Free The Dead in River City by S.A. McGarey

lives. There was no more
fitting place for it than here.
    “Kendra, I… I’m so sorry.” Alan offered his
condolences.
    “It’s fine. I survived.” She replied, with a small
tear rolling down her face.
    “I know.” He said. “But you deserve so much better.”
    “No I don’t. I deserve nothing. I’m nothing. Life
has made me nothing.” Kendra said solemnly.
    “You’re not nothing, Kendra. You are worth so much.”
Alan replied. “You saved me, you teamed up with me to survive. You survived a
really crappy life that most people would have given up on. I don’t think that
you’re nothing. I think you’re strong.”
    As the words entered Kendra’s ear, more tears began
to roll. She’d not felt like she was worth anything for a very long time, if
indeed she did at all. And all of a sudden, in the middle of the end of the
world, this survivor, whom she once found annoying, showed much care for her.
She laid her head on him, and tried to process this feeling of being cared for.
She closed her eyes, and just a moment or two later, she felt the feeling of
lips pressed to her forehead.
    Her eyes darted open to see Alan, gently kissing her
forehead in the most comforting way. She felt warm inside. She felt what it was
like to be really cared for, even though she had no clue why he would care
about her.
    “It’s ok.” Alan reassured her
    “Wrong spot.” Kendra quietly replied.
    “What? What do you mean?” He asked, very confused as
to what she meant.
    “You kissed me in the wrong spot.” Kendra replied,
unable to help herself any longer.
    Before he could react, Alan felt Kendra’s lips press
against his. “ Ohh, that’s what she
meant.” He thought to himself.
    There, leaning up against the wall of the dark 2 nd floor of the library, Alan and Kendra shared a kiss.

11
    Alan pulled away after a few seconds. He certainly
enjoyed the kiss, but he was unsure whether or not it should have happened.
Alan didn’t feel fully right about it, especially after that story she told
him. Even though she initiated it, he felt invasive.
    Alan spoke. “What was that for?”
    “I… I wanted to.” Kendra replied.
    Alan didn’t understand. Why would she want to kiss
him? They were in the middle of a zombie siege, he was just some guy, and she
had a background that would make anyone else cold, distant, and unfeeling. This
didn’t make sense to him.
    “Why, though? I don’t get it.” Alan asked her.
    Kendra hid her face. “It seemed right.” Her muffled
voice sounded out.
    “Really?” Alan questioned her.
    “Yes.” Her voice still slightly muffled as she began
to reveal her face again. “You comfort me. You make me feel safe.”
    Alan still didn’t quite get it. Kendra was never
this way before. He’d noticed that she was becoming more responsive and open
with him, but he never dreamed that this would happen. In truth, he liked her,
and honestly didn’t mind the kiss so much. It just worried him now that he knew
her story. He felt like anything he did could be misconstrued. It was like
walking on eggshells, even though he had very little reason to.
    Kendra was embarrassed. She thought that Alan wasn’t
happy about the kiss. Her thoughts began racing, telling her that she was
stupid to do it. Alan sensed that something was wrong and instinctively held
her, trying to comfort her.
    “It wasn’t bad.” Alan whispered with a smile.
    Kendra looked up, with small tears beginning to
form. “Really?”
    “Yes, really.”
    “But why?” She replied.
    “We can talk about it later.” Alan said quietly.
    Kendra nodded, and just as they put the conversation
on hold, they both heard a noise from the outside. It was oddly familiar, and
very vague. A few moments later, when they heard the voice, they realized it
was the sound of a megaphone.
    “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Malcolm’s
voice sounded in an eerie singsong voice.
    Alan stood, motioning to Kendra to stay down for the
moment. Covertly