The Dead Are Among Us

Home sweet..Home?

The road silently swept beneath us as we crossed Laurens County. I couldnt figure out what triggers him to treat me like a helpless child. Maybe eight months ago I would have been clinging to his leg, but the virus has hardened me. Its not easy for me to cry anymore because it seems like I've used up all my tears; I've cried for my family, my friends, my life thats been shattered, and I cried for someone to hold me and protect me and to tell me it would be ok, when that person didnt come to my rescue I became hard. Perhaps that person did come to my rescue, am I just not seeing what is so plainly in front of me? Is Dawson the one I cried and prayed for? Or did I just luck up that day in the street. Is there a God that answered my prayers? Or am I just imagining this whole thing.

"You could have just been killed." Dawson decided to engage in conversation now. At first I was gonna give him the silent treatment, but I decided to enlighten him. "I could have been killed the day the infection began." I stated. "Who are you trying to prove yourself to Rylie? Will you please just stop being so wreckless?" I just looked out the window, watching the trees blow by, I miss listening to the radio, and all the other joys that came with driving right before the infection started. I couldnt keep quiet, I had to ask what he meant earlier. "Why did you call me meghan? Was she your girlfriend?" It almost made me jealous to think of him with someone else, no I cant be jealous, I've only just met the man, it must just be from the shock. He snapped his head up and looked me in the eyes, right before he looked away I could swear I saw a tear. "It was an accident." He covered up. "Dawson, you don't have to lie to me, I just want to know why it is that your so controlling and-" "Meghans my little sister, she's your age-" He cut me off "The day they took her and Kaiden, I got into an argument with them both about meghan wanting to leave the safety of the lodge. She kept asking and begging and I just snapped. It was the last time I spoke to either of them, when I got back from town with supplys, the house was a wreck, everything I had worked so hard to prepar for our suvival was gone, food, clothes, everything. There was deffinatly a struggled entry, I followed the tire prints onto the paved road, and eventually found where they had been taken. I just havnt had a way to get them back without getting them killed. I yelled at meghan, I told her she was pathetic, that she would be the one to get killed. I was so mean to her, and I might never get to tell her that I was wrong, shes not pathetic at all.. I am." I looked at him, trying to read his face, he looked scared, scared that he may have messed up for the last time. "We're gonna get them back." I said soothingly, "No, theres no 'we' to it, Im not putting your life in danger because of my mistakes." He said bluntly, looking me in the eyes. "You saved my life twice Dawson, I didnt ask your permission to help, I told you I was going to. I dont want to be alone, and If that means dying then so be it. I was completely alone for eight months, I refuse to be left alone again." "I'm done arguing with you Rylie, can we please just have a normal conversation for once." He pleaded with me. "Sure." I shot coldly. The conversations consisted of our lives before the infection, Dawson was a marine for four years, I told him about my job as a horse trainer, and my dream of becoming a cosmetologist. The talking and the winding road lead us to a string of dirt roads with only one or two flesh munchers stubling around like bumbling idiots. "This is a lowly populated place only about two hours from North west elementary, thats close enough to get to, but far enough away they shouldnt be able to track us. Now we just need to find a house." He peered out of his window into the thick trees sqwinting as we cruised by small homes close to the road, "Theres a driveway of some sort on the right up ahead." I pointed out. "Lets check it out." He turned in the bumpy driveway and it seemed like the longest driveway I had ever been down. Then out of the thicket of pines I saw it. The most beautiful place in the world was before me, and all mine for the taking. A huge two story log cabin with a red tin roof, enclosed garage attatched to the house, a wrap around porch with a swing and some rocking chairs looking over the beautiful flowery front yard, not to mention the giant enclosed horse areana with a giant matching red barn attatched. pastures and pastures of dark wood stained fence, everything enclosed to keep the animals in, but now it would be used to keep the zombies out since they cant climb. We pulled up onto the concrete slab and hopped out, Daxx closely followed, guns in hands we slowly approched the gorgeous home. We stalked onto the porch, Dawson leading me close behing guarding the rear. Daxx strode around sniffing here and there, checking out the place. Dawson turned to me "Be alert" He comanded. I just rolled my eyes and nodded. He creeked open the supprizingly unlocked door and stepped in quietly, He walked down the narrow entry way and looked down both ends of the large log home. "I think we're alone-" as soon as the words left his lips a unrecognizable corpse lunged from the small room we had passed coming in. It knocked me to the floor banging my head hard on the stone flooring, it chomped at my arms as I weakly struggled to keep it back, my vision was blurry and speckled with black dots. Dawson kicked the monster in the torso sending him in a heaping pile to the back door. He grabed my arm and drug me behind him, He snatched his knife out of his hollster and just as the creature lunged itself at us again Dawson sunk the knife deep into the discusting skull of the attacker. He left it there on the floor as he cleaned his knife. