SEASON 3 EPISODE 8: A Promise To Keep

            [Mrs. Reed]: You want us to what?!

            I could hardly believe what Rich was telling me. As I watched Mrs. Reed screaming at Rich and explaining the logic of sending a mother, a young woman and a child with no leg to the very community wanting to kill us, I listened to my own sense of logic.

            The truth is…I haven’t been much help to everyone at all, these past several days. Ever since Hunter had his accident and lost his leg, I have been emotionally numb, never leaving my brother’s side. I starved myself and deprived myself of sleep that I knew I needed, but I didn’t want it. In a way I felt selfish thinking I could walk away to eat and sleep while my brother lay dying in a closet without a leg.

            I made a promise to my parents a week after the world went dark. I remember that moment like it was yesterday…I hate remembering it. But I remind myself everyday of what happened to my parents so that I remember my promise to my brother.

            So…

            Much…

            Blood.

            I could hear the gunshots ringing off from my bedroom, my mother screaming in terror. I remember running into my brother’s room and dragging him into the closet. The shooting and screaming went on for what felt like hours. I remember wanting to cry but I couldn’t. It wasn’t that crying would risk drawing in the things outside, but because I literally couldn’t cry. I even tried at one point. Then I realized as the shooting slowed and the screaming stopped, and I slowly took my hand off Hunter’s mouth…I realized that I couldn’t cry because my protective instincts prevented me to.  

            I carried Hunter on my back as Mrs. Reed walked in front of us. We were told to not take a car from the church parking lot; the community might recognize where we’re from. The entire point of this mission was to arrive at the front doors of Costco and become a member of their community. Neither of us three had been seen when they attacked at the church, so we have the element of ignorance on our side.

            Taking hold of Hunter, I forgot for almost a second that Hunter’s right leg was missing. I went to reach for it, but only grabbed air. Hunter almost fell off my back trying to get adjusted as we walked down the long road ahead. His weight pulling down on my spine made everything ache.  

            [Lauren]: Sorry, Hunter.

            Taking hold of his quads, I pushed my little brother higher up my back so he could cling on easier. I had nearly forgotten how heavy he was. Even with a couple of pounds cut off from his body, he was still a heavy boy. My back started hurting a long time ago, but I ignored it.

            [Lauren]: (Smiling) Are you hiding rocks in your pockets, Hunter cause you’re like really heavy.

            [Hunter]: (Laughing) No!

            [Mrs. Reed]: Shh! You guys need to bring the chatter down. You don’t want to draw in any of the rovers.

            Wow. For a moment there I had forgotten all about the rovers. Hunter made me so happy. He gave me hope in an odd way. He’s turning eleven this year. A child that young with a missing leg and trying to survive in the world where everyone has to be able to run in order to live…and still smiling?? It inspired me to smile. In fact, one of the happiest moments of my life was just yesterday night, when Hunter woke up.

            I stood over Hunter as he lay quietly on the table. I wanted to smile, because I knew he was going to be okay, but I couldn’t. Not because I was still upset and scared and above all sad that my little brother went through this, but because I literally could not smile. Maybe it was because my brain wasn’t telling me he was okay until he opened his eyes.

            He wasn’t okay until he was.

That’s what was nagging in my mind. I was growing tired of it. I just wanted to smile over him. I don’t know what else to do in situations like these except pray. Praying came easy for me, ever since I was young. For a lot of people, they meet troubling times and think God isn’t there for them. The way I always saw it was that in troubling times, God is there the most if anything. It was a trial and a test to prove yourself to God and to yourself. I always saw trials as opportunities. But when Hunter almost died…that was a moment when praying was difficult. Up until he stabilized, I could only wonder why God would allow this to happen to a child. Sometimes, even today I wonder why. But as bad as it may sound, like everything else that has happened to everyone it was an opportunity. One thing that has always been consistent in life is that where bad is, good can rise from it. I know good can come from this situation.

