Looking Homeward: A sequel to Looking Forward, Looking Back.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Hey all, here's the first little bit of my newest zombie story called "Looking Homeward".

Without further ado, here it is.

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When I was a young man of 18, my Uncle Viktor told me "Мой винтовки очищаются, моей целью является истинным, и мое сердце чистое" which translates to "My rifles are cleaned, my aim is true and my heart is pure." At the time, I never really understood just what the hell he meant. Now that the world has gone to hell and I carry a rifle everywhere now, I see what Uncle Viktor meant by that. As for the last part, my heart has been far from pure since I put a bullet in Frankie. I haven't lost any sleep over it, but I kind of feel that I didn't stay true to what I was taught.

Life in the land of the undead is tough, but we get by just fine. I still make regular patrols around the farm and I'm often joined by either Dallas or Flynn, who has become like the brother I never had. I can tell he misses his family in Canberra, but he's accepted the fact that he'll never see Australia again.
"Chimpov, you got a second ?" Flynn asked.
"Yeah, Flynn. I need to take a break anyway. What's up ?" I replied.
"Well, I've been thinking about what you said awhile back about maybe checking some of the smaller towns within a certain radius of the farm. We've just about hit every place in this town and the town we almost lost Dallas in." Flynn said.
"Yeah, Dallas was talking about that last night as well." I said.
"You mean you got some talking done in between the usual bedroom antics you two have been involved in since you got back ?" Flynn said, laughing.
"Yeah, laugh it up, jackass." I said. After our little conversation, Flynn went back inside the farmhouse and I walked over to the barn to relax. I had taken up knife throwing after I found a set of knives during one of our supply runs. It helped me relax and saved me from using up any ammo. Granted, we had a lot of it, but I'd still rather not waste any. As I stood in the barn, contemplating my next throw, Dallas came in and wrapped her arms around my waist.
"What's on your mind, Viktor ?" Dallas said. Dallas had taken to calling me Viktor when no one else was around. The others knew my real name, but decided to continue calling me Chimpov.
"Not much, Allison." I replied. "Just trying to wind down after a rather uneventful patrol."
"Yeah, Flynn told me you looked a bit tense. Something's bugging you, isn't it ?" Dallas asked.
"Well, the lack of zombies and the general feeling of boredom has gotten to me a bit." I replied.
"You want to get out and find out what the hell is with the zombies, huh ?" Dallas said.
"Yeah. Look, if you don't want me to go out, I won't. I know how scared you were that I wouldn't come back the last time I went out." I told her.
"Viktor, if you need to get out and regain some of your sanity, then do it. I know you'll come back." Dallas said. "You always do."

[Bearcat]

Sweet.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Glad you like it, Bearcat.

Here's another portion I have ready.
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The next morning, I had my truck packed, gassed up and ready to go. Flynn had decided he would join me on the trip to keep me company and to keep me out of trouble, or so he said. As I packed up the last of my gear, I looked towards the porch and saw Dallas standing there, wrapped in a blanket. The winter season was upon us and while it wasn't cold enough to really freeze anything, it made walking around outside without a jacket not such a good idea.
"Chimpov, you forgot this." Dallas said, handing my jacket to me. "I wouldn't want you to freeze out there."
"Thanks, Dallas." I said, grabbing my jacket and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"You boys take care and come back home in one piece, you hear me ?" Farmer John said.
"Yes, sir." Flynn and I both replied.
Flynn and I left the farm behind us as we drove down the road and got onto the main highway.
"So, where are we headed, Chimpov ?" Flynn asked.
"I don't know, Flynn. I figured we'd check out some of the smaller towns on this stretch of highway and see what we can find. If we think the town will be a good source of supplies, we put a red 'X' on the map. If it's crawling with zombies, we get the fuck out of there and don't look back." I replied. "Couldn't we just pop the zombies and still search the town ?" Flynn asked.
"Depends on the number of zombies, Flynn." I replied. We drove down the road for close to an hour before we got to the first town and I stopped about a couple miles outside to scan the area with my binoculars.
"See anything ?" Flynn asked.
"Nope and it's got me concerned." I replied. Truth is, I didn't know if the cold affected zombies like it did us. I hoped the zombies would freeze and we could play 'Whack-a-Zombie' with a sledgehammer or something along those lines, but I'd have to wait and see.
"What's the name of this town ?" Flynn asked.
"According to the map, it's called San Romero." I replied. We drove slowly down the road and reached town soon after I decided that if zombies were going to come out and say ' Hi ! ', they'd have done so by that point. I stopped the truck at a small gas station and checked out the interior. Flynn checked behind the counter and found a nice subcompact 9mm pistol, which he wiped the dust off of and slipped into a pouch on his vest. I checked over the rest of the store and found little of use aside from some pouches of beef jerky on one shelf and a first aid kit in the manager's office.
"Well, that place sucked." Flynn replied as we walked out.
"We probably weren't the first folks who went through it, Flynn." I replied. "Besides, maybe we'll find a place that'll yield a better haul. First I want to scope out the area and see what we can find." After we checked the gas station, I filled the extra gas cans I had strapped to the back of my truck. I spotted a panel van towards the back of the parking lot and decided to check it out.
"Flynn, cover me while I check that van out, would you ?" I asked.
"Sure thing, Chimpov." Flynn replied. Flynn and I raised our rifles and I slowly made my way towards the van and whatever it contained. I really hoped it wasn't full of zombies.

