Dead Frontier/Issue 85

This is Issue #85 of Dead Frontier by Walkerbait22, titled ''Nothing Ever Lasts. ''This is the second issue in Volume 15.

Issue 85 - Nothing Ever Lasts
Cole's eyes open. He's no longer out in the snow, and the damp mask has been removed from his face. Now, he sits against the wall inside some kind of decrepit building. To his left, the windows have been sloppily boarded up, and directly in front of him, there's a counter and a glass window. Sort of like a checkout counter but not quite.

"Hey," Cole croaks out. "Duke?" He moves his aching body slowly, then feels a sharp, excruciating stabbing pain on his right side. He gasps and look down, where the side of his shirt has stuck to his skin with dried blood. He bites his tongue and dares to touch the wound; it's all he can do not to yell out in pain. Then he hears groaning and shuffling to his right. "Duke?" he repeats.

"Yeah. It's me," a tired voice responds. Duke limps from the back of the small building, the side of his face bruised. "How do you feel?"

"I-I'm okay. How'd we get here?"

"I had to drag your passed out ass in here," Duke says, and he takes a seat on the floor next to Cole. "The most inconvenient time to pass out, and what the hell do you do? You pass out."

Although Duke isn't talking loud, Cole still winces at the volume of his voice. His head pounds, sharp pains sporadically ripping through his brain.

"Doesn't help that you fucking got shot," Duke continues. This instantly grabs Cole's attention.

"I got shot?" He looks down at his side once again.

"It only went a little deeper than a graze, but yeah, you did. I tried, but I got nothing to patch it up, though."

"And you? You're good?"

"Ah...just fucked my head up back there. Messed up my ankle, too, when I fell trying to carry you. Besides that, I'm fine."

"We've gotta get back to the hotel," Cole says. "Everyone's probably freaking the hell out--how long have we been here?"

"About six hours is my best guess," Duke says. "And you wanna head back? Good fucking luck. That blizzard hit hard. Cars buried, snow up to my knees."

Cole sighs. "We're trapped in here?"

"Trapped in here, yep. Fucking great. I searched around, though. Whoever was here before had a few bottles of water stashed back there, and a can of corn. One Goddamned can of corn."

"Water?"

"Want some?"

"Please."

Duke shuffles to the small area near the back where he's set up a makeshift bed of coats and jackets. He grabs a bottle of water and heads back to give it to Cole. Cole can't drink the water fast enough. He gulps it down until less than half is left, then offers it to Duke, who declines. "No thanks," Duke says.

"I've gotta...get my head straight," Cole says, capping the bottle. "We were in the store. Some guys attacked. With these masks."

"All true," Duke says.

"Who do you know that made it out?"

"Me and you. That's all I know for sure."

"I remember...Yeah, I told Lucy, Lienne, and Alec to just run. Find a car and get back to the hotel. Hiro came back in with me to get you...I don't know. I don't know what happened to him. Archie was shot, I know that," Cole says, and he has to stop and take a breath as he remembers the thud of Archie hitting the floor.

"Alec made it out?" Duke asks.

"I saw him running. Lienne followed him, so me and Lucy did, too."

"Told that kid to run. Didn't think he would make it out."

"If they even did make it out." He squeezes his eyes shut, leans the back of his head against the wall. "And Devon?"

Duke gives a quick shake of his head. "Grenade got her. Almost got me too, but she...she got the worst of it. Legs blown clean off, fucking blood and body parts everywhere, man."

Cole feels his stomach tightening up, and he has the biggest urge to just throw up. But he tries to drink some more water to calm himself. Only when he brings the bottle to his lips does he realize his hands are now shaking uncontrollably, tiny bits of water spilling from its container.

"You alright?" Duke asks.

"No. No, I'm not," Cole says simply. A heavy silence falls over them, until Cole asks, "You didn't see any sign of Lienne, or Alec or Lucy, did you? Or anyone else?" He knows it's a long shot, but he wants to know anyway.

"Nah. Nothing. No sign of anybody or anything except a few frozen infected. Sorry," Duke says. "But you told them to run, yeah? Even if they didn't make it back to the Hyatt yet, then they're somewhere safer. That's good."

"I know that," Cole snaps, his hands clenched tight around the water bottle. "Or the--those guys caught up with them somehow. Or they're stuck in this fucking blizzard without a car. I'm not saying they didn't make it; just considering any other possibilities."