            [Hunter]: ...Lau-Lauren…?

            I left my train of thought and looked at my little brother. He was smiling up at me.

            I smiled back.

            A rover must have overheard me and Hunter talking because it came stumbling out of the woods growling furiously. Mrs. Reed made a clean job of it and cut it down with the machete she carried. I carried a handgun. Flicking the black blood from her machete, Mrs. Reed looked up at me caringly.

            [Mrs. Reed]: I’ll try to take care of as many rovers as I can. Don’t shoot that gun unless I say so.

            [Lauren]: Okay.

            I never had a problem with guns before the end of the world, but now every time I hear a gun go off I can’t help but recall a memory that I don’t want.

I could hear the gunshots ringing off from my bedroom, my mother screaming in terror. I remember running into my brother’s room and dragging him into the closet. The shooting and screaming went on for what felt like hours. I remember wanting to cry but I couldn’t. It wasn’t that crying would risk drawing in the rovers, but because I literally couldn’t cry. I even tried at one point. Then I realized as the shooting slowed and the screaming stopped, and I slowly took my hand off Hunter’s mouth…I realized the reason I couldn’t cry, was because my protective instincts prevented me to.

All I ever wanted was the best for my brother. By now the air was still and not a sound was made expect for the few times my brother whimpered in fear. I didn’t know what to do next. Should I leave the closet and find mom and dad? Should I stay in the closet with my brother? Should we both go out together? I had to figure something out fast before Hunter got too anxious.

[Lauren]: (Low whisper) Stay here, Hunter. I’m gonna go see.

I slowly peered the closet door open. I poked my head through the opening and waited for almost a minute before proceeding into the center of my brother’s room. Hunter was reluctant to close the closet door so I had to shut it for him. Then I quietly left his room, not having any idea what would be on the other side of each door, or around every corner.

As I crept down the flickering hallway of my house, I inched closer and closer towards the living room. I could already hear the faint, muffled groaning around the corner. What if it was my parents making that noise? What if they were hurt…or worse? I wanted to just sprint down the hall and race to my parent’s side and help them, but I couldn’t. I fought so hard to run toward them, but no matter how hard to tried to convince myself to move faster I just couldn’t. Call it fear, call it survival instincts, call it whatever you want. I just. Couldn’t. Run.

We could see Costco from the highway. Just from where I walked with my brother clinging onto my back, the place already looked well-fortified. I could make out guards on the roof, and the parking lot lined with cars and angled spears to keep out the dead. Mrs. Reed stayed ahead the whole time. A trio of rovers stumbled out from hiding and came at us furiously hungry. I knew Mrs. Reed wasn’t going to be able to take them all on her own.

[Lauren]: Hunter, I’m gonna put you down over here take my gun.

Rushing to the edge of the highway I set my brother down and handed him my firearm. My back hurt so much. It was nothing but jabbing pains with every step. But I had to ignore it. I had to or else Mrs. Reed would die. I drew my machete and ran towards the first rover I got to. I swung as hard as I could at the corpse’s head, the rusted blade jamming into the side of it’s skull, only managing to go halfway through the rotted cranium. The rover fell to the ground, taking my weapon with it.

Mrs. Reed stabbed one clean into the throat and pushed it away to decapitate the third rover, but almost as soon as her machete cut down the rover, the one remaining corpse retaliated and fell on top of Mrs. Reed before she could get her weapon in front of her. I almost screamed as the woman struggled to keep the rover’s biting teeth away from her flesh. Blood leaked from the jabbed slit in the corpse’s throat and all over Mrs. Reed.

I felt sick. I felt the vomit in my throat rising but I had to keep it down. I had to help her. I reached out and grabbed the rover by the shoulders and yanked it off her. Falling on its back, I retrieved my machete from the rover I killed and made one fell swoop down on it’s eye socket. I thought the three rovers were dead and gone, but yet I could still hear the sound of a rover behind me. I spun around and my heart sank. Hunter didn’t see it coming for him.

