89.4 Zombie Radio

I had always hated places like this. I've never liked camping because there's always too many bugs. Its just stupid to me. I don't see what's fun about going without things, and "roughing it." I've always been a girl who likes to have everything, and roughing it just isn't my style, but Dalton was here, and I knew this was the best place to stay for the night. So just for now, I'd go along with it. Dalton and I walked around the edge of the campground, and talked. He was tired from everything that had happened over the course of the day though, and decided to turn in early. Me on the other hand, I couldn't go to sleep. It was way too early for that.

I walked around and tried to find somebody to talk to. It was dark, and scary in the campsite. I couldn't help but think a guy in a hockey mask was going to pop out of the shadows at some point trying to kill me. With my luck, there was a zombie with a hockey mask hiding around here somewhere. I made my way to a remote section of the lake, and could hear voices from behind the trees. I recognized them as Bob and Roxy, so I edged closer and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"So Bob, come clean dude. What's this shit between you and Layla?" Roxy asked. "You're like my fucking brother, so just spill it."

"I don't know," Bob replied. "I guess I'll fill you in on what happened. The one night we sat in that house and told stories, I was all set to abandon you guys. I was going to leave all of you, and take off on my own."

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Roxy snapped.

"Well Roxy, I wanted to die, plain and simple. I just didn't want to be alive anymore," Bob explained. "The day all of this zombie shit happened, I was all set to kill myself. That's why I lived through this. I was torturing myself by only eating baked potatoes. I figured with me around, you guys would be worse off."

"Bob, you know that's bull shit right?" Roxy asked.

"I do, and Layla made me realize that. She caught me trying to leave, and convinced me that I actually did have something to live for, and for that, I owe her everything. You got any more of these warm ass beers?" Bob asked.

"A whole twelve pack Bob, here ya go," Roxy replied handing Bob a beer. "Well, you still haven't really answered my question. Do you like her or not?"

"I'm not really sure how I feel," Bob said.

"Motherfucker! I'm not accepting that answer! You need to figure this shit out before its too late! If she hooks up with that fucking dick hole Trevor, I'll seriously go the fuck off!" Roxy exclaimed.

"Aren't you doing that now?" Bob replied.

"I'm not even close to mad right now," Roxy said through her laughter. Bob sighed one of those deep thinking sighs. I noticed he did that a lot.

"If I had to say Roxy, I'd say... Yea, I'm pretty in love with her," Bob told her. "I don't just like her, I'm in love. I seriously hate admitting that, but I can't help it. I'm so in love with her, that I just want her to be happy. Even if its not with me, and that's the truth. There, are you happy now?"

"Dude!" Roxy yelled. "You need to fucking tell her this shit! Seriously man, don't let her slip through your fingers. This type of thing will eat you up inside if you don't tell her how you feel. Just do it man! Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?"

"She could shoot me down and things between us will be extremely awkward for the rest of our lives," Bob replied.

"Yea, rejection sucks, but its better than never knowing. I'll fucking make you if I have to! If I have to put you on the spot, I'll do it. I swear to God I'll do it! You're tellin' her, and if she's still up, you're doing it tonight!" Roxy said. Bob gave another deep sigh. A part of me felt sorry for him though. It was pretty clear he was struggling with this whole thing. I wondered if he had ever done this before.

"Fuck. I hate you for this," he said laughing. "But you're right, what can it hurt? I've never really felt like this about someone else before. Its... different."

"Love is some complex shit Bob," Roxy explained. "Trust me, I know, I've fallen in and out of it my whole life. I could be wrong, but I see the signs. I think she's into you. You just have to have some confidence in yourself. Girls love that, and you know, I may have just the trick to help you with that." I couldn't see what Roxy pulled out, but whatever it was, it made Bob laugh.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked.

"Hell fuckin' yea it is. Found it in that college earlier today. It was just laying on the ground," Roxy said.

"Wait!" Bob exclaimed. "Roxy! This is how I know you! I remember now! You were a bartender at a place my friend went to. We would smoke this shit out behind the dumpster after you guys closed."

