The Risen

Chapter Forty Four

The Ranch!
Jayce

I had Charity over my shoulder at this point, we managed to find a car that worked and drove it a few miles before it ran out of gas, and we began to make a run for it.
Cassi led us through the fields, Shadow watched our rear and picked at the zombies behind us.
We ran up to the porch, as I walked up the steps, Cassi body checked the door, forcing the doors handle to snap open.
I ran inside, and after Shadow ran in behind us, Cassi yelled.
"Get Charity upstairs!" I ran up the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
I ran into the first room I saw and threw Charity onto the bed.
And I realized where I was for the first time.
I was home.

Not the apartment that Ryder and I lived in, but I stood in my old bedroom at my parents Ranch.

I stitched Charity up the best I could,  wrapped bandages over her wounds tucked Charity into the covers of my old bed and walked downstairs where Cassi was already fortifying the doors and windows.

"So, what's the zombie situation outside?" I asked.

Shadow sat on the wooden floor, eyes closed and paws infront of him.

"Well, most of them have wandered off, and the rest seem to forget that we're inside the house, for now we're cover the windows and doors, and in the the morning we'll deal with them." Cassi spoke taking a seat at our old dining room table.

"This is werid, to be here again, during all of this" I spoke, I'm honestly half expecting for Mom and Dad to show up with a bottle of wine and a deck of cards or something.

"Yeah, you forget that I was here when it all started" Cassi said looking down to the table.

"Sorry, I know this must be hard, you did watch them-" I stopped myself.

Cassi began to shed tears, I sat down next to her and half rubbed half patted her on the back with my hand.

"I'm sorry" I spoke.

She wiped the tears away and spoke I'm a tired and strained voice.

"It's just, Patrick, Mom, Dad, I miss them all, I know you miss them too but for you it's like you just haven't seen them in awhile. I watched them be ripped apart around me, the zombies were eating them so they didn't notice Shadow and I escape. And now Ryder, one of the last family member I have is doing this, killing people" Cassi looked to me.

"Please, don't start killing people" She asked me.

I looked to the ground and then back to Cassi.

"I can't promise that I won't kill someone in this world, but I can promise that if I do, it'll be at least for the right reasons" I spoke.

Cassi nodded, then I saw her enter a daze, as if she was in deep thought.

After a few moments she spoke.

"Jayce, didn't Dad keep a long range radio in the basement?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

Cassi stood up and walked towards the basement door, Cassi turned on a flashlight and walked downstairs, I followed her close behind.

"We need to fight Ryder, we need to stop him from hurting more people, I agree that we should try not to kill people in this world unless it's for the right reasons, we just need to make sure we don't lose sight of what the right reasons are-" Cassi started looking through boxes in the basement.

"Cassi, the radio, even if Shane and Damon aren't dead yet, how are the two of them going to help us?" I asked.

"They aren't, I mean they could, but we need to warn them Jayce, we need to keep Ryder from killing more people" Cassi spoke calmy.