Forgotten Redemption

3 - Mommy?

I was finishing a meal of oatmeal sat on the sofa. I was reading a book. I flicked the musty pages over and took another spoonful of oatmeal. The door swings open and Josh presents himself.

"Shit shit shit" he says swinging his body on the bed in front of me and kicking the door shut. My relaxation time was over. I put a piece of paper in my book for a bookmark and close it.

"What's the matter?" I ask him as he buries his head in the pillow. He replies with a grumble.

"Thanks for talking to me" I sigh sarcastically. He sits up and strokes his hair out of his face.

"This is so stressful! Dad wants me to figure out all of the defences. We don't have enough materials to build another wall around Jericks farm and he just assumes I can magic some up.". He groans.

"Can't the collectors go and get some materials?" I ask

"They're trying but we need them back as soon as possible. I can't work on anything without the materials. This whole thing is fucked. The herd might not even hit. It probably won't come anywhere near us. Dad just likes to wind people up" he stands up and come and sits beside me. I take another bite of my meal before speaking.

"He's just trying to protect us. Like he always has" I explain to him. He just starts to undo his large boots. They were black and crawled up the side of his leg. The laces were long and flopped out to the side in a bunny ear formation. They suited him but they smelt rubbery and stunk the room out when he took them off.

"But I'm worried about him. He's so used to just watching Wellington roll by. He hasn't ever had to deal with walkers before, just people. Alive people, not dead people" he throws his boots off to the side.

"Well he should be fine then. The living is more scary than the dead. Fight the dead, fear the living" I say as I collect the last bit of oatmeal in my spoon.

"He thinks he can do it, but even if it does hit...I don't think he can" Josh looks at the door blankly.

"Why's that?" I stand up and take my bowl over to the desk we call the kitchen.

"He can't command an army. He can't command the people of Wellington either, they only follow him because he built this place from the ground. I have no faith in him keeping these people alive, none of us can" he sighs and lays down on the sofa with his hands behind his head.

"Well I need to go and look after Nick. So I will be heading next door for a while" I state brushing back my hair in the mirror, still wearing the scruffy cap I've worn for years. How that tatty thing is still in shape I had no idea how, same blood splatters on it as usual. I never bothered washing them off.

"Can't you bring the little guy here?" Josh asks.

"All of his toys are in Luke's room, no point in making him bored in this room. Uncle Josh isn't that exciting" I remark with a smirk.

"I'm exciting!" He argues back.

"Yeah right. Nick loves auntie Clem more" I laugh and wave to him. He just shakes his head and lays it back down on the sofa as I leave.

I say goodbye to Luke as he walks out to go and do his night patrol. I make Nick some dinner and play board games with him for a little while before I insist he must go to bed. He would always try and get me to allow him to stay up longer than Luke did. Sometimes I would give in and let him stay up half an hour longer than his bedtime, he loved me for this.

I read him a story book and tucked him up inside the warm blankets. A small bed adjacent to Luke's double bed, barely fitting in the tight room.

"You need to go to bed now" I pull the covers to his little chin. He looked more and more like Luke everyday. It was upsetting that no trace of Anna could be seen, it was as if Luke's genes took over to create the perfect mini him.