Infection Z, Beswick, L. [best ereader for manga txt] 📗

Damon’s face and his eyes flicker to mine, I feel my face heat up from the confusing attention I’m receiving, everyone eyes dart to me and Damon in confusion, I look to Damon who is wearing as much of a fixated gaze as Colonel, silence hangs in the air until Damon speaks “dad?” he barely whispers out, the room is filled with shocked gasps and whispers, and I try to piece my confused thoughts together, my father I don’t remember but recognise has shown his face after so many years away from us, my uneasy feeling begins to make sense and I soon realise it’s just the start of the surprises to come.

Chapter 5

Once everyone in the room recovers from the shock of the new development that occurred mere minutes ago, Colonel sits down to dinner and Noah tries to ease the awkward tension slowly rising by each passing minute “so Colonel what happened on your travels?” he asks, I shoot him a look to tell him how ridiculous of a conversation starter that is, he just shrugs in response “lots of zombies but I got what I needed, we’ll be fine for a while now weapon wise" Colonel responds and silence fills the room again “where have you been all this time?” Damon asks sadness is clear in his eyes yet his body shows anger, “it’s a very long story son, shouldn’t we wait for a time without prying eyes?” Colonel suggests trying to avoid the uncomfortable situation, “I don’t care if everyone is listening I want to know why you left us, and why you never came back" Damon demands, Sam tries to calm him to no avail.

Colonel sighs and turns in his seat to face us, “I never wanted to leave you kids, you guys were my whole world, I struggled with a lot of problems, with drugs and alcohol and a lot of anger, your mother wanted to support me but I couldn’t bring her down like that any longer, I went to get help but when I was clean it was hard staying that way, my anger kept dragging me down" he explains.

“But that’s when someone told me to enlist in the army, it would teach me discipline and control, and honour, I went for as long as they would allow, it helped me stay clean and learn to tackle my anger, I felt like a better person from it" he smiles, “then why didn’t you come back?” Damon asks, “that’s what I wanted to do, I tried to track you guys down but you had moved and when I was able to contact your mother she wasn’t interested, she said you were all better off without me, I tried to fight for you, send you letters but she returned them to me, she wanted to shield you not willing to believe the angry alcoholic man she knew had changed".

“If you will let me, I want to be there for you now when I couldn’t in the past, and for your mother if she’ll let me, where is she?” he asks, the room goes silent once again as Damon isn’t willing to speak the truth just as much as I’m not, “she died" I whisper out, feeling a lump in my throat from finally saying the words out loud, “how?” Colonel whispers, “we were out getting supplies and zombies came out of nowhere, she sacrificed herself" Damon murmurs biting his lip to stop himself from crying, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t there to help you" Colonel says quietly looking sad, I sigh and step back from the table “I’m done, thanks for the meal Sarah” I say with a small smile and leave the table, I hear footsteps behind me, “April wait are you okay?” Noah asks concern in his brown eyes, “I’m fine” I shrug, “I know that's not true, if you’re sad you can say it" I roll my eyes and attempt to walk past, he grabs my wrist pulling me back “I’ve known grief, I’ve known that look where you’re breaking inside but you think no one will understand your pain, your sadness" I scoff, “I’m not sad!” I exclaim in annoyance.

“Then tell me what you’re feeling, you put on a plain face and act tough, but I know it’s just an act" my anger grows by the minute “you’re wrong! I’m angry, I’m really pissed off, pissed at my mum for leaving me for not fighting harder for her life, pissed at my brother for just leaving her and not trying to help her more, pissed at my best friend for choosing my brother over me, and pissed at my dad for never being here, and pissed that zombies have ruined everything!” I scream, Noah smiles “the anger is good, it means you’re feeling”.

“I like how anger makes me feel, I like the feeling of darkness, the feeling of zombies dying to my hand" Noah smiles back a wicked smile “there is an allure to darkness, I have that same allure to you" Noah says staring at me intently, as though I’m no longer in my own body I’m drawn to Noah in an unfamiliar way, his lips touch mine in a rough and exciting way, our lips lock together in hunger, yearning for his touch the way grass yearns for the rain on a hot day, he pulls away “let’s not put on a show” he laughs, “come with me” he smiles leading me up the long stairs.

Damon’s POV

After April’s abrupt exit the room is engulfed in a deafening silence, “I know I messed up by not trying harder to find you guys, but I hope now with time we can have a relationship” Colonel says, “I think me and April need a little time, you’ve burst in here telling us all these things that we don’t really know are true, we’re still coping with the loss of our mother