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Title: With A Whimper (Part Eighteen)
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, death, language, blood. Did I mention violence and death? And Blood? lol
Summary: Most of the world is either dead or Crazy, but in California a group of survivors tries to find a way to avoid both fates.
PART EIGHTEEN
By evening, almost everyone had showered in the wonderful running water, leaving only Ryan and Summer to get cleaned up, Ryan because he had fallen asleep shortly after Emily finished recovering his leg wound, and Summer because she'd gone over the details of how she'd treated Ryan's injuries and what drugs she'd given him with Emily. But once everyone else was cleaned up, Summer shook Ryan awake and helped him limp up the staircase to one of the spacious rooms on the 2nd floor of the lodge.
"I could get used to this," Ryan said as Summer guided him to sit on the toilet and turned on the water in the tub so she could help him clean up.
"I can't wait to climb into a bed and sleep for a couple days," Summer said.
"I meant getting a sponge bath from you," Ryan replied with a grin.
Summer rolled her eyes, but washed his face first before stretching up to kiss him. "It'll be even better when we can shower together," she said. "But that's gonna have to wait until Emily says you can get your shoulder and leg wet."
"But I can watch you shower, right?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know, it might get you too worked up," Summer said, kissing him again before slowly pulling his shirt off, then getting his pants off. "I wouldn't want to mess up your recovery."
Ryan reached down and cradled Summer's face in his hands. "I love you," he said. "And I... we have no way of knowing what's gonna happen in the future. We could all survive and be part of the next stage of Human society, or we could all starve to death this winter because we can't go out for supplies. But I know that I want to be with you. I want you right here with me, for however long we may have."
Summer sighed softly and ran her thumb over Ryan's cheek. "I love you, Chino. And I am here as long as I live and as long as you want me."
"So you're prepared to be here forever? Because I'm not gonna stop wanting you," Ryan said.
Summer stretched to kiss him again. "Good. Because there's no way I could stop loving you."
~~~~
"Now that's the delinquent I remember," Caleb said as Summer and Ryan came back downstairs a while later, Summer's hair still damp.
"Dad," Kirsten said warningly.
"It's a term of..." Caleb began. "Respect."
Ryan raised an eyebrow as Summer lowered him into the same chair as before, this time without a blanket over it. "And I mean it with just as much respect when I call you a jackass," he said.
"What are we missing here?" Emily asked as she carried out a somewhat misshapen loaf of bread, Lindsay following with a large pot of stew or something else that smelled deliscious. "I thought you were Caleb's grandson?"
"Kirsten's my foster mom," Ryan said. "Her husband, Sandy... he was my public defender after me and Trey stole a car..."
"Which is why I was in lock up when this shit started," Trey added as he dropped to the floor, taking a protective position next to his brother.
"Sandy got me out, and gave me his card in case I needed anything," Ryan continued. "Our mother, Dawn, she... she kicked me out. Chose her dirtbag boyfriend over me. I called all my friends, but none of them had room for me to crash with them, and I got desperate so I called Sandy. It was suppose to be for a couple days, and it became permanent."
"One of the best decisions we ever made," Kirsten said.
"Caleb doesn't like me much because I'm the car thief who he thinks is gonna rob everyone blind," Ryan concluded. "Though why that's still an issue when no one has anything mroe than anyone else does, I don't know."
"Kiki said you made sure everyone got here safe," Caleb said. "So... so I guess I do owe you for that."
"You also owe him for sitting on the floor next to Seth during the last few hours he was alive," Summer said. "Kirsten was still out of it over Sandy, and I'd been sitting there for almost 36 hours straight... he was with Seth until the end, so how about oweing him for that, too?"
"Thank you, for all of it," Caleb told Ryan.
"Seth was my best friend," Ryan replied. "And until Trey found us, Kirsten was all I had left. I'd alreayd lost Theresa and the baby. I had to kill a guy I'd known sicne I was 8 because he went Crazy and tried to kill me. And then I get home to newport and Marissa's dead, then Sandy and Seth... then Jimmy Cooper..." at the end of teh list, Ryan trailed off, and Summer took his hand. "I lost way too many damn people that I cared about, I couldn't lose her, too."