"Oh shit! I think I remember that now! You used to have a beard then didn't you!? You were friends with Nemo?" Roxy replied.

"Yea! Nemo! I was friends with him for a while, and I could never figure out how the hell he got that nickname!" Bob exclaimed. I heard a lighter spark up, and I decided it was time to step in. I knew what was going on, and I wasn't going to let it happen. These two didn't need to be getting high in the situation we were in. Anything could happen, at any time, and they did not need to be stoned when it happened.

"Umm excuse me, but no, you are not doing that!" I scolded.

"Whoa, where the fuck did you come from?" Roxy asked.

"I've been listening for a while actually," I told them. "I was just waiting for the right time to jump in the conversation. You guys are not allowed to get stoned! What if something happens!? I know Bob needs some confidence, but there are better ways to get it than this!" Roxy didn't really respond to what I had said, and neither did Bob. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they knew I was right.

"Fuck! I hate it when she's right!" Roxy yelled. She threw the joint down and stomped out the flame."

"Now you're risking a forest fire!" I scolded. "If I ever catch you guys doing this again, I'll tell Jack and have him arrest you!" Bob laughed at the comment I just gave.

"How exactly is he going to arrest us?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we can figure it out," I replied. "No drugs! Can we make that a rule? No drugs, and no alcohol! There is too much happening for us to walk around drunk and on drugs!"

"Fine its a fucking rule. You're right, and I'm super fucking pissed about it too," Roxy replied.

"I'm always right," I replied. "Keep it up and I'll make no cussing a rule too!"

"Fuck that!" Roxy yelled.

"Roxy, you probably cuss more than anyone I've ever met in my life," I told her.

"That's just how I am dude," Roxy answered. "I can't fuckin' help it, its just how I talk. Could you even imagine me if I didn't cuss?"

"Roxy, if you stopped cussing I'd worry about you," Bob replied. All three of us laughed.

"Seriously, though guys. I'll do it, I will make that rule if I see this again," I told them.

"Who says you get to make the rules?" Roxy asked.

"I do," I answered. "Anyways, Bob, she is right. If you feel that way about Layla, you should tell her before its too late. I'd much rather see her with you than with that jerk. I know I call you an idiot all the time, and by all means, you are an idiot, but you're also a nice guy. Even I'll admit that. Your taste in music may suck, but you're a nice enough guy that it makes up for it."

"Thanks Jessie... I think," Bob said. Bob sighed yet again.

"Stop doing that, its annoying," I told him.

"Sorry, its just a habit I guess. You guys are right, I gotta go for it don't I?" Bob asked.

"Yes, you do," I replied.

"I feel like we're some weird ass family now," Roxy said. "I guess we are in a way huh?"

"Well, you said it yourself Roxy, you're like my sister," Bob said. "We're all each other has right now, so you're right. This is as close to family as it gets in our situation."

"Well, if that's how it is, I guess I could have gotten stuck with worse," I said.

"They could have all been like Trevor and Dean," Roxy added.

"Exactly!" I exclaimed.

"Well, since we're all one big happy family now, let me ask you something Jessie. What's the deal with you and Dalton?" Roxy asked. I could tell by the way they were looking at me I was blushing just a little bit. I couldn't help it.

"Well, he is adorable. I don't think our relationship is quite as complicated as Bob and Layla's, but I'll admit, I like him," I said.

"Uh oh! Its like the fuckin' love connection around here all of the sudden. I feel like I'm watching an episode of Dawson's Creek or some shit," Roxy replied.

"Did Dawson's Creek have a zombie episode? I never watched that show," Bob said.

"No, I think our stuff is more like the Real World: Zombie Apocalypse," I added.

"I'm definitely the one who fights somebody. Guarantee that fuckin' Riley bitch says somethin' smart and I fuck her up," Roxy replied.

"Who would I be?" I asked.

"You're the sweet innocent one who always tries to keep everyone out of trouble," Bob answered.