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new work, good start

[Laager]

Looking forward to the next chapter.....I've always enjoyed your work. Many thanks for your previous stories!

[Bearcat]

It's a trap!

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I checked out the van and while the van itself was in poor shape, whoever packed it knew what they were doing. The van yielded a pair of SIG 9mm pistols, about 5 full magazines for each, an AK-47 with mags, which I tossed to Flynn, and a duffle bag full of gear. There was a note tacked onto the side of the bag that read: "If you've found this note, it means I'm either dead by my own hand or a mindless walking corpse. Either way, I won't be needing the items in this van. Should there still be anything of use inside, you have my blessing to take whatever you want, fellow survivor. Sincerely, John Garland."
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take the guy's stuff then, would it ?" Flynn asked.
"Nope. Besides, there's not much in here anyway. Shouldn't take up too much room in the truck. We just have to remember that we can't take everything we find." I replied.
"Thanks for the AK, by the way." Flynn said.
"No problem. I figured you'd want something with a higher ammo capacity than your SKS." I said.
"Yeah, I was actually looking to replace it soon." Flynn remarked. "I almost asked Mike if I could borrow one of his AR-15's, but I figured we could share ammo since the SKS and your AK use the same rounds."
"Makes sense, Flynn." I said. "By the way, I think you should continue to use the SKS until we get a chance to check out the AK and see if it's in firing condition. I'd rather you use a weapon you already know how to and are good with instead of something we just picked up. Same goes for the 9mm pistols we found, including the one you have in your vest right now."
"Sounds good to me, mate." Flynn said. We left the gas station behind us and marked it's location on a map Flynn took from it. We drove through the town and kept our eyes open for any zombies or other folks looking for supplies like we were. Neither were seen during the slow drive, but it didn't mean we weren't going to see them. There were signs that someone else had been here, from the spent shell casings and empty cans of food.
"I don't think we're alone, Flynn." I said, pointing towards a truck parked near a house. We got out of my truck and made our way to the other truck. Sure enough, our movement attracted the attention of the other person, who decided to take a shot at us.
"Who are you and what do you want ?" The shooter yelled.
"My name is Chimpov and my friend here is named Flynn. We mean you no harm." I yelled back.
"We just want to talk. That's all." Flynn said.
"Ok, we'll talk, but if either one of you tries anything, I'll put a bullet in you." The person said.
"Do that and you won't have to worry about the zombies getting you, mate." Flynn said. We slowly walked to the other truck and saw the shooter step out from behind it. He was about my age and dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of heavy duty cargo jeans. His weapon of choice appeared to be a SIG rifle of some make. To be honest, I wasn't really too interested in the gun as I was busy trying not to get shot.

[Bearcat]

Begs an interesting question, if you get a "battle field" pick up like Flynn just did, would you immediately discard an inferior weapon, presumably one that you know works and the nuances of, for a better weapon that you don't know works or is sighted in properly? If I were Flynn, I'd stick with the sks for now until he can test the AK out. Plus it's a completely different manual of arms he may or may not know.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Begs an interesting question, if you get a "battle field" pick up like Flynn just did, would you immediately discard an inferior weapon, presumably one that you know works and the nuances of, for a better weapon that you don't know works or is sighted in properly? If I were Flynn, I'd stick with the sks for now until he can test the AK out. Plus it's a completely different manual of arms he may or may not know.

That is an interesting question, Bearcat.

