Last Dawn of a Horde

Chapter Ten: The Showdown ~3 Jimmy

~Jimmy~

            “Sir, please tell me this is your house,” I said.

            I couldn’t almost absorb what I was seeing. How could I not know that this house was Principal Guns’? There were untouched guns (yet,) hanging by the plain Tuscan walls. There was a huge fireplace across those three sets of comfy couches where the girls Patricia, Ella, Lovely, and Kat sat. The boys, Leo, Gray, Geno and I were still astonished by the sight of our principal whom I completely thought was dead and was out of this huge chess game with infected people as pawns.

            Meanwhile, Camille was talking to Mrs. Amelia Guns, the old woman who just helped us make our way here.

            The house was unbelievably peaceful yet painstakingly quiet; there was a staircase leading up to probably some rooms, and I got a heave of sigh when I laid my sore ass on the couch. Heaven.

            Gregory Guns had bandages over both of his arms, around his waist, on his knees, and his face was strewn with Band-aids. His ancient, creased face looked stressed as his eyes were training on me.

            The windows were filtering the last drops of sunlight, and night was closing in. I felt a pang of safety as I watch Amelia talk to Camille who looked like scared of something.

            “Your classmate was afraid if we were keeping the undead here in our house,” said Principal Guns, (oh, I prefer to call him Gregory now,) who seemed to read my mind.

            Outrageous, I thought. “Oh, maybe that TV series that ended just before the plague started made her up. There was an episode there that—“

            “Okay, we don’t need a bit of storytelling there, Mr. Static,” chided Gregory Guns, shaking off the topic. I did nothing but to nod, and I set my head down. “Amelia’s cooking dinner.”

            Mrs. Guns looked apprehensively at us, and she points Camille to sit over next to me. She nods to all of us, and she walks slowly to the kitchen. When she left, silence reigned.

            “She said we’re safe here,” Camille whispered to me, her hair falling down over my face. She sat down, and rested her head on my shoulder. She still smelled of that chamomile shampoo, and I indistinctively inhale the fragrance.

            Gregory faked a cough to get all our attention. Ella obviously wanted to sleep on the couch, but it seems like we’re gathered here for a large group forum—like what he held last time regarding our college applications. I still remembered how excited I was, Guns signing my request for the school to issue me a recommendation letter for the best college in Faber City. I still remembered how John and James jumped to the roof when he signed on their papers that they were “excellent, loyal and recommendable kids.”

            And now it seemed like whatever we had gone through was burnt away.

            “I just wish you will all cooperate with me, students,” said Gregory Guns, his eyes quickly shifting from one by one of us. Camille took my hand, and it was sweating. “Whatever lies ahead is still a puzzle to me. Have you found the others?”

            Leo raised his hand. Guns gave him a nod.

            “Um, sir? Jules called me a while ago, and he was with three girls,” Leo said, shaking like he was being given a college admission test orally. “They must be miles away now.”

            “Jules Wakefield?”

            Leo nodded curtly.

            Gregory Guns caressed his chin. His gaze wanders off, as if he’s been staring at some invisible entity by the windows.

            “That was an impressive kid,” Gregory admitted like as-a-matter-of-fact.

            “Sir?” Geno raised his hand. “Can I ask something?”

            Guns raised his eyebrows.

            “How did you…got over here? Aren’t we together before that…explosion on the road happened?” Geno asked, and immediately he wished he didn’t.

            His voice was utterly loud, and all did Guns say was, “Amelia? Honey? You need some helpers there?”

            Amelia yelled back, “Bring them here, honey.”

            Gregory looked at us. “Girls, go over there. Leave Camille here with us.”

            Ella, Patricia, Kat, and Lovely exchanged looks. Reluctantly, as of they were to hear important things, they set off, with Lovely muttering something.

            Camille sighed.

            When the girls were out of earshot, Gregory Guns faked coughs again.

            “Why do you need them out, sir?” Gray asked.

            “A man has his reasons,” Guns answered. His eyes were strict and stern, and he drops his gaze from Gray, who managed some breaths. “I just need to lessen the people that will hear how I escaped death once again.

            “The explosion’s origin was unknown, but I really felt its impact. It really made me wonder how come I was the only one who got serious wounds—“ he pointed to the bandages that he had “—and you kids had minimal or nothing. I heard footsteps the time I got my consciousness. There were some armed men amongst the sheer cloud of dust and smoke, and I only got myself out of the car where I had been.”

            “You were on the load with us, right?” I mused.

            Guns nods. “And now I was getting over my conscience,” he said. “I am wondering what is God’s purpose of getting me awake, watching some men take you all off the truck one by one. You were brought somewhere, and I involuntarily walked my way back to our house. Luckily, I got nature’s blessing. I got a huge, sharp bough for warding off minimal infected zombies along my way.”

            “You—walked?” Leo asked wondrously.

            “When you had no other choice, you can do whatever your insane self tells you,” he chimed. “My wife was almost scared to death knowing there was some matter outside our house that can open locks. Of course it was me. And now, my conscience was taking me higher. I was almost wishing I could go back in time where I should’ve tried to rescue even one of you.”

            “Who?” Geno asked.

It maybe was the most intriguing question Guns has ever heard because he stares away into nothingness. I know he shouldn’t answer things like this because it can be a bias thing, but hey, the world is changing. Is this matter need to be discussed discreetly these days? If you knew that one moment or two, or later, that death will come for you? I think not so.

            “I think I’ll save the one who I think that did a big part of being a leader,” Guns said. “I think I would’ve saved John Eddington.”

            Silence came.

            I wished I could be hurt, but no pain came. It’s like whatever I get when I knew that I’ve not been chosen because someone was more deserving.

            Guns cuts the silence. “Well, you should all not ponder about it. If I had taken him with me, it would’ve probably cost both of our lives. Whatever I had encountered on the road way here, you would not like.

            Camille’s grip was tightening, and when she was about to raise her hand, Kat loomed from the end of the room, and waved her hand dismissively.

            “Dinner’s ready!” she optimistically said, but everyone was far too tired to agree and look happier than her.