"Listen to me," Duke says a little more forcefully. "They made it back safe. Until we know otherwise, that's what we're gonna say happened. Cool?"

Cole nods, buries his face in his hands. "It was her, wasn't it?" Cole asks. "Roxie."

"Yeah. One of the guys said it was a message from her. Well, we got the fucking message."

"How in the hell'd she know we'd be there?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, man. Don't ask me. Look, what about this: let me...let me find a way to fix up that gunshot, clean your face...then you get some more sleep or something."

"Yeah. Yeah, alright. And thanks. You saved my life, I guess."

Duke grins. "You saved mine. Had to return to favor."

Lienne was given the responsibility of driving back to Hyatt once she, Alec, and Lucy discovered an old blue sedan buried in the snow, but with the keys still in the ignition. Digging the car out wasn’t difficult, but finding a way to maneuver the cluttered streets covered in snow was the bigger challenge.

As they drive, Lienne seems to be the only one in a stable state of mind. Alec trembles in the passenger seat, although his face is completely stoic, and stares out the windshield, looking at nothing in particular. Lucy sits in the back, a sobbing mess with her face buried in her hands.

Lienne reaches across the passenger seat to get to the glove compartment, simultaneously trying to keep her eyes on the road. She shuffles through the random contents until she finds a few napkins. “Lucy,” Lienne says gently, snapping the glove compartment shut. “Lucy.” She has to repeat it with a little more force. “Here.” Lienne hands her the napkins, and Lucy takes them with a grateful nod, using them to wipe her eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

“Thank you,” Lucy says.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lienne says. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.”

“Didn’t think so...Just relax, take deep breaths, all that stuff. We’re almost there.” Lienne takes a glance at Alec. “Alec? I need to know you’re with me here.”

“I am,” he says. “Just keep driving. Please.”

Lienne reaches her right hand to the back seat and says to Lucy, “Let me see some of those napkins.”

Lucy hands her a few, and Lienne holds them out to Alec. “You’ve got blood--you’ve got it everywhere. Use these.” When he doesn’t respond, she decides to shove them into his hand. He responds harshly, crumpling them up and throwing them back at her.

“Would you stop and just drive the fucking car?!” he screams, and even Lucy’s sniffles from the back go silent. He glares at Lienne for an answer, but she keeps her eyes fixed to the road ahead, even though they’re moving so slowly. Her gloved hands clench tighter around the steering wheel, and she opens her mouth to say something but the words seemingly catch in her throat.

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” Lienne replies finally, her voice breaking. The snow-covered road in front of her begins to blur as the tears come, warming her cheeks as they fall down her face. She covers her mouth with her hand as the crying turns into a small, pitiful sobbing and she’s forced to stop the car. She reaches over to Alec and pulls him into a hug, letting the tears fall onto his shoulder instead. “I’m sorry,” she says again, more quietly, but through the sobbing he can barely understand it.

He finally lets himself cry, too, squeezing Lienne a little tighter.

“Guys...” Lucy says after a few long seconds. “There’s someone out there.” Lienne and Alec break their hug and squint out the windshield, where they see someone waving their arms in the air frantically, bundled with a thick coat, boots, hats, and a black scarf. Based on the person’s height and build, they’re guessing it’s a man.

“HEY!” the man screams. “Wait--just wait, please!” He runs until he reaches the car, smacking his palms against the passenger side door. The bottom half of his face is covered with the scarf, but his eyes are capable of expressing his surprise perfectly. “You--you found a car?”

“He came with us on the run, didn’t he?” Lienne says to Alec and Lucy. “I don’t even know his name...”

“Logan,” Lucy says. “His name’s Logan.” She rolls down her window. “Logan, come back here with me.”

Lienne unlocks the door and Logan slides in next to Lucy, slamming it shut quickly and breathing on his hands, trying to bring some warmth back into them. “You got out?” Lucy asks, and Lienne begins to drive again.

“Yeah,” Logan says, his voice shuddering. “As soon as I heard the shots--I just ran. Didn’t even hide, just ran. Then the snow started falling hard--really hard--and I couldn’t find a Goddamn car.”

“What’d you see? Back at the store?”

