CHAPTER ELEVEN-WELCOME HOME

"Where's my belt, Jayson?" Julia asked as she climbed out of the rear of the truck. She looked up at him with her blue green eyes and she waited. He had insisted a few days back that she hand it over. She'd spent an entire afternoon wishing she was with Caroline and had expressed herself enough to say she had thought about sinking a bullet into her head.

"Um, the belt. I don't have the belt. You do. You were out this morning and-"

"I had Julia, too's weapon's, Jayson. You took my belt and when I got home I gave her stuff back cause you-"

"Jules, I didn't bring it. I thought you found it and-"

"What the fuck, Jay?"

"You don't need it." Chess said quietly.

"Why you thought it was a good idea to you even take my stuff, Jay..."

"I think I will kill myself today. Ring a bell, Julia?" He asked, stepping back from her. He'd seen that angry shade of red on her skin before. She was raging inside. "Julia, don't." He said as he moved back again.

"Rules, Julia. Rules." Chess droned as he helped Julia down from the rear of the truck.

"It's cool. I'll be defenseless." She yelled.

Jay unhooked his own belt from his waist and held it out to her. "Here. Take it." He sighed.

"Keep it." Chess droned in the same calm voice. "We only need her hands." Chess walked off toward the field with Julia and Jody. Alex intervened with Jay and Julia, nudging her to get her walking. Julia's anger tended to boil and when she reached a certain level, she would escalate a bad situation and make it worse. "Hey, Julia, our go bags are in the office and we got extra weapons. Just cool it."

"I should have never let him take them." She commented. "Where'd you hide them?"

"Fuck, babe, there in the storage bin under the bed with the rest of the guns you have hoarded under there."

"Jay, under your bed..." Chess shook his head.

"I only did it to make a point."

"A gun is a gun." Alex added. "They're all over the house anyway."

"You can't go making threats either, Julia. Should we make a med run?" Chess asked seriously.

"Fuck you, Chess. You know how I feel-"

"Yeah, and I know how Ray feels, too, and we put them in his food. Should we do it to you?"

"No."

"Then stop your shit."

"It was how I felt at the time." 

Chess pulled the gun from his waist, spun and aimed at her. Jay shoved her out of the way. "Fuck, Chess. What are you doing?"

"Hear it?" He asked, looking past them and to the dorm where the nest was readying for their escape into the night. Dusk had fallen.

"I hear it." Jody said as he continued to walk. "They're getting ready."

"Hear what?" Julia and Alex asked innocently.

Jay looked behind them and only saw Julia picking herself off the ground. "Fuck, I thought you drew on her."

"Move," Julia urged them, annoyed at Jay for having shoved her and knocked her down. They picked up their pace. She snatched Alex by his sleeve and hustled him along through calf high, dying grass to the truck that they'd parked a couple hundred yards from the dorm entrance.

"Keys." Jay yelled as he pulled on the door of the truck.

Chess looked like he'd been hit by a truck as opposed to trying to get inside one. "Jay, dad has them. He drove the truck." He pressed his pockets with his hands.

"You're fucking kidding right?" Julia asked, catching her breath as Jay jumped down from the door.

"Roof. Climb up."

Jay scrambled onto the bumper, then the hood. "Up, come on." He said patiently at them as a weaponless Julia followed suit, leaving Chess and Jody on the ground to scale the truck last. Julia hit the roof and dropped her bag by her feet. She gave Julia a hand up as she reached the hood.

"Chess." Julia seethed. "How we turning the lights on to see? Chess...I cannot believe this."

"I am sorry. We are safe up here though. I swear to God, I never gave the fucking keys a second thought."

The door on the dorm suddenly flung open. The force broke a board off the building's entrance with a loud crack. It caught their attention as they all focused toward the dorms. A throng of hungry souls filed out and into the yard and none of them were ready. Alex mentioned it wasn't dark yet, but it didn't seem to matter to the hive that the sun hadn't completely set. They were not vampires, after all. Their hunger superseded that of the sun's fading rays behind them. Their bodies hit the body of the truck and thumped against the metal. Their weight slightly rocked the cab below the box rear of the truck on which thy stood. Their arms and torsos slammed and one was agile enough to make it onto the bumper and half way onto the hood before the first gunshot, which Julia fired without hesitation. The four with her withdrew their weapons. One bullet was all it took though and she didn't need to be told to stop, but Chess ordered her to stop shooting anyway.

"They all out?" Jay asked as his eyes focused on the dorm entrance.

Chess shrugged a response as his eyes scanned along with Jay's trying a quick head count and that's when Jody aimed and fired toward the building, hitting a tall evergreen adjacent to the door about ten feet. Chess had wondered why, but the nest that dropped in front of him said it all and then the body fell from behind this tree sealed it for him.

"Well organized, this plan." Julia observed as she tucked her gun back into its holster.

"It's not even dark." Alex complained again, peering over the side of the truck at the nest. Bodies slid onto each other and heaped on top of those that had crouched. "This is easier than what we did yesterday."

"Yeah, that was way too easy."

"It's a small nest." Jody shrugged as he hopped onto the hood and kicked the corpse that Julia had shot to the ground.

"You told us not to do anything and she pulls out the gun and shoots it first." Alex complained again.

"Well, the rest of them are not dead yet." Chess reminded him, pointing over the hood. The four stood shoulder to shoulder with Jody in front of them on the hood and they awed at the sight of the immobile crowd below.

"If we hurry, we could go back home before dark." Jay suggested as he looked over his shoulder at the setting sun. Bright with pink and orange hues that fused together into a colorful mosaic in the western sky.

"Fuck that. I live here now." Jody replied as he leaped off the hood to the ground and he pressed his gun against the first skull he saw.

Julia took a seat on the truck itself and she motioned to her twin to sit beside her. "Have a seat, sissy." She smiled as Jay, Chess and Alex followed Jody's initiative on the ground. Multiple head wounds later, the guys dragged them off to a pile and then Julia gave her sidekick a nudge. "Light em up. Release them." She jumped down and waited, making sure Julia followed her. When they reached the ground, Chess handed off that makeshift torch of his to the girl and she walked around the circle of dead and lit them afire. The darkness around them came to light and the warmth enveloped them.

Julia hitched her bag off her shoulder and unzipped it once she took a seat on the ground.

"Hey, sissy." She called, looking at the girl who watched the bodies catch and the flames spread over the pile.

"Huh?" She answered her, looking sad at the sight of the smoke as it curled into the night sky.

Julia motioned to her and she approached after handing off the torch to Jody. Julia held out a water bottle of what appeared to be kool aid. "Very good. Welcome to the family business."

"Oh, thanks. Is this-"

"Sort of." Julia answered. She looked at the guys across from them and she pulled out another water bottle with clear liquid. "For Chess."

"Thanks." She said softly, then turned.

"Hey-"Julia called as she pulled her own bottle from the bag. Julia looked back to her and crouched to hear her vodka loving sissy. "I don't interfere around here with anyone and anything they choose to do, you know." She said quietly as she unscrewed the lid from the bottle. She took a long drink before she continued. "Look, sissy, I guarantee that you will never have Jayson. That is a fact. I suggest you stop dreaming and move on to the one that you can have and build a future with. Understand?"

"I don't-I didn't-"

"I read you loud and clear when we saw all the pretty colors the other night. Where your Jay is, I don't know. But that one right there...he belongs to me." She pointed at Jay holding the neck of her bottle. "Let Chess take you on the ride of your life, please." Julia took another drink, thinking back to what Julia, herself had sad when she took Jody back to the future. The young and the trainable...Julia sat and knew 100% that the future she had had with Chess was fun and kinky, but when she looked at sissy she knew that this one was the one that Julia herself spoke of in that distant future. "He's a good guy."

"Is he the one?"

"Only one way to find out." She answered, a rather simple answer she believed.

"Are you done with Chess?"

"Yes. We were done when he burned my ring."

"Oh, wow."

"So I suggest you get to know him and then, when it's time, you should discuss the wife. Her name is Macy."

"I know of her. He's mentioned her." She answered, taking a seat at her side.

"She's really sweet. She's really damaged. Beautiful girl, loyal, loving and gentle. She will be with both of you."

"I don't like girls." She whispered.

"Who are you kidding?" Julia replied quickly. She covered her hand with hers and she slid into Julia's mind easily. She didn't notice the other night and she didn't notice when Julia crept up her nerves, wrapping around her brain with a strong energy. "Julia Jillian Fry. Tell me about Zoe Flannigan. She was yours, right? You found her and you-"

"Ah, Zoe. The dreams."

"You know better, sissy." Julia laughed. "You piggybacked me for months after we came home. Our timelines have been crossing for ages and now-" She took another long drink. "We merged." She shrugged. "Well, we're starting to merge anyways. So...you're welcome." She giggled.

"Welcome? I don't understand."

"Awe, baby. You are the lucky one. Who is Caleb Downing?"

"Ugh," She moaned. "That fucking creep." Julia saw that the mention of his name revolted her.

"Ugh," Julia moaned as hard as her sissy. "You got off easy with that vax and that bite. I suggest you thank the God you believe in for that." Julia gasped and pulled her hand back. She was starting to catch on to what Julia was doing, especially once she felt the effect of the alcohol taking hold of her reader's brain. "We'll continue this conversation one day. For now...Jayson Keller belongs to me. He always has and he always will." She said, advising and warning at the same time. "Hey, just keep it in mind, but I strongly advise you...to get over there and then live the life he wants to live with you. The wife he wants is sitting right in front of me. You got a bright future. Go get it."

"You're dead serious aren't you?"

"Not often I am." She answered. She refocused her attention on Alex and called him over. She held out her hand and he pulled her off the ground. "Take a drink." She said, putting the bottle in his hand. Alex eyed her skeptically and took a gulp of vodka. She swiped the bottle back after his second gulp. "Good night. I love you." She smiled, kissing her brother's cheek.

"Yeah, I love you, too." He smiled as Julia walked off toward Jayson. She took another long drink from her bottle and then handed off the rest to Jody. "Here, you need this. I don't." She took Jayson's hand and tugged him toward the dorms. "Jay, we have to talk." She murmured.

"Yeah, baby, sure." He said, taking her against his chest.

"No tears, promise. I feel hella-good. So we'll talk and fuck. Cause I like to fuck. A lot."

"We know." Chess sighed.

"Oh, Mr Morgan, don't be so bitchy. I got your girl ready for you. Go get her. You always needed help, didn't you?"

"Oh, it's time to go." Jay mumbled, fearing the fight that could be had right on the lawn of the new fortress home.

"Fuck off, Julia." He mumbled.

"Oh, I read her. Lovely girl. Ask her about Caleb Downing." She smirked. She felt regret at that moment, knowing Chess would react-his face said it all-and she knew what he was thinking...that the man had hurt the young one as bad as he'd hurt her. She amended herself, still summoning some common decency before she washed it away altogether from her psyche. "Got off easy with the vax and the bite, Mr Morgan. Go train your wife."

"Julia, what is wrong with you? Stop it." Jay asked her as he moved her away from him.

"Go train your boyfriend." He replied sarcastically.

"Prick." She mumbled.

"Whore." He snapped at her before he could bite his tongue.

"Yo, Chess. Come on. That's wrong. Let her go." Jay raised his voice.

"I did let her go. Take her and keep her. You wanted to transfer the title. It's officially been transferred."

"Julia, I can't believe you told him that." Jay said under his breath.

"I went home and mailed the divorce papers."

"You did what?"

"It's the last jump I will make too. I will not be dragging you people through the universe anymore. I'm done making messes, being accused of making them, and I am done cleaning them up too. I officially fucking quit. Welcome home, boys and girls, welcome fucking home." She held her arms wide open and spun herself a bit as she welcomed them all to the compound. "By the way, someone should go get Clark out of the tunnel. Or let him ride out the night and fetch him in the morning? Entirely up to you."

"That woman." He muttered as he watched them walk inside the dorms. "Go get Clark."

"Remind me why we care about Clark, Chess?" Jody asked as he had been directed to fetch him.

"She said he's important. Miller ring a bell?"

"Yes. I'll get him." Jody nodded.

Chess left Alex with Jody, paired up to fetch Miller and ride out the night where they chose. Whether outside, inside, in the dorms or in the main building was not important. They would be the first guests under new management. They'd sloppily taken the fortress and had taken it sooner than they had anticipated. Initially Julia had been the only one to react and she reacted, as Chess told her, the right way. She was calm under a threat she had very little understanding of or contact with. Her steady aim had been the shot that started the first rebellion against the dead. Of all people to step up and remain cool and collected, he hadn't thought it would have been her. She wasn't necessarily filled with self-doubt anymore. She had made a decision on her own and followed through for the good of the group. She relied on her instinct and her training over the course of the past few weeks.

Once separated from wifey, Chess's overall mood dissolved and became lighter. He explained he and Julia had a certain way with each other, albeit insulting and degrading at times. She hadn't witnessed a cohesive interaction between Chess and his wifey since she'd arrived to their farmhouse. Their interaction was always tense and stressed like there were hurt feelings lingering just below the surface and no one wanted to bring it all up for fear of more hurt feelings. Julia had said their relationship had ended and then Chess had added his two cents suring up the dissolution of their marriage and relationship in front of all of them.

She and Chess walked off toward the main school building. On their way Julia bent at the ground where the wood had fallen off the entryway. She brushed off the dirt and grass and carried it with her.

Chess led Julia through the levels of the school where they finally reached the war room. Much like a widow's peak, they had a 360 view of the campus, surrounding area. North they had a view of the street and the front campus. West was all trees, overreaching the roof of the dorms and the glow from the pile of decaying humans glowed in the far yard outside the dorms. To the east, more fields and trees. Their only obstructed view was south, a small portion blocked out by the building and stairwell. They anticipated seeing it early in the morning as the sun rose. They wanted to take in the entire view and appreciate it with time as opposed to being rushed due to work. The group that had cleared the campus the day before hadn't been able to get the complete view and study it like Julia had when she sat out because of her injury. Even then she had been distracted by her fellow onlookers, men and women and youth that had surrounded her as her group had cleared that campus.

Julia slid onto the sill by the window overlooking the dorm. She pulled her kool aid bottle from her bag and Chess's alcohol as well while he set down their go bags.

"You need that, Julia?" He asked as he flicked on the flashlight and set it on the sill not too far from her.

"I would like some, yes. How about you?" She smiled, holding the bottle out for him.

"Hell, yes." He nodded, taking his bottle from her hand.

"You drink a lot?"

"I can." He nodded, sliding onto the sill behind her. He sat with his back to the window and unlaced his boots, loosening them but leaving them on. She did the same, unwinding the laces from the hooks on her Goth boots Julia had given her. He watched Julia as Julia watched the smoke from the burn mark puff into the sky above the dorms. "Stinks, doesn't it. I had to get away from it."

"I know." She answered.

Chess hated the burn, the odor unleashed from it. It didn't agree with him anymore. He and Julia agreed that in real time, bodies didn't need to burn. There were people who would claim them and bury them and then spend the rest of their lives mourning them. The united states government did not agree. The classroom of third graders had been the line he crossed. He could understand the need to put them down, but the burn was especially cruel and he only considered the parent's feelings. Not only had their children been infected, some ripped limb from limb at the hands and mouths of the dead, the gruesome scene that he had encountered that afternoon he couldn't forget. Blood and body parts and disemboweled children had overwhelmed him. Had overwhelmed his entire team. They had grown accustomed to killing and then burning adult males and females, but the third graders was the stuff of nightmares. He had many, still had many. The high pitch squeal children of 8 years olds tortured screams made him emotional after all these months. He feared it would be something he'd never be able to get over, only set aside for awhile. No one forced his hand that afternoon, and once he gathered his composure he carried out the burn because it was his job. He followed the protocols and he followed procedure and then he walked away. He and several others had walked away, undergone weeks of psych counseling before reentering the field and even then when a call came in, he could only pray that there were no kids involved.

"Whatcha thinking about, Chess?" She asked.

"Um, the burn. That's all." He replied. He didn't like talking about the school incident with anyone. He had unloaded all that on Julia once and then let the table in on a glimpse of it, but for the most part, he carried that around in his own head and he dealt with it the only way that seemed to make him forget. He unscrewed the lid on the water bottle and took a much needed drink. "She mixed it for you." Chess noted, watching her sip the vodka laced kool aid.

"It's not vodka." Julia said softly.

"What is it then?" He asked.

She laughed a little bit, "I'm not sure. I couldn't taste the vodka last time, but it tastes different now." She held the bottle up and he leaned forward, sniffing the liquid.

"Captain." He said, leaning back. "She didn't have a lot of vodka, so she gave you captain."

"What's that exactly?"

"Rum." He answered, thinking it odd he had to sit with Julia and explain the different varieties of liquor. To think the girl started out completely clean and sober, scoffing at the idea of weed let alone alcohol.

"Eh, I won't make a habit of this."

"Good." He said, because she said something that sounded encouraging. A positive as opposed to a negative. Her sissy would have downed the kool aid and then some. He didn't like vodka straight unless they were doing shots. He felt strange drinking with the nondrinker, having noticed she took a pretty big swallow and then reapplied the cap. He followed suit and set the bottle on the window sill. He put an arm around her and he waited out the burn she liked so much. A funeral for one. Chess had his reasons, but no one else cared about the symbolism of the souls rising to the sky anymore. They'd watched so many bodies burn it was not a real big deal. Once you've seen a thousand souls rise, it grew dull.

"Is there a library here? It is a school after all." Julia asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure." He nodded. "It was downsized considerably cause of that digital library called the internet, but what kind of book do you want, Julia?"

"The bible. When I left the q-zone, I left it." He hadn't thought that was the course her answer would take. "I never was real religious, but I did start to read it again."

"You think that God created the universe?" Chess had never given much thought to God or the creator, because he had his own view on the earth that spun in time and space. Whether an atheist or a catholic or some offshoot of Christianity, every one who walked was basically raised with Christian core values. It was what one chose to do with those values that determined the life one led. The beliefs, knowing the difference between right and wrong, steered the course of the human and the conscience.

She shrugged, but didn't answer. She was unsure. She'd read the entire book once during her illness. Then she found herself stuck in the encampment with nothing to do to occupy her time, she picked up the book again. There were many leaders of religious faith that held daily prayer sessions and daily sermons. People found it comforting. When the world literally died in front of their eyes, then they themselves were faced with the possibility of the same fate, people suddenly turned toward their creator and sought out the peace through that. Father Len had given her a copy. He had many and handed them out like candy on Halloween.

"There's a chapel. I would get one from there." He suggested.

"I'll do that when you show me around."

Had they found different circumstances after clearing the dead from the courtyard, he would have already shown her around and they would have explored the place a little more. He had never thought he'd wind up in a nest or having Julia find another one altogether. If they were out there, he believed, then they were few and far between. They should be everywhere once darkness fell. There should have been more of a presence shown, more evidence of them locally. Perhaps they had migrated from another area. Chess considered the many different options for their sudden arrival into the zombie world landscape. He hadn't expected them in this world. No one had. Pockets of stealthy zoms would be able to overwhelm and consume the living rather easily, especially if they were caught unprepared. He thought of those who'd already survived the first wave of zombie. Without a strong structure, well built with some sort of cage or strong walls or well built confines, any living person would be at risk. As if the risk weren't already great enough. This discovery took it to another level.

None of it made any sense to him on the most basic of levels, but he often found himself wondering what exactly he did to deserve this onslaught of misery every day. He tried to remain an optimistic soul and he tried to remember that the universe sent him only what he could handle and overcome, like tests of strength and will, only to make him stronger and more apt for what was to come in the future. It was never as simple as kill or be killed. As one level of life was achieved, the next level of the game of life got harder. Eventually, he believed, he'd win the game and find some peace. Find the true purpose. He'd thought he'd found it once. He thought he'd survived and made peace with the world only to have it dissolve around him. But for what? Could it be as simple as good vs. evil or man vs. nature or man vs. new nature?

"Did you hear me, Chess?" Julia asked, turning slightly to look over her shoulder at him. His arm around her, fingers twirling her hair. Had he been with his wife he would have been speaking out loud because that Julia would know and understand him and that Julia would be able to answer him. Now, it seemed to him, that he'd have some things to figure out on his own.

"No, I'm sorry. I was thinking." He replied. "What did you say?"

"This reminds me of something. But I can't remember what?"

"Like deja vu."

"Not quite. A memory or a dream probably. They're always so fuzzy because she was so intoxicated."

"You kind of know me already then?"

"No." She answered. "Like doing all the things you've done in life and then forgetting all about it, except for the important stuff. Then something will happen and it reminds you of that time you did something. It's hard to explain."

"I think I get it, yes. History repeating itself." He sighed.

"What's that mean?"

"I have done all this before. With her." He motioned through the window toward the dorms with his thumb. "Kinda strange though. You keep surprising me. Completely the exact same girl only so very, very different."

He shifted to look out the window and he scanned the windows that lined the second and third stories of the dorm directly across the courtyard. He wondered briefly which room she'd chosen. It was completely dark.

"She said it's over between you."

"It is." He replied, turning back around. It was for the best. It was not her decision. He'd taken control of that and pulled the rug out from under her. The ring he was never supposed to get rid of.  It had meant as much to him as it meant to her, but the meaning was pointless if neither wanted it. Both wanted other things and people and led different lives that occasionally crossed. He momentarily lost his pride. What had happened to his common sense and his pride? Why did he love her so much? And just as he would start to get over her or get far enough away from her to start over and move on, she'd wind up back in the same place. Next to him. Any normal person didnt forgive like that and if they did, they'd never speak to the person again. They both had enough problems and drama that they completely crashed and burned. How they tolerated being under the same roof most days was perplexing. No one else understood their connection and then there were days he had trouble figuring it out for himself.

"Are you sure though? It doesn't make a lot of sense to end something and say it's over then pick right up with her twin. Seems kinda weird."

"You started this, not me." He replied. "I like you, Julia."

"You don't love me though."

"No." He answered honestly. "I could though."

"I always thought falling in love with someone would feel different."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"I never been in love before, so I can't say for sure. But I do know that I like this and I know that I could get used to this and I trust you." She answered.

"You trust me now, do you?"

"Sure. I think so. That you wouldn't leave me behind or run off and let horrible things happen to me. You think about me. You're thoughtful and considerate of my feelings."

"I do that with everyone."

"I'm a stranger though."

"No, actually, Jules, I didn't think so at the time. Now, I find out something new every day and it's pretty cool. I like you because of you, not because you may be like her. Like I expected a certain reaction or a certain response, but it's completely different, because you are completely different."

"You do not consider other people's feelings like you do with mine, Chess, and I think that's sweet."

"I haven't found a reason yet not to be considerate of your feelings, Julia."

"Oh, no. You are rude to everyone, male and female. Those you know and those who are strangers. You do not care. Me and Kate, though. We're different. Even your own mother, you are quite short tempered."

"She always favored Ray. From the day we were born, she always gave him more time, attention and love."

"Awe, that can't be true."

"He was always small and scrawny and needy. He had health issues when he was little too. Always sick and always needed mommy. He clung to her, too." He explained. "I never paid her any mind. I never listened to a word she said or anything. Always went against that normal. I was always in some trouble. Me and Jay...Jay would always try and talk me out of whatever shit I was getting myself or us into. I never listened and I always took the blame, too. She used to beat my ass on a regular basis."

"So Jay and you grew up together?"

"Yeah. I spent as much time with Jay as I did with Ray. He's not my cousin, he's my brother. Like one anyway."

"Tavin-"

"I like him more now than I did back then. We were getting pretty tight for a minute, but him and Julia fucking around didn't help."

"When's the last time you were together?"

"July."

"When was the last time you had sex, Chess?"

"Um, the day we all jumped here. You?" He laughed.

"Ha, ha." She laughed, picking up the bottle of kool aid. She took a drink of her rum laced kool aid. "You like rum, Chess?"

"I like it all." He answered, taking the bottle from her hand. He took a long drink. "Never had it mixed with kool aid though."

"Not a fan. Can I have the vodka, please?"

Chess cringed at the idea of handing over the bottle, but he did. She'd never tasted it straight. Maybe she wouldn't like it. When she drank, she took it better than the mixed drink, which Julia had mixed really strong. The kool aid was more captain than red juice, which suited him just fine. Either liquid sufficed. He hadn't had a drink or many of them in a couple months. She made a face, wincing at the taste and recapped the bottle after a drink.

