Chapter 4

Finally, I was getting to leave. I hated to admit it to myself but coming to this place had been way more hassle than it was worth.

The only good thing I was getting out of this had to be the truck I was taking. One of those huge long storage ones. That was the very last thing I expected to find in this backwater town.

Still I was happy, I was packing my new truck. Ignoring the locals everything was going to be just-

“So you are going to be off then.”

-Fine. Or maybe not. Turning around I just had to see Joss.

“I will be out of this town’s hair in just a bit. Just going to pretty up the truck for the road and I will be gone.”

“There is no one out there but the living dead.” Joss said as he lifted a box to load into my truck. “Think they care what they are about to be killed with.”

“No but I do.” I pointed out. “I want to make sure I’m as safe as possible.”

“Out by yourself. That is not safe. It is as far from safe as you can get.”

“But I don’t have to worry about hitting allies.” I grinned. “Just shoot and chop everyone in sight. Gamer heaven.”

“I don’t think this is what they wanted.” Joss mused. “And you aren’t the only one packing up to get out. Some of us are leaving too.”

“I’m sure that with the world as huge as it is the chances that we would not end up going the same direction.” I began feeling my hopes dim a bit.

“Think again.” Joss said dryly. “People want to look up relatives. Go find other refuges. Get out of here before more living dead swamp us again.”

“And you?” I asked not really caring. I already knew the answer. He wanted to go off with his brother and they could have Incestical relations until the whole thing blew over-

“Going off from Ross for a while. I want to travel. Kill things. Think. I need some time.”

And that was not was I had been expecting to hear at all. Hefting another box into my truck I gave him a quick glance. He was calm so this was a definite thing. Still, I was sure his brother was everything to him.

How could he so easily just abandon him and what Ross held near? It made no sense. It made me want to consider hitting him across his head.

“I need to breathe clearer. This whole incident with us trapped here made me think. I don’t want to be forever tied to something so constraining. And my brother comes with plenty of ties. If we both live through what comes next.” Joss tossed up a box of sunscreen. “If we do, then I will be a man who can handle such burdens without considering letting it all end.”

I watched the young rogue walk back into the mall shaking my head. That tie of siblings was slowly killing him. Before he was afraid to leave. Now Joss was afraid to stay with his brother.

Again I misjudged the guy. The darkness was rising in him. Not as high as I had it or others I knew but it was there.

That selfishness. That need to survive. The thirst for one way and no change. I could pity him. If I had my dream boat coming with too many ties and problems I would burn that baby and go down with it.

Hell she was supposed to give me a peace of mind and comfort. What was that boat thinking stressing me out?

Lucky for me. That boat would be all my own. No one else. I could modify her as I wanted and go anywhere.

If I wanted to, after I pushed off the dock I would never again have to see another person again. If I got sick and could not cure it. Could die peacefully or horribly on the ship.

But until I got to that boat. I would not die. And I was not going to let any person or anything kill me before I could get there either.

I had things to do, and I sure wanted to do them alone but maybe letting the tough Joss escort me for a few hundred miles was not so bad.

It was terrible but I wanted to watch him a bit more. Hear what his decisions would be. Seriously, something like him if the world continued as it did for a good ten more years would carve him into something really beautiful.

And deadly, and conniving. And I really want at that. Grinning to myself I returned to my previous task. Packing to get the hell out before any unwanted living creatures.

“Sad to see you in such a hurry to leave, I know you won’t believe it but we at a time were known for our hospitality.”

Living creatures like that one, arrived to slow me down.

“I just bet you were hospitable. To the rich that is. The help like myself.” I pretended to pout as I tossed another box up. “You would use us, abuse us and toss us right outta your town.”

“I really am sorry about that.” Ross said mimicking his brother as he started to help me out. “It is harder to keep a town together than I thought. I thought it was like what you did at summer camps mixed in with being a captain for a team and being a student council.”

“It is more like leading a death camp isn’t it?” I asked him hopping up on the truck to organise the boxes already hefted up there.

“Yeah.” Ross muttered tossing up a box that landed lightly. Must be the box of special clothes. No one would see me looking pretty but I wanted to be able to. Even if I was all alone.

Internet still worked, I could be in selfie heaven. And on a boat too? All that scenery.

“Where you heading from here? Because my group and I. A smaller group we are heading out. Well most of them are heading out. Too much has happened really. I don’t think they can sanely stay together.”

“West.” I muttered. “Your brother left before I could ask but where he heading?”

“North I think. But we are sort of heading West too. Why there? Something tells me that is not your final destination.”

He sure was right. But I had things to do. Places to sight see and things to take. When I got on that boat, I wasn’t going to want for anything. The silence and peace I craved was so close I could feel it.

I had to be careful not to rush myself even though the burn of anticipation was in my gut clenching and burning with every step I took. Only amateurs rushed ahead, pros and I wanted to be a professional in this. Pros endured the burn and loved it.

I could taste it so much. I could almost feel the rocking of the boat as it took me away from everything into paradise. I knew what Ross wanted, a friendly escort as he made a run for it.

Away from brother, responsibility and family. I would have delighted in telling him exactly where he could run to with me. Into one of my knives.

“Please just come out and say it.” I mumbled rolling my eyes against the need to leap into my truck and race off for my baby.

“I want to head with you.”

“You mean you want me to play nice driver and you the lost hitchhiker with your pack of ragged little brothers and sisters.”

“No just me, after this whole thing I need to breathe, get out feel the wind and let everyone fight for themselves a bit. I would like it if it was just me and Joss but he wants his own space too.” Ross finished revealing a smidgen of hurt.

“He might have thought you would want to run off with the whole town when you told him about the whole run off thing. Maybe if you tell him that you are doing it solo he might be more inclined to grab your hand and stride off into the zombie infested sunlight and engage in whatever brotherly things you guys used to do before it all began.”

“Dad is dead so we can’t stop him from getting drunk and shooting at squirrels anymore.” Ross told me wryly. “And it might be better this way.”

I stopped with the boxes to watch him. “Squirrels? When you said drunk I thought he used to use you two as some sort of boxing bag with the house as his private ring.”

“Dad was a good one.” Ross mused as he continued my chore for me. “I know not everyone in this town was as lucky but we were. He taught us family first.”

“And your Moms?” I pried.

“Who knows family is last for her. Least it was before all this. Might have changed with the dwindling population of homo sapiens and rising number of the infected.”

“So you want to find her.” I sighed disappointed. “There I was having hopes for him but he was looking for family.”

“Couldn’t care less about her but Joss might. If he finds her it won’t be pretty but I won’t care either way.”

“Why?” I asked my curiosity getting the hand up over me.

“We both used to spoil Joss, we adored him, gave into his whims and told him so much pretty things and assured him how much we loved him and that it would always be this way. I kept my promise but she started breaking her and ran off. The hate he has for her. There is only me left for him even Dad didn’t get this amount of feeling from him.”

“You like that.” I said slowly. Ross nodded as he tossed up a box full of computer items and began securing it to the wall of the truck.

“I like it.” He agreed. “I love it.”