Surviving, Not Living/Issue 25

This is Issue 25 of Surviving, Not Living, entitled Hotwire. This is the first issue of Volume 5.

Issue 25 - Hotwire
Jackie sat on her bed, facing the window. She watched Ava as she played hopscotch on the playground with Danny. It hadn't snowed that day. It had been two days since Doug's death and Jackie hadn't spoken to anyone since. She couldn't get her mind away from the fact that he was dead.

"Jackie." Vicky called, appearing at the doorway.

"What is it?" Jackie replied, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"We're having a meeting in the dining hall. You should come." Vicky suggested.

"Why do you need me? I'm just the baby of the group. I'm not important."

Vicky walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She walked over to Jackie's bed and sat down on the end of it.

"In my twenty-two years of being on this earth, I haven't met one person that wasn't important." Vicky admitted. "Now, come on. The meeting is starting soon."

______________________________________________________________________________

Vicky and Jackie entered the room just as Bobby was about to begin. The tables were arranged in a U-shape with Bobby and Amelia standing in the middle.

"We've all been through a lot this week." Bobby began. "And that's why I think that this place is good for us. It's a fresh start - it's hope. But, we need to decide on one thing. We need to elect someone. Someone who'll decide when we go on supply runs and sort out the food rations."

"I think we should work as a democracy." Jack spoke up.

"We already are a democracy." Amelia told him.

"A democracy." Charlotte laughed. "If we're a democracy, then why are you two standing up at the front? You think you're the leaders. You're the newest members to the group. You two ain't shit."

Bobby and Amelia were left speechless and confused at Charlotte's sudden outburst.

"Actually, Ellie and I are the newest members of the group." Zach informed Charlotte. "And, just because we're new, doesn't mean that we can't pull our weight. I saved your ass back there and I'm pretty sure that's more than you've ever done to benefit this gro-."

"Onto the next matter..." Danny interrupted Zach, fearing that things would get out of hand.

"Yes, the next matter." Bobby murmured. "We believe that we're not the only people to have lived in this school. There are several things that have brought us to this conclusion. When we arrived here, there were two water bottles on the table, full with fresh water. One of the dressers was full with clothes - one set of women's clothes and a set of men's clothes."

"The final thing is the fact that there are cans stocked in the kitchens." Amelia finished.

"So, where are they?" Ava asked.

"We don't know but it looks like they left in a hurry." Bobby answered. "Just stay alert and look out for strangers. It seems like there was only two people staying here so we could easily overpower them, if it comes to that."

"Is that all? Are we dismissed?" Charlotte snapped.

"You're dismissed." Bobby sarcastically smiled.

"Bitch." Amelia whispered under her breath as Charlotte walked away.

Most of the group left the room, back to their respective corners of the school. Jackie returned to her room and Danny and Ava went back to playing hopscotch on the playground, supervised by Charlotte. Jack, Zach, Vicky and Ellie stayed in the dining room, talking to pass the time.

"We still need to suss out Zach and Ellie - see if they're okay to stay with the group." Bobby told Amelia.

"I've spoken to Zach. He so sweet - he'd die for Ellie." Amelia said. "I've haven't got a chance to speak to Ellie yet."

"I know, there's a staff garage on the other side of the school that nobody has been to yet. Take Ellie and check her out while you're there, make sure its safe, see if you can get one of the cars." He instructed. "Vicky knows how to hotwire a car so bring her along too."

______________________________________________________________________________

Amelia, Ellie and Vicky walked across the snowy playground, heading for the garage. Vicky held a gun and Amelia and Ellie each held a knife.

"So, what's the deal with you and Danny? When did you meet?" Amelia asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Zach and his mom found me when I was about ten years old. I was walking down a dusty road in a desert-like part of Nevada. My mom had died a few days before from a bite and I was left on my own. Before she died, my mom had told me to set up a camp in the desert. She said there were no people or infected." Ellie retold the same events as Zach had. "She was right about the infected part. Days into my desert trek, I saw an old van coming up the road. It stopped by me and Zach's mom June popped out. She was short, but pretty. I didn't join them on the bus until I saw Zach. I thought they were bandits."

"How do you remember the day that clearly? I don't remember what I had for breakfast so there's no chance I'll remember what happened ten year ago." Amelia questioned.

"How can I forget it? It was the day when Zach - the person closest to my heart - came into my life." Ellie blushed as she spoke. "You must remember when Bobby came into your life."

"Yeah, I do." Amelia smiled. Ellie was right. She remembered everything about that day. Her step-mother's screams, Sarah's youth, her father's protective moves...

The three walked in silence until they reached the garage. Amelia bent over and pulled on the handle. It was locked. Vicky aimed her gun and fired, shooting the lock clean off. As Amelia pulled the garage door open, dust flew out. The three burst into fits of coughing. Ellie held her stomach and gagged as the dust went down her throat.

"Are you okay?" Vicky asked.

"I'll fine." Ellie said, standing up straight.