"Who's Theresa?" Sadie asked.
"She was pregnant with my baby," Ryan said. "5 months along and she... they tore her stomach and chest open... she died in the parking lot of the hospital."
"My aunt and cousin were visiting me," Sadie said. "I work here in the summers, as a maid. It's really easy work, and Mr. and Mrs. Elsey always let us use the Lodge facilities, go swimming in the lake... it was fun. They weren't even charging my aunt and Johnny to come here for two weeks. My aunt got sick, died during the first couple days, down in town. And Johnny... he became one of those... Crazies, as you guys call them. I put a bullet in his head when he tore a hunk out of Mr. Elsey's arm."
"Are the Elsey's...?" Kirsten asked.
"The virus killed Mr. Elsey, he got a second wave of the sickness," Hailey said. "Mrs. Elsey... we found her in bed three days later. I think she just... died in her sleep." She shrugged and sat down on the arm f the couch Caleb was sitting on, leaning agaisnt her father like a little girl would. "What happened to Jimmy?"
"Dad lost it," Kaitlin said as she came back downstairs and sat on the footstoll in front of Ryan's chair. "He kinda started loosing it when my sister died, then when my mom attacked him and fell down the stairs... when we went over the to Cohens, he started... He started getting really weird. And then, like 2 days before we left, he totally lost it..."
"He was talking about how he and Kirsten were gonna be a couple again soon," Luke said. "I told him to shut the hell up, because Kirsten was grieiving and didn't need his bullshit, and he grabbed my rifle and pointed it at me."
"Summer came outside and got me," Ryan said, his voice scratchy at the memory. "And I pulled my gun... I just wanted him to put down the rifle, and he did. But then... then he charged me, and we were fighting for the gun... I didn't mean to... he died. I shot him, and he died."
"He would've killed Ryan," Kaitlin said quietly. "And it was an accident. So no one's allowed to be mad at Ryan. If I'm not mad, no one else can be."
"No one's mad, Kaitlin," Kirsten said.
"Of course not," Caleb agreed. "Everyone's had to do things they... they wouldn't have before."
"Dad?" Kirsten asked.
"I was at a business meeting in San Fransisco," Caleb began. "Everything happened so fast, and suddenly everyone was sick and dying, or they were attacking those who were healthy... I killed at least 3 men that I've known for over 20 years."
"Okay, so we know why and how the rest are here, what about you?" Alex asked Emily.
"I was hiding out at the hospital I worked at in San Fransisco," Emily said. "Pretty much everyone was dead from either sickness or Crazies, so I was alone. I had a couple bad runins with Crazies, so I left the hospital because it seemed like they were still flocking there, and I wound up running straight into Caleb as he left the hotel he'd been in. I guess he thought a nurse was a useful person to have around, or maybe he felt sorry for me since I was bleeding from my hair being ripped out, but he asked me to come with him. So here I am." She passed a bowl of stew and a hunk of bread to Ryan. "You need to eat, keep your strength up so you'll heal faster."
"And we have plenty of food," Caleb added. "At least for a few weeks."
"A couple people should go on a big supply run to one of the bigger cities nearby," Ryan said. "Grab everything they can and come back. Maybe make several trips like that, alternating who goes."
"So everyone ends up exhausted?" Caleb said.
"So we make sure we have enough food to keep from starving to death this winter," Ryan replied. "You may not have realized this yet, Mr. Nichols, but the world isn't gonna get better in another month, or two, or three. As far I know, there are 21 people alive in all of California. Five of which are psychopaths. We don't know if there's anyone else alive, let alone if any of them can or even would help us. We have to assume that things aren't going to get better for a long damn time. We have to do whatever it takes to stay alive, and that means being well prepared for the winter. It means making sure we always have at least a week's worth of firewood already chopped and easy to grab, preferably where we can get it without exposing ourselves to attack in case the Crazies find their way up here. We have to make sure we have enough food that we don't all starve to death before spring comes. Because I didn't come all this way just to die."
