75 Days of a Zombie Apocalypse (Complete )

Chapter 19 - The Sounds of Helicopter

"No! Rosey!!!" 

I instantly sat up and opened my eyes, seeing my father and Ross running towards Demi with such heavy footsteps, seeing Demi who was on her knees on the cold dirt, shaking Rosey with such force, showing that Rosey's body was limb and showing her lifeless. My ears started to ring as they did that same day my mother killed herself. All I was able to do was sit there and watch as my father tried to pull Demi away from Rosey, she crying heavy and loud now, a river escaping her eyes as she begged my father to let her go. My eyes wandered to Ross, seeing him running his fingers through Rosey's hair, crying as his lips moved at a slow pace, whispering to the dead girl. Once my father succeeds in pulling Demi off, they landed on the ground, Demi crying into his shoulder, him trying to comfort her through rubbing his one of his hands on her back and the other one on the back of her head. I felt myself stand up, my eyes not leaving the scene. From the looks of it, Rosey was already colorless, looking like she had died in her sleep. Her body was stiff as there appeared to be a dried substance on the surface of her lips and her chin. Tears formed in my eyes as Dave put his hand on my shoulder, staring at the scene as well. I closed my eyes and looked down, hearing Dave talk to me quietly.

"She lived a good life," he said

I nodded in agreement, moved my head back up and opened my eyes, seeing Ross looking at me with such pain in his eyes. I moved towards him as Dave's hand left my shoulder, Ross coming towards me as well. I opened up my arms and felt him enter my bubble, his arms wrapping tightly around my torso after he took off his hat and threw it on the ground. He sat his head undermine and started to cry even more, causing more tears to form in my eyes, a few rolling down my face. I didn't say anything to him, I mean...What even could I say? My condolences? I'm sorry? It will get better? The statements that people made because they have nothing else to think of that's original? 

Silence filled the campsite for a moment. Right there the earth was so silent, not even the sound of the birds in the trees or no wind to knock us off our feet. I swore, if you closed your eyes and tried to listen to your surroundings, you couldn't heat anything, but a needle dropping. It would make you feel that you were actually alone on the earth, the last being. It seemed like we were in a simulation and the people controlling the environment shut everything done, leaving the white void and again, silence. 

I felt Ross being pulled away as I looked to see Demi hugging him tightly. She didn't keep him in his arms for long, just a tight squeeze and pulled away, looking at him, nodding as she tried to pull off one of her "It's okay" types of smile. Ross just looked down and sniffled. There was only us five now. 

**********

We stood there, keeping more silence in the air. I crossed my hands in front of my body and looked down, Dave being on the right and Ross on my left, followed by his mom. We stood there in the line as my father was in a hole, digging a place to put Demi. He had taken off his jacket, revealing his white dirty shirt. Ross had his hand on Demi's shoulder as she used the end of her sleeve as a tissue, letting the tears continue to run down her face. My father soon got helped, with the help of Dave reaching out his hand, soon he stood to Dave's right, using the back of his arm to wipe away the sweat that built on his forehead. My father admired the work that he created and walked away behind us as well as Dave. A moment later, they came back with Rosey's body that was wrapped in a bedsheet. They were about to lower her in the hole until Demi spoke up.

"Wait," she said with her arm out, indicating that she wanted to touch Rosey for the last time. 

My father and Dave stood there and patiently waited as Demi took a step forward and moved the sheet that was on Rosey's face, smiling a sad smile and placing a kiss on her forehead. Demi moved the sheet back and stepped backward in the line, as my dad and Dave began to lower Rosey's body in. Demi side hugged Ross, placing his head on his shoulder as he grabbed my hand and held it tightly like he was afraid he was gonna lose me next. I looked at him for a moment, seeing his eyes glued on his younger sister that was supposed to outlive him, not the other way around. I looked down really quick and looked up to see Dave and my dad putting the dirt back over her. My father took his place back in the line as Dave walked to the side, a minute later stopping at Demi and Ross, Dave holding four yellow flowers. He tapped Demi's shoulder, Demi moving her head and looking at Dave, him holding out a flower for her. More tears came to her eyes as she let go of Ross, grabbing the flower from Dave and giving him a quick hug before he continued down the line giving flowers and Demi walking to the grave and gently placed the flower on the newly turned dirt. 