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and before I could react there was another zombie stubling towards me. "Da-" I couldnt find my voice, my head was pounding and my throat felt tight. I unclipped the survival knife from my leg and held it out in front of me. Dawson was distracted by the dead pile at the backdoor and he didnt even notice me scrambling for my life with his back turned on me. The mopin undead was feet away from me when she jumped on top of me, she was aiming to knaw into my face, but instead she got a mouthfull of bouey knife. she went limp on top of me crushing me into the cold stone floor. "dawson.." I wispered, trying desperatly to breath, "What Rylie I could use some help you know." He snapped as he turned around to face me. "Oh my god! What the hell Rylie, Why didnt you say something?!" He yelled as he ran to my side. "i.. i can't.." I managed out from under the zombie woman. My oxygen was short and fading quickly, with one swift movement the heavy thing was lifted from me followed by Dawson grabbing my up into his arms and inspecting me. "Were you bitten?" He searched noticing a scratch on my neck. "No she scratched me I think" I said between coughs. "Oh no." he lowly groaned. "'Oh no' What?" I questioned, I dont know how this desease works. "Nothing, um your gonna be fine." He drug me to the back of the house where he found a bathroom with some first aid supplys, "Sit" He comanded pointing at the bed. My eyes grew large and I looked at him questioningly, I sat down on the teenage bed and laid back, letting the softness engulf me. "What do you know?" I asked. He appeared from the bathroom with some alcohol and steri strips. "This is gonna hurt." He warned, I cringed as the cold alcohol stung the cut near my throat, that must have been what prevented me to speak. He dabbed untill all the blood was gone and then he carfully applied the steri strips, sealing the wound. He sat there a moment on the bed with me while I layed there with my head next to his lap. He just kept staring at me scanning my face for any kind of emotion. I started to feel sick, "I dont feel good." His eyes faltered and glazed over. He pulled out his pistol and stuck it to my head, I jumped up and scrambled backwards untill I fell off the bed with a thud. "What are you doing?!" I screamed, terrified of what the answer would be. "Your going to turn, You'll have to be killed, Dont make this any harder on me that it already is." He said tears forming in his eyes. "But I'm still me Dawson, please.." I begged. His face hardened and he stalked towards me, tears streamed down my face as I looked up at him from my knees. I closed my eyes and imagined if it had been the other way around, would I be able to kill Dawson? My only friend left on the earth, or would I sit around untill he changed and I wouldnt be able to fight him off, he would easily domininate me. I made my decision, I looked up at him and dried my tears looking out from under my long wet eyelashes. "Just get it over with." I said, my body trembling. I had to be brave, I might even get to see my family, who knows, this is it. He picked the gun up and pushed the cold metal into my forhead, his hand shaking causing the gun to make a clinking noise. "Thanks for all you done for me." I say tilting my head up at him. He looked me in the eyes, a tear rolled down his cheek, he quickly looked away pushing the gun into my head again still shaking. "DO IT!" I shouted, adrenaline pumping, tears streaking my face again. His jaw hardened, giving him a rough bad boy look, and the gun slowly slid down my face untill it was pointing at the ground. "I...I cant do it." He said with his eyes closed muscles tensed up. "Most of 'them' change between thirty minuts to an hour, I've never seen one take longer than that." I realized I had been holding my breath and I began to breath again choppily, still on the floor. "You need to rest, I'll check out the rest of the house." He said gently grabbing my arms and standing me up. I was trembling all over but my tears had ceased. "Come on." He pulled me to the bed, I layed down and as he was about to exit the room I did something I never thought I would have done. "Please dont leave me alone." I said so desperatly and quiet. He turned to look back at me, then he looked down the hallway, then back at me. He locked the door behind him and checked the closet of the room we were in, then he locked the bathroom door and checked under the bed, he laid his pistol on the nightstand and climbed into the bed.