Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 40: Translation?

Chapter 40: Translation?

We had walked for a few more miles before the men had decided that they had enough. Setting up camp, they rolled out three sleeping bags, built a fire, and started eating something coming from the packs in front of them.

The women, on the other hand, had completely surrounded me, as if they were trying to act as a barrier between me and the men.

"You aren’t tied up," murmured the woman who had introduced herself as Elizabeth-May. "The second you get the chance, try to make a run for it. Head to the right; there is a forest on that side of the highway where you can get lost. They’ll give up after a few minutes, and then you’ll be safe."

I cocked my head to the side as I clutched my fingers around Envy. He had been holding my hand for the past little while, making sure that I couldn’t be caught off guard. He knew the importance of being around humans, but he also wasn’t willing to risk me for it, either.

It was nice.

"If it’s that easy, why don’t you do it?" I asked. Honestly, the woman spoke perfect English, a slight Northern accent the only thing giving away the fact that she wasn’t from around here. How she ended up with the Swamp Things seemed to be an interesting story; I just wasn’t interested in it.

"I can’t run as fast as you," she replied, smiling at me. Reaching her hand up, she brushed her fingers lightly against my cheek with all the staples in it. "It’s not your time," she continued, studying my face. "But you need to be smart. You can’t trust anyone to take care of you. You need to look after yourself first and foremost... okay?"

Silently, I nodded my head.

"People... men... can’t be trusted, do you understand me? They will say one thing and mean another, and you are too precious to be forced to do something you don’t want."

"How do you know I’m precious?" I asked, stunned over the whole conversation. A part of me still expected her to be like Maman, to have the face of an angel while hiding a knife behind her back.

But in the three hours since I came across the group on the highway, she had done her best to shield me from everything.

"Why are you even bothering with the bitch?" sneered one of the other women. "She brought this upon herself the moment she asked Issac to take care of her."

"No one brings this upon themselves, Jennifer, not even you," replied Elizabeth, her voice never wavering in its soothing tone. Jennifer was like a rabid dog, wanting to bite everyone around her just so they were as miserable as she was.

But not Elizabeth.

"Ugh, there is no point. Let’s just be grateful that they are going to share the newest meat first and give us a break," sighed yet another one of the women. Laying on her back, she stared up at the sky as she spoke. "I, for one, am grateful that I don’t have to put up with them tonight."

"Leighanne," replied Elizabeth, pulling me into her arms. "You should never wish that on anyone."

Stiffening in her arms, I forced myself to relax as I rested my head against Elizabeth’s chest. Teddy was clenched in my arm, keeping some distance between me and the woman, but I didn’t hate being touched.

"It wasn’t a wish; it was a fact," shrugged Leighanne.

"If you could wish for something, what would you wish for?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice light and innocent. The less of a threat they saw me as, the more comfortable they would be around me.

"To be safe," replied the youngest. While she looked older than I did, something told me that she was younger. "I would give up anything and everything to be safe."

’Deal accepted,’ murmured the voice in my head. Her words were so soft that I almost missed them.

"I wish for food," interjected another woman as Jennifer rolled her eyes at her. "Not a lot. Just something small, just enough to take the edge off my hunger. I can’t even remember the last time I felt full."

There was a soft ding in my head as the second deal was accepted. It was almost like the female voice couldn’t bring herself to interrupt the moment.

"Fuck safety, fuck food," sneered Jennifer. "I wish for a million dollars, a house on a cliff, and someone to wait on me hand and foot."

A third ding tickled my subconsciousness, and I was actually impressed at how easy it was to gather so many wishes at once.

There was a moment of silence that stretched on a little too long for my liking, and I turned to look up at Elizabeth.

"What would you wish for?" I asked.

"I like the idea of safety and food," nodded Elizabeth, "and the idea of being waited on hand and foot does seem nice too."

The woman was a natural-born pleaser, acting as a mediator between all the women, never taking one side or the other. I had to admire the strength it took for her not to turn into a nasty piece of work like Jennifer.

"I wish..." she started before Issac cut her off, barking orders for us to go to sleep.

"You wish?" I pressed, not wanting to lose the momentum. I didn’t know if I was going to have the opportunity to get so many wishes at one time again.

"I wish for peace," sighed Elizabeth, right before she fell asleep.

----

"Yous wanna be tellin’ me whys we be marchin’ like good little toy soldiers?" snarled Ronan as he turned to look at Salvatore.

It made no sense why he would tell them to follow Alicia. The woman was wandering around in the middle of a fucking apocalypse, blind and by herself. She needed them to protect her, so why the fucking hell weren’t they doing their job?!?

"Cookoo," murmured Salvatore before going back to ignoring the other five men. They trailed behind the massive group of people that Alicia insisted that they saved. Not wanting to be too close to René in case one of them snapped, being the rear guard seemed like the best choice.

"Translation?" demanded Ronan, turning to look at Max. Max was the only one who spoke Salvatore.

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