Surviving This Life (6 page)

“Wil look out!” I yell tossing her my bat.

She catches it and looks at me like what the hell do I do with this?

Answering her unspoken question, “Hit it in the head! You have seen me do it, now you do it!” I demand.

“I..I don’t think I can.” She shakes her head

“You better do something.” I point in the direction of the flesh eater as it is now just a few feet from her. I have to fight back the urge to jump over the counter and protect her.
She needs to do this.
I keep telling myself over and over to fight the urge.

She lifts the bat up and swings hard, it misses its target and she stumbles forward hitting nothing but air.

“Liv I can’t do this!” She panics and backs up until her back hits the counter. Her eyes are full of fear.

“Concentrate Wil you have to learn to defend yourself. I may not always be around to do it for you.” The close call last night with Tony flashes through my mind.

She brings the bat up one more time and smashes it down on the eater’s shoulder knocking it back a few steps.

“Head! Aim for the head!” I yell.

She glares over her shoulder at me. “I am!” She hisses.

Wil lifts the bat again and this time as if to prove me wrong she smashes it in the head sending it to his knees. She swings and lands a final killing blow. She turns around and looks at me with a huge grin plastered on her face.

“I did it!” She breathes a sigh of relief.

“Yes you did!” I hop back over the counter and hug her. “I knew you could do it!”

“That was wild! It sounds wrong to say that it was fun, but it kind of was,” she says and smiles slightly and hands me back my bat.

“Hell no it’s not wrong! Why do you think I do it every chance I get, besides to save y’all lives, that is,” I chuckle.

“Okay, okay let’s get back to the car and check on Emily, he-woman,” her voice rings with laughter.

I glare over at the car. “That bitch better not have harmed one hair on her head!” I yank the bags up and march my way out to the car with Wil right behind me.

Tony has already finished filling up our tank and is back in the passenger seat. As I walk around the hood of the car to get in I can see Emily is now up front with Tony and is sitting on his lap playing with his shaggy blonde mess of hair.

I climb in the driver’s seat and toss the bags in the back hoping they hit the bimbo that doesn’t belong with us.

“Ouch!” she cries out and I smile knowing I have hit my mark.

Wil climbs in the back driver’s side closing the door with a thud behind her.

“Everyone ready?” I ask as I crank the car.

“Yep,” Emily and Wil say in unison as Emily climbs her way in the backseat beside Wil. Before she leans back she reaches up and gives Tony a kiss on the check.

“Thank you for letting me braid your hair Uncle Tony,” she says sweetly.

I look over at Tony and burst out laughing when I see three small braids in the bangs of his hair.

“I think it brings out the color of my eyes,” he says and mock flips his hair.

I collapse on the steering wheel dying of laughter. When I have finally composed myself I say, “Yes baby, yes it does.” I pat his cheek and then pull out onto the road again hitting a flesh eater on my way out. I glance over at Tony as he unbraids his hair in the visor mirror. “So
Uncle Tony
when did that happen?” I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I dunno. She asked me my name and I told her it was Tony and she just added the Uncle to it.” He shrugs again then adds, “It’s not so bad.”

“It’s cute. I am glad she likes you.” I smile over at him as he shakes his head losing the last of the braids.

“I like her too. She is cute. Reminds me of what our daughter may look like some day,” he smirks and reaches over and grabs my hand bringing it up to his mouth and giving it a light kiss.

“Our daughter huh?” I say with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes ma’am, one day.” He smiles and I can see the hope in his eyes.

I hear Becky grunt in the back seat and I can’t help the grin that spreads over my face knowing she just witnessed our conversation and heard Tony say he wants kids with me one day. I know she wants him. I can see it in her eyes when she looks at him. Hell why wouldn’t she? He is tall, tanned and very, very handsome. His blond hair and blue eyes seem so much lighter against his sun kissed skin. His arms are not overly muscular but he has just the right amount. Dev was the one out of the two who overly worked out. I mean Tony works out too but nowhere near as much as Devin did.

We make it about a mile down the road before I hear the whiny bimbo’s voice, “Tony I have to pee!”

“I’m sorry did you miss the part where we just stopped at a store for that very reason?” Wil sarcastically asks.

I can’t help but crack a smile at her smart ass question. I see Tony takes a deep breath and sighs shaking his head.

“We will stop in a few miles Becky I promise.” He is irritated by her just as much as we are at this point. 

“But I really need to go now ba..” She trails off looking out the window.

I slam on the brakes bringing the car to a screeching halt. I whip my head around.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!” I shout with fire blazing in her stare.

“Liv babe, you just attracted flesh eaters from miles away. What the hell is wrong with you?” Tony’s irritation turned toward me now.

I turn around and give Tony a death stare. “She just called you babe and all you can do is worry about the flesh eaters that are nowhere around us right now?” I spit.

“She didn’t call me anything Liv calm the hell down and go!” he demands.

“I will go when she gets the fuck out of this car!”

“WHAT?” Becky yells from the backseat.

I turn giving her my full attention. “Get the fuck out of the car. You want to call my man babe then you are going to get the ass whooping that comes with it!” I say unbuckling my seatbelt reaching for the door handle.

“Liv calm the hell down and get in the car! Emily is in here too and you're scaring her!” The nervousness in his voice just pisses me off more and makes me think something is really up with the two of them.

“I am not getting out with all of them things walking around!” Becky says shaking her head.

I look back into the backseat and see Emily with her head buried into Willow’s side. My temper subsides as I see how scared I am making her. I never wanted to scare her, only protect her. I slowly close the door and start driving. My hands are shaking as they grip the wheel.

“This is not over,” I say through gritted teeth as I glance over at Tony.

Becky huffs and looks out the window. The tension in the car is thick.

