Run

Chapter 2

  James looked hopeful which made me frown. "Don't look so fucking pleased. If you try anything-" 

"No, no, no, no!" He says quickly, color draining from his face. "I-I'm sorry. I've just- it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to talk to anyone- it's a real relief is all."

I nod once and start walking. It doesn't take him long to follow and after about five minutes he starts to talk... a lot.

After a while, I finally had enough. "Alright! Ok! Enough talking, please. Do you ever shut the hell up?" At this, James just laughs lightly. "You sound like my mom." with that he goes quiet and I can relate to what he must be feeling now, thinking about his family, his old life. 

"Killed or infected?" as I say it, I cringe at the insensitivity. "Killed, along with my little sister and my girlfriend." 

"I'm sorry." Stepping over ruble, I glance at him in time to see his shoulders move in a shrug and then trip. He lets out a small shout of surprise and I barely hold back my laughter. I offer him a hand as my other hand goes to my mouth to contain the giggles. 

"Well, I get that." I say as we start walking again. I kick a can out of my path. "My family was murder too. However, I'm sure my older brother is actually out there...somewhere." I squint at the distance. 

"Oh yeah?" James smiles. "Where is he? We meeting up with him?" 

Laughing bitterly, I shake my head. "Sure hope not." At his quizzical expression, I elaborate. "My thirteen year old brother was killed first and then my parents. It was just my older brother, Josh, and I when he was infected."

"Oh." was his simply reply. I shrug. After a moment of silence I let him know that we're close to where I have been staying for the past two weeks. 

After about fifteen minutes we come up to an apartment building and we climb the fire escape and up to the roof. I ignore his questions all the way up. On the roof there's a storage room, shed thing. It's about the size of a normal bedroom and that's where I live. It's shelter and that's all I need.

"Home sweet home." I say as I unlock the two pad locks on the latch of the door before stepping inside. There's a mattress with a couple of pillows and blankets against one wall, a couch on the opposite wall, a tiny table by it and closer to the bed is a table with two folding chairs. I have some food and my extra bag in a tub under said table. 

I walk over to the radio that sits on the couch side table and turn it on. It just plays static but I keep it on just in case and to, usually, fill the silence. 

Dropping my bag on the "dinning table", I turn around to see him taking in the space. 

"It's," James swallows. "Nice." 

"It actually is. It's warm, safe and has everything I need. When I need a bathroom, I can go down stairs and into the first apartment that I see and use that bathroom." Grabbing the storage tub out from under the table, I drop it on the table and pull out a  can of fruit and a granola bar. "Hungry?" 

James nods. 

"So what's the plan?" he asks, sitting on the couch, munching on the granola bar. I sit at the table with a plastic fork and eat my canned fruit. 

"I dunno really."

"I heard about some kind of city forming west of here."

"Pass." I reply instantly, chuckling. I grab a notepad from my bag and prop my feet on the folding chair across from me as I doodle. "I don't really care for being around people under normal circumstances, let alone now. Do you know how awful that'd be for me? Surrounded by a city worth of people with limited supplies. No thanks."

"Seriously? You'd rather be alone? I don't believe that."

"It's gotta be absolute hell. Things are tough as it is, I don't need to be around a ton of people, all struggling to live." I look up from my drawing and frown. "Besides, it's just as safe here but feel free to go." 

James sighed.

After I finish my fruit and give up on the drawing, I get up and take my sweatshirt off. I was wearing tight black jeans, a long sleeved blue shirt and a sweat shirt. My shoes were combat boots because whats better than that in a time like this?

I take off the knife strapped to my thigh and remove the ones from my boots and the back of my pants. I take another out from my shirt. "Turn around perv."  James quickly does and I take off my skin tight jeans and replace them with some shorts, then I put on a plain t shirt. "Ok." 

Crawling under my blankets, I toss him one and a pillow. "Take the couch." 

"Thank you." James says as he makes his bed for the night. I reach over to the lamp on the floor next to the bed as James reaches over to the lamp on the table by the couch. Turning the lights off we say a quick goodnight and fall asleep. 

"I'm leaving this place in the morning, so if you're coming be sure to rest up."