Survivors of the Z’s- Teddy Baker, A Waterfall, Outside Wales, UK 

PAST-

We were seated

The atmosphere was peaceful

Nothing but the air

The trees 

The grass 

The touch of skin from the people I loved

All of them sat beside me as we Looked and felt the waterfall we gazed at.

It exhaled in happiness and we inhaled it in.

It took away everything that was happening around us. It took away everything that had happened…

To us

Nothing at that moment mattered more than where we were and who that was around us…

I was in my element 

At peace

   “Dad,” said Jack

   “Yeah,” I turned to him

   “Can we stay here?” He asked

   “We can, but soon we will have to go,” I told

I looked over at Lianne who layed beside me, asleep. Elijah sat next to her. The big guy stared at the waterfall also.

He to

Looked like everything had been stripped away.

All the lows

Now gone

   “I want to stay here?” Jack told, “I feel like… everything feels fine and everythings normal again”

   “Me too,” Elijah told, “Just a few seconds, I thought I heard my mum’s voice in there… she told me she was fine and… I did the right thing”

   “Its good that you hear that, it will go a long way,” I looked over at him, “hey…” I said, he looked over, “don’t ever think differently, you’re still here, what you did, will never be undone, what you do now, with us… is what counts”

   He nodded, “I know,” he said, “thank you, its just that…” he continued, “if I could turn back”-

   “Elijah, Listen to me,” I told, “you won’t and you can’t, two very powerful things, so why wish, when wishes… will never come true”

He nodded again and looked at the waterfall once more. I gazed at it also and listened to everything. I heard voices to. 

BUT…

Mine weren’t like theres

The voices I heard were from the victims of my bloody past

My bloody hands

My bloody hands that were now dripping blood once again.

I looked at them and frowned and listened to the voices that kicked and punched my mind.

   “YOU WILL DIE, YOU WILL DIE, YOU WILL DIE A PAINFUL DEATH AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER MISS YOU”  

All the voices

Howling their wishes into my ears

All wanting my head on a stick for the world to see. 

And then…

A grin appeared

A sadistic grin shone through it all.

I. WAS NOT…

SCARED

As I looked at my bloody hands.

And then I blinked.

And the illusion was gone.

   “Dad?” I heard

   I looked over at Jack, “yeah”

    “Are you alright?” 

   I smiled, “nothing can be better”

I was right 

Nothing could’ve been better

Nothing could be greater than the sounds of the waterfall and the freah air that came with it. I breathed it in and it was like an army of good spirits eliminated my enemies 

one…

By one

   “I’m hungry dad,” said Jack

   “Me to,” told Elijah, winking

I expected Lianne to say something but she didn’t. She was still buried in her dreams.

Floating in the clouds.

I hoped her dreams had guided her away somewhere nice.

   “I’ll go see what we’ve got in the car,” I said

I gently got up, moved away slowly from my sleeping angel and took a stroll back to the car.

   “Behave you guys,” I said

   “We will,” Jack said

The car 

Thankfully

Wasn’t that far away.

   

A moment later I thought I saw a figure to my left and quickly turned my gaze to it, I thought, maybe it was one of them, but something inside of me suggested it wasn’t

   “Just when I thought we were out the way,” I said, “how stupid of me”

I kept my eyes pealed, carried on walking toward the car, but quickened the pace 

Because

If it wasn’t the diseased

It would’ve been somebody else

And that

In this world

Terrified me even more

   I reached the car and quickly grabbed a gun.

   “I need to get back,” I said

   “Why?” Somebody suddenly spoke, “whats the rush?”

I looked around and saw a woman standing there with a gun pointing at me.

   “Drop the gun,” she demanded and I did, “give me everything,” she told, holding her rucksack in her hand, open, “what ever you have in there, I want it,” 

   I smiled at her, my other side seeping in, “You’re not having anything from me,” I told

   She looked on, shocked at the answer, “I will shoot, I will fucking shoot”

   “Go on then…” I walked closer, “shoot”

She was about to and then

   “Daddy?” I heard

Lianne had walked up with Elijah and Jack. The woman quickly turned around with the gun.

   “No!” I shouted

I ran to her and tackled her to the ground. I was on top of her now. I grabbed the gun off of her

Stood up

And looked down on her angrily with the gun pointing at her.

   She began to cry “please,” she begged, “I am so hungry, so so hungry”

   I went to shoot, until I heard, “daddy!”

It was Lianne, “don’t!” She told, “don’t kill her!”

I looked and saw her standing there. Elijah looked on concerned and Jack looked on

His gaze

Wasn’t liķe Lianne’s face or Eliajah’s. 

He wanted me to kill her

I could see it in his eyes

   “Please daddy no,” Lianne begged

   I looked down at her again and I struggled with the decision, until, “get up,” she stayed on the ground, “get up!”

She quickly rose to her feet 

   I breathed heavily, anger fueling each breath, “wait here,” I told, “one move and I’ll kill you”

   I walked back to the car and pulled out some tinned food for her, “here,” I said, “take it,” she took it, “now go, get out of here”

   “Can I have my gun”

   “Elijah,” I said, “if she raises her gun a lil… shoot her”

I threw her gun to her side. She picked it up and looked at me and nodded, with a tear.

   “Thank you,” she said

She placed the tins in her bag and walked away. I kept my eyes on her and so did Elijah.

   “What if she comes back?” Jack asked

   “She won’t,” I told

   “I’m glad you didn’t shoot her daddy,” Lianne said

   I smiled at her, “you can bring out the good in anybody,” I picked her up, “you’re my lil star”

We gathered food from the car and strolled back to the waterfall.
   

Filed under: Season Three