This is Issue 24 of Surviving, Not Living, entitled Unconditionally. This is the final issue of Volume 4.
Issue 24 - Unconditionally[]
The eerie silence disturbed Amelia. The trees didn't rustle in the wind. The snow didn't crunch under the group's feet. The setting sun cast an orange glow across the sky. Amelia and Zach walked in front of the group, holding the two pistols. With his arm around Jackie, Bobby walked at the back of the group. She looked down as she walked, depending on Bobby for guidance and security. Everyone else loitered between them.
"I don't think anyone has thanked you for saving us." Amelia broke the silence.
"You don't need to." Zach told her. "I'd do anything to keep my Ellie safe."
Amelia looked back at Ellie. She walked next to Danny. They spoke, but Amelia couldn't hear what they were saying. She examined Ellie. Dirty, blonde hair fell past Ellie's shoulders and long eyelashes guarded piercing blue eyes.
"What's the deal with you two? When did you meet? When did you get married?" Amelia asked.
"Oh, it was a long time ago. Really long ago, actually. It's a long story, I'll tell you another time." Zach explained.
"Come on." She groaned. "We're not gonna find somewhere to stay anytime soon. We've got time."
He sighed. "Okay. Here goes..."
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An out-of-place road cut through a desert landscape. At the side of the road, a little girl walked. She couldn't have been no older than ten. The girl wore jeans and a loose, red t-shirt. Her hair was golden-brown and tied into two plaits. She held a brown teddy-bear close to her chest. One of it's button eyes hung down from it's thread.
The girl stopped when she saw something on the horizon. An old, green Volkswagen VW slowly drove up the road. It's engine spluttered as it got closer to the girl.
"Momma! Look! A girl." A small child's voice could be heard. The little girl decided not to turn and run, but to stay. The van stopped a few yards away from her. A short, blonde woman stepped out of the van.
"Hey, little girl." The woman called her. The girl stepped back, wary of the stranger. "My name is June. Whats yours?"
"Ellie..." She replied.
"Where's your parents?" June asked.
"They're up in the sky." Ellie sweetly replied. "Before mommy went, she told me to follow the road out here. She said there were no monsters here."
"Do you wanna come with us? We're travelling to Georgia." In response, Ellie quickly shook her head.
A young boy stepped out of the van - Zach. His jet-black hair had been pushed back, out of his face. He wore a long-sleeved t-shirt and raggedy shorts. The boy peered out from behind his mom.
"Hi." Ellie waved with her left hand.
"Hi." Zach said as he stepped out. He walked over to Ellie and held his hand out. "Go on then, take it. You are coming with us, aren't you?"
"No." She shook her head for the umpteenth time.
"You're gonna starve out here." He told her. "We have some food and we can teach you how to fight infected." Ellie still appeared to be reluctant. "There's no-one else on that bus. Just me and momma June. Come on, you'll be safe, I promise."
Hesitantly, Ellie took Zach's hand. She smiled at him as the two began to walk back to the bus.
"Can you fix my bear, please?" Ellie asked as she was lifted into the bus.
"I'll see what I can do, honey." June smiled.
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Zach and Ellie sat on the cold, wooden floor of an old house. Wind whistled through the cracks in the glass, bearly heard over the groans of numerous infected. Tears poured down Ellie's face as Zach whispered comforting words in her ear.
The pair were visibly older. Zach had bulked up and his muscles pushed against the boundaries of his tight t-shirt. Ellie's hair was much longer, reaching past her shoulders.
"Ellie, please. We've got to go." He whispered.
"I can't... No, Z..." She choked through her sobs.
Zach brought his left hand up and placed it lightly on Ellie's cheek. Slowly, he turned her head to look her in the eyes. And, they kissed. It was short and sweet, but it was enough for both of them.
"We have to go." Zach instructed. Ellie nodded and the two ran off, hand-in-hand.
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"That's so cute." Amelia giggled.
"Yeah, I suppose it is." Zach said, blushing.
