her brand new short hair all styled to the nines, a brand new little black dress cut short on the thigh, diamond earrings, and lace top band thigh highs that had Adam eyeing her lustfully all night. She remembered in that moment the ache of her heels. Gaia sighed, her exhale full of anger and irony, as she wished that her lack of comfort was once again her biggest problem. What she wouldn’t pay for that to be true.
In the picture, she had her arms draped around his neck hugging Adam tightly and pulling him down for a kiss as her friend Debbie took the photo with her camera phone. There was a series of five photos she saved from that day. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered a message on her voicemail and dialed the number, waiting for the voice to come on.
“Hi, Gee. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you and can’t wait to see you tonight. Love you,” the voice of Adam said tenderly in the message. She wept for a few minutes and tried to harden herself against the overwhelming sentiments brought on at simply hearing his voice. She stood, knowing that she had to be strong to honor Adam—after all, that’s what she saw from him all the time. He would want her to be strong for the others. Using that as motivation, she stood, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.
She walked toward the front of the bus where Nick sat, staring out the window. Her resolve shrunk with each step she took until she got to the front of the bus.
“I just wanna cry right now, Nick. I miss him so much already,” she admitted. Nick stood, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back and he winced loudly as she put pressure on his shoulder.
“Jesus, Nick. Lemme look at that,” she said, seeing that the area all around the bandage was red and swollen.
Nick tried to fight it, but eventually he let her see. She peeled away the bandage and saw that the wound was badly infected.
And she realized that it would probably get worse soon enough and that he probably wouldn’t survive it. “Shit, Nick…this is bad.”
“I know, Gaia. I know. The hits just keep on coming, eh?” he smiled, despite the bleakness of the situation. Gaia smiled back at him, or at least tried to, she wasn’t exactly sure what kind of face she had just made, but she hoped it was the reassuring smile that she had intended.
“We can go back and get more meds,” Gaia offered enthusiastically.
“We could. Won’t do me any good though,” blurted Nick pessimistically. “Writing’s on the wall, sweetie. It’s gonna be my time to check out soon enough,” continued Nick in his disparaging diatribe.
“Don’t say that,” said the young boy, sitting up, looking very melancholy. “My dad says that only quitters quit, but winners have to play the whole game…I don’t really get it, but he was pretty sure about it.”
“Very uplifting,” Nick said, before Gaia shot him a look. She leaned in close to Nick’s ear.
“He’s only trying to help.”
“Right he is.” Nick stared back at her and then to the bus in the distance. “Your dad sounds like a smart man, Justin. I guess we need to be thankful for what we have, when we have it.” Gaia again began to weep as thoughts of Adam besieged her mind, completely governing her emotions. She suddenly felt the grip of arms around her waist and peered down through tear-stained eyes to see the young child looking up at her.
“It’ll be okay,” Justin said, nodding. “I promise.”
“I know, honey,” Gaia said, not believing a word that she spoke. she had lost the love of her life, was about to lose her only friend left in the world and now this young man came into her life to complicate matters. Intrusive inclinations of motherly duties permeated her thoughts and she stumbled back and out of the embrace of the child, fearfully withdrawing from him as if he were suddenly the enemy. She fell into a seat and stared at him.
“How many of these zombies have you killed, Justin?” Gaia asked
In the picture, she had her arms draped around his neck hugging Adam tightly and pulling him down for a kiss as her friend Debbie took the photo with her camera phone. There was a series of five photos she saved from that day. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered a message on her voicemail and dialed the number, waiting for the voice to come on.
“Hi, Gee. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you and can’t wait to see you tonight. Love you,” the voice of Adam said tenderly in the message. She wept for a few minutes and tried to harden herself against the overwhelming sentiments brought on at simply hearing his voice. She stood, knowing that she had to be strong to honor Adam—after all, that’s what she saw from him all the time. He would want her to be strong for the others. Using that as motivation, she stood, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.
She walked toward the front of the bus where Nick sat, staring out the window. Her resolve shrunk with each step she took until she got to the front of the bus.
“I just wanna cry right now, Nick. I miss him so much already,” she admitted. Nick stood, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back and he winced loudly as she put pressure on his shoulder.
“Jesus, Nick. Lemme look at that,” she said, seeing that the area all around the bandage was red and swollen.
Nick tried to fight it, but eventually he let her see. She peeled away the bandage and saw that the wound was badly infected.
And she realized that it would probably get worse soon enough and that he probably wouldn’t survive it. “Shit, Nick…this is bad.”
“I know, Gaia. I know. The hits just keep on coming, eh?” he smiled, despite the bleakness of the situation. Gaia smiled back at him, or at least tried to, she wasn’t exactly sure what kind of face she had just made, but she hoped it was the reassuring smile that she had intended.
“We can go back and get more meds,” Gaia offered enthusiastically.
“We could. Won’t do me any good though,” blurted Nick pessimistically. “Writing’s on the wall, sweetie. It’s gonna be my time to check out soon enough,” continued Nick in his disparaging diatribe.
“Don’t say that,” said the young boy, sitting up, looking very melancholy. “My dad says that only quitters quit, but winners have to play the whole game…I don’t really get it, but he was pretty sure about it.”
“Very uplifting,” Nick said, before Gaia shot him a look. She leaned in close to Nick’s ear.
“He’s only trying to help.”
“Right he is.” Nick stared back at her and then to the bus in the distance. “Your dad sounds like a smart man, Justin. I guess we need to be thankful for what we have, when we have it.” Gaia again began to weep as thoughts of Adam besieged her mind, completely governing her emotions. She suddenly felt the grip of arms around her waist and peered down through tear-stained eyes to see the young child looking up at her.
“It’ll be okay,” Justin said, nodding. “I promise.”
“I know, honey,” Gaia said, not believing a word that she spoke. she had lost the love of her life, was about to lose her only friend left in the world and now this young man came into her life to complicate matters. Intrusive inclinations of motherly duties permeated her thoughts and she stumbled back and out of the embrace of the child, fearfully withdrawing from him as if he were suddenly the enemy. She fell into a seat and stared at him.
“How many of these zombies have you killed, Justin?” Gaia asked
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