Ross walked up and kissed the top of the flower before he placed it down, standing there as Dave and my father placed their flowers on the grave. My father hugged Demi from the side as they walked to gather up their belongings, leaving me and Ross at the grave. I walked up to the grave and stood there a moment, Ross turning his head to look at me. I bent over and placed the flower on top of the pile that was gathering on the grave. Ross gave a small smile as I stood up, quickly grabbing my hand and holding it. We both looked at each other before he turned around and grabbed our stuff, following the rest of the group to the end of a story and the start of another journey. 

**********

We kept silent as we moved forward, Dave, my father and I comforting Demi and Ross through small body movements, reminders that they are loved and not alone. We made it off the highway and made it to a small town filled with gas stations and fast-food restaurants. I kept ahold of Ross's hand as we walked, him sighing more often and keeping his eyes down, not wanting to be bothered by anyone; and I understood that and I gave him all the space in the world, yet I was standing next to him, not letting his fingers leave mine. 

It was about an hour into walking when all of a sudden my father stopped, his eyes concentrating on the ground, my father called out to him.

"Come on Dave," my father said, turning towards Dave.

"Shhh," Dave responded.

"What?" my father asked, stopping as well and completely looking at Dave, his face showing a bit of anger for being disrespected. 

"Shhh," Dave said, pointing to the sky with his pointer finger, his eyes still on the ground, his facial expression showing a focused face. 

Ross and I stopped walking and looked at Dave, then at my father, then back at Dave. We stood there in silence, trying to hear whatever Dave was hearing, but none of us could. A few minutes passed and we were tired of trying to hear something that wasn't there. 

"Come on, Dave, it's nothing," I said, slowly starting to walk, pulling Ross along. 

"Wait!" he raised his voice a bit, not in a rough or rude tone, but an excited one. 

And that's when we heard it: The wings of a helicopter. We all looked up at the sky and tried to find it as the sound became closer and closer. I was starting to get confused, I wasn't the only one hearing this but, was I the only one who couldn't see it.

"There!" Ross said, pointing his finger to a building.

And he was right; the helicopter was flying over us, causing a shadow on us, causing my mouth to drop. It was the normal height for a helicopter and it was a US Army one. We watched as it turned and went down the road that we were following now. Once it was starting to disappear, we all got happy and cheered. Demi hugged my father as I placed my hands on Ross's face, giving him a quick kiss. Ross then walked over to Dave and messed his hair up.

"You were right," he said as Dave smiled. Dave's attitude changed from perky to happy within a second. 

"Come on, let's go!" My father said and grabbed Demi's hand beginning to run towards the helicopter. 

We all caught on, my father and Demi leading the pack, her laughing along the way as a big smile appeared on his face. I was in the middle, running free, letting my hair fly as I ran. Dave was behind me, yelling and cheering, putting his fist in the air, feeling accomplished that he heard the helicopter first. Ross was the last of the group, happy as he tried to keep his hat on, eventually taking it off and holding it as he ran. We had ran for about thirty minutes before my father stopped with Demi, them looking around.

"Where did it go?" my father asked

"I don't know," Demi said

I looked around as realized that it had disappeared, no longer in our view.

"Am I crazy?" Dave asked, looking down.

"You're not crazy if we all saw it," I said and looked at him.

I could tell Dave was beating himself over it; he found it and yet we lost it, and he doubted himself for not keeping it in his view.

"Keep an eye out," my father said, looking at each of us.

We all silently nodded and looked at each other.

"We'll find it," my father said, looking around again, "Give it time." 

And with that, we went back on walking, talking about random shit, laughing, smiles appearing on everyone faces. Who knew that a simple thing could change the whole day for you?