Be a leader.
Rory stayed in the bedroom for a long time.
"Be a leader," He tried out the words.
How was he supposed to be a leader? What was he supposed to do?
Rory wasn't a leader.
He was the extra. The awkward one to be made fun of. The friendless one with his head in his phone who went to the wrong school. The one everyone secretly felt bad for.
Helena thought he had potential. Helena, who always tried to include Rory and help him out. Helena, who seemed to like him around for some reason.
Who would never give him a second glance.
Rory shut his eyes. He didn't have a chance with her, he knew that. Or at least that's what he tried to tell himself.
He forced himself to see that, but all he could see was Helena's inviting smile and soft eyes.
He groaned and stood up. This wasn't the time to be thinking about his feelings for her, but concentrating on anything else was nearly impossible.
Rory walked downstairs and found Brendan already in the living room, a can of soup in his hand. Three other cans were resting by the fireplace. The radio continued to release a crackled chatter.
Brendan turned at Rory's approach and gave him a sideways smile. No hardness blocked his expression, like Rory had expected.
"Grab some food," He gestured to the cans by the fire. "They're cooking."
"Oh," Rory walked over and grabbed a can of ravioli. "Thanks."
He sat down awkwardly on the couch, avoiding Brendan's gaze. He grabbed for the can opener from the floor next to Brendan and tilted back his head, letting the contents slide into his mouth.
Not the best thing he'd ever eaten.
"So," Brendan looked into the fire. "What are we gonna do?"
Rory ran a hand through his hair and looked sideways at Brendan warily. "Bring Sam back and go look for James. That's the best I've got."
"I was listening to the radio..." Brendan said. "They said they're clearing out the entire south side of Ontario. Getting all the people out and then I guess they'll try to get rid of the zombies. They've sent out rescue teams to patrol around. There was a telephone number we could dial, but I don't remember it."
Rory looked at him, wide-eyed with this new information. A spark of hope jolted his heart.
"So we can try to find a rescue team," Rory said. "Or walk to the border like I said. Whichever comes first." Rory's hopes soared at finally having some kind of plan.
"Thank God we have this damn radio," Brendan muttered.
"So where's Sam and Helena?" Rory asked.
"No idea where Sam is," Brendan said. "Helena went for a walk around outside."
"She's gonna get herself killed," Rory muttered.
"I guess she doesn't care too much at this point," Brendan said grimly.
They sat in a thick silence.
"You know," Rory swallowed. "We're pretty lucky."
Brendan gave him a sideways glance. "Are we? Sorry, I haven't noticed. I guess I was too busy trying not to die at every second."
Rory looked at him. "I'm serious. You know, James would be dead if Helena hadn't been around. She's trying really hard."
"You would say that, wouldn't you?"
"What does that mean?"
Brendan huffed a soft laugh. The light picked out the gold highlights in his bangs. "Nothing."
They sat together, Rory trying to figure out what was going on in Brendan's head. Why was he being so nice suddenly?
Maybe they could put their argument behind them once and for all.
At that moment, Rory heard the door slam open and closed, footsteps walking quickly down the hall.
And then Helena was there, her cheeks pink and her dark hair fuzzy and covered in white...
"It's snowing," She smiled, for maybe the second time since the apocalypse started. "Come and see."
Out of all the things the three of them had to worry about, they decided to watch the snow fall instead.
Helena guided both of them out onto the front porch. Fluffy white flakes drifted lazily down and danced along the ground. It was cold, and Rory could see his breath.
"I wonder what's happening with the rest of Durham," Brendan murmured.
"Maybe they're not all dead," Helena said. "Hopefully not."
"Maybe the zombies will hate my teachers as much as I do." Rory muttered. "Do me a favor."
Helena turned to grin at him. "You're horrible."
"He has a point though," Brendan interjected and Helena shoved him playfully.
Rory looked over at the two of them, at the soft delicate snow, and he almost forgot they were in an apocalypse.
"I don't think Sam's gone very far," Brendan said. The three of them were sat together on the living room couch, the lights dimmed and the fire going. It was already night time.
Helena had gotten up in search of her phone and headset. "I need music," she had said.
"He's not that dumb. He'll stay hidden somewhere, I just have to find him."
"What are you going to tell him?" Rory asked.
"No idea," Brendan reached over and picked up the headphones, white wires dangling from his fingers. Helena took them from him gratefully. "I'll go looking for him tomorrow."
"I'll go look for James too," Rory said. "We can meet back at the house at 3:00."
"Right."
"I can go with Rory," Helena said. "Help look for James." She plugged her earbuds into her phone and sat back, closing her eyes.
"You should probably stay and look over our supplies," Brendan said. "And in case one of them comes back."
Helena frowned. "Really? You're making me stay here? Is this about my blind and deafness?"
"You'll be more helpful here," Brendan said.
"Play your music out loud," Rory suggested. He watched Helena scroll through her music, head bent.
"What song?"
"Any song. Anything."
"Okay. I've got one. Too bad James isn't here, he would like this one."
Helena unplugged her headphones and played the music out loud.
