The Buried Life

Chapter 2

How do you explain to someone that you had to shoot on of your best friends? You don't and lie like no tomorrow. Jeremy took down the other zombies around the gate perimeter and went back into camp thinking of the best story to explain why only he came back. Wasn't going to be easy but Jeremy had become a good liar enduring these past few months of hell.

The camp looked liked any other, a bunch of kids camping in the woods with fortified gates to block out any intruders. At the start of the pandemic there was thirty of them in Jeremy's group. An even number of boys and girls staying together to out last the terrors of world.

The group diminished over time as they kept moving from one place to another, now only twelve of them remain as the recent death of Danny added to the ever increasing death toll. If Jeremy ever made it out of this he vowed to himself that he would make something more of his life then his carefree days of yesterday and the fight or flight path of the present.

Jeremy spotted his friends gathered around the campfire huddling for warmth. Shivering uncontrollably no matter how big the fire got they always felt cold to their very bones. Maybe it was the fear of not knowing if they would make it to tomorrow, but at least they had each other.

Before Jeremy got to the fire Greg spotted him in the darkly gloom of the trees. Greg was good at spotting things no matter what time of the day it was, a very useful talent to have when trying to find supplies or seeing other people before they got the jump on them.

Greg sprung to his feet and surprised Jeremy with an enormous bear hug as he welcomed his friend back to the comfort of his dear friends. "Ah the savior arrives with food, now we can actually have a camp out." Greg said. "I've walls wanted to camp when I was kid and now I'm living the dream."

After everything that happened Jeremy laughed a little reminded of better days. Greg released him from his grasp and led him back to the others. As they both entered the camp, the cold sadness in everyone's face was replaced with smiles and some kind of warmth that comes with seeing a friend come back from a dangerous journey.

The smiles quickly faded when the saw Jeremy carry two packs instead of one. Which brought the question Jeremy knew was written all over their faces.

"I know what you are thinking," Jeremy claimed holding back tears. "And yes Danny is dead. He went back to get more food then we needed, aroused the zombies in the market, and then got pinned down. I couldn't save him; by the time I reached the gate it was too late. I'm sorry."

Everyone was silent except for Penny. Balling her eyes out not caring who was looking as her nose began to run. Danny was Penny's twin brother, different in every single way except for their face. They both had the same baby faced wide-eyed innocence that made them so unique.

Jeremy wasn't great when it came to problems like this. When it came to emotions he was clueless as a new kid trying to adjust to the semesters schedule. If he were his brother he would know what to do. What would Hank do?

As Jeremy looked at Penny he couldn't help seeing Danny's scared face he watched him die. Danny was stupid at times but he was a good person. It's always the good people that get the worst luck.

Henry, the wisest and optimistic of the group, did his best to comfort Penny but the group knew it would take more then kind words to help her with the loss of her brother. Jeremy opened up the packs and started distributing the food. There were mainly boxes of dry food but some fruit and vegetables that haven't gone rotten yet.

It's been a while since Jeremy knew what it meant to truly cry and that night in his tent he broke down. Letting the events of what happened to Danny run through his head as he waited for sleep to take him down into the depths of nothingness.

It took a lot longer the he wanted to but eventually he fell into a deep sleep plagued by nightmares.