Chapter 23 (The Split Part 3)

Chapter 23: The Split Part 3

Aiden Palton

December, 2023

19 months after outbreak

Nevada

Season 2

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Rudi's sick with some sort of disease, but we didn't know what. On top of the fever, he was worried sick about his kids, and I didn't know how to help. I tried my best to comfort him and reassure him that everything would be okay, but deep down, I felt helpless too. It was a difficult situation for both of us.

We had hardly any medicine and not enough water either. I wasn't ready for him to die.

He slept most of the day inside a dusty cabin that we found, but he woke up every time after about ten minutes from nightmares about Aaron.

I wanted to tell him how I felt. I wanted him to know why Edin broke up with me. But I couldn't, not now. He was going through too much as it was.

"It's cold in here," he shivered.

"I could light the fireplace. There's no wood, but I could go get some somehow," I offered.

"No, just come here," he said as he moved the blankets aside. This felt wrong, but I did it anyway. I joined him under the covers, and he put his body on mine. He cried softly into my chest. As he cried, I held him tightly, feeling the weight of his pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said through the tears. I didn't say anything. I didn't want to make it worse. I simply continued to hold him, providing the silent support that he seemed to need in that moment. The room grew quieter as his sobs subsided, and we remained wrapped in each other's embrace, finding solace in the warmth we created together.

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The next day, I heard someone open the door of the cabin. I threw Rudolph off of me, and he woke up in a panic. I found my knife and immediately went to confront the intruders.

"Goddamn! You should warn a man before charging at him with a sharp object!" the man yelled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked quickly.

"But then again, I guess it would destroy the whole purpose of being intimidating," he continued on, ignoring my question.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, who's threatening who? If anything, you should be telling me who you are," he said, crossing his arms. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond to his defensiveness. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you broke into my house, and that's not something I take lightly," I said firmly. "Now, either you start explaining yourself or I'll kill you."

"Marcus?" Rudi asked softly as he slowly made his way into the living room. Rudi's voice broke the tension in the room, causing both of us to turn towards him. His eyes widened as he recognized the man standing before us. "Is that really you?" Rudi asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Rudolph? Wow, you look like shit," he said as he walked forward in an attempt to hug Rudi. I stopped him and held the knife to his throat.

"Aiden, it's okay. He's a friend."

"Yeah, Aiden, step aside," he said with a smug smile. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to trust Rudi's words. However, seeing the genuine relief on Rudi's face, I reluctantly lowered the knife and stepped aside.

"It's good to see you again, man," he said as they hugged. I just stood there silently with confusion plastered on my face.

"You too. Aiden, this is Marcus. Connor's twin brother."

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Marcus gave Rudi some medicine from his huge purple backpack. I already didn't like this guy, and I knew why, but it was hard for me to admit it.

"So he gave his life for you guys?" Marcus confirmed. He didn't look sad. He probably knew his brother was dead by now.

"Yeah, we wouldn't be here without him," Rudi said with a warm smile.

The only good thing that came with this man was the fact that he brought food, wood for the fire, clean clothes, and his medications. If it weren't for that, I probably would have killed him by now.

We needed to find the others. We were lucky we ran into this man; it could have been someone a lot worse. Rudi had to find Juna and Airi. I had to be the one to make sure he got to them.