The Cure Within

Jack Hill

Jack has been alone since practically the start. He was going on nine months or this endless hell. He had lost everything he cared about at the start. He wasn't even sure what kept him going. Sometimes when he wanted to give up something in him just wouldn't let him. He wondered if it was his little sister. Sometimes when he could hear her voice telling him that he has to keep going. He could hear his mom telling him that if he gave up he would be disappointing her. He couldn't do that. He would never disappoint his mom. So everyday he kept walking. It was to the point now that he didn't even know where he was going. He didn't know if he had a destination honestly he was just walking. He wasn't even thinking. It was like he was a robot, walk and walk and walk if he saw a dead one kill it then walk some more. If he came across a squirrel or rabbit kill it and eat a little then keep walking. It was an involuntary movement. His whole life at this point was an involuntary movement. Until he came across a gravel road and decided to follow it. He didn't know hy he decided to but he did. He walked two miles when he saw something. He saw a..... wall? Who made a wall? Was there other survivors? He wasn't alone? He wasn't. There were other people who had to live through all of this. Other people who could understand him. Other people who could understand him. He saw a man who looked to be around forty, he had mostly gray hair with some black mixed into it and he had a gray beard. He looked like he was on watch maybe. Jack got his gun out and had it ready to shoot just in case. He had come across people but they were bad and he had to kill them if he wanted to live so he did. He was prepared to do the same here. He didn't want to but he would because he was not going to die. "Hey asshole! You all alive there? Inside your cozy ass walls....you got room for another person by chance?" "Who the hell are you?" "Jack Hill. Do you have the room for another or not? Because if you don't I'm leaving now so don't like, shoot me or anything." " We got room. For good people. How old are you?" "I'm uh...like nineteen." " You a good kid?" " Hell no. But I'm loyal if you feed me." The man cracked a smile at that. "You sound harmless enough. John! Get your ass over here we got a kid at the gate wanting in." Jack faintly heard another voice yell. "So let him in Donnie damn." " You think I'm moving that gate. Hell no. Come let him in." Jack stood there for another minute or two when the creaking of metal sounded and he could see the gate opening. The place wasn't huge but it wasn't small and there were no dead ones. There also weren't a lot of people but some was more than none and none was all he had for the past nine months. He saw a group of kids over by some makeshift targets that had arrows sticking out of them. The children were talking away as if nothing bad ever happened. As if the world hadn't ended. He saw a man and a woman he hadn't seen yet as well as a couple of other people walking around. The guy that opened the gate was tall and looked strong with jet black hair and shit brown eyes, Jack recalled the other man calling him John. John was basically in his face talking to him. "Don't try anything stupid or I will kill you. You can keep your weapons but don't let me see you threaten anyone. If you hurt anyone here, especially the kids, you will have a very slow and painful death. I promise you that. Welcome to the shop. Crappy name but who cares it's safe. We make sure of that. I gotta ask you a question and if you don't answer truthfully and I find out otherwise I will kill you. How many people have you killed?" " Um ok that's a lot dude you're just gonna kill me for anything apparently. Ok I killed some people but it was justified, it was them or me." " How many?" " Seven. My lucky number." Jack let out a chuckle at his joke but John did not seem amused. He actually seemed pissed. "I'm kidding dude y'all are safe here and you can't take a joke. Come on, lighten up." "We ain't always safe here kid we've had our share of bad people." The guy that had been on watch spoke. "Right. Sorry. So where do I go? Where do I put my stuff?" "Over in that trailer. Follow me." So Jack followed the man that had been on watch,whose name was Donnie he gathered. Jack felt this was a new start for him but he also has a lingering feeling that something bad was gonna happen here. Still he was happy to be here and happy to meet these new people who would become his family.When he walked into the trailer he noticed that it wasn't very big but he saw it had running water as there was a lady getting water from the tap.The guy took him to the end of the trailer and gave him a room right next to a bathroom. It wasn't huge but it wasn't small either and the guy said it was all his unless they ran out of room and had to start putting people in the same rooms. This was the only house they had and there had been a big garage but it didn't seem like there was much space but they seemed to be making it work. They were definitely resourceful. They had built the wall out of a bunch of junk. Maybe this could work out and he could be happy.