Live Another Day by Baileigh Higgins (reading in the dark .txt) 📗

Max grinned and nodded. “As long as it keeps the zombies out, I'm not going to be picky.”

“I'll stay too,” Breytenbach volunteered. “There might be more stragglers in the area, and someone needs to watch your back.”

“If you're sure,” Max replied.

“I am staying too,” Kirstin said, standing by his side.

He grinned and kissed her before turning back. “Right. The rest of you get out of here. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Lisa considered staying as well for a moment but decided against it when she remembered Kabelo. Uneasy at leaving him unguarded for so long, she made her way back to camp. Along the way, she greeted those that had helped in the fight and acknowledged their bravery. Liesel, Mbali, Julianne, Jonathan, Ben, Sean, Ronnie, Mike, and Lenka. Together, they all made their way to their beds or duties except Lisa who headed back to the dining room.

Exhausted, she pushed open the door, knife still in hand. Her eyes blinked while they adjusted to the flickering yellow lights, and a greeting hovered on her lips. “Hey, guys, I'm b―”

Her gaze fell on the prone figure of Joanna who lay on the floor, and her lips froze on the empty words. The old woman pressed trembling hands to her side. Blood gushed out between her fingers, and more of the crimson stuff frothed on her pale lips.

Above her hovered Hannah who worked with frantic haste to fashion a dressing. Neither Elise nor Dave was anywhere in sight.

She rushed over. “What happened?”

Hannah flashed her a brief look. “It was Kabelo. He stabbed her and made a run for it the moment you were gone.”

“That murdering son of a bitch. I knew it,” Lisa swore. “Where's Elise? And Dave?”

“Elise has gone looking for Jonathan. The wound is serious. She'll need surgery.” Hannah shook her head. “Dave went after Kabelo.”

With saying another word, Lisa whirled around and ran outside. She made straight for the main gates where she encountered a frazzled Dave and an angry Lenka arguing in front of the half-open exit.

“Where is he?” she cried.

“He got away. I wasn't fast enough, and he slipped right through...opened the gates...” Dave wheezed. The older man was out of breath and out of his depth.

“Why didn't someone stop him? The guards, anyone?”

“They were too busy on the other side. There was no one here to catch him.”

“I will kill that boy,” Lenka announced.

“No need,” Lisa replied. “Because I'll kill him first.”

With those parting words, she shot through the gates and ran into the night. She ignored Dave's feeble cries and made for the outer walls as fast as she could. With every breath she took, she made a promise. “I'm coming, Kabelo. I'm coming for you.”

Chapter 6 - Breytenbach

In the aftermath of the previous night, the day dawned with clear skies and a cheerful sun. Its warmth did much to dispel the lingering wintry chill and dry out the wet earth. Birds chirped in the trees and guineafowls scratched for worms in the dirt. Not a cloud remained to darken the day. Not so, the hearts of the inhabitants of the camp.

They were all gathered around a freshly dug grave.

Joanna's grave.

The stab wound had been too much for the old woman to survive. The tip of the blade had pierced a lung, and not long after the incident, she passed away.

Breytenbach stood with his arms around Julianne, trying to instill some sense of comfort in her. She'd been good friends with Joanna, and the loss was hitting her hard. It had been a shock to him too. After shoring up their breached defenses, Max, Joseph, Mike, Kirstin, Lenka, and himself had returned to camp only to be confronted by a tearful Elise.

Kabelo had escaped, but only after he killed Joanna.

Lisa had gone after him.

It was a tragedy.

Elise was too guilt-stricken to look anyone in the eye. It had been her idea to save the boy's life and give him a chance, after all. No one honestly blamed her, however. They'd all begun to warm to Kabelo over the past weeks, fooled by his quiet demeanor, and no one saw this coming. He didn't think Elise would feel that way, though.

Other than Julianne, the people who'd miss Joanna the most were Ben, Dave, and Hannah. They'd all been close and spent much of their time together. He hoped Ben didn't suffer a relapse because of it, but the man looked steady as he murmured a quiet prayer over the grave, flanked by Dave and Hannah.

Breytenbach allowed his gaze to drift over the assembled inhabitants. Jonathan and Dr. Lange looked mournful. Despite their best efforts, the two had not been able to save Joanna's life even with surgery.

Michelle was in charge of the children, and they stood apart from the rest of the group, their little faces serious. The dogs, Princess and Buzz, sat beside them, well-behaved for once.

Erica and Tumi looked shellshocked, each holding their babies and flanked by concerned husbands. While Joseph was stalwart, Sean looked jumpy and nervous, his pale blue eyes wide as he watched over wife and daughter. As promised, the infant had been named Henriette after Henri, the man who saved Sean and Erica's lives right at the beginning of it all.

Kirstin lay a bunch of picked wildflowers on the grave, supported by Max, while Ronnie, Mike, and Lenka stood guard on the walls. Philip read a prayer from the Bible, his throat bobbing as he spoke, flanked by Liesel, Abraham, and his son Abe. That left only Nick and Sharyn Ross. The newest additions to camp, they had yet to settle in and kept to themselves in situations like these.

Breytenbach stared at the small heap of freshly dug earth with its crude wooden cross and sighed. Their little cemetery was growing. It now sported four graves, all lined up in a neat row underneath a clump of willow trees.

Morgan.

Jacques.

Rosa.

Joanna.

He thought of all the other bodies out in the world. Of loved ones and friends who died and