"Stronger when it's straight vodka." He remarked.

"Ugh. I am not a drinker." She commented, setting the bottle aside. "You can have it all."

Julia, not a drinker? That was humorous and ironic. Not a smoker either.

"How do you go through life sober?"

"I just do it is all."

"None of your friends ever offered some to you."

"None of my friends are old enough to buy it." She replied.

"You never let loose? Got a little crazy? Wild?"

"No." She shook her head and sighed. "Not that I never wanted to, but I didn't know where to begin or how. None of my group of friends ever did. We always were so critical of the ones that did. Like they were less than we were, you know."

"Yes." He nodded, chugging the rest of the kool aid and tossing the bottle into a can a few feet away. He had met this critical version of her before. He didn't get along with her at first, back when Jay first brought her around. She was so snobby and perfect. She was tolerated because of Jay, other than that he would have never given Julia any of his time or interest. In fact, at that moment, he wondered why he gave Hayley any attention. She had been just like her when they got together, complete opposites, pretentious as well. But Hayley was hot. Way too pretty for him, out of his league. For such a small and fucked up kid, he felt he lucked out with Hay. He always felt he damaged her with the drugs and the alcohol, the wrong crowd, the wrong everything. What she ever saw in him, he couldn't figure out. Sometimes it was as simple as him being blessed with a big dick and then sometimes she'd say it was cause he always took up for her and he had a big heart. He pretended he didn't care, but she knew different. Hayley knew everything. Just like every other female he ever came across. They all knew everything even when they didn't know anything at all. From Hayley to Julia to Macy and Cookie. Jess was normally clueless, but even she caught on and started to know it all too. Females had a way of thinking like that. They were always right and he and every other guy was always wrong.

"What are you thinking about now?" She asked, spinning herself to side next to him with her back against the window. The burn pile reduced to a smolder and she couldn't see the smoke out there anymore. "You're real quiet tonight."

"A girl." He answered. She didn't need to know the girl was Hayley and she had taken him back in time to the place where Hayley lived in his cold heart. The first girl that hurt him and the first girl that made him feel absolutely worthless but absolutely loved at the same time. She always had a way of making him feel like he wasn't good enough for her and then she'd say something so sweet he'd regret cheating on her. He couldn't have stayed real mad at Jay back then, because he always had that go to girl to fall back on when Hayley chose to fuck with his head. He never thought Jay would fuck with his head too. Initially it's why he went after Julia...till he caught feelings anyway. She never let herself be used unless she wanted to be used.

Julia pulled from his arm and slid off the sill. She walked around the room with her flashlight and looked around. He watched her move. Small and light steps on short legs. His hoodie. She had washed it and somehow got out most of the blood from the sleeve where she'd bled all over it. She'd even sewn up the holes from the claws that had sunk into her arm. The hoodie gave her some shape, an illusion she was bigger than she was. It covered the slight curves and her narrow waist. Milky white skin with patches of freckles here and there over the tiny body. He had the urge to get up, walk to her, but she wasn't heading anywhere in particular. He liked watching her, though. Her tiny booty in her jeans that she swore she didn't have. She had a small, but plump little butt. And the bumps on her chest, little pink and fleshy nipples. She always swore she was flat as a board and had no shape. But he disagreed. He'd long memorized the nooks and crannies of her body, the little dips and dimples that made him crave that body. He remembered and he could appreciate it when she never could. The hair was always a mess of red, thick and heavy and wavy and in the way, getting stuck in places between them and tucked under one or both of them. He preferred her hair down despite its intrusion. He could appreciate her eyes. That deep blue green of those big eyes that looked up at him. When she smiled, her whole face lit up and the eyes made him smile on the inside and the outside. The face, too pretty and even at her dirtiest and at their worst and most tense, gave her an air of innocence where no matter how bad or awful she had behaved, she didn't ever look the part. She looked too small and too innocent to act as adult and as sinful as she had. She was never ugly even when her personality and her mouth could be. The girl that snooped around the future war room acted the part at all times, small and innocent. She still had a conscience and she was warm and hopeful and she hadn't been hurt or abused or shot or shamed. Whatever had happened to her, she came out stronger and positive not stronger and colder. She still saw the good in people, had optimism. That's what he liked and encouraged and the very reason he wanted to be around this girl. He felt good when he was near her, when he thought of her. Never dismissive or cruel and once the emotional shock of her surroundings had worn off, she didn't react traumatized and broken. She never pulled away and isolated. In fact she did the opposite, looking for companionship to help her through the rough spots. She didn't like being alone. She didn't push people away. As quirky as she was, she let those little personality traits shine no matter how weird others thought they were. Chess realized why Jay liked her so much and Jody had even got caught up in her for a minute. She was a likable kid, so polite and she always put others first. But she never lost herself in putting others first either. Not a mean bone in her. He may have stopped verbalizing the differences between Julia and wifey, but in his head he was constantly doing it. The girl was a breath of fresh air in a rotten world.

"So, what are you doing over there, Julia?" He asked as she disappeared behind the desks.

"Thinking what this room would look like if it wasn't a meeting room." She replied as she shined the flash light around the walls.

"So tell me."

"I would gut this room to the studs." She answered.

'Uh-huh. And-"

"All wood maybe?" She suggested. "No. No. Dark, not red, but deeper red. No purple. Plum maybe. Dark, very dark. Since there's no electricity, Chess, sconces with thick candles. Heavy curtains to block out the sun. Low lighting so it's not dark, but not too bright because-" She paused.

He knew where she was going with the décor. He'd seen it. Julia had taken him there. "Wooden furniture. Heavy, well made." He offered, leading her in the direction of the visions that Julia had revealed. A vision that included Damon and Mia.

"Yes, Chess. Not fancy, but well made. Strong. Because-"

Was she reading the room? Was she having some psychic connection to a future she'd be a part of?

"Because-"

She didn't elaborate. A problem. When Julia had thoughts or visions or ideas, someone had to draw them all out of her. "It's private." She said finally after a moment of thought. "I mean if it was mine and all. I would like plain. Not fancy. Fancy would draw away from-" She paused, looking for the appropriate word. "Away from...um..."

The hot fucking sex that would take place...Chess thought. The girl didn't have a very dirty mind that he could tell. If she did, she hid it and didn't put her private thoughts out there. Private...he repeated to himself. "It's private." He finished her sentence. "Between 2 people private." Or four, he thought. He slid off the sill and went across the war room and around the desks that no one had moved yet, this make shift wall that gave them some privacy.

"Something like that."

Chess put arms around her. "Explain, please." He urged as his curiosity got the best of him.

"Well, it depends." She answered.

"Depends on what. It's your room, so elaborate." He repeated, tightening arms around her. "Mirrors on the ceiling or something?" He joked, hoping she'd relax with him. Not exactly tense, but...nervous...he wished he could connect to the girl. But like he'd told Alex, it was so much more fun letting the moment happen as opposed to reading her mind. He thought about that and took the flash light from her, turned it off and then set it on top of the desk. He'd purposefully placed them in complete darkness. He couldn't see her face, but he didn't need to. He'd seen her face a million times. He'd held this body against him a million times. He knew her like he knew himself in the dark.

"A place to escape the normal, Chess."

Hey, now...that was sounding more like Julia. He still found this amusing. "You haven't had normal." He pointed out.

"I could imagine, right?"

"How are you supposed to expand on normal, if you haven't had normal?"

"You could show me." She whispered as she kissed him. She had located his mouth in the dark between them.

"I could." He replied, trying not to get too excited. This girl's sexuality turned on and then back off at the slightest whim. He'd discovered this over the last week especially. "I could show you both." He said when she moved her lips from his mouth to his cheek and then to his neck. She placed her hands on his chest and waited for him to take hold of her again and when he didn't respond to her touch she felt awkward.

"Chess," She uttered in her half moan, half whine inflection.

"Yeah." He answered as she kissed him and then pressed against him.

"What do you want, Julia? Normal or would you like to expand on normal?" He refrained from touching her. It took everything he had to hold back. She'd been playing with his head pretty heavy this week whether she knew it or not. She hesitated, not from nerves this time, but she was pensive, searching for a proper description. "Normal." She hummed. "But make it sting some like this morning, like-"

"I know what sting means, Julia."

He waited a moment as she continued to explore him with her mouth. He took hold of her hands and moved her right hand from his chest lower to his waist and then over the very prominent bulge that pressed against his jeans. If she thought she was receiving and not giving, she was wrong. It went both ways, but then he considered that may not be fair exactly to her. She had just said he was considerate of her feelings. He hadn't given much thought as to how the night would actually transpire and then found himself questioning whether it should go down at all? He didn't want to just dive in and go at it, because he couldn't necessarily be a selfish prick with her. He'd only gone a couple months solo, she'd gone a whole lifetime. All this flashed through his mind, this on the one hand and then on the other hand conversation he was having in his head with himself.

She moved her hand over his length. "Chess,"  He seemed distracted and if she was honest, quite disinterested. "What are you thinking about? Usually you're all hands and I can't get you off me and tonight you're all scared."

"I am not scared, Julia."

"You need a plan for this?"

"No, no plan." He laughed. "I am trying to decide how considerate I should be with your feelings. That's all."

"Treat me like any other girl."

"Like any other girl." He repeated. He left her go, kicking the previous tenants' blankets away from them.

"Where ya going?" She asked as he slipped through the dark to the door.

He brought back their bags and set them on the floor. From inside his bag he pulled out a lamp and suddenly a dim light brightened their makeshift hideaway in the war room. He unhooked the rolled sleeping bag from his go bag and then unhooked hers. Chess went to work unrolling them and laying them out on the floor. Julia didn't exactly think this interlude through. Neither did he, but he could improvise. As he did so, Julia pulled off her boots and set them aside. She peeled his hoodie off next, leaving her in her tee shirt and jeans. He thought about her taking her clothes off, watched her eagerly from the floor. He wondered what happened between yesterday and today, then realized he didn't care.

He made the space neat and semi-lit. Not exactly the room she had envisioned, but it would make due. "What did she say to you? When you were sitting by the fire?"

"She told me you two were over."

"Oh. We are. I told you that. We been telling everyone that."

"She told me Jayson belonged to her and to mind my own business, but I never tried anything with Jay. He's not the Jay I know like the rest of you people are not the people I know. I never had anything going on with anybody. Even here, when Jay tried, I turned him down kinda. I always thought it was cause I was scared or because we would get caught, but even if we had got caught it would have been ok cause we wouldn't have done anything necessarily wrong."

"Julia always focuses on Jayson. You, though, is anyone going to be an issue for us?"

"No." She answered. "I could ask the same of you. Is there anyone else that-"

"No. You see anyone? The male to female ratio around here is pathetic. It would be so easy for you to-you have a long list of options is all I am saying and not cause you are you, but cause you are a girl in general."

"Macy." Julia said, sitting on the floor next to him.

"Macy. What about her?"

"She said I should bring up the wife and we should talk about her."

"She's not here either, Julia. So, what does Macy have to do with me and you?"

"That she'll be part of us, Chess. Is that true?"

"If this lasts and she appears, we would need to talk about it. Yes."

"So I wouldn't be the only one?"

"I don't know yet. Do you?"

"I would prefer to be the only one. Is that what you'd want for us, Chess?"

"Jules saw a specific future. That future was with her, not you."

"Aren't we all the same girl? In some way or another?"

"Are you interested in girls?" He asked. She hadn't had a man yet and he felt they were jumping ahead. He regretted ever starting this conversation as he sat down in front of her on the blanket. She didn't answer him fast enough. "Julia, what do you want? Not her, you."

"Zoe from the dream."

"Your dreams were not dreams, ok. So let's stop calling them dreams. How much do you remember and how much of me do you recall? I am not the same kid from three years ago."

"They were dreams, Chess. I only was there while I was sleeping. Little bits of time. I couldn't see properly. I couldn't feel anything and the only time I did was when she wasn't intoxicated. Zoe-"

"Was insignificant."

"Not to me. She was a friend. I remember Zoe. I was close with Zoe."

"Zoe Flannigan was more than a friend."

"I wasn't there for that."

"Fuck, Julia." He sighed.

"Why are you mad? I-"

"I am not mad at you. You shouldn't have been there for any of it."

"Chess, I heard something. She didn't say it but she thought it when she was touching me. The young and the trainable...what's that mean? Then she said, go train your wife."

"It has nothing to do with you. That shit she said is all us. It's all us. Julia, you don't know about this stuff. Let's keep it that way."

"Our timelines have been merging for awhile now. We're merging. Chess, I don't understand what she is talking about."

"Did she tell you to fuck me, too?"

"No. That's something I have thought about and I wanted to, but you fell asleep last night."

"I tried, but you pulled away and that-"

"Well, I was gonna change my mind, cause you felt real good and then you fell asleep."

"For future reference, just wake me back the fuck up."

"You are mad."

"No, I am not fuckin mad, babe. Jesus."

"Well, you're yelling and cussing."

"I'm sorry. I won't yell and cuss." He replied.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Jody turned the knob and poked his head inside.

"Hey, Chess, I got him."

"Who, Jo?"

"Clark. You said to get him."

"I don't want him." Chess replied as he looked up at Jody who peered over the desks at them.

"You said get him and I got him."

"From the tunnel. Let him go do what ever he wants."

"Your office is too far from the grounds." Jody added as he leaned on the desk.

"Not the office, Jody."

"Well, why you all the way up here, then?" He asked. "We got any plans tonight? Are we going to-"

"Jo, take the night off."

"Take the night off? We have a hundred things we need to do."

"Go do them."

"But-"

"Take Clark and Alex and go to work. You're an equal, not a subordinate." Chess told him. Jody smiled with that statement.

"Well, I don't want to do much without clearing it with you first."

"Jo, equal means no clearance. What on earth do you plan on doing?"

"Chess, just go with Jo." Julia said, drawing her knees to her chest.

"No." He replied to her. He looked to Jody who clearly had plans. "Chill, Jody. My job starts in the morning. Not now. We had a goal, we reached the goal and I am done for the night. Go bother Julia."

"That's not a good idea. She's drunk."

"She put a bottle in your hand-"

"Alex drank it and he's pretty fucked up right now."

"Jody, we're going to bed." Julia said softly. "If you do not need Chess, could you leave us alone?" She asked nicely.

"Oh, am I interrupting you?" He asked her. "I apologize, Julia."

"It's quite alright, Jo. If there's a problem, please come get him."

Jody turned to leave and Chess countered that. "Major problem, Jody. Any major problem."

"Yes, Chess. Ok. See you in the morning, then. I'm gonna explore, take a look around and I'll see if there's anything that needs to be taken care of and-"

"Night, Jo." Julia said softly.

He left, closing the door behind him. Julia sat across from him picking at the seam on the blanket. Chess pulled the bottle of vodka from the desk and scooted back against the wall. "I can't explain it all to you. I have known these people all my life, and her, since Jay brought her around when we were 14. You act like I can blurt out 6 years of love and torture and drama and I can't."

"Then don't."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"But if you're gonna bring that past into the present-"

"I am not. You are. She is."

"She's doing it on purpose." Julia guessed.

Chess took another drink. "God, that's good." Julia crawled toward him and took the bottle. She took a drink and tasted the liquid without being filtered through juice. Good was not the appropriate word. "Takes some getting used to." He pointed out.

"Everything around us takes getting used to."

"I think you have, killer." He laughed as he touched her hair, yanking the hair tie from the tail. She still had the braid in that he had done that morning. Wisps of hair had pulled from it and it hadn't been the tightest braid in the world. He didn't have a lot of practice anymore, twisting up and braiding up her hair. The weight of it pulled the braid undone and her hair fell like a drape over her shoulders and back.

"I think you had something to do with that." She drank again before handing the bottle to him, which he took and then brought her toward him. He kissed her, preferring to taste the vodka that way. When she stayed on her knees, leaning into him, he capped the bottle while they kissed and rolled it away. He planted hands on her waist and when he thought it was time, he pulled the shirt up and over her head, which left him with yet another shirt. The girl layered always to keep warm. He guided her onto his lap and she sat across him, legs open against his crotch and the warm crept over him. A moist heat against his erection. She moved her waist on him as he lifted the next shirt off and then was left with a cami. The Julia's loved their cami's and this one he pulled down, exposing her small pink nipples. He heard the gasp from her throat as he put his mouth over one then the other.

"Chess," She hummed as she held his head on her breast. Her fingers through his hair as his hand moved lower between her legs. He rubbed her over her pants. "Oh." She sucked in air as his fingers moved on her. The moist heat on his fingers. So hot...he assumed it was her fever. Wifey didn't have that heat on her hottest day. He scooped her up and laid her down, keeping that heat against him as he fiddled with the pants. Why couldn't women undress themselves? Was that some sort of unwritten rule when it came to getting it in? Sliding the jeans over her hips, Julia helped then, kicking them off her feet. He pulled himself up, stripping off his own layers and looking down at her below him.

"You sure about this, Julia?" He asked before he took off his jeans.

"Yeah, yes. I think so."

Chess continued, taking off his pants and staying between her legs. Her eyes grew wide when she looked at him and he covered over her with his body. He held himself in hand and rubbed himself up and down between her legs. Each time the head hit the clit, she whimpered a little. So hot and inviting, he remembered to be considerate of her feelings. She didn't seem to care and the wet heat poured out of her and over him. Her arms clenched around his torso as her body reacted.

"Chessssssss." She hissed against his shoulder.

"You coming, Julia." He said, letting her finish.

"Chessssssss." She whined, gripping his shoulders tight.

"You want it in you, Julia?" He teased her, pressing the head against her, but not quite inside her. He'd been inside a million times. He chose to play with her. Her feelings went out the window. "Say please."

"Please, Chess." She hummed against him. "Please."

"This may hurt a little." He admitted as he pressed into her. The heat though, he couldn't wait much longer himself. She felt so good and soft and the grip around him heavenly, she should have had him asking please and not the other way around. She relaxed around him and under him, allowing his full length inside her. Chess felt like he melted into her, felt like going home again. One constant of zombie world was always Julia's enveloping arms and her welcoming body. This one was welcoming and hot and moving beneath him. 

"It doesn't hurt, Chess. If you're worried, don't." She said as he lifted above her, slowing the rhythm a little. He had a way of doing things and old habits were hard to break, having invested so much time in her, on her and around her.

"That." He said, thrusting his hips against her. "Doesn't hurt."

"Kinda, but it feels good. I like it."

Well, how about that...he was surprised and blessed at the same time. "Turn around. Now." He smiled.

"My back though-"

"I don't care. We all got scars." He pulled back and out of her. "On your knees. Gonna make it sting, too." Julia did as he asked and turned around. He reached for her hair and tugged her back against him. "Can I pull your hair, Julia?" He held her tight by a handful of soft, red curls. Her head pulled aside and he kissed her neck. Bit her softly near her throat. Wifey never liked her hair pulled or yanked.

"Sure, Chess." She answered, wiggling her bottom at him. He loosened his grip in her hair enough for her to lift and she slid over him, taking him inside of her like she had done it before.

"Julia?"

"Yeah, Chess." She answered, moving on him.

"You learned a few things in those dreams of yours didn't you?"

"A couple things, yes. I'm very observant." She slowed and looked over her shoulder at him. "Is something wrong, Chess?"

"No, it's right. It's all right." He replied, placing his hand on her neck. He eased her forward, bending her in front of him with her pale white butt in the air. May as well make it sting...

"Babe, you're drunk." Julia heard him say. Luckily he knew her body in the dark as well as he knew his own.

"I feel so fucking good, my Jay." She said.

"Can I come up for air now, babe?" He asked, feeling her legs trembling against his shoulders.

"You complaining, my Jay?"

"No." He answered. "You could have shared the vodka with me."

"We can't fuck if I share the vodka with you."

"True." He sighed, poking his fingers inside of her. "Well, can we fuck then? I think you're more than ready."

"Sure, Jay." She answered. "You know what I wish you could do?"

"What's that?" He asked, pulling his fingers from her. He moved his body over hers, taking the blanket with him. The dorm had no heat. He was freezing and naked. He spent more than an hour between her thighs, which he normally wouldn't complain about. He instantly regretted not taking her back home with her bottle to the fireplace where he could be warm. Damn flipside dorm had no heat and no light. He liked to see the pussy when he ate it.

"If there was a way you could lick me and fuck me at the very same time."

"No." He answered. "Unfortunately, that is not physically possible."

"I know. I been thinking about it and it's not possible. But that would be amazing."

"Would be amazing to get some head here. Do you remember how?" He asked as he dipped inside her. Used to be, drunk Julia was all fun and giggles. Once she crossed from recreational drinker to drinker with issues, he hated fucking drunk Julia. He hated drunk Julia period. How Chess put up with this hot mess was beyond him. He could do misery and depression and inconsolable, but drunk Julia got mean with him sometimes. He didn't like mean Julia and she was so drunk she wouldn't remember it at all.

"I'm not good at it."

"Yes, you are, babe."

"Fuck me or get off me." She demanded.

"I love you." He said it more to convince himself than for her to hear it. Periodically he had to remind himself he loved her even if he didn't know why, even when she gave him no reason. So while he lay fucking drunk Julia, he thought of Jess for a change. Drunk Julia passed out on him half way through and he stopped and had to finish himself off. "Thanks, babe." Jay wasn't one to sit alone in the dark, so he cleaned up a little and dressed. Still freezing cold, he went outside and found his brother passed out next to a fire and he found Jody having a conversation with a guy who was supposed to be Jesslyn's future husband.

"Is it just us, Jody? Is this Miller?" He asked, looking at Clark who sat warming by the fire. "Where's Chess and Jules?"

"I'm Miller, yeah." The kid volunteered.

"Um, they're in the war room."

"Good." Jay pulled his gun and aimed at Clark. No one was more surprised than himself when he shot and killed the kid.

"Uh, Jay, why'd you do that?" Jody asked, moving back and away from Jay's extended arm.

They heard the gunshot and Julia didn't think anything of it. Chess, on the other hand, didn't like the sound of that. He moved the sleeping bag off him and head to the window that overlooked the courtyard. "Fuck." Chess groaned, rubbing his temples. The kid's body lay sprawled out with a head shot. Jay held a gun. He pushed open the war room window and leaned out a little. "What the hell are you doing, Jayson?"

"I killed Miller." He answered.

"Why, Jay, did you kill Miller?"

"Oh, cause of Jess." He answered simply.

"Coulda just asked him to stay away from her like you did Jody. You drunk, Jay?"

"No, I'm not. I'm sober."

"She piss you off?"

"Kinda." He answered.

"Get rid of him. You explain it when she asks."

"I will."

"Where's Jules? Is she alright?"

"She passed out." He answered. "You wanna go there with me, Chess?"

"Not tonight. I'm busy." Chess answered.

Chess pulled the window shut and started cussing.

"You killed him. He hasn't done anything yet."

"Yeah, Jo." He answered.

"You alright, Jayson?"

"I am."

"I was messing with Jess. Why didn't you shoot me?"

"You listened when I asked you to back off her. Wasn't for me, she was for her." He replied. "Hey, wanna help me with him, please?"

"Sure, Jay." He answered. He hopped to his feet and helped Jay carry the body to the burn pile, which was out of the courtyard and clear around the opposite side of the building. "You know I could have done that. Or had him sit at the burn mark. This is extra work, Jay."

"I wasn't thinking." Jay replied. "You mad at me?"

"No, Jay." Jody answered, lifting the top half of the body. "What did she do to piss you off?"

Jay laughed. "Today?"

"I know she isn't easy and...is there anything I can do?"

"Nope." He answered. "Nothing."

"Everything ok, Chess?" She asked. "You can go."

"Nothing I can do." He shook his head as he got back beneath the sleeping bag with her. "Jay's got some issues."

"Should I ask what happened?"

"No." He shook his head and reached his hand beneath the sleeping bag while she drank more the vodka. Her head was spinning. "You ok?" He asked as he moved his fingers between her legs. She moved, pulling her legs up and open for him. "You like that, miss?"

"I am fine and yes, I do."

"It's hot like fire. Is it the fever?"

"Hmm, it must be." She shrugged. "They're not all like this?"

"No. They are not. Warm, yes. Hot like this? No." He answered. "Your ass ok."

"I'm sitting on it aren't I?"