"Guys, we've gotta move quicker." Vicky called. "The herd isn't far behind."
At the back, Bobby pulled Jackie along. Her face was fixed in a permanent frown. A tear escaped her eye and drifted down her cheek.
"Jackie, come on." Bobby told her, getting slightly annoyed.
"Just leave me." She demanded, kicking the snow. "I'm slowing you down."
"I'm not leaving two people behind in one day. So, pull yourself together and get a move on." He ordered.
"You don't get it. Do you, Bobby?" Jackie countered. "I love Doug and I never told him. Now, he's dead."
After finishing her sentence, Jackie marched away from Bobby. She was furious. Wisely, Bobby chose not to follow her.
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A large fenced-off area stuck out of the forest. One main building towered above the other two. Apart from the moss that covered the walls, the area seemed to be in good condition. A smile grew on Amelia's face as she pushed the shrubbery away, getting her first glimpse.
"I think we've found our new home." She grinned as the others joined her.
"Are we safe here? Is there enough distance between us and Dallas' group?" Charlotte asked.
"We've been walking for hours. I think we'll be fine." Amelia answered.
Bobby, Zach and Danny worked on opening the giant doors that led onto the complex. It took a few minutes, but they got in. As the doors flung open, pieces of wood slid across the floor.
"It looks like there were people here." Danny stated.
"Yeah. Let's just hope they're not here anymore." Bobby said. Suddenly, an infected jumped out from the shadows. The barrel of Zach's gun easily penetrated the infected's rotting skull.
"Does that answer your question?" He smirked.
"St. Margarets Boarding School." Ellie read as she followed the boys in.
The room they were in was in a terrible state. An overturned reception desk lie in the middle of the floor. Glass from a smashed computer screen was spread across the floor. There was a staircase to the right. However, it was blocked with a bookcase. The darkness made it hard to see the rest of the mess; but there was enough light to see that the room was unsuitable for sleeping in.
Unexpectedly, the next building was the complete opposite. Open, red curtains lined the windows and a huge, upright table had been placed in the center of the room. On top of the table, cutlery had been laid out. Two water bottles, full with water, stood at the edge.
Amelia picked up one of the bottles, unscrewed the lid and dipped two of her fingers in. After, she brought them to her mouth.
"It's fresh water." She told the group, not believing her own taste buds. She took a swig from one of the bottles and then threw it to Jack. The other bottle was thrown to Ellie. "Share it out."
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Upon entering the final building, Amelia and Bobby found themselves in a hallway. Everyone else was searching the main room for other supplies. There were at least twelve doors that lined the corridor, most leading to identical rooms. The alike rooms contained two single beds and a dresser. Two other rooms contained double beds.
In turn, they checked under all of the beds and in all of the drawers. Amelia held a red, long-sleeved t-shirt against her body, checking it's size.
"That suits you." Bobby told her, walking into the room.
"Thanks." She smiled at the remark, kissing him on the cheek.
"I'm really proud of you." He admitted. "Lately, you've been taking the role of a leader. Sarah would be proud of you, too. And Mom and Dad."
The mention of their caretaker felt like a bullet in the stomach to Amelia.
"I wish Sarah was here." She admitted, folding the red t-shirt up and placing it back into the drawer.
"Me too, Amelia..." Bobby sighed. "Me too..."
Without warning, Vicky walked into the room and interrupted their moment.
"There's a double bed in the end room, Bobby. We'll sleep there tonight." Vicky asserted.
"Actually, babe, I'm gonna sleep in this room with Amelia tonight." Bobby informed her. Amelia smiled.
"Sure, whatever." Vicky sighed. "I guess I'll go and sleep with Jackie. She needs me more than you anyway."
"Don't be like that." He groaned.
"I'm going to.. um..." Amelia began, trying to think of an excuse. "I'll go and see if Jackie's okay."
As Amelia walked out the door, she sighed. She did not want to be in the middle of an argument, especially after their long day.