[Rich]: The fact is, the man who attacked us saw most of our faces. He knows me, Christian, Sherman, Vergilio, Lashaun, Lee, Dylan, Brittany, Tim, and Zach. That leaves you, Lauren, Hunter, Maddy, Ian, Bailey, Audrey, Jenna and Kelley. The entire point of this mission is to send people that Cosctco would least suspect to be a major threat, infiltrate and compromise them slowly but surely. The last people they would expect is a woman, a little girl, and her little brother who’s got only one leg.

            [Mrs. Reed]: I don’t care about myself, Rich, I care about the safety of these children! Think about what happens if we fail. Did you ever think of that?! They will kill me first, and then those kids. I can’t believe you would even suggest this.

            [Rich]: It’s the only option that makes the most sense.

            [Mrs. Reed]: None of this makes sense! Period! Send me. By myself; I’ll do it alone.

            Bailey overhearing, immediately interjects. At this point, Brittany, and Tim had gathered to join the conversation.

            [Bailey]: Mrs. Reed, all due respect, you’ve never been out there on your own. You need someone there to watch your back.

            [Brittany]: We are all looking at this the wrong way. None of us should be going anywhere. We should be planning and preparing for when they attack us. 

            [Mrs. Reed]: Maybe, but it’s the fact that you all expect a little girl and a handicapped child to go out there and do what you’re asking! If anything, why not send Ian? Or Maddy? There are so many to choose from that are more likely to survive!

            I don’t understand why Hunter couldn’t hear the rover coming for him. Maybe he was so frightened by seeing me fight off rovers with Mrs. Reed that he didn’t register everything else going on around him. It didn’t matter what happened, but if I didn’t do anything to change what was about to happen…my brother was about to die. My promise would be broken.

            [Lauren]: HUNTER LOOK OUT!

            Hunter snapped back to attention and turned to face the rover coming for him. His little hands lifted the gun in his hand, and he pulled the trigger. The rover’s face popped open like a busted watermelon. It crumbled to the ground and rained blood. My brother was alive. I ran to him, dragging him away from the body. So much blood. The corpse was so mangled and bloody. My brother was okay.

            [Mrs. Reed]: I was wrong…

            I pulled Hunter back onto my back.

            [Lauren]: What?

            [Mrs. Reed]: You and Hunter are strong. You can survive. I’m sorry I said those things earlier today.

            [Lauren]: It’s okay. I used to be weak. Honestly, I don’t think I was any weaker than I was when everything first fell apart. I’m stronger now, I know I am. So is my brother.

            Interrupting our conversation was the faint noise of a truck coming our way. We had nowhere to hide.

I turned the corner. I had already prepared myself for what I was about to see. I imagined blood everywhere. I pictured a few dead corpses lying close to the door with gun shots riddling their bodies, and I pictured my parents lying in pools of their own blood. I picture these images because I wanted to see the worst-case scenario. Sometimes I did that to myself. I wanted to see the worst of what could be so that when I see reality, it won’t seem so bad.

But no matter what I thought I pictured as the worst-case scenario, I was in no way ready for what I actually saw.

I saw several dead bodies at the door of my house, but they weren’t corpses. They were people who fought to stay alive and had broken into our home. They lay in their own pools of blood, and then there was my parents…

Eating the dead bodies.

The entire time I heard the screams and gunshots, I was convinced my parents were alive and fighting off the dead. Turns out I was very wrong. Survivors just wanted a chance to live. They were fighting off a horde that followed them here, but what they didn’t know was that two dead parents were waiting inside the house for them. My parents. It was then that I realized a terrible truth: it can always be worse.

Always.

I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t want them to hear me. Yet as I slowly crept back into my brother’s room to his closet I wanted to scream. Even though as much as I tried to prove to myself that screaming was okay, I literally could not scream. I tried.

