to them, blowing a kiss and heading back into the house.

"Where on earth did you get them?" Zane asks, his voice drifting in from the living room. Curious, I take the bottle of Cola, still half full, and make my way into the living room.

"Wanna know the best part? I found more." Gale replies, obviously very happy with his find.

I open the door and look over to my two brothers, either side of the coffee table. Having a sort of face off, crossed arms. Gale has the biggest smirk on his face while Zane just looks astonished.

What's on the table is the interesting part however and is what Gale is, rightfully, so proud of.

Guns. Plural.

There are two handguns, 9mm pistols, on the table. The three of us used to play a lot of first person shooters before the apocalypse so I can recognise some guns.

"Where did you get them?" I repeat Zane's question and look up at a still smirking Gale.

"The station." He replies, his smirk slightly falling. "The guys in the bathroom had a bag of guns." I thought I had noticed a bag, or something similar but I was too preoccupied with the decapitated head to notice anything else.

I shiver, that head still gives me chills.