"Smart ass." He laughed. "Seriously, I wasn't too rough with you?"

"No. I'd say something."

"I slapped that pretty hard. And fucked that hard. Julia, you at least sore?"

"Sure, yes." She answered, leaning her head back on the wall. Her eyes closed. "I'm gonna cum again." She said as her breathing picked up.

"You cum so quiet." He said, moving his fingers faster over her clit. Her legs shook and spread further for him.

"I know." She said after releasing on his hand again. He tried moving his hand but she held it in place. "Again."

"You're giving me carpal tunnel, girl."

"Oh, I love it though, Chess. Please."

"Lay down. I'll do you one better." He smiled.

"Oh, what's better than that?" She asked, releasing his hand. "Two hands?" She moved under the sleeping bag and lay down for him.

He laughed at her. "Not quite. But yeah, sorta." She started lifting the hoodie. "Leave it on. Your cold." He told her, sensing how excited she was. 

"Whatcha doing?"

"Breathing. Hold on." He smiled, massaging the wrist. He had a feeling he was about to get lock jaw as his wrist was feeling achy. "Just spread your short legs and wait." He held up the vodka bottle. "Last shot, Julia?"

"No, go ahead. I'm lit." She replied.

He took the last swallow and tossed the bottle when the knock came at the door. It didn't open, so he stood and looked around the desks since he couldn't see over them. "What's up?" He asked, seeing Jay in the window. He wondered if he was getting shot again next as he walked to the door.

"Weed. You brought some?"

"Oh, yeah." He said, leaving the door ajar. He joined Julia again and opened his bag as Jay came in.

"Hey, Jules." He smiled over the desk.

"Hey, Jay."

"Feel fantastic?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Just add vodka."

"After not before." Chess replied, rifling through the front pocket of his bag. He pulled out the weed bag and handed it off to his cousin. "You know, she gave her captain."

"Yeah, she didn't have a lot of vodka. You like it or no?"

"No." She shook her head. "He drank it and we shared the vodka."

"Keeps saying she's not a drinker."

"I see that." Jay replied. "You wanna come smoke or no?"

"No." He answered. "Any more vodka since she passed out?"

"No. Wouldn't share that shit and she-nevermind. She pissed me off. But she feels hella good. I shoulda gone home when I wanted to. Damn woman." Jay complained.

"Chill, Jay. You wanted this."

"Oh, yes. It turns me on. I forgot." He mumbled.

"What happened?" He asked, zipping up his bag and sitting next to his friendlier and cheerier version of red head.

"When we're fucking, she passed out."

"Oh, well, that's nothing new."

"So, being the respectful son of a bitch that I am, I gave up. What a great night."

"Oh, Jay. Sorry." Julia said, looking up at his face as he looked so frustrated.

"Thanks, Julia. That'll be the only apology I ever get from her. So thanks." He mumbled as he walked away and back through the door. "I will go hang with Jody and get high. Night, people."

"That's a shame." Julia frowned once he was out the door and out of ear shot.

"It is." Chess agreed. He didn't want to go there. He didn't want a conversation about her and why she was the way she was. He laid down next to her and slid the sleeping bag off her legs. "Ok. You ready?" He kissed her cheek.

"Um, sure." She smiled, big and bright blue-green eyes. She laughed. "Two hands."

"Yes, miss. I'll remember to use both hands." He agreed as he shimmied his body over hers, biting gently through the hoodie to her flesh beneath. "Two hands." He said as he arrived between her open legs and met with the patch of orange hair. "And one tongue, miss." He added as he licked her for the first time.

"Aaaaahhh, Chessssssss."

She opened her eyes for the second time in the darkness. Drunk, she felt the room spinning and she had to acclimate to her surroundings. The first time she woke was to the gun shot, which didn't surprise her much.  She waited and when no one came for her, she figured everything and everyone was alright. She had drifted back off and she remembered apologizing to Jay for some reason. "Oh, Jay. Sorry." She had heard through the darkness.

"Pass out?" She murmured as she shifted on the bed onto her side. She was covered well under many blankets. No heat and no light. Fucking fortress. She thought she should have let Jay take her home when he wanted to go, but she wanted a conversation with her boyfriend. A one sided conversation, but it happened. He was pissed off and she told him to cool down and get over it.

She closed her eyes again and drifted back into sleep.

"Know what would be great?" She said suddenly as he had made her cum again.

He lifted his head and reached his hands under the hoodie. "What's that?" He asked as he played with her nipples.

"If you could lick me and fuck me at the same time." She covered her hands over his and held them as he twisted and turned the nipples between his fingers.

"Well, that would be nice if it was physically possible, Julia."

"Jesus Christ my pussy is sore." She complained. Chess lifted up and moved over his girl. He lay between her legs and he touched her face.

"Is it now?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"Fuck, man. What did you do to me?" She pushed him off her and sat up, rubbing her nipples from the pinching he had given her. "Geeze, Chess. Where am I? Where's Jay?"

"Why are you here? Where is she? God dammit, woman. Did you connect when you read her?"

"Maybe." She hummed, looking at her hoodie. The sewed up claw marks. "My arm is fucking killing me." She pushed up the sleeve and saw stitches. " Are we in the fucking war room? Am I sick?"

"No, bitch." He replied. "Jump back into your own head and stay there, please."

"I can't. Dammit, my whole body is on fire. What did you do?"

"Nothing. She's always hot. Why are you ruining this for her? For us? Julia-"

"Pants, please. I can't be in here. What if Jay goes back?"

"I'm not here on purpose, Chess." She whined. Her entire body felt worked over. Her ass cheeks were stinging. "My ass is sore."

"Is she in here too?" He asked curiously, poking her head with his finger.

"She's asleep. Over there." Julia pointed in the direction of the window.

"She likes pain."

"No. It's weird."

"She doesn't know that." He handed her pants and he hopped to his feet. "It is definitely that. But it's amazing."

"Was Jay here? I apologized to him. I don't know what I did, Chess."

"Ha. The usual."

"What did I do?"

"Ask him." He answered. He offered her a hand up and she painfully got to her feet.

"She's gotta walk around like this. Better her than me." She sighed, holding her crotch. "Five deep has its advantages."

"Hurt do ya?"

"I'll kick you in your balls and then you tell me what it feels like."

"But she's fucking great. I really like the kid. I mean, if we're being honest, I could handle that the rest of my life. Julia, she's really sweet. I'm happy being with her."

"Happy." Julia repeated. "Happy, Chester Morgan. Did you just say happy? You falling, Chess?"

"I'm falling and I wanna fall."

"I can't do this. Us, you and me together. Is this compound big enough that we never have to see each other again?"

"If I'm gonna fall, then I don't want you there to watch it and be angry or sad or even happy for us. Julia, one of us has to go. Me and her or you."

"It is what it is. Should I stay long enough to help out and we'll get us established?"

"No. Where's Macy? She brought up our wife."

"Not sure. It's all overlapping. We have been jumping too much, taking people who do not need to be here and altering timelines. So much so, they've blurred together. This place is only meant for certain people. We can't control it or fix it or anything."

"Know how long it's been since I have been happy with a girl?"

"When I said train her, I didn't mean in the room. I meant make her strong. Teach her, love her, treat her right, do the right thing."

"I am." He insisted.

"Chess. Can you do this?"

"Yes. No."

"It's all written. Everything. Just follow the plan."

"I want you there though. You deserve this. You-it can be you. I been thinking about how to include you and your madness in this, Jules. I don't know how, but I don't wanna let her outta my sight."

"Maybe you shouldn't include me and my madness in this, Chess. I will opt out."  Julia stayed in front of the door immobile. "I gotta get outta here. I don't know who I am anymore."

"Out. Go wake up my girl."

He followed Julia through the building and out to the courtyard. He stayed by the fire Jody had built and looked over Alex as he lay sleeping and his cousin as he sat looking miserable.

"Where she going?"

"To wake her up." Chess answered. "Pot, Jay." Jay reached in his hoodie and pulled out the weed bag. Chess pulled a joint and started smoking. The three stood and waited, not saying much. "So, did you and her talk, Jay?"

"Ugh, don't go there. Is she in her head?"

"They switched off. Yes." Chess answered. "She's going up to wake her."

"Good thing. Wouldn't wanna fuck the wrong girl, right Chess?"

"I don't control it, Jay."

"What am I gonna do with her? It's always gonna be like this?"

"I don't know, Jay. But I brought her out here. I didn't keep her in there, body or soul."

"She wanna come out?"

"Yeah, Jay. She did."

They quieted down again and the Julia's both came around the building. Julia went to Chess and was quiet. Feeling some sort of embarrassment that she'd been jumped and put in a sleep state in the dark dorm.

"Jay, I'm sorry." Julia said. "I was asleep and then awake in there."

"You went there." He sounded accusing, rising from the ground.

"It wasn't on purpose, Jay." She said, trying to understand it herself. Whether the alcohol or the connection, she didn't know and she couldn't explain it. She felt her insides twisting in a knot and she swore she was so tired of explaining this to them. How many times did she need to try to put into words what she felt and saw?

Jay pulled his gun for the second time that night. There was no looming threat in the distance and the only person he aimed at was her. "Alright, Jay. We doing this again?" She asked, sounding sullen and withdrawn. "Do it right this time." She said, stepping forward.

"Put it down, Jayson." Chess said, reaching for weapons he didn't bring down with him. He set Julia with Jody and he went between the two of them. "Jay, it's me. Not her. It's me right, Jay? Not her."

"Chess, it's alright." Julia said. He could hear the way her voice broke as she spoke behind him.

"No, Julia, it's not. Are you crazy?" He asked the question that he felt he already knew the answer to. "Jay. Put it down, brother. You don't wanna hurt her."

"I'm tired, Chess." He could hear both Julia's crying. One was scared and the other was waiting.

"Move, Chess." Both Julia's cried in stereo, which confused the whole situation.

"We jumped here to keep you alive, Julia. Not kill you. No. Jayson," Chess put his arms up in front of him. "Not again, Jay. Whatever she did or said, it is not worth it, man."

"There's no one to tell me I can't. There's no one here to stop it. Like last time."

"I'm here. I'm telling you. Take me."

"No. Move." Jay urged him.

Chess stood his ground as Jay turned the gun on Julia at Jody's side. "Shit." He mumbled.

"Choose."

Jody pulled his gun and aimed it at Jay as he stepped in front of Julia.

"Mayers, lower the weapon. Got nothing to do with you."

"Uh, it does now. We don't treat women like this."

"You're so busy taking care of me-" Julia said, trying to move around Chess, but he turned sideways, still shielding her, but restraining her at the same time. "I know it's not easy, Jay. I know."

"Jay, you can't shoot her this time. I won't let you. This is not what we survived for, to end like this. You'll get through this and it will get better." Chess told him.

"No, it won't. I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop seeing her face. And you treat me like shit and say get away from you and leave you alone." Jay said. Then the tears started falling. "Everyone is so worried about her and everyone makes excuses for her. I do too. I'm tired."

"It's my fault, Jay." She cried. Julia put her hands on Chess and physically moved him. "I won't ask you to make any more excuses for me." She moved herself close to him. "Jay, you said it before. I'm ready. We go, we go together, babe. This, we can't come back from."

"Don't hurt her, Jay."

"You helped me and you helped her. You didn't hurt her. Jay, it's not your fault any more than it is mine. She was sick, Jay. Think about it."

"So is Julia. Julia is sick too, Jayson. Give me the gun." Chess said again. "You said you can't kill her again. You won't be able to."

Julia held out her hand. "Pull the trigger. Jody will end it for us. He's thinking about it now."

Jay lowered the gun and handed it off to Chess. "Gonna stab her to death?" Chess asked, tucking the gun in his waist. He pulled the knife off Jayson as well.

"No." Jay answered. He looked to Julia who cried next to Jody. "Sorry. I wouldn't have shot you."

"What the hell is wrong with you people? I don't want to live with you people." She cried.

"You don't have to, Julia. Calm down." Julia told her. "Jay does this every few years. You're safe."

"Safe? Safe! This is not safe. I can't believe this is all ok. And he's done this before?"

"Shh, shh, Julia. I'll explain it. Just take a deep breath and calm down." Chess urged her.

"Come with me. We will work this out." Julia said to Jay. "Like we have before. Like we always do. Come with me."

"No." Jay answered. He shook his head and declined the invitation. "No. I'm tired. I don't want this."

"Fine. Stay here." She frowned through tears. She cried. "Thanks for not killing me."

Julia turned and walked around the building and toward the dorms, leaving them standing in the courtyard next to the fire in a metal trash can. They all stood emotional in a circle and no one moved or knew what to say.

"Jayson-" Julia said softly.

"I'm sorry, Jules. Your voice is the last thing I wanna hear right now." He wiped the fresh stream of tears off his face with the back of his hand and only more followed.

"Stay with him." Julia said to Chess. She reached on her toes and she kissed Chess's cheek. "Don't leave him."

Chess nodded and watched as she walked back to the main building.

"She's the fuckin problem. It's never gonna end." He said. He felt drained and tired and lighter somehow. He fought every urge he had to change his mind and go to her.

"Come on, let's talk." Chess said, moving closer to his cousin. "It'll help if you talk about it. You wanna talk about it?"

"No one wants to hear it." He answered. "I'll be ok." He felt Chess tugging at his sleeve and even though he didn't want to, he walked away with him anyway, leaving Jody and Alex in the courtyard.

"I'll listen, Jay." Chess said, leading him as far away from the dorm as physically possible. "There's nothing anyone can say to make it feel any better, Jay, but I can listen."

He sat with his cousin in a dark cafeteria for more than two hours. He listened to Jay as he detailed Julia's pregnancy and the last two months in zombie world. The ups and downs of Julia's emotional roller coaster as he saw it. The mental abuse he had dealt with on his own, the sadness he suffered mostly alone as he and Julia could never connect their emotions at the same time. If she was up, he was down and vice versa. He could never find an even keel with her. She never consoled him and when she was angry she belittled him, preferring Jess's company to his. He had no one to blame but himself, but where he failed, Jess could succeed. Jess served to keep his sanity as much as she served to keep Julia's. Just when they would get somewhere together dealing with the loss of Caroline, Julia's jealousy over Stef would come through loud and clear. She never handled that betrayal well.

He dwelled on Caroline for awhile and Chess followed up with the school incident in Rochester, NY. He could understand on some level the guilt, the depression, the nightmares. Although he felt Jay got the easier deal with one humane act, Chess dealt with multiple small and turned faces. Bullet holes and burning flesh, burning books and desks and a classroom full of extinguished life engulfed in flames. Their had been a monster in that classroom that day and it wasn't the one portrayed on the news as a maniac with a psych history that lived a block away from the school. The story spun, Clayton Davenport, a known mental case from the neighborhood. Chess went to his home that afternoon as directed by his superior and he put a bullet in an innocent man's head to spin a story that Cookie created. As the reports came out, he'd suffered a self inflicted gun shot wound, but Chess knew different. They had to blame someone and Clayton Davenport was the one who took the fall. As the news reports spread locally, then nationally and internationally, Clayton's family was interviewed incessantly and then shamed and then shunned. They knew the man, challenged and mentally unstable, and they swore he was not a violent man with no agenda to murder, mutilate and then burn a classroom full of children. Only to escape home unbloodied and clean without any evidence that indicated he had been to the school let alone any weapons on the premises. He was a scapegoat, a pawn. His family was right and the conspiracy theorists offered their skewed theories, none of which was close to the truth.

"They sent you to kill him?"

"I volunteered." Chess answered. "Not my first murder and not my last." He answered honestly. "I was so angry. Someone had to do it."

Jayson had gone from an emotional wreck to sitting in awed silence. "It was an excellent job and the work...like this. Nothing we haven't done before. But it all crossed lines after awhile." Jay couldn't disagree with that.

After their conversation, he took Jayson up to the war room and put him over by the window with a sleeping bag. Chess and Julia snuggled up inside one and got a few hours sleep before getting up and starting all over again the next morning.

Julia woke to a cloudy morning. She looked out the dorm window over the courtyard. No one was there. In the light, the courtyard looked ransacked and dirty. She sat on the side of the bed and she looked around the dorm, thought back to what Chess had said the night before. There wasn't room enough for both of them on the campus to never see each other again. She thought back to Jay aiming a gun at her head and she frowned. Done crying and done feeling, she pulled her pack off the floor and she pulled out the iPod. It didn't have a lot of battery life left, but she found the song she wanted and left the iPod on the sill as it charged with the solar charger.  On a sticky note, she wrote the name Chess and a number to indicate the song she wanted him to hear. It said everything and she didn't want to write a note or a letter or waste time and energy on it. She held the bag over her shoulder and she slipped through the dorm to the crisp October morning. She head through the rear exit into the courtyard and her eyes scanned the area. She imagined it bright with flowers in the spring and toys and children playing. She slipped into the main building's entrance, into the future foyer and she turned left into the cafeteria, then quietly into the kitchen area where she opened the pantry door and she nearly stepped inside when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Going somewhere." He stated, pulling her out of the pantry.

"Mayers, please." She sighed. "Lemme go."

He set her on the prep counter and handed her the can of fruit salad he'd been eating. She spooned a few bites in her mouth despite not being hungry. The infection had shredded her intestines. She forced down a few bites.

"So, gonna let me know where you're going? Going to say good bye? Going to leave the kids? Going to-"

"You may not speak freely, Mayers."

"Alone?"

"It's a big world." She shrugged. "I'll be ok."

"Of that, I have no doubt. To what end?" He asked, standing in front of her. She didn't reply. "No supplies."

"Got em."

"You don't care?"

"I do." She answered. "And I don't." She answered on second thought. "I always, always have plan B."

He placed his hands on the counter on either side of her and stood his ground. "I usually don't criticize you, but I think this is a dumb ass move to make."

"You may come with me, Mayers."

"Tempting, Morgan. I think we'd move along faster than they, but no thanks." He replied.

"Where do your loyalties lie?" She asked.

"Here."

"Switching sides. You saw the end result and now you witness the beginning. You could be so much more than junior infantry. I think you have earned that and have proved that."

"I determine my future, Morgan. I determine my present. I determine who comes and goes and-"

"Take care of your small companion." She said as she slid off the counter. "I leave her in good hands. My commonly decent friend."

"Come back and see us sometime." He stepped back and allowed her to pass.

"Ha, hold down the fortress." She handed Jody the can back and she went to the pantry where she lifted the floor board and entered the tunnel to leave the place where she did not wish to live. It was a damn mess and she refused to build it from the ground up all over again.

Chess was up before Jay and Julia.  He lay on an uncomfortable floor with his girl's body firmly curled against his body. Her head lay on his chest. She slept so soft but not so quiet. He lay with her, watching her sleep for some time till Jay woke up. They head out together, first looking through the windows of the war room and did the 360 view from the top floor. Endless expanse of land and trees behind a huge looming fence. They had a long day ahead of them. Heading home, getting people moving, motivating people, moving people, packing people. People in general. He wondered briefly how they fared over night. He knew it had been left in good hands, probably drunk hands, but good hands. The two left the war room and descended to the first floor where they found Jody alone and already with an inventory of things that would need to be done and no hands to accomplish these tasks. Jody indicated there were canned goods to choose from in the kitchen if they were hungry.

"Alex?"

"Puking in the courtyard." Jody smiled. "He overdid it last night. He cannot drink like the man he thinks he is. He will survive."

"Any problems, Jody?"

"Uh, yes." He replied. "Morgan left."

"Left?"

"Yes, Chess." He answered. He looked to Jayson. "It's a big world out there. She'll be ok. That is what she said."

"You left her leave?" Chess asked.

"Yes."

"You see. You see what I mean." Jay said, shaking his head. Jay wandered off and toward the exit.

"Jody, this woman...she's gonna be the end of me."

"It was the wife, Chess. I do not argue with the wife. You understand."

"I think so." Chess replied, though he had no idea what he meant. He drew no difference between past, present, future. He only knew the many personalities of one troubled woman. His heart was aching a little and it took all the restraint he could muster not to pursue her, talk sense into her, make it better-or try to.

"She asked where my loyalties lie. I believe it was the one from Jersey. I don't overstep with that one. She's insane."

"Ok, Jody." Chess nodded. Each one of wifey's personalities was a touch on the insane side. "You want to go with her?"

"I'll see her again."

"Let's wrap things up here, Mayers. I wanna head home and get things together there."

"Is Jay going to be alright?"

"Yes. Know when we said we would get her through this? I think we'll be getting him through this."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Thanks. Um, I'm gonna go find him and Alex."

Chess exited the main floor into the courtyard and found Alex first, instructed him to fetch his things. "No more drinking." He said as he passed. Alex would not take the news she disappeared easily. He would pass that kid off on Jayson and they could be sullen and sad together. Let Jayson explain it and help the kid through it. He rounded the dorms and head through the main floor's sitting area to the stairwell. He found Jay standing at the window sill overlooking the courtyard. He heard music. Chess went to his side and recognized the song right away. He saw a sticky note that had his name on it and that song that played he'd downloaded it for her on the iPad and left a similar sticky note in August.

"One headlight." Chess said quietly. He understood right away. Jody was right, it was the wife who had dropped by.

"Mean something to you two?"

"Me. Not her. It describes her perfectly."

"I have heard it before."

"Have you listened to it though?" He knew his wife like Jay knew his girlfriend, only they knew very different parts of her. "That's her in one very short and perfect song." Chess took the iPod and hit the button that started the song at the beginning and he stood next to his cousin while it played. "The Wallflowers. Dylan's son." Song made him cry every time he heard it. Every time he heard it, he thought of her.

So long ago, I don't remember when

That's when they say I lost my only friend

Well they said she died easy of a broken heart disease

As I listened through the cemetery trees

I seen the sun comin' up at the funeral at dawn

The long broken arm of human law

Now it always seemed such a waste, she always had a pretty face

So I wondered how she hung around this place

Hey, come on try a little

Nothing is forever

There's got to be something better than

In the middle

But me & Cinderella

We put it all together

We can drive it home

With one headlight

She said it's cold

It feels like Independence Day

And I can't break away from this parade

But there's got to be an opening

Somewhere here in front of me

Through this maze of ugliness and greed

And I seen the sun up ahead at the county line bridge

Sayin' all there's good and nothingness is dead

We'll run until she's out of breath

She ran until there's nothin' left

She hit the end, it's just her window ledge

Hey, come on try a little

Nothing is forever

There's got to be something better than

In the middle

But me & Cinderella

We put it all together

We can drive it home

With one headlight

Well this place is old

It feels just like a beat up truck

I turn the engine, but the engine doesn't turn

Well it smells of cheap wine, cigarettes

This place is always such a mess

Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it burn

I'm so alone and I feel just like somebody else

Man, I ain't changed, but I know I ain't the same

But somewhere here in between the city walls of dyin' dreams

I think of death, it must be killin' me

Hey, hey hey come on try a little

Nothing is forever

There's got to be something better than

In the middle

But me & Cinderella

We put it all together

We can drive it home

With one headlight

He realized hanging with Jay was depressing. Listening to that song, he and Jay cried like kids.

Fuckin woman...

CHAPTER TEN-ALL THE PRETTY COLORS

Chess placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her awake. "Hey, killer. Get up. Get dressed. Eat. Meet me in 30." He turned and walked away, knowing she wouldn't question him or argue. She'd grown and toughened up over the last four weeks. She'd yet to grow that backbone, but she was stronger and more aggressive and he liked watching her come alive. She groaned an 'ok', all hair sticking out from beneath her blankets. He turned, crossing the hall to the room that he'd been told to stay away out of a hundred times. He flipped the switch, illuminating the room with about 40 watts of light. "30, Alexander." This kid was a tough nut to crack. A constant mood and a bad attitude. They'd already physically got into it a couple times and Alex damn near got his ass kicked. "Dude, get off your girlfriend and move."

"Get the fuck out." Alex moaned, yanking the blanket over his half naked Julia, too. "I'll be there."

All they do is fuck...Chess thought...as he pushed onward through the addition to the stairs.

"Dad," He called through the door. "Yo, dad. You up?"

"Yeah," He heard a tired voice from a tired man who tried not to wake his bitchy mother.

He tread back to the kitchen where Jay was putting together a quick breakfast. He was ready and moving. At least one other soul was a morning person. He hated having to rouse this motley group of people and get them moving in the morning. "Yo, Jay. You're still going with us. She's gonna kick your ass either way."

