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Through the Eyes of the Governor

Chapter 35: Promises

Philip woke up the next morning and yawned drowsily. He got up and went into the living room, his eyes moving to his apartment door.
What the hell was that guy’s problem last night?
Just as he was about to go back to his room to put on his clothes and start the day, he heard a knock on the door. He sighed lightly before going to the door and opening it.
“Morning.” Nick told.
“Morning.” Philip told him, yawning again.
“Listen, um...maybe we should talk about what happened with Jack last night.”
“Alright...Just sit on the couch and give me a minute to get dressed.”
“Sure.” Nick came in and waited patiently for Philip, glancing around the apartment, smiling a bit. “Hm. Better than the one they gave me.” He thought to himself.
As soon as Philip got ready, he met Nick in the living room.
“So...about Jack.” Nick started.
Philip sighed. “I don’t know what his problem is. Maybe something went bad on their run or, hell, maybe he was always like this.” He stared out his window for a few moments...before looking back at Nick. “But the fact is, we can’t let him send us out there. Not now. Right now, it would be a death sentence.”
“Maybe we could talk to him. Maybe we can compromise with him somehow and defuse this whole thing. We don’t know exactly how long we’ll be here, so maybe that’s the best route to take.” Nick suggested.
“You sure about that, Nick? It’s just that with Carlos and Daniel here, maybe we don’t have to compromise. Maybe—”
“I’m sure, Philip.” Nick answered. “Besides, I think in the long run, it may make things easier for us. Who knows? Hopefully, by compromising, we can get along with these people and not be at each other’s throats constantly.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right. Preacherman’s always right.” Nick told him.
“Well, when the preacherman’s a smartass like you, it’s hard to believe that.”
“Hey, we’ve all got our quirks. Mine just being that I’m more awesome that way.” He said, proudly.
Philip gave him a half-smile and shook his head. “C’mon. Let’s go wake up Penny.”
Philip and Nick walked into Penny’s room and saw her sleeping, her sheets at scattered all over her bed in a mess.
Philip‘s smile faded a bit.
She’s still sleeping restlessly...but it seems to be getting a little better, at least.
Nick crouched down beside her bed and saw her face half-buried in the pillow.
He smiled a little and lightly poked her cheek with his finger. “Bloop.” He said.
She woke up groggily and looked at her friend before grinning a bit and squeezing his nose with her hand. “Bloop.” She moved her blankets off of her and stretched. “Good morning, guys.” She said, before sitting up, yawning.
“Morning, pumpkin.” Philip told her.
“Morning, munchkin.” Nick said to her.
“Breakfast will be ready in a little while.” Philip said.
“Okay. I’m gonna use the bathroom.” She replied.
“Alright then.”
She got up and walked to the bathroom, leaving Philip and Nick standing in her room.
Philip sat on her bed and looked around the room for a moment. His eyes settled on something resting on her pillow.
It was a little stuffed penguin.
Philip grabbed it and smiled. “Oh, man....Nick, you remember Mr. Penguin?”
“Oh, I LOVED Mr.Penguin.” He laughed.
“Hmm.” Philip looked at the little penguin in his hands. “Guess Penny did too. I remember she used to sleep with him EVERY NIGHT. She even had little conversations with him and asked me questions through him sometimes.” He smiled again.
“Yeah, I remember that.” Nick grinned.
Suddenly...Philip’s smile turned into light chuckles...and then into laughter.
“What?” Nick asked, now laughing a bit too.
“Oh…” He laughed a bit more. “It seems all it took to get me to laugh again is a stuffed penguin and an adorable memory.”
Nick smiled wide. “That’s good. It really is.”
They both chuckled a bit more.
Philip studied the penguin for a second before the memory of his picture with Penny and Sarah popped into his head. “Hey, Nick…”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe...I don’t know. You think maybe...we can convince these people to help us get back to the motorhome? We could get our supplies and...I can get that photo of my wife and my baby back. What do you think?” Philip asked him.
Nick thought about it for a minute. “I think it’s a good idea. Maybe Carlos and a few people from Jack’s group can help us. That girl from last night—Susan, I think her name was? She tried to stop Jack from rampaging in here. So, maybe her group isn’t as rude as him.”
“Perhaps. After breakfast, we’ll ask him.”
“Cool.”


