For My Sake

Several days later, we were stopped in some small town in Utah. The boys were playing in the bunks while the rest of us adults all surrounded a table, hovering over a map Vera had conjured out of her backpack. The group really started to like Vera; she was tough and definitely an asset you would want in a battle with the dead... or even not. But she proved to be honest and loyal. The only person who still had a problem with her was Penelope and it was honestly starting to bother me. I was more than positive that Penelope was just being a jealous little brat. She never used to be the jealous type, but then again, I guess she changed when the world did.

“I've been here before,” Vera explained, jabbing her finger on a red circle on the map. “There's an abandoned mall here. It has everything we need. Food, medicine, shelter, and walls. I would've taken it before, but even I couldn't take on all the walkers that are bound to be in there.”

“A mall?” Penelope chided, sounding uncertain. I had to agree with her nervousness. A mall sounded so simple and yet so dangerous.

“Yes.” Vera sighed, sitting down in the booth. “It will take a lot of stealth, careful planning, and lots of killing. We don't need the entire mall, just a small section of it. We can barricade the rest and to be safe, once we're settled in, we can go kill the rest of the stragglers and bar up any other entrances.”

“It's too dangerous,” Penelope said immediately. “We have people, but we don't have enough weapons. We can't use guns, it'll alert all the dead. And besides you and I, no one else is really trained to use melee weapons.”

“Doesn't mean we can't learn,” I interjected. “Madelyn and I have come a long way, Dan can hold his own. I think if we planned this carefully, it's very possible.”

Penelope huffed. “What about the children? We can't exactly drag them into the battlefield.”

“I'll stay behind,” Madelyn murmured from the background. “Dan is better than I am and Charlie, they need your steady mind in the chaos. I'll take my role with the children.”

I nodded, looking back down at the map. “We'll need blue prints of the mall.”

And just like that, Vera slapped them down on the table. My eyebrows rose into my hairline in surprise. “How did you get these?”

Vera sent me a sly, but also sad smile. “My cousin Vinnie designed the mall, he was with me when we were planning to take it over. But he didn't make it.”

I felt the urge to apologize, but swallowed it down. Death was as normal as the sun rising every morning nowadays. There was no sense in sympathizing over the death of someone I didn't know anymore. At least, not out loud.

Vera pointed to an area of the mall on the blue prints. The building itself was fairly small, two stories with only a couple stores on each level. Small, but packed with the dead. “We can enter here. This end of the mall has a mattress shop, the food court, a general medicine store, and clothing stores. We can use the vending machines here and here and here,” she pointed to each area on the prints, marking them with a red pen, “to barricade the entrances here, here, and here. We will have to work fast and quietly. There are bound to be walkers; we must kill them silently. This won't be easy and I can't guarantee no one will die. Therefore, I will not be responsible for anyone's death.”

“Fair enough,” Penelope murmured from my side, surprising me. “I think taking over a Walmart would be simpler, but if it's a mall you want, the mall it'll be.” She stared Vera in the eyes who openly stared back. Some kind of female dominance telepathy went on between them and then Penelope looked away. “I'll find Dan and Charlie some weapons. Vera... you can finish making a more solid plan on that barricade idea of yours. A few vending machines won't stop them.” And then she ran out of the RV. I watched from the window as she used her parkour skills to get onto a roof and disappear.

I shook my head, returning my attention to the rest of the group. Vera continued talking as if Penelope had never said a word.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The steps to our plan ran a cycle in my brain, almost like a broken record, except it didn't skip anything. Step 1: secure the outside area.

Madelyn pulled to a skidding halt outside the mall, the four of us with weapons leaped out of the door. I made sure it shut and Madelyn drove off. The parking lot was rather bare, minus the few stragglers hustling our way. Vera unsheathed the knives strapped to her wrists and threw them, the blades slicing through the skulls of two walkers. Penelope used her ice tool to viciously kill the one coming from her left. Dan swung his ax, chopping off the head of another and smashing it beneath his boot. We moved forward in an old Greek formation; the Phalanx. Vera led us, signaling us to dispatch and kill a walker with a motion of her hand. Each of us had a specific hand sign. Vera grabbed her knives from the heads of the two she killed, placing them back in her wrist holders. We reached the entrance and stopped. I glanced at Penelope, but she stared straight ahead, her eyes filled with ice. Vera kicked the door open and we shuffled inside. The dead still wandered, unaware of our presence. Vera pointed. Step 2: kill the dead that are in sight.