"I'm going. Fuck, man, I hope she doesn't wake up before we leave."

"I took care of that. Besides, what's she gonna do?" Chess asked, taking a plate as Julia and Jody made their way into the kitchen. They quietly ate a plate of their own. Julia had a back pack thrown over her shoulder and it looked stuffed. Chess shook his head. "Your pack is already in the van."

"I know. I have a few extra things." She answered in a mood. She set her plate in the sink and took an extra water bottle, stuffing that in the empty pocket on the side of her pack. She and Chess walked outside and left Jody with Alex and Jay.

"Jules, we are not getting stuck there. You do not need that."

"I wanna leave it in the van. Stop bugging me." She slid the van door open and tossed it in the rear seat. The van's interior lights shined onto the ground in front of them. "Go smoke." She muttered, sitting on the floor board of the open van door.

Her nervousness quite obvious. Chess ran a hand over her head and to her face. "You're gonna be alright. Chill. We've gone over this." His hand ran over the sleeve on her hoodie. Did she realize she was wearing his hoodie? Julia had handed it over the first night that she had arrived to keep her warm. He took her gloved hand in his. "Come with me." He said, pulling her to her feet. He noticed she wore Julia's boots, having abandoned the Ugg boots for the ones that would hold up to wear and tear. "You can change your mind. We can do this without you. Just saying." He offered her an out. He offered it to all of them at various times over the last few weeks. Jody got tired of hearing him and offered him an out as well.

"I don't want out." She shot back at him over her shoulder as he held her hand firm in his.

"Good, I don't want you out anyway." He told her as he pulled her body back against his. His arms shot around her waist. His face nuzzled against her neck. He kissed her below her ear. "You smell so fuckin good, Julia." He said as his lips stayed on her neck. She let him carry on as they walked pressed against each other to the barn. He couldn't decide what he wanted more, pot or this red head. The smell of flowers from her perfume was still on the hoodie. Not exactly juicy couture, but it stirred him up nonetheless. She had a habit of stirring him up and he believed she was doing so purposefully sometimes. She was quite the innocent flirt, so lately the interactions she had with Mayers and Tavin were just that...innocent. As the weeks had passed, the more they worked together and trained this small group of fortress takers, Chess gradually transitioned from friendly to friend, then crossed a line to more than friends. He found that as her trust grew in him, the easier she got to talk to, open up and eventually explore. Julia liked a certain kind of honesty. Not the brutal and hurtful and occasional inappropriate honesty that wifey had honed, but a softer version of it. Julia wasn't a fighter or a screamer. She wasn't the type to lash out and hurt anyone either physically or verbally. Chess liked this less threatening and less abrasive version of wifey.

When Julia had said she wasn't loose or easy, she wasn't kidding. She liked being touched, but don't dare lift the clothes. She wouldn't get near her room or a bed with him or dare to lay down with him. She liked holding hands, holding conversations and then being held or snuggling up with him. He could brush his hands over her body while they snuggled, but to outright fondle or feel was out of the question. She loved being held but not touched, which he found weird. He'd endured weeks of this, figuring out her limits and trying to cross them. Usually the good ones were a lot of work, but he would be spending massive amounts of time dealing with her, so the invested time would eventually pay off even if it led to nothing but having a really good friend.

He held her against the stall and kissed her softly. This girl liked that much from him. She could kiss all day. Something was better than nothing. He thought eventually he would get in there if he was patient. Short of leaving and exploring the world outside their fence, his options for intimacy were few and far between. Having passed a month in their field with these people, he'd cornered the market on friendship. And thanks to Julia, he no longer wallowed in the bottomless pit called lonely. Their activity wasn't exactly a secret, but it wasn't flaunted either. Julia didn't flaunt anything she ever did. If she accomplished something, she didn't make a big deal out of it. In fact, she was the opposite and thanked those around her for helping her achieve a goal. She was a team player, helped others if they needed it, volunteered to do any job at the farmhouse whether it was clean or dirty. When she said she wanted to learn the place and its ways, she dove in head first. Julia honestly believed that in less than a year she would be standing alone on a farm, abandoned by those people who surrounded her. She believed the ties she created with Chess, Jody, and Jayson would dissolve as well as her growing friendships with Tavin, Alex and Julia, too. Julia worked to get to know the people that Julia Morgan had grown to know and love. She had no long lasting memories with any of them, but she wanted to make them. If these people were here once, then twice, who was to say they would not all arrive a third time? The one relationship she lacked in forming was that of her doppelganger, Julia, herself. At first it bothered her, but she let it go. Julia Morgan had her own issues she was working out. They all left her be, so she did the same, figuring she had nothing to add to the isolation seeking girl who hid away with her girlfriend, Jesslyn. In fact she hadn't seen Jess in as much time as she hadn't seen Julia.

"Smoke, Chess." He heard her breath heavy in his ear as his face nuzzled her neck, sucking gently on that spot that he'd learned years ago on a different body with a different soul.

"Shh," He hushed her, slipping hands beneath the rim of the hoodie to her tee shirt. His hands moved up to her breasts and she arched her back, letting him feel her again over her clothes. He pinched a small nipple between his thumb and forefinger, hearing her moan as her body reacted got him hard. "You gotta feel that, Jules."

"Uh-huh. I do." She nodded as he rubbed himself against her. "Hard not to, Chess, really. It's kinda big."

"I wanna turn you around, pretty girl."

"Ugh, no." She stiffened against him as he separated.

"Didn't say I was gonna. I said I wanted to." He walked away from her and head to the chest in the rear of the barn. "Come here." She reluctantly followed him, unsure what he was doing exactly. He rooted around the chest and he pulled out a strap. "You're small." He said, tightening the band around her thigh.

"Tying me up, are you?" She giggled.

"If you'd let me, yeah, in a minute." He replied. He pulled a knife from the chest and slid it in the sheath on the band.

"Oh, cool. Where'd you get that?"

"Pick things up along the way, Jules. Here," He said as he pulled another one. He lifted the hoodie and attached one around her waist. "Where's your gun?"

"The bag." She answered as he straightened the hoodie back over her.

"That'll come off later." He said as he closed the chest. "I think the leg strap, you'll like it."

"Julia doesn't wear hers like this. Why do I have to?"

"So I can tell you apart in the field." He replied. "She doesn't need help. You will." She looked disturbed by the comment, but refrained from speaking up. "It's the truth right now, Julia. I'm sorry, but it is."

"Oh, it's ok. I understand." She answered.

"Are you scared?"

"Not yet, Chess. No, I don't think so."

"It's ok if you are. You stay with me like we planned."  Jody would run with Alex and Jayson would pair up with Tavin. "All of you will get your di-" He held back from saying dicks. Wifey would have laughed, but this one, he kept it clean with her. "Feet, you'll get your feet wet today. Stick to the plan, alright?"

"Yes, Chess." She nodded.

"Go get your gun."

"Yes, Chess." She hurried off and slipped past Jay as he entered to smoke with his cousin.

"Still trying to nail her?" He laughed, watching her take off to the van.

"She listens, follows directions." Chess said as he opened up his small cigar box with his weed stash inside. He lit a joint.

"Not what I asked." Jay said to him.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing with that one. I don't know." He shook his head. "She still asleep?"

"I think so. Even if she was up, she wouldn't come out this early. Ray's up though."

"I have him watching her. If she moves, he's gonna act all schizophrenic."

"He hasn't had symptoms in awhile, man. She'll know something's up."

"I don't care though. I don't know why this is a big secret. I can't believe you haven't said anything either. Have you, Jay?" How they all managed to keep this a secret from Julia was a mystery to him. He really thought that Jay would have said something. He trusted Jayson, but he also didn't trust Jayson when it came to telling Julia absolutely everything. But she didn't want in on this. She didn't want any parts of it.

"Nope."

"She's fucking miserable. When was the last time she came out?"

"A week or so." Jay shrugged. "If I didn't have shit to do, I would be right next to her."

"Maybe we should make her come with us, get her out and-"

"No. You crazy." Jay cut him off. "She's so depressed, hasn't got out of bed, hasn't bathed, hasn't eaten, won't quit crying."

"We can drug her like we drug Ray."

"She's not suicidal yet." Jay said honestly. "That's coming, so I took her belt. If you wanna give it to the other one, you can."

"She's that bad? Jay, you sure you wanna leave?"

"Yeah. I need a break, man." Jay sounded like he was complaining. "I love her, but there's only so much I can take, Chess." He paused while he smoked, letting Chess digest what he'd told him.

"I could talk to her. I could try to get in there."

"Nah, not yet. She really prefers your brother's company anyway." He passed back to Chess and leaned against the stall. He pet the horse when she came to him. "Not this morning, Beatrice. Maybe later." He told the horse.

Chess never knew Jay named the horses. Chess never addressed the horses by name. He always called them horse. "Beatrice?"

"Yes. And that's Nathan. And that's Sophie." He pointed out the other two horses. "Chess, they're my pets. We can't have dogs. Could never have one even at Tav's either. All I heard was Chess is allergic to dogs. Like you lived there."

Julia popped back inside the barn, startling them. She looked excited. "Um, Tavin said let's go."

"Is Tavin in charge here?" Chess asked Julia.

"Um,"

"Is it daylight yet, Julia?"

"Um, no." She turned and head back to Tavin.

"She crazy, too, Chess, since you're so close and all?" Jay wondered aloud, poking fun at his cousin who had stared a little too hard at the red head.

"No, Jay, not that I noticed. If she is, she's hiding it."

"She gonna be of any use to us out there today?"

"We'll find out." Chess replied. "It's something that either happens or doesn't happen. She's a gamble right now as far as I'm concerned. She's tough though."

"Tavin said she can fight. She works better with him than Jo."

"Tav play fights, let's her hit him. Jody hits hard and is defensive if any fist comes at him, even a girl's." Chess tucked his weed box back beneath the work bench and they head out to the van where the five of them went over the plan one more time before they departed. His dad met them in the driveway and Chess told him flat out to get Julia if there was a problem. Despite her mental state she'd come to life if there was a problem. She'd bitch about it, but she'd manage.

They piled inside while Jay held the gate open and they waited on the road while he closed it. Jay complained again that no one else ever opened or closed the gate when he got in the car. Chess drove off toward the school as the sun was peeking through the clouds. The tension was thick among the youngest and greenest of the team, Julia and Alex, who shared the rear seat. She and Alex sat quietly talking and Julia asked where Julia, too was.

"She punked out." Alex answered.

"Awe, why? She was doing alright, wasn't she?"

"It isn't for everyone." Chess said to her.

He reminded her that making it into the van was the first achievement.

Chess pulled the van to a stop outside the fortress' gates. Jay and Tavin hopped out and unlocked the chain, then both hoisted the tall heavy gates wide open one at a time. Tavin climbed back in the passenger seat and left Jay in the grass inside the gate. He was heading in on foot, a warm up for what was to come. If he tried hard, he could make it to the parking space before the van. He stretched a bit as he watched the van pull in and drive past him. There were a few stray zoms in the grassy field in front of the school, but far enough away they were not of concern to him. In fact when they saw the van drive into the compound, their attention turned from him to the vehicle and he was relatively safe. He stretched as he watched them amble slowly in the direction of the vehicle. He finally took off at a decent pace toward the van where it had parked. He hadn't run anywhere in a long time.

Chess parked on the grass outside the front door. He turned off the engine and they climbed out, waiting for Jayson to catch up to them. He popped the trunk, handed off packs to each person and they head toward the front door of the main building where they waited for Jayson to join them. When he did, he took his own pack from the van and then closed it up.

"Well, Forrest?" Chess asked.

"All good. Warmed up. Let's do this."

Chess wedged the crow bar in the door jamb and broke in. Flashlights and weapons out like they practiced, they single file entered the semi dark office space of the first floor of their fortress. Julia hung on Chess's heels as they moved through the entryway to the office space and through there into the main floor's office grid like layout. Cubicles were searched one by one, then once that area was cleared, they set down their packs and moved on to the next area of the first floor. Via the main corridor, they continued on and cleared room by room again till they reached the main dining area. The doors were shut and locked, but Jay had keys.

"You got keys and we broke in, Keller. What the fuck."

"The keys were in the janitor closet, ass hole." He shot back at Chess. "Wanna let me do this? I know the way around your castle with my fuckin eyes closed." He found the key on the ring by feel alone and stuck it in the lock. He turned ever so slowly and Chess pulled the door open slowly. They head inside paired up and it was clear to see the caf was empty. No movement and no noise. Jay and Tavin split off and head to the kitchen. Julia started following, but felt a hand on her hoodie that gave her a firm yank back into her spot aside Chess.

"Sorry." She whispered. She wanted to see the inside of the massive structure they'd broken into.

"There's time for tours later." He answered, backing her up and moving toward the door. "We're clearing. That's all."

Julia remained silent and they continued to back out of the cafeteria into the corridor and Jody led them down the hall to the stair well. Jay and Tavin split off again, clearing the remaining couple rooms on the first floor as Jody and Alex stepped cautiously inside the stairwell. Julia and Chess followed along, winding upward to the second floor where Alex and Jody stepped inside and started clearing the level. Julia and Chess climbed upward to the third level, the war room. The door was locked. As Jay and Tavin hit the second floor landing, Chess called Jay up to unlock the door. As Julia peered inside, she thought she saw movement in silhouettes along the far wall. Jay stuck the key in the hole and turned it.

"There's someone in there." She said, backing away from the door.

"Alive or dead?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Guess." He stated. He and Jody both had been giving them the gift of their knowledge and experience. Things to look and listen for, the typical zom behavior and movements as well as human.

"Alive, because they're hiding not coming at us." She replied, feeling confident in that statement.

"What do you wanna do?" Chess asked her.

Julia knocked on the door. "Hello." She called softly.

"Awe, fuck." Jay laughed.

"Hello. We're here to help. Please come out." She called as she shined the light in the glass.

"Help?" Chess asked as he looked around the war room enclosure. The sun and Julia's flashlight gave some semblance of lighting inside. He observed the movement as well in the far end of the war room. There was a makeshift barricade, stacked desks to obscure whoever was hiding inside. She turned the knob after tucking her gun back in her holster. "Hello." She called again.

"Light it up, Chess?" Jay suggested as they held their guns over Julia's shoulders. She felt a familiar hand tugging her back and down.

"No, don't." Julia gasped, struggling against the hand on her hoodie.

"No." She heard a shout from behind the desks that were piled one on top of the other. "We're unarmed." A man's voice announced.

"It's Hector." Jay said to Chess under his breath.

"Come out." Chess yelled to them. "Hands up."

"It's-"

"I don't care. I don't trust anyone." Chess said, pulling Julia away from the door as he'd originally intended on doing. Their flashlights shined on the faces that appeared before them. Their hands were up as ordered. Chess head in and met each person, patting each one down firmly for the weapons they swore they didn't have. He came face to face with a woman, older, graying hair, who was scared. "Ma'am." Chess nodded as he gently patted her down as well.

Jay saw the recognizable faces of Hector and Julio as well as Hilda and another woman he did not know. "Anyone else here?" Chess asked these found people. Julia was correct, they would stand to inherit Hector and Hilda with the fortress.

"No." Hector answered.

"No one else is here with you?" Chess asked again, having a feeling they were being dishonest. There had to be more people. There had to be more living souls as Julia's history lesson about their future indicated there would be, but Hector and Hilda was all he needed to see. He knew that Hector and Hilda were the originals. He knew they'd be there till the day they eventually died. Julia, herself had said neither had ever left the compound once the society collapsed.

"Chess Morgan." Chess introduced himself to the man in his fifties with dark, ruddy skin and graying hair. He stood slightly hunched with a belly, firm calloused hands from hard work. He still wore a brown work uniform.

"Hector Cortes." He answered with a hint of pride to his voice. "My son, Julio. This is Hilda and her daughter, Trudy."

They heard the door to the stairwell open a floor below and Tavin called up. "We got people here."

Chess looked at Hector.

"They are not with us." Hilda said with a hint of a German accent. "They stay down there and we stay up here."

"Not anymore." Julia announced as Chess rounded the piled desks. He saw supplies and he saw bedding. He saw no weapons as they'd said earlier. They also had empty food containers and packages, neatly bound in trash bags. Julio, he found out, would make their food runs to the kitchen and return. Hector, Hilda and Trudy had only descended from the war room to use the bathroom on the second floor. They had been huddled alive in there since the collapse, since the people had turned and they had locked them into the courtyard. Chess was dumbfounded how they managed to last up there. It had been several months.

Chess stepped away from the foursome on the third floor and jogged to the second without his partner. She stayed gabbing and getting to know the group and their story. She understood the way they lived. She had lived similarly till she'd been found and removed from her house by Chess and Cal. Jay stuck with her, stood by her side as they talked and she watched how she and Julio interacted. He knew what Julia had said about Julio and he wondered whether the age gap would even matter to her. Julio was in fact closer to Alex's age than her own in this flipside version of events. He watched Julia as she touched his arm and spoke softly to him. A lot could happen in a couple year's time. Julia Fry would be their liaison between the living and the living with her soft voice and her gentle way. His girlfriend was too rough around the edges anymore for small talk with strangers.

"Where did you all come from?" Trudy asked. "You said you were here to help."

"Help all of us. We're all together in this, Trudy. We all want a future, a safe place to live and have life worth living. I think we could do that together."

"Out there. You saw what is out there?" She asked with some anxiety as she mentioned the outside. "We cannot walk the grounds, we cannot-"

"You can and you will. Soon." Julia assured her. "That's why we are here."

Julia spoke so positively positive on the subject she had Jay believing the bullshit. If the stories were true, this fortress wouldn't come to fruition for a few more years and he'd never live to see it. The clock was ticking. Julia continued with her we-the-people speech and he could literally see the end game, living peacefully, safe and barricaded from the risks that wanted to eat them. Set back far enough from the road, the dead ambled by. The building itself would obscure them and their activity. They were shielded and confined within the school's campus.

Chess led more people to the third floor war room. He had already patted them down and secured the weapons from them. Seven young kids, including Damon and Mia, that had housed on the second floor. Their living space was more littered and spray painted. Destructive youth they were. They had shared the building, but they lived for all intents and purposes separately. The older and adult away from the young. No one was in charge overall, but separately each cache of living had a representative. Clark spoke for the second floor group. "No one asked for your help."

"Ok, then you can leave." Chess said, grabbing the kid by the collar and tossing him into the hall. "Go get your shit. Anyone else?"

"Chess, stop that." Julia sighed, going to the kid in the hallway before he left. "Stay in here. Don't be smart."

"Oh, I'll leave."

"Can you run fast? Because that's what you will be doing if you leave."

"Why are you staying in here instead of the dorm?" Jody asked out of the blue.

"You'll see." Hector sighed, taking himself and his 3 others behind the stacked desks.

"Good. Let's go see." Chess announced, clearly tiring of the group of people he had in the war room. He scanned the large space once again and tried to see himself clearing out the entire room and making it an office and closing off a portion of the place for a secret sex room. He couldn't picture it. Yet. "Stay in here." He commanded, hoping these people would entertain the thought. If they emerged from the enclosed war room, they'd certainly get caught in a swell hungry corpses.

"Why should we listen to you?" Another smart ass kid spoke up.

Alex pointed to the window. "Just watch."

The group of invaders exited the war room and filed down the steps. Chess had the dorms in mind before he chose to move onto the courtyard. He had wondered why they couldn't walk the campus as all the zoms were caged. "Jay, wanna head out with the bolt cutters? Me and Red here are gonna check out the dorm. Tav, come with us." Once clear of the main building, they walked around to the rear, taking in the courtyard with its entrapped and turned people inside. A small army would erupt through that gate shortly. Tavin walked beside them as Chess opened up his opinionated mouth one more time.

"Julia, don't ever do that again."

"Do what?"

"Go against me like that. I told the kid to leave and you changed my mind for me. Don't pull that shit again."

"He was being a kid, Chess. Like Alex."

"You heard me." He stated.

"You were wrong though." She argued with him. "He was just scared. He doesn't know you and you just expect him to start listening to you?"

"Pretty much." He nodded. "I expect you to do the same." He stepped up the three steps or so to the door of the dormitory and he gave it a yank.

"Without any explanation? Just like that, huh?" She asked, surprised he was being such an ass. He never had given her that sort of directive before. She trusted him, yes, but strangers wouldn't. She called him on it. "You can't expect that from people."

"Julia, I do." He replied.

The three pulled weapons and started clearing the first floor of the dorm and found nothing. Chess peeked into the gym and saw nothing. Darker inside the dorm on that side of the building. Julia waited by the gym door while he and Tavin, who heard nothing, continued on. There was no indication of anything that would harm them, living or dead, inside that building. The longer Julia lingered by the gymnasium though, the odor made itself known. She peeked inside the door through the glass once again and saw nothing just like Chess. It smelled dead, but they figured it was from the outside as opposed to the inside. The dead reek something terrible, Julia thought. She pulled open the gym door, propped it with a door stopper and stepped inside. A large room with a volleyball net in the center, pulled horizontally across. She picked up a ball and batted it over the net with her wrists together. She missed school. The activity to keep her busy, the small group of friends she'd made. She ducked beneath the net and fetched the ball, then turned to lob the ball back over the net. When she turned, her heart nearly stopped.

She heard herself let out a whimper and she dropped the ball as she stood frozen halfway across the gym from the entrance. Why haven't they moved? Why haven't they come toward me? Along each side of the doorway, huddled in two separate groups, were dead. Unseen through the glass on the gym door, but visible from her standpoint.

"Come on, Julia. Nothing here." Chess called.

"I don't understand." Julia pointed toward them as Tavin returned to the gym entrance. She hadn't caught their attention. A couple zoms in the huddle turned their heads in her direction, but she stood awkwardly still despite being out in the open. For the first time in weeks, she stood with tears in her eyes. She saw perhaps 20 of them, their backs to her in clothes that had not worn or been exposed to the elements. As her heart started racing, she sensed herself about to panic. She told herself to calm down. She looked around her, how to get higher up than the floor. No where to run and no way out and no way up. She glance back over her shoulder as she drew the gun from her holster and she held it high and she was ready should one or all advance on her.

The longer Tavin and Chess lingered at the entrance, the odor overwhelmed their senses. The smell hadn't been wafting in from outside after all. Chess peeked left and right and then stepped out. "Walk toward me." He said.

"No." She answered.

"Walk out the same way you walked in."

Chess saw she was stuck firmly with fear gripping the soles of those boots. Julia would have already been out of there, no hesitation. Of all people on all days, the very first adventure outside the perimeter of the farmhouse, this one walks into a small nest. An ominous sight to see. Their stasis despite the living body feet from them. Julia had no clue about nests or their behavior. He knew he didn't want her opening fire on them. He knew he didn't want her in there much longer because that hunger would override their sleep mode and soon she'd be ripped apart and soon so would he and Tavin.

"Tav, get out and tell Jay to hold up. Anything happens to us, you wait it out and carry on with the plan."

"Nest, right?"

"Yeah, go."

Chess stepped forward and kicked the door stopper out of the way, letting the door close behind him. Julia saw no way out, but Chess had studied the schematics and knew the lay out of this place nearly as well as Jayson. He was smart enough to know there would be an exit to the rear of the gym. There had to be a fire exit. He turned and backed toward her with his gun up. He walked calmly and when he got to her, he placed that hand on her shoulder again and started her in reverse, ducking the volley ball net as they moved. The net itself would give them a head start, buy them some time to get to the door. The zoms would get caught, but they would inevitably figure out how to circumvent the net. As they closed in on the rear wall of the gym, the nest started to come to life, heads started turning and bodies broke from the tight huddle in which they stood. Their noses were sniffing the air surrounding them, their ears were zoning in on the lub-dub of two hearts pounding.

"Do not fire that weapon." He insisted, praying inside that she would heed that order and not let the fear overcome her. "Door, to the right." He said, moving her faster along the gymnasium, shoes squeaking on the court all the way, to the fire exit. He put his whole body against the door and it gave way, opening into yard outside the dorm. He slammed it shut and threw his small frame against it as the stampede of dead footsteps hurdled toward the rear of the gym. "Fucking run, Julia." He yelled, shoving her away from him. She stumbled, rolled and wound up on her ass across from him as the door he'd pressed against flew open and several of the nest zoms screeched into the sunlight. The sunshine caused them to howl as their skin sizzled in the day light. "Shoot them!" He screamed as he slammed his body against the steel door, cutting off another nest zom from exiting. He aimed and fired his own weapon, trying to cover her ass and his own at the same time. The sun scorching their pale flesh helped slow them down, but not nearly enough to keep them from pouncing or biting or scratching.