I stepped into Hunter’s room. I walked back over to his closet. I was so hasty to see my little brother that I swung the door open carelessly, but my hand was reluctant to let go of the door so there wasn’t as much noise that was made. However, my gasping cry was much louder than what the door could have done if I just let the door slam against the wall. I nearly screamed when I looked closer into the closet and saw that Hunter was gone. I thought I was going to puke.

I wanted to die. I wanted to scream and die a painful death for leaving my brother. Then I heard something move in the room. I quickly spun around, my eyes meeting with the source of the noise: my brother.

He was curling up against the wall covering his mouth. He was crying so hard. That was when I understood: he followed me into the living room.

I slowly walked over to him and cradled him. I couldn’t stop telling him I loved him. It had gotten to the point where I tried to stop telling him, but I literally could not.

The black truck rolled forward to a stop just in front of us. I stood in front of my brother with his gun in my hands. Mrs. Reed stood next to me holding the machete out in front of her. Three men carrying rifles jumped out of the tailgate and a fourth mounted his rifle on top of the truck and pointed the long barrel down at us.

            The men yelled at us demanding that we drop our weapons. Mrs. Reed looked at me and nodded as she threw her weapon to the side. The men grabbed our wrists and tied them behind our backs. Hunter started crying.

            [Lauren]: Hunter, it’s going to be okay.

            One of the men picked Hunter up and tied his arms together. Hunter’s screams made me want to murder the men in the worst ways imaginable.

            [Lauren]: Please don’t hurt him! I swear to God if you hurt him I’ll kill you!

            The man who bound me pulled a rag around my head and tied it around my mouth. My screams were muffled. They did the same to Mrs. Reed and my little brother. The pushed us towards the truck. All three of us were lifted and tossed into the tailgate, and before we could process what was happening we were at Costco being led inside.

            The inside of the building was completely barricaded with defenses, the floor covered in rows of tens, the spaces in between the tents bustled with the activity of the community’s civilians. They were all doing something whether it was carrying supplies or making them. There had to have been at least two hundred people here. Maybe more. I scanned the area and counted fifty men with guns. I didn’t see anyone else carrying besides those fifty. These men were included in the 200 person-populous.

            They continued to lead us towards the back of the store where a metal staircase lead to an office area overseeing the community. We reached the top of the stairs and one of the guards knocked on the office door. I heard a voice reply. The door was opened, and the three of us were pushed inside and then forced onto our knees. Hunter was simply laid down beside me. His face was so red with tears. The man standing behind a desk was staring for what seemed like hours. He looked so concerned. I glanced at a pair of twins standing in the corner watching us. They looked much more concerned; their eyes never left Hunter.

            [Anders]: Get these gags off these people.

            Dom and Pat immediately pulled the gag off Hunter, then Lauren followed by Mrs. Reed. Dom then pulled Hunter to the office wall so he could sit upright. Dom could feel Lauren’s frightful eyes watching him pull Hunter across the floor. Lauren turned her gaze back up to Anders.

            [Anders]: Listen guys I just want to say that I am so…sorry. I can’t give you people any details but we’re dealing with a situation with another community, so we’ve taken major security precautions. I know we scared you and I really want a chance to make it up to you. After we go through the necessities, I’ll be sure you’re all well fed, cleaned and given a comfortable bed.

            Mrs. Reed hadn’t made a sound since she entered the room. She immediately recognized the man standing before her. This dark…twisted form resembling humanity had taken the last bit of the blood that flowed in her family. This creature took her child. She knew she had a responsibility and that was to destroy this place and weaken it slowly and subtly from the inside and out. She wanted it to go down that way as well. She wanted this man to die slowly…after watching his world crumble to the ground just as she had to watch hers. Her desire to bring a slow demise to Anders was the only reason she was still tied on her knees rather than charging the murderer. Anders must have noticed the grim look of murder on Mrs. Reed’s face cause his eyes met hers and he locked on them.

