Just Another Lost Soul

He sits back down hard and puts his head in his knees. Figuring the other was an addict like himself he decided to drop all pretenses with his response. “Coming down hard…what about you…Jeffrey?” Lifting his head up he looks the other up and down trying to figure him out, to figure out his drug of choice. He looks towards his pack and gestures to it. “Couldja pass my pack?” He has his own way of dealing with his misery. Namely Vicodin since it’s so fucking early. At this point Kevin didn’t care much if the other took his shit or even killed him it didn’t matter much what happened as long as his fucking head stopped h u r t i n g. It was frightening that he saw himself in the other. A slightly older, less anxious him, but him nonetheless. “I’m all I have.” He takes the joint and inhales before passing it back.

He sits back down hard and puts his head in his knees. Figuring the other was an addict like himself he decided to drop all pretenses with his response. “Coming down hard…what about you…Jeffrey?” Lifting his head up he looks the other up and down trying to figure him out, to figure out his drug of choice. He looks towards his pack and gestures to it. “Couldja pass my pack?” He has his own way of dealing with his misery. Namely Vicodin since it’s so fucking early. At this point Kevin didn’t care much if the other took his shit or even killed him it didn’t matter much what happened as long as his fucking head stopped h u r t i n g. It was frightening that he saw himself in the other. A slightly older, less anxious him, but him nonetheless. “I’m all I have.” He takes the joint and inhales before passing it back.

“Whats this?” Jeffery was caught off guard by the reflection of sunlight off of metal. The glint was enough to blind him momentarily “Fuck!” He ran his hands across the ground and found the string that attached to what seemed to be some sort of cans. “What??” That wasn’t the  oddest part he found they weren’t cut or anything just removed from their rightful place. This morning was already panning out to be more interesting than the last. Jeffery pressed only a little further before catching a glimpse of the dead man that laid sprawled out on the ground. 

“Whats this?” Jeffery was caught off guard by the reflection of sunlight off of metal. The glint was enough to blind him momentarily “Fuck!” He ran his hands across the ground and found the string that attached to what seemed to be some sort of cans. “What??” That wasn’t the  oddest part he found they weren’t cut or anything just removed from their rightful place. This morning was already panning out to be more interesting than the last. Jeffery pressed only a little further before catching a glimpse of the dead man that laid sprawled out on the ground. 

With feet planted firmly on the ground, Carly managed to get him upright, although with his height and stature, it was no small feat. He looked like something out of a men’s model catalog or something and if he hadn’t been so tweaked out of his mind, she may have just told him that. However, she was far too focused on getting him to his feet than what he looked like. “Carly.” She stated firmly, glancing up at him, noting the way his eyes looked. They reminded her of her mother’s; widened and dilated pupils and a lack of any awareness at all. “Not really sure where Gillette is but we’re in Cheyenne; Wyoming’s capital, I think. How did you end up here?” She asked, though suddenly realized he probably had no idea. “Do you have anyone with you? Somewhere to stay around here? Jesus,” She sighed, “What’s your name?”

The world around his snapped back into focus in an instant. Th word mauled brought back memories of his last day at home his fathers cry’s in agony still fresh on his mind.”Mauled..?” he rasped through a leaden chest. “Over my dead body,” he chuckled,” Well that’s the point ain’t it?”  WAIT, his thought weren’t quite straight but, WHO THE HELL IS THIS CHICK. He tried to stand but with the drugs in his system he was nothing but a cumbersome mess. “Who.. are.. you?” his breathing becoming slightly panicked “What do you.. want from me?”

He ignored what could have been concern in her last question. In a world filled with the undead what is there to live for? He’d just lay there forever if it was up to him but seems fate had other ideas. He slid a hand behind his ear and pulled out what was the last cigarette in his possession and paused before lighting it with his only remaining match. “You.. wouldn’t happen to have a light would you?” Talking was becoming easier the more he focused on it and he felt it was a time to break words.

