PRIME by Samantha Boyette

Medical Base

    Simon sat in the empty library, reading in the dying light of the setting sun. He found ‘Lord of the Flies’ with only a little effort, read the back, and then sat to skim through the book. By the time he was halfway through he had begun to actually read and was quickly sucked into the book. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and the nonstop reading, but he continued on. He was thrilled by the story and terrified that they would become like the boys in it.
    He shifted in the overstuffed armchair. He was near the end and thought he’d finish before the sun disappeared completely. Of course, he could turn on the lights, but it wouldn’t be the same, not to mention it was one more set of lights sucking juice out of the battery banks. He could still turn them on though, and daily he thanked God for the solar panels.
    He was so engrossed he didn’t notice Dodge until he sank into the chair beside him. He smiled slightly when Simon jumped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
    “No, it’s fine.” Simon rubbed at his eyes under his glasses. They felt hot from staring at the book.
    “What are you reading?” Dodge asked and Simon tipped the book so Dodge could see the cover. Simon blushed slightly, but Dodge smiled wide. “Ah, a classic.”
    “I don’t think I ever heard of it, you know, before everything,” Simon explained. “I wanted to know what you were talking about.”
    “You’re a smart kid,” Dodge said. “Tech and Zeke weren’t lying about that. So, do you think we’re like those guys in the book?”
    Simon thought about it a moment, though in truth he already knew his answer. “No. Maybe a few of us are. I think we could have become them, but you pulled us back from that.”
    “That’s a whole load of confidence to drop on me.” Dodge brushed a hand over his hair. “Just remember, kid, we’re all the same. Ain’t none of us any better than the others, and we’re in this together.”
    “I know that.” Simon nodded.
    “Wanna come with me then?” Dodge stood. He still wore his clothes from the service. They were a rumpled mess.
    “Where are you going?” Simon looked up at him, unwilling to set aside the book.
    “Got some things to discuss and plans to make, you know.” Dodge shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I thought you wanted to be a part of it all, didn’t you?”
    “Are you sure?” Simon looked down at the book. “I don’t want to mess anything up.”
    “What are you talking about?” Dodge frowned down at Simon.
    “You said before that I wasn’t big enough to help,” Simon said, squeezing each word out. “I guess after what happened with Noah, I kinda agree with you.”
    “Simon,” Dodge said. Simon lifted his head to look at him. Dodge crossed his arms and sighed. “I pushed Noah. I made that mistake. You never would have done that.”
    Simon shrugged. “I just don’t want to be in the way.”
    “You’re not in the way.” A half-smile formed on Dodge’s lips. “You’re one of the bravest scrabs I got on my side. Twice now I’ve watched you stand up to Matt, and I like that. I don’t know where this insecurity is coming from, but I need you to shove it out your ass and come with me. Okay?”
    Simon hesitated only a moment. “Okay.” Simon stood, dropping the book on the chair. If Dodge had that much faith in him, then he would do his best to be worthy.
    Dodge led the way back through the library and out into the hall. From there they moved to the front door, shoving out into the early twilight. The evening was crisper than Simon expected. He shivered in his long sleeved t-shirt. It was strange to be out after dark for the first time since it all began. The base felt bigger and emptier than before. The wind seemed to move differently than it did during the day, and the stars above seemed to go on forever. Simon had forgotten how small he felt when he looked at them.
    Outside the walls he could hear the shuffling of the zombies.