As they were eating breakfast, Philip looked over at Jack, noticing him only looking down at his food throughout the meal and at no one else..
The whole time it’s been quiet...What are people these hiding?...
“Thank you for making us breakfast, Carlito.” Jack said, standing up.
“You’re welcome, Jack.” Carlito told him. “But hey…” Carlito stood up and grabbed Jack’s shoulder as he was about to leave. “Just...get some rest, okay? You and Sarah both need that right now…”
“Okay...Okay.” Jack replied.
Sarah got up and they walked out of the kitchen and back to their apartment.
“Daddy…” Penny whispered to her father.
“What is it, pumpkin?”
“Is Jack gonna be okay?” She asked worriedly.
“...I don’t know, honey.”
“Okay...do you mind if go back to my room now?”
”Sure, sweetie.” He kissed her forehead.
After she left, Nick did as well, leaving Philip alone with Carlito.
Philip moved over towards Carlito. “I need, uh...to you ask a favor, Carlito.”
“What kind of favor?”
“It’s, um...a personal favor. But it’s very important to me that we get it done.”
Carlito nodded. ”What is it, Philip?”
“I was wondering if...you, me, and Nick could go back to the area where I crashed the motorhome we were in and collect some things from it.”
He looked unsure now. “I don’t know...it would be very risky.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Philip...but my answer is no.”
“Carlito, please—”
“I’m sorry, Philip.” Carlito interrupted. “But we simply cannot go out there with all the dead around that area. It’s too dangerous and I couldn’t risk putting you or anyone else’s life at risk.” Carlito grabbed his plate and started to walk away from the table and to the sink.
“Our lives are at risk all the time now.” Philip retorted.
Carlito paused for a moment. “...No. They’re not. Not in here...Not where we’re safe.” He grabbed the rest of the plates and put them into the sink.
Phillip took a moment to think about what to say and suddenly thought of something. “Weapons. If we’re all gonna get out of here eventually, we’re gonna need more weapons.”
“So?” Carlito turned to him.
“SO...that motorhome is FILLED with weapons. Assault rifles, handguns, everything we need to get out of the city alive.”
Carlito focused his attention back on the dishes, dunking them in soapy water and beginning to clean them slowly. “...No. I’m sorry, Philip. But my answer is still no.”
Philip sighed. “Carlito…Look….” Philip took a deep breath. “The guns aren’t the only reason I want to go back to that motorhome…I want to go back there for a picture.” Philip said to him honestly. “About two years ago, I was with my wife and Penny...and we were in the backyard together with my brother, Will. It was Penny’s birthday that day and my wife, Sarah, thought it would be a cute and fun memory to look back on years later, if we took a picture together to put in a scrapbook she had been working on. So, I had Will hold the camera and I had my wife and my baby stand right beside me.” Philip smiled warmly at the memory. “But...then my wife, she...she died about four months later. Died from a collision on the highway.”
Carlito stopped cleaning for a moment and listened on, not saying anything.
“...After that, we...we were hurting bad. Not just me and my daughter...but the whole family. My dad never showed it, but I think he may have felt it on the inside.” Philip shook his head. “Anyway, um...after she died, I took that photo out of her scrapbook, framed it, and put it in our living room. It meant SO MUCH to me..and so much to Penny...that I never let go of that photo. Ever. Because it wasn’t JUST a family photo...it was the last photo me and my daughter ever got to take with her…” Philip took a moment to stop and calm himself, holding back his tears.
Carlito moved his head slightly toward Phillip, but did not look at him, unsure of what to say.
“Carlito...please. This isn’t just for me...it’s for my family…”
Carlito sighed lightly, turning to Philip. “...Okay, Philip. We can do this.”
Philip smiled. “Thank you.” He patted Carlito on the shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” Carlito told him. “But, I have one condition.”
“And what’s that?” Philip responded curiously.
“I want you to take Alice with you.” He stated.
“Alice?”
“She wasn’t with us earlier when eating. In fact, I’m not sure if you or your people have even seen her yet.”
Philip raised a brow.
“She likes to keep to herself a lot. She often comes back from supply runs to go back to her room. But trust me, when out in the city, she can be pretty useful. Her medical training isn’t as impressive as Daniel’s, but she can still patch you up good. If you’re in critical condition, she can treat you, if you can’t get back here on time. Trust me.”
“Alright then. Sounds like a good plan.”
“She’s in Apartment 207 with Susan and...Jack.” He said.
Great…
Philip exited the kitchen and walked down to 207.
I’m probably gonna regret this.
Jack was sitting on the couch, while his wife soothed him.
“Honey…” Susan said to him softly. “I know you’re hurting. We all are. But I think for now, we just need to rest and think about what we need to do.”
Jack sighed. “I can’t. I just can’t—I just can’t stop and rest! Not now. Not when we still have issues going on.”
“Baby, sometimes you just need to stop and deal with the pain. I mean, look at us...you’re hurting...I’M hurting...and I think Alice is too.” She rub his shoulders soothingly. “We just need to stop and rest…”