"I don't know Bob, she does like to argue," Roxy said. "She's sweet and innocent enough, but she's not afraid to say what she thinks on occasion. Which by the way, I respect that quality in anyone... Except when what you have to say pisses me off."

"Have I P'd you off yet?" I asked, unable to hold back my smile.

"So far, you've been pretty fuckin' cool," Roxy answered. "By the way, P'd? Just say pissed. Do you like, not cuss or something like that?"

"No I don't," I replied.

"Why not?" She asked.

"I just don't. I think its stupid to," I answered.

"Well, I guess you're better than me. I sure as fuck can't go without it," Roxy said. "I sort of respect that too... Sort of. I'm gonna get you to cuss, just one time."

"No, you won't," I told her. "I cussed one time and it was because I thought I was going to die. That was it, and that was the last time I'll ever cuss."

"Not going to stop me from trying," Roxy said.

"Well Roxy, good luck with that. This girl is as stubborn as they come,and I'd be willing to bet she won't cuss for as long as you know her," Bob replied.

"Well, I'm pretty fucking stubborn myself, and I'm telling you, I will get her to cuss," Roxy said. "Anyways, Jessie, would you excuse Bob and I? I'm gonna pep talk the shit out of this motherfucker till he's overflowing with confidence. We gotta get prince charming here ready to sweep the princess off her feet."

I said my goodbyes to Bob and Roxy and started walking around the camp for someone else to talk to. It was pretty late and it didn't seem like there were many people still awake. I found it hard to believe I wasn't fighting sleep yet myself. Must have been the adrenaline from fighting that creep in the mall earlier in the day. I started to make my way to the cabin I picked out, so I could sit down and relax for a while, and hopefully force myself into some kind of resemblance of sleep. When I turned the corner to get there, I ran into somebody, or something. I couldn't really tell in the dark. Whatever it was, it made me jump about a foot in the air before I landed on my butt.

"Whoa! Sorry Jessie! I was just coming to look for you actually. I couldn't sleep, every time I close my eyes I see that guy in the mall smiling at me." It was Dalton, thank God.

"You scared the crap out of me Dalton!" I shouted.

"I'm so sorry, here let me help you up," he said, extending his hand.

"Its okay, and thank you," I told him. I got up and brushed myself off. If it were anyone else I would have been pretty mad at them for getting my new clothes dirty, but I just couldn't get mad at Dalton. Just looking at him made me smile. It was impossible to get mad at a guy like that.

"So what were you out doing at this time of night?" he asked.

"Well, I was talking to Roxy and Bob. I caught them getting ready to smoke pot," I replied.

"Oh, well that's not good. Especially not in our situation," he said.

"That's what I told them. Don't worry, I talked them out of it," I explained. "But afterwords, there was this whole thing about Bob and Layla possibly getting together."

"Oh yea? He better act quick, because I think that Trevor guy is trying to get in her pants as we speak," he said.

"When isn't he trying to do that? That guy's a jerk. If I knew him better, I would have slapped him for saying what he said to you back at the mall," I replied. "Not that you can't stick up for yourself or anything. I don't know, I just don't like that guy. I'd much rather see Bob with her than Trevor."

"Me too," Dalton said. "Do you think its going to happen?"

"Well, Bob seems like a nervous wreck right now." I said. "Roxy's trying to help him through it though and I hope he gets over it. I don't think he's ever done anything like this before."

"Yea, I know that feeling all too well I guess. I think we all go through that at some point," Dalton replied. I was trying to think of a way to see how Dalton felt about me. We walked down the path a ways and it hit me. Sometimes, I'm a genius.

"You know Dalton, Roxy was kind of joking around with me afterwords and asked about you and me," I said. "I wasn't sure really how to react to that." Dalton turned red and couldn't hide his smile. We both stopped walking and he took my hand.

