A Dead World

Ch.9 Loneliness

Rachel muttered, "Shit." I gulped. Rachel pointed at him and held the combat knife in the other. "Sure I'll consider it. If you put down the damn shotgun!" I slowly reached for my bow but he aimed at me.
"Hey. Pleaze. Friends don't fight." He still held the gun.
"Plus just drop the hostility and we can just be friends." I said.
"Yes, friends. Friends a good." He gestured with his shotgun.
"Hey, Mister can't we just talk about this. I mean look. We're just here to get water and survive, just like everyone else. So, please just put the gun down and we'll talk about this." I wanted this to end peacefully.
"Um. Okay here . You two come with. Then, we can be friends. Come to my cabin. You rest. Please." He still held the gun.
Rachel whispered, "Hey, what the hell is wrong with this guy?"
I turned my head slightly, "Don't know but I think we're being held against our wills. So just do what he says, I guess." I sighed. How are we gonna get outta this.
The man happily spoke,"Ooh. Secrets? Friends keep secrets among themselves right?"
I stammered, "Yeah f-riends keep secrets. And if you lower the gun, we'll come to your cabin and be f-friends." His face lit up.
"You. You really mean it? Ach du lieber Gott." He jumped up and landed on the dock, vibrating it and probably loosening some screws.
He turned around and trotted off. He layed the gun on the floor and bent down to grab our bags. Rachel stepped foward, "What are you doing? That's our stuff." He slung both the bags over his shoulders. "Friends help each other out, Right? I thought you guys might be little tired, so I carry bags." He picked up his doublebarreled shotgun.
"Yeah then you go ahead and blast us away and take all our stuff." Rachel's voice had a sense of annoyed, but I don't think it got through him. The man cocked his head and half laughed, "Mm. I don't really get what you say but I help. You just kids. I'm mann. Strong." He smiled. "Come come."
He turned away and walked toward the ruined shack. "Hey wait up." I jogged with Rachel to catch up with him. Thinking our stuff and the man would be gone but he stood staight up, next to the cabin.
"What? Anything you need help?" He asked. Rachel sighed of relief and we started walked down a dirt path parallel to the river.
"So I never got your name mister." I inquired.
"Hm? Oh yes. How stupid of me. We can't be friends if we don't know names. My name is Klaus."
"Klaus? Well I'm Kollin and this is Rachel." I pointed to her. She gave Klaus a little wave.
"Hallo." He smiled.
"So, Klaus. Where is this cabin of yours?"
"Cabin not too far up path. Should be any minute now."
Rachel spoke up,"Are you alone? Any friends?" Her hand hidden on the knife sheathe on ber hip.
"No others. Just you guys. Look, cabin." He pointed out a small, one story, log cabin. It had a little porch with logs barricading the porch fence. He opened the door and we all stepped inside. Klaus set our stuff on a light wooden table. And we followed him into a living portion of the cabin. He kneeled before a fireplace and started to light it. Rachel and I stood awkwardly behind him.
Once it was lit he turned around and Rachel and I both looked different directions about the cabin. "Oh. I'm sorry please sit on the couch." Rachel and I both took our seat a couple inches away from each other.
I looked out the four paned window. The sun was gone and the darkness had already crept in. Signaling the other wildlife to awaken and go about their lives. "You two must be starving. I go get something to eat be right back." He walked out the door and closed it. 
"So now that we're in this, what do you want to do? C'uz I say we just rob the place and leave."
"What, you insane? We can't just rob his home. He's the one who brought us here, in the safety of his own home. We should be lucky." I scooted off the couch and slipped my shoes off to sit on the floor. I rubbed my feet in an attempt to message them by the warm fire.
She sighed, "Fine." I didn't want to say anything, in hope of not making her any more annoyed. But Mother Nature's song of winds, strings and the percussion of the glowing fire wood.
"I guess we're staying the night. Huh?" Rachel joined me on the floor.
"Yep. I hope Peach and Carmen's okay. Hope Peach isn't worrying too much."
She looked over at me. "W-what's that supposed to mean?" I stared into the fire.
"She uh, was a soldier. In Iraq. Long story short, things didn't end well and sometimes she has problems sleeping."
"Sleeping?"
"Yeah before Carmen, I woke up to go to the bathroom and she was, moaning and moving around. I wanted to wake her up but I figured that I shouldn't." I looked down feeling the heat on my hair.
"A soldier? PTSD?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah I guess. Just haven't got over it. Hope there's something I can do for her."
"I feel bad for her. Can't even sleep and nightmares. Every night? Man I-" She was cut off by klaus walking in.
"Hallo, you hungry?" He held, something, on a metal skewer. "Oh, comfortable are we?" He was sort of demeaning.
I turned my head,"N-no Klaus I-"
"Hehe, I kid, It's yoke. You stay warm, or else get sick." He walked over and Rachel and I gave him some space between us. Rachel had scooted a couple of inches away but I remained still. He leaned foward and placed the skewer on two prongs above the fire.
"So, Klaus. Do you hunt?" I asked.
"Hunt? No, hunting too cruel. More like, animal walk in trap on own."
"Then you kill it?"
"Yes, I kill."
"So that means you're hunting."
"Me? Hunt? No hunting cruel. Klaus no cruel. Klaus nice. Plus." He shrugged,"Their fault. Maybe they should watch for Klaus traps. Hehe." And Rachel gave him a weird glance. He leaned and poked the animal, "Oo, done. I go get plates." And he walked off.

