Plagued

[DrTrollinski]

The boys slowly and hesitantly meandered out of their bedroom, fully dressed. Their backpacks seemed to be lightly packed and their faces were hung low; they didn't look happy at all. Carl drifted by Jackie and went downstairs to find dad, whereas Daniel decided to hang back and stay with Jackie.


"Hey." He smiled gently but sadly at her. ".. Where are you from?" He asked her.

 

[CelticSol]

Jack looked to the child, and tried to wipe terror and panic from her expression as she leaned away from the wall. The expectant eyes threw her off guard, and the question was completely lost on her. She had to think a second to remember what the kid - she thought this one was Daniel by how he was calm talking with her - had asked her. Where are you from? A simple question, but a pang ran through her, and suddenly it was very hard to meet his eyes.


I lost my home. I have nowhere I'm from. "I'm from New York," She said after a very noticeable pause. "But I was born in Canada."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He simply smiled at her and nodded. "We've lived here forever." He explained, but then sighed a little as he took a look around the house. He was hoping that they wouldn't be gone too long; he really liked this place and it was sad to leave it behind. "Do you know how long we're gonna be going for? Are we gonna be able to come back here? Are we gonna find our mom first?" He asked, question after question.

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in hopes of hiding how tight her fists were clenched. She locked her jaw, closed her eyes, and tried to think of a clever lie. She didn't want to lie to the kid, but it was best to do it for now, or at least let him be oblivious. "We're gonna be gone a long time, kiddo, lemme tell you that. I don't know if we're ever going to be able to get back here." Her eyes softened, and she leaned down to the kid's height. "It's going to be very dangerous here for a while. It might be a long time before we can come back here, do you understand?"


She avoided the mom question. She couldn't tell those innocent eyes that their mother was one of those things. Not yet, anyway.

 

[DrTrollinski]

It was almost like his heart could be heard cracking. He simply looked her in the eyes, his jaw dropping in the slightest. His eyes were wide and glazed with water, but he quickly blinked it away and nodded.


"I understand." He choked. His voice was a mere shaky whisper. He gulped hard and then looked at his room. He needed some alone time. "E-Excuse me..." He stuttered, and then speed walked off into his room and slowly closed the door behind him.


He went over to his bed and gripped the teddy bear tight, and then buried his face in his pillow and started crying. First his mom, and now the house.

 

[CelticSol]

(Ugh, this damn website keeps failing to post my stuff.)


Jackie pursed her lips as Daniel made his hasty get-away, and she grabbed the bag, knocking on the door he ran into. "Hey, kiddo," She said awkwardly, "Would you be able to grab some of you and your brother's clothes and put 'em in this bag?"


She leaned against the wall, and spoke against her own will. "I had - have - a little brother. Bit older than you, thirteen or fourteen, but, uh..." She rubbed her eyes. "My point is... If you'd like to talk, I'd be happy to listen and help if I can."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He stopped for a moment and simply walked over to the door and quickly creaked it open. He had tears streaming down his face but he simply looked at her and nodded. He agreed that he wanted to talk. It'd be nice to vent his feelings and concerns, especially to someone who didn't know him that well.


He went back into his room and sat down on the bed. He tucked his legs up on the bed and crossed them and bowed his head whilst hugging his teddy bear - the tears were still flowing, but he was perfectly willing to talk. He knew that Carl shared the same sadness. So he couldn't talk to him.


And he was right, Carl was sat in his father's arms and sobbing his little heart out as well.

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie smiled to the kid, hoping that it would ease up some of his worries. Daniel let her in, so she took it as an invite and walked in, putting the bag off to the side a bit. A more rational part of her told her to tell the kid to suck it up and hurry with the packing, but the ingrained older sister in her drove her to sit on Carl's bed.


"So," she started, hoping that her starting the talk would help him out. "What's on your mind, Daniel?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. I'm just scared..." He sobbed a little as he sat up and wiped his eyes, bowing his head to look at the floor while shifting around so he was sat right opposite her. ".. I just--.. I don't wanna' leave, and--.. Apparently there's all this stuff goin' on out there, and my mom's out there somewhere..." He broke down into tears again and closed his eyes as tight as he could, but continued sobbing. The tears still managed to find a way out to drip onto his lap. ".. I just wanna' see her again before we leave. What if she comes back?! She'll think we've ran away!" He sobbed.

