Down the line

12 - Sun

23rd August 2017

Today the collectors brought back a collection of bicycles. I hadn't ridden a bike in God knows how long. We got Luke to watch Lee as I encouraged Clem to go for a bike ride with me around Wellington.

See, I'd never been good at these sort of things. Clem tried to get out of it by stating she was pregnant but there was no bumps showing yet, she couldn't get out of it that easily. I literally dragged her out of the office block. I don't think she appreciated it, at least I allowed her to get dressed first.

Mmm naked Clem on a bicycle.

She made me get on the damn thing first and when I attempted to push off I just happened to fall off of the damn thing. I'd never seen Clem laugh so hard, I thought she was dying since she couldn't even breathe. It was at that point I then forced her to ride it.

A few moments before I realised that I had scraped my knee and there was now a hole in the knee of my pants. Clem's actually stitching it right now as I write this.

I ran beside Clem as she figured out how to ride it just right. She took advantage of the hot weather as her dress flapped about in the wind waving goodbye like a handkerchief as the bike fled away. Beautiful as usual.

When the kids are older, I can't wait to teach them how to ride a bike. It's a key skill.

Lewis POV

"FREEDOM MOTHERFUCKERS!" My big brother shouts as he stands on the steps of reception and throws his hands in the air.

"What's he doing?" Hendrix mumbles to me as he sits on the desk and watches. I lean my elbow on the wooden desk and watch my idiotic brothers actions.

" I haven't got a fucking clue." I shake my head as I watch Lee turn around and throw both of his middle fingers up at me and Hendrix again before backing down the steps with the rucksack of his very little possessions.

"You did tell him her lost his house right?" Hendrix asks me. I turn around to face him.

"You didn't tell him?" My eyes light up.

"I thought you did." Hendrix shrugs as he pushes around some useless paperwork on the desk.

"It doesn't really matter as long as that guy in his old house isn't too pissed off at his arrival." I begin to laugh and Hendrix joins in.

The walkie-talkie begins to buzz. Hendrix picks it up quickly.

"Reception reporting." He swiftly reports. I give him a look and his lifts up his finger.

"Did you let Lee go?" The voice says. It was Danny.

"About 5 minutes ago, why?" I look outside. Nobody was to be seen apart from a few kids coming out of the school, lessons most likely disrupted by Lee's shouting.

"He's already shouting about. I'll put a monitor on him, don't want him fucking up his life choices again." Danny sighs down the walkie-talkie. I just begun to read through a few documents on the desk. Hendrix was typing up handwritten notes on the typewriter. We had a shit tonne of old typewriters and ink. Too much paper to even count.

"Copy that, sounds good." Hendrix nods at me and I just continue to stare at the paper until he puts the radio device down.

"What's with the fucking 'copy that'? " I mock him whilst laughing.

"Makes me feel...I don't know, your sister likes it." He smirks.

"Yeah, right. It's more likely a man will walk on the sun than my sister fucking you." I begin to chuckle.

"It must be possible to walk on the sun then." He folds over his arms and grins.

I try not to vomit but the doors open behind me and I see my mom and my uncle walk in. Just in time, before I spew over the desk.

"Hello children." My mother jokes as she walks in and turns to me. I smile and wave slightly. Luke hobbles in behind her.

"Good afternoon to the wonderful Mrs.Turner and Mr. Bennett." Hendrix sucks up by nodding at them both. My mother grins as usual, flattered by the 19 year olds words. I roll my eyes and my mom catches me. She swats me on my arm.

"You're more like your dad than you'd expect." She grins, I do the same back to her.

"So, what's everyone here for today then?" Hendrix asks as he sits smugly at the desk.

"They're here to talk about your behaviour with April." I joke, I watch Hendrix's face turn pale and he gulps. I tried so hard not to burst out laughing.

"Leave the poor boy alone." My mom swats me on the arms again and I begin to laugh.

"I'm going to see Nick, can you open the hatch?" Luke asks before leaning on the desk. Hendrix immediately stands up and does as Luke commanded.

I didn't know whether or not to pry into the business of Luke and Nick or make do somewhere else.

"Luke, you okay to go home on your own?" My mom shouts at him just before he makes his way down the stairs.

"Of course! If not I'll just make Hendrix take me back." He laughs. I knew that Hendrix didn't really like being called that, he much preferred Jimi. But, Hendrix sort of stuck so now I only called him Jimi as a joke.

My mom waves them off and then turns towards me.

"You want to come grab some lunch?" She smiles up at me. Her smile so innocent and yet so sad. Even though sometimes you couldn't see through her smiles I always could. On the inside she was broken, a mess. But she held it together better than anyone else could.

"Sure, let's walk." I produce a smile back to her and open up the door to reception. The same building that used to be our home for so many years.

We walked down the steps together. The same steps that I had grown to know, the same steps I was brought up on. I used to climb them every single day.

We begin to walk back into the village. It was only a 15 minute or so walk, I suggested to mom for her to get a bike or something but she refuses.

"You okay, with today?" My mom asks me as we step in sync.

"I think I should be the one asking you that question." I chuckle lightly.

"I'm fine...just a little upset is all." She shrugs. Last year on the anniversary of dad's death she was a mess. The entire year before that had been a mess.

She hadn't functioned properly at all. Then a few months ago some random guy from the other side of the village started speaking to her. He seems to have brightened her spirits, as selfish as it sounded I didn't want her to have another relationship.

She was a lot older now and I know the only person she's ever loved is dad. They fitted together better than top of the range super glue. I mean, they were inseparable from the start. With the diary I had been reading and eye witness accounts it all added up, they were the power couple of Wellington. Without them, who knows? Wellington could fall.

Although I don't think it ever will. If it did we would just put humanity at risk, we could even be the last community alive in America. Although I heard rumours spreading that a collector had seen a camp near DC. People patrolling on horses or some shit. That was too far from us to care. Didn't want to intervene.

"You have every right to be upset. Have you heard from April?" I question my sisters appearance. She never usually showed up.

"You know she wouldn't remember." My mom sighs as we continue to walk.