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Innocence Lost
Todd and Jacob met in the most unconventional way; both were smashing the heads of walkers that converged around them. They had each taken refuge in an abandoned mall along with a larger group of survivors and they were able to live for a few weeks off the supplies and company. But all good things must come to an end as one night the mall’s glass floor to ceiling windows could no longer hold back the tide.
A flood of walkers flowed inside and crashed against their makeshift barriers like water on rock. The group was soon overcome and one by one they fell. By the end all that was left was Todd and Jacob who before this hardly even spoke to each other. They now stood back to back while Todd clubbed the last walker.
“I…I think that’s all of them.” Todd exclaimed utterly exhausted, his breath coming in spurts.
“Shit, shit, shit. They’re dead…they’re all dead.” Jacob said bent over letting his meager lunch expel from his stomach.
“We gotta go; it’s not safe here anymore.” Todd grabbed what he could from the fallen and started to head for an exit. He knew he couldn’t let them get surrounded again. The only way they survived was due to the sacrifice of the others. Two men could not hold back a major herd like that alone.
“Where are we gonna go? There’s nothing, man.” Jacob was still trying to catch his breath. He was only 24 years old and worked at a pizza shop before the world ended. He had seen too many lazy days on a couch with a video game controller in his hands instead of being active.
“I don’t know, but we need to find a safe place. We can’t be out on the road after dark.” Todd looked up and down the empty road as if waiting for a sign. After picking a random direction, they walked the road for hours all the while Jacob complaining about his feet. Todd thought back to his life before, where his only compliant was working too many hours on his landscaping business and not giving enough time to his girlfriend Amanda. She left him shortly before the world went to shit and he didn’t know what became of her.
Looking ahead, Todd saw a shape on the horizon. “Move!” He said in an urgent whisper. The two rushed off the road and hid in the brush. They had learned to take precautions with both the dead and the living.
The figure got closer and Todd could see it was that of a little girl. She wore dirty denim pants and a t-shirt that used to be pink with a red hooded sweatshirt that was many sizes too big; it almost swallowed her. Her face was muddy and her hair matted with a blank stare.
“Hey, little girl, are you okay?” Todd ventured out.
“I…I…lost my mommy. Can you help me find her?” Her voice was small and unsure. Todd guested she was about 11 or 12 years old. Todd had never had children but hoped one day to be a father, he couldn’t just leave this girl alone on the side of the road.
“Come on man. She’s not our problem.” Jacob spoke behind him.
“What? She’s just a little girl.”
“She’s not your little girl besides we don’t have enough food and water for her and us. I’m sorry, but kids have no place in this world anymore. They’re better off dead.” Jacob went to walk past her.
“You’re an asshole, Jacob. It’s not her fault that she can’t defend herself; it’s not her fault the world went to shit. You won’t even attempt to help her? Bastard!” Todd shouted knowing he shouldn’t, he didn’t want to attract walkers but the callousness of Jacob’s remark was shocking.
“Whatever dude. Look, she’s your responsibility then, I don’t even like kids.” Jacob continued down the road, not looking back to see if Todd would follow.
“What’s your name, hon?” Todd kneeled down and pulled her jacket closed against the evening chill.
“Becca.” Her voice sounded more distant.
“Becca, what a pretty name. Becca, you can come with us. We’ll take you someplace safe and maybe we can help you find your mommy but you do know there’s a good chance that your mommy…that your mom….” Todd couldn’t even bring himself to say the obvious. It was most likely that Becca’s mom was dead or worse, a walker.
“I know…it’s just…I’ve been alone so long. I need…I need help.” She began to cry.
“I can help you Becca. My name’s Todd.” He smiled but never saw the small sharp knife slice its way from left to right across his throat. Todd didn’t feel pain in his neck but he couldn’t breathe and his vision began to darken. Becca’s blurry face went from crying to smiling as she held up the bloody knife as a taunt. Todd’s body fell with a sickening wet thud.
“You can help. I just need your stuff, I don’t need you.” Becca whispered. “I don’t need anyone.” She looked up at Jacob’s retreating back. He didn’t see what she’d done and didn’t know what to expect as Becca walked up behind him. She needed his bag too.
Becca relished at the power she had. She wasn’t an adult so she wasn’t strong and smart but she was innocent; at least that’s what the adults think. She lets them think that. She’s found a way to survive in this cruel dark world by being cruel and dark herself.