We drive for another five or six hours. The sun is slowly starting to set and I feel like I am about to pass out. I let out a big yawn.

“What do you say we find a place to crash for the night?” I look at Wil in the rearview mirror avoiding Tony and the slut all together.

“Yeah I need out of this car,” Wil says and I can tell she is just as pissed as I am with Becky and Tony.

Just then I spot a sign that says a super store is up ahead a half mile. I follow the road signs until I am pulling into an almost empty parking lot. I pull up right next to the big sliding glass doors. I quickly look around and only see a hand full of flesh eaters roaming around the parking lot slowly stumbling their way toward the car. We have plenty of time to make it inside before they make it to us.

“Em when we get out you hold Wil’s hand and walk really fast ok baby?” I look back at her.

“Okay,” she replies never looking up at me. It breaks my heart to know that I have made her scared of me. I look at Wil in the mirror the hurt clearly registering in my eyes because she gives me a half smile telling me it will be alright.

I open my door grabbing Mr. Bat as I step out.
Oh I hope Barbie bitch says something. I will bash her head in.
I grip the bat tighter trying to control my rage, for now. Wil and Emily climb out of the back as Tony and Becky open their doors at the same time and step out.
She better not touch him. She better not touch him.
I chant over and over in my head.

“Follow me and stay close,” I whisper to Wil.

“I know,” she nods her head towards the doors.

I make my way around the car and up to the glass sliding doors. I guess I am waiting for them to open on their own as I walk up but they don’t. “Shit,” I murmur. I don’t know why I still expected them to open by themselves.

I look around and see the entrance garage door where they push buggies in. “Come this way. Quick!” I say as I make my way over to the doors. Willow and Em are close on my heels, followed by Tony and Becky.

“Help me lift this!” I say looking at Tony while handing Wil my bat. He comes over beside me but not before giving Becky a reassuring glance.
What the fuck was that?

We lift the door up and hold it open until everyone is inside. It closes just as the first flesh eater approaches and you can hear the bang of its body hitting up against the closed door.

I turn around and see a gun pointed right in Tony’s face. Tony is holding his hands up with eyes wide.

“What the hell man put the gun down!” He says in a shaky voice.

“Who are you and what the fuck do you want?!” A big tattooed muscle guy holding the gun asks.

“We just want sleep man. We have a child with us please put the gun down,” Tony begs.

A round woman with a baby on her hip steps around the corner. “Clint drop the gun don’t you see the little girl?” She says with a very southern drawl.

Clint lowers the gun and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Becky steps from behind Tony and puts her arm around him like she belongs there. I see red and want to open this door just to let the eater rip her apart.

“We mean no harm. We just want to rest up and we will be on our way,” Tony says.

“And maybe some food and a change of clothes?” I step up pushing myself between Becky and Tony.

“Sure sweetie, anything y’all need we got plenty to go around. By the way I am Bobbie Sue and this little guy,” she rocks her baby on her hip. “This is Curtis Earl.”

The cutest baby I have ever seen is looking back at me with his big blue eyes and puffy red cheeks. He has the cutest bald head ever.

“Hey little guy,” I coo at him.

“Hey baby!” Emily says stepping forward taking Curtis Earl’s hand in hers.

Curtis smiles and coos at Emily.

“Y’all follow me and I will show y’all where the bathrooms are and Clint set up a shower for us,” Bobbie Sue says as she walks away.

I look over at Wil silently asking her if she is okay. She nods back at me and we follow Bobbie Sue.

***

As I lay here looking at the ceiling I try and close my eyes. Sleep should be claiming me right now, I haven’t slept in a little over twenty four hours but all I can keep seeing is Tony and Becky together.
Would he really cheat on me?
The way he looked at her today there has to be something going on. And the way he just lets her hang all over him like it’s no big deal.

“Wil are you awake?” I whisper just in case she isn’t.

“Yeah,” she whispers back.

“Take a walk with me? I gotta pee,” I ask.

“Sure, let’s go.”

I get up and she follows me to the bathroom.

“Sorry I didn’t have to pee I just wanted to talk to you without anyone hearing,” I confess.

“What’s going on?” she asks leaning in to the mirror pulling her hair into a high ponytail.

“Do you think Tony is cheating on me with Becky the Bimbo?” I look to her hoping she doesn’t see the same things I do. Maybe I am just a jealous girlfriend and making something out of nothing. “I know it seems stupid for me to be thinking about this at a time like this but I can’t help it,” I sigh and my eyes tear up as I spill my insecurities.

“I would be lying if I said no Liv,” Wil says turning from the mirror looking at me.

“What should I do? I love him Wil. I know we have had a rough time lately but I don’t want to be without him and I sure as hell will not share him,” I say wiping the tears away as they fall. I am supposed to be the strong one and here I am crying over a damned boy. But he is so much more than a boy to me.

“Ask him Liv. Y’all have been together long enough that you can tell from the look in his eyes if he is lying or not. Pay attention to the signs,” she says.

“Thanks Wil.” I say with a half-smile. “If he is I am going to feed bimbo to the flesh eaters,” I chuckle.

“That would be a beautiful sight.” she laughs with me.

After my talk with Wil I am finally able to fall asleep. But as soon as the sun comes peeking through the glass doors I am up.
I need to talk to Tony now.
I glance around our little camping spot and notice his and Becky’s sleeping bags are empty.

I walk in the direction of the bathrooms to relieve my about to bust bladder.
When I am finished I will find Tony.
I promise myself. As I near the bathroom I hear soft moans coming from the men's bathroom. I instantly think it is flesh eaters so I bang the door back and I see Becky’s naked ass on the sink with her legs wrapped around Tony’s waist. He is balls deep in her just pounding away and I feel my heart shatter into a million pieces.