The Buried Life

Chapter 9

Jeremy should have known better then to trust Jessica with a secret. Since he known her she had one way or another tended to let them slip, and now those secrets are going to have consequences.

Greg called it, Henry found out and now there was nothing Jeremy could do to fix it. He's probably too far-gone to be brought back, at least that' what Jeremy could see it in Henry's eyes. The pain and sadness behind them were something he recognized too often these days, along with the anguish of everything that has happened to them all since things had gone to shit.

Jessica had to make it worse by adding in how Jeremy killed her. It wasn't like he had a choice, it was either kill Gretchen or let Jessica turn and kill them both. Now he looked like the bad guy.

"I'm sorry Henry," Jeremy apologized. "I didn't have any other options. I know how much she meant to you and if I could have done anything to save Gretchen I would have. I understand if you're mad at me or hate what I've done."

Henry shook his head and cried. "Why would I be angry with you Jeremy?" He said. "You've always done what was best for the group. Making the tough calls, helping who ever you possibly could, keeping all of us safe. I know that you wouldn't have done it if you had another choice, I can never be mad at my best friend."

Jeremy was relived to hear Henry say that. He gave Henry a friendly hug, making sure he was truly okay. At least Jeremy knew he could do one thing right, he could help heal those broken by the world they lived in no matter how far they seem to be.

Xavier brought everyone over by the campfire to cook some actual food. It felt like ages since they all sat by the campfire, ate, and talked with each other. The mood wasn't as happy as they all hoped it would after today's events.

Could it be that the group was falling apart? Was there something dividing them all from one another? Jeremy wasn't sure but he knew that there was tension amongst his friends.

After everything only nine of them remained. Taking out a photo from his backpack, Jeremy examined it remembering how it once used be clean and crisp, now crumpled, ripped, and marked. On each of his friends faces they were marked with either a red X that helped Jeremy keep track of those he lost along the way.

He added three more X's crossing the faces of Bridgette, Ashley, and Gretchen from the picture. He was literally seeing red as almost the entire picture was covered with X's and the memories of the lost.

Jeremy longed for the old days, wishing that this was just some nightmare and he would wake up soon; however, there are some nightmares you can't shake off so easily or forget what happened. Maybe someday he could put it all behind him but you can never escape your past.

Using what little daylight was left the group traveled to a more secure location. The night seemed to creep up on them exposing a full moon as they set up watch. A cool wind blew through trees creating eerie shadows that danced across the outside of the tents.

Adam and Katy were on first watch of the night looking for any sign of trouble. Jeremy wasn't able to sleep. Putting his hands behind his head he stared up at the tent thinking about anything that would take away the pain and suffering from his head.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, cause he didn't hear the dead when they came knocking on his front door.