Nathan Jones - Determination

Once the man finished Lewis looked around reluctantly. “Has anyone told Alvin?”

Chauncey shook his head. “Catherine’s agreed to go inform the families of the other four volunteers,” he said quietly. “But we figured since Alvin’s part of your group, and you insisted on returning to the refuge…”

“Right.” Lewis nodded, sighing. “I’ll go talk to him.” In many ways Alvin was practically family. He deserved to have the news delivered as gently as possible.

Lewis stood to leave, but paused to hug Edna and grip Wes and Chauncey’s shoulders. “Our prayers go with Rick,” he said quietly. They nodded their thanks, and Lewis turned and slipped out of the faint blue glow of the LEDs, heading in the direction of the shelter group’s section of camp.

Linda was keeping watch over their tents and supplies when he walked in, and he was greeted by a flashlight to the face. “Lewis? What are you doing here so late?” his cousin asked. He could hear a frown in her voice. “I thought you were living over by the canyon these days.” Her tone abruptly spiked in alarm. “Has something happened? Is Dad okay?”

“Uncle George is fine, and so is everyone else out with the defenders.” Lewis hesitated. “There’s bad news from Trev. I’ll tell you about it later.”

He started past her, but the brown-haired young woman caught his arm. “He’s okay, right?”

“He’s fine.” Lewis disentangled himself. “Later.” He could feel her eyes on his back as he made his way over to the tarp hung up against the tent housing Jane’s group. Beneath it Alvin’s sleeping bag was laid out, his friend asleep in it.

Lewis crouched over him, feeling a moment of anguish at how young Alvin looked. Too young to be an orphan. He hesitantly reached out and shook his shoulder. “Hey.”

Alvin started awake. “What? Lewis?”

“I’m here.” Lewis reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight, pressing it into his friend’s hand as he pushed his goggles up to his forehead. A moment later he was treated to another face full of blinding light.

His friend seemed to immediately realize why Lewis was there by the look on his face. “No,” he said, dropping the flashlight and starting to scramble out of his bag.

Lewis backed away slightly to give him room. “I’m sorry, Alvin. Just before nightfall Trev’s squad ambushed a blockhead patrol, and your dad—”

“No!” The young man bolted out the back of his crude lean-to and disappeared barefoot into the woods, the word a drawn out cry of grief.

He was slow to push to his feet, staring after his friend. Did he follow him? Leave him to his grief? He could understand Alvin wanting to be alone, but it didn’t feel right to let him sit out there in the darkness hurting like that.

With a sigh Lewis crouched to retrieve his flashlight, then started in the direction Alvin had gone. He figured the light was a good compromise, giving the young man plenty of time to see him coming and avoid him if he really wanted to.

It turned out Alvin didn’t. Lewis went less than twenty feet before he found his friend sprawled beneath a tree, wiping at a bloody scratch on his cheek. Or maybe at the tears that flowed freely from his eyes. He quietly stepped over to sit close by, then flicked off the flashlight and waited silently.

“I wanted to go with him,” the young man finally said in a small voice. “It’s just the two of us, we’re all each other has. I didn’t want to let him go off on his own when I could help him. I mean he wouldn’t let me go when you guys attacked the raider camps, and he nearly got blown up. He should’ve let me go this time. Maybe if I’d been there…”

Lewis couldn’t think of anything to say that didn’t sound asinine. “He wanted you to be safe,” he finally tried.

Alvin laughed, or maybe sobbed, but didn’t answer. Another silence fell, once that stretched for long minutes.

Finally Lewis reluctantly pushed to his feet and dropped his goggles back over his eyes. “I need to get back,” he said regretfully. “If there’s anything I can do for you, Alvin, let me know.”

“There is,” the young man said, gingerly standing as well because of his bare feet. “I want to go with you. Be one of your volunteers fighting the blockheads.”

Lewis winced. “You know I can’t say yes to that.”

Alvin did his best, but he looked more sullen than defiant. “Why not?”

“For the same reason I couldn’t before, you’re too young. Besides, you just lost your dad. I’m afraid you might not be in the best mental state.”

“BS. Pete and Alice are only a few months older than me, and both lost their parents. Pete fought the raiders right after losing his dad.”

It was hard to argue the first point. As for the second… “You know Matt reassigned Pete to camp because he was losing it.” Alvin’s determined look turned miserable, and Lewis sighed. He really didn’t want to leave his friend alone out here. “I’ll tell you what. The defenders do need more people. We’re running ourselves ragged keeping up on sentries and patrols, and volunteers are few and far between.”

Alvin brightened. “Really?”

“You won’t be doing anything dangerous,” Lewis warned. “At least not unless things go seriously south. But you can help out keeping watch on the enemy.”

He handed the young man his flashlight, and Alvin flicked it on and followed. With his friend close on his heels Lewis led the way down the slope towards their camp, so he could relay the night’s news to everyone else as well as so his friend could pack up his things. And get some shoes on.

“Lewis?” Alvin asked quietly after a few feet. “How-how did he die?”

Lewis slowed to let him catch up. “According to Trev, Alice got shot while everyone was making a last dash to safety. Your dad turned back to help her.”

“So he died a hero, right?”

Lewis put an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Absolutely,” he said quietly. “The same way he lived.”

The next morning Trev woke to the sound of familiar voices shouting.

Alice and Pete. After everything that had happened last night they were still doing this? Trev growled in annoyance and climbed over Matt, gritting his teeth as his bruised muscles rebelled. Ignoring the pain, he awkwardly unzipped the flap and stepped into his boots in a crouch at the doorway.

In spite of the noise Matt just mumbled something and rolled over, going back to sleep. Probably the more sensible choice.

The two squads had made a temporary campsite near the top of the south slope of the canyon, above where Davis had built his new camp. Last night Matt’s squad mates had brought their camping gear from the camp they’d set up farther south, in the area they’d been assigned to guard, so Trev’s squad would be able to sleep closer to Rick and Mason. They’d massively inconvenienced themselves to make that kind gesture, and Trev was grateful for their thoughtfulness.

Although he could’ve done without this. “Give it a rest, you two,” he snapped at the young couple, who were standing just outside camp, features washed pale in the predawn glow. Both turned to glare at him.

After a few brittle seconds Alice sniffed. “Whatever. I don’t have anything else to say anyway.” She turned towards the tent Scott had given up for her to share with Susan.

Pete stared after her, then turned to glare at Trev again. “You should’ve let me join your squad. I could’ve protected her and she wouldn’t be taking Rick’s side over me.”

What in the world was going on with those three? Trev resisted the urge to rub his forehead. “And that’s what matters right now, huh?” he asked.