The Departed

Ch. 14

Matthew POV. 

"How much time does he have left?" I ask looking down at the Guardian.

"A few hours, if we're lucky. The lines are spreading faster than I thought they would, that means that the infection is spreading faster too." I nod.

"What's your name?" I ask the Guardian. The Guardian's eyes move to my face.

"Thomas."

"Nice to meet you Thomas-" I reply holding my hand out. The Guardian's eyes move to my hand. He hesitates before taking my hand. "-I'm Matthew." The Guardian nods and shakes my hand before releasing it.

"Mommy?" We all turn in the direction on the voice. Katy, Laurie's daughter stood in the doorway watching all of us intently.

"Katy, honey, what are you doing here?" Laurie asks. Katy walks forward and literally jumps into Laurie's arms.

"I wasn't sleepy no more." Katy replies rubbing her eyes. She turns to me and grins.

"Hi Matthew." She says waving her hand. I grin.

"How's it going kiddo?" I ask as mess up her hair. She squeals in delight before turning to the Guardian. Her eyes widen when she sees his wound but she remains silent. Katy was only seven but she was smart beyond her years.

"Uh this is my friend, Thomas." I say trying to take her attention away from his wound. Katy smiles and waves her hand.

"Hi Thomas." The Guardian gives her a small smile in response. 

"I'm going to take her to get some breakfast, can you...?" Laurie asks. She looks at me before looking down at the Guardian. 

"I'll stay here." I reply. She nods.

"I'l be back as soon as possible." She tells him. Laurie looks at me and gives me another small nod before turning around and walking out of the room. I grab a chair and set it next to the table. I was going to be here for a while, hopefully Alek wouldn't mind keeping watch.

"Who was that?" The Guardian asks after some time.

"Laurie?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"The little girl."

"That's her daughter-" I reply. "-in case you didn't notice she did call her mom."

"I know, but I wasn't sure if she was referring to you or to Laurie."

"Hey now." I reply as I slug him on his good shoulder. The Guardian chuckles before going silent again.

"What about you man, do you have any family?" He asks. Now it's my turn to shake my head.

"Nah, my parents passed away before everything went to hell." I reply.

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"Single child-" I reply. "-how about you man?" 

"A brother and a sister-" He replies. "-but they didn't make it."

"I'm sorry." I say and he nods.

"I know it ain't exactly my place to ask but what happened to her father?" The Guardian asks quietly.

"He died, a few months back. We were trapped in Philly and we had an entire horde after us. He was bitten before we made it out of the city."

"Is she okay now?" Whether he was asking about Laurie I wasn't completely sure, he could be talking about Katy but I decided to stick with him asking about Laurie instead.

"There's times were I catch her staring at her wedding ring, but she's okay now. At least that's what she says." I reply. The Guardian swallows and looks away.

"Who did it?" He asks. "-who killed him?"

"She did. Laurie, she killed him herself."