He sighed again. “You guys can, if you want to, honey. But I’m not. Not until we deal with our current problems...including those people that came in here the other day...”
“Baby, they’re FINE…” She told him softly. “Carlito said they’re good people and that we can trust them. We don’t have to worry about them.”
He stood up and looked at his wife. “...That’s what we said about people before...Now look where we are. Look at what’s happened!” He yelled.
“They’re not bad people!” She retorted.
“I’LL BE...I’ll be the judge of that.” Jack stated.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Jack opened it and saw Philip standing there.
“...What do you want?”
“I need some help with something. And Carlito said I should bring Alice with, since she’s good with emergency medical treatment. Where is she?”
“She’s in the bathroom. And no offense to you, man, but I don’t want any of my people going with you and your people anywhere. I think it’s best we just keep our groups separate, until you leave.”
“Look...Jack...I just need some help here, okay? Me and my group are just trying to survive. We’re not looking to hurt ANYONE, I promise.”
“Promises don’t mean a lot nowadays.” Jack stated, resting his hand on the door.
“No...I guess they don’t...Unless you can keep them. And I know I can.”
“Pfft.” Jack replied. “Why should we believe you?”
“Because he has a daughter. Remember?” Alice said, stepping out of the bathroom. “Carlito told me before I came back here and you guys all went to eat breakfast together.”
Jack looked at her and then back at Philip. He shook his head. “Doesn’t automatically mean I’m gonna trust you. A family just means you have more to lose...and even more of yourself to lose, just to protect them.”
“Believe me...I have done things to protect my family. I’ve killed those who have tried to kill me and my family. And I may have killed bad people…” He looked Jack in the eye. “...but I am NOT gonna let them drag me down with them.” He stated.
Jack nodded. “We’ll see about that.” He took a deep breath. “...Just what EXACTLY do you need to get done?”
“...I need Alice’s help to get back to a motorhome we left behind when we had to escape the infected.”
“You’re thinking about leaving now?”
“No. I need something from it. Something that’ll keep hope alive for my little girl and friend. And it’s in that motorhome.”
“What is it?” He asked curiously.
“I’ll show it to you later. But right now, I just need Alice to help me.”
Alice nodded. “I’m in. I want to help...in any way I can.”
“Great.” Philip told her. “And, Jack, if you need ANY MORE incentive...the motorhome’s also filled with guns. Assault rifles, handguns...you name it.”
“No...we’re good in the weapons department. But…” He took a deep breath. “If you want her help...then I’m going too.”
“Jack, please—”
“No, no, no. It’s okay, Susan.” He said before looking back at Philip.
“I don’t trust you. And I don’t want to risk losing anyone to you or your people. If Alice is interested, that is. So, what do you say?”
“...Okay...Fine.” Philip told him.
“Alright then...We’ll leave in an hour. I’ve got some equipment we can take with us to help to distract the deadheads, if need be.”
“That’d be great...Thanks…” Philip said.
“...Yeah. See you in an hour.” Jack closed the door.
Susan went over to him. “Jack, please, don’t this—”
“It’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
She hugged him tight.
Alice looked at the couple for a moment...saying nothing before going back to her room.
“So, what did Carlito say about coming along?” Nick asked his friend.
“He said that he would come, as long as we brought Alice. Apparently, she’s very good with emergency medical attention, so that would come in handy, if we need it. And then, I told Jack that I needed Alice to come along. And, after arguing about it for a bit, he said she could come...on the condition that he can come too.”
Nick sighed. “...What are you gonna do about it?”
“I’m gonna let him come. I don’t trust him one bit, but it’s the only way he’ll let Alice come with us.”
“Hmm...guess we got no choice then.”
“Yeah. Me, Carlito, Alice, and Jack will head out in an hour. But hey…” Philip said, stopping his friend from leaving his room. “Just make sure to keep Penny safe.”
Nick nodded. “Of course.”
Philip nodded, patting his friend on the shoulder. “I’m not looking to get any blood on my hands today, Nick…”
“...Let’s just hope it stays that way.”
After Alice, Carlito, and Jack were ready and outside, waiting; Philip came out with two large duffel bags.
“Hey, what are you doing with those?” Jack asked him.
“Jack—” Carlito said.
“I told him we were stocked in the weapons department. We don’t need any more.”
“Well, you never know. We may need these extra weapons someday. We may gain new people who need weapons. GOOD weapons, at least. Not just knives and anything sharp they can find.”
“I just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of you bringing back assault rifles and other guns. We don’t know you that well. How do we know you and your people aren’t just gonna take those guns and—”
“Enough, Jack—” Carlito told him.
“We already have guns. Me and Nick have handguns—”
“That’s another thing: You guys shouldn’t have any guns.”
“Well, who the hell do you think you are to tell me that my family has no right to carry guns to protect ourselves?”
