The Walking Dead

Chapter 8

Diamond woke early, blinking to just the beginning of sunrise. There were two beds in the room, but late last night, Mae had straggled her way to Di's bed. She was scared, and Diamond didn't mind comforting her. She already saw Mae as a little sister. She got up, flashing a smile at Willie Mae's adorable sleeping face. As she neared the bathroom, she noticed light seeping out through the crack in the door. Who was up already?

She made to knock on the door, but it swung open first. Her eyes widened when she saw Ellis, a towel wrapped around his bottom half, but not covering his abs. His dark hair fell wet around his face, and he had a thin layer of water droplets covering his muscled body. "Oh, hey," he said with a grin, not seeming to notice Diamond's awe. "I didn't see ya there. Mornin'."

He left casually, leaving her to stare after his toned back, jaw dropped. After she showered, dressed in a golden Dolce and Gabbana shirt and white quilted shorts, and helped Mae, they went downstairs. Ellis stood in the kitchen, dressed in khaki shorts and a flannel shirt. "Here you go," she said, leading Mae to a chair.

"Willie Mae!" Ellis greeted.

"Ellis!" Mae exclaimed happily as he hugged her.

"Need help?" Diamond asked.

"Sure. I'm getting some fruit together for breakfast. Wanna look through that cabinet for something to go along with it?"

"Yeah!" she walked over and opened the door. It was stuffed full of food -- the family must have been infected pretty early. She rummaged around, moving chips, cans of vegetables, pasta, soups, and getting to a box. "Oh! Will cereal bars work?"

"Perfect!" he took them and set them on the table along with a bowl of fruit salad.

Dalton came downstairs first as Diamond, Willie Mae, and Ellis were eating. He looked tired and annoyed like usual, and he didn't say a word. Sloane came next, but Henry came in through the door. "You're up early," Ellis commented.

"Yeah," Did she imagine his glance to Sloane? "I was out investigating. The family has a car in the garage!"

"No way!" Ellis exclaimed. "Do you know anything about cars?"

Henry scratched his neck awkwardly. "Not really..."

Ellis shrugged. "No worries. I know a thing or two. Together we may be able to figure something out."

They left, and Diamond couldn't help but pity Dalton, who had been left behind. But maybe it was for the best -- he'd probably just start a fight. Sloane finished her last slice of watermelon, and announced, "I'm going to get changed."

"Okay. Mae, do you want to go help the boys?" Mae nodded, knowing Diamond's not-so-secret crush on Ellis.

She looked at her brother. "Oh, uh, Dalton --"

"I'll sit here. Don't worry, Di, I'll behave," he added bitterly.

"Dalt..." she whined, giving him her big blue puppy eyes.

He looked up warily and sighed. "Sorry. I'll, uh, look around for supplies or something."

She and Mae took waters outside, and handed them to the boys. "Thanks, Di," Ellis said absentmindedly.

Diamond pursed her lips. "So... Is the car in good shape?"

Ellis exhaled in frustration. "No. Its a total wreck. I don't think we can fix it."

Diamond frowned at his sudden lack of optimism. "Why? Are there materials you need that you can't get, or --"

"No, no, I'm just not a good enough mechanic."