The Dead and the Restless (Completed with undergoing editing)

Chapter Twenty-Four

I watched as Liam fidgeted with his crossbow on the table next to me, cleaning some of the arrows he had off. We hadn't talked since the bathroom, and it felt weird being around him, but I realized that it was pointless to feel like that. After all, things are only as awkward as you make it.

The sun was about to rise, which meant it was almost about time to leave. I was ready to go; I had a tank top, black skinny jeans, and my sheath for my machete that was attached to the waist of my pants, a backpack full of supplies, and I had on jacket that I picked up from one of the snappers in the lobby earlier. I had my blonde hair tied up in a tight, high ponytail, and I made sure that all my bandages were still okay and secure. The boxes for the food were on the table, and all we were waiting for besides the sun, was Darlene.

I looked around the cafeteria to where she slept. We wanted to let her wake up on her own, but from the looks of it, we'd have to wake her ourselves.

"Should we wake her?" I asked Liam, staring at Darlene. He looked up from one of the arrows he was cleaning, and over at Darlene. Then, his eyes darted over to the windows, where tiny rays of light crept out in between boards.

"Yeah," he said, standing up and putting on his leather jacket over his loose black shirt, which just grazed his jeans that hung on his hips. I walked over to Darlene while he got his arrows together.

"Wake up," I said softly, lightly shaking her awake. It took her a few seconds, but then she awakened, bleary eyed and confused for a few seconds. Then, she realized what was going on and sat up, rubbing the sleepiness away from her vision.

"You're leaving," she said, standing up. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to get up," I said, "I just came over here to say goodbye, and so that someone knew that we were leaving so that we could be let back in. I'm sure Liam will come over here in a minute."

"Be careful out there," she said, wrapping me into a hug. "Be safe."

"Aren't I always," I replied, giving her a halfhearted smile. She was already worried and we didn't even walk out the door. I knew a smile would put her at ease at least until we walked out the doors.

"Be back before sundown, okay?" She asked.

"Let's hope," I said, standing back up. I looked over to Liam who was waiting patiently with his crossbow.

"Goodbye," She said as I walked back over toward Liam. "And good luck."

"We'll need it," I called over my shoulder. Then, I was face to face with Liam. "I'm going to go out and get the car going. We're taking the sedan, it has more gas and it's an automatic."

He nodded, his eyes darting from me to Darlene.

"I'll be out soon," he said in a low voice looking down as he walked past me and over to Darlene. He sat down next to her and it looked as though they were saying more than goodbye. I only held my gaze at them for a few seconds before I started heading out.

I made sure the door closed firmly as I walked out of the cafeteria and headed down the hall. The bodies of the snappers were still lined up along the walls, but the stench didn't burn my nostrils anymore. In fact, it was almost welcome. It was always weird going outside and breathing in fresh air nowadays. I tried to think back what it used to be like before the scent of rot and decay polluted the air, but I couldn't. I guess that's what happens when you let go: things just start to fade away until it's no more than an afterthought.

I was at the sedan in no time. It was weird seeing the car I had first come here in. It felt like years had passed since I'd ran from the park after Lily and Lucas died, promising Craig everything would be okay. In a way, I hadn't lied. He was at peace now, he would never have to deal with this world again. Well, he was almost at peace. The burial had to be put off until at least tomorrow.