Unfortunate

Chapter 11: Lisa

I walked up front with Karen and we exchanged stories.

"I was with a program to help fight off major diseases in America, when this new form of virus hit. The scientists thought they could cure it with an easy dose of swine flue crossed with a thought-to-be benign growth, but it turned out to do much more damage than we ever expected. The virus took on a mutated form which started to kill the host, but the scientists persisted that we continued. The host would come back and have an endless hunger, always trying to bite other people. Of course, that was before we knew how it spread." Karen said, as we walked back towards the city through the maze of cars our group had passed through the day before.

"Wouldn't there be a way to cure it then? I mean, if the scientist created it, they could uncreate it... right?" Blake said, then Karen looked back at the group. She stretched out her arms and kept walking.

"That theory would be helpful if the scientists had actually survived the experiment themselves. They died in the process of creating the virus, which now leads to us, here and now. If we could figure out the bitters weakness, we could create a vaccine for it. But of course, that would take time and resources. Both of which we have barely any." She said, then rolled her shoulders back.

"If only there were a way, to make everything go back to how it was," Blake said and I shook my head.

"We can't go back. The past is the past. And we can't change it, no matter how much we want to." I said, and Karen looked me in the eyes for the first time. It was like she never really saw me as useful until I spoke just then.

"I like how you think. As Lisa said, dwelling on the past will get us nowhere. We need to make a new life in the world we are given." She said, then stopped.

"Let's take a break." She announced to the whole group, then we dispersed through the dead cars on the highway.

I was about to follow Blake away from Karen when she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Can we talk for a minute, in private?" She questioned and I nodded. I looked at Blake who stared at us with concern. I nodded my head slowly as I followed Karen into a truck. It was a big red semi ton that had once been used to hall heavy metal across the country.

Karen sat down in the passenger seat. There was a weird smell of death in the cab of the truck and a red stain on the driver's seat. I decided against sitting in that seat. I sat on the bed behind the seats. She turned to face me and frowned.

"Now out of our groups, who do you think should lead? The old man, or us?" She questioned and I raised my eye brows.

"You want me to team up with you to lead the group?" I questioned, astonished. I guess she did see more in me than I thought. I never even thought about leading before now. I wondered if I could, if I had it in me to lead a group of survivors through this mess of a world.

"Yes. I think because of our strength and knowledge of this world, we should be the ones to lead the group and keep us organized, don't you think?" She questioned and I shook my head, unsure of what to say.

"Why me? Why not Blake or Maggy, or even Beverly?" I questioned and she shrugged.

"Maggy is an old woman, I don't trust that Blake, and Beverly is only a child. You and I both come from the same situation and we can relate. I've never seen you in action though, so I may need more time to think of what our next move is. But we definitely can't let Jack run this group." She said and I looked at her with confusion clear on my face.

"Why don't you want Jack leading the group?" I questioned and she shrugged.

"He's old and delirious. He thinks he knows this world better than we do. But he hasn't faught one of those things. I can see it clear on him; the way he holds himself, he thinks he's better than the rest of us. He doesn't know what its like to be up close in the fight or about getting his hands dirty. But you and I, we've actually done things. Seen things that give us both nightmares. And I know you can not deny that about your family." She said, then looked out the window. Bev and Kye were sitting on an old blue sedan roof together talking. She was staring at him and smiling as he spoke and moved his arms around as he talked. Bev laughed and I could hear it from inside the truck.

"I think Bev likes Kye." I said, and she nodded, seeing the expressions on their faces.

"Yes, and that could end up badly. Kye is a very singular person, though I've never seen him around people his age. So I think he and Bev should spend more alone time with each other. I mean, what if we are the last people alive in this world?" She questioned and I shrugged.

"I have no idea. We can't be the last though. What about the group that, you know, attacked Ariel?" I questioned and she tensed up. I automatically regretted bringing it up.

"Now that you bring it up, I'm concerned about staying in one place for too long. We should probably get the group moving, just in case." She said, opening the truck passenger door and she climbed out.

I got out the same side and followed her to a car. She climbed up on the top and looked off into the distance. For a moment, she squinted her eyes and put her hands on her forehead to block the sun from her view. Fear crossed her face and she climbed down quickly.

"Get the group together and pile into different cars and stay hidden. There's a hoard of bitters coming our way." She said, grabbing Paul by the arm and whispering something into his ear. He then looked into the distance, his eyes widening. He goes off and grabs the sister's by their arms and dragged them into the semi where we had just been inside of.

I crouch, looking under the cars ahead of us. I could see multiple pairs of feet making their way towards us. Someone placed their hand on my shoulder and I turned quickly, raising my knife from my boot quickly up to attack, something I've had to do before.

It was only Blake.

We got up and hurried into the nearest car, shutting the door quietly. Bev and Kye got into a car four cars down from ours. Blake and I were in the closest car to the hoard; Karen still stood oustide. Blake and I climbed into the back seat and laid down across the seats. I laid awkwardly on top of him and he smiled at me. I gave him a weird look and placed my head down on his chest.

"How are you?" He questioned quietly.

"Shh," I whispered. A few bitters walked past the car until it was completely swarmed by them.  It became dark as the bodies passed the car, grouped together. They knocked into it aimlessly as they walked towards the direction we just came from. I wondered where Karen was. She was outside the last I checked. Hopefully, she got into a car or had gotten far away from this mess.