To their delight, two cars sat in the garage. The rest of the garage was cluttered with piles of school supplies and tools and the only light came from the open door. The cars weren't in the best condition but they looked useable. The first car - a silver 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo - looked like the better of the pair. Vicky lifted up the bonnet of the car and inspected the engine.

"I don't know, you guys. The engine looks fine but the warranty on this car only lasted five years. Plus, it has very little gas." Vicky explained.

"Can you just try it? There's no chance that we'll be able to use this hunk of junk." As Amelia spoke, she kicked the front of the other car. It's bonnet broke off from the front and fell to the floor. "Bobby said that you know how to hotwire cars."

"I haven't done it in a while, but I can try." Vicky replied. Ellie propped herself up on a work bench and watched as Vicky got to work. She opened the passenger door and laid across the two seats. Using her nails, Vicky ripped the underside of the steering wheel from it's place.

"What do you think of the school? Do you think we can stay here?" Amelia asked Ellie, sitting on the worktop next to her.

"I like it. I've got a bed for the first time in about five years." Ellie joked. Amelia laughed along. "Seriously though, I'm worried. There were people here before us and they might come back. What if they come in the night and kill one of us?"

"That's true." Amelia nodded. "We need to create some sort of schedule for night watches. Two people should stay up together for a few hours before swapping."

"It's things like that that make you a good leader. Don't listen to what Char-"

Ellie's voice was interrupted by screams coming from within the car. The two were so deep in conversation that they hadn't noticed the two infected schoolboys limping over. Amelia rose up and jumped at the closest infected while Ellie ran to help Vicky. The infected clawed at Vicky's legs as she desperately tried to kick it away.

Running, Ellie tripped a pipe and fell to the floor. Her knife slid out of her hand and under the car. She laid on stomach and tried to reach it. However, it was too far away. Ellie got back to her feet and grabbed a screwdriver from the side. By the time Ellie got to it, the infected was lying on Vicky, climbing over her body to get to her neck. Ellie jumped on top of the infected and pentrated it's skull with the screwdriver. Vicky pushed the infected to the side and climbed out of the vehicle.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Amelia queried, wiping the other infected's blood from her face.

"We're fine." Ellie panted.

"And, I managed to get the car running." Vicky informed.

______________________________________________________________________________

Everyone, except from Charlotte and Ava, sat around the dining room table. Empty tins of beans sat on the top of the table, nex to dirty spoons. Charlotte had tucked Ava away in bed and then gone to sleep too.

"We found a working car in the garage." Vicky announced.

"How many people can it hold?" Bobby wondered.

"Four - five with a squeeze." She answered.

"That's definitely not enough for all us, if we ever want to move." He replied. "I think we're gonna have to go on a run tomorrow and see if we can find another vehicle. Any volunteers?"

"I'll go." Danny said, raising his hand. "I need to get fit again. I haven't done any excercise in years."

"Anyone else?" Bobby asked.

"You're gonna need me to go. I'm the only one who knows how to hotwire." Vicky replied.

"I don't necessarily want to go." Amelia revealed."But, if you don't have enough people, then I'm in."

"No, it's fine." Jack spoke up. "I want to go."

Bobby surpressed a laugh. "I'm sorry but I don't think..."

"You don't think what? You don't think that I'm young enough to go on a supply run." Jack accussed.

"Let's not have another argument." Vicky cautioned. "How about you, Jackie? Do you want to go?"

Simply, Jackie shook her head. Vicky fell back in her seat and sighed.

"I can't lie." Bobby told them. "Jack, you're just too old to go on a supply run."

"Listen here, boy." The older man rose from his seat as he spoke. "You need to start respecting your elders. I was fighting off infected even before you were born. Now, I've only just got my son back from that terrible disease and I'm not going out there for that car - I'm going out there to protect my only son."

"Sure, whatever." Bobby shrugged. "But, you're not my responsibility. If you get hurt, it's not my problem. That's Danny, Jack, Vicky and me. I'll ask Charlotte to come along and I'll see what's up with her. The five of us should be enough people."

______________________________________________________________________________

"Charlotte?" Bobby called, quietly knocking on her door. "Are you awake?"

"Ava's asleep, be quiet." She harshly whispered from the room.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

"As long as you don't make a sound." Charlotte warned. Bobby took a deep breath before opening the door. He tensed when the door's hinges creaked. Ava turned in her bed but didn't wake up.

"What do you want? Make it quit." Charlotte instructed.

"We're going on a supply run tomorrow - Danny, Jack, Vicky and I. We want to find another working car. I thought it'd be nice if you came along too." Bobby revealed.

"Jack?" She laughed.

"Finally, someone who thinks the same." He sighed. "No-one except me objected when he put himself forwards."

"You seriously aren't letting him go, are you?" Charlotte doubted.

"I have to. I did tell that, if he gets hurt, I'm not going to risk my life to deal with it." Bobby explained. "So, are you in?"

She looked at Ava and then back up to Bobby. "Yeah, I'm in."