Life After the Undead (Completed)

PART 12: The Lost Ones .1

Rebecca's P.O.V.

Once the snow hit the ground, we were all grounded. At first it was great, we enjoyed each other's company, but after a week we were all tired of one another and we were starting to argue. I argued with Will, with Melissa but mostly I argued with Evelyn.

Arguing with Evelyn was hard, because she wouldn't argue per say, instead she would stare at me. Her head would be tilted in confusion as if she were a confused dog or she didn't understand a thing I was saying. It was almost like she didn't even think I was worth arguing with. She would say nothing as I yelled at her, sometimes she would walk away while I was talking other times she'd just sigh out an apathetic: whatever, and then lock herself in her room in the attic. As far as she could possibly get away from us.

Every argument, however, ended with the same thing, me crying on Connor's shoulder. He was definitely a good comforter, and if I didn't have Will I might have kissed him by now. Though, at that time, Will was getting more and more distant with me. We hadn't slept together in weeks and I was getting antsy. If Will wasn't careful I'd cheat on him with Connor. Or Godrick. Both were cute and very interested in me. I still wasn't sure which one I was 100% interested in, though.

The good thing about winter, meant there were no zombies to feed, as Evelyn didn't have any zombies to train. It meant less chores that a girl had to do. Or well... there were less chores that Evelyn trusted me with. I was supposed dust and I was supposed to be in charge of meals, but I wasn't good at cooking and well... I always forgot to dust cause... ew, cleaning.

Another good thing about this winter situation was that, since hibernation started, Evelyn liked to sleep in. Which meant there was plenty of time for me to convince Conner to clean for me. It was pretty easy to sucker him into doing things for me, because I just had to blink my eyes and flirt a little and the boy fell all over me. It was part of the reason I liked him so much in the first place. He clearly appreciated me and my beauty and I always liked that.

That morning, Evelyn was still sleeping. Which was odd because Drifters were on the compound. Melissa kept mentioning that it was weird that Jack and Godrick could always get onto Evelyn's property even if she was asleep, even when the drawbridge was pulled up. Jack had no idea what Melissa was talking about, and every time you asked Evelyn she'd just stare at you.

I hated that. I hated that she answered questions with uncomfortable silence and a withering glare.

Melissa let them into the house, I was expecting Godrick or some sort of supply run. But it was just Jack, covered in snow. He took off his boots, let Melissa offer him a tea and then said that he wasn't there to talk to Evelyn or see Melissa, though seeing Melissa was just a bonus of coming to the Shady house. No, he was there because there was a problem with the car and he wanted to talk to Will.

So the two got bundled up and then they went out into the cold. To be a doting nice girlfriend, I went into the kitchen to make them both a hot chocolate. I was always saying that this sugary stuff would kill my figure, but I was secretly hoping Jack would go home and I could drink his. Which was why I added a few extra mini marshmallows into his.

Did I mention how much I missed the luxuries like mini marshmallows? Or marshmallows in general? Apparently, Evelyn knew a person who could make marshmallows. We were in the middle of an apocalypse, struggling to survive and Evelyn had a marshmallow guy. Madness, pure madness I tell you.

But I was reaping the benefits now so I wasn't about to complain so long as the marshmallows kept coming.

When Will came back inside, only fifteen minutes later, he too was covered in snow. His glasses were fogged up, so I took them from his face to fix and then put the hot chocolate into his hands to help warm him.

"Is Jack coming back in?" I asked, because I had to keep pretenses up.

"Naw, it was a quick fix, just a loose belt," he told me. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

I nodded and started sipping on the hot chocolate that was officially mine. "Did anything happen while you were out there? Looked like you two were chatting."

And that was true. Usually when Jack came in for a fix, he just stood by and watched. Didn't like to get dirty if he could help it, and he was usually more interested in Melissa. As soon as he told me he wasn't interested in Melissa I couldn't help but be suspicious.

"Yeah, I mean no. Nothing happened. We were just talking, you know? Small talk?"

"About what?"

"God, Rebecca, do you have to be so goddamn nosy?" he thundered and I gasped. Recently this was common, outbursts like that. Said I was smothering him. But we were supposed to be married, or officially together or some shit. So why the hell didn't he want me around?

"I was just asking a question," I said with a huff. "There is not need to snap at me!"

I found my voice raising at the last of that sentence and for a second it looked like we might break out into another argument that woke Evelyn up. That would be the only time I could get a straight answer out of her because she would be so cranky she'd tell me exactly what she was thinking. Usually it was profanities and insults. It was how I knew she really didn't like me.

But Will surprised me by stopping. He took a deep breath, almost softened and then pulled me in for a hug. "Sorry about that Becs." It was a nickname for me, one he rarely used anymore. To hear it surprised me. Was he okay? "I'm just not feeling well."

A cold? Damn a cold these days could kill you. We didn't have meds or proper housing and the coughing attracted zombies. Though... now that we were with Evelyn it would probably be easier to survive a cold.

"I'll go get Evelyn, maybe she has cold medicine."

I was more than 100% positive that Evelyn had cold medicine, but Will stopped me from going by hugging me again. "Don't worry about it. I'm just going to lie down for a bit. When Evelyn wakes up, I'll ask her then, okay?"

He was being so nice to me that I couldn't even find it in me to be annoying or argue. Normally I would ask to dote on him, maybe to get some cuddle time now that he'd be too weak to actually fend me off. But I also didn't want to get sick.

So, I smiled, wished him better and let him climb up the stairs to his room. Maybe I'd make Melissa help me make soup. Just to help us all over come whatever cold Will was coming down with before we catch our deaths from him ourselves.