the time Alex had guided the boat into view of the castle. He could see a figure on the wall-walk and believed it to be Phil. As he got closer to the moat, the figure stood up and waved to them.
“All good?” It was certainly Phil’s voice. Alex waved to him, pretending not to hear him.
Trepidation and anxiety ran amok through Alex as he realized that once again, he would have to explain to the group that two more of their friends were dead.
He could also see zombies in the parking lot in the distance, still choking the area with their presence. It soured Alex even more.
As Alex guided the boat even closer to the castle, Phil’s smile slowly faded and he looked to Alex with concern, seeing that only he and Selina were aboard a new boat. Alex merely glanced up at Phil and shook his head. Phil got the meaning as he immediately dipped his head. His body language was familiar, unfortunately, and was something that he himself imagined having looked like on more than one occasion. It was also something he would see again from the others before too long.
He steered the boat along through the moat up to the lowered drawbridge. Nick, Liz and Phil were all down there waiting.
“What happened?” Nick asked, as Alex cut the engine. The boat coasted right up to the lowered drawbridge. Phil tossed them a rope with a weight on the end. He wrapped the end around a post that appeared freshly placed. Alex couldn’t even look Nick in the eye. “Shit, is she okay?” Nick added, seeing that Selina had a bandage wrapped around her forehead.
“She will be okay,” Alex said, looking back to see the woman in obvious discomfort, if not outright discomfort. It pained him to see that, again reminding him of the feelings that were surfacing with regards to her.
“I'm so sorry. Alexis and Bryan…they didn’t make it.”
A very long silence ensued as they unloaded the equipment, placing it all in a small wagon for transport into the castle.
“I'm gonna get you guys out of this boat and then you can tell me what happened to my friends over a bowl of tuna fish.” Nick said, his statement spoken sharply, but Alex could not tell if it was accusatory in nature, or if he was simply upset because more of his friends had died.
They walked inside the castle, but Alex turned in the opposite direction, walking into the outer courtyard where he saw the wolf in the distance. He dropped to his knees as Shadow raced over to greet him. As the wolf got to him, he rubbed his snout against Alex’s face a few times before turning and running back across the courtyard where he sniffed at, and then began eating from, a bowl off to the side of the chapel door.
Alex stood and headed back the opposite way, joining the others inside the castle.
“Not worried about Shadow coming inside, are you?” Alex asked Nick.
“No, he seems to have figured out where his place is pretty quickly enough, so we have been leaving the drawbridge down more often,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, his back still to Alex.
They all entered the Great Hall and took seats around the table just as Kelly entered the room with a smile on his face.
“Hey, man! You see my post for the boat out there?” he asked Alex, who smiled ever so briefly. “And how’d the boat hold up?”
“Not so good,” Alex got the answer out quickly as he knew tougher questions were to follow.
“Where’s Alexis?” he asked quickly, revealing to anyone who’d been paying attention that he carried a torch for her. That made delivering his news even harder. “And Bryan?” and what happened to you?” he asked Selina.
“I'm sorry, Kel,” Alex said, looking him in the eyes, “it was a terrible thing.” Alex paused and allowed himself to let his emotions out finally, tearing up in unison with Selina.
“Bryan and Alexis got caught in a huge mob of zombies around the hospital grounds….” Alex said, beginning his recap of the events at the hospital. During his recollection,
“All good?” It was certainly Phil’s voice. Alex waved to him, pretending not to hear him.
Trepidation and anxiety ran amok through Alex as he realized that once again, he would have to explain to the group that two more of their friends were dead.
He could also see zombies in the parking lot in the distance, still choking the area with their presence. It soured Alex even more.
As Alex guided the boat even closer to the castle, Phil’s smile slowly faded and he looked to Alex with concern, seeing that only he and Selina were aboard a new boat. Alex merely glanced up at Phil and shook his head. Phil got the meaning as he immediately dipped his head. His body language was familiar, unfortunately, and was something that he himself imagined having looked like on more than one occasion. It was also something he would see again from the others before too long.
He steered the boat along through the moat up to the lowered drawbridge. Nick, Liz and Phil were all down there waiting.
“What happened?” Nick asked, as Alex cut the engine. The boat coasted right up to the lowered drawbridge. Phil tossed them a rope with a weight on the end. He wrapped the end around a post that appeared freshly placed. Alex couldn’t even look Nick in the eye. “Shit, is she okay?” Nick added, seeing that Selina had a bandage wrapped around her forehead.
“She will be okay,” Alex said, looking back to see the woman in obvious discomfort, if not outright discomfort. It pained him to see that, again reminding him of the feelings that were surfacing with regards to her.
“I'm so sorry. Alexis and Bryan…they didn’t make it.”
A very long silence ensued as they unloaded the equipment, placing it all in a small wagon for transport into the castle.
“I'm gonna get you guys out of this boat and then you can tell me what happened to my friends over a bowl of tuna fish.” Nick said, his statement spoken sharply, but Alex could not tell if it was accusatory in nature, or if he was simply upset because more of his friends had died.
They walked inside the castle, but Alex turned in the opposite direction, walking into the outer courtyard where he saw the wolf in the distance. He dropped to his knees as Shadow raced over to greet him. As the wolf got to him, he rubbed his snout against Alex’s face a few times before turning and running back across the courtyard where he sniffed at, and then began eating from, a bowl off to the side of the chapel door.
Alex stood and headed back the opposite way, joining the others inside the castle.
“Not worried about Shadow coming inside, are you?” Alex asked Nick.
“No, he seems to have figured out where his place is pretty quickly enough, so we have been leaving the drawbridge down more often,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, his back still to Alex.
They all entered the Great Hall and took seats around the table just as Kelly entered the room with a smile on his face.
“Hey, man! You see my post for the boat out there?” he asked Alex, who smiled ever so briefly. “And how’d the boat hold up?”
“Not so good,” Alex got the answer out quickly as he knew tougher questions were to follow.
“Where’s Alexis?” he asked quickly, revealing to anyone who’d been paying attention that he carried a torch for her. That made delivering his news even harder. “And Bryan?” and what happened to you?” he asked Selina.
“I'm sorry, Kel,” Alex said, looking him in the eyes, “it was a terrible thing.” Alex paused and allowed himself to let his emotions out finally, tearing up in unison with Selina.
“Bryan and Alexis got caught in a huge mob of zombies around the hospital grounds….” Alex said, beginning his recap of the events at the hospital. During his recollection,
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