This Would Be Paradise (Book 2)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 37

Two joints later, we sat chewing through a couple of bags of chips each. I was feeling pretty good. I always preferred pot to drinking for the sheer fact that I wouldn't have a hangover later. I was not a giggly pot smoker and thankfully, neither was Darren. We both sat in companionable silence eating our fill and wondering about the pretty colors shining off of roofs and windows as the sun set. Darren turned to me, breaking the silence.

"You know I had nothing to do with those murders right?"

It took me a minute to gather my thoughts away from the sunset and into coherent words.

"I know." I hadn't shared our find in Wyatt's condo with him.

And I really didn't want to have this conversation with him, even when I was sober.

"Good," he nodded and turned back to face the city skyline.

I snorted and then started to laugh, "But when we first met, I thought something was up with you. I mean, where were your friends you were with?"

Darren put down his chips, his face falling. "I left them."

There was an awkward pause which I ruined by giggling again. He shot me a hurt look.

"Sorry, I'm normally not a giggler when smoking pot." I giggled again, ruining my previous claim.

"That wasn't the only thing," Darren said cryptically.

"I've told you everything. Quid pro quo, Clarice." I giggled again at my lame joke.

Darren took a breath through his nose. "I had to kill one of my friends."

That stopped my giggles.

"It was back at our hotel. My buddy, Brodie, got bit by one of the infected downtown while we were all plastered. A couple of us took him back to the hotel to patch him up. The stupid bastard wanted to stay a keep drinking, but we forced him back to the hotel room." Darren gave a sad smile. "Within two hours he was really bad and a few after that, he stopped breathing. We were freaking out, still drunk when he...came back. I had to bash his head in with the tiny closet safe that wasn't bolted down."

"I can't even imagine." I don't think I could have ever done that to Zoe, especially back then.

"I've felt so guilty this whole time," Darren said. "We had drove to New Orleans together as a road trip and when Brodie died, they panicked and drove back home. I thought that was a stupid idea, so I left them and headed for the school. I don't even know if they got out of the city alive."

I breathed through my nose, trying to stifle the urge to laugh. I swear I wasn't normally like this.

"I've felt guilty for a lot of shit too," I confessed.

Darren sighed. "You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"I killed two people, Darren." I paused. "Shit, I guess it's up to four now."

"Once again, you had no choice. It's kill or be killed now," was all he said in regards to my continuing confession.

I hadn't realized just how much of a burden holding this in had been. Between my admission in the truck and now, I felt the straps of my heavy conscience loosen once again. It was liberating, adding to the high I was already feeling.

We fell back into silence, chewing on each other's words this time instead of our chips.

"Come at me you crusty, pox-filled mother fuckers!"

I turned to Darren. "What did you say to me?"

"That wasn't me." Darren looked back at me confused.