The World is No More

Chapter Twelve

    "Mom?" I asked, tears stung my eyes. The woman's eyes widened as she lowered her gun. As my mom and I stared at each other in shock, I i reached back and tapped Jackson's arm, signaling him to lower his gun. A few moments pass and he slowly lowers his gun. He puts the gun away. "Zoey!" Mom yells quietly, pulling me into a tight hug. I hugged her back. I began to cry quietly. I was so thankful that she was alive and okay. When Mom pulled away, I saw that she was also crying. "Zoey...You're-you're alive!" She cried in disbelief. I nodded with a smile, tears running down my face.

    Mom looked over and saw Jackson. She quickly pulled him into a hug. Jackson hugged back, "Hello, Mrs. Anderson." Jackson gave Mom a smile. "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Monica!" Mom laughed. I smiled as memories of Jackson coming over to work on group projects flooded in my head. Mom pulled us both inside.

~

    We were sitting down in the living room. I had told Mom everything that has happened. "So, you both live in a camp?" Mom asked. Jackson and I nodded. "How...How safe is this camp?" Mom asked. "It's pretty safe. We currently have four guards--two day shift and two night shift guards. But I am planning on training four more." Jackson explained. Mom nodded. "We also have lock downs at night." I added. Mom nodded again and then looked like she was lost in thought. Jackson sent me a questioning look, to which I just simply shrugged. "Do you want to come live in the camp?" I asked after a few moments of silence. Mom's face brightens. "Yes! Although, it's sad to leave this house behind..." Mom said softly, looking around. Jackson and I nodded understandingly. "I don't think it'll be safe to stay here..." I stated, trailing off. Mom nodded, "I can help in the kitchen. I love to cook."

    Jackson smiled, "well, we do need more cooks." Mom's eyes seemed to glisten. I smiled. Mom's eyes would always glisten when she got excited, I have been told that mine did, too. "Well...?" I asked. "I think it is time to leave this place." Mom said, smiled. Jackson and I shared a loving smile with each other. With that, we all packed the car with some stuff.

~

    We were on our way back to the camp. I was still driving. Mom was in the front seat, while Jackson sat behind me. "How far away is the camp?" Mom asked. "Well, from our house, it's about ten to twenty minutes. I answered, keeping my eyes on the road. I was on high alert for any Seekers. "So, not that far..." Mom murmured. I nodded, swerving away from a stray Seeker that was roaming on the road. "Zoey, how come you left the house?" Mom asked. I sighed softly. "I had to. It was getting too dangerous to stay." I answered. It was silent for a moment, until Mom hummed. "The town was quickly becoming overcrowded. I quickly packed some things and left. I lived in a tree house for awhile." I continued. "How come you didn't leave a note?" Mom asked softly. "No time." I stated softly.

    Silence once again filled the car. I let out an inaudible sigh. I would have left Mom a note or something if I had not been in a hurry. I wish I had left her a note. I mentally shook my head. No time to think like that. Just focus on the road. My thoughts were cut short as a Seeker suddenly ran out in front of the car. I cursed as I swerved into a ditch. I got out of the ditch and sped towards the Seeker, killing it. I stopped the car momentarily to calm down a bit. "You okay, babe?" Jackson asked. I took a deep breath. "Yeah. Are you guys okay?" I asked. "Yeah." Mom and Jackson answered. I began to drive again.

~

    We were halfway to the camp. Nothing else had happened, except the occasional Seeker trying to catch the car. "Didn't know you could drive." Mom said suddenly. "Yeah. Kinda have to." I chuckled. "Self taught?" Mom asked. I nodded. Mom let out a small chuckle. I smiled a bit. After a few more minutes of driving, we were finally home. I smiled at Zander and Drew as they opened the gates, to which they returned as I drove through. Soon, I parked in the garage next to the Sleeping Quarters. "Alright, Zoey. I'll take it from here. You do have an assignment to do." Jackson stated as we got out of the car. "Okay, what do I have to do?" I asked, grabbing my bag. "Supply drop off." He answered. I nodded, "Well, I am gonna go do that." I gave Jackson a quick kiss and gave Mom a hug.

