Meet Me

Chapter 13 - Twenty Questions

"Curiosity will cure fear even more than bravery will - James Stephans

 A few hours later, it seemed, we heard a yell. The voice didn’t sound familiar, but I was on edge. I wouldn’t go back to Kyle, Connor and his group. Not as long as Owen was alive, anyway. Owen would stay alive, that was how confident I was in that. We had lost Luisa, I wasn’t going to end up alone. As the shouts got closer, I began to be able to work out what they were saying. “Anybody? Can anybody help us? Please!?” The voice agonized.

Owen and I exchanged glances. When the person came into view, we could see that it was a boy. He looked familiar. His wore a beanie on his head and he was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans. On his feet, he was wearing boots that were caked in dried mud and wet mud. In his arms was a girl with long black hair, loose. She was limp and lifeless, but I could see a small movement that showed that she was in fact breathing.

The scene reminded me of a calmer version of what had happened to Luisa. “Anyone!” He pleaded. Owen hopped down from the tree, so I did too. We both approached the stranger cautiously. “Thank fuck!” He exclaimed. “She hasn’t had enough water and she… just collapsed. Do you have any water?”

We didn’t but, because it had been raining heavily, we knew how to get some. Owen debated his answer. He did that a lot. I didn’t see him any differently than as before. He had been a brother to me, therefore he was my brother. I wouldn’t settle for him just being a cousin.

“We know how to get some.” Owen stated. The boy’s eyes seemed to lighten up. “What’s in it for helping you, though?” Owen questioned. Again, Owen had stepped his game up. I was pleased. I wasn’t pleased that he was only doing it because he had lost Luisa, which was not great at all.                                           

 “You’ll have a bigger group.” The boy simply answered. Owen thought through this idea. I did too, but I thought it was rather a good deal. I just had to question this boy before we could allow him to join us. He could be a spy from Connor, trying to get me to re-join his ‘gang’. We were in no rush, but this boy clearly was. Most people had died, including innocents like Luisa, it was something that happened every day anyway. What was one more person? I went through the questions I wanted to ask, in my head.                                              

“Name?” I asked. The boy turned his head to me and his eyes pierced into mine. His eyes were just like Connors. But, this boys eyes had kindness deep inside them. It was hidden, and rightly so. Everybody had to hide their kindness, or they’d end up dead. You also had to hide your vulnerability.               

   “Ash.” Ash replied, bitterly.                                                                      

 “Who am I?” I asked. With luck, if he was a spy for Connor, he would slip up.          

  “I don’t know. A bitch?” I scoffed and tilted my head. He smirked. It was sexy and I liked him. I usually liked boys who didn’t like me from a first meeting.  But what happened an hour or so after meeting them wasn’t hate. I didn’t lead that lifestyle anymore, I needed to forget it and let it go.                        

“Be careful what you say. By the looks of things, you’re the one who needs help. Not us.”      

   “Well, I don’t see any weapons on you. No gun. I have three. Katherine has two. We’d be willing to share if you’d help us. Her.” After learning what I had learnt, I wasn’t in the best of moods, so he wouldn’t be able to creep round me like that. I knew a penknife wouldn’t kill a zombie group, but it couldn’t easily kill a couple of humans who are starving and one passed out.