“Like I said, we don’t know you. We don’t know what you’re capable of doing.”
“Well, I’m about to show you what I’m capable of doing.” Philip dropped the bags and walked over to him.
Jack came closer to him before Carlito got between them.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough! Both of you...just stop. Please.” He said to both of them.
“...Alright. I’ll make you a deal, Philip.” Jack said. “You can bring back as many guns as you’d like to...on one condition. You leave all your weapons with Carlito when we return, including you and Nick’s handguns, deal?”
“No. I’ll leave any weapons I can grab from the motorhome in Carlito’s care...but I’m NOT leaving our handguns with you. We don’t know you that well either. We have to stay safe too.”
“Alright.” Carlito told them. “How about...you leave your weapons with me. And then you BOTH keep your guns. You’re both good men, I KNOW THAT.”
“But, Carlito—”
“You’ll all be fine, Jack. Trust me.”
Jack took another look at Philip before making up his mind. “...Fine. Can you accept that, Philip?”
“Yeah. I can do that.”
“Good then.” Carlito responded. “Now...let’s get going.”
The group went back through the route from safe spot to safe spot, as they made their way to the motorhome.
“Goddammit, Philip, you guys crashed a LONG way from where we’re set up.” Jack commented.
“Couldn’t help it. Did what we had to, in order to survive those hordes.”
“Yeah. They can definitely be a problem.” Jack responded.
“We’re almost there.” Carlito said as they got to another safe spot and rested.
Philip took a sip of water from his water bottle and glanced over at Alice.
She was sitting on a crate away from Carlito and Jack.
Philip decided to sit with her. “Hey there.” He greeted her.
“Hey.” She replied back softly.
He sat down beside her. “I, uh...don’t think we got to properly introduce ourselves. And with us working together on this...mission that’s very important to me...I feel like we should get to properly introduce ourselves.”
She nodded her head in agreement slowly. “That’s understandable.” She looked at him. “I’m Alice. Alice Warren.” She extended her hand.
Philip took her hand in his and shook it. “And I’m Philip. Philip Blake.”
She nodded before resting her gaze along the room they were in.
“So...where are you from?”
She did not answer.
He nodded. “You’re, uh...you’re not much of a talker, are ya?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just...I like to keep to myself a lot. I’m not one for social interaction.”
“But you like helping people.” He noted.
She turned towards him again. “I like to help people. In any way that I can. I’m not much for talking, but I like to think I have a good heart.”
“I’m sure you do, sweetie.”
She smiled a little...laughing a bit. “No one’s called me sweetie in a long time.”
“Well, I’ve never called anyone that, besides my daughter...There’s a first time for everything, I guess.” He chuckled.
“If you two are done chatting up a storm over there, we should get going.” Jack said.
“Alrighty then.” Philip got off the crate and stood up before reaching the exit with Jack and Carlito. After doing so, he looked back at Alice, who had a half-smile on her face, shaking her head and laughing to herself.
She then made her way over to them.
“We don’t have much longer to go. Another block or two and we should be there.” Carlito told them. “You guys ready?”
They all nodded.
“Alright then.” Carlito took in a deep breath...before opening the door, checking their surroundings as he made his way outside. He saw a few infected on the street to his right, but they were going in the opposite direction they were and did not seem to notice him. “It’s clear. C’mon!” He told them as quietly as he could.
They made their way down the street fast, checking cautiously for any infected that may come their way. They carefully turned a corner and headed left down another street.
“Only one block to go.” Carlito whispered to them.
When they finally came down the street where the motorhome crashed, they suddenly stopped.
“Oh, shit.” Philip said.
There were dozens of infected moving around the street near the motorhome.
“It’s fine...we can do this.” Carlito said.
“How?? There must be at least two dozen of them!” Philip asked.
“No. He’s right, Philip. We can take them.” Jack stated. “You see this?” He pulled out a gun from his pocket. “It’s a flare gun. Now, usually, we only save these for when we have no choice, but to go out at night. They’re more effective in the dark. However, they can also work in the day, but only to an extent. We can draw at least half of them away with one or two shots from this, then go in and take the rest out around the motorhome, grab what we need, and then get the hell out of here.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Philip responded. “Do you have any suppressors?”
“Nope...We’ll just have to go in, hand-to-hand.”
Philip pulled his knife out and looked at the horde. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Jack nodded at him before turning back to Carlito and Alice.
“You two ready?”
They both nodded.
“Hey.”
As Jack turned back around, Carlito placed a hand on his shoulder. “We may be ready...but what about you, Jack? Are YOU ready?”
Jack took a moment to respond. “Ye...Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?”