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you about that actually. Umm, Jessie, I know I'm probably not your first choice or anything, but you are one of the coolest girls I've ever met. You're funny, cool, and cute at the same time. I've never met a girl like you, and I was wondering if maybe, just maybe, we could try and be more than friends?"

"Dalton, you are by far my first choice. I say, yes." I had a lot of trouble holding back my excitement as those words left my mouth.

"Well, call me crazy, but I'm a bit old fashioned and I'd like to take you on a date first," Dalton said.

"A date? In the zombie apocalypse, you want to take me on a date?" I asked.

"Yes. I don't know how, when, or where, but I'm going to do it. I think you're worth it," Dalton replied.

"Aww, Dalton, that's so sweet," I said before I kissed him on the cheek. "I can't wait."

"Well, I'm really glad I got that out of the way. That was the reason I couldn't sleep to be honest. I was trying to think of some way to get that off my chest," he explained. "I'm actually glad you put me on the spot there, because I'm not sure if I would have been able to come clean with that otherwise."

"In that case, I'm glad I did too," I replied.

"Well, its getting late. Can I walk you back to your cabin?" he asked.

"Well, after this, I'm definitely not going to be able to sleep. So how about I walk you back to yours?" I said. Dalton laughed and agreed with my plan. We walked hand in hand back to his cabin and he kissed my hand before he went inside for the night. I felt like I could melt right in front of the door. I had to find Roxy and Bob and tell them the wonderful news. So I started to make my way to where I last saw them, but on the way there I heard two people whispering in the shadows. I couldn't quite make out who they were so I crept closer to where they were hiding. This would be the second conversation I've eavesdropped on tonight. I'm usually not this nosey.

The whispers stopped when I got close enough to make out who it was. It was Trevor and Layla, and when I saw what they were doing, my heart sunk in my chest. They were both sitting by the shore, arms around each other, kissing like it was their last night on earth. Bob would be crushed for sure. I wanted to throw a rock at both of them, but I knew it wouldn't help. I was going to have to be the bearer of bad news, and that was something I had never been good at. I made my way back over to where Bob and Roxy were. They were both sitting now and staring out at the lake. Both of them stood up when they saw me arrive.

"Back again huh? Did ya miss us?" Roxy asked. I wanted to give a pleasant response, but it just wasn't going to happen.

"Guys, I have some bad news," I said, my voice dropping about an octave. Roxy stood up, panicked at what I was about to say. I think she was expecting, "Zombie attack, we have to leave now!"

"What is it?" she asked. I couldn't quite get the words to leave my mouth.

"Well... I just saw Trevor and Layla... They were... Kissing," I finally managed to say. Bob didn't say a word, he just kept staring straight out into the lake. I could tell in his eyes he was crushed.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? Tell me you're fucking kidding me Jessie!" Roxy shouted.

"I'm sorry," was all I could manage to say.

"Fuck!" Roxy screamed. Bob got up and didn't even look at either of us. He left without saying a word. It didn't seem like he was in any hurry or anything. It's the type of walk you have when you just got your heart broken. I've seen that walk before.

"Fuckin' shit dude! Listen Jessie, I'm glad you told us. This fucking sucks, but you did the right thing," Roxy said. "Look I'm going to ask you a favor okay?" She knelt down to pick up the joint that was still laying in the weeds. "I know you're right about this stuff okay? You're totally and completely right about it, and in any other situation, I'd throw this right in the fucking lake. But this shit is different. I may need it. I'm hoping it doesn't come to this, but it may be a last resort. If I don't, this motherfucker may kill himself right now."

"We've all had our hearts broken before Roxy, in one way or another, its happened to all of us," I said.

"What would you do if the reason you were still alive just stomped on your heart? Bob handles things differently, and he's not used to this sort of shit." Roxy explained. "I'm going to go watch him tonight, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. This is my back up plan, just deal with it for tonight okay!? After this, no more. He'll be fine, I'm just going to have to talk him down a little."

"That's fine, but please try and do it without the drugs okay?" I pleaded.