I like to think that during the time the group has spent together, Flynn may have learned how to use an AK from Chimpov.

I'll address that further in a future update.

[Bearcat]

Begs an interesting question, if you get a "battle field" pick up like Flynn just did, would you immediately discard an inferior weapon, presumably one that you know works and the nuances of, for a better weapon that you don't know works or is sighted in properly? If I were Flynn, I'd stick with the sks for now until he can test the AK out. Plus it's a completely different manual of arms he may or may not know.

That is an interesting question, Bearcat.

I like to think that during the time the group has spent together, Flynn may have learned how to use an AK from Chimpov.

I'll address that further in a future update.

kewl

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

"Ok, talk." the guy said.
"You mind telling us your name first ? I'd like to know who folks are in case something happens." I asked.
"What sort of things ?" the guy said.
"Well for starters, if you do something stupid and I have to put a bullet in your skull." I said.
"Fair enough. My name's Jakob Kunyevski." Jakob said.
"Nice to meet you, Jakob. Like I said before, I'm Chimpov and my friend here is Flynn. " I said. "Now, what the hell are you doing in this town ?"
"Same as you, looking for supplies. Well, that and I'm looking for someone." Jakob replied.
"Who are you looking for, mate ?" Flynn asked.
"My wife. Her name's Angel and she went missing a few weeks back. We were living comfortably in our cabin and one day she just up and left. She left a note that told me not to follow her, but I want my wife back. I'll go nuts without her. You can understand that, right ?" Jakob said, handing Flynn a picture of a woman I assumed was Angel.
"Yeah. I'd be devastated if Dallas ever went missing like that." I said.
"Who's Dallas ?" Jakob asked.
"That's Chimpov's wife." Flynn replied, handing the picture back to Jakob.
"I almost lost her a few months back when some psycho jackass decided to take a shot at her after luring us into a trap." I said.
"What happened to him ?" Jakob asked.
"I put a bullet in him and let the zombies do the rest." I replied.
"Remind me to never piss you off, Chimpov." Jakob said.
"Just don't try to hurt my girl or my friends and we'll be fine." I said.
"No problem, Chimpov." Jakob said, nodding his head. Somehow I knew he would keep his word, unlike that little rat bastard Frankie. Jakob told me that his truck had thrown a rod and would be out of commission for awhile, so Flynn and I agreed to let him ride with us until we found a suitable vehicle for him. We left the town behind us and moved on to the next one. Flynn put an X on the map and the town's name so we'd know it was a source of supplies. Jakob told us where he had last gotten info on his wife's whereabouts from another survivor and we made our way there.
"This is the place Angel was last seen. There should be an old guy and his family holed up in a little gun shop with an apartment on top down this road. When we reach it, honk your horn three times and he'll let us in." Jakob said. I drove up to the shop and honked my horn just as Jakob said and we were greeted by an elderly man armed with a shotgun that was about as old as he was, which was pretty damn old, to be honest.
"Jakob, I see you've got guests. Who are they and are they armed ?" the old man asked.
"Yes, sir. The big guy with the beard is Chimpov and the shorter guy with the blonde hair is Flynn. They say they're going to help me find Angel. Can we come in ?" Jakob replied.
"You sure can, boys. Kari, open the gates. We've got company." The old man said.

[Laager]

Begs an interesting question, if you get a "battle field" pick up like Flynn just did, would you immediately discard an inferior weapon, presumably one that you know works and the nuances of, for a better weapon that you don't know works or is sighted in properly? If I were Flynn, I'd stick with the sks for now until he can test the AK out. Plus it's a completely different manual of arms he may or may not know.

That is an interesting question, Bearcat.

I like to think that during the time the group has spent together, Flynn may have learned how to use an AK from Chimpov.

I'll address that further in a future update.

kewl

I'd take the AK, but keep my SKS at least for awhile. The AK may have a lot more bullets in the mag (ok it does versus the SKS), but this is something they just picked up. I'm not putting my life on the line or the lives of others by trying to use a rifle or any firearm that I have not put a few rounds down range with......darn thing might not work (granted it is an AK and they take a beating and keep on ticking).

Thanks for the new chapter...I like the tie in with Jakob and Angel.

[Bearcat]

You keep updating this fast and I will demand moar constantly.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

You keep updating this fast and I will demand moar constantly.

I'll try to update it at least once or twice a week for y'all.

I'm glad y'all are liking my crossover with "The Life and Times of Jakob Kunyevski.". I debated a long time about doing a crossover, actually.

