Stuck In Here With Me

I led my group in scoping out the place. With not much luck, might I add. We found a few knives, some batteries, and miscellaneous junk. We tried at all costs to avoid anything dead, but obviously we were unsuccessful yet again. Ravaging the closets and different rooms for supplies also meant running into corpses, human and animal, more than just a few times.

I'm not even sure some of the things we saw in those twenty minutes were even human, or even animal for that matter. Too mangled and rotted beyond repair. I didn't know whether to be happy about that or not, but in the end, there was no use pondering it for too long. Knowledge may be power, but ignorance is bliss.

Twenty minutes left on the clock, so we all trudged up the stairs to meet up with the rest of the men. Jacky, although still stricken with fear, lead the group's discussion on survival. We all silently filed through the door and found a place to sit and join the conversation.

Michael was the one to catch us up-to-date. "We were just going through the basics, stuff we all already know. How to maximize ammunition, ensure the longest battery life for flashlights, all stuff we should already know. And here," He paused to hand a crinkled sheet of paper to me. "We tried our best to draw up a map of the house."

I studied it, as did the rest of my group. Only having to fill in and change some minor errors, I decided that it was the most accurate it was ever going to be.

"Guys, can I be real with you all?" Michael interrupted the silence that surrounded all of us.

"We have no idea what's coming-"

"Besides your mom last night!" Monte shouted, earning high fives all around the room, followed by a round of facepalms.

Michael chuckled. "Shut up. We have the same mom." That shut Monte up quick. While the rest of us laughed collectively.

Collectively. Adjective. Formed as a whole. combined. Two different groups together as one under circumstance. "We're collective," I blurted out. "And we'll fight as such."

Michael nodded, as did the rest of the group. "He's right. As I was saying, we have no idea what's coming. But we sure as hell know it won't be pretty. You know what else I know? I knew we're collective." He gestured at me. "A team, if you will. Team Escape the Fall in Reverse."

Again he was off by laughter, but it was short lived. "Seriously, a team. Teams put every member before themself. And that's what we're gonna do. Teams that fight together win together and I'll be damned if any of us go down without a fight. We go together or we don't go down at all."

Applause. It started off as a slow clap, but it slowly escalated until the room was filled with hollering and cheers. Ten minutes on the clock, but everyone pretended not to take notice.

Nine minutes on the clock. The hugs start. No one wants to admit to getting emotional, but they were. You could feel it hanging thick in the air. Long time friends and new found ones, all together and bonded and working together in harmony. But that didn't change the fact that lives were at stake; our lives.

I pulled every one of my band members in for a tight hug. I didn't say much in fear of getting too sentimental.

Then I grabbed Ronnie's bandmates. I gave each and every one of them short words of encouragement. Besides the occasional exchange of sentences, the room was silent.

I started to walk to Ronnie, but I stopped short.

Was I ready for this? Years of pent up anger and resentment without reason. Why? Why did it all just disappear with such ease?

That's when it dawned on me. I never really felt those things, it was all in my mind. I felt completely ridiculous.

I walked over to him without another thought and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I never hated you."

Silence. Then the ring of a buzzer.