{"id":323,"date":"2013-07-22T14:26:15","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T14:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=323"},"modified":"2013-07-22T15:17:36","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T15:17:36","slug":"chapter-85","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-85\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 85"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 85<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I hate when people use clich\u00e9s.\u00a0 I always thought they were too cheesy.\u00a0 But I guess clich\u00e9s are clich\u00e9s for a reason.<\/i><\/p>\n

So here it is\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

The world may have become hell, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever been happier.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tuesday, November 6, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek Twenty-Nine<\/i><\/p>\n

Riley tossed the last duffel bag down beside the door before glancing around the great, old, plantation-style house they\u2019d decided to hide out in for the night.\u00a0 They had just arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, after being on the road for almost three weeks.\u00a0 She wondered if they were ever going to make it home.<\/p>\n

She swung her shaggy, golden hair forward and pulled it free from its ponytail, causing the wet strands to cascade down past her shoulders.\u00a0 It was the weather that had caused them to finally give in and find some shelter for the night.\u00a0 It was getting harder and harder to drive in it, especially in their oversized tour bus.\u00a0 And they were in need of supplies yet again, which they would have to seek out before night finally fell.\u00a0 The wind howled with ferocity, slamming ice and rain down upon the roof.\u00a0 The noise was deafening, but it drowned out the moans of the undead.<\/p>\n

She shivered, soaked to the skin, as she closed the door behind her.\u00a0 She looked around for Nick, who was supposed to be trying to light the place up a bit.\u00a0 She could see candles and old-fashioned lanterns he must have found stashed away somewhere.\u00a0 Kevin had decided he would be the best one to run and scavenge for food while they set up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick?\u201d she called, slowly making her way further into the house, with her rifle loaded and ready.\u00a0 The two of them had already cleared out the house, but she knew better than to ever be complacent.\u00a0 Anytime they had been before, it had only led to bad things for them.\u00a0 Her ears perked up to listen for any noise.\u00a0 She could hear nothing, except for the pounding of the storm outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cNiiiick?\u201d<\/p>\n

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump with shock.\u00a0 Her hands jerked instinctively, sending a shot firing up toward the ceiling.\u00a0 It rang out as it struck the chandelier.\u00a0 Glass shattered on impact, before the great, decorative piece shook and then fell.\u00a0 It crashed loudly and fantastically down to the floor, pieces scattering everywhere.\u00a0 Riley whirled around, breathing heavily, with her gun aimed at the face in her vision.\u00a0 She quickly lowered the gun and put the safety on.\u00a0 Nick stood before her, holding out a blanket, while trying his best to suppress his laughter and failing miserably.\u00a0 His normally fluffed-up hair was still wet and plastered down to his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, you scared the shit out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cAt least you killed the mean chandelier.\u201d\u00a0 He motioned to the mess on the other side of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were a zombie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always think I\u2019m a zombie.\u201d\u00a0 As she set the gun down, he walked behind her, wrapping the blanket gently over her shoulders.\u00a0 His lips met the bare skin of her neck with a feathery touch.\u00a0 She shivered again; this time, it had nothing to do with the cold.\u00a0 \u201cZombies are the dead ones\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He turned her back towards him.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley smiled a little, rolling her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, yeah\u2026 smartass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long do you think Kevin\u2019ll take?\u201d<\/p>\n