Julia aimed and fired as the zom latched onto her arm, its claw like nails gripping and breaking the flesh on her forearm. She howled in pain as the claws sunk in half an inch deep. Blood oozed from the puncture wounds as the zom's head exploded above her. Chess steadied himself and they both fired rounds into the two others who'd escaped the confines of the gym on agile limbs. Both had head toward her as she screamed on the ground. She never lowered her weapon and she never stopped firing it as she sat there with a body oozing fluids all over her. Her aim was a bit off and she'd nearly shot him as well, but she stayed alert like he and Jody had trained her. Tavin and Jay were first to arrive, having heard the gun fire and her screaming. Chess made his way quickly to her side and pushed the dead zom off her. She sat covered in blood and liquefied internal organs, chunks of brain and skull fragments speckled her face and her hair. As he rolled the zom, the claws it had hooked into her arm stayed implanted and she squealed in pain. She shoved Chess away from her with her free hand, having tossed the weapon aside. She took each finger from the true corpse and unhooked each sharp nail from her flesh. It snagged her on the anterior forearm through the hoodie. She bled rather heavy through the sleeve. She pulled the hoodie over her head and wrapped her arm tight applying a heavy pressure to the wounds.

The guys stood around her, knowing what had happened and dreading the outcome.

"Julia," Chess said, raising his gun at her.

"No." Jay yelled, putting himself between her and the pistol that Chess had raised at her.

"Move, Jay." Chess ordered.

"Wait, wait, let me look at her." Tavin said, dropping to his knees next to her.

"You know what's gonna happen." Chess argued. "There's a way we go about things and this has to happen."

"Fuck you." Julia snapped at him. "I'll shoot you back." She looked around Tavin's torso angrily at him. The first time he'd heard her curse him or raise her voice to him.

"Your agreement is with wifey, not her. Leave her alone." Jay yelled.

Tavin unwound the hoodie from her left arm and he looked at the punctures. "Sutures." Tavin said. "Let's get you to the van and we'll take care of you, ok?" Tavin suggested as he rose to his feet. He lifted her off the ground and walked with her. "What happened, Jules?"

"They were so fast and we were almost out."

"What the fuck? You're gonna turn, Julia and then you're-"

"No, I won't." She answered confidently. "I'll be fine. Trust me." She continued with Tavin as he escorted her to the van and his medical bag. Jay and Chess sat staring at them as they left them and rounded the building.

"Not the time to think positive." Chess muttered, covering his face with his hands. "I tried, Jay. I got her out and told her to run. She stayed. I-"

"It's ok."

"No, it's fucking not ok." He yelled. "I got her out, Jayson. I shoved her and told her to run, but she didn't. She fired instead."

"We don't run, Chess. You been drilling that into their heads for a month. We stand and fight, Chess. Remember?"

"Not when I say run. She's not a great shot yet. It's why I told her to run. She was supposed to run."

"She chose to stay and shoot and she chose to help you. It's what we all would have done."

He held his head in his hands. "Fuck." Chess muttered. "Fuck."

"Chess,"

"Just leave me alone a minute, please." He raised his voice as he sat by the door, his back still against it. Jay hopped to his feet and moved along to his brother and Julia. He waited out Chess who was as emotional as he would have been himself. "Get up, Chess." Jay called to him. "It's ok. We'll deal with it."

Chess hopped to his feet. "It's my fault. She's gonna die and it's my fault."

He walked with his cousin around the building and saw Tavin sitting on the ground with Julia's arm resting on the floor board of the van. He'd cleansed her wounds, he'd injected lidocaine to dull the suturing process and he'd started the first of multiple wounds, sewing flesh back together as approximated as possible. He sat talking to her as her head was turned from the work at hand. She didn't flinch despite the pain she felt. There was only so much lidocaine could do. Her arm was searing hot and red from the elbow down to her fingertips.

"Chess, I am fine." She said solemnly, knowing he was worried about her.

He sat next to her and he watched as Tavin sewed her up. He said nothing. He didn't complain or question her. He held his composure until Tavin finished his work. He wrapped up her arm in a gauze wrap and then bagged up all his trash. Julia wanted her pack she'd brought with her. Chess fetched it and carried it for her. Her left arm was swollen now, her fingers little sausages. He took her hand and walked with her back to the main building. Tavin went ahead of them, Jayson hung back to release and run. This part of the plan rested solely on Jay's shoulders.

Once inside and the door secured behind them, he pulled her against him. "I am so sorry, Julia. This is my fault."

"Chess, don't cry. I'm gonna be ok." She said, squeezing him tight.

"I'll take care of you, alright? When it's time, I'll make sure you go quick." He rested his face on her shoulder and she felt the warmth of his tears on her tee shirt.

"Shh, shh, Chess, stop. I want to show you something." She said in a soothing voice. " Is there a bathroom, someplace...I need to get changed."

He took her to the defunct elevator and next to it was a bathroom where she stepped inside. Out of habit, she turned on the light switch. Nothing. A small window in the bathroom provided her light and she pulled him inside with her, then closed the door. She pulled her tee shirt over her head and she draped her hair over her shoulders, covering her breasts.

"Oh, what are ya doin', Julia?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Her pale skin with the red hair against it had him having flashbacks to a more seductive time. He waited as she pulled the cloth from her bag and used the cold water from her water bottle to clean her skin of blood stains. She stripped entirely in front of him, cleaning herself as best she could temporarily. She dried with another cloth and redressed, hoisting another pair of jeans over her legs and hips. She stood bare chested instead of putting on another shirt. She turned around nervously, allowing the first person this side of the apocalypse to see her wound.

"Is that-"

"Yes." She nodded as he inspected her bite. The dip in her flesh over the left shoulder blade. It had never been tended to like Tavin had tended to her arm. The flesh was gouged semi deep and had healed from the inside out naturally.

"Um, what? When? How?" He stammered unsure of which question to ask first. "You lived." He stated, feeling a burst of relief inside him.

"And I will live through this too. Promise." She said, turning back to face him. "It looks funny cause of the graft." She added, folding her arms over her chest. She reached her bandaged arm out. "This is a normal reaction and it will go away. My body is fighting off the infection and I will heal."

"Oh." He said, completely taken aback by the wound he'd just seen on her back.

"Then there's this." She said, turning sideways and lifting her arm to reveal the scratches along her left rib cage. They were more superficial, slit like scars trailing the ribs, and they had healed on their own naturally.

"What happened?" He asked as he traced the scars on her skin with his fingertips.

She nearly answered when Jody had come looking for them.

"Hey, where are you two?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "In the bathroom."

"Where's Chess at? Jay's ready."

Julia bit her lip, looking at him as he stepped closer. "I'm in here with her, Mayers." His hand moved over her rib cage to her hip. "Quit biting that lip." He warned her quietly. He wanted to bite it too.

"You ok? What's he doing to you?"

"Nothing. We're ok." Julia answered. "Be right out." She called, feeling chills flood through her at the touch of his hand on her body.

"This why I couldn't feel you?" He asked, moving his other hand to her other hip.

"Hmm, yes." She answered. "It's why no one touches me, Chess." She bit that lip again and batted her lashes at him...those pretty blue-green eyes gazed upward.

"Fuck." He groaned, fingertips digging into her waist, gripping her hard and bringing her waist against his. "Fuck, get dressed, Julia."

"Um, ok." She picked her tee up.

"I don't want you to. Don't think-"

"I know." She smiled, pushing her hair back over her shoulders. She stood bare chested in front of him and he wasn't sure what was going on, whether there was another bite or whether she was teasing the hell out of him. He looked her over and reached for her, then stopped when Jody coughed loudly in the hall way.

"Go the fuck away, Mayers. Tell Jay to go ahead."

"Ok, will do."

"Julia, put the shirt on." He said, yanking her tee shirt from her hand. He put her head through the hole and she raised her arms, placing both arms through the sleeves. "There's nothing I want more than to-we have work to do."

"Sure, Chess. Yes." She said, opening her bag with her good hand and pulling out another sweatshirt.

"Later, Julia?" He asked as she pulled the sweatshirt on. She opened the door and stepped out into the hall with him on her heels. She had a little wiggle in her step. "Julia, later? Can we-"

"We'll see." She answered with a little wiggle in her walk.

"We'll see?" He asked with a squawk to his voice. "Don't mess with me, Jules."

"We'll see." She repeated, rounding the stairwell and climbing to the third floor with the rest of them. She entered the war room and took a spot by the window which gave her full view of the grounds below that stretched to the street. The gates were wide open and she waited for Jayson to come into view. "Are you sure this is safe?" She asked as Chess stood directly behind her.

"Yeah. He's fast. It only takes one person really. The nest is another problem entirely. Yo, Tavin, we're gonna need her out of bed for that nest."

"I don't know about this, chess." He said as he watched out the window.

"His fuckin idea." Chess answered. "You know it's smart, right?"

"Better not get him killed, man."

"He's faster than me and you put together." Chess said, leaving Julia and moving to Tavin. He wanted to talk about the nest and then tackle the topic of wifey who wouldn't get out of bed. Chess looked up at Tavin who stared intensely out the window.

"I should go out there with him. I'm fast too." He looked over the grass in front of the school, looked to the road, scanned the vicinity.

"We got bigger problems. Like that nest." He mumbled. "You-get wifey the fuck outta bed and get her head on straight."

"You get wifey outta bed." Tavin groaned.

"You work whatever magic you got. Let me know if you need the time and the distraction. I can get Jay out-"

"Fuck, Chess, you pimpin' me now?"

"I'll do what I gotta do." He admitted that much, then changed the subject. "You know she was serious when she said she wasn't turning."

"I figured you woulda shot her when you were alone down there. It's why I left you alone with her. Jay woulda flipped, but so be it." He turned to look at him. "You know for sure. 100% or is she just hoping it ain't gonna happen?"

"She knows."

"Like Jay knows."

"Yep."

"You trust her on this?"

"Just like Jay, yeah." He nodded, wanting to know the full story of how this girl got bit, scratched, and survived both wounds. She had been down this painful road before and he wanted to know the truth from her. Had she been attacked in her very own zombie world where she spent her days while Julia passed her days here? Was she as immune as Jay and did she find out when she didn't die? If so, where had the skin graft come from? He had more questions than answers. For now, immunity was the only answer he could provide.

"Here we go." Tavin said as he saw Jayson running.

His brother came to a complete halt and he held up the air horn. He blasted it once and led the throng of hungry zoms down the lengthy drive toward the open gates.

"You're letting them walk out? Into the surrounding neighborhood?" Chess heard a young female from the second floor ask.

"Yep. They'll get out there and scatter." He replied.

"Where's he going to run?"

"He's gonna run real fast over there." Chess replied dully. "You guys ready? Julia, you sit this one out."

"Yeah, I will." She held up her bandaged arm. "Be careful."

Jayson ran a few hundred more feet and blasted that air horn again. Keeping the zom's short attention span was a difficult task. All one needed was noise and to be fast on one's feet. Jay had both and he gradually lured a hundred hungry zoms through the gate and into the street in front of the fortress. It took forever to get them there it seemed, but only ten to fifteen minutes had passed. The true sprint would take place outside the fence in the street and through the field to the tunnel entrance. It was twice the distance past the school from the street to that tunnel entrance. Being that he couldn't return through the front gate, the tunnel seemed like the way to go.

Julia watched from the window, keeping an eye on Jay as he ran through the crowded street. He dodged the dead, having learned this trait from Hayley years ago on the turnpike. A couple he had to put down. That air horn of his served a purpose in drawing them out of the fortress campus, but it all served to bring them in from all corners of the surrounding fields and neighborhood. He had to watch his back and his front the closer he got to the gate. Once in the street he blasted that air horn one final time and then disposed of it and pulled his gun. This was not a time for knives as there was a mini horde around him. When the rest of the group of four arrived to the field, they put down the stragglers on the way to close the gate. They went out with knives in lieu of guns. It was the best option as firing weapons inside the fence would only bring the herd right back inside and toward them, which was not a bright idea considering all the work that Jay had done getting them to the road in the first place.

"What happened to your arm?" Trudy asked Julia as she approached her by the window. Her gaze had switched to Jay as he ran like a gazelle through the field to the left toward the hatch.

"I fell. It's sprained." She lied. No one would know her truth yet. No one would understand her or believe her, except for the people she lived with. Her story would not be on blast to every person she came across. She told Chess because she had to tell Chess, but it felt good letting someone else in on that part of her. She had hidden it so long. She had covered herself and shielded herself from view constantly. No cute spaghetti strap clothes, no one could touch her or see for fear she would have to explain. It was ugly, a part of her she would look at in the mirror and cringe if she saw it. Who walks around with a huge chunk of their body ripped off and displays it proudly. Any normal person would have questions as to where it had come from. No one knew the truth, even her father. He had been told it was a dog bite that got infected and McGill's story unfolded from there. No one would understand or believe her. Chess didn't question her or the validity to her claim that she would heal. He trusted she would be honest and she would be truthful when he asked. He would ask later and he would possibly want to tell the others.

Julia watched as Jay disappeared through a hole obscured by tall grass outside the perimeter of the fence. Her attention turned back to those in the field in front of the school. Bodies had been dropped and Tavin and Jody were closing the gates and latching them together with a chain and an open padlock. A half hour had passed from start to finish and they had completely overtaken the fortress and its campus, except for that nest of course. Jody had explained the idea of the nest, but to be in the presence of one was another story altogether. Those damn zoms had claws and sharp ones at that. Jody wasn't lying when he said they would move fast and kill faster. He wasn't lying when he said they'd come out in the daylight if need be. Julia had never seen a zom howl in pain under the bright morning sun. She had been awed by the screech and the zom's ultimate confusion when it had no higher brain function to determine whether to feed or whether to seek shelter once again. Would the sun kill them? Julia wondered. It looked painful, but would it kill them?

"The grounds are clear. Come outside." Julia said to those that sheltered inside the war room. She slipped through the doorway and she bound down the steps to the first floor where she moved forward through the building to the main entrance. The others followed more slowly, but followed they did and they took their first steps outside in weeks.

"Is it true? The ground is clear?" Hector asked as he looked through the door to the driveway. 4 tired and bloody people approached from the field. Jay circled around the building from the kitchen area. He'd gone out through the courtyard.

"All clear. There's a mess out there though. Gonna take a while to clean it up."

"We need another plan. That nest is still in the damn gym." Chess reminded him.

"Yeah, well I would count this as a win today." Tavin spoke up, reaching in his pocket for a smoke. They all surrounded the front steps and relaxed a bit.

"A win?" Julia asked, surprised he'd said that.

"You know what I mean little red. You kicked ass before you-"

"Sprained my arm, yes. Thanks."

"Seriously, you didn't run and you took one for the team." Tavin added.

She blushed. "I didn't want to stay in either."

"Next time." Chess told her. He looked around the steps at the 2nd and 3rd floor dwellers. "Is there another vehicle here? A car, a van, a delivery truck? Anything that has a motor and some gas?" They looked at him with dead pan expressions. "Jay, where's the maintenance building?"

"Who are you people and how do you know your way around here?"

"The internet, people. This is the 21st century." He replied quickly, which is what Julia would have said. "Jay?"

"Round back. I'll go look."

"Thanks."

Chess explained the situation that faced them in the gym and the severity of the nest and their heightened senses and agility. He stressed the fact that they can climb and he also stressed the fact that without the rancid odor of death between them and the nest, they would come out at night and devour them after destroying the place. Chess invited them to the farmhouse, which caught everyone off guard. The possibility they would as a group have to come face to face with nests in the near future scared him. They had no idea the nest was in their back yard. If there was one, then there was another somewhere and the danger they faced increased daily. Had they mutated due to hunger, the lack of food, that their senses were augmented to hunt and their bodies to destroy? He needed to have his wife awake, alert and paying attention. He needed her input. He needed her vision and her skill and her calm and her experience. Had they not gone forward with phase one, they would be in the dark when the nest broke through their fence and then attacked them in the dark of night. Their bug out plan would have to change as well. Their entire outlook in zombie world would have to change.

"No one is saying you have to go anywhere." Julia announced when the talk of leaving and heading to the farmhouse became an issue. "It was simply offered as a gesture to keep you alive till morning." They all looked at the girl as she sat on the step and seemed annoyed at the lot of them.

"She's right." Tavin added as he saw Jay come back.

"I need a jump. I think the battery is dead in the maintenance truck.

"My car is in the employee lot." Hector said, looking at Julio, Trudy and Hilda. "We will go." The older man said as he thought of his son. The whole reason they'd gone to the school when the infection swept through was to keep Julio alive. He always felt Julio had a purpose and from the looks of what the group of outsiders had accomplished that morning, they could be trusted.

"We will." Damon spoke up, arms around the black haired girl that spoke only to him. "Go get our things." He left go of Mia and sent her on her way inside the main building. "Mia stays with me." He announced. "I want my weapon back." He looked at Chess. "Now."

"The weapons are secured in the van, kid, and we all carry at the farm house as long as you know what you're doing with that weapon."

"I do."

"Good. Gather up the things you want and let's head out. There's things we gotta do at the farmhouse. Tavin,"

"I'll take care of it." He said, walking away with his brother to get Hector's car and the van and bring them around front.

Those who chose to join them went to gather their belongings and he wondered where these people would sleep. He also thought of the farm house and the possibility of a nest swarming them. They would need to go dark. They would need to go silent and they would need to figure out how to keep the nests off their land for the time being till they could eradicate the nest on campus and then formulate a plan to transfer their things from one place to another. This undertaking with a skeleton crew would be overwhelming. He needed his wife functional whether she wanted to play a part in this or not was no longer an option for her. Zombie world no longer functioned in black and white anymore, only a deadly shade of gray.

45 minutes later the group and their add-on's were on the road. They piled into the van and Hector's car. No longer were there two separate and isolated groups at the fortress occupying different floors. No longer were they splintered, they would bond or they would be ousted. No exceptions. They had left behind five of the seven from the second floor. Chess had locked up the court yard and he had locked up the main entrance to the building and when they left, Jayson locked up the gates with the heavy chain and pad lock. In his rear view, Chess watched as those left behind were left in the open and had to get smart to reenter the building. If they lived another day to see this group, they would be pissed. He doubted they would. There would be no further olive branches handed to them. Chess intended on giving the nest its first meal in possibly ever as they had been trapped on the grounds like the rest with old virus and those who had lived in the main building.

Upon returning to the farmhouse, he gave Julia one directive. She was in charge of showing them around and getting them settled in. Feed them if they were hungry, get them clean if they were dirty. She took to it eagerly and since she had brought them home, these strangers, then she was all for making them comfortable. She gave them a tour, albeit a mini tour and she welcomed them inside the dwelling like they would live there.

While she played gracious hostess, Jayson climbed the steps to the bedroom and he put Jesslyn and Ray out of the room. "Meeting needs to happen and you need to be there. There's problems."

"Chess-"

"Not Chess, boss. You."

He went to her and sat on the floor next to her where she lay curled in a fetal position beneath a blanket and surrounded by pillows. Her skin was paler than usual. Her energy level was low. Her eyes were red from tears. She felt numb, detached. She had abided by the rules, or one of them, that if she went mental then she'd step down and she'd allow Chess to take over. She held up her end of the bargain. "You can stay, but leave me alone." She said, making no sense. She didn't want to push him away, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to separate from her.

"Talk to me. I been asking you, baby. Please say something other than leave me alone." He asked of her, touching her hair.

"How's my fortress?" She smiled halfheartedly, trying to keep a positive depression. "I'm glad you're back and you're ok." She took his hand. "My Alex came home right?" She thought a moment, "The plan worked and you got em out?"

"Yes, but Julia got hurt. She'll be alright, but we need a meeting and we need you." She went mute on that note. "Napoleon has spoken." He laughed. "Come on. He's pimping Tav out next." He nudged her.

"Oh, damn, it's that bad?" She laughed, swiping red hair from her face.

"Jules, seriously, would Tav help right now? I don't care. If you need Tav or Chess, I would understand."

She shook her head. "I'm fucked up. I don't want them seeing me like this."

"Julia, we have all seen you like this." He argued. He watched her eyes tear up and he felt like crying too. "Julia, I understand what you're going through, baby, but you can't let it do this to you."

"You don't think I know that? I know I should get up and move and interact and be a part of this thing we made. It's doing it. I am tired and I am-I wanna be left alone-not alone, but I don't wanna deal with all that. You guys are on it and I trust you and I want Tav and Jody and whoever else...it's all done, just work it. You don't need me for that. Understand? I wanna sit up here with Jess and fuck. Or sit up here and cry. Whatever, leave me be."

She and Jay sat on the floor in front of the fire awhile and watched the flames flicker. She lay in his lap and listened as he spoke about not being able to help her or not being able to fix her. He didn't have the ability to do it, but she thought Jayson being there in the moment was more than enough. It always was enough. He could never fix her or make her feel better, she had to do that on her own or let it work itself out. The fact he cared and loved her enough to sit and wait was what made her stronger.

As she lay, she listened to the house alive around her. The voices that carried upstairs, the work that was being done outside. She heard hammering. Her people were working hard for sure as the sounds of hammering finally annoyed her enough to ask what they were doing.  "What are we building, Jay? An ark?" She laughed as the noise closed in on her. If she had been alone, she would have got up and looked out the window, but Jay seemed to know what was going on out there and since he didn't mention it, she didn't look. Soon the plank of wood covered her very own window and she heard the nails going into the frame. She wondered. "Jay is a storm coming?" She asked as the room dimmed considerably.

"No." He answered. "I should go help, but Chess obviously knows what he's doing. He's an organized motherfucker for sure."

The wood being hammered into place over the windows was a clear indicator of a storm. She had prepared for that. When the trees came down in the field the month before, she thought they should have covered the windows then, but it was too late. The covering was cut specifically to fit either inside or outside the house and since they were covering the outside, having advanced warning a storm was heading their way, they could easily cover the windows. If they were caught off guard, then they could cover the same windows inside with the same panels. At one time, they had thought she was crazy,  but she didn't want some Wizard of Oz shit going down on her land. "If there's no storm," She hypothesized as the sun was bright and cheery on the outside of those window coverings..."Are we going dark?" She asked. Going dark would be insane considering the threat was already standing on the perimeter clear as day. He nodded and sighed, but she laughed. "What is worse than zoms, Jay? Are they flying zoms now?" She laughed a little harder, picturing skeletons with bony like wings sprouted from their shoulder blades.

"No."

"Oh, are there vampires or werewolves? Cause that would be hot."

"This is not hot and not funny. Why would we go dark? What is the plan?"

She thought. "At home, nests. We made the same boards for nests, but there aren't nests...are there nests?" She asked curiously. Jay hummed a response that was not encouraging. "Babe, did you find a nest?" She was serious and her brain was coming on line. "There are no nests here." She sat up and turned her body toward him. "Where?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned and her eyes wide. "Oh, that's nothing to fuck with." She was up and moving at that point. She pulled her hair back into a tail and threw on a jacket over her pajamas.

"Where you going?"

"To talk to Chess." She answered. "I need a smoke, Jay. Where are my fuckin boots?" She asked as she yanked fluffy Ugg boots on her feet.

"You're a smelly beast. You need to clean yourself up-" She looked as disheveled as she felt. But she was already gone from the room and down the steps before he finished the sentence. "Mission accomplished." Jay said to an empty room.

She met with Julia in the living room at the bottom of the steps. She found her boots as she looked at the girl whose arm was swollen and wrapped in a gauze kling bandage. Julia mentioned she should have a sling on and elevate that arm. Her fingers were swollen and red. She looked as if she was in some pain, but was hiding it well. She let Julia introduce those that occupied her downstairs as if she'd never met any of them before. Julia seemed right at home making these people feel as if they were at home. The fact that she felt and looked like hell didn't phase young Julia.

Hilda shook Julia's hand. "Thanks for allowing us in your home."

"It's yours as well, Miss Hilda. You are very welcome here. Please excuse me, I haven't been well." Julia said, looking over her jacket that was buttoned up crooked and her baggy pajamas and her Ugg boots.

