Fragile Wings
Who we Are
In. Out. In. Out. That’s it, just focus on your breath, not on the thing out there that wants to eat you. I heard slow shuffling as the, thankfully lone, walker tried searching for me. I was hidden well in a cupboard that I left just enough space for me to keep an eye on the zombie; I was waiting for it to get far enough away from the door so that I could make a run for it. But jeez was it ever so slow, I knew it was decomposing and what not but still I had seen it make haste when fresh meat was about. My fingers curled tighter around the nylon cord of my pack, inside it was too many goodies. I had managed to find supplies; wrappings, medicine, ointments, but also food, some canned foods and candy. I know candy, but given the way things were now candy was a luxury. The zombie had finally got past a point I considered safe enough to make a break for it, if I had a weapon I might’ve put it out of its misery, but I didn’t so there was no way I was going to risk it. Breathing in deeply I opened the doors and bolted, I heard an ‘unhnhn’ as I flew out of there, a smile on my face.
******
“Jun!”
I ran into my friend, Leo, smiles on both of our faces, an even bigger one on his as he opened the bag. He riffled through it all.
“J this is great. But I was so worried about you.”
He exclaimed, handing me a cup with water. I shrugged.
“We needed it.”
He clapped my shoulder and walked back towards the cave where our group called home. I looked around the forest we currently resided in, we’d been here for a while. At least two seasons, I remember coming here when the temperatures were so cold… We’d lost a few of us to the merciless icy weather, then the world started to come alive again, soft greens and bright pastels making quite the contradictory setting to our story. And now, well now was getting hot, the kind where simple stretching made you sweat as if you’d run a few miles. I started heading towards the cave, I could already hear voices, could discern the happiness, the thankfulness in them. I let my hand run over the nape of my neck. I had been with this group for over a year, had joined it/formed it a little since the outbreak had started. They were good people, people who I called my family now, yet they didn’t even know my real name, which was assuredly not Jun. It was Emily, Jun was a name I had snatched out of air when the whole thing had started. It seemed easier, safer to pretend to be someone else. I had also picked Jun because others were more apt to accept it over say, Amanda or Kirsten, racist though it might be. I was half Japanese, father’s side and half Irish/Italian on my mother’s, which left me at 5’3”, pale skin, a mass of dark brown hair and an ‘exotic’ flair to my eyes, which many would say were “almond” shaped, which whenever I came upon that sort of description of Asians in any books, or movies made me cross mine, yet there it was, an identifiable mark of my heritage. That and I liked to talk with my hands, very expressive with them which is funnily enough true, so I guess that’s an Italian thing.
I picked my way carefully to the entrance which was guarded by a deep trench, the only way into that cave was over it, and the only way over was by bridge that only lowered for friends. As soon as I came across Leo was hoisting it up.
“Jun, you were gone for almost a day, we were worried.”
I smiled at Sarah, an older woman in her forties who was the ‘mother’ in our group, which was a small one. Sitting next to her was her nephew Joseph, and his friend Millie, both of whom were only 8. I often felt sad for them, Millie was truly left without her family, Joseph had his Aunt who had been watching him and Millie when the world went to hell. I sat down by the mouth, enjoying the last rays of light as I looked at my new family. Off to the side was Ben, an older man in his fifties, he didn’t talk much but when he did there was always something smart that came out of his mouth, he had been very helpful in the group, if not amiable. Sitting next to Sarah was Lily, a pretty young girl who was pregnant, soon to give birth any day, her boyfriend she had had lost not too long ago. Everybody knew it was going to be challenging to have a baby, it would be noisy, definitely attract walkers that were around, and would be totally reliant on it’s mother for a while, who would mostly be reliant upon the group, yet nobody thought of turning her out, or telling her to leave the baby or leave the group. To some it would say dumb, to let such a risk be present, yet I always felt like that was one of the reasons’ I was in this group. We all loved each other, and we were not going to turn, to harm others in a senseless and brutal fashion. Oh we’d fought, some things could be nastier than the zombs, but we were not heartless or cruel and that’s why I was here. Finally came Leo, the only other member at the moment who was young and fit and who could also do runs, but we liked to keep one at base while the other went out, just in case. Leo was a sweet football player from Kentucky with deep brown skin and the most beautiful smile. His team had been out, celebrating their victory when things went south. As for me, well my family lived in the Pacific Northwest. We were part of the majority of the state, we were green, we recycled, ate organic and composted. We were also liberal and felt like everyone had rights, most of my background, family life produced what I am today, probably one of the reasons I wouldn’t feel right turning Lily out.