"I will," she replied before rushing off to Bob's aid. This was certainly a night filled with ups and downs. I felt great that me and Dalton were going to give things a try, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Bob. Poor guy, first girl he falls in love with, and she gets with a total jerk instead. Usually, that's my luck.

I decided to finally call it a night and began to make my way back to the cabin. I looked over where Layla and Trevor once were, and noticed that Trevor was gone. I decided maybe I'd try and get a little closure on this situation. So I walked over and sat next to Layla.

"Hey!" I said, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Hey," she said. She had a certain tone in her voice. Its the one you use when you're depressed, but you're trying to hide it.

"Well... I couldn't help but notice on the way back you and Trevor..." I didn't get a chance to finish.

"Its not what it looks like," she said.

"Its not?" I asked.

"I can explain," she said. "He wouldn't leave me alone. I told him I really wasn't interested in him, but he just wouldn't give up. So I asked him if I kissed him, if it'd satisfy him, hoping he'd maybe leave me alone after that."

"Layla, making out with a guy usually isn't going to make them leave you alone. Its just going to make them want more," I told her.

"I know, trust me, I know that. I just wanted him to go away for now," she explained. "I was going to tell Bob about the whole thing tomorrow and then I was going to..." She stopped in mid sentence.

"You were going to what?" I asked.

"Well, tell him how I felt about him," she replied.

"Really!" I exclaimed. "Layla! We have to go tell him right now! Come on let's go!"

"Why can't it..." she stopped in mid sentence once again. This time she was busy looking at something over my shoulder. She pointed and I turned around. It was the new guy we had just found earlier today.

"Hello," I cheerfully said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you both this evening?" he asked.

"Fine," Layla said. I could tell by the look in her face she wasn't quite trusting of this person.

"Why the scared face? I just couldn't sleep. I was dying of thirst and I had to get up and get some of the water I had in my truck. Would you ladies like some?" he asked. I grabbed a few extra. I was just going to drink them in the morning."

"Sure, why not," Layla said. "I don't think any of us caught your name by the way."

"Its Lucky," he said. "My mom named me that because I was born with a tumor in my lungs and all the doctors said I was lucky to have even been born."

"No offense, but I don't think I'd ever name my kid lucky," I said, as he handed me the water. I couldn't tell by the look on his face if I had offended him or made him laugh. He was still smiling the same smile as he had when he first approached us. I was pretty thirsty at this point in the night. I had even thought about getting some water from the bus before I went to sleep. I took a big gulp and noticed it the taste was a little off. I could tell by the look on Layla's face she was thinking the same thing.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This water tastes weird," Layla said.

"Well, it has been in the back of my truck for a while. I've heard the sun does weird stuff to bottled water," he explained.

"I've never heard of that," Layla replied.

"I thought I heard someone tell me that one time. I don't know, I get confused about what I hear a lot," Lucky said.

I looked over at Layla, who was not looking good at all. She was starting to look like a ghost. I knew I had to get us out of there. I need her to go talk to Bob, so he wouldn't do something stupid. I was hoping she was just sick from making out with Trevor, I know I would have been.

"Well Lucky, thanks for the water, but we really should be going now." I said. I started to stand up and it all hit me at once. I figured out what was going on way too late. I looked over at Layla and noticed she was on the ground and motionless.

"Ha! You dumb bitch! There's just the right amount of stuff in those bottles to knock out a five hundred pound gorilla," I heard him say. I was trying to call out for help, but I was too weak to even speak. "Been working on the formula for years, and so far, it's never let me down. Of course, it usually works better in a bar setting, but I figured, fuck, let's see if these bitches are dumb enough to try it. Damn I love it when I'm right about something. Don't worry baby, I'll be gentle."

I finally couldn't fight it anymore, and I fell to the ground. With my last ounce of strength I rolled over and opened my eyes. The smile was a lot wider now. How could we have been so stupid? I guess I just got used to the idea of trusting strangers. The last thing I remember was trying to call Dalton's name one last time, but I couldn't even get my lips to move, then the world faded to black