Five
Between DMs and comments, Jayson won the vote for POV since we haven't seen him appear and because readers want to know Taylor's fate (which you'll notice wasn't a POV option).
Jayson
Something bad had happened. Jayson Recklaw, now only JR by necessity, sat with his heart somewhere in his stomach. Or maybe his butt. Though he hadn't liked Taylor's father for a multitude of reasons, including throwing him to the curb when his son had needed him most, John Whittaker didn't deserve to be shot.
Static had drowned most of the broadcast, even with the survivalists' long range radio. Whittaker's voice—as much as the spray of bullets—were unmistakable. The silence afterward left little to the imagination, and Jayson thought he might be sick.
A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold air and high altitude rocked his body, even as he sat bundled in a hoodie, sweatpants, and knitted cap. The fire in the barrel did nothing to add warmth, nor did the body heat of his companions surrounding him.
Eli, the eccentric yet sweet man who'd rescued his ass from the totaled truck at Elmo's city limits, rested a hand on his shoulder. "That was the facility you came from?
Jayson nodded and rubbed his face. "Benson is a psycho," he whispered. "I'm worried about my friends."
The other survivors shared knowing glances—an unspoken acknowledgement that they had all lost family and friends at some point since the outbreak.
He jumped with a hiss when Gloria settled a crocheted blanket over his shoulders. His rib had to be broken; he couldn't breathe without an intense urge to scream, much less walk two steps before a whimper escaped. It was an injury unlike any he'd endured short of the left side of his body melting in hellish flame and metal. Only that had been worse, making him wish for death when he'd awoken to disfigured flesh and excruciating pain.
"Sorry," she whispered, rubbing his back. Then she took a seat on a crate beside him and pressed a steaming cup in his gloved hands. "Drink this."
He shook his head and tried to pass it back, only for Gloria to eye him with the glare of a feral mother ready to set her young straight. Jayson brought the cup back to his chest but didn't drink what smelled like broth, processed noodles, and vegetables. "I don't think I can stomach anything right now." Not when his friends were now at Benson's mercy. What would he do to them now that no one was in the man's way to power?
Billy, Eli's older brother who'd initially been inclined to leave Jayson outside their clan, frowned. "So far, the facility has left us alone, but we've been open to threats from other gangs and looters. Would this guy have any reason to come this way now their leader is down?"
"I don't know," Jayson replied honestly. The distance between them was quite a stretch, but that didn't mean anything in a world where dwindling resources were every man's game. "I guess it depends on how experimental Benson is feeling. We can't hold this motel down for very long if any large groups come knocking."
Billy sucked in his lower lip and nodded while the firelight danced across his dark irises. "Hmm. I think you're right about that. Everyone's been in survival mode, but once camps start settling down, especially for the winter, they're either going to band together or fight. Problem is, there ain't nothin' for the next several hundred miles. Anything valuable woulda be lifted by now."
"What about a fortification of some kind, like the school?" Gloria asked as she passed more cups of soup around the circle. "Or even one of the parking garages? We could find a lot of material for barricades."
"How would we keep out the animals?" someone else asked. "Those mice are hard to spot, and I don't need no cats eating my face off."
Jayson tuned out the rest of the conversation, knowing he couldn't contribute much beyond news of what he'd seen on that base and in Phoenix. He hadn't kept up with The Walking Dead, not since it stopped being good. Zombie movies and games hadn't really been his thing, and now he wondered if he would have paid more attention to the genre.
It wasn't until the fire had burned low that someone came running from the gate with their shotgun in hand, shouting, "We've got an armored vehicle heading our way!"
Everyone scrambled to their feet now, and Jayson accepted Eli's help in standing. An armored vehicle this far out was either government issued or from the private sector, though his money was on the former since the guards hadn't reported much activity from anyone living. Thus far, their reports had only been of the undead roaming the streets in packs, searching for their next meal.
"Everyone without a gun needs to go inside," Billy instructed, unslinging a semi-automatic rifle and following the armed group congregating toward the makeshift fence. He paused to address Eli and Gloria, who had both remained at Jayson's side. "Get him in one of the abandoned buildings. JR is supposed to be dead, and I don't want no one crawlin' up our ass over him."
Had Jayson been in Billy's position, he'd have probably given the same orders. So far, they hadn't agreed much on leadership style; Billy possessed a dangerous edge, preferring to err on the side of caution. Not a bad thing in this world, but making allies could benefit them more than shooting the first thing to move. Also, the man gave off the alpha vibe that told everyone he was in charge and only his final opinion mattered.
Jayson wasn't sure they'd get along, but if he was going to survive, he needed to keep his mouth shut.
"There's a gutted restaurant we can take you to behind the motel," Gloria said, positioning herself so she could hold Jayson's weight. "We use it for storage, and it's still within the fenced area. We can arrange everything to keep you hidden while still having access to any supplies."
A nagging feeling tugged at Jayson's gut, urging him to stay. He dug his heels into the ground and yelped at the stabbing sensation in his side. "Not yet," he rasped. "Benson's trucks aren't likely to come this way unless they're chasing someone."
"That would be you," Gloria countered.
"But I'm supposed to be dead. Trust me, whoever it is, it's not his guys."
"Yet," Eli suddenly said, staring off to the void with his head cocked to one side. He blinked slowly and paused as if he were listening to something even though the only noise came from people scrambling at the makeshift gate on the other side of the parking lot.
