Decaying Hearts

Daisies

Once we returned to camp John cleared his throat standing just inside the gap of the campers, "I know this is a hard time, but we can't stay here." I turned back, my eyes flicking up to him. "With all those gunshots we can't risk raiders finding us again, but we especially can't risk another group of infected pushing through. These campers don't give us enough protection,"

We all stood, now turned around facing John, our attention focused on the words that just left his mouth.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Jacob inquired, his red bloodshot eyes wrapped up in concern.

"We will find somewhere," John attempted to reassure us all, but the expression on his face was anything but reassuring.

I glanced over the faces of our group. They all held similar emotions of varying levels of fear and concern. Everyone anxiously shifted around, we haven't had to move since I first joined the group.

"We can't just go out there aimlessly looking for a new camp, that's stupid," Jerry raised his voice.

"There's a farmhouse out past highway one sixty. It has cattle fences all around it, not the best, but would be decent at keeping out the freaks," Kieran chimed in, repositioning himself on his crutch.

"And how do you know that?" Jerry snarkily retorted, glaring at Kieran.

"I've obviously been there, asshole. Use some fucking brain cells," Kieran's jaw clenched at Jerry's tone.

If this had been any other day that comment would make me smile. Seeing someone put Jerry in his place, but today all it did was make me angrier at Jerry.

"Is it isolated?" John interrogated, intrigued by this suggestion.

"Yeah, I didn't see another house for miles after it," Kieran shrugged, keeping his attention on John.

"So what we follow this stranger? For all we know he could be leading us into a trap," Jerry animatedly voiced in a whiny voice. He glanced around at us all attempting to rally support.

"Then stay here. No one will miss you," I quipped, sending him a death glare when his eyes met mine. I turned on my heels, walking around Isaac towards the camper. They don't need me here to make the decision and if I stay I might end up punching Jerry.

I sat against my bed, harshly flicking the hair tie that rested on my wrist against my skin. Listening to the muffled voices from outside. We'd be leaving Lexi here alone, no one to visit her grave, no one to tell her how much they miss her.

The voices died down, before going completely dead. Isaac popped his head in to tell me I needed to gather my stuff up quickly, that we were leaving as soon as everyone was packed up. I didn't have much to gather, you can't be a hoarder these days.

After I had shoved all my clothes into my bag I opened the small drawer beside the bed. My gaze glued to the two rings that laid at the bottom of the wooden drawer. My mom and dad's wedding rings. All I had left of them.

My fingers curled around the warm metal, before slipping my mother's ring onto my index finger. I never wore it, in case it fell off somewhere in this wasteland and was lost forever. I examined the silver band with a small black diamond on the forefront of it. My mom never liked the traditional or big diamonds, so my father got this one for her. His band matching the black theme. I slid his ring into the safety of my backpack.

Everyone was finished or very close to finishing packing while I loaded my stuff into the back of the Jeep. I glanced around the empty camp, everyone was inside their campers ensuring they left nothing behind. I had to visit Lexi's grave one last time.