To Be Continued...
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, death, language, blood. Did I mention violence and death? And Blood? lol
Summary: Most of the world is either dead or Crazy, but in California a group of survivors tries to find a way to avoid both fates.
PART EIGHTEEN
By evening, almost everyone had showered in the wonderful running water, leaving only Ryan and Summer to get cleaned up, Ryan because he had fallen asleep shortly after Emily finished recovering his leg wound, and Summer because she'd gone over the details of how she'd treated Ryan's injuries and what drugs she'd given him with Emily. But once everyone else was cleaned up, Summer shook Ryan awake and helped him limp up the staircase to one of the spacious rooms on the 2nd floor of the lodge.
"I could get used to this," Ryan said as Summer guided him to sit on the toilet and turned on the water in the tub so she could help him clean up.
"I can't wait to climb into a bed and sleep for a couple days," Summer said.
"I meant getting a sponge bath from you," Ryan replied with a grin.
Summer rolled her eyes, but washed his face first before stretching up to kiss him. "It'll be even better when we can shower together," she said. "But that's gonna have to wait until Emily says you can get your shoulder and leg wet."
"But I can watch you shower, right?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know, it might get you too worked up," Summer said, kissing him again before slowly pulling his shirt off, then getting his pants off. "I wouldn't want to mess up your recovery."
Ryan reached down and cradled Summer's face in his hands. "I love you," he said. "And I... we have no way of knowing what's gonna happen in the future. We could all survive and be part of the next stage of Human society, or we could all starve to death this winter because we can't go out for supplies. But I know that I want to be with you. I want you right here with me, for however long we may have."
Summer sighed softly and ran her thumb over Ryan's cheek. "I love you, Chino. And I am here as long as I live and as long as you want me."
"So you're prepared to be here forever? Because I'm not gonna stop wanting you," Ryan said.
Summer stretched to kiss him again. "Good. Because there's no way I could stop loving you."
~~~~
"Now that's the delinquent I remember," Caleb said as Summer and Ryan came back downstairs a while later, Summer's hair still damp.
"Dad," Kirsten said warningly.
"It's a term of..." Caleb began. "Respect."
Ryan raised an eyebrow as Summer lowered him into the same chair as before, this time without a blanket over it. "And I mean it with just as much respect when I call you a jackass," he said.
"What are we missing here?" Emily asked as she carried out a somewhat misshapen loaf of bread, Lindsay following with a large pot of stew or something else that smelled deliscious. "I thought you were Caleb's grandson?"
"Kirsten's my foster mom," Ryan said. "Her husband, Sandy... he was my public defender after me and Trey stole a car..."
"Which is why I was in lock up when this shit started," Trey added as he dropped to the floor, taking a protective position next to his brother.
"Sandy got me out, and gave me his card in case I needed anything," Ryan continued. "Our mother, Dawn, she... she kicked me out. Chose her dirtbag boyfriend over me. I called all my friends, but none of them had room for me to crash with them, and I got desperate so I called Sandy. It was suppose to be for a couple days, and it became permanent."
"One of the best decisions we ever made," Kirsten said.
"Caleb doesn't like me much because I'm the car thief who he thinks is gonna rob everyone blind," Ryan concluded. "Though why that's still an issue when no one has anything mroe than anyone else does, I don't know."
"Kiki said you made sure everyone got here safe," Caleb said. "So... so I guess I do owe you for that."
"You also owe him for sitting on the floor next to Seth during the last few hours he was alive," Summer said. "Kirsten was still out of it over Sandy, and I'd been sitting there for almost 36 hours straight... he was with Seth until the end, so how about oweing him for that, too?"
"Thank you, for all of it," Caleb told Ryan.
"Seth was my best friend," Ryan replied. "And until Trey found us, Kirsten was all I had left. I'd alreayd lost Theresa and the baby. I had to kill a guy I'd known sicne I was 8 because he went Crazy and tried to kill me. And then I get home to newport and Marissa's dead, then Sandy and Seth... then Jimmy Cooper..." at the end of teh list, Ryan trailed off, and Summer took his hand. "I lost way too many damn people that I cared about, I couldn't lose her, too."