She walked away to peer out the windows, before pulling each set of curtains closed.\u00a0 \u201cCould be awhile.\u00a0 This weather\u2019s a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYay!\u00a0 That\u2019s good.\u201d\u00a0 He ran over to her, picking her up and twirling her around.\u00a0 She laughed as he dropped her gently back down onto her feet, next to the small pile of bags.\u00a0 She opened one immediately, so that she could rummage for some dry clothes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou act like we\u2019re never together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot alone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 not alone,\u201d she murmured, continuing her rummaging through the bag, which held, as she quickly realized, all of their blankets.\u00a0 Riley tossed it aside and started looking through the next bag.\u00a0 Nick kneeled down next to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think these are my clothes,\u201d he told her, pulling out a shirt and some jeans to toss towards her.\u00a0 \u201cHere, wear these.\u00a0 I already changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can find mine somewhere\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but it doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 We need to get you dry. \u00a0Last thing I need is to see you getting sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at him as she took the clothes.\u00a0 Riley often tried to figure out what made them fit together so well.\u00a0 She always thought that they shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t seem each other\u2019s type, and if they had met in the world before, it seemed reasonable to believe they would never have worked as a couple.\u00a0 Yet, even though logic defied it, Riley thought maybe they would have.\u00a0 Stuff like this wasn\u2019t supposed to be logical, or have reason to it.\u00a0 It just happened.\u00a0 She\u2019d had several relationships in her life, before her career ambitions had chased everyone else away.\u00a0 None had felt like this, and sometimes, it scared her.\u00a0 Because nothing was guaranteed anymore.\u00a0 Anything, anyone<\/i> she cherished, she could stand to lose.\u00a0 She\u2019d been reminded of that once already, when Nick had his seizure at the base.<\/p>\n

Right then, however, it brought a contentment that almost felt out of place.\u00a0 It was that feeling that caused her to say what came next.\u00a0 Nothing in particular spurred it.\u00a0 It was just a glance over at him.\u00a0 The way he smiled, the light that danced happily in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at her for a moment, as the words sunk in.\u00a0 The two of them had been skipping around those three words a lot lately, she suspected.\u00a0 She knew she, herself, had been.\u00a0 He pulled her into his arms, the clothes dropping to the floor.\u00a0 His lips pressed against hers, and instinctively, her arms wrapped around him.\u00a0 It was a kiss of passion, deepening between them before she pulled away and their eyes met.<\/p>\n

The half smile he gave her was soft and gentle.\u00a0 \u201cI love you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, it was Riley who initiated the next kiss, her tongue exploring his mouth as his did the same inside hers.\u00a0 The kisses between them continued, becoming more frantic, as his hands snaked up under her still-drenched clothing.\u00a0 They found her hips, and he guided her backwards, until the two fell back onto the couch.\u00a0 He braced himself up as he continued kissing her, the passion growing each time.<\/p>\n

Finally, he was able to snap her bra free, and her arms went up as he lifted that up, along with her blouse, and tossed it aside.\u00a0 Her hands grabbed his shirt and tugged it off of him.\u00a0 She looked at his well-defined chest, a result of all the zombie-killing he\u2019d done since she had met him.\u00a0 The beer belly pooch he\u2019d once had was just a memory.\u00a0 Her hands ran gently down his torso, before they fell to the zipper of his jeans.\u00a0 Nick was already sliding hers down her hips.<\/p>\n

A part of her knew they should slow down.\u00a0 Her logical side would have asked him if he had any protection \u2013 pregnancy was a bigger risk now than it used to be.\u00a0 Her logical side had no voice right then, however.\u00a0 Passion was what ruled them.\u00a0 Both were too wrapped up in the moment to think of anyone or anything else but each other.\u00a0 The two were in their own world now.\u00a0 One where only each other existed.\u00a0 One where there was nothing but pure bliss.<\/p>\n

The hellish world around them was forgotten.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

She lay curled up in his arms, her body fitting perfectly beside his on the couch.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t stop beaming.\u00a0 The two of them had dozed off afterwards, just content in each other\u2019s embrace.\u00a0 She could still hear the storm raving crazily outside.<\/p>\n

Riley\u2019s gaze shifted back to Nick.\u00a0 He was still sleeping, but she could see the smile on his face.\u00a0 Her hand trailed along his arm, tracing the mural tattoo on his shoulder.\u00a0 Her eyes followed the lines of his body, the imperfections and the beauty.\u00a0 The various tattoos, like the word \u201cKAOS\u201d written down his spine, and the sun on his shoulder blade.\u00a0 She sighed contentedly, as she cuddled up against him again.\u00a0 In that moment, as she lay just reflecting on what had happened, everything before and everything now, she realized something.<\/p>\n