            [Anders]: You do not look very nice, ma’am.

            Anders opened a drawer in his desk and set his handgun next his stack of papers.

            [Anders]: I’m gonna ask you guys a few questions. Number one: Where do you come from. Number two: Why did you leave? Last two: How many people have you killed…and why?

            Lauren glanced at Mrs. Reed who refused to a say a word. Lauren took it upon herself to respond.

            [Lauren]: We come from Palestine. We left because our home was overrun with the dead. We thought we’d try our chances on the water so we chose to head to Galveston.

            Anders nodded. He leaned forward in his chair and looked closer at Lauren.

            [Anders]: How many people have you killed?

            Lauren thought for but a moment as to how she should reply. She knew if tried to lie it wouldn’t be very convincing. So, she responded with a half-truth. How many dead people has she killed?

            [Lauren]: I’ve taken five…Hunter one…and Mrs. Reed has killed a few I’m not sure how much. She doesn’t really talk about it very much so I don’t expect you to hear from her very often.

            Ander’s nodded. He stood up and walked around the desk moving in towards Lauren. He crouched down till he was at eye level with her. Mrs. Reed’s eyes never left the man.

            [Anders]: …Why did you kill those people?

            From the beginning, Lauren had trouble making real eye contact with Anders. There was something that was so daunting about him that made it hard to look at his face. But she had to prove that she was strong. Not just for Anders, but for Rich and for herself.

            Lauren’s gaze shifted directly into Ander’s eyes.

            [Lauren]: They came at us. It was either them or our people. We decided it would be them.

            [Anders]: (Smiles) Did you have more people in your group?

            [Lauren]: Yes…lots of us. People we loved and cared for from before…they were taken from us by people who think it’s okay to kill for supplies.

            [Anders]: Then I’d say it’s a good thing the bad people are dead. Less trouble for when the world starts over.

            [Lauren]: Oh yeah. They are so dead…so dead.

            Anders smiled and stood back up and sat behind his desk once more.

            [Anders]: You two are survivors. I can see that. Your brother here seems to be a liability, but nothing we can’t remedy. I have a guy here who can help with his…limb situation. We’ll feed you tonight and give you access to the showers. You can stay the night at our community if you so desire.

            [Lauren]: Thank you.

            [Anders]: Of course. I have a heart for weak people who became strong. I have a knack for seeing those types. As soon as I saw you three I knew I saw weakness…weakness that died. All that remains is instinct, and the small amount of strength that didn’t go out. The irony is that the strong are the first to go. They’re the ones who were brave enough to charge the dead and fight the fire; they die first. When the dust settles and we begin anew the only people left were the ones society deemed as weak; nobodies. The weak…survive. You do things right around here and I think you will fit in quite nicely.

            [Lauren]: Thank you.

            [Mrs. Reed]: Thank you.

            Lauren’s eyes darted to Mrs. Reed. For a moment Lauren was worried for Mrs. Reed. What if she blew their cover or tried something stupid?

            [Anders]: So, she does talk. I’d love to hear more from you and your perspective in the near future. Until then, Dom why don’t you get these fine people a place to rest and get them some food?

            [Dom]: Yes, sir.

I hadn’t said a word in a while. All I’ve done is listen. Multiple times now, they comment on me being a “little girl” and how I’m not capable. They talk about how my brother is a handicap, as if now he’s a liability to the group. I know why they said it; they didn’t mean any harm in what they were saying, but they were hurting, nonetheless.

            [Rich]: Here’s why: Ian is needed here. We need him for the walls, and for our defenses. As much as I dislike the kid for tuck-tailing and running-

            [Brittany]: We both know that’s not what happened.