 

[CelticSol]

"I dunno when your mom's coming back," She began, her words solemn and quiet but most importantly calm. Before he could cry harder, she held up a finger. "But," She smiled, hope - maybe a false sense of it - came into her features. "We can do something so she can know we haven't run away, that we're just going somewhere safer. We'll leave a note for your mom, and then she'll know that we're still out there." She tilted her head, her smiling trying to be a little more natural and a little more genuine. "Sound good?"


Crossing over to Daniel's bed, Jackie crouched down so he could look down at her. She put her hands on his knees, hoping that the feeling of comfort she was trying to project was reaching him, and smiled again. It didn't feel as strained as it had before. Felt a little more natural. "As far as the things going on outside goes, you need to know that your dad and I will take care of you and your brother. You before us, okay? I told you about how I had a little brother, right? Well, even though he's annoying as hell, I wouldn't let anything happen to him, and the same goes for you and your brother. I know you just met me, but I will make sure you and your brother are safe and taken care of, okay?You and Carl don't have to worry about anything happening to you, because I will be damned if they touch a hair on your heads."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He looked at her for only a few seconds but then leaned forward and gently hugged her, setting his head down against her chest. ".. Leaving a note would be good..." He said, softly, and then sniffled a little. ".. Thanks, Jackie... As long as we can all stay safe, that should be fine..." He said, a smile then finally perked up onto his lips. ".. Maybe we can look after each other? That way no one has to get hurt." He suggested thoughtfully. A buddy system would be quite nice for this, come to think of it.


Carl had finally stopped crying downstairs, and now he and his dad were just sharing a drink of cocoa. It was just more of a comfort item, I guess.

 

[CelticSol]

She ran her hand through his hair - a thing of habit with her brother, Joe - and grinned a little. "A buddy system sounds like a genius idea, kiddo. After all, it'll be scary to be all by yourself, yeah? So you don't go anywhere without a partner, so that way, all of us'll stay safe. I like it." She very gently pulled Daniel away, brushing away some of his tears with her jacket sleeve. "There, all better. Now, go pack some of your clothes, okay? I'll write the note, and get you, your dad and your brother to sign it. Sound good?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

He smiled warmly at her and nodded. "Okay." He said, and then dashed over to the dresser and started forking out clothes by the dozen out of one of the drawers, and then began shoving them into his backpack. He knew how to fold clothes, but he also knew that they were in a bit of a rush, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do that right now. He just grabbed what he could and simply settled with that, leaving Jackie to wander downstairs and write the said letter.


When Walter saw her, he smiled weakly and then ruffled Carl's hair. It was clear to her, just by how Carl's face was a little red and damp, that Daniel wasn't the only boy who'd been crying not too long ago. Carl simply flashed her a sweet but shy smile and then looked back to his cup of cocoa as he knocked back the last mouthful.


"Is Daniel okay?" Walter asked.

 

[CelticSol]

"He's fine," She said coolly, making sure Daniel knew she was on his side by covering for him. She tilted her head towards Daniel ever so slightly, then very subtly drew a line from the corner of her eye to her jaw so Walter knew that his other son had also been crying. She got up, looking back to Walter from the boy furiously packing away his clothes. "How's everything on your end? Do you need any help packing?"


She crossed her arms, looking away from Walter. She didn't have anything to pack, and that posed a problem. She didn't have any other clothes, but she would need them, and stopping to get them would be hazardous and put everyone in danger. She could probably wear Walter's wife's clothes, but she wasn't going to be the one to spark up the conversation, not so soon. So, for now, she would go without.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I'm fine on my end. Carl's all packed up as well." He said, he was a little sad that his other son was upset as well, but it seemed that Jackie had done a fine job of looking out for him and making him feel better about himself. He didn't know about the note just yet. "You got everything you need? We got anything we need to do before we head out? I doubt we'll be coming back here for a while." He sighed a little and leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath as he dropped an arm around Carl's shoulders.


It was a nice day outside, thankfully, if you ignored the body by the pool - thankfully the boys hadn't noticed that just yet, so that was a good start.

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie shrugged. "I don't have anything to pack. I had to leave it all." She tried not to seem as pathetic as she felt. They all stuff to take and things to pack, but Jackie... Nothing. She chuckled a bit, something she did when she felt uncomfortable and awkward, and rubbed the back of her neck. She really was pathetic.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Walter sighed a little and then ruffled Carl's hair while looking off at Jackie again - it wasn't going to Summer forever, and if they stayed up country, then it was going to be cold as hell. Jackie didn't look too much different from his wife, in terms of size - he didn't think the boys would be comfortable if she wore their mother's clothes, but now wasn't the time to be picky about that. It was a matter of making sure all of them were okay, not worrying about whether or not someone who was probably dead was going to care about some clothes being missing.


