“Ready,” I say, already starting to walk away. Briggs tosses a match onto the oil and just like that, the entire church lights up. I can feel the heat on my back as I walk away.
Just like Briggs helped me let go by cutting my hair, it feels like we’re allowing these people to let go. Their bodies can finally find peace. They’re no longer hungry or starving, they can just be done.
Fire is cleansing and I can’t help but feel like we helped cleanse that town, once and for all.
When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I needed to run. I wanted to be as far away from Briggs as possible. Now, as we walk away from the burning church, the sound of burning zombies slowly fading away the further we walk, I can’t stop thinking about excuses to make to keep us together.
The lighter my shoulders become and the clearer my head is, the more I realize how hard it is to survive all on your own. I don’t have to trust Briggs to know that having him around could be an asset. Surely he can see that having a werewolf by his side will help him live longer.
I’ll prove to Briggs that I’m an asset. I’ll prove that I’m worth sticking with. And maybe if I never bring up splitting paths, Briggs won’t either.
Chapter Five
Briggs
We continue moving, thefire behind us a small blip in the distance. I can’t shake this awful feeling in my gut from what we just saw. An entire church filled with zombies, all locked away. Why did they do that to themselves? Why’d they just let themselves die?
I shake my head, trying to dispel the feeling. Those people made their choice. Sure, it was an idiotic choice that turned them into an undead army, but it was a choice nonetheless.
Isn’t that what life is? A series of choices we get. Those choices determine the type of person we are, or the type of person we want to be. Nothing is set in stone. Apparently, not even death is set in stone.
Okay, I really need to stop trying to be philosophical. That was always my brother’s thing, not mine.
My boots crunch fallen leaves as we walk into a dense patch of trees. I love being this far up north. There’s always a tree to sleep in. The downside is the weather is slowly turning cold which means it’ll start snowing soon. Snow means it’ll be harder to survive and keep warm but on the plus side, the zombiesfreeze when it’s cold enough. They’re like fish, able to survive through the freeze and come out again once everything thaws in the spring.
“Should we find a tree for the night?”
Wade startles, like he’s forgotten I’m walking beside him. He turns towards me, trying to hide his expression but I see the way his eyes are far off. I think he’s trying to shake that church off just as much as I am.
“Yeah. Although, my thigh is going to scream at me the whole way up.”
“I can help,” I offer but he quickly shakes his head.
“I can do it. I have to prepare myself for when--” his words cut off and he quickly looks away. “I can do it,” he adds softly.
I’ve only known Wade a short amount of time but I already find myself caring about him. Maybe it's the fact that I haven’t found another person to travel with since my brother died or maybe it’showwe met, but something about Wade draws me in. I want to trust him. I want to travel with him. I want to make sure he’s alright.
My chest aches when I think about going on my own again. I want Wade to stick around. I want us to find some level of trust. I just don’t know if he feels the same way. I wouldn’t blame him for his distrust, especially after everything he’s been through. I’m willing to put in the work to show him that I mean him no harm.
We pick trees opposite from each other, climbing up as far as we dare until we find a high, solid branch to sit on. Wade makes a pained noise as he climbs but with lightning quick speed, he’s sitting on his branch above me.
“Show off,” I say, making him smile down at me. His face lights up when he smiles. It somehow makes him even more handsome. I like it when he smiles.
I follow behind, shimmying up my tree until I can propel myself up onto the branch. I take off my backpack, resting it behind myself and then take off my jacket, wrapping it around my front like a blanket.
I like resting up here. It makes me feel above the world, even if it’s just for a little while. I don’t dare say I feel safe, because I’m not sure safe is something we’re ever allowed to fully experience again, but this is about as close as I can come.
“Do you have a belt?”
Wade raises his brow at me. “Why would I have a belt?”
I pull my backpack into my lap, grabbing out the extra belt I snagged at the last house we went through. I toss it over to him, thankful that our trees are close enough for this. “Use it to strap yourself onto the branch. It’ll keep you in the air in case you turn over in your sleep.”
“Good thinking,” he says, getting himself strapped in. We each pull out a can of food from our bags, quietly eating. A bird nearby chirps as it finds its nest for the night. Everything feels oddly peaceful.
Tonight’s dinner is a can of refried beans which would tastesomuch better if I could warm it up but I think the last thing either of us wants to do right now is start another fire.
“I think we’re close to the Canadian border,” I say between bites, trying to make conversation.