"Sisters, huh? Why you both named Julia?" Julio asked.

"Yes, I am three years older." Julia looked to her bandaged counterpart.

"Our dad really liked that name. You can call her Morgan. Most people do."

"Yeah, Morgan. Nice to meet you." Julio smiled, stepping away from his dad and moving closer to her. Julia stepped back and made an excuse to leave the room. The sexual energy coming off Julio was hard to dismiss. Despite the fact she looked like she just rolled out of bed and she smelled. Her body hadn't seen water in a week other than a quick bird bath donated by Jess's delicate hands.

Next she met Damon and Mia. She didn't linger with the brother-sister-couple, saying a simple hello and goodbye. She was not permitted to carry on conversation with the two of them outside of the room. In fact, she had never had an in depth conversation with either of them. Mia's beauty did not go overlooked as her exotic facial features were intriguing and she wanted to touch her instantly. The memories of the thin and light Mia permeated her mind momentarily. Mia's bound wrists, her legs spread on the table before her. It was the first spark of lust she had for anyone outside her own bedroom in a while.

"Hello. You're up." Chess smiled at her. He looked over the pajamas, the bottoms stuffed inside the boots. Her hair at least was pulled back in a tail. She looked pale and worn out. "Julia, shit, you look awful."

"I look like hell, but I'm fine." She snapped. "Gimme a smoke and let's talk." She demanded as her eyes took in the sight of their dads as they covered the final windows on the second floor. "Going dark?" She pointed at the house. "A nest? Where and how and-"

"Julia, it's a precautionary measure. I don't think that we're gonna be overrun or-"

"At the school?" She cut him off with the first of many questions about the fortress, taking the fortress.

"Jay told you."

"Of course, he tells me everything."

"I asked him point blank and he lied to me."

"You think Forrest came up with the plan?" She asked, pushing his shoulder gently. She took the smoke from him and they went closer to the barn where they could speak in private.

Tavin spied them and joined them. His arms swooped around her waist, embracing her from behind. "Napoleon, can she clean herself up a little first?" He joked, resting his chin on top of her head. "You smell as bad as the dead, Red." She denied that as she placed her arm on his as he held her tight.

She listened and smoked as they recounted their adventure at the school from their arrival to their departure. A couple details specifically perked her interest. One, they had left Clark with the others on the campus and locked out of the buildings. Two, Julia had a certain immunity to the virus as Jayson had his own. She, like Chess, had more questions than answers. "How does she know for sure? Find out her story, Chess."

"I plan on it. I think she was gonna go there, but the plan was more important at the time."

"Agreed." She nodded. "She's all very house-wifey in there right now.  Tav, when you change the dressing, I wanna see her wounds."

"Ok, but she's all stitched up right now. I think I will give her an antibiotic."

"See if she heals, maybe something topical?"

"I was thinking both. God only knows what was growing under those zom nails."

"She's a lucky girl. A very lucky girl." Julia said, looking toward the house. Through the window she spied Julia at the table chatting with Mia and Damon.

"They some kind of emo couple?" Chess asked her.

"They're very morbid looking, aren't they?" She asked, studying Damon's slight movements and his close proximity to Mia, his arm around her. "I didn't say a word to either of them, Chess."

"Never said you couldn't."

"I supposed old habits die hard. I was never permitted to speak with them."

"You may." He watched the couple and he had a difficult time picturing the four of them in any secret room. He wouldn't believe it if he hadn't been shown Julia's memory of surrender.

"You were or he was very clear on that." She watched Mia's mouth as she smiled, her head tilted back and exposed the length of her neck. Her throat caught Julia's attention. "I like my freedom, thank you." Julia's attention turned to Cal as he steadied the ladder for John to descend from the height of the second floor. The boards would only give them a few precious moments to bug out before a nest ripped their shields to shreds. The boards only functioned as a barrier to prevent light and movement from escaping the building itself. Their fence would not hold the lot of a nest back. Perhaps the majority would get caught on spikes, but a nest of any mass would spike and then any remaining zoms from a nest would climb over their spiked brethren. The hive master always followed last and would cross into the farm. Julia made them aware of this problem.

"The people in the main building were unharmed from the nest, Julia."

"How? They should have found a weakness and broke through and then found the living and they should have been consumed."

"The dead between the two buildings maybe. There were 100 at least."

"The dead in the courtyard acted like a barrier between the living and the dead." Chess surmised as Tavin had earlier.

"Leave our dead spiked on the fence. Those we haven't burned we should pile up around this place until we move on. If the dead acted as a shield between them and the nest, these corpses have a purpose now." Julia suggested that as another layer of defense. "We should tweak our bug out plan."

"And bug out where, Julia? Ann can't save us from this."

"How about instead of out, we bug down? The root cellar. It would only be over night and we would be ok down there for a short period of time."

"I don't know about that, Julia." Chess answered. "It's worth thinking about, but I doubt we'll be here long enough for bug out plans. I want us moved within the next 72 hours."

"When are we taking out the nest then? If you want us out in 3 days-"

"Tonight." He stated. Tavin and Julia's heads snapped toward him. "Tomorrow night." He amended his statement, gauging by their reaction.

"Well, if we went tonight we could probably save Clark's ass." She huffed, separating from Tavin. "Odds are he won't need saving though. Let me think about this and we'll talk again."

"Where you going? And who is this Clark kid? He is an obnoxious smart ass with an attitude, Julia."

"Clark is Miller. Clark Miller. He's Jess's husband, one of your closest friends, and he's in charge of the juniors, the infantry school. He better not die, Chess."

"We don't have a lot of light left this afternoon. Should we ride back for them?"

"No." She replied, climbing the steps to the house. She disappeared inside.

"Tonight? What do we need to do this tonight?" Tavin asked, feeling as confident as he sounded.

"Light. Guns. Me, Julia and Jody. That's all."

"What about the rest of us?"

"It's all yours. You're in charge, cousin. Wanna get high?" He asked, turning into the barn behind him.

"Quit fuckin asking me that. I do not even like weed, Chess."

"Lies." He yelled. "Everyone likes weed."

"I'd like some weed for once. Why can't I smoke?" Alex complained as he carried the ladder back into the barn. He hoisted it and hung it back on the wall in its place.

"Go ask Julia." Chess said, waving the kid away. "If it was up to me, I would say ok. But it's not."

"It should be my choice after what I did today." He argued.

"I am not disagreeing with you, Alex." He replied. "Go find her and ask her."

"Tav, can I-"

"I said find her and ask her." Chess raised his voice to him and Alex was mad.

"But my brother is right there. You want me to find my sister instead?"

"Yes." He replied. "I don't care how many brothers you get a yes from. Or your mother, for that matter."

Julia scrubbed a week's worth of crud off her. She got a decent and quick shower and wrapped in her heavy towel, staying put inside the barely hazy shower stall. She eased back against the wall and let the thoughts run through her scattered mind. She tried to focus. She tried consolidate all her thoughts into one at a time, but the problems she was thinking about were all heavy and mixed up. One thought led to another then another and she was getting no where. She sat on the stool in the shower stall and she hurriedly dried her body, then dried her feet one by one. She didn't want to get dressed at all and she stared at the Ugg boots with a grimace. She refused to run through a nest in these fashion slipper boots. Although they were very warm on her feet, she doubted they'd stay clean or dry very long. She pulled on jeans that were too loose now and a green long sleeved tee that hung too large on her. She marveled at how skeletal she appeared. Thinner than she had ever been and ever thought she would be again.

"Julia!"

She startled from her thoughts as she heard Alex's voice yelling for her. She flung the shower door open and peered out at him. He looked rather bothered. "What? What's wrong now?" She asked, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest. Her nerves were frazzled, her mind fractured.

"I want to smoke with Chess." He said, an attitude oozed off him. His black curls hung over his eyes and for the first time she observed a shadow of the brother that she knew from Jersey.

"Alright, then smoke. What the fuck, Alexander." She pulled an Ugg onto each small foot and she gathered up her bath bag and her robe and her towel. "Can I ask a favor?" She stepped out of the stall and took his hand in hers.

"Sure. What?"

"Play nice with Chess. Talk, don't yell. This anger and this mood of yours is just juvenile."

"I am a juvenile." He responded in a flat tone.

"Don't be a fuckin smart ass. If you still have some sort of grudge over me and him then drop it."

Alex snatched his hand away and walked off to the barn where he found Chess and he sat beside him at the work bench. He waited and took the joint when Chess handed it off to him. As Alex tried not to cough up one or both of his lungs, Chess smirked. Alex took another drag and held it in before offering it back to his cousin who passed. "Finish it." Chess shook his head. "Alex, I don't know what your problem is, but straighten it out."

"It's Julia." He answered.

"Which one? One, two or three."

"Mine." He answered. "She's getting on my nerves." Chess nearly laughed, but held back, hoping the kid would open up a little bit. "This is when I usually break up with her and send her home. We separate and then in a couple months, we get back together and we, we cycle like that."

"Why'd you bring her then?"

"We were together when you called. I had her with me. I love her. She was giving me great head that day. She's my best friend. One or all of the above."

"Alex," He laughed. "Doesn't sound like someone you should get rid of. Sounds like you should get closer."

"Impossible. We're on top of each other. Constantly."

"I don't mean physically. Where was she born? What was the name of the street she grew up on? What was her first pet and what was its name?"

"I don't fuckin know? Do you?"

"Hay or Julia or Macy?"

"Macy."

"Mace was born in Hershey and she grew up there on Garden Lane. Her first pet was actually a bird named Tweetie. Hayley was born the same place as Julia, Mav General. Houston Ave and Green Street. Hay had a cat named Grinch cause she got it at Christmas and Julia never had a pet. Wanna hear about Jess? Jess is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. She was born in a bathtub in her mom's apartment. She had a dog, but her dad shot and killed it when he was drunk. Don't ever bring that up. She still gets upset. Its name was Dixie." He answered his own questions. Then continued. "Macy likes breakfast for dinner and she'll make a steak at 9 in the morning. Hayley has three birthmarks under her left ass cheek and they look like melted brown m&m's. Julia's favorite car is the 1970 Pontiac Firebird because she likes the body style. Macy likes jelly beans instead of chocolate on special occasions. She prefers her birthstone to diamonds."

"What the fuck is the point?"

"The point, Alex, is you do not know about her. All the little stuff that makes her Julia. Sending her home or pushing her away is pointless, like all that shit I just told you."

"Jess's dad shot and killed her dog?"

"He did a lot more than that." Chess nodded. "The point is how well do you really know the people you say you love? Sure, you know the trivial shit. And you might know the big shit. Has she ever cried on you? Has she ever been so open and raw that all that stuff she hides or keeps to herself pours out?" He asked, feeling withdrawn suddenly. "Or better yet, have you done that?" He asked, opening his weed box. He handed the kid another joint. "Go do that with her, then tell me you wanna separate cause she's getting on your nerves."

"Is that why you stay around Julia?"

"Part of it." He answered. "But I am not the only one who feels that way about her. That's clear. So, you go see your girl and I wanna find the other one. See if I get anywhere. I have questions."

"I can connect to Julia and get all that information." Alex said as they walked side by side.

"What fun is that? I would rather hear it and see the reaction to what is said. Information is information, but the feelings attached are strong and then one memory leads to another and it all opens up not only for her, but for you. It's deep, Alex. One day you may only have your girl at your side. You want one that'll die with you or not?"

"But I know how I die, Chess. She isn't there."

"Do you know what you were thinking about when you died, though? She might have been there. In here." He poked at his head. "She may be that spot you go to when you need to feel loved or safe. Who's to say she wasn't with you? That's not only physical, it's also mental."

Alex stared at him, having never seen this side to his cousin before. He was shocked that he spoke like that with him. "Dude, what's in this weed?" He asked.

"Girls, Alex. It's more than sex. I'm telling you, the good ones are more than what's between their legs. Once you know their brain and how it works, then you can control the rest."

"Well, I don't know about that, Chess."

"Don't believe me? Want me to prove it?" He asked as they entered the kitchen together.

"How?"

"Julia. I could have her any time I want her. It's the brain, Alex. Once you know the right words to say, then it's easy."

"Bull shit. She wouldn't."

"Like a light switch. Watch." He chuckled a little. Julia stood with Jay very close, holding hands.

"Don't piss off my brother, Chess."

"I won't. He won't know. Watch." Chess assured him. They stood by the table and Chess called Julia over to them. He swiped Julia's hair away from her ear and neck and he leaned in close to her. His breath, she could feel the moist heat against her flesh.

"I rescind." He whispered. He moved his head back and he resumed his place beside Alex.

She gasped when she heard the words and she blushed as she couldn't truly react the way her gut wanted her to. "Bed. Now." He said calmly as if he were asking what time it was. Julia looked awkward and her eyes moved from Chess to Jayson and then when she turned her attention back to Chess, she looked away and down.

"Yes, Chess." She reached for his hand and stepped closer.

When her body brushed against his, she heard him release her and he let her go again. Her entire demeanor changed. Her body stiffened and her face flushed red. "You were fucking with me?" She asked. "Chess, don't do that. You can't do that." She whined and stomped away from him.

"What did you say to her?"

"Two words that don't mean anything to you, but they mean everything to her. Doesn't matter if he's standing there or whether we have a ring between us or a marriage or whatever, Alex."

"Then why don't you-"

"No more questions." Chess said, noticing Julia come through the living room. He crossed the floor to her. "Hey, how's the arm?" He asked, noticing she wore a sling now.

"Good. Julia said to elevate it and she gave me this out of the pantry. There's a lot of medical supplies in there. Tavin changed the dressing and gave me an antibiotic."

"Everyone ok, you got them settled and-"

"Yes, you asked that I do that. It's done." She replied.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She answered. "Julia asked about my immunity. I am not immune. I was never immune."

"I told her about your injury and that you would not turn. She assumes you are immune like Jayson. Would you like to explain it to me?"

"No." She answered. "I have only shown you. I do not wish to be on display and I do not want-I don't know how I feel about that, so I will keep it to myself."

"What's wrong? Are you mad at me?" He asked. "I reported the details as they happened this morning, Julia."

"Did you tell them about the bathroom? About my body?"

"I did not. I can't tell what I don't know."

"Are you going to tell them?" She asked, looking around the crowded first floor. She sounded disappointed. "Will you? Am I going to be some report for the table?"

"I think if it is important, then that should come from you not me." He answered. "I won't tell them what you do not want me to tell them." He assured her. "What's the problem exactly, so I understand?"

"You're the only person, man, I have shown my body and it would make me uncomfortable for you to talk about it."

"After we go out, we have a general report. It covers anything and everything we did, any mistakes, losses, injuries, and then we write it all down. It is normal procedure, Julia."

"I have heard how you all talk to each other. Nothing is off limits. You all go back and forth with each other-"

"I won't tell them I saw your boobies. Or any other part you choose to show me." He snickered. "What we do at the table is boring and sometimes it's serious. Like today it will be serious. Your tits are not on the table. Is that what you think?"

"I don't know. I never sat in on a meeting and I don't know what you talk about or what happens."

"I wouldn't go there because it obviously embarrasses you. Besides, she likes a certain maturity at the table. It's the only place the woman is level headed and mature." What had happened between the fortress and the farmhouse to this girl's sexuality was a mystery. Perhaps it was the fortress itself. The energy ingrained there could have affected her. She felt bold enough to strip nude, perhaps it was the adrenaline rush, that on top of the world feeling? "Julia, you can sit on this one. You were on the team, you may sit. Alex is." He moved closer to her and she backed away. He sighed, annoyed and confused. He had enough trying to convince her.

Hilda had taken over Jay's kitchen and worked tirelessly to create a meal worth eating. Some form of goulash she whipped up and it tasted better than it looked. Julia thought it fantastic and had her asking for seconds. She hadn't eaten a full meal in more than a week and she hadn't asked for seconds of anything since she got to the flipside. She felt bloated afterward and Hilda even made bread that was warm and moist. Julia's mouth was watering. Hilda remarked that for someone so skinny, she ate like a pig in slop. She had visions of getting fat again if Hilda stuck around. She thanked her at least ten times, which prompted Hilda to start telling stories of home, being a small child during war time and eating whatever her mother could put her hands on. Meals during the apocalypse were similar to those of war. Julia had heard all these stories before, but left Hilda give her history lesson. Hard times that even as a small child had affected Hilda's overall mood and personality. Hilda's recount of war time Germany had the entire table, family members new and old alike silent and mute. Julia was elated. She felt that if she closed her eyes she would be home, a decade or more in the future with her family at a fortress that was heavily guarded. She was happy there and the memories stirred up a generally good mood despite the news of the day.

After the meal, meeting took place and the entire day was gone over, picked apart, and written down. Julia and Alex listened and she asked their opinions of their first effort as part of the team.

"Fun." Alex answered. "I felt comfortable out there, because we trained here. I like that we were paired up with them."

"Disappointed." Julia answered. "I wanted to be outside, not watching it from the third floor like a spectator with box seats."

"They didn't need either one of you. You realize that." Julia said as she scribbled in her book.

"Why would you think that, considering you weren't there?" Julia asked, feeling safe tucked in between Tavin at the head of the table and Chess on her opposite side.

"You think they needed you?"

"Yes."

"How's that? I see you got yourself into something you couldn't get out of. You got yourself damn near killed. And put him in a spot."

"Julia, back off her." Chess said.

"Explain, please."

"I think that Chess would have killed the people in the third floor room had I not been there. He was going to fire." She said softly. "I also think that no one would have known about that nest either because he would have killed those people who told us about it in the first place. You wouldn't have eaten that nice meal either."

"Ok. I'll give you that much. Chess, we don't kill people. I have told you that."

"I have no morals. It was Jay's idea, too, I'll have you know."

"And I think I stuck by my partner there like a team member and I didn't run. I shot the zom that was going after him, so I kept him alive as much as he kept me alive."

"Um, if you didn't walk in there, then he wouldn't-nevermind. Overall, a good job. You," She looked at Julia. "Are very lucky."

"As are you." She replied. "Think of all the times we shoulda died and we didn't."

"Moving on." Tavin spoke up. His favorite words. He started covering the board up of the house and that he and Jay had relocated some of the dead, scattering them like Julia had suggested at various points around the fence.

"Excellent. Let them pile up. We kill and we scatter from here on out."

"Um, when do you plan on releasing them?" Julia asked.

"Huh?" Julia asked, chewing on her pen. "What's that mean? Chess, what is she talking about?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"Well, I think that it's important that we burn them. Once we move I would like to come back during the day and burn them. We release their souls, you know. It's like their funeral."

"Serious?" Alex asked. "I'll do that with you. Julia, that's awesome."

"It's why I like burning them. Ashes to ashes, right?"

"Sure. We'll add that to the list of important things to do. Maybe you should write your own book, Fry."

"I do." She said shyly.

"Geeze, another one." Jay mumbled.

"Moving on. The nest. Chess said he only needs you, Jody and some guns."

"Sounds right." Julia nodded. "And some lights." She added. "You know. Once we drop the nest, we'll need light for the kills. It'll be a long night, so are we riding back afterward or staying?"

"Staying. There could be other nests on the street. I don't want the three of us in the middle of chaos." Chess answered. "Jo?"

"I don't have anything else planned. I could check my busy schedule." He smiled.

"Cool. Next-"

"Wait. I don't understand. Why only you three and what does drop the nest mean and-"

"Us three cause we have dealt with nests before."

"I would like to go. I could watch. I would like-"

"If something went wrong-"

"Then I could get clawed. And-"

"Chess." Julia moaned.

"She can go. I'll keep her with me."

"Then I want to go. I can see in the fucking dark just like you."

"Can she?" Chess asked Julia. "See in the dark."

"I don't know, ask her."

"You got the gift yet, Julia?"

"What gift?"

"What do you see when you're in the dark?"

"I don't understand. It's dark."

"Do you see colors?" Alex asked. "Reds, blues, whites?"

"Like a flag?"

"Oh, for fuck sake." Julia whined. "Come." She stood up in her Ugg boots and she held her hand out to Julia Fry. "You. Let's go. I don't have all fucking night." Julia popped up from her seat and looked at Chess quizzically. Alex stood next and followed the girls outside to the yard. Julia pulled the door shut behind them and allowed for their eyes to adjust to the pitch black darkness that surrounded them. She left Julia's hand go and they all stood in the dark. "Well?" Julia asked. "What do you see?"

"Stars." She answered. "A crescent moon."

"No." Julia said. "Look toward the fence. Not at the sky."

"Nothing. It's dark."

"You sure about that, Fry?"

"Concentrate, Julia." Alex said, focusing on the reds across the fence. He turned his head and saw a  blue hue, same pattern, shape despite its fluidity. Julia saw similar, but it appeared more mist like. "It may take a minute to adjust. I didn't see it at first, but it kinda grows out of the dark."

"No. It's all black." She answered.

"That's strange." Julia sighed. She extended her hand and she grasped onto the girl at her side, taking her warm hand in her own chilly one. She felt an undeniable spark when she intertwined her fingers in Julia's. "Now, look and tell me what you see." Julia Fry blinked several times and then when she looked toward the fence she saw red orbs. Transparent and mobile, but stuck in one spot. "That is what I see in the dark. This is similar to what Alex sees in the dark. Now look at us." She visualized the blue mist in the darkness. Two bodies, easy to discern between male and female. Male blue was a varied shade, darker, closer to purple. "Look at the trees and farm. Focus on the colors. It is quite vibrant." Julia led the girl and Alex through the length of the porch to the front and they stood at the edge overlooking Caroline's grave. White sparkles of light flickered and hovered over the ground. "That is Caroline August Keller. It is her residual energy. A lovely shade of white, don't you agree? That's my daughter." Julia marveled at how the night came to life and darkness was not true darkness. "It is all energy, Julia. The energy of the living and the dead and the departed. A mosaic of colors on a black canvas. It is stunning."

"Wow." She was awed by the display. "I do not see any of this."

They walked the length of the porch to the door and reentered into the kitchen and the ambient, solar generated light. Julia looked moved when she resumed her seat between the two guys. "Amazing. I don't see anything on my own, but through her eyes..."

It was clear Julia Fry had no night vision. Perhaps the gift hadn't made itself aware or perhaps she wasn't gifted at all. No one could know for sure.

They squared up a few more details for the next evening and agreed they would head out in the late afternoon. They had a handful of volunteers for the nest team, but Julia kept the team small as originally suggested. She cautioned them against taking the entire table to the school no matter how curious or interested or brave that they were. Julia allowed Alex and Julia to tag along in a strictly nonfunctional and observant role. She had a sinking feeling that Julia would be accompanying Chess anywhere and everywhere. She chose to do so and wanted to learn. She personally reflected on his game with the girl. What were his intentions? Was he being serious and thoughtful with his actions with the girl? What would the end game be exactly, a relationship? Another notch in some bed post of his? Julia didn't seem like the kind of girl who had flings. Julia was curious, but kept her opinion to herself and no one else. She didn't want to appear jealous and she also didn't want to appear nosy and intrusive. She never fretted over anyone else's relations under that roof and she wasn't about to start. Either way they both had plans of their own of a personal nature. She worried her 'sister' would wind up getting hurt and he would wind up hurting her. She'd warned him and she'd asked him not to pursue her. Would he create a mess she couldn't and wouldn't clean up?

They tackled the obstacle of the move. Chess was pushing the envelope with a 72 hour time frame. Julia felt this was an unrealistic undertaking and she would put forth every effort to comply with that goal in mind. Getting her people to move in that direction befuddled her. She had just settled her family in and got them used to one way of life and then she was supposed to uproot them and reroute them into an entirely different direction under an entirely different threat. She thought they needed to have a group meeting as opposed to a table meeting. They had automatically put precautions into place without fully explaining the reasons behind it. Chess had that way about him, my way or no way at all. She felt that they needed to take an informative and inclusive course. Chess disagreed.

"They will not understand this, Chess." She warned him.

"I do not care. They have no choice."

Julia sighed loudly and moved on. She would speak with them and explain. New faces had already unnerved them. There was talk about their guests but no talk with their guests. At first they were apprehensive, but it was smoothed over rather easily with proper explanation. Relocating an entire farm of animals was no easy feat either. Where would they put them once they were at the school? Who was building these pens and structures once they arrived? No one was adept at construction, carpentry, barn raising. Moving everything was fairly easy compared to what they were going to do when everything was moved. Jayson suggested tents until structures could be built and Julia took it a step further telling them where to obtain the very large tents they would need. The quarantine and non-quarantine camps that had been set up locally. Most were outside their clinics and hospitals. Most with fencing erected around the tents. The supplies were there. Barricades could be utilized to separate the animals also.