Self-pity; what was it good for? Carly could have spent her entire life pissed at the world and pitying her life and how it ended up. And, sure, she did for a time and maybe she was still angry and bitter in a lot of ways but THIS was something else entirely. This was almost self-sacrificing with no reason. She had half a mind to leave him here; who was she to save someone who didn’t want to be saved? But, Carly was the type of person to think about others in situations and what if Kit had been this man? She would want someone to save him. Maybe that whole bullshit cosmic coming full circle karma shit could do her some justice..

“I’m your knight and fucking shining armor, pal. You’ll look back and thank me for this. If you don’t, I’m giving you a terrible Yelp review.” Aah, there was her humor. It didn’t take long to retrieve. She watched as he attempted to stand but to no avail and she sighed loudly, shaking her head. She was going to have to get physical, wasn’t she? God damnit. “And I don’t want anything from you. All I want is to get you out of the woods and into some shelter before your stomach is turned inside out. I don’t need that shit on my conscience. So let’s go.” She grabbed at his belongings before reaching down to grasp his arm, far more direct than maybe she should. She didn’t know him, didn’t know what he was capable of and, yet, this scene was all the too familiar. Her mother had been a mess worse than this too many times to count.

“If you stand up, yes.” She picked the cigarette from his fingertips and placed it in her mouth, now taking out her matches as she lit the tip, taking a deep inhale ( she deserved this for dealing with this right now ) and passed it back to him.

“How many more days can I do this?” A question that was becoming all to familiar in his desperate mind. Jefferey longed for the smiles and warmth of his family once again but knew that day wouldn’t come to pass.The world is what he would would give to be back on the family ranch atop a horse again with his father at his side… It’s been months since he had even seen any wildlife.His stomach roared with anticipation for food, “ When did I last eat?” It’ll be another length of time before he could remedy that. Instead he let his mind wonder as did his hand into the dusty saddle bag tossed upon the ground; A can of tuna, Two water proof matches, A spoon, A syringe and a litany of illicit drugs awaited him inside.

However, she heard the footsteps of someone human, that much she could tell by their placement and rhythm of steps. It was so easy now to tell whether certain footsteps were human or not. Carly immediately ducked behind a tree, her eyes peering over to first watch before conversing. With the threat of raiders in Cheyenne, you could never be too careful and while most living people in Cheyenne were friendly, it wasn’t a risk Carly was willing to take. However, she watched as he dropped his belongings, her brows furrowing forward as he took out a needle and powder. “Jesus..” She whispered, too low for him to hear from so far away. He wasn’t really going to do this here, was he? There weren’t any undead around at the moment but surely that wouldn’t last forever?

“What the fuck?” She came out from beneath the tree, glancing down at the man as she neared him. “You realize you can get mauled out here right?”And just like that, Carly heard the shuffling of feet, now turning to see a walker rounding a tree and coming straight for them. She immediately, just like before, shoved her knife through its temple and pushed it over away from them. She dramatically glared back at him, chest rising and falling with heavy breath. “Are you trying to die?”

The world around his snapped back into focus in an instant. Th word mauled brought back memories of his last day at home his fathers cry's in agony still fresh on his mind.”Mauled..?” he rasped through a leaden chest. “Over my dead body,” he chuckled,” Well that’s the point ain’t it?”  WAIT, his thought weren’t quite straight but, WHO THE HELL IS THIS CHICK. He tried to stand but with the drugs in his system he was nothing but a cumbersome mess. “Who.. are.. you?” his breathing becoming slightly panicked “What do you.. want from me?”

He ignored what could have been concern in her last question. In a world filled with the undead what is there to live for? He’d just lay there forever if it was up to him but seems fate had other ideas. He slid a hand behind his ear and pulled out what was the last cigarette in his possession and paused before lighting it with his only remaining match. “You.. wouldn’t happen to have a light would you?” Talking was becoming easier the more he focused on it and he felt it was a time to break words.