Reckless

The day of reckoning ; the bible portrayed the hours of judgment as a miraculous illustration of God’s mercy for his children, collecting the souls of the innocent, while sinners danced with the damned on Earth’s fiery planes. The spirits whom were too far gone, thoroughly corrupted by temptation and evil, doomed to roam the Earth’s hell bound remains with Lucifer and his disciples, a suitable punishment appropriate for the unforgivably horrendous sins committed. The biblical judgment day depicted in the scripture ended up being nothing like reality, the catastrophic disease that swept through the nations like a destructive wildfire claimed numerous innocent lives. Women, children, elderly; it appeared there was no discrimination or moral seclusion to the disastrous slaughter of innocent souls. No divine intervention and no safe haven for the pure. The savage viral outbreak conceived a murderous breed of ruthless cut-throat butchers, humanity taking a fleeting downward spiral, primal instinct compelling thousands into survival mode.

Faith: the strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on a spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Thousands of God’s loyal disciples sought refuge in church pews; weakened to their knees, fingers woven together in tight fists as each woman, man and child alike prayed for the lord’s mercy during the devastating apocalypse. Unfortunately, prayer and absolution would not spare a single soul from a catastrophic demise. The apocalyptic world was one with no faith; those whom used to dedicate their life to the holy spirit had given up on salvation, on refuge, on God himself. At least, that was the case for a majority of the remaining population. The Greene family was an exception to the lord’s surviving loyal followers, not having seen the worst of the flesh eating sickness. A misfit group of diverse survivors were about to settle on the Greene family farm, challenging the Greene family faith and changing the hearts belonging to the two eldest Greene daughters indefinitely.



“You’re never going to give him a chance, are you?” Jaime Anne Rodriguez’s sultry voice inquired rhetorically, tan fingers breaking the fragile skin of the navel orange within her petite palm. Jaime was five feet three inches, silken tendrils of raven curls to her mid back with a streak of electric blue that always fell into her warm caramel milk chocolate irises. The peaceful hum of infinite cicada whisp in the warm Georgia breeze; Cassidy Jocelyn Greene wiped at the beads of perspiration rolling down her heated forehead, nimble fingertips pinching the silver origami horse hanging around her lean neck, amiable willow irises observing the assiduous athletic frame feet away. The red-haired young man stood at six feet three inches, smoldering cinnamon flecked olive irises squinting at the barbed wire wound loose against a splintered fence post, beads of sweat illuminating the bare porcelain skin of his muscled torso as his beige gloved palms work the metal around the wood, cowboy cut Wranglers straining against his taut backside and strong thighs. Cody Williams was sculpted, quite beautifully, out of the finest marble by the cowboy Gods themselves. He was gorgeous. “He’s completely in love with you.” She murmured to no one in particular, pearly white teeth nibbling on the fruit flesh as she shrugged her narrow shoulders, elbowing her best friend suggestively.

“No, he isn’t.” Cassidy’s southern twang stammered in embarrassment as a warm blush crept across her feline cheekbones. Sensing an eerie magnetism, Cody’s pale arm wiped at the perspiration on his freckled nose, glancing in the girls’ direction, a graceful grin revealing his set of straight white teeth as he scratched at his ginger beard.

“See,” The brunette giggled, tossing an orange rind at the eldest Greene daughter as Cody waved shyly. “That poor guy has been in love with you since birth.”

“Stop, Jai.” Cassidy groaned as she waved back, ignoring the gagging noises coming from the five foot ten inch slim brunette boy feet away from the elder young man. A playful scuffle ensued between the two men, Cody wrapping his massive arm around the smaller man’s lean neck as he ruffled the mop of chestnut curls on his head.

“Hey, don’t hurt Tate or I’ll hurt you, Hercules!” Jaime scolded, earning a dismissive scoff from the red head. Tate puckered his thin lips in an exaggerated manner, subtly blowing a kiss to his protective girlfriend. The humorous exchange came crumbling down, Cody’s enormous frame shooting straight up as he released Tate from the hold in an instant. The screech of rusted hinges from the farmhouse entrance followed by the echo of the oak meeting maple earned a sense of urgency from the group, Cody began running full force toward the impending danger; the two girls nestled under the ancient tree turning to the scene behind them.

“Cassidy, get up.” Cody’s deep voice instructed in distress, digging his boot heels in the dry earth as he lunged in front of the brunette. “Get behind me.” He shielded the petite brunette as the stranger bounded toward them carrying the corpse of a child limp within his bloodied arms. The stranger was dressed as a Sheriff, beige buttoned shirt stained with the child’s blood and his mahogany dyed pant legs dusted with dry weeds and dirt, strangled breaths whisp passed his chapped parted lips as he fought to hold the unconscious boy in his arms as he ran toward the farmhouse in determination. “Was he bit?” Hershel Greene questioned in alarm, the elderly man stood straight ahead of the group of occupants that had exit the farmhouse as Maggie Greene called for her father. The stranger was ushered inside the farmhouse entrance as he informed the group of the accident that might’ve taken his son’s life. The Greene girls’ surrogate uncle, Otis, unintentionally shot the boy; whose name they learned was Carl, while tracking deer miles from the farmhouse.