            [Rich]: …As much as I dislike the kid…we need him. Just like we need Audrey, Maddy, Kelley, and Jenna here to help keep this place safe and make sure those walls are put up. Bailey above all can’t go because she is our doctor and she’s stuck here. We can’t afford to stretch our most valuable recourses thin, so we have no choice but to send what the enemy would never expect: our weakest recourses, that which being an old woman, a little girl, and her crippled brother-

            I had enough. He crossed the line.

            [Lauren]: Hey!

            Honestly, I couldn’t even control myself at this point. I felt like a passenger in a car watching myself push through the people in my way till I was standing directly in front of Rich. My hands shoved up against Rich’s chest and I felt myself shouting at him.

            [Lauren]: My brother will not be a liability! He is not a cripple, or a handicap! He is a member of this group just like everyone else and he has value! And if you think you can just push around your “weakest links” then fine! Let’s have it your way! Me and Hunter will go. And when we come back after proving you wrong, I’ll make sure everyone knows it. You leave me, my brother, and Mrs. Reed alone and let us do what we’re supposed to do, and that’s taking down that Costco!

Night had fallen. I was still holding my brother. We both had cried ourselves to sleep. I was first to wake up. It all felt like a dream. It didn’t really feel like mom and dad were gone. In a dark way, it helped keep me emotionally stable, denying it all. But I also knew I had to get us out of our house and somewhere safer. I gently pet my brother’s head till he woke up. He looked at me and I whispered.

            [Lauren]: We have to get out of here, Hunter. It’s not safe.

            [Hunter]: I don’t wanna go.

            [Lauren]: …Hunter we have to go.

            Hunter rolled off my lap and hid inside the closet. He wasn’t going anywhere. It would cause too much of a struggle for me to just get him out of the house let alone fend off any dangers that would hear the noise and follow it. I wasn’t going to leave the house any time soon, I realized. But I couldn’t leave my home like this either. Either I drag my brother out of this house and hope there’s not any of the corpses out there, or I can make this room more secure and hope for the best. I sobbed for just a moment before wiping my face.

            [Lauren]: This sucks.

            [Hunter]: I’m hungry, Lauren.

            He still hadn’t left the closet and night was settling outside. I can faintly hear the shuffling of the rovers outside the door in my house. I was beginning to feel hungry too now that Hunter mentioned it. That’s when I remembered I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. I was starving.

            [Lauren]: I’m hungry too…but they’re right outside that door I can’t get to the kitchen. If we left the house we might have better luck.

            [Hunter]: I don’t want to leave.

            [Lauren]: What else are we gonna do, Hunter?

            [Hunter]: I don’t know, I’m just hungry, okay?

            I am overwhelmed. It felt like I was trapped and no matter what choice I made I was going to endanger my brother. There had to be another way out. There had to be something.

            I looked out the window in the bedroom and that’s when it hit me.

            [Lauren]: Hunter, hide in the closet. Don’t come out until I tell you, ok?

            Hunter closed the closet door concealing him completely. Lauren pushed the window open and ripped the screen away from the framing. Stepping back to her brother’s night stand, she grabbed her phone that had been sitting there all day and set the alarm on her phone to the nearest minute, and immediately threw it outside in the direction of the from lawn. Shutting the window closed, Lauren kept her eyes peeled towards the front of the house waiting. A minute went by and she could hear the alarm on her phone going off. She waited a minute or two longer and registered the shadowy silhouette of her parents grazing through the front lawn toward the noise.

            Not wasting another second, Lauren raced into the living room, carefully stepping over the half-eaten corpses soaking in black slaughter to shut door and lock it. The moment she took the time to inhale and relax she vomited at the stench of the corpses.

            I was always annoyed by the fact I had a weak stomach. I was irritated how I had a weak back, and how I would be forced to take breaks from playing games with my friends because it was too painful to stand at times. In a very fractional way I almost felt disabled compared to everyone else. I felt deformed and different in a bad way compared to everybody on top of that. I saw my friends like Brittany and found myself comparing, I saw Zach doing his silly tricks and running around and jumping and wished for just one day that I could do those things without feeling the slightest twitch in my spine. I don’t know. I just used to always find myself…comparing.