[Bearcat]

You keep updating this fast and I will demand moar constantly.

I'll try to update it at least once or twice a week for y'all.

I'm glad y'all are liking my crossover with "The Life and Times of Jakob Kunyevski.". I debated a long time about doing a crossover, actually.

I don't know that story.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

This will probably be the last update for this week, y'all.
I'm still in the middle of writing and this is about as far as I can go until I get some more parts completed.

Fear not, my MOAR zombies, I will have a new update for you next week.
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We entered the back parking area of the shop and a girl I assumed was Kari closed the gates behind us. She couldn't have been more than 18 years old, but she carried a gun at least twice her age. From what I could tell, it was an old bolt action rifle, probably dating from WW2. She was dressed in some surplus OD green winter pants and a fleece pullover shirt.
"You must be Kari." Flynn said.
"Yes, sir. I take it you're Flynn, right ?" Kari asked.
"Yeah. Full name's Flynn O'Bannon." Flynn replied.
"And the big gorilla over there is Chimpov ?" Kari asked.
"Well, I've been called many things, young lady, but this is the first time I've been called that." I replied, laughing. "My name is Viktor, but everyone just calls me Chimpov." I added.
"Nice to meet you both." Kari said. Kari led us into the building and into what had been the shop portion at one point. I have to admit, it gave me flashbacks to Frankie and his shop, but I felt strangely comfortable amongst these people. Only time would tell if they'd try to fuck me over like Frankie did.
"Welcome, Chimpov and Flynn. I'm Daniel Bishop and this is my family. What's left of it, anyway." Daniel said. Daniel was an elderly man, probably around the age of my grandpa Nikolai when he passed away. He wore a leather bomber style jacket with a 1911 in a tanker holster strapped over it. I could tell something was wrong with him health wise, but I didn't ask about it. "You've already met my granddaughter Kari. These are her brothers, Steven and Thomas, and this is her mother, Barbara." Daniel added. The boys, Steven and Thomas, were about 16 and 17 years old and dressed in woodland camo bdus. The mother, Barbara, had to have been at least in her late 30s or early 40s, but I wasn't entirely sure. Like her daughter, she was dressed in OD green pants and a black fleece pullover shirt. She had a Glock on her hip as well as a fixed blade knife. The boys were armed about the same, with Steven carrying a Colt revolver and Thomas carrying compact Glock.
"Nice to meet you folks." I said. While everyone else was talking, Daniel pulled me aside and led me into his office.
"Kari tells me your name is Viktor. What is your last name, if I might ask ?" Daniel asked.
"It's Romanov, sir. Viktor Romanov, named for my grandpa Nikolai's best friend in the Red Army." I replied.
"You're Russian, are you ? Well that explains the Cyrillic lettering on your left arm. Translates to 'My rifles are cleaned, my aim is true and my heart is pure', correct ?" Daniel said.
"Yes, sir. I got the tattoo when I was in high school. It was sort of a family tradition." I said.
"What about the others ?" Daniel asked.
"Those have little to do with the family one aside being Russian in origin. In fact, my entire left arm is covered in them from my wrist up to my shoulder. I've even got my grandpa Nikolai's name, rank and unit as well as the names and ranks of the men in his squad tattooed on my bicep. It's my way of honoring them." I replied.
"Now, there's got to be another reason for you pulling me aside like this other than to ask about my heritage or my tattoos, sir." I said.
"Ok, you've got me. The reason I did that was because I want to ask a favor of you." Daniel said with a deep sigh.
"What kind of favor ?" I asked.
" I'm 78 years old and I ain't getting any younger. I can't always be around to protect my family and I need someone like you, Jakob and the other fella out there to help me with that. What I want you to do is when you leave to go find Jakob's wife, you take my daughter and her children with you." Daniel replied.
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me you want two guys that you just met to take your family ?" I asked.
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Daniel replied. "Speak with my daughter Barbara, she's got all the details on how this is all supposed to go down. There's another thing I want you to do for me."
"What do you want me to do, Daniel ?" I asked. Daniel sighed and rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal a nasty bite on his right arm.
"You got bitten ? How long were you going to keep that a secret ?" I asked.
" I'll admit it was foolish of me to keep it a secret for so long. Before you boys leave in the morning, I want you to end it for me after I turn. I figure I don't have much time left, maybe long enough for you to get my family out of here." Daniel said.
"Wait, so you want me to put a bullet in your skull and then take your family with me ?" I asked.
"Yes." Daniel replied. With a heavy sigh and an angry look, I walked out of the office and back into the shop.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

You keep updating this fast and I will demand moar constantly.

