Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 38: Hostile

Chapter 38: Hostile

"This is Serena. Serena, this is my sister Hailey-Jade, Ronan, our leader, Cooper, the class clown, and Ellie." He uttered, his eyes softening on Ellie and I smiled at them in adoration.

"It’s so nice to meet you all." Serena kindly told us. "I mean you guys are legends around here. Everyone knows who you are, and you went against Marco right from the beginning." She told us.

"It’s nice to meet you too. We’ve heard so much about you." I kindly told her. "Thank you for taking such good care of my brother." I smiled at her.

"I mean, I owe Oliver my life. If it wasn’t for him I would have died when the colossus horde hit the city." She said before smiling up at Oliver. Ellie shot me an ’I told you so’ kind of look and I just rolled my eyes at her.

We started working together, carrying the heavy dead bodies from last night over to the pick-up trucks parked in a long line.

There was still a huge pile of bodies, waiting to be dragged across the lot.

They hosed the parking lot, ridding it of any blood stains on the concrete. It’s to remove the smell of death, I assume. The hotel was like an escape from it.

I wish I could hide in there forever. I wanted to take as many breaths of fresh air as I could. While I still could.

I looked down at my bandaged hands and felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. I am such an idiot, I don’t even know how to hold an axe.

"Hails, you can take a break if you need to," Cooper told me while watching me in concern.

"I’m fine." I frustratedly told him.

"You cut your hands last night, on an axe. Now you’re carrying dead bodies. Your wrists must be hurting like a bitch." Cooper added once we were alone.

"No, they don’t. My hands are fine." I lied through my teeth and Cooper ran a tired hand over his face.

"Liar liar pants on fire." He slowly told me.

"Go away, Cooper," I muttered, getting slightly annoyed. He placed a loud kiss on my cheek before walking away from me and I just watched him as if he was an alien.

He was right, though; my wrists were red and throbbing with pain. I pushed my mask onto my face before breathing out a soft sigh.

Ellie came jogging over to me. We dragged a heavy hulk across the parking lot. With much difficulty, but after five minutes we had succeeded in our goal.

I looked up and found Cooper whispering something into Ronan’s ear.

"Alright, that was the last hulk! Let’s light ’em up!" Someone yelled in the distance. The truck engines started and we watched as they drove out of the parking lot.

"What do you think he’s telling Ronan?" Ellie curiously asked. I shrugged at her words before taking my mask off.

"Probably how incapable I am of working." I rolled my eyes and Ellie snickered.

"That’ll be the day." She said and I nodded in agreement.

"See, you get me," I said and she cutely smiled over at me. "Have you confronted Oli yet?" I carefully asked as we walked up to the hotel entrance.

"No, he can come to me. If a man wants to, he will." She calmly uttered before entering the hotel lobby and I followed her inside.

"Wise words, my friend," I said before linking my arm with hers.

"Hailey! Ellie! Come here!" We heard Serena calling us from across the room.

"God, no. Please, Hailey-Jade let’s turn around." Ellie begged me in a whisper.

"No, let’s go say hi," I told her. "Besides, she’s sitting at Ender’s table. It would be rude if we didn’t say hi." I told Ellie, and she shot me a tight-lipped smile as I pulled her along with me.

Once we reached their table Ender kindly ushered us to sit down.

"Where’s Ronan, Oliver, and Cooper?" I curiously asked Ender as I took a seat.

"They went with the others to get rid of the bodies," Ender explained before biting into a pickle.

Ellie hesitantly sat down next to me.

"You should get that checked out by Doctor Welch," Serena said while pointing down at my hands.

"No, I’ll be fine." I blankly stated.

"Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just- I thought you might want to talk to your dad and get those checked out. Oliver mentioned that you two were really close before the outbreak happened." Serena started blabbing.

"Oliver said that?" I asked her and Ellie lightly hit her elbow into my ribcage.

"Yeah," Serena softly uttered.

"Were you- close with your dad?" Ender carefully asked me.

"Yes," I said while narrowing my eyes on Serena. I looked over at Ender before continuing to speak. "But then the outbreak happened and I realized that he wasn’t who I thought he was." I blankly uttered.

"Well, this has been awkward. I have to go and get cleaned up. I reek of death." Ellie said before getting up from her chair.

"Wait- I wanted to ask you guys for advice. Since you guys know Oliver so well, maybe you’d be willing to give some tips on how to ask him out." Serena uttered and Ellie’s face went pale.

"You want to ask Oliver out?" Ellie asked her and she nodded at her with a smile on her face.

"Why? Last time I heard, he wasn’t interested in dating." I told her.

"Yeah, but it’s the end of the world. It changes people, it changes their minds and views on a lot of things." She explained.

"Well, I don’t know him that well. I met him like- what? Yesterday." Ellie nervously laughed.

"Me too, he’s been in jail for so long. So we haven’t really talked." I lied and Serena frowned at us.

"Alright, enough girl talk." Ender tiredly uttered.

"Agreed, that was a lot," Ellie muttered under her breath before running a hand over her hair.

"Kiara! Carter!" Ender called, and his wife and a tall man with pale skin and jet-black hair came walking over to us. They sat down around the table before frowning over at Ender.

"I’ve received word from Mikey, my connection down in Boston. He says there’s a group heading in our direction and they’re hostile. They left his group vulnerable and without any supplies." Ender explained.

"Hostile? What does that mean?" I asked in confusion.

"It means that they forcefully take people’s supplies. If you don’t willingly give your supplies to them they go to the extremes. And I won’t willingly give up everything that we’ve built here." He slowly explained.

"So, then why don’t we go to the extremes too?" Ellie asked Ender.

"I need Ronan’s input on this matter first. But believe me, I will go to the extremes whether you stand with me or not." Ender uttered.

"My people will fight with you. I will fight with you." Carter told him.

"As will I," Kiara uttered.

I let out a soft sigh because even though I wanted to say the same, I couldn’t. But I’m sure Ronan will agree to fight alongside Ender and his people.

If he doesn’t want to, I’ll try my best to convince him otherwise.