            Supposed me and Hunter get out of this. Suppose we do make it out of my house and to someplace safe or even find our church friends somewhere. What then? What good am I going to be but a liability? I wanted to be more, but I knew everyone else was but me.

            No, I don’t resent them. I love my friends. I just want to be valuable. Like…actually valuable. Contributing to help survive. But I doubt I’d ever get that chance. So, for now, I just focus on the simple stuff, like bringing food to my little brother.

            I walk into the kitchen, and immediately me eyes are diverted to the countertop. I find a letter with my mother’s hand-writing. I haven’t seen this yet. To me, this is the last words of my mother, and I couldn’t even read it without crying at the sight of the lead-written words on this piece of graph paper. Hunter came in seeing me in tears. He stood there looking at me for a while before walking into the pantry. I forced the tears to stop. Somehow, I managed to find the strength to stop crying. Motivation to read this letter, I guess.

            Lauren,

        I couldn’t find the strength to tell you face to face, so I did the only thing I could manage to do without breaking down in front of you or Hunter. I got bit. Your father knows and he’s not leaving my side. He’s watching over me and doing everything he can to keep me alive, but I know it’s my time. I know all of this is scary and it is going to change your life forever, but it is not the end of the world. No matter what happens, I want you to protect Hunter just as your father is protecting us. Promise me you will never leave his side.

I’ll never leave yours. I love you, Lauren.

Mother

       

          I folded the note and put it in my pocket.

            [Lauren]: I promise.

            Our tent was just large enough to hold the three of us. Mrs. Reed, however had been sitting outside the tent ever since she had gotten her shower. I stayed with my brother till he fell asleep. After that I arose from the tent and sat down beside Mrs. Reed. Most of the lights in the store had been shut off leaving a few guards keeping watch inside. Five total. I counted the amount of guards throughout the day that had retired to their tents and resulted with twenty-five. So, twenty guards keeping watch outside the store. That was the number I came up with before I retired to the tent to watch my little brother sleep.

            [Lauren]: Have the numbers changed?

            [Mrs. Reed]: No. Same as before: Twenty outside, five inside. The rest are in their tents.

            There was a pause for several minutes where we simply listened to the silent noises that echoed through the store.

            [Mrs. Reed]: So many opportunities. I could’ve attacked Anders in his office, the guards while we showered…we could find something sharp and kill all twenty-five of those sleeping guards and no one would know it was-

            [Lauren]: It wouldn’t work you know that. We have to stick with the plan. We will avenge your son. We will. But we have to do it the right way… not the dumb way. We screw this up and we may ensure everyone else’s death back home.

            [Mrs. Reed]: I understand…

            More silence. I looked at Mrs. Reed. It took her a moment before she looked back at me. I smiled.

            [Lauren]: We can do this. I know we can.

            I walked away from Rich. It didn’t take me long to gather my gear. I packed lightly. I had to look the part of someone who had been walking a long time. I went outside and rolled around in the dirt for a little bit until my clothes and skin were beat up and dirtied enough to be convincing, I packed a pocket knife, a couple of cans of soup, a buck knife, and one of the handguns. I dirtied up some of Hunter’s clothes and put it on him and made sure he looked the part as well. He was surprisingly excited to leave. Maybe it was just the feeling of finally getting up and moving.

            When I was ready I found Mrs. Reed, who had prepped herself in a similar fashion as I did. We both looked ready to leave. I didn’t know if or when I’d return, and frankly, I was frightened by that thought. I fought so hard to hide it, though. I was in such a hurry to prove everyone wrong that I nearly forgot to say my goodbyes. I hugged everyone so quickly. I forced myself to hold Brittany just a little bit longer. She didn’t let go until she was done hugging.

