To Be A Hero

Chapter 51: No Good At Goodbyes

"How's your leg feeling?"

Jordan groans as he pushes himself up against the wall. "It hurts. Just like it did twenty minutes ago when you asked."

Singer wraps her arms around herself, slightly embarrassed by her constant hovering. "Sorry." She peers outside the boarded up window at the back of the house. "It'll be daylight soon, I think."

They fled from the hardware when the zombies came. After what seemed like hours of running, they broke into this house, barricaded the doors and windows, and they've been keeping secure bandages wrapped around Jordan's leg in hopes it will lessen the smell of the blood. So far it's been okay. So far they've managed to keep themselves alive, but Singer knows that they can't hide in here forever. And she has to be back by sunrise, or else they'll think she's dead.

And Katelyn needs her.

Singer knows she's getting restless, but she's trying to keep her decisions well thought out and calculated. It's hard, because she just wants to be safe again, and she isn't. She isn't, and neither is Jordan.

Singer stands, offering a hand to Jordan, which he takes. She pulls him up, helping him walk as they both head over to the boarded up window near the front of the house. Peeking through the cracks, Singer sees that there are no zombies out at the moment, and she knows they have to take this chance now if they want to get back to the base.

Still, she grabs her gun and hands it to Jordan, and she grabs her wrench. She lets Jordan lean against the wall while she pushes the dresser off from the door, and it opens with a loud creak.

She grabs Jordan, helping him walk along down the streets. They make sure to stay hidden in the shadows, always listening, always searching. Singer can feel the tenseness in Jordan's body, and she fears he may shoot the gun while not meaning to. That's the last thing they need, and she makes sure to whisper that to him as they move along.

He frowns at her, and Singer knows this is because of her age, but she doesn't particularly care, since she's the one who's helping him get out of this.

But she worries. Jordan said he had a brother earlier. What does he plan to do once they get back to the base? Does he plan on asking them to find him? If he does, will the unnamed man who threw Singer out here even agree to it?

She doesn't know. But Singer supposes that they need to focus on staying alive and getting back home first.

Home... she hates herself for thinking it as such, because it's not, not really. That place isn't home. It will never be home. That place... it's shelter, but it's cold and filled with pain.

She hates it there, but there's no other place they can go.

So they keep heading onward, the sun slowly starting to make its appearance into the sky, making the sky line turn shades of orange and pink. It would almost be beautiful if the fear of death wasn't looming over their heads.

The morning always comes, but Singer knows that with the morning comes the nameless man. He'll be waiting for her, and she fears we won't be waiting for long, so she tries to speed up, holding onto Jordon as he limps beside her. She has a hard time carrying his weight, but she knows she can't just leave him.

She's already got enough blood on her hands. She doesn't want any more.

Eventually, after roaming the streets and evading the zombies, the base comes into view. 

"There it is. There's safety," She says, and she picks up the pace, her mind zoning in on the target. She pushes on, breathes heavily, only thinking of getting back to safety with Jordan. She has to. For Katelyn.