God, Walter said all of the above over in his head and he shuddered. His wife could have been alive. He needed to stay strong regardless, though.


"You can take some of my wife's clothes, if you want." He offered. "If you go upstairs to the end room, that's our room, you can find some clean clothes in the dresser or in the closet. The closet has all the really fancy stuff in it, so I'd recommend to just check the dresser. I highly doubt that you'll want to be running around in a silk dress during all this." He gave a lighthearted chuckle and smiled at her. May as well make a bit of humor out of a bad situation.

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie winced. She appreciated his offering, and she knew that necessity would force her to take it, but that didn't settle the uneasy feeling in her stomach. This was his wife's clothes. Not a sister, nor a daughter, his wife, who might be dead, or still walking around. Maybe both, if she turned into one of those things. She swallowed, licked her chapped lips, and awkwardly shuffled.


She crossed her arms, then mumbled a little bit. "Thanks, Walter."


She moved out of the room, picking up her bag and hefting it over her shoulder. She walked to the room he had given her directions to, and went to the dresser. The faint smell of some perfume wafted off the clothes when she opened the dresser, and Jackie felt other pang in her stomach. These boys were going to be going without their mother for an indefinite amount of time. When she had still been living with her parents, she remembered a time when her mother had gone to a conference for a week. Her brother, about 7 at the time, had spent most of his nights worrying and missing their mother until her return...


Their mother probably wasn't going to come back.


Jackie realized that she was gripping a heavy sweater too tightly in her hands, and with a sigh, began to shovel clothes into her bag that felt thick and warm. She threw some jeans, some jackets, a coat, some sweaters and shirts. She zipped her bag clothes, and took a deep breath. If - she said if with blind hope that maybe Walter's wife was alive - she had died, then she would just act as a female figure. Not a mother figure - she would never dream of doing that - but an older sister they probably never wanted. She could do that. She would do that.


She checked her watch and cursed. The time had flown by, between packing and caring for crying boys, and the few hours she had allotted them had disappeared into a measly half hour. The hoard could be right outside, and she wouldn't have even noticed through her self-loathing. She threw a final piece of clothing - a long sleeved, wool shirt - and walked a little too quickly, then ran to the window of the master bedroom, hoping that she would see nothing. That they would have more time.


Jackie's heart stopped, then began to race, at the sight of a swarm in the far, but still to near, distance. They had maybe fifteen minutes to pack into the car and leave before they hit. She grabbed her bag, then sprinted faster than she had ever run and burst into the boys' room, where she hoped the others still were, but regardless, her voice was high and loud with stress. "We've gotta go now. Like, now now."

 

[DrTrollinski]

Walter watched her leave and sighed a little, and then hugged Carl tight with one arm. "You go upstairs and find your brother, okay? Get ready to leave, and all that." He said with a gentle smile. Carl nodded simply and hugged him back, and then hopped up from his seat with his bag over his shoulder. Carl had stopped talking, which was a little worrying - There must have been something playing on his mind now. Aside from their mother, of course. Or maybe it was their mother? Maybe. Most likely.


God, he didn't know. He was too busy worrying about them, rather than worrying about their mother. That's what any father would do, isn't it?


Carl made his way upstairs and then sat down on the bed beside Daniel and put one arm over his shoulders, and then smiled just a little bit, but his smile turned more sad than anything. Usually it was Carl who was the big tough brother, but now it was going to have to be Daniel. Right now, Carl was probably feeling worse than Daniel was. Daniel hugged him back, with the same sort of thing - at least they were still close. The two of them wouldn't function if one of the two got lost or hurt, or maybe even killed.


That's what Walter was so afraid of.


As soon as Jackie charged into the room, Daniel and Carl both jumped in sudden shock, but then both took a deep breath in unison and looked at her. One thing was still playing in Daniel's mind, though. The letter.


"Did you--.. Did you write a letter for our mom like you said you were gonna' do?" Daniel asked softly with a hopeful look in his eyes. As he asked the question, his arm went only tighter around his brother. He wanted Carl to know about it, too. It would be better that way. Much better. There was nothing else that they could rely on when it came to their mother.