            [Brittany]: Prove him wrong. Be safe.

            [Lauren]: I will.

            We let go. She was crying. Hunter sat down up against the wall waiting for me to get him. He was so innocent lying there with his leg wrapped up. Maybe it was wrong Hunter was on this mission with me and Mrs. Reed, but Hunter was just as determined to leave and move around as I was determined to prove Rich wrong.

            I picked my brother up. He was heavier than I expected him to be. I walked out the door and made sure I took one last look at Rich’s face, so I could imagine what he’d look like after I prove him wrong. Then I left for Costco.     

Hours turned to days, and a week later we were out of food. Yesterday was me and Hunter’s last bit of rations and now we’re just sitting here in his room. I’ve been dreading this day. I was dreading it because I knew it meant it was time to leave. I dreaded it even more so because I knew Hunter was not going to want to leave.

            How long would we even last out there? I don’t know how to survive and having to keep my brother fed and protected made things even more difficult.

            [Lauren]: God, what am I supposed to do…?

            Hunter stood up and walked out of the closet and sat down next to me up against the wall. He looked at me and I looked back at him.

            [Hunter]: We have to leave, don’t we?

            [Lauren]: Yeah…I think so.

            [Hunter]: Where will we go?

            Where would we go? The church was overrun, and all my friends would have left the suburbs to find a safer place that I don’t know of…where could they possibly have gone? Where could we possibly go?

            [Lauren]: …I don’t know.

            Then I heard it. It was such a familiar sound that my first instinct was to cringe. I recognized that sound as a school bus…and it sounded like it stopped right in front of my house. At first, I froze, until I heard the gun shots. I ran to the window and looked out to see who it was. My whole body suddenly felt energized and I could finally breath. Stepping out of the bus was Brittany…behind her was Dylan and Lee.

            An hour had passed that had been completely entailed with tears, hugs and crying with joy before we all managed to relax and talk to each other. They told me everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks. They told me about The Property, and everyone who didn’t make it. Including Zach who was missing. I couldn’t believe half of what I was hearing, so it was hard to feel sad in a weird, twisted way. The only thing I wanted to know now was where they were headed.

            [Lauren]: What are we gonna do? Where are you guys headed?

            Dylan set down his crossbow and sat down next to Brittany.

            [Dylan]: We want you and your bro to come with us. We’re going back to the church.

            [Lauren]: But…I thought it was overrun.

            Lee walked back into the living room from the kitchen after looking for any left-over supplies. He rested his shotgun against his shoulder.

            [Lee]: It is. And we’re gonna take it back.

            [Dylan]: And we need your help.

           

THE PAST

They want my help. They actually want my help. So, I will help them in any way I can. Who cares if my back hurts a little after a day’s worth of surviving. None of that mattered to me anymore. All that mattered was that my friends were alive. We had a plan. And I have a promise to keep.

            THE RECENT PAST

As Mrs. Reed, Hunter and I walked away from our church home I adjusted Hunter comfortably onto my back. He was in just the right spot to allow me to access my pocket and pull out a letter my mother wrote me. I read it to remind me of a promise I swore to protect her. I looked over my shoulder to my little brother and smiled.

            [Lauren]: We can do this.

            Hunter smiled back. I put the letter back in my pocket.

THE PRESENT

My little brother, Hunter was passed out in his tent beside me. I spent this moment just to look at him. I was his sister and yet I felt like a mother. It was such a beautiful level of pressure on my shoulders. I wouldn’t trade this moment for the world.

            I folded my mother’s letter and put it back in my pocket. I read it everyday as another reminder of a promise to keep.

            THE FUTURE

            I couldn’t trust my own eyes. I didn’t believe what I was seeing…what I saw. My heart new better. It knew what happened. I tried so hard to fight the tear rolling down my face. I tried. But I literally could not fight it.

            I have broken my promise.

               

  

THE END