Jack thought about responding back, but decided to turn back around instead, taking aim at the street. “Alright...Showtime.”
He shot off a flare at the ground away from the motorhome.
As a few infected started going towards it, the group made their way up the street.
Jack then shot off another flare farther up the street away from the motorhome, causing even more of the dead to move away from the vehicle.
“Move!” He said to the group, quickly making his way over to an infected and stabbing it in the head.
Alice and Carlito followed suit, stabbing infected in the head as well.
Philip dropped the bags as close as he possibly could near the motorhome and was met with two large infected at once.
Ah, shit...
As the two infected came closer, he quickly thought of an idea.
He quickly kicked the knee out from under the infected in front of him and it fell to the ground. He then tried to do the same with the other infected, but when he kicked its knee, it did not go down. He quickly moved around it and grabbed it from behind, slamming it hard against the motorhome, making it groan loudly, before he finally stabbed it in the head. After doing so, he noticed the first infected try to grab him from the ground, but kick its hand away. He then got behind it and forced his knee into its back to stop it from moving before driving his knife hard into its skull.
As Alice and Carlito made quick work of the dead in front of them, so did Jack. Jack took out one—two—three—four infected, stabbing them in the head one-by-one and shoving them out of the way quickly to move on to the next one. When he got to his fifth infected, he pulled his knife upward, ready to come down on it, but suddenly, he stopped. He looked at the dead teen girl’s face and almost dropped his knife.
It growled at him, suddenly pushing him to the ground and pouncing on him.
His scrambled to get his knife, just as her teeth came inches within his neck.
“Oh, shi—”
He suddenly heard the infected growl and then felt it become limp, blood flowing out of the top of its head, as it laid on his chest. He then saw it being pulled off of him and looked up to see Philip, who offered him his hand to help him up.
After a moment of hesitation...he took it.
Philip looked down at the infected. “Did you know this girl?”
Jack looked down at it. “...No. No. Let’s get what we need and get out of here. C’mon!”
As Alice and Carlito finished off the dead near the motorhome, Philip grabbed the duffel bags and handed one to Jack. They got in the motorhome, as Alice and Carlito were on watch, and Jack put a few handguns in his bag and some assault rifles. Philip did the same, though quickly looked for the picture. When he found it, he quickly put it in the side pocket of one of the duffel bags.
Jack looked over at him when he finished filling his bag with guns.
“You get whatever you came here for?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright then. Let’s get the hell out of here!”
Jack and Philip quickly ran out of the motorhome. “Let’s go!” He told them.
As some of the dead that were distracted began to chase them, they made their way back to the first safe spot and then, after an hour or so, they made it back home.
“Oh, man. Whoo!” Jack said, as they got back inside the apartment complex. “Well...that was fun.” He chuckled a bit. “Say, um...Philip...what did you grab that was so important to you, anyway?”
Philip pulled out the picture from the side pocket in his duffel bag and showed it to him.
Jack took the photo in his hand and looked at it...his grin fading away. After a moment...he gave it back to Philip, not saying another word before going back into his apartment and closing the door.
“Should I—”
“It’s best you let him be, Philip.” Carlito told him.
Philip nodded. “I’ll have to thank him later.” He said, staring at Jack’s door. “And thank you guys. You guys have no idea how much this picture means to me and my baby girl...hopefully, it can help keep a smile on her face. And remind her that...hope isn’t gone. That hope is still here to keep us going.”
“It’s good for people to have that now...especially kids.” Carlito replied.
“You’re damn right it is.” Philip said.
Alice walked to the apartment door and opened it.
“Hey, Alice.” Philip said.
She turned to him.
“Would you like to see the picture?” He asked kindly.
“No.” She quickly said. “...Thanks, anyway.” She said before walking inside the apartment and closing the door.
“What’s up with her and Jack?” Philip inquired.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s personal. We all have things we don’t like to talk about...I think it’s best we leave this alone for now. They can tell you when they’re ready, if they’d like to.”
“Well...that’s their choice. They can take as long as they need. And thank you most of all, Carlito.” Philip patted him on the shoulder. “Without you giving the greenlight, getting this photo back may not have been possible. So, thank you. Thank you so much.”
Carlito gave him a warm smile. “Hey, you’re very welcome, Philip. C’mon, let’s go greet your family and tell them about what you brought back.”
As they walked up the stairs to Philip’s apartment, Philip looked down at the picture...a smile forming across his face.
My baby girl and her mama. Haha.
He continued to look at the picture as they walked towards the apartment down the hall, grateful to have this chance to keep hope for his family alive.