It was all down to a simple letter that she'd probably never see.

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie, who had been about to run off and find Walter, froze in her tracks, looking slowly to the boys.


The.


Mother.


Fucking.


Letter.


She had promised one thing and she had forgot.


It took most of Jack's willpower not to cuss and swear. "The letter," She echoed dumbly, then she launched into motion, taking only a few strides to get to where the boys stood. "Do you have any paper in here? I'll write it while you and your dad pack up the car."


(Sorry for the super short post, but I am swamped in German homework.)

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel literally sprinted out of the room and ran upstairs to his room. He didn't waste time. He went to his desk and slid some paper from it, and then grabbed a black pen as well.


He made a dash downstairs and quite literally slammed the items into her hands, but for the first time, he actually gave a genuine smile.


"Thanks, Jackie." He said softly.


"Remember, we're going North." Walter said to her with a nod.


(Posted from my phone, I'm in class, so just assume that they went to pack the car as I don't have time to write about it.)

 

[CelticSol]

Jackie began to write as neat and as quick as she could, looking up every now and then to think. She had to cross out words a couple times, and it took a lot of thought for it to sound the way she wanted it to sound. She could hear Walter and the boys packing up stuff, and her bag was being packed when she finished. She left space for the boys and Walter to sign their names, then read it over to make sure it sounded right.


Colette,


My name is


I am with your


I found


Your sons and husband are safe, and we are heading North for safety from the zombies zed undead the things that destroyed NYC. I know you went to NY (I'm from there) and didn’t come back, and this is case you do, so you know where you can find us. Walter has his phone, so try to call that if you ever get this message.


Walter and Carl and Daniel miss you already. I don’t know you and I’m starting to miss you. Please find us. We’ll need all the help we can get, and the boys need you. Walter needs you more.


With hope,


Jackie.


P.S: I am not your husband’s mistress or anything. I found your house him when I escaped New York today (day after you left).





Jackie took the stairs two at a time coming down, then put the note on the kitchen counter so Colette would see it if she came back. Then she called out. "Come sign the letter, guys! Then we gotta go!"

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl and Daniel both came dashing into the kitchen and literally flew right by Walter. There was a bit of a scramble for the pen, but Daniel was desperate to sign the letter. He got the pen first and kept Carl at bay with one arm while he read quickly over the letter and then smiled a little. He liked what he saw. He lowered the pen to the paper and then quickly wrote his name down under the message. He had surprisingly neat handwriting for an eight-year-old.


'Daniel'


Carl did the same, but his was a little more 'kiddish' than Daniel's. His writing fit his age a lot more than Daniel's did - his writing was still good, but it was nowhere near as nice as his brother's - I guess you could call Daniel the 'clean' brother, not the one who was rebellious and mischievous. Not always, at least.


'Carl'





Finally, it was Walter's turn. He took the pen and quickly scribbled down his name, alongside his signature so that Colette could know that this was genuine. Hopefully. Once he was done, he placed the pen down and then looked around them all, a half smile coating his face.


"Shall we?" He asked.

 

[CelticSol]

"Yeah," Jackie said, her eyes darting over to the window. Though it wasn't immediately noticeable, the shuffling efforts of the things were getting closer. They had about five minutes to leave before they would hit. Her heart was kicking up in speed, and she swallowed, then smiled so nervously it looked like the smile would crack her calm. "Yeah," Jackie repeated, "We should go now. Like, right now. Drive way, right?"


Grabbing her bag and hoisting it over her shoulder once more, she walked outside, not waiting for Walter to answer her question. The car was a beauty, but she couldn't really enjoy it much, with the looming threat of being fucking devoured hovering over her head. She waited outside the car for the others for a moment before climbing in the front seat, staring at the shadow of shambling bodies drawing closer with every heart beat.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Yeah." He said, instantly dashing out to the car and then swinging the back doors open for the boys. They both scrambled into the back as quick as they could and buckled up their belts after slamming the doors shut. With a sigh, Walter ran around to the driver's side and then jumped in, slamming his keys into the ignition and giving the single key a harsh twist. He looked in the rear view mirror and then sped out of the little estate, narrowly missing the horde that was actually on the way up.


He drove North up the road for a good ten minutes until he finally thought they were in the clear, but what were they met with? They were met with another horde, of course. The horde had swamped the road, and it was coming right at them.


"Oh, fuck..." He said softly.