“High ground, good visibility, far from the main road. Hell, I'd never have stumbled upon the place if I hadn't spotted a light up here last night. Plus, you've got that lake, so there's always going to be water. Good soil, too. Nice and remote.” He pauses, clearly lost in thought. “A man could keep himself alive in a place like this. Or he'd have a good chance, anyway. No-one to blame but himself if he messed it up.”
In the distance, there's a faint rumbling sound from the sky, and I immediately edge a little closer to Jon. He doesn't seem scared about the weather, though, so I try to stay calm. I've heard the sky rumbling before and it always passes eventually.
“Plus the dog,” Richard adds, looking down at me and smiling that same smile that always sets me on edge. “Looks like a tough chap. And I see you have a rifle. Myself, I don't think I'm cut out for the rugged, survivalist lifestyle, but maybe you can make it work. Roaming the apocalyptic landscape and -”
He pauses, before grabbing the bottle.
“Oh, but where are my manners?” he asks, leaning closer to Jon and pouring some more liquid into his glass, this time all the way to the top. “Have some more!”
“I really don't think I -”
“Nonsense, just enjoy it! You're worried about your girl, and there's nothing you can do right now to see if she's alive or dead. That's got to be weighing on your mind. Have a drink to steady your nerves.”
Jon sighs. “I have to go to the city,” he says as he takes another sip from the glass. “I have to look for her.”
“You don't want to do that.”
“I have to!” He takes another, longer sip. “If there's even a chance that she's alive, I have to see if I can help her.”
“A noble sentiment, my friend, but one that's going to get you killed. There are still plenty of those creatures in the city. They might be slow and they might not last long, but there are so many of them, it's hard to run away from one without running straight into another. And they do rather seem to bite.”
“I have to try to find her,” Jon says firmly.
“You might not like what you see if you're successful.”
Jon turns to him. “What do you mean?”
“Just that a lot of people in the city are...” He pauses.
“A lot of people are what?”
“You might find your girl and wish you hadn't,” Richard continues. “I don't think many people avoided the sickness. Now, I imagine that after a few days, maybe a week or two, those walking corpses are just gonna drop. They can't last forever. But until then, there's an awful lot of dead people wandering the streets. They might look like bloated, rotting versions of their old selves, they might even be wearing the same clothes, but there's nothing left of their minds. If I had a girl and I saw her like that...”
His voice trails off.
“I don't know that I'd want to see,” he adds finally. “But if I had to see her, there'd only be one thing I could do to help her now. And that would be to put a bullet in her head, and maybe a few in the rest of her, too. However many it takes to drop those bastards. Could you do that? Could you put her out of her misery?”
Jon hesitates. “If you mean -”
“Could you aim a gun at her rotten face and blow her away?”
Jon flinches.
“Because that's the kind of decision you might have to make if you do find her. Not very romantic, is it?”
Jon stares at him for a moment, his eyes filled with horror, before taking a long sip from the glass. He shudders once he's finished the liquid, and this time he doesn't protest when Richard leans over and gives him a refill.
Worrying that Jon might be getting too sleepy, I paw his leg, but he simply reaches down and pats the side of my face.
“It's okay, Harry,” he tells me. “We're going to get Julie back. I'm not giving up on her. Not ever.”
He continues to drink, as Richard keeps talking. With each sip, Jon seems a little more tired, but at least he's starting to
In the distance, there's a faint rumbling sound from the sky, and I immediately edge a little closer to Jon. He doesn't seem scared about the weather, though, so I try to stay calm. I've heard the sky rumbling before and it always passes eventually.
“Plus the dog,” Richard adds, looking down at me and smiling that same smile that always sets me on edge. “Looks like a tough chap. And I see you have a rifle. Myself, I don't think I'm cut out for the rugged, survivalist lifestyle, but maybe you can make it work. Roaming the apocalyptic landscape and -”
He pauses, before grabbing the bottle.
“Oh, but where are my manners?” he asks, leaning closer to Jon and pouring some more liquid into his glass, this time all the way to the top. “Have some more!”
“I really don't think I -”
“Nonsense, just enjoy it! You're worried about your girl, and there's nothing you can do right now to see if she's alive or dead. That's got to be weighing on your mind. Have a drink to steady your nerves.”
Jon sighs. “I have to go to the city,” he says as he takes another sip from the glass. “I have to look for her.”
“You don't want to do that.”
“I have to!” He takes another, longer sip. “If there's even a chance that she's alive, I have to see if I can help her.”
“A noble sentiment, my friend, but one that's going to get you killed. There are still plenty of those creatures in the city. They might be slow and they might not last long, but there are so many of them, it's hard to run away from one without running straight into another. And they do rather seem to bite.”
“I have to try to find her,” Jon says firmly.
“You might not like what you see if you're successful.”
Jon turns to him. “What do you mean?”
“Just that a lot of people in the city are...” He pauses.
“A lot of people are what?”
“You might find your girl and wish you hadn't,” Richard continues. “I don't think many people avoided the sickness. Now, I imagine that after a few days, maybe a week or two, those walking corpses are just gonna drop. They can't last forever. But until then, there's an awful lot of dead people wandering the streets. They might look like bloated, rotting versions of their old selves, they might even be wearing the same clothes, but there's nothing left of their minds. If I had a girl and I saw her like that...”
His voice trails off.
“I don't know that I'd want to see,” he adds finally. “But if I had to see her, there'd only be one thing I could do to help her now. And that would be to put a bullet in her head, and maybe a few in the rest of her, too. However many it takes to drop those bastards. Could you do that? Could you put her out of her misery?”
Jon hesitates. “If you mean -”
“Could you aim a gun at her rotten face and blow her away?”
Jon flinches.
“Because that's the kind of decision you might have to make if you do find her. Not very romantic, is it?”
Jon stares at him for a moment, his eyes filled with horror, before taking a long sip from the glass. He shudders once he's finished the liquid, and this time he doesn't protest when Richard leans over and gives him a refill.
Worrying that Jon might be getting too sleepy, I paw his leg, but he simply reaches down and pats the side of my face.
“It's okay, Harry,” he tells me. “We're going to get Julie back. I'm not giving up on her. Not ever.”
He continues to drink, as Richard keeps talking. With each sip, Jon seems a little more tired, but at least he's starting to
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