Riley was happy.\u00a0 Blissfully, stupidly, unbelievably happy.<\/p>\n

Of course, such peace couldn\u2019t last forever.\u00a0 The sound of a window shattering startled her, causing her to fall off the couch, bringing the blanket along for the ride.\u00a0 Nick immediately rose and looked around, confused.\u00a0 Moans could be heard from within the house, and Riley frantically searched for their guns.\u00a0 Nick jumped to his feet and was able to find his axe first.\u00a0 The timing was impeccable, as a zombie came at him seconds later.\u00a0 Nick fought to keep it at bay, still stark nude as he tried to fight it off.<\/p>\n

Riley found his handguns within the pile of discarded clothes and turned to see several more coming in through the broken window.\u00a0 Swallowing back her concern for Nick, she rushed forward, trying to take out the others.\u00a0 Two fell after several shots to the face, one of which went through the skull and into the head of the zombie behind it.\u00a0 She heard the sound of a skull cracking and knew Nick had been able to kill the one he\u2019d been battling.\u00a0 They needed to block the window before more came in.<\/p>\n

That moment of pause, the turn of her head, was the opening the zombies needed.\u00a0 There were too many, too close.\u00a0 One got a grip on her shoulder, and as she struggled, she felt another help the other.\u00a0 The two corpses forced her down to the ground.\u00a0 She stared into the blank, milky white eyes of the undead on top of her, as she tried to fight them off.\u00a0 She was able to kick one of them off of her.\u00a0 The other had too good of a grip on her.\u00a0 A gunshot and a thud followed.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t see if the one that went down was the one she had kicked off, however.\u00a0 Her hair was yanked painfully forward, and she found herself getting closer to the gnashing jaws.<\/p>\n

\u201cRye!\u201d Nick screamed.<\/p>\n

For a split second, Riley felt herself giving up. \u00a0She knew what was about to happen.\u00a0 She knew she couldn\u2019t stop it this time.\u00a0 She closed her eyes.\u00a0 Thank you, God, for giving me Nick before I die.<\/i><\/p>\n

Suddenly, the corpse fell flat against her body.\u00a0 There was no movement, and she opened her eyes.\u00a0 As she struggled to sit up under the dead weight, it was thrown off of her, and she could see the blade of the axe still stuck into the back of its skull.\u00a0 Nick stood above her with the broken handle in his hands.\u00a0 He smiled grimly as he tossed it aside and reached down to help her up, as gently as possible.\u00a0 The look of relief in his eyes was unsettling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was killing off the others, and when I saw them start to pull you down\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Trying to slow her breathing and calm herself, Riley forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m alright; no worries.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pulled her close, hugging her tightly.\u00a0 His face fit into the crook of her neck.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you ever scare the shit out of me like that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, pulling away just enough to look up at him.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo did I, to tell you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door opened, and instinctively, both dove for their weapons.\u00a0 They aimed their guns, only to lower them quickly.\u00a0 Kevin stood there, staring at the two still-naked blondes.\u00a0 Riley felt herself flush deep red, and she went and hid behind Nick.\u00a0 Her head peeked out from around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I even want<\/i> to ask what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Riley said, laughing, as she bent down to pick up the blanket and wrapped it around herself and Nick.\u00a0 Kevin looked grateful that the two were no longer exposed.\u00a0 \u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes met Nick\u2019s, and at that moment, Riley knew she\u2019d never love another person more.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 85 I hate when people use clich\u00e9s.\u00a0 I always thought they were too cheesy.\u00a0 But I guess clich\u00e9s are clich\u00e9s for a reason. So here it is\u2026 The world may have become hell, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":85,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":368,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions\/368"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}