Vera started it by throwing her knives again. The rest of the dead were alerted; their scary, blood lust filled eyes finding us. We maintained our formation, shuffling across the floor. Vera pulled out her Katana, grunting with the strength she put behind her swings. I aimed my crossbow, shooting the farther away dead while the rest killed the ones that were closer. I was surprised how quickly we killed the ones that were in the open. Dan and Vera knocked down the vending machines, pushing them to barricade the escalators. Penelope ran off to pull down the gate on the other side of the area. Step 3: build hasty barricades. I kept a look out and once they finished, they hurried back to me. Step 4: clear the shops. We started with the mattress shop, there were only a few to kill. Dan and Penelope left to clear the small pharmacy shop, Vera and I joined forces to clear out the clothing stores. One was completely empty, Vera shut the gate to keep it that way. We went through the three that were there, clearing the dead and dragging their bodies into what I called the lobby. We had just finished the carrying the last body out when I heard a scream. My head snapped to the side, looking out towards the food court.

Penelope.

I broke into a sprint, loading my crossbow as I ran. Turning the sharp right of the hallway, I saw the large crowd of walkers surrounding Dan and Penelope. Penelope had been cornered, Dan was bleeding heavily from his arm. I was afraid what that meant. Without having to think about it, I lifted my crossbow and fired. The arrow went through two skulls before clattering against a brick wall. Several walkers turned my way, angry and hungry. I quickly loaded my crossbow, shooting another one down. I heard Penelope grunt as she swung her ice tool across the face of a walker.

“Charlie!” She screamed in desperation.

Fear struck my blood cold. Suddenly, a flash of black trench coat blew past my vision and a battle cry rattled my eardrums. I heard the sickening crunch of a blade sinking into the flesh and bone of a skull. Vera threw two more knives with deadly accuracy, pulling her Katana out of it's sheath and slicing off the head of another walker. I blinked, regaining my senses, and reloaded my crossbow as one of the dead closed in on Penelope. I fired just as her back hit the wall. Penelope looked up, her eyes wide with shock and terror. Clenching my jaw, I fired again and again, slowly walking towards the diminishing horde of zombies. Once I had gotten too close for the crossbow to be effective, I took out the baseball bat strapped to my back and started smashing in heads. Finally, I reached Penelope.

She looked at me, her expression telling me everything she couldn't say. I took her hand in mine and turned. Vera split the last one's head in half and gazed up at me before spinning on her heel and placing the tip of her sword at Dan's throat.

“Are you bit?” She asked in a tight, almost compassionate tone.

Dan lifted his lids, the grip on his arm tightening. “No,” he breathed. “I had cut myself on something in the McDonald's kitchens and knocked a bunch of pans over. It alerted all the walkers and we were surrounded.”

Vera's eyes narrowed and she slowly lowered her blade, putting it back in its sheath. “Come. We must finish what we started. We're almost done.”

Step 5: Call in the RV.

We ran back to the lobby and I pulled out my walkie talkie, putting it close to my mouth. “Madelyn, step five is in order.”

“Copy that,” Madelyn answered cheerfully from the other end.

I went outside to wait for her, holding my bat just in case. I saw the RV round the corner into the parking lot and waved my hand to signal the others. Vera and I held open the doors and Madelyn drove in the RV. We helped her park it horizontally to block the doors, using the vehicle as a barricade. Let's just say it took a long time to get it right.

Step 6: make rounds, check barricades, decide what places need to be watched.

Madelyn and Penelope offered to take that step into their own hands so that I could patch up Dan. Vera followed us into the RV, carrying some medical supplies. Sitting him on the table, I ripped open the sleeve of his shirt, taking a good look at the wound. Satisfied that there were in fact no bite marks, I took to wiping away the blood. Vera wet a cloth with Hydrogen Peroxide and handed it to me. I dabbed at Dan's cut, deciding if he needed stitches or not.

Using my thumbs, I carefully opened it. Yeah, he was definitely going to need stitches.