Notes

I am sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've just been busy with things and I found out as I was outlining the last few chapters that there are a lot of things I wanted to add, but there are also quite a few plot holes as well. So, I am currently working around those too and making what te things I wanted to add work perfectly fine. I only have to write four more chapters for Part 3 before I move on to Part 4, so yay!! There are still plenty of chapters for you guys to read in Part 3 though, so don't worry lol
Also, to make it up to you guys, I am also posting Chapter 36 today. If you guys remember when I said there was a certain chapter would make this story receive an R rating...that's the chapter. It's messed up in some ways, but I dialed it down quite a bit. So, with that said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and Chapter 36 when it comes out. See ya! :)

Comments

I'm gonna read this evenually. I've already gave a good vote cause I know it will be good. So, far I like the dog the best. Sparkles is cute!

What terrible things did you do?

Anonymous Anonymous
7/20/17

So, apparently, I think there is a LIMIT on the amount of characters I can put in the character listings. I'm not sure why that is, but I will try and see if I can get the administrators to fix that.

Old Snake Old Snake
3/27/16

On a less annoying and jerk troll note, I am thankful for all the views this story has recieved :)
We are less than 1,500 views away from 10,000. I'm so excited!!! :)

Old Snake Old Snake
1/19/16

@Punished Snake
SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO DO THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO. F**K CENSORY

Lolly Lolly
1/19/16