The Apocalypse Brides Promise

Chapter 16

"Let's head inside shall we?" 13 spoke gently. 

I nodded, walking with her. I got inside, sitting a few things down on the floor. I looked across the street and raised a brow. I don't know what made me think of it, so I turned and looked back at 13 and the boys, clearing my throat. "Do you think the military has done anything yet?" 

"Well, if they have, I haven't heard from anything," James spoke, sitting down on the floor beside the stairs. He pulled a book out of his bag, beginning to read. 

"Isn't that 13's journal?" I asked quietly, a soft laugh escaping my lips. Behind me, 13 was locking up; and when she heard that, she turned around, raising a brow. 

"That's the one I left laying around at my old house." 13 murmured.

"We were scavenging for a while..."  Phelix explained, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "We found it with 12's Journal... That's practically how we figured out what we needed to do." 

"12??" 13 looked at me, confused. 

"I found your old journal, well, your parents gave it to me after you moved out, and I took it with me, hiding it in the bunker with my journal," I explained, walking towards James. I read the journal from over his shoulder and I started snorting with laughter. "I-I forgot this is a memeifyd version of my journal I left." 

"So, that's why James said he's a fan-" 13 spoke, chuckling as she walks over. 

"Oh, 13." I addressed, "Will you stay here with them? I'm going to walk across the street and see what's going on over there."

"I don't like when you go places alone, 12." 13 mumbled. 

"Well... James can come with me... I think the boy needs to learn the routes in case he needs to get around quickly."

"You don't even know the routes yet-" 13 tried to argue. 

"But I do. As I was scoping the area earlier, I found the quickest way around and it's actually quite simple to remember." 

"Of course you did, you're 12." 

"That's me." I stuck my tongue out at her playfully. I giggled softly, pulling James to his feet. "Wanna go with me, kid?" His eyes lit up at the question, and I swear he wanted to squeal. 

"You want me to actually travel around with you???" James asked, looking back at his brother excitedly. "Me???" 

I nodded my head. "Yes, you. You're going to be helping with gathering, aren't you?"

James nodded, he was so jittery, it looked like he'd fall over if he was barely poked. "I-I'm so excited- This is so cool!" 

13 smiled softly, leaning against the wall. "You two won't get hurt will ya?" 

"Well, the only reason we'd get hurt is if James falls over from his jittering," I explained. Phelix laughed, and I glanced over at him. 

"They just met you, James... And they already know you're clumsy." He spoke, ruffling his brother's hair. 

"Heyyyyy-... stop it... Not in front of the 12 and 13..." James whined. 

13 and I immediately glanced at one another, soft snickers escaping our lips. "This is great..." 13 spoke softly. 

"It is." I agreed, booping 13's nose. Afterwards, I walked over to the brothers, handing James my machine gun I had taken back from 13. "You know how to use this, right?" 

"Slightly..." The youngest of the two whispered. 

I raised a brow and then I gave a full description of what to do with the gun. "So, this is the safety... Click it on and off. Only click it on if you're ready to fire." 

"Okay..." James whispered. 

"Okay, that's the clip, I think 13 went ahead and reloaded, so we don't have to worry about that right now... But if you need to change the clip, there a square-like button you can hit in front of the clip." 

"I see it," James whispered, tilting his head. "This is easier than I thought it was going to be." 

"... Right..." I whispered. 13 began to laugh. 

"Were you going to explain every little function?? That would take you hours-" She chuckled, tilting her head. "That be a sight to see. I-" 

"I-I mean if she did, I wouldn't mind. My dad was the same way with guns." James spoke. Phelix gave him a glance before his shoulders even began to slump. 

"Your dad?" I questioned. 

"Yeah, uh... He and mom went out on their little vacation they have each year... And they never returned... We're hoping they're okay..." 

13 walked over because she knew I'm not good with comforting. She placed a hand on James' shoulder and then signaled for Phelix to get over here. I took a step back, preparing a few things, listening to what she was saying to the boys. 

"Listen, your parents may be okay... There's always that chance..." 13 spoke softly, "I know you are feeling hopeless right now... I know you're questioning what's going on quite a bit. No one was 100% prepared for this apocalypse. 12 and I still had more things to prepare..." 

I glanced up at them, noticing the two boys looking quite upset. I stood, throwing a pack over my shoulder. "Listen though. We gotta have hope and we have to persevere. We can make it through this, and we will find a cure." I spoke. "We just gotta fight hard, and build fast. Now c'mon. We have survivors to search for, and items to gather." 

James and Phelix glanced at one another. James smiled and nodded, walking over towards me. 13 looked at me, smiling softly. "And you say you're not good with comfort." 

"I'm not, but I'm hella good with pep-talk." I chuckled, looking towards James. "Your gun ready?" 

"Like you and 13 say... locked and loaded." James smiled. I chuckled, ruffling his hair. 

"We'll be back here in a few minutes, 13!" I called out. She waved to me and opened the door. I walked over, making my way out with James. "We're going to check the houses across the streets to see if anyone is left. We need to check attics, basements, everything, understand kid?" 

"Mm-hm! Let's do what we need to." 

"Right on, kid."