"Who's Theresa?" Sadie asked.
"She was pregnant with my baby," Ryan said. "5 months along and she... they tore her stomach and chest open... she died in the parking lot of the hospital."
"My aunt and cousin were visiting me," Sadie said. "I work here in the summers, as a maid. It's really easy work, and Mr. and Mrs. Elsey always let us use the Lodge facilities, go swimming in the lake... it was fun. They weren't even charging my aunt and Johnny to come here for two weeks. My aunt got sick, died during the first couple days, down in town. And Johnny... he became one of those... Crazies, as you guys call them. I put a bullet in his head when he tore a hunk out of Mr. Elsey's arm."
"Are the Elsey's...?" Kirsten asked.
"The virus killed Mr. Elsey, he got a second wave of the sickness," Hailey said. "Mrs. Elsey... we found her in bed three days later. I think she just... died in her sleep." She shrugged and sat down on the arm f the couch Caleb was sitting on, leaning agaisnt her father like a little girl would. "What happened to Jimmy?"
"Dad lost it," Kaitlin said as she came back downstairs and sat on the footstoll in front of Ryan's chair. "He kinda started loosing it when my sister died, then when my mom attacked him and fell down the stairs... when we went over the to Cohens, he started... He started getting really weird. And then, like 2 days before we left, he totally lost it..."
"He was talking about how he and Kirsten were gonna be a couple again soon," Luke said. "I told him to shut the hell up, because Kirsten was grieiving and didn't need his bullshit, and he grabbed my rifle and pointed it at me."
"Summer came outside and got me," Ryan said, his voice scratchy at the memory. "And I pulled my gun... I just wanted him to put down the rifle, and he did. But then... then he charged me, and we were fighting for the gun... I didn't mean to... he died. I shot him, and he died."
"He would've killed Ryan," Kaitlin said quietly. "And it was an accident. So no one's allowed to be mad at Ryan. If I'm not mad, no one else can be."
"No one's mad, Kaitlin," Kirsten said.
"Of course not," Caleb agreed. "Everyone's had to do things they... they wouldn't have before."
"Dad?" Kirsten asked.
"I was at a business meeting in San Fransisco," Caleb began. "Everything happened so fast, and suddenly everyone was sick and dying, or they were attacking those who were healthy... I killed at least 3 men that I've known for over 20 years."
"Okay, so we know why and how the rest are here, what about you?" Alex asked Emily.
"I was hiding out at the hospital I worked at in San Fransisco," Emily said. "Pretty much everyone was dead from either sickness or Crazies, so I was alone. I had a couple bad runins with Crazies, so I left the hospital because it seemed like they were still flocking there, and I wound up running straight into Caleb as he left the hotel he'd been in. I guess he thought a nurse was a useful person to have around, or maybe he felt sorry for me since I was bleeding from my hair being ripped out, but he asked me to come with him. So here I am." She passed a bowl of stew and a hunk of bread to Ryan. "You need to eat, keep your strength up so you'll heal faster."
"And we have plenty of food," Caleb added. "At least for a few weeks."
"A couple people should go on a big supply run to one of the bigger cities nearby," Ryan said. "Grab everything they can and come back. Maybe make several trips like that, alternating who goes."
"So everyone ends up exhausted?" Caleb said.
"So we make sure we have enough food to keep from starving to death this winter," Ryan replied. "You may not have realized this yet, Mr. Nichols, but the world isn't gonna get better in another month, or two, or three. As far I know, there are 21 people alive in all of California. Five of which are psychopaths. We don't know if there's anyone else alive, let alone if any of them can or even would help us. We have to assume that things aren't going to get better for a long damn time. We have to do whatever it takes to stay alive, and that means being well prepared for the winter. It means making sure we always have at least a week's worth of firewood already chopped and easy to grab, preferably where we can get it without exposing ourselves to attack in case the Crazies find their way up here. We have to make sure we have enough food that we don't all starve to death before spring comes. Because I didn't come all this way just to die."
To Be Continued...