I'll try to update it at least once or twice a week for y'all.

I'm glad y'all are liking my crossover with "The Life and Times of Jakob Kunyevski.". I debated a long time about doing a crossover, actually.

I don't know that story.

Here's the link to it, Bearcat.
http://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=113&t=86267

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new chapters and the heavy message

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Guys, Flynn will be sticking with the SKS until a later chapter.

I'm actually going to be going back and rewriting the chapter where Chimpov gives him the AK to reflect what has been discussed here.

[Laager]

Looking forward to the next chapter already.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Here's a couple new chapters, y'all.
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"Ok, folks. I hate to interupt the conversations, but I've got some things that need saying. I just spoke with Daniel here and apparently, he wants Jakob, Flynn and I to take you all with when we leave." I said. The silence in the room was unbearable and one could've heard a pin drop before Kari spoke up. The girl had guts and I admired her for that.
"Grandpa, are you serious or is he telling lies ?" Kari asked.
"I am serious, Kari. The reason I want you all to go with him is because of this." Daniel said, revealing his bite. Kari and brothers gasped as Daniel told them what was going to happen.
"Kids, if your grandpa trusts these men to protect us, I think we should do the same." Barbara said.
"How can we trust a man who's going to be killing our grandpa ?" Steven yelled.
" Barbara, I've asked you to keep quiet since I first told you I was bitten, but now I think you should speak up." Daniel said. Barbara told the kids the plan and how they were to trust Flynn, Jakob and I to protect them.
"So, if any of us get bit, are you going to kill us as well ?" Thomas asked me.
"If I feel it's in the groups best interest, yes." I replied. "Now, I don't like the idea anymore than you kids do, but if your mother and grandfather trust me, which is not exactly an easy thing to do, than I guess we just have to deal with it."
"Daniel, are there any other vehicles here ? I only have a crew cab truck and it's cramped enough as is with three guys plus gear." I asked.
"Yes, we've got Barbara's van. It ain't much, but it'll fit her, the kids and whichever one of you boys will ride with them." Daniel replied.
"I'll ride with Barbara and the kids, Daniel." Jakob said.
"Well, that settles it." I said. We spent the night packing whatever gear Daniel and his family had left, which wasn't much. In the morning, Daniel called his family around him and they said their goodbyes. Flynn walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was ok.
"No, I'm not, Flynn. In a few minutes, I have to kill someone who doesn't deserve to die. He deserves to live out his days with his family, not having his skull blown apart." I said.
"You want me to do it instead ?" Flynn asked.
"No, the old man asked me specifically to do it and I honestly wouldn't wish this task on anyone, much less you, Flynn. You've got too good a heart to do this. No offense, of course." I replied.
"No worries, mate." Flynn said. As Daniel's family got into the van and headed out of the gates, we walked inside and he sat down on what must've been his favorite chair.
"Well, I guess it's time then, eh ?" Daniel said.
"Yeah. I guess so." I said.

[Bearcat]

http://youtu.be/gaUb44q9uY0
ETA: Fuck, how do you imbed a video?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