“Get me a needle and thread, please,” I asked, while wiping away more blood. I handed Vera the bloody cloth and took the thread and needle. “I'll need you to work with me here, Vera. The less blood, the easier it is for me to get these stitches neat. Dan, bite your tongue. This won't be pleasant.”

Dan chuckled. “Don't you worry, ma boy. I can take a couple pokes from a needle.”

I smiled at him, leaning over his arm and getting to work.

“Were you a doctor?” Vera asked, dabbing at Dan's arm when I asked her to.

“A neurosurgeon in practice actually, but I suppose that is a doctor, isn't it?”

“But... you're so young.”

“Twenty four... I was a bit of an overachiever.” I winked at her. Her lips lifted into a small smile. “What were you before?”

She laughed. “I was a martial arts teacher in Russia. I came to the Americas to visit family.”

My brows furrowed. “Family in America?”

“As you can tell, I have a very complicated heritage. My grandparents and my father live in America. My mother is Russian. My father had met her when he was on a mission in the American army. I was the result of their... meeting. After my mother's death, one of the first to die of this plague, I came here to see my father and cousin Vinnie, the first time since I was three years old.”

My chest squeezed with sadness for Vera's past, but my curiosity got the better of me. “I'm assuming your father was of African descent?”

Vera chuckled. “Yes.”

And last stitch. “Done. You're all good, Dan.”

Dan hopped down from the table. “Thanks, kid. I'm gonna go see if the girls need my help.”

I nodded. “I'll check on the kids.”

Step 6: get the kids, set up sleeping areas.

“Charlie!” Rory yelled excitedly once I opened the door to the sleeping quarters of the RV.
“Hey kido,” I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. “Your mom is outside if you want to see her,” I told Vlad. He nodded and ran past me. “Come with me, you can pick out the bed you want.”

“Yes!” Rory fist pumped. He grabbed his blanket and pillow and followed me into the lobby. We entered the mattress shop and Rory ran in, checking out every one before finding one in the back. “This one!” He called, plopping down on it.

I laughed. “Alright. Let's set you up your own little space.” I picked up the mattress and placed in a corner on the floor. Grabbing one of the showy comforters from an example bed, I used it as a drape to cover Rory's sleeping area. “How's that?” I asked him.

“Perfect. I love it.”

“Great. I'm gonna check on everyone else. Make sure everything is okay.”

“Ok. Thanks, Charlie.”

“No problem, kiddo.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A couple hours later, after finishing details, we had our own, safe area in the mall. Madelyn had found one of the stone trash cans and used what was in it to start a fire. She then went on with cooking a small dinner for everyone. Dan sat with Rory, Vera sat with her son, and Penelope chatted with Madelyn as she cooked. I tucked my knees to my chest, sitting on the ledge of the fountain that didn't run anymore. Hell, even that would be a miracle these days.

I sighed, closing my eyes and listening to everyone's whispers. This was the best we've had since the world turned to shit.

“Hey.”

I opened my eyes to see Penelope tuck a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear. Her bobby cut was turning shaggy, even so, I loved her hair. It was the most beautiful shade of red and it brought out the green of her eyes.

“Hi,” I murmured, looking away. Suddenly, my left finger felt light and abandoned.

“Thank you for saving me back there. I thought for sure that...,” she trailed off, releasing a shaky breath. “It made me realize a lot of things, Charlie. I forgot what really got in the way. It's not you I'm angry at or even the world. It's fear. I'm so scared, so scared I'm going to lose you. And I realized that I need you and I can't push you away anymore. I'm going to be by your side every second of every day from now on.”

I looked at her in surprise, placing my hand on hers. “You don't need to be afraid anymore, Penny.”

She smiled at my nickname for her and she kissed my cheek. My eyes met hers. I kissed her lips, suddenly feeling like I needed the contact. She seemed to the feel the same way when she clutched my face in her hands. I stood up, carrying her into the mattress shop. I dropped her gently on my bed, lying over her with the stupidest grin on my face.

“Won't they notice we left?” Penelope giggled.

“I don't think they'll mind,” I whispered, nuzzling her neck.

Penelope reached into the empty pocket of her gun holster and pulled out the ring I had given her four years ago. I stared at it and then at her. Taking it from her, I slipped it onto her finger once again.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too.”

And then, she ripped off my shirt.