“Uh...it was all really crazy, but I...I saw some of them. The--the shooter guys. They had masks on. Big guns. Wasted no time, started just...firing. Firing like crazy. Right away, some people went down. Archie was with me too--but he tried to fight. And they kept mentioning that Roxie girl. I fucking know this was her and her...her psycho bullshit.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Uh--I can’t really think. I’m still a little, you know...shaken up, I guess.”

“No, this is good. You probably know and saw the most out of anyone.”

“That’s a good thing? Seeing people getting blown the fuck up, and shot, that’s a good thing?” He struggles to keep his voice level.

“That’s not what I meant. If you saw who--who actually didn’t make it, you can talk to people...give their family and loved ones closure or something like that. Tell my dad what you saw--how many people were there, what their weapons looked like, that fact that they were with Roxie. Anything. And he’ll decide how we act. This is a good thing, Logan. You made it out.”

Logan sighs. “I guess. Didn’t mean to snap, you know?”

“It’s fine,” Lucy says, and she squeezes his arm. “And I need to ask...did you see anyone else make it out? No one on the road?”

“Nah. I was one of the first to get out, I’m guessing. Didn’t see anyone else ‘til I saw you guys. Trying to see if the boyfriend escaped, yeah?”

“He went back in with Hiro to find Duke.”

“Went back in? Holy shit...I haven’t seen him. Sorry.”

“I didn’t think so,” Lucy says, and she turns in her seat, resting her head against the frosted window.

Duke’s eyes snap open when he hears a scream ring out through the building. He rushes from his lying position and runs over to Cole, who, in the darkness, Duke can see is sitting straight up, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. “Yo, what happened?” Duke says, kneeling down in front of him.

Cole responds by grabbing Duke roughly by the shirt and pulling him close to his face.

“Cole...” Duke says calmly. “You probably had a nightmare or something. Calm down. And let me go.” Duke observes Cole’s eyes; there’s something dazed and distant about them, as if he’s still in his dream state. They’re filled with fear and anger, too, until something snaps in him, and he slowly releases Duke from his grasp, his hands trembling severely as he brings them to his sides.

“Sorry,” Cole says, and he begins to cough, reaching for his water bottle. But it’s empty.

“I’ll get you another one,” Duke says, and he returns soon with another bottled water, which Cole downs hastily.

“Nightmare,” Cole explains. He uses his shoulder to wipe a few tears from his face.

“That’s what I thought.”

“I never...I never had one that bad. In my entire life, I don’t think.” He can still feel his heart pounding, his blood boiling hot, his head and side still shocked with bursts of pain. “It felt real.”

“Those are the worst ones. The ones you’re completely sure are real, that this is happening, and then...you wake up.”

Cole manages to nod and caps his water bottle. He covers his face with his palms and says, “Do you ever feel like...I can’t even explain it, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Take your time. Whatever you need to say, I’m gonna sit here ‘til you say it.”

“I’d rather have a cigarette, and a drink, instead of...talking about stuff like this.”

“If I had any of that, I’d give them to you in a heartbeat. But I don’t.” Cole is silent, so Duke sighs and continues. “I’m not gonna force you to tell me what’s up, or about this nightmare, but I’m telling you: it’ll help. I--I used to do this thing...talking to kids about bullying, about their problems. How I went through some of the same exact shit. Half of them kept their mouths shut, just letting every little thing sit inside. And I’d talk to their parents, found out they didn’t say shit to their parents either. And eventually, a lot of those kids end up snapping. You know what I mean? Everyone has a limit, and sometimes, all that hurt ends up becoming too much.

“So that’s what I did, I tried to help people, because when I was growing up, I felt myself on the verge of snapping too many times. You talk about things, and you separate yourself from it. You gain perspective, and you gain understanding. That’s what I learned.”

Cole still doesn’t respond, sitting in silence and letting Duke’s words sink into his brain. He tries to make sense of them, tries to decide what’s best for him to do, so he says, “I just don’t understand why I’m here anymore.”

“And what does that mean?” Duke asks. He’s met with no response once again as Cole’s body begins to convulse with sobs. He painstakingly brings his knees up to his chest and cries into his arms, remembering everything and everyone he's ever lost, before this shit world and as a result of it.

"Nothing's ever gonna last, man," Cole finally manages to say. "I'm not letting anyone convince me that that isn't true, because I'm tired of it. So fucking tired of it. Tired of everything."