Perish • Ben Parish

05

Nugget Pov

As Zombie walked down the hall- towards me, I ducked back into the room, hoping he hadn't seen me. 

What had just happened? 

Canary kisses him and he walks away? That just wasn't right. 

I expected Canary to call after him, tell him to come back and plead for him to answer her. But I heard the sound of Zombie's footfalls diminish as he passed the door, signaling that he was leaving without much of a protest. 

I moved to race after Zombie, figuring that if Canary couldn't say anything, I'd do it for her. 

"Sams, what are you doing?" Cassie asked, looking up from Evan's pale face. 

I stopped in my tracks, turning around to face her. "Listening to Zombie and Canary's conversation," I said truthfully. 

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, Sammy. You know better," she said, shaking her head softly. "I bet we'll hear about their conversation soon anyway. They were probably just discussing our next plan of attach now that Poundcake, Teacup, and Ringer are MIA." 

Of course that wasn't it, but I nodded my head yes. 

"Yeah, you're right. I think I heard something about that," I said. I shuffled closer to Cassie, deciding to sit on my mattress. 

Cassie nodded. "So how long has Lucy been with you all?" she asked. 

I furrowed my brows in confusion. Oh right. Lucy was Canary... or Canary was Lucy. Either way, they were the same person. 

"She was in our squad," I said, shrugging. "She came about a couple weeks after the rest of us got there." 

Cassie looked down at Evan, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes. "And she's good friends with Ben?" 

Ben was Zombie. Zombie was Ben. That one I'd gotten used to. 

"Yeah, i guess so. They started off not liking one another. But then they got close and then I think something happened between them at the base...right before Evan blew it up," I said thoughtfully. 

"What makes you say that?" Cassie asked, cocking her head to the side. 

I shrugged. "Well Zombie hasn't been the same since. He seems... well I don't know. He seems very protective of her." 

Cassie nodded. "hm that's interesting." 

"Why?" I asked. 

"We all went to high school together," Cassie said. "They never talked to one another then. I wouldn't be surprised if Ben didn't even know she went to the same school as us." 

I picked up my gun from amidst the blankets, flipping it over in my hands. 

"I don't think it really matters," I said. "I think everyone wants to forget about everything before the Others came." 

Cassie looked up from Evan and back at me. "There's still some things everyone wants to remember. For me, it's Mom. And Dad. Even high school. 

I nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh. "Yeah. But it still doesn't make a difference. I dunno if Canary and Zombie talked before the Others but they sure do talk a lot now. I actually really think they like one another." 

"Lucy and Ben? Liking one another as in 'more than friends'?" 

I nodded. "They like-like one another." 

"Do you know that for sure or are you just guessing?" Cassie asked skeptically. 

I wiped a smudge of dirt off the barrel of the gun, starting to get bored with the conversation. Why did she care so much?