"You blew off the chance to sleep with me, just so that you could be in the same room as your sister." Vicky stated the obvious.
"Sarah looked after us since she was nineteen years old. She was like a mom to us. And, she just died. Think about how Amelia feels right now. I think she'd appreciate it, if you'd let the only other person that shares her pain, sleep in the same room as her for one night." Bobby argued. "I love you, Vicky. I love you, unconditionally. But, sometimes, you step way out of line."
"I know." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I love you too."
Vicky wrapped her arms around Bobby's kneck and pulled him in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She giggled as they pulled away.
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In the third and final building, Ellie helped Zach and Danny clear the infected. This building was even more wrecked than the first one. All three people were tired and, due to this, their reactions were slower than usual. They had thought about clearing the final building in the morning but decided that it was better to clear it that night. Zach had given his gun to Ellie, using a crowbar that they had found instead. Danny held the other gun.
Zach took down the first infected with a revolting squelch. Hearing a groan, Ellie pivoted and shot two bullets into the shadows. A single, dead infected fell out of the darkness. Zach quickly grabbed Ellie while Danny beat the infected that was creeping up behind her.
"In here." Zach ordered as he kicked one of the doors open.
The trio stood inside a classroom, trying to get their breath back. Square desks and chairs had been pushed to the corner of the room and a plaid picnic blanket was laid out on the floor. Ellie began to walk over to one of the chairs but stopped when something squelched underneath her sneaker.
"G-guys..." She stuttered. "I don't think we're alone in here."
The familiar sound of groaning began to fill the room as two infected rose from the floor. Zach grabbed his torch, focusing the light on them.
Outside of the room, infected began to gather. A bang on the door turned the three's attention from the infected inside of the room to the ones outside. Distracted, Ellie gave the infected the chance to grab onto her hair.
Danny ran and held the door closed as Zach ran to his wife. He planted the crowbar between the infected's eyes as the other edged towards Danny. Once Ellie was free, Zach attempted to pull the crowbar out. It was stuck on the deceased's ethmoid bone. Ellie jumped up from the floor and raised her gun. With a single shot, she stook the other infected down.
However, their problems were far from over. Danny was struggling with the door and the arms of the other infected were reaching inside. Zach and Ellie helped but it was no use. The only exit was blocked by a herd of infected.
"We're going to have to kill them all." Danny spoke up. "It's the only way out."
Zach nodded. "Three, two, one."
Zach, Ellie and Danny all leaped forwards and turned around to face the infected. They poured into the room, hungry for their next meal. Ellie and Danny rapidly fired their pistols. Zach waited until the infected got close before swinging the crowbar. Ellie dropped her gun's empty magazine to the floor and reloaded it with a full round of ammunition.
"I'm out!" Danny called. He moved to the back of the room and relied on the married pair to finish the infected off. Once there was only one remaining infected, Zach dropped to the floor. He panted, trying to get his breath back.
"Finally." Ellie exhaled as she fired her pistol for the final time that night.
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Amelia and Bobby laid in their seperate beds, trying to get to sleep. Amelia wore a white night gown that she had found in one of the drawers. Bobby wore his old, ripped boxers.
"Amelia." Bobby whispered. "Are you asleep?"
"No, I can't sleep." She admitted.
"Me neither. It's funny." He chuckled. "I've dreamt about having a proper bed to sleep on for weeks. Now I have one, it feels too strange to sleep."
"I know how you feel."
Silence fell between the pair.
"Do you remember, years ago, when we had a snowball fight with Sarah in the garden of our little bungalow?" Amelia reminisced.
"Yes!" Bobby grinned. "And then, we woke up the next day to find that Sarah had stayed up all night to build us an igloo!"
"And it collapsed within a few hours!" She continued. The two burst into fits of laughter.
"I miss times like that; Sarah was so good to us. Even though we were in the middle of an apocalypse, she still made sure that we had a good childhood." He told her.
"Yeah..." Another minute of silence occured between them. "Goodnight, Bobby."
"Goodnight."