find some of those “my name is” sticky badges to hand out to new people.
“ Come on in,” one of the kids said… was it Mark? Well, it didn’t matter.
They followed him into the main area of the casino. All the gaming machines had been moved, used for parts and as portions of the barricades around all the main entrances. What was left was a large, open area where cots and mattresses had been set up in long rows. There were twenty-five, maybe thirty people milling around. Music played from some kind of battery operated boom box in the corner. Sam winced as she realized it was teenie bopper pop echoing in the room. Just like behind the barricade, the kids inside were all really young and didn’t seem to have much drive or purpose as they roamed around, chatted in small groups and played Hackensack in the corners.
Sam frowned. This wasn’t a safe place. This was just a mini-camp run by kids. Once again, there was only disappointment in the rumors. For a brief moment, the swell of regret was overpowering. She almost couldn’t breathe.
“ So how come you guys are all so young?” Troy asked.
“ We were here for a Summer Break trip sponsored by our college,” the kid who’d let them in explained. “When it all went down, we stuck together. Only lost five.”
He grinned in pride and Sam couldn’t really blame him. Those were pretty good odds.
“ What are your plans, Mark?” she asked.
“ Mike,” the kid and Troy said together and Troy smothered a smile.
“ What do you mean?” Mike asked with a confused blink.
Sam put her hands on her hips. “I mean, are you thinking about leaving? Building? Expanding?”
He shrugged. “Um, we’re probably just going to wait it out. Wait until someone comes to get us.”
“ Comes to get you?” Troy repeated with a glance at Sam. “You really think someone is going to save us all?”
Mike blinked like he didn’t understand. “Our parents must be looking for us.”
“ Oh Jesus,” Sam muttered as she paced off away from them for a moment. She didn’t think anyone was so naïve anymore. Even without access to many outsiders and the news they might share, even as kids who were in their late teens or early twenties… they should have known better. After a couple of months of zombie hell… they should have known better.
“ Look kid, we’ve been out and about for months,” Troy said, semi-gently. “No one is coming. If you’re staying, it should be because you feel like you’re safe or you have some kind of long term plan.”
Mike smiled, like he knew something they didn’t. “Oh, no. We’ll be fine until things get back to normal. We have a lot of food conserved from the rooms before we locked the upper floors down and from the hotel kitchen. You guys are welcome to stay if you want.”
Troy blinked and Sam’s spine stiffened. They’d been together for a while, but they’d never made any promises to stay together. He wasn’t her boyfriend or anything (despite one heavy make out session a couple weeks back that they hadn’t really ever talked about or repeated). Maybe he was tired to following her from ‘safe place’ to ‘safe place’. She really couldn’t blame him.
“ Thanks,” Troy said and her stomach sank. “But naw. The two of us have our own thing planned.”
He looked at her and smiled. “As long as you can put up with me a while longer.”
She nodded and covered her relief with a shrug. “I guess.”
“ All right.” Mike shrugged. “You guys want to trade before you go?”
“ Sure.” Sam said as she followed him toward the back of the room where supplies were piled up in no particular way or form. She bit her tongue as she pawed through it and offered a bit of what they had.
By the time she was done, Troy was standing by the door, waiting for her. He smiled as she held out a two-liter of his favorite flavor of soda.
“ Sweet.” He reached out and took her hand unexpectedly. She stared at their intertwined
“ Come on in,” one of the kids said… was it Mark? Well, it didn’t matter.
They followed him into the main area of the casino. All the gaming machines had been moved, used for parts and as portions of the barricades around all the main entrances. What was left was a large, open area where cots and mattresses had been set up in long rows. There were twenty-five, maybe thirty people milling around. Music played from some kind of battery operated boom box in the corner. Sam winced as she realized it was teenie bopper pop echoing in the room. Just like behind the barricade, the kids inside were all really young and didn’t seem to have much drive or purpose as they roamed around, chatted in small groups and played Hackensack in the corners.
Sam frowned. This wasn’t a safe place. This was just a mini-camp run by kids. Once again, there was only disappointment in the rumors. For a brief moment, the swell of regret was overpowering. She almost couldn’t breathe.
“ So how come you guys are all so young?” Troy asked.
“ We were here for a Summer Break trip sponsored by our college,” the kid who’d let them in explained. “When it all went down, we stuck together. Only lost five.”
He grinned in pride and Sam couldn’t really blame him. Those were pretty good odds.
“ What are your plans, Mark?” she asked.
“ Mike,” the kid and Troy said together and Troy smothered a smile.
“ What do you mean?” Mike asked with a confused blink.
Sam put her hands on her hips. “I mean, are you thinking about leaving? Building? Expanding?”
He shrugged. “Um, we’re probably just going to wait it out. Wait until someone comes to get us.”
“ Comes to get you?” Troy repeated with a glance at Sam. “You really think someone is going to save us all?”
Mike blinked like he didn’t understand. “Our parents must be looking for us.”
“ Oh Jesus,” Sam muttered as she paced off away from them for a moment. She didn’t think anyone was so naïve anymore. Even without access to many outsiders and the news they might share, even as kids who were in their late teens or early twenties… they should have known better. After a couple of months of zombie hell… they should have known better.
“ Look kid, we’ve been out and about for months,” Troy said, semi-gently. “No one is coming. If you’re staying, it should be because you feel like you’re safe or you have some kind of long term plan.”
Mike smiled, like he knew something they didn’t. “Oh, no. We’ll be fine until things get back to normal. We have a lot of food conserved from the rooms before we locked the upper floors down and from the hotel kitchen. You guys are welcome to stay if you want.”
Troy blinked and Sam’s spine stiffened. They’d been together for a while, but they’d never made any promises to stay together. He wasn’t her boyfriend or anything (despite one heavy make out session a couple weeks back that they hadn’t really ever talked about or repeated). Maybe he was tired to following her from ‘safe place’ to ‘safe place’. She really couldn’t blame him.
“ Thanks,” Troy said and her stomach sank. “But naw. The two of us have our own thing planned.”
He looked at her and smiled. “As long as you can put up with me a while longer.”
She nodded and covered her relief with a shrug. “I guess.”
“ All right.” Mike shrugged. “You guys want to trade before you go?”
“ Sure.” Sam said as she followed him toward the back of the room where supplies were piled up in no particular way or form. She bit her tongue as she pawed through it and offered a bit of what they had.
By the time she was done, Troy was standing by the door, waiting for her. He smiled as she held out a two-liter of his favorite flavor of soda.
“ Sweet.” He reached out and took her hand unexpectedly. She stared at their intertwined
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