There was moaning coming from outside the cave and Leo and I looked at each other and then cautiously went forth, we didn’t step fully outside, just on the edge as we watched a small group of walkers meander past. Some looked fresh, others had more bone than flesh showing, a testament to their ghastly fortitude. I wondered how long it took the brain to rot, how long it would take for them to just stop moving. One of them broke from the pack, making its way towards our home, it got to the lip of the pit and silently fell in. I turned back and went into the cave, Leo a step behind.
******
“Jun!”
I ran into my friend, Leo, smiles on both of our faces, an even bigger one on his as he opened the bag. He riffled through it all.
“J this is great. But I was so worried about you.”
He exclaimed, handing me a cup with water. I shrugged.
“We needed it.”
He clapped my shoulder and walked back towards the cave where our group called home. I looked around the forest we currently resided in, we’d been here for a while. At least two seasons, I remember coming here when the temperatures were so cold… We’d lost a few of us to the merciless icy weather, then the world started to come alive again, soft greens and bright pastels making quite the contradictory setting to our story. And now, well now was getting hot, the kind where simple stretching made you sweat as if you’d run a few miles. I started heading towards the cave, I could already hear voices, could discern the happiness, the thankfulness in them. I let my hand run over the nape of my neck. I had been with this group for over a year, had joined it/formed it a little since the outbreak had started. They were good people, people who I called my family now, yet they didn’t even know my real name, which was assuredly not Jun. It was Emily, Jun was a name I had snatched out of air when the whole thing had started. It seemed easier, safer to pretend to be someone else. I had also picked Jun because others were more apt to accept it over say, Amanda or Kirsten, racist though it might be. I was half Japanese, father’s side and half Irish/Italian on my mother’s, which left me at 5’3”, pale skin, a mass of dark brown hair and an ‘exotic’ flair to my eyes, which many would say were “almond” shaped, which whenever I came upon that sort of description of Asians in any books, or movies made me cross mine, yet there it was, an identifiable mark of my heritage. That and I liked to talk with my hands, very expressive with them which is funnily enough true, so I guess that’s an Italian thing.
I picked my way carefully to the entrance which was guarded by a deep trench, the only way into that cave was over it, and the only way over was by bridge that only lowered for friends. As soon as I came across Leo was hoisting it up.
“Jun, you were gone for almost a day, we were worried.”
I smiled at Sarah, an older woman in her forties who was the ‘mother’ in our group, which was a small one. Sitting next to her was her nephew Joseph, and his friend Millie, both of whom were only 8. I often felt sad for them, Millie was truly left without her family, Joseph had his Aunt who had been watching him and Millie when the world went to hell. I sat down by the mouth, enjoying the last rays of light as I looked at my new family. Off to the side was Ben, an older man in his fifties, he didn’t talk much but when he did there was always something smart that came out of his mouth, he had been very helpful in the group, if not amiable. Sitting next to Sarah was Lily, a pretty young girl who was pregnant, soon to give birth any day, her boyfriend she had had lost not too long ago. Everybody knew it was going to be challenging to have a baby, it would be noisy, definitely attract walkers that were around, and would be totally reliant on it’s mother for a while, who would mostly be reliant upon the group, yet nobody thought of turning her out, or telling her to leave the baby or leave the group. To some it would say dumb, to let such a risk be present, yet I always felt like that was one of the reasons’ I was in this group. We all loved each other, and we were not going to turn, to harm others in a senseless and brutal fashion. Oh we’d fought, some things could be nastier than the zombs, but we were not heartless or cruel and that’s why I was here. Finally came Leo, the only other member at the moment who was young and fit and who could also do runs, but we liked to keep one at base while the other went out, just in case. Leo was a sweet football player from Kentucky with deep brown skin and the most beautiful smile. His team had been out, celebrating their victory when things went south. As for me, well my family lived in the Pacific Northwest. We were part of the majority of the state, we were green, we recycled, ate organic and composted. We were also liberal and felt like everyone had rights, most of my background, family life produced what I am today, probably one of the reasons I wouldn’t feel right turning Lily out.
There was moaning coming from outside the cave and Leo and I looked at each other and then cautiously went forth, we didn’t step fully outside, just on the edge as we watched a small group of walkers meander past. Some looked fresh, others had more bone than flesh showing, a testament to their ghastly fortitude. I wondered how long it took the brain to rot, how long it would take for them to just stop moving. One of them broke from the pack, making its way towards our home, it got to the lip of the pit and silently fell in. I turned back and went into the cave, Leo a step behind.