The Dead Are Among Us

Why did you help me?

I wake up to the smell of fresh bacon and eggs, I inhale the intoxicating scent causing a sharp pain to shoot through my right side. I look around to see that Im back in my makeshift home of a horse trailer wearing only my sports bra, sophe shorts, and a bandage wrapping around the majority of my torso, Daxx laid on his side snoring. The events of the previous day come flooding back to me. "Dawson?" I said questioningly. Had the stranger safely managed to get all of us back here in one peice? Or was there something more to this. Why did he stick around to help me? I feel footsteps coming toward where I was in my bed, I snatch the small Beretta pistole from my night stand drawer and click the safety off, worried that it could be the creep from town rather than,Dawson; he pulls the curtain back and his eyes widen, he holds his hands up inocently. I drop the gun down and click the safety back on. "How did you find where I live?" I questioned. "Your horse brought us back here." He stated. I studied his face for any sign of lie, there was none. "Where is he?". "I put him in one of your barn rooms." he stated as if he'd done something spectacular. "A stall?" I smirked. "Well I didnt know what it was called?" He defended himself. I tried to get up from my sitting position so I could go feed the horses, pigs, and chickens and water the plants. "Whoa whoa, you probably need to rest for a couple of days, The bruising on your ribs tells me that they could be broken." "I have to tend my animals." I strained to say as I got up anyways. I pushed past him and pulled open my small half closet door, whincing as the pain shot through me. I grabbed out a shirt and some jeans and walked back into the 'bedroom', Dawson just looked at me akwardly. "Do you mind?" I asked annoyed. "Well I've already seen, I dont see why it matters." My face turned hot when the words left his mouth. "may I ask why you felt the need to change my clothes for me?" I said through my teeth. "You looked uncomfortable in jeans and your shirt was torn, dont worry, Im not like your freind from town." He smirked, as he turned and walked out pulling my curtain back across to give me what little privacy I had left. It took me a little while but I managed to get dressed and pull on my trusty dusty cowgirl boots, boy had they seen better days. I walked out into the kitchen, my mouth watered at the sight of the bacon, eggs, and oven ready bicuits with quaker 'add water' grits. "Hungry?" He chuckled. "Starved, I havnt eaten since, well I dont remember." I quickly fixed a plate and sat down at the booth. "Where did you sleep last night?" I questioned as I noticed the blankets on the couch neatly folded and a pillow on top. "On the couch, I was gonna sleep in the bed, not in a weird way but its been a while since I slept in an actual bed, but your dog wasnt having it so I gave up." As if on cue Daxx strolled into the kitchen sniffing the air with his long face, giving Dawson a quick glare before walking to the door. I threw him some bacon and a hot biscuit and opened the door allowing him to do his business outside through his makeshift doggy door leaving from the barn, there was no doubt he could take care of himself. I had so many burning questions for this new aquaintance, so I started with an easy one. "Why did you help me out there?" the akwardness in the room was to much for him to bear, "At first I thought maybe that was his store you were looting, and that he was just pissed, but I soon realized that was not the case. I couldnt just stand by and watch what he was about to do to you, so I stepped in." He shrugged. "He could have had a gun and killed you, you risked your life to help a complete stranger." I reminded him. "Even if he had been carrying a gun, I would have easily taken him out. Three years of intense training with every possible wepon can go a long ways." "Three years of training? What do you mean?" I was curious "I was a marine untill all of this happened, I went home to find mom and dad, but when I got there they attacked me. I had to kill them." He winced at the reminder. "Im sorry, I shouldnt have asked." "No its fine, I might as well get used to it sooner or later, besides, it wasnt them I killed, just their bodies." I hadnt really looked at it that way, I guess it helps to ease the pain. "My parents were on vacation in Hawii when this all started, I can only hope theyre safe, but theres no way to find out." I sadly explained. I ate quickly and turned to walk out the door of my small home, I have a lot to do today, I need to restock my supplies, "Shit! My suppllies." I remembered that they probably went un-noticed after my attack. "I got them, the bag is outside in the room with all the other food and supplies." "Oh good, I was worried all that was for nothing, we're gonna need all the food we can get,with two people and all.. you are gonna stay, right?" I didnt mean to sound desperate, but something in me needed the human company, I was lonely; and maybe a little worried that someone like the man from town was gonna come looking for a companion. I would much rather be stuck here with mister cocky pants than be trapped with someone like him. The last words he said repeated in my mind 'You can have the whore, for now.' Ugh, I get chills just thinking of what his plans must have been. "Do you need me to stay?" he asked sounding slightly annoyed. "I dont need anyone, but if you satyed we would have a much better chance at survival." I snapped back with a hint of attitude. "I guess I could stay a while, I havnt slept in a safe place in a while and it will be nice to regain my energy." he says as a matter of factly "Do you want me to show you around then?" I say as kindly as I can muster. "Umm, yeah sure, why not." He said with a bored look on his face. I steped down the the door and unbolt it, sending the smell of hay through my nostrills, making me feel relaxed and calm in my safe haven. I hopped down onto the hard clay floor with a thump from my boots, Dawson copies my action and follows me toward the first stall out of five, three on one side, two on the other including a supply room with a staircase leading to the second shaft of this ranch style barn. I open up the first stall and walk in to unsaddleTexx, even though it was hard to do with my ribs denying any movement. "what are you doing that for?" Dawson asks standing behind me propped up with his arm folded accross his chest. I take a shaky breath in and reply "You cant just leave him saddled up all the time, it will leave sores." I continued untill I finished by slipping the halter over his head and the bit out of his mouth. "there you go buddy." I say to my horse, talking to my animals has become a regular thing now being alone with them for eight months takes a toll on your mind. I fill his trough with feed and his bucket with water, and do the same for the other two horses; Cowboy and Dallas, they shared a larger stall. Then I continued on to feeding and watering the pigs in two seperate stalls,seperating the boar from the sow and her pigglets. Last but not least, my chickens all in a makeshift coop; a stall caged in with chiken wire and little dresser drawers for their coops. I slowly made my way upstairs sweating heavily from the pain. "You look pale." Dawson looked at me, almost as if he was worried. "I'm fine." I reassured him. "Besides, I only have to water the plants." as we advanced to the upper shaft of the barn Dawsons mouth dropped open. "You-you did this all by yourself?" He stuttered out. "Yep." I proudly said as I stopped to admire my hard work, The tin roof of the barn had large square holes cut out replaced by a thick see-through plastic tarp in each whole and secured by screws in each corner, it was extremely hot in my makeshift greenhouse, but the plants loved it. The squash was coming along quite nicely on the far left end of the room, there were also cucumbers, tomatoes, turnips, potatoes, and carrots. I grabbed my harvest bucket and walked to the end, snapping off any delicious vegetable that looked ripe enough to eat and gently placing it into the bucket. then finished by watering all of my plants with a garden hose. "Perfect." I said as I shoved a bucket of veggies at dawson, he peered into the bucket as if there were gold and dimonds inside. "I cant belive it, Its fresh vegetables." He exagerated a little bit. "Well if you'll hurry up we'll eat them for supper with some pork loins. His eyes lit up. and he hurried down the stairs behind me.