Julia wrote this down and a team would head out in the morning to break down and retrieve the supplies they'd need. Tavin added gasoline to that list. "We are low." He said.

"Find some." Julia said quietly. "There should be a ton of vehicles at these camps. Look around. Good luck."

"You should go along." Chess said.

Julia groaned internally. She did not do footwork. She formulated the plan and they carried it out. It was the way it always had been and the way the guys had always wanted it. "Ok." She agreed reluctantly. All hands on deck. Julia felt they'd need as many hands as possible. The home team would pack and ready the house and the away team would scout, obtain and transport the required supplies. After the meeting drew to a close and no one had anything to add, the table cleared of its members minus the Julia's and Chess and Jay.

"I would like a drink." Julia announced, breaking the quiet among the four. She scribbled a last few entries on her notebook and stuffed it into her bag.

"Me too." Chess agreed, folding his arms on the table and putting his head down. "A gallon of vodka and a joint would be great."

"Just a few drops. A shot even. I am so dry." She whined, putting her head down and thumping the table with her fist. "Jay, you don't know. You just don't know."

"It was good what I had of it." Julia announced.

"See, the driest one in the house wants it." Julia thumped her fist on the wood again. "I haven't had a drink since I got knocked up. Know how long its been? Do you know, Jay?"

"Yes, Julia."

"Almost a year, Jayson."

"I know. Can we head up now? I been sitting in this chair for hours brainstorming."

Julia dragged herself out of her seat and as she passed Julia she stopped. "I'm gonna need my boots back."

"Alright, but you weren't going so I-"

"I know. Good night." She and Jay moved on stepping over bodies that were stretched out on their floor talking and getting to know one another. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She called with a hint of sarcasm to her voice.

"I have a feeling that's a lot of stuff, right?" Julia said softly.

"Ah, you have no idea." Chess sighed, sliding his seat back. He stood up and left the table. Julia flipped off the light switch and followed along. "Um, thanks for letting me go today and tomorrow. I wanna go so bad and I promise I won't be in the way or anything."

"Ok, Julia." He nodded, stepping in his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and unlaced the boots that he had on all day long.

She watched him, "Um, same time, Chess?"

"Yes." Simple and short answer. He seemed distant suddenly toward her.

"You ok?" She asked, fidgeting in his doorway. She lifted her arm and pulled the sling off. Her arm ached something fierce, but she hid that. She had an amazing tolerance for pain, couldn't turn it off, but she could make her brain think of other things to lessen that pain.

"Thinking is all." He answered, pulling his sweatshirt over his head, leaving him in a black tee, which he also pulled off and threw on the floor. Julia observed him, how small he was, but how cut he was at the same time. For being so miniature, he was fit. Freckles splattered his hairless chest. He had a bite on his left shoulder.

"Who bit you?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me." He replied in his dry and nonchalant way.

"A Stranger." She answered dishonestly, because she knew who had taken that chunk from her shoulder blade. The scratches happened at the camp where she was with her family before being shuttled out with her dad's friend.

"What happened, Julia?"

"I was bitten. I didn't heal properly and it got infected. I had weeks and weeks of IV antibiotics to treat a staph infection that would not go away. I nearly died twice as it went through my body in my blood. It's a miracle I lived. Once they took me to surgery, cleaned it out, but they called it a debridement and then when it was almost healed they grafted me. The donor section came from my left thigh."

"Where?"

"The lab." She replied like everyone knew about the lab. Like he should know about the lab or what went on there.

"How are you immune?"

"I'm not. I was vaccinated and then they let that zom loose on me and here I am."

"Where'd they get a vax?" He asked, his eye brows peeked on his forehead.

"I think you know." She whispered. "Dr McGill is a brilliant minded physician, but an evil man. He tried to kill me, then he saved me and then I nearly died from a completely different infection. Ironic isn't it?" She looked at his shoulder again. "So who bit you?"

"Julia did. A long time ago."

"Ahh, biting is also one of her many talents." Julia mused, backing away from the doorway. She left him in his room and then retreated to her own where the door was open wide. Hector lay sleeping in her bed. She pulled her pillow and her blanket from atop her dresser and then set back in the direction of the living room.

"Where ya going?" Chess asked as he watched her pass.

Julia stepped back a couple feet. "Well, I am not laying with Hector. I gave him my cubby. Your brother volunteered his to Hilda. Nice, huh?" She moved on. Trudy lay asleep on the sofa, but she didn't stir when Julia passed through.

"Julia, you can sit over here with me. We can talk, get to know each other." Julio said to her. He knew that tone of voice and Julia's affinity for brown skinned boys. Chess cringed, wondering if the girl would actually fall for that line. "Oh, uh, sure. I guess that would be ok." He heard her respond. She honestly had no clue what Julio meant by 'get to know each other'. Chess lay stretched out on his own bed, his body in the natural hole his bones had dug for him and he got up. "Hey, Julia. Come here a sec." He heard her ask what he wanted as she approached. "You understand what he means by get to know each other?" She flashed a slight look of confusion and then rolled her eyes. "Sleep in here. I'll crash out there."

"Nah, no, Chess. It's ok. You don't have to." She said as he swung his legs over the bed.

"Yes, I think I should." He answered as he stood, making a mental note to work young Julio to death at the school in the coming weeks. If he planned on banging one of his two red heads, he'd have to work for it and, at the very least, earn it. Wrong Julia, motherfucker...Chess thought as he kicked his crap out of the way. His floor was littered just like home. No one cleaned for him. He made another mental note to ask Julia who his maid was in the future. He hoped it wasn't Macy who was as much of a slob as him. Julia was the cleaner. Julia obsessed over the mess and the junk. "Stay with me then." He suggested as he felt the rug beneath his stocking feet. He'd slept in worse places and on harder surfaces. He pulled his blanket and pillow onto the floor. "I'll be good down here." He looked at the girl who didn't move. "Now, Julia. I'm an impatient man."

"Yes, Chess." She hustled to the edge of the bed. She struggled with one hand to loosen the laces on her boots, so he helped her. Kneeling at her feet, he kind of liked that. He hadn't helped anyone undress in ages. She lay back and she let him cover her, giggling a little while she adjusted her pillow. "Um, I have a feeling you're being overprotective, Sir." She giggled.

"Yes, miss," He joked, still kneeling beside the bed. He wondered momentarily why she addressed him as Sir, but he left it slip his mind because the girl was hot against him and he wanted his mouth on hers, his hands on her.

"You do not have to sleep down there. Would you like to-"

"Yes." He answered before she finished inviting him into his own bed. Mindful of her arm he repeated 'yes' as he pressed his body against hers, fitting so easy in his bed like they always had. She allowed the pain in her arm to meld with the sweet sensation his hands provided. The sensual chills as his hands caressed her over and under her tee shirt. He learned her upper body all over again in the dark of his room. Heat radiated off her flesh, the chronic fever warmed him as she lay covered and chilled and he lay with the blanket pushed aside. His hands smoothed over her waist to her ass and one hand glided slowly to the waist of her jeans. His fingers manipulated the button, but before he could attempt the zipper, she swished her lower body back and away.

"Getting to know me better, Chess?" She hummed in his ear.

Dammit...he cursed to himself. "I was tryin'." He admitted, withdrawing the hands and placing his arms around her waist. "We'll stop."

She rested her bandaged arm on his and cuddled her body toward his. "I'm sorry, Chess."

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong."

"Don't stop though."

"I gotta stop cause this comes next." He kissed her forehead and pressed against her. "And you don't want this, right?"

"Not this moment, no."

"What moment? Just curious. You got a particular moment in mind? Like what's the moment look like so I know."

"Are you being smart?"

"No, I am asking." He replied, because he wasn't trying to be sarcastic or pushy. "You still waiting for the right guy or something?"

"I'm not her, Chess."

"I know that."

"I think you want me cause you miss her and can't have her."

"Stop thinking then cause that ain't true at all. I can have her any time I want her. I choose not to."

"You think?"

"I think I have done a good job not comparing the two of you. I quit doing that a while back. You're two different souls, Jules." He kissed her forehead again, her neck and nuzzled his face against her cheek. "I think the only people that still compare the two of you is the two of you. I understand it and I think it's why you don't speak or get along. You're both afraid that you'll find something you don't wanna see, like looking in a mirror, you'll see your reflection and it's all the things you both do not appreciate about yourselves."

"Oh, yeah. Like what?"

"She's easy only cause I know her better. She doesn't wanna see that soft side of herself right now. She feels weak enough. You don't wanna see that hard side of yourself, like you think it's a bad thing. They're qualities neither of you like to embrace about yourselves." He paused. "You, though, don't wanna be a girl that likes to fuck. You think it's dirty for some reason. Julia, on the other hand, has to be the girl that likes to fuck."

"Why?"

"Cause of her past, to prove she can do it and it'll feel good."

"It doesn't feel bad, right?"

"No. It shouldn't."  He answered. "I'm not talking about how it actually feels, the actual sensation of it. I mean how it makes you feel on the inside. Here." He touched her chest over her heart. "Or here." He touched her head. "It shouldn't make you feel bad is all."

"Like regrets?"

"No. She should talk about herself. Not me. I could explain it, but I don't wanna."

"I have had dreams." She whispered.

"Ok." He laughed as she nuzzled close to him. She lay her head against his chest.

"It was so real. That's why I remember so well. It felt kinda fuzzy. I felt weird, like if you cross your eyes and try to do normal stuff. It won't work out real well, you know. And very dizzy. Everything was blurry. It was bright, but it was also dark. It was in this small room with wood paneling. I remember that only cause I felt it with my hands and my feet when they were on the wall at the end of the bed. I didn't see it with my eyes." Her voice trailed off. He thought she was falling asleep. After a few minutes, her voice broke the silence between them. "Light and dark. Light and dark. I was blinking. I could see such strange colors, like neon pinks and greens and purples." He listened as she spoke. She described laying on a bed, arms outstretched. Blinking, long intervals where her eyes were closed and her eyes were open. The vivid colors trails hung in the air and she tried to touch them with her fingertips, grab them. She lay on a bed, a full sized bed she guessed, nude and her head hung over the end of the bed. She recalled her hair fanned out over the end of the bed like a waterfall to the floor. "All the pretttttttyyyy coolllooooorrrsssssss." She said, mimicking the voice he had become so familiar with in his past. She reached her arm into the air. "Like this." She said softly, reaching out with her bandaged arm. "Pretttttttyyyy coolllooooorrrsssssss..." She emphasized the esses when she spoke. "I remember saying very clearly to hold me...my arms...like restraint."

Chess hummed, remembering a similar time in his life when he and Julia spent days on end in that motel room toward the end of summer. He remembered a lot of drinking, drugging and fucking, but the dream she described rang a bell, possibly their final day in Philly.  Her details sounded strikingly familiar. That hadn't been Julia's first or last day hallucinating nude with him.

"Oh, one time I was on fire." She sounded fearful at that moment. She described the heat and the flames as her clothes caught fire. She stripped as fast as she could while someone tried to stop her from taking the clothes off. She remembered being freezing cold, outside in a gray, cloudy and overcast city. So many people had passed her, watching and some laughing and some pointing. She burned and she screamed and she frantically pulled her clothes off piece by piece as someone tried stopping her. Chess remembered walking Love Park and having her flip out on him. He did everything he could, but she seemed in quite a panicked state, ranting that she didn't want to burn 'like they did' or 'don't let me burn'. Julia had been at the height of her delusions and the heaviest she had ever used drugs and alcohol. Having come home to a world that was righted, she was disjointed, detached, fearful and constantly looking around corners, searching for signs of a plague that were just not there. He let her strip, let the clothes 'burn' in a pile, then he draped his heavy coat over her and took her in a cab to the motel where she curled up in a corner naked till the fear passed. Chess suspected then perhaps she had flashbacks to burn piles or possibly PTSD. He had never been so glad to go home. He had never liked Philly and would have maybe enjoyed it more if Julia wasn't so psychotic and self-medicating the entire time. If he had a dollar for every time he told her there was 'nothing there, Julia', he would be a rich man. She never trusted his word no matter how much he tried to convince her. Sometimes, like the burn day, he was unable to abate her fears or distract her and he considered taking her to a hospital. He feared for her, that she had finally succumbed to memories and stress. Julia lay at his side and brought that memory back as if it happened yesterday.

He tried to predict when her episodes would happen. He tried to look in the environment around them when these episodes would begin to find a trigger. For Julia, it could have been anything, a sound, a voice, the murmur of multiple voices in a crowd around them. Thinking back, a crowded city was not the best place to have taken her at the time. He had spent hours thinking about what he could have done differently for her to take her pain away. The more he thought about it, the more he believed he should have hospitalized her or took her home and had her dad put her in some kind of treatment, counseling. As her husband he should have forced her. Back then everyone was confused why they were together in the first place, angry that they had disappeared and run away together. No one knew the extent to Julia's madness and no one would understand it from a professional standpoint either. They would have substituted one class of drugs in place of the illegal ones Julia and he used regularly.

"Hey, you ok?" She asked, sensing he was awake and thinking as opposed to drifting off to sleep.

"Yeah, Jules. I'm listening." He replied. He kept his Philly memories to himself. The fact that the hands she had felt on her at the time were his as he tried to keep her clothes on. As angry as he was, he had also put a lid on it. He couldn't fix crazy. Looking back, the girl was psychotic. Looking back, the drugs didn't help and neither did their situation. He should have, he believed, put his foot down and ended the whole charade. "Anymore dreams?" He yawned.

"Dreams, ha." She mumbled. "More like nightmares. I can't remember them right now though. Sometimes something will remind me and I remember."  She replied, hugging him tighter against her. She adjusted the blanket to keep warm. Her cold never ceased. Constantly chilled in a febrile body.

He drifted off to sleep thinking about Philly and his wife while he lay with an exact replica of her.

Jay woke and dressed, arousing Julia from her slumber. Like waking a demon, she was against the idea. She complained she was cold, tired, leave her alone. Is the sun up, Jay? Is it? Is it? She stressed her questions and rolled over. "When it warms up, get up. It's gonna be a long day."

"Don't remind me." She grumbled. Clearly not a morning person, she curled up against Jess and stayed warm as he started a fire, falling back to sleep quickly. He remembered the days she stressed over the farmhouse and all her work. Nowadays, she slept and slacked. She gave the impression that she didn't care. That was dangerous, he thought. She was setting Chess up to take over and if she didn't act soon, then he would do just that.

Jody was up when he left the room, starting fires in stoves. "Want help, Jo?"

"Nope, thanks." He answered. Jay seriously was grateful he didn't have to do that job anymore. He'd done it every single morning for what seemed an eternity. He went to the first floor, observed Hilda rummaging through the pantry and root cellar. She was impressed with the variety of stock that they had in the confines of their cupboards and set out to make a hearty breakfast, requesting a variety of things from him, which he fetched without question. It appeared as if he had lost his job at least temporarily. He spoke with her and he gave her some more light and he fired up the hearth for the woman. He gave her a rundown of how many mouths she would feed and she shooed him away.

He reminded her there was not a school full of boys to feed, so she needn't make enough for a small army. That would soon come. She was used to cooking for large groups and set out to make his job look like child's play. When he head outside, he was surprised to find the barn closed up and the coop quiet. Usually Chess had a routine and the area had gone untouched. He had a list of things to do that morning and by all accounts, Jay thought it would have all been completed by the time he arrived to the yard. No vehicles or supplies out. Jay head back to the house and passed Jody as the sun was rising on his way to the fence. "Help, Jo?"

"No." He responded dryly as he moved right past him.

"Chess," He called as he went in the addition. His door was wide open and he and Julia were knocked out. Tavin could be heard awake and moving in the next room, talking with Kelly. Alex was up and moving as well without any prodding or begging. "Chess." He said again. "You alright?" He asked when he roused.

Chess stretched, yawned, sat upright. "Uh-huh. Why?" He rubbed his eyes and flinched from the light as Jay turned it on.

"It's late. Sun's up." He looked from Chess to Julia who stretched out and took up most of the bed. For someone so small, she could take up an entire bed without even trying.

"Yo, I wanna change her before we leave." Tavin called from the room next door. "Is her arm any better?"

Chess reached for the blanket and moved it off her arm. Her fingers were no longer bright red and swollen. Normal, pale white with pretty pink nails. "Looks ok to me." He answered. In fact the dressing had come loose over night as her swelling had diminished significantly.

"Pain?"

"Nah, she's out. I would say no." Chess took her hand and lifted her arm, unwinding the wrap that Tavin had applied the day before. He peeled back the gauze dressing and it clung in spots to her stitches. She twitched a little as he pulled back the dressing. Her stitches were still intact and her wounds were not funky. A little drainage on the gauze sponges, but for the most part it all looked good. Jay agreed. Tavin looked in the room and spied her arm from the doorway. "Come in, Tav."

"She dressed?"

"Yeah," Chess nodded, pulling the blanket back further. "Why wouldn't she be?"

Tavin stepped inside the small room and crouched next to the bed, inspecting each sutured gash. He remarked how well she healed. She said she would the previous day. The wounds were slightly red and raised, but dry and didn't look infected. "Leave it open awhile. I'll rewrap it before we leave. She needs to take it easy with the arm. I don't want the stitches coming apart." He stood and walked out, smelling food.

"I'll let her know." Chess said, reaching over the bed for his tee shirt and sweatshirt from the day before.

"I'm surprised to find her in here." Jay remarked.

"Hector's in her bed."

"It's ok, Chess. She's your girlfriend."

Chess shrugged. "I don't know what this is."

"Want me to start getting shit ready to roll out?"

"Sure, I'll be out in a few." Chess held her hand and woke her up. "Julia, time to get up."

She moved, feeling his hand in hers and she rolled onto her side. "Already?" She moaned. She watched as he let her go and started lacing up his boots. She crawled to her knees and held him from behind, arms under his arms and circling his chest. She kissed his neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder. She looked down. "Thing stays hard, doesn't it?"  His pants weren't tight, but they weren't loose either. His size gave quite a visible bulge that she couldn't tear her eyes from for that moment.

"Not really, Julia. Depends."

"It's hard when you sleep." She whispered.

"Not surprised." He leaned and finished lacing up his boots, leaving her sit back on the bed separated from him. She sat and studied her arm, the dressing was missing. The swelling had gone down and the wounds were nice and clean. She liked how Tavin had sutured her up. She had a dull ache in her forearm, but she ignored it. He rose and took his belt from the hook on the wall, applying it around his waist. He took a few steps toward the hall.

"Hey." She called. When he turned toward her she called him to her, hooking her index finger at him.

He leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Yes." He smiled.

She looped her arms around him again. "I was touching you while you slept." She admitted.

"Nah." He shook his head and pulled back to look at her. 

She nodded shyly, turning red. "You slept through it. You came." She whispered. 

He sighed aloud. "Fuck, wake me up for that." He turned with his bathroom bag and left her alone in his room.

"I-I'm- are you mad at me?" She gasped as he walked off and left her.

He head outside. The morning sun shined bright as he brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face. He hadn't expected her to follow him, but she did.

"I'm-I did something wrong? I wasn't allowed? I-"

He stopped brushing his teeth and pulled his brush out of his mouth. "So if I fingered you while you slept, that would be ok?"

"Oh, I never thought of it that way." She frowned. 

"Look, Julia, I could honestly care less, but you coulda woke me up is all I am saying."

"Oh, well I-it was an accident and it kinda happened quick and-and-I apologize, Chess."

He went back to brushing his teeth and ignored her. Then he stopped again. "I been waiting for something for how long and-nevermind. Just wake a guy up." He snapped at her. He finished his teeth and rinsed. He watched as she awkwardly tried not to cry, because he was mad at her. "Furthermore, if you can't do it awake, then don't fucking do it all. You don't think I woulda wanted that? Are you crazy?"

"No, I mean, yes.  No, I am sorry. I won't do it again." She turned on the steps and scurried inside to her room.

Hector greeted her hello and for the first time, she changed up her emotions to match his instead of completely starting to cry. He thanked her for giving him the room overnight and she kindly offered it again that night as well. He mentioned he smelled food, a cooked meal and he moved past her. She gathered her composure and sucked it up as Julia would have advised her to do. 

"Julia, I am sorry I yelled at you." Chess said as he passed her room. She pulled on her Ugg boots and she started brushing her hair. "Please don't cry."

"I'm not." She answered him as he took the brush from her hand. He ran the brush through her hair as he had a hundred times before and he applied a quick braid, which he hadn't had to do in a long time. When he finished with her braid, his hand held the back of her neck gently. "Bend over." He said firmly.

"Huh, I-"

"Don't question me, Julia." He pushed her neck a bit and she bent nervously over her bed. His hands rubbed her ass a little, massaging her flesh through her jeans. He ran the brush over her butt and then he smacked her ass cheek with it. At first playfully as he gauged her reaction. He heard her gasp a little, taken by surprise when he had tapped her. He rubbed her ass cheek where he'd smacked her, loosening up her flesh and then he hit her again. Another harder and quicker smack followed and he pulled her by her braid to stand upright. He tossed the brush onto her bed. "You will do it again." He said clearly as he held her waist. "In fact, Miss, you will do so much more than that." His teeth scraped along the skin on the nape of her neck, his moist breath warm against her skin sent shivers through her body. He heard it for the first time since he'd been fooling around with her and he knew he had her from that point on, that familiar half whine, half groan signal of approval. "Sit." He said, releasing her waist. She turned and sat on the bed and the look on her face was priceless as she looked instinctively down and away from him. He leaned over her and he put his mouth against her neck below her ear. He kissed her there softly. "Think about how I felt in your hand."

"Yes, Chess."

"Good girl, don't move till I come for you."

Julia waited, feeling the sting from the brush on her bottom as she sat on the edge of her bed. Several people passed her as she sat awaiting his return and said hello. Jody sparked a small conversation, asking whether she was going out with the team. She nodded and said yes, because as far as she believed, she was going. He commented that her arm looked good. "You coming out for breakfast?"

She said she would and he moved on. Tavin stopped in with his bag and he sat on the floor in front of her. He cleansed her wounds, dabbed a bit of antibiotic ointment on each one and then rewrapped her arm with a dressing. He told her he planned on stopping the antibiotics, considering they didn't have many to spare and since her arm looked to be healing well on its own, she didn't need one.

"We'll treat this topically a few days. Does it hurt?" He asked her, leaning back against her dresser.

"Yes. It felt like my arm was breaking off my body yesterday, but it's ok right now."

"Why didn't you say anything? I could have given you something."

"I have a very high tolerance for pain, Tavin." She shrugged. "I don't feel it differently, but I don't dwell on it. When people are in pain, it is all they focus on. Not me."

"How'd you learn to do it? I would think that comes with time, feeling pain on a regular basis, then figuring out how 'not to dwell on it'."

"I have." She replied. Her facial expression changed as if she were thinking about something. "If I were to be honest, Tavin..." She shook her head as she pressed the tape down on her wrap. "I like it." She placed her hand on her forearm and then she squeezed a little, applying pressure to her already smarting claw marks. "I prefer not to have it, of course, but I can live with it."

"What hurt you? Who hurt you?" He asked.

"Not important. What is important is what I took away from it, a positive outcome from a horrible situation. It's all I can do." She looked to the doorway and Chess had come for her. She had a wicked little grin on her face.

"What horrible situation?" Tavin pressed her on her source of her pain and she ignored him.

"Move out in 30." He said.

Julia had her bag packed and scarfed down a hearty breakfast before they set out in multiple vehicles on the road to Maverick. He didn't need directions to arrive where she and numerous others had been kept in multiple large tents on the campus of Maverick's courthouse. Several managed to weather four or five months of weather and they set out first to clear the area in which they worked and then they started to dismantle the first of several large tents. They loaded up their box truck and then secured several more vehicles provided by authorities that were left behind. They cleared out, over the course of hours, tents and supplies that they did not previously have. Tavin set out to gather the medical supplies that hadn't been used. The entire encampment had been secured behind fences to prevent those inside from walking out and secure the threats on the street from walking in. They sat as a group after five hours with their loaded trucks and they marveled that so much had been left behind or overlooked. They had to leave a lot behind and Chess reminded them they had only come for tents.

