High School of the Dead

So in all my infinite wisdom I have managed somehow to scratch my cornea (underneath the eyelid even; my ability to hurt myself is amazing) and am currently experiencing the most intense and uncomfortable pain in my life so far.

Oh yes. The burning hell of a billion suns chewing on my right eyeball. It sucks. A lot. And I am just praying the Vicodin will kick in ASAP so I can mercifully pass out.

Anyway long story short, I can't be on here much. One, I'll be loopy and not responsible for what I say, or two I will be in pain and whining about it. So...
The doctor said 4 days is normal for an eyeball to heal, hopefully (pending a few check-ups).

Until then my awesome fellow authors and/or readers, updates are postponed. I'm sorry about that but really until I learn to not maim myself in these impossible ways, it's just gonna be like this I guess. 

 

 it hurt bad didn't it?!

 I grossed some people out on pal by showing them   but in all seriousness it's getting better. Final check up tomorrow and I'll get back to writing

 I was supposed to rest but I think I've been on PIMD even more since I'm not allowed to drive or work or do much of anything

 

Luckily no eyepatch for me  but... I kinda want one  just to be a pirate for a while.

 

 So here we go. Dum de dum...

Raven looked in disgust as Mackie devoured his food. She found herself horrifically intrigued by where he was stuffing all of it. He at last shoved the bowl away and caught eyes with Danny. The larger man looked at him and grinned.

“What did'ya get yourself into Mackie?” drawled Danny, throwing his heavy booted legs upon the table. His eyes drifted over the leaner man's broken nose and the caked blood over his chin.

Mackie wiped his mouth and cringed as he tenderly felt his bitten tongue. He seemed embarrassed with Raven watching him. “Let's go out for a smoke,” he said casually.

Danny stood slowly, taking his time. He opened the door and watched as Mackie slunk outside. He shot a look at Raven that seemed to say that she'd be better off staying where she was, and followed Mackie outside. Raven sat at the table quietly, watching as the door shut with a click. Then she scrambled to the door and put her ear up against it.

The door was thick old wood, and she couldn't hear very well, especially since the two men were talking quietly. She heard them talking in low voices but it was muffled. She hurried to the small window by the kitchen and leaned over the sink, wrestling with the latch. At last it clicked open and she grunted as she had to use her full weight to lift the heavy rusted window. The window started sliding down as she let go and she realized that she had to hold it open herself.

Voices drifted to her ears from around the corner in the front. She heard a lighter being snapped shut and a long exhale after a pause. As of yet it seemed like neither of the men had spoken about anything important. She cursed softly as her free hand hit a tin cup in her awkward positioning up on the sink, but the noise didn't seem to alert the men outside.

“So let's cut the crap Mackie, what's going on?” Danny said, his voice more serious now than Raven had heard so far.

Raven heard the scuffling of shoes on the porch before Mackie responded. “Some guy saying he was the sheriff was around a nest of them I had found earlier. Took him back to my place with his daughter. Then he beat the snot out of me. Some stragglers of the nest came in and I got the heck out of there...”

Raven felt her arm slipping but didn't care as her jaw dropped open. Her arm slipped and the window slammed shut. The sudden imbalance made her slip into the sink. She quickly extricated herself and jumped off down the counter just as the door swung open. Danny stood there, glaring at her. She stared back it him with her own glare, and turned away. Mackie sniffed from where he stood behind Danny.

“So,” Danny said charmingly as he walked in, leaving Mackie to catch the door. “This is an odd little group isn't it?”

Raven relaxed a little and pushed away from the counter. Danny led Mackie to the small living space and sat him down. The next few minutes consisted of Mackie swearing loudly as Danny poked at his face. The bed creaked as Raven sat on it, watching Danny work. Danny had his fingers on either side of the bridge of Mackie's nose, and with a sharp pull he snapped it back into place. Mackie howled in pain.

Danny stood and went to the icebox, tossing a package to Mackie. Mackie caught it awkwardly, and looked down, noting that it was a wrapped slab of meat. He slapped it on his eye and visibly shuddered as he did so. Raven found herself looking at Danny's shoulders as he stood in the kitchen. Perhaps she was woozy from the head injury but for a moment it almost looked as if his silhouette melded into that of James.

James was in the kitchen, his broad shoulders working as he prepared breakfast. Her eyes trailed down the strong back and she smiled as she thought of herself in the morning in their kitchen in Holly Glen. Her in her white robe as the sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window. Her arms winding around his back, his bare skin pressed up against her chest.

He turned then, and Raven had a nasty shock as she saw ice blue eyes staring at her. Raven shook her head to clear her thoughts. Danny continued moving around the kitchen, oblivious to her confused stares. Raven sighed and laid back on the bed. Despite the heavy curtains, she could see the light pouring in through the windows.

Mackie was watching Raven as well, his good eye roaming over her slender frame. Despite the color in her hair, her deep tan and Danny's rustic clothes, she looked very familiar. She sighed, the shirt sliding open over her chest. Her arm was slung over her eyes, her breathing slowing as she started to drift into sleep.

She looked good, really good. Even though he could now see in her stillness the bags under her eyes underneath the makeup. He could see her age in the lines of her face, but the bones were beautiful. He knew that she must have been a very good looking woman when she was younger to retain her beauty now. She shifted again and he saw the hint of her bosom.

Danny walked up behind him and smacked him across the back. “Taking a good look?” he said with a smirk.

Mackie looked up at him with a glare. Danny nodded towards the kitchen and they made their way to it. Cracking two beers, he handed one to Mackie and leaned against the counter top. Mackie smelled the beer in the bottle before taking a cautious swig.

“She looks so...” Mackie began before trailing off.

Danny took a drink himself and grinned. Mackie looked at him suspiciously. “Familiar, Mackie? Is that what you're thinking?”

Mackie narrowed his eyes and looked at the dozing woman. “Yeah. Something like that.”

“Her name is Raven,” Danny said, enjoying the recognition crossing Mackie's shocked face.

“His ex-wife?” Mackie gasped, slamming the beer on the counter. Danny's eyes shot to Raven, but she hadn't stirred. “Didn't she run off with the young city guy?”

Danny chuckled a little and nodded before tilting the bottle back and drinking deeply. “Now she's back. Who knows why? Funny that you run into her ex-husband in the same area, yeah?”

Mackie clasped his hands around the bottle and nervously drummed his fingers on it. “Danny boy, I don't know how much longer we can stay around here. It isn't safe. You still got your car?”

Danny looked curiously at Mackie before nodding. “There ain't nowhere to go though Mackie. Besides all that, what are you planning to do with the woman? Leave her here?”

Mackie cursed and began pacing. “We gotta go back. Get that sheriff. He knows something, he had some kind of military grade cuffs on. If he's still alive, we gotta go back and get him. I can't take him on by myself like this, but if you go-”

Danny held up a hand to stop Mackie. “If he's alive. If he'll talk to us. You're saying we are going to go into that mess to get them?”

Mackie looked up, his eyes hard. “He's a cop, he's got something to do with this military nonsense. If we save him, we get some answers. If he's useless, then we kill him.”

Danny frowned. “Didn't you say he had a kid?”

Mackie was silent. From the other side of the room, Raven's gray eyes snapped open. This was an opportunity she couldn't let pass up.