    I walked out of the garage and into the Sleeping Quarters to drop my bag off. I walked in to HQ. "Hello, Zoey." Mary smiled. "Hey, Mary!" I smiled back, signing my name by my assignment. "How's everything going?" I asked. "Busy, now that the lock down is over." Mary answered with a sigh. "Yeah, I bet." I said. After a few minutes of talking, I had to leave. "Well, I should start my assignment if I want to be down before supper." I said, chuckling a bit. "Alright, bye hun!" Mary smiled. "Bye!" I smiled back, walking out. I headed towards the Supply Drop Off Shed and began my assignment.

~

    I finished my assignment pretty quickly. I walked out of the shed after returning the cart and headed back to HQ. I walked over to the schedule and signed my name again to show that I have finished. I then walked out of HQ. The chilly air nipped at me, causing me to clench my jacket closer and tighter. "It's getting colder." I heard someone say, causing me to jump. I turned around quickly and saw Steve. "DUDE! You scared me!" I exclaimed, laughing. Steve chuckled, "Sorry, Zoe." I gave him a smile. "So, how was your assignment?" Steve asked. "Good. Just finished up. Yours?" I answered. "Good, until Jeffery showed up." Steve said, rolling his eyes. I rolled mine as well.

    "I don't know why Jackson let's him stay here..." Steve mumbled. "I don't, either." I shrugged. It was silent for a moment. "Was he always like this?" I asked, "Jeffery, I mean." "No, actually. He was Jackson's right hand man." Steve stated. I titled my head slightly, "Oh? What happened?" "Jeffery kept getting cocky and then he abused his power of being a leader." Steve explained. I nodded, "Woah..." "Yeah." Steve sighed. It went quiet. "I'm glad to see you and Jackson are together." Steve said suddenly. I smiled brightly. "Me, too!" I said. "He loves you a lot. I hope you know that." Steve said softly. "Oh, I do." I smiled, "And I love him a lot."

    Steven smiled back. "I can tell." He said with a slight chuckle. A bitter wind blew, causing me to shiver. "We should set up some fires, so that the people coming back to the camp after assignments can warm up." I stated. "Do you want to do that real quick?" Steve asked. I gave him a nod. With that, we set up a few fires around camp. As we were setting up the last fire, I realized that I didn't know the night guards' names. "Hey, Steve?" I asked, stacking up wood in the fire pit. "Yeah?" Steve answered. "Do you know the night guards' names?" I asked. "Yes. Matt, the taller one, and Andy, the shorter one." Steve answered. "Okay, thank you." I smiled, striking a match to start the fire. Steve gave me a smile.

    Soon after we lit the last fire, people stood around them for a bit. I looked up at the clock that was hanging on the outside of HQ. It's almost time for supper. "Zoey, please come to Head Quarters." my walkie-talkie said. It was Jackson. I grabbed the talkie. "On my way." I said, then putting the walkie up. "See ya, Zoe!" Stave waved. "See ya!" I waved back before walking to HQ. When I walked into HQ, I saw Jackson and Mary and walked over to them. "Mom settled in?" I asked. "Yeah. She's now in the kitchen cooking supper." Jackson smiled. "What 'cha need?" I asked.

    "Oh! One of the members has filed a complaint." Mary said. "Oh?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah." Mary said. "Apparently, the other day, you and Steve teamed up to do your assignment." Jackson explained. "Oh! Actually, Steve joined me to make sure Jeffery left me alone." I explained. Jackson hummed and nodded, "That's okay, babe. I don't mind people helping others with assignments, as long as their assignment is finished first." He reached out and rubbed my side comfortingly. I smiled softly. "My husband and I used to be like you two." Mary suddenly said.

    Jackson and I looked at her. "Oh?" Jackson asked. "Yeah. Me and him used to do all of that puppy love stuff." Mary explained, giggling. I giggled a bit. "Come on, Zoey. Let's see if supper is ready." Jackson said, kissing my cheek lovingly. "Bye, Mary!" I smiled. "Bye, guys!" Mary smiled back. Jackson and I waved before leaving HQ.