after we ate he helped put away the leftovers and clean the dishes, Daxx licked his chops watching us put away the delicious meat. There was an akward scilence in the small kitchen and i could take it no longer. "You can take the bed tonight." I simply stated. He looked at me with a confused look on his face. "Why?" he asked. I put away the last dish and shut the cabinet. "Well you saved my life yesterday and I never got to thank you. Like you said, you havnt slept in a real bed since this all started, and you need the rest if your gonna be helping me keep this place up, besides, I want to watch a movie." Although I had seen the same movies over and over again, 'zombieland' seemed to take on a whole new meaning, and I enjoyed watching it. "I dont want to take your bed from you." He actually cared? well thats new. I reached over behind the couch and pressed a button behind the curtain, the small couch slowly shifter into a full sized bed. "You wont be taking my bed." I smirked because I know it must have been a pain to sleep on the small couch when your six feet tall, especially when it can be let out. "Wow." he said sarcastically, before retreating to the back to the small bedroom. "-and if you wanna take a shower, some of my dads clothes are in the closet, they should fit you ok." I relaxed into my bed and Daxx leaped up beside me, resting his long muzzle on my shoulder. I clicked on the TV and imidiantly Rambo began to play, I drifted off into a sleep full of dreams of being betrayed by Dawson, I really hope I can trust him.