We spoke for awhile until Daniel's breathing became shallow and ragged.
" I'll see you on the other side, Chimpov." Daniel said as I raised a shotgun to my shoulder. A few moments later, the man I knew only as Daniel Bishop passed away. I never took the gun away from my shoulder and ten minutes after Daniel passed away, he reopened his eyes. He looked at me with the bloodshot eyes that all zombies have and before he could move from his chair, the shotgun roared and splattered bits of his skull and brains on the wall behind him. I dropped the gun, walked out into the yard and got in my truck. We drove for about an hour before a word was said between any of us.
"Was it a swift death ?" Flynn asked.
"I hope so." I replied.
"Chimpov, come in. Over." Jakob said over the radio.
"What do you want, Jakob ? I'm not exactly in the mood to talk." I asked.
"Barbara says there's a rest stop just a few miles up the road. I figured we could stop for a bit." Jakob replied.
"Sounds good to me, Jakob." I said. We reached the rest stop and as I got out of my truck, Thomas took a swing and punched me in the face. I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt because the kid had some power behind his punches. I guess anger does that to a person. As he tried to swing at me again, I caught his arm and clocked him upside the head with my 1911.
"Boy, you try something like that again and I will splatter your brains all over this stretch of highway. You fucking hear me ?" I said, holding him against my truck with my gun to his head. "Now, you're going to tell me exactly why you did that and it better be good."
"You killed my grandpa, you son of a bitch." Thomas yelled.
"No, I did not. What I killed was a zombie, not your grandpa. When he died and reanimated, he ceased being your grandpa. Whenever someone gets bitten, they die and come back as a zombie. They have no memory of who they were before they died and that's what makes them dangerous. You can't reason with a zombie. What your grandpa did was very stupid and potentially dangerous. Who knows when he'd have turned and killed each of you ? I made a promise to your grandpa that I'd take you all with me. I didn't have to keep that promise and I could have left you all behind and let you deal with your problem, but I didn't. So be glad I did bring you along. Piss me off again and I'm leaving you in the first town filled with zombies." I said, re-holstering my gun.
"Thomas, your grandpa wanted us to go with these men because he felt they could protect us better than he could." Barbara said.
"Protect us ?! He just beat me with his gun." Thomas said.
"Yes, after you attacked him. He very well could've shot you and been well within his right to do so." Barbara said.
"Sure, take his side." Thomas scoffed. Faster than I could blink, his mother was out of the van and slapping him across the face.
"Mr. Chimpov, you have my permission to shoot my son if necessary." Barbara said.
"I hope I won't have to, ma'am, but if he ever tries this shit again or does anything to endanger the group, I will put a bullet in his head. He won't have to wait for the zombies to get him." I said.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

We left the rest stop behind us and after a few miles, Flynn spoke up.
"Did you really have to whack the boy upside the head with your gun, Chimpov ?" Flynn asked. "I mean, you could've just popped him with your fist. Wouldn't have to worry about breaking your gun over his hard head then."
"Yeah, I suppose I went a little overboard back there, but you have to admit, the little fucker deserved it." I replied.
"You've got a good point, mate. I don't trust the little bastard as far as I can throw him." Flynn said. We drove down the road for awhile and the banter between us and the van was minimal.
"Chimpov, according to Daniel's info, Angel said she was headed toward a place called 'Mesa Flats'. You know where that is ?" Jakob asked.
"Not really, Jakob. I'm from Arizona, not Texas. So I don't know where exactly most places here are. According to my map, it's past a town called Fort Mason. We'll check there first in case your wife left some clues." I replied.
"Sounds good to me." Jakob said. We got to Fort Mason in the evening with a little less than two hours to go before the sun went down. Searching an unknown town in the dark was a surefire recipe for getting whacked by zombies, so I decided we'd use the remaining sunlight to set up a safe camp site and begin the search first thing in the morning.
"Ok, here's the plan. I'll take the first watch tonight while everyone else is asleep. Flynn and Jakob will rotate watches with me." I said.
"What about us, Chimpov ? Don't you want us to help out with that ?" Kari asked.
"Maybe later. I'd rather you all get some sleep." I replied. We camped out in an abandoned house and I stood in the living room, looking out the windows and keeping an eye out for zombies.
"Chimpov, you got a sec ?" Steven asked.
"You're supposed to be asleep, kid." I said, not taking my eyes away from the window.
"I know that, but I couldn't sleep. Too much going on in my head. You know how that is, right ?" Steven said.
"All too much, kid. What's on your mind ?" I asked.
"Well, I just wanted to apologize for my idiot brother's behavior and hope that you can forgive him for it." Steven said.
"No need for you to apologize for his behavior, Steven. This is between me and him. I understand that he's pissed off at me, but the person he should be angry at is your grandpa. Hiding the fact he was bitten put you all in danger." I said.
"I know, but he was the only person besides our mother that we had left and losing him was something we didn't want to face." Steven said.
"I can understand that, kid. Losing family is hard even when zombies aren't hanging around. Here, this is my family." I said, handing Steven a picture from my chest rig. "The big guy in the back is my Uncle Viktor and the lady in front of him is my mother. Last I heard, they were in Montana, holed up at Uncle Viktor's place. I have no way of knowing if they are still alive or not, but I'm not going to let that interfere with my own survival. Thomas needs to realize the world isn't the same as it was before and it will never be like that ever again." We talked for about an hour before Steven went back to the room his family was sleeping in. Kid reminded me of myself at that age and I hoped he never had to see the things I've seen in the last year, but only time would tell.