After a moment, he made eye contact with Jayson and Gloria, wearing his mouth in a grim line. "I think Jayson's right. Call it one of my funny feelings, but I think whoever's in that truck needs our help."
Gloria, to Jayson's surprise, didn't chastise Eli for his "funny feeling." It seemed around here, people respected what he had to say even if Billy had the last word. Jayson had noticed people look to the younger brother more than once, asking an opinion before Billy made a call.
Instead, she worked her mouth and asked, "What kind of help?"
Eli shook his head. "The energy is too chaotic, but they aren't the threat. I think we should be on our guard though; Whatever they're running from isn't far behind. There's definitely trouble heading our way."
"Okay, you go to the gate and let your brother know," she ordered, urging Jayson to move with her in the other direction. "Take my place once you're done, and I'll prepare for our guests. You know Billy don't want you in harm's way."
Eli rolled his eyes in a boyish way and ducked out of Gloria's reach before spinning and jogging toward his brother.
Once he was out of earshot, Jayson shuffled forward, asking between pained gasps, "What's with the vibe thing? He mentioned something about it last night too when Billy and the others interrogated me." He left out the part where they'd bound his wrists with zip ties and had guns pointed at him. It was all irrelevant in this reality where brute force reigned supreme and civility went out the window.
"He just knows things. Weird things he shouldn't, yet his gut is always right. My parents would call it witchcraft, but I just call it good luck that we have him, or we'd have been in trouble on Day One." Gloria didn't elaborate, but spoke with a firmness that suggested Jayson drop the subject.
He realized why once Eli took Gloria's place and settled him behind a maze of crates and shelves with blankets, clothing, fabric and yarn, toilet paper, and anything else the community had managed to get their hands on. They were arranged in a way where Jayson couldn't be easily identified in the back corner upon a cursory glance with only a flashlight.
Of all the random things to gather, someone had found a pile of beanbag chairs and had thought to bring them back. Eli shrugged sheepishly when Jayson had laughed. "We just sort of grabbed things when our group raided the Walmart."
Setting a small unscented candle on a twisted piece of metal, Eli sat on another chair and tossed Jayson a blanket. "Whoever's in that truck should be at the gate any minute. They're heading straight for us without stopping, and they're moving pretty fast."
Jayson settled the fleece blanket over his lap. "How do you know who's friendly? You seem pretty sure they aren't Benson's guys."
Eli shrugged. "I told you; I just get a—"
"Feeling," Jayson finished with him. "That's what Gloria said." He had nearly insinuated his skepticism for psychics, but clamped his mouth shut.
Eli laughed, as if sensing what Jayson was hinting at. "I know it sounds crazy. It's worse when I start talking to people who aren't physically here but I promise I'm not crazy. Whether people believe in what I see or not, they find comfort in thinking I'm connecting them with a loved one on the other side."
Jayson froze, suddenly unable to swallow as he thought of Eric, whom he'd seen during a really low moment the other day. If he really was here, Jayson didn't think he wanted to know. It would mean accepting his death and making everything real.
They didn't say much after that as Jayson nodded off. He snorted awake when Oscar squeezed through the shelves with his large frame. "Hey, y'all, I think you should come back to the motel. Think you can identify these people, JR?"
Jayson lifted his brows. "There were a thousand people in that facility. You sure they're from that location?"
He nodded and extended an arm to Jayson. "Oh yeah. The woman and the girl she was with looked pretty terrified. The poor child started crying and spilled their whereabouts before the adults could think to stop her. The driver looked kind of hardcore—like he was ready to go wild on our ass if he could, but his boyfriend in the backseat didn't look too good. Gloria's patchin' him up right now."
He didn't know about a girl, but if someone was running from that site not even hours after John Whittaker was shot over the radio, Jayson needed to find out what was going on.
"Is there any way you can bring one of them here?" Eli asked, glancing at Jayson. "I don't want him drawing attention to himself just yet. There's at least one more vehicle on the way."
Oscar's mouth dropped into a frown as worry flickered across his face in the candlelight. "Not friendly?" Eli shook his head, and Oscar gave a curt nod. "Got it. I'll let Billy know to keep everyone on the gate and to send someone in here."
He disappeared through the shelves again, and when Jayson moved to try to blow out the candle, Eli raised hand to stop him. "Trust me. It's fine."
Jayson curled his lips but gasped a minute later when a familiar female silhouette with messy, curly hair entered the musty storage space.
The woman came to an abrupt stop, parting her delicate mouth before sobbing once into both hands.
All the pain from moving to push himself up was worth it as Jayson scrambled to Monica and gathered her into a fierce hug. Every rational thought melted into primal emotion that encompassed him and his girlfriend, drowning everything else out.
~*~
Hi there!
The group has briefly reunited, and we know they've made it safely this far, but will Taylor pull through?
Am I doing okay with this series? I've never written zombies before this series, and I have nothing to really base my skill against, but I'm so thankful for scene who is still here with me.
I want to bring back the comedy but also pop culture references and more zombies, so if you as the readers have something you want to see, please let me know! I'll credit you in the Author note shoutouts and gladly find a way to slip some stuff in. So this week, I'm going to ask you to submit a special weapon/useful item in the comments, and I'll try to add it within the next few chapters. Be as creative, silly, or serious as you like. This story is all for you, my readers, whom I wouldn't have made this series if not for your unwavering support. ♥️
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