"There is a lot more we could use here, Chess. We got a van full of weapons and ammo alone. The medical stuff-I want to stay. We could use all of this. It's a gold mine, Chess."

"We have limited hands here, Tavin and this is not what we came here for."

"You got someplace to be, man?"

"Yeah." He replied. "We all have someplace to be tonight."

"That's tonight."

"I'll stay with him. You guys head out and take this to the school." Jay offered. "You got three vehicles to drive over there. Drive."

"How we getting back?" Chess asked. "Can you drive?" He asked Julia. He could leave at least one more functional body with Tavin if she could. Having an injured body on a scavenge crew didn't make much sense, but she had been helpful with her one arm.

"I was in driver's ed." She nodded as she shared fruit snacks with Alexander.

"Not what I asked. Can you drive?"

"I did the course at school and-"

He tossed her keys. "Tavin, divide up the needs among these people and load up fast. Gotta get back, have a meeting, and we need to roll out to the school again."

"Yeah, sure. No problem. An hour or two tops." He said. "Chess, the fuel alone we-"

"Prioritize, Keller. You have till we get back." He snapped, tossing the keys to the Prius to Julia. "I don't want her last in line." He said as he, John, and Cal walked with Julia to the vehicles they would drive to the Mastro campus. "I'll go first, then her, then you two bring up the rear. Any problems, flash the lights."

"Yeah, sure." Cal agreed.

"Where is Julia?" He asked Jay as he looked around their fairly organized group.

"She was in the back of the box truck last I saw her." Cal answered.

"I think she wandered off again." Jay replied. He didn't sound concerned. "I think she went to the square honestly. She thought we were done here."

"Get her, Jay. She can't wander off like that."

"She'll be alright. She's fine on her own. She'll be back."

"She looking for vodka?"

"Maybe." Jay answered. "We're good here. Chess, it's all done. She thought we were done."

"Don't make fucking excuses for her." Chess raised his voice, pissed that she had left them. Selfish and self-serving of her. "She finds it, then she shares it." Chess shook his head. He looked at Julia as she waited by the Prius. "Start it, put it in drive and follow. Can you do that?"

"I think so."

He indicated she should follow him and climbed into the box truck. Jay head to the Prius. "Hey," He knocked on the window. "You know what you're doing?"

"I think."

"Turn the key." He laughed as she looked nervous. "Some cars have different gear shifts, grab that and pull it into drive. Foot on the brake when you do it." She followed directions. "Follow along and play with the speed a little. Feel how the car adjusts to your foot on the gas."

"Yes, Jay."

"Put on your seat belt."

He watched the four vehicle caravan pull away, then he wondered where Julia wandered off to.

The square looked like a war zone. A stark contrast to the last time she'd seen her hometown. Broken windows, boarded windows, looted stores and shelves. Burned out cars and cars left in the road abandoned. Buildings had burned out and in their place shells of structures. She couldn't believe it. She spied the Shade's ballroom down the block and kept on straight ahead with her goal in her sight. God bless google and God bless the mom from the elementary school who worked at the ball room as a server. The restaurant was open and the ballroom dark. She stepped inside and head through the lobby to the ball room itself, cutting directly through it and onto the kitchen behind it. Spoiled food and dead bodies. She pushed through swing doors into the kitchen and further back to the storage room where she opened the door and inside sat the mother load of alcohol. It had been described to her as a broom closet and had the world ended on her time clock, she would have cleared this and many other spots out before anyone else had. This little known closet held all she wanted. She flipped on her flashlight and across the crates and boxes, cases of the intoxicating fluids stacked in front of her.

"Come to mama." She smiled, lifting the lid off the box that contained her favorite drink. Off brand, yes, but she didn't care. She pulled a bottle and she opened the lid and she took her first drink in a year. She took another and then another and then screwed the cap back on. She tucked it in her bag and she scanned the other boxes. "Aye, aye, captain." She smiled, pulling that box off the pile, opening it and tucking that bottle in her bag, the glass clinking as the bottles touched. She reached in and wrapped the Captain Morgan bottle in a tee shirt. She didn't need them breaking. Off brand vodka, but brand name rum. She had hoped at least for Bacardi rum, but the Captain would do. At the end of the world, she had no right to be choosy when it came to the drink. She flicked off the flashlight and she stepped out, closing the closet door behind her.

As calmly as she had walked into that ballroom, past the empty tables and chairs, she stopped a moment by the large window that overlooked Shade's Lake and the now defunct fountain in its center. She was reminiscent. The dances and the memories they had in that one place seemed like a century ago. Now she stood in dirty jeans and well worn boots with a heavy jacket and weapons on her waist. No pretty dress and fancy shoes, no DJ, no food and no fun. The darkness around her in the room that housed the second nest that they had come across in the zombie world. She had seen them when she entered and she didn't care. She had noticed the huddled bodies and the ominous silence as they waited out the daylight to turn to the night. She could smell them. She could sense them and as she looked over her shoulder to the five or six hives that crowded in corners away from the sun, she saw the red glow. On a different day, she would have burned the place down and released their souls into the next world, a world where their energy would be consumed into an enigma of much larger energy.

"Blah, blah, blah." She said as she felt the stir in the far corner of the ballroom. Had there not been a closet full of alcohol and a kitchen's worth of food, she would have burned it. No wonder it stood intact beyond the ballroom. No one dared cross the zombie moat to arrive at the liquid gold on the other side. No one except for her. Julia didn't care whether there was a nest or not. She would return and she would clear this place out and then she would burn it to the ground. That idea saddened her as the memories would burn up and the energy they deposited there would disintegrate into flames. An entire different force itself, fire... She wanted to open her bag and start drinking right then and there, but the other nest and their evening plans overshadowed her desire to get white girl wasted. The three shots she had done had warmed her inside and she felt lighter and stronger, bolder and happier. She slipped across the dance floor and bid the nest farewell till they met again.

She kept close to the store fronts and walked past the Christian store and then on past the bank and the coffee shop. She stopped in front of the clothes store, the store where she bought that homecoming dress. Such a pretty dress as she remembered. She crawled through the bottom of the door where glass had been broken out. Her flashlight illuminated the remaining fashions and the jewelry and she needed none of it, but she felt pulled in there for some reason and as she arrived to the far wall at the back of the store, she sat on the floor with her bag. Shoes...she delighted in front of combat boots, still had the tags on them and she pulled those worn boots off her feet and tried on a pair of awesome looking and expensive black boots. They rode upward mid calf and had sturdy soles, strong laces. Across the wall hung black clothing and pants. A couple jackets and a sign above it all read, Goth chic. "Goth chic it is then." She delighted in her new boots, swiping a new jacket that zipped up the front, had an embroidered phoenix design on the front in gold and a robe like back that appeared so ninja and bad ass, she discarded the jacket and pictured herself holding a sword. A sword, she lacked, but either way she delighted in the coat that was warm and cool to be wearing with some really funky new boots. Boots...Julia reached to the floor and she looked at the other boots, flipping the tag marks to find another pair, which she did find a half size bigger. They would do, half size larger or not, and she tucked them in her bag with the bottles. She had a sister now that would love these boots and wearing Uggs through the apocalypse was just not zombie or terrain savvy. She didn't need a jacket, because they were not twins, but the girl would like the boots for sure. Her old boots she tied the laces together and fed the one through the strap on her pack and she left them dangling on her bag as she walked around the store some more. She had no clue what time it was or how long she had been gone, so she set out of the store and head back to the site where she found them still working.

She placed her bag in the van and then found Jay. "Hey, mama, you found what you were looking for?"

"I did. And more." She replied. "What are we doing? I thought you all woulda rolled out by now."

"Tav had other ideas. So we stayed to gather up the shit on our surrogate leader's list. He wants this shit."

"Cool, let's wrap it up then. We shoulda been home by now."

"Hey, you find anything for me?" He asked as he tugged on her cool coat. He liked the boots on her feet.

"Not unless you like drinking." She kissed his cheek and wandered off to find Tavin. "Hey, where's sissy? I got her something."

"With Chess at school. They should be back any minute now."

Julia approached Tavin and Alex as they finished up gathering the last of the gasoline they'd taken. The fuel was tops on Tavin's list. "This place, we hit pay dirt." Tavin was so excited he could barely contain himself. He actually sounded happy in his environment due to his productivity.

"When can we leave?" She asked.

"Soon as they get back." He replied. "We're about done here and what can go to the school, you guys can take with you tonight. It's all in that army truck right there. Lots of medical supplies."

"Thanks, had I known we were gathering up more stuff I woulda stuck around. You came up with this idea?"

"Yep, we'll need it." He nodded. "I would love to get into Mav general and take what's in there."

"Why don't we just open up the hospital, then, Tavin? We should get a clinic up and running anyway, find people-nurses, doctors, techs and equipment that'll be useful. If we could find diesel fuel, we could run an OR on generator." He stared at her. "You know or we could transport diesel for the generator at school. That would be the shit, for hot showers and-"

He held his hand up at her. "One thing at a time."

"You started it." She smiled. "Got you something, baby." She said as she moved closer to him. "If you want it and all. You don't have to..."

"What is it?"

"Captain Morgan is waiting in the van, boss."

"Awe shit. It's gonna be a fun night." He smiled, taking hold of her. His arms reminding her of a handful of Captain Morgan nights. "Want a little captain in you?"

"Oh, stop it." Alex hissed.

"Thanks." Tavin smiled, leaving go of her. "Alex, make sure the others are wrapped up over there and get in the van. You too, sexy." Tavin said, watching her walk away.

"Aye, aye Captain." She giggled as she fell in stride with Alex. "We're just fooling around, Alex. You know that." She nudged him.

"I know what happens when you just fool around." He mumbled as the Prius came into view. John and Cal got out and went to the other vehicles, leaving Chess and Julia inside. When the vehicles pulled out, Julia followed them having been instructed to stay in the driver's seat by Chess. He figured she may as well drive them home. A long line of cars set out with the Prius bringing up the rear.

"You did a good job today. How's the arm?" He asked once they were alone in the car.

"Fine. No problems."

"You can turn off pain...just like that?" He asked, recalling the tail end of her conversation with Tavin from earlier in the day.

"Kinda." She shrugged as she maneuvered her car around a group of walking zoms in the road. "I refocus my attention on other things." She explained. "It's the only way to explain it."

"The brother was right, though. You have to desensitize to it over the course of time. Wanna tell me how?"

"No." She replied, setting the car back on a straight course.

"No." He repeated. He figured it had to do with her bite and the subsequent infection and skin graft. He mentioned that.

"Yes." She answered. "But let's not ruin the end of the world mood with my illness."

"It's not the end of the fuckin' world. I wish you people would stop with that shit."

"So the world has not fallen apart and is barely hanging on by a thread?" She asked innocently.

"No, it is not. We can do something about this, Julia and we can make it a better place to live."

"I agree, but for the time being this is pretty shitty."

"Are you hungry?" He asked so matter of fact.

"Nah. Not really."

"Are you happy?"

"Happy? Sure, for the most part. I could be happier."

"Suffering?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Clean." He observed, looking her over and she was barely dirty. Her one armed status kept her from the grimier part of their morning as she was stuck inside the car as they took down the crowd of dead who had gathered along both sides of the chain link fence at the shelter commune. They had deconstructed it and she only barely assisted with that, being their gopher when they needed something. She exceled at being their runner in her Uggs with her sling, carrying a clipboard and crossing off the list that Julia had made the night before.

"How about that arm...you had decent medical care for that injury?"

"Duh, Chess."

"Then I would say this is not shitty. This is pretty good." He shrugged. "Gotta think about perspective, Julia. Once all your basic needs are met, then it's all gravy."

"Basic needs. Food. Shelter. Clothes."

"One level of it." He nodded as they closed in on home. The main road that took them to their farmhouse.

"Safety, you could add in there."

"Definitely. So we have the basics covered. What of the rest? There's more, right? I read a book once that made me think. There was only one book that made me do it, think that is, and I read it years ago. Then I started smoking weed and it all came together like a big picture. All the pieces of life's puzzle fit together in all their odd shapes. That is what life is. It's not square and linear. We all don't fit together like that. We are all weird shapes and we have all found our other weird shapes and they interlock. Needs, one simple level that determines whether life carries on and then those around us that ensure life carries on, like couples or families or like mutual people that we get along with that help us to our goal. Our goal being-"

"Staying alive."

"Eh, I was thinking world domination, but whatever. It's similar."

"Didn't realize you thought about it like that."

"No one ever does. It's the biggest misconception about me. That I do not think. I do. I choose not to preach."

"Sounds nicer than it really is though, Chess. Kinda. Don't you think?"

"What do you think?" He asked. "Looking from this perspective, the beginning of the future. We could do anything we chose. There's no laws, no one to stop us. We can conquer the dead and the living and claim all this. At first it was about living peacefully and safely within the confines of our little group and our little farmhouse, and we only laid claim to that little portion of land and the girls we fucked. Now though...the future is wide open. Any house. All the land you see. Who is to say it is not mine, yours or ours? Our family can own all this."

"The people too..." She said.

"Not slaves or anything, no. All I am saying, Julia, is it is possible to reclaim, rebuild and create. New world, new rules."

"Our house, our rules." She finished for him. Either she had been listening or she had heard it before and Chess believed it was a bit of both.

"Exactly. That's my motto. I can do anything I want and with the right people, people we trust...till this point it was getting her on board. Getting her to move."

"What do you need her for?"

"It's her fucking idea."

"That she wants no part of." Julia added. "You see her today? She look like she really wants any of this?" Chess stared at her strangely. "I'm not being critical.  I am being honest. She, herself has been honest with you. She doesn't wanna do any of this, so why are you making her?"

"She's the brain behind the whole thing. She came up with the plan."

"Not the way I heard it, but ok."

"Huh?"

"You both came up with the plan when you saw the school. Jayson told me this story. He told me you all created the path that was written, tweaking it as she likes to say. She may have written it all down, but she doesn't own it necessarily. You all do. The entire group."

"She did all the research."

"Jayson got the research on the inside." She interjected. "I saw the video on that cell phone and I saw the pictures, the maps, the schematics, the bible of a binder you guys have been toting around and if it weren't for Jody and me going there in the first place, then none of this would even be happening right now. You all came up with, worked on and now are making that happen."

"So are you." He reminded her as she turned into the driveway. Tavin directed her where to park the Prius as though she had never seen it in its spot before. They stayed in the car for a bit while Chess smoked and thought aloud. "You know, saying she didn't have much to do with it is an unfair assumption. She spent a lot of hours on the project. I can't exclude her even if she wishes to exclude herself."

"I didn't say exclude anyone. Geeze, you're letting me do part of it. Bring her with you. Pick her brain. Just don't expect much. That's what she is telling you. It's what she has said and it's what her body language says. She could care less if she's on foot in the thick of it and today she was forced to go somewhere and work when she clearly didn't want to."

"Jules, I don't think you understand the role she plays here." He shook his head.

"I understand it. I understand she's a survivor and she has a lot of work to do, but let her play when she's ready. That's all I'm saying. I might not spend a lot of time with her and I am not her bestie, but I watch her. I learn from her. I understand her. Ever see her sit under that tree? Geeze, if that was me I wouldn't move from that tree."

"Think it's why she wants to stay?"

"May have something to do with it. I think I don't know enough about it to comment. Only what I have seen."

As she and Chess sat in the Prius, Julia approached the car. She hitched her bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the hood. She pointed at Chess and she pulled out a bottle of vodka. "Mother of God, she found some." He grinned. She pointed at Julia and she pulled out a pair of boots and set them on the hood of the car next to the bottle. "Bitch went shopping." He smiled.

"When that nest is clear, we are drinking this whole bottle." She yelled. "We are starting a bonfire of corpses and we are getting shit faced. You hear me, Morgan."

"Yes, Julia." He answered. "What else is in the bag?"

"Captain for Tavin." She said, pulling it out. A wicked grin splashed across her face. She tied up her bag and walked off with her liqueur, leaving Julia's boots on the hood.

"Thank you." Julia smiled, getting out of the car. "Where's my coat?"

"Ah, we aren't twins. Fuck off." Julia yelled.

Chess burst out laughing as Julia sat on the hood and kicked off her Uggs onto the ground. "Chess, these are some bad ass boots." She said excitedly. He got out of the car and went to her. "Kneel." She smiled, looking up at him. Caught off guard, he heeded the command, kneeling between her knees. "Put them on." She leaned back on the hood a bit and lifted a leg for him.

"Yes, miss." He smiled. "I'm sure it's your arm that prevents you from doing this yourself." He applied and then laced up each boot. He placed his hands on her knees when the mission was complete, and ran them up her thighs.

"I like when you're on your knees. So much that I think you should stay there."

"What would you like me to do while I am down here...on my knees...in front of you?"

"Chess!" He heard Tavin yell.

"What?" He answered, turning to look.

"Julia wants a meeting before you all leave. She said come eat too."

"Ok." He yelled back. He turned and looked up at his red head sitting on the hood of the car. Her braid hung over her shoulder and she played with the end of it. She parted her legs a little. "Well, answer the question." She didn't reply, only smiled.  "Jules, quit teasing me." She shook her head. "It can go both ways, little one. You know that." She shook her head again, smiling.

"I liked what you did to me this morning." She said softly. "The sting felt so good." She giggled.

He smiled, kissed her forehead. "Come on, cutie. Let's go in."

"You wanna go in, do you?" She said softly.

"I do. I'll do it right here. Now, stop." He said, walking toward the door with her.

"Nope." She shook her head again.

"Stop. You're getting me hard."

"Ha, surprise, surprise." She stepped up the first of three steps. He grabbed her around the waist . "Julia, do you wanna fuck?" He asked point blank. She gasped, surprised he'd said it so bluntly to her. "What are you hinting at then? I'm not a mind reader." She didn't reply, backing up another step. He pulled her back to him. "Julia, let me know."

"My dreams...I wonder if they were dreams." She stated, wiggling her hips as he grabbed her ass. "I think we already kinda did. I think the dreams...you were there. I think it was you carrying me when I was burning and it was you when I was seeing all the pretty colors." He didn't comment, rather he let her speculate. "The more time I spend with you, I think about the dreams. So, I don't wanna fuck, no."

"Dreams and reality are two different things, Julia. You know that."

"True. But some dreams do exist. Right here, right now..." She kissed his lips and she backed up the steps with Chess hanging onto her hand.

Meal time had passed but Hilda had food ready and waiting for the team of hungry people. Julia ate with her notebook open and wrote, asked questions and wrote some more. She informed them of the next nest they would need to exterminate at Shade's ballroom. Chess declined to discuss the tactic at that time because one nest at a time. He did have a few ideas on how to remove them and save the building from a burn. Use the Lake. "We'll need a boat." He said, pointing at her book.

"A boat." Julia repeated without much enthusiasm. "Gonna get our sea legs?"

"A row boat, Jules. Write the word boat down for later." He stretched his body in his seat around the small frame of Julia who sat in his lap. His muscles were smarting from their day's long work, which was strenuous at times, and his body was sore.

They lastly discussed the progress that they had made that day. It took a bit longer than expected, but they arrived, worked, accomplished a goal and left with more than expected. Tavin had opted to push them further and gather invaluable medical supplies, guns and ammunition, and lastly fuel that was badly needed. "We're full up again." He said feeling confident about the supply for the farm.

"Full up for this farm maybe. Full up for the long term and the fortress is another story altogether. What I would like for you to do in the coming weeks is find us some diesel fuel like we discussed."

"That easy, find diesel?"

"Most vehicles run on gasoline, so there should be more diesel out there than gas."

"What for, if I can ask?" Julia spoke up.

"Generator." She replied dryly. "The school has one and it should run on diesel. Generator means hot showers, heat, lights. Machinery. We won't have solar. I would also like the smartest one here to figure out how to get this solar shit running on a larger scale. We can use diesel for only a limited and rationed time. Figure out how to set it up, maintain it and work it. I don't wanna light up the countryside, but we're gonna lose these lights and we need light."

"Who would that be?" Julia asked, looking around the table.

"I probably am." Jay answered.

"Yeah, but you're also not mechanically inclined. We need a mix of both. I can, but I would need a pile of fucking books. One question leads to another then another for me. I would prefer someone who could block out all the extra questions."

"Me." Jay insisted. "Why do you think you're the smartest one here?"

"Well, love of my fucking life. Historically speaking, I am the smartest one here. Plus, you can't figure out how to make a fur fucking rug. You're gonna set up solar panels and operate it, and maintain it?"

"Jules, who do you think runs it now? Here and now?" He pointed at the light above their table. "So fuck you, cause it's me." Jay insisted. "You think I am dumb, babe and I'm not. I spent five hours after that storm making that system come back to life and then rewiring the whole shitty contraption. You think I don't know what I am doing. I don't know how to do it large scale, but I could figure it out. Fuck..."

"Ok. I'm sorry." She frowned.

"I still can't make the rug, though." He commented, shaking his head.

"Baby, I am sorry about the rug. We'll take all your furs with us and we'll keep looking for a way. There's a book out there somewhere..."

"I could help you do it. I took a crafts class, Jay." Julia volunteered, bouncing excitedly in Chess's lap.

"A crafts class." Chess said under his breath. "In your spare time." He held her waist and stilled the girl whether nervous or excited or a mix of both, her warmth against him felt fine.

"Yes." She nodded eagerly.

"You ever party, Julia?" Alex asked suddenly.

"I have gone to a couple parties, but...Like a sleep over? Nails and hair and stuff or-"

Jay laughed, "Not go to a party, he means party."

"Well, if it's...probably not." She shook her head. "But crafts, I can do it. We'll look at your stuff and we'll think of something. A fur rug sounds so nice and it'll be so soft. Where we putting it?"

"In front of the fire place." Julia replied. "In our bedroom."

"Oh, yeah. It'll be soft to sit on. Hey, a blanket would be even warmer. Keep saving those furs."

"He saves them all." Julia sighed. "Jay, looks like you will have your wish come true."

Julia closed her book and tucked it in her bag. She was ready to go. They had everything they needed in the truck with the supplies. The table filed out of the house one by one and Julia looked to Tavin, giving him a handful of reminders and orders for the coming evening.

"Jules, I will be here. I'll take care of it." Jay said.

"Changed my mind. I want you to go with me, please." She shook her head.

"Julia, you said last night I was staying." Jay cut her off. "Remember? You didn't want the whole table-"

She looked at him seriously. "Jay, when we got here, we agreed that what we do, we do together. This is part of it." She replied annoyed he had cut her off.

"I'll go. Alright. I was just surprised you changed your mind is all. I'll run upstairs a minute and get a few things. Shit, I coulda been ready if you said something."

"Well, go then, babe. We'll wait."

Jay liked advance warning. He had got comfortable, thought he was in for the night, putting himself in the mindset of chilling with Jess alone for once. In fact, he'd been thinking about Jess all day. He didn't have visions of exterminating a nest at the school. He looked forward to laying back with Jess, no sadness and no fuss. Just a normal girl and normal conversation. Jess had been complaining they never got to spend time alone. Sometimes, she had said, she just wanted him.

"Yo, be careful." Tavin called out the door.

"Hold down the fort, Tav. They'll be back first thing. If there's problems, you got men in black on your side."

"Oh, thanks. I think I got this."

"I love you, Tavin." She said it instinctively.

"Yeah, Red. I love you too. Stay safe."

"Are we all riding up front?" Chess asked, climbing into the cab. Not much space for the bodies that were tagging along.

Julia pulled her bag on her shoulder and moved on the seat. "I'll ride in the rear. Alex, join me." She sighed.

"I didn't say you had to, but-"

"Not my first bumpy ride in the back of a truck on the way to an incident." She descended the cab and Alex and Jody followed her. Julia looked to Chess and then the open door and she scooted across the seat, and hopped down. When Jay emerged from the house, he shut the cab door and Chess watched him move to the gate. He waited on the outside for Jay to close the gate and he climbed in the cab with him.

"Gonna be alright, Jay." Chess assured him as he pulled away from the farmhouse.

"I think she's scared." Jay replied.

"It's been a while for her. Like riding a bike."

Chess steered the truck due west to the school under a canopy of pink and orange hues of a setting sun.