"Man that was good. I don't know when I had a meal like that." I sat into a more comfortable position than kneeling. Rachel seemed a little happier now but, who isn't happy after some food, still remained quiet. Klaus was busy putting the leftover meat into some sort of tin can.
Rachel and I enjoyed the fire with silence only to be broken when Klaus sat on the couch. Be cleared his throat as if to get our attention. I spun around and sat with my knees pulled to my chest. Rachel turned around too.
"Y'know you two. I uh, how to say. Lonely. These pass few months I been rather lonely." He paused and only the dying crackling fire was heard. "I thought I maybe get used to silence but, after the months I quickly learn that, it won't happen. I, I start talking to myself and almost go insane. Then I went to fish and found you guys. I was so happy which why I want to be friends. So, now you here and I asked that." He looked down at his hands in his lap.
"That you guys please stay. W-with me. I feed you of course and you don't have to do anything. I do all for you. Please." His eyes were wide with desperate.
He wanted us to stay?  And he was desperate for it. But what about Peach and Carmen? They need us. We can't just leave them. Damn, why is everything a hard choice.
"L-look Klaus. The reason we're here is that we were getting supplies for some others at our camp. We need to go back there for their sake. I'm sorry. We can't stay."
"O-oh. I see, for others right? Then you need to be sacrifice things for others. I know feeling. But please, let me go with you. I-I can help. You need guard? I can keep watch, but please I don't want to be lonely please." He pleaded.
I looked at Rachel for some comment but she only said, "Your call."
"Well, we could use an extra hand," Klaus face lit up, "Guarding the place and maybe with some hardwork too, with barricades and what not. Plus you won't be lonely."
He nodded furiously, "Yes, please. I can do. I help with anything."
"Mm. Ok we'll leave tommorow for our camp. Just pack your things and get some rest. Welcome to our group." I stuck out my hand. He shook my hand with both his monstrous hands and said, "Thank you, thank you so much. And please, the guest room is over there." He pointed to the right of the couch. "On the left. The right room is mine. And thank you again. Oh and good night you too."
Rachel and I both said good night and walked in the room and closed the door. The room had one small bed just enough room for two to squeeze in. With two small tables on each side.
"Well, how are gonna do this?" She asked. "You can't go on the floor because that would be cruel. So I guess we, both, go on the bed." She slowed that last part.
"Um, ok." She was quick to pick a side and put her stuff down under the table.
She took off her white sweater which was beginning to fade from the dirt and put it on table.
"I uh. I'll be right back." I set my bag under my table and walked out.
I stood in the middle of the warmer room. "Something wrong?" Klaus asked. He was gathering stuff in a rather large bag. "No, I uh, I, uh need to go pee. You have a flashlight?" He looked at me weirdly and said, "Heh, you talk funny, here."

I walked in the  room with the flash light illuminating my part of the bed and the table. I set the light down so it faced upward, dimly lighting us. I took off my sword and put it against the bed,  my grey sweater off and my black tennis shoes. I slipped my glasses off and on the table. I lifted the blankets careful not to get a glance of anything and layed in bed. For a short time it was pretty akward not gonna lie and I was starting to heat up a little. But then Rachel said, "So. How do you think Carmen and, Peach are doing?"
"Hopefully fine. Pretty sure Peach and Carmen are getting along well. They seem attached to each other."

"Yeah, Carmen's always hanging out with Peach, even though they barely understand each other." She chuckled. She paused and then said, "And about Klaus. Why'd you let him in, into the group I mean?" 

"Well, for starters I just feel bad, I mean he said he's lonely and I wouldn't want him to go crazy or something. Plus I figured that we'd have a plus one advantage against anything. Walkers or Raiders alike. And so Peach doesn't have to keep watch all the time."

"I guess those are some valid reasons. How do you think Peach's gonna react when a 6 foot German Brute walks up with us?"

"I hope she doesn't freak out. We'll work things out tomorrow. Somehow." I turned off the light and we rolled over seperate ways. "Good night Rachel." I said.

"Night." And I passed out letting my sore feet and legs rest and my eyes to shut.