Late Night Patrol

Chapter Thirteen (pt.2)

This is Ronnie's backstory
I suggest getting comfy and making a warm drink
There's alot to digest
(To be clear this chapter is NOT excusing his behaviours....we'll get to that soon)

Ronnie chased helplessly after the SUV as it sped into the distance, only stopping when his chest grew so tight that it became hard for him to breathe. He felt a sickening wave of dread grow in his stomach. His worst nightmare had come true; he had lost you.

Time stopped as the gravity of the situation weighed down on him. He was foolish for ever thinking he could have a normal life, especially one filled with love and happiness after what had happened in Centerville. He didn't deserve it, not after the things he had done.

He should've died in that town like everybody else. He should've been a man and gone down with his chief, his mentor, his friend, Cliff Robertson - but instead, he chose to run.

It was a decision he regretted every day, a decision that haunted him.

Ronnie was never sure how it happened, everything had occurred so fast, but just as he and Cliff became overwhelmed by a wave of zombies, he spotted an opening, a way out.

Desperate to survive, Ronnie took the opportunity to escape and ran, leaving Cliff behind. He hated himself for it - for abandoning his friend and fleeing like a coward.

His therapist had tried to explain multiple times that there was nothing he could've done to save his friend's life, but it didn't matter. The guilt consumed Ronnie, and Cliff's' screams had plagued his nightmares ever since - until he met you, that was.

You were, quite simply, unexpected.

Ronnie had found himself in your town as part of his 'Enforced Relocation' by the authorities - they chose it for its quaintness. It was a perfect location for Ronnie to take his first steps in resuming a normal life - under government protection.

They ensured he had a job to keep him occupied, inadvertently taking that promotion from you, and ultimately they ensured Ronnie got to keep his position when your relationship was discovered.

You see, love was never a consideration when the Government rehabilitated Ronnie, and it never crossed his mind to ask what happened if he met somebody because that sort of thing just didn't occur to him.

Ronnie would never admit it, but he was lonely and insecure when he met you. He had spent his entire life being rejected - no one ever took the time to see him for him. He was just a guy; a guy who worked hard, followed the rules and hoped his mundane life would change one day.

And, of course, one day, it did change - but he never expected a zombie apocalypse to be that change. It caused him to re-think his entire outlook on life, pushed him to live a little. It was the reason why he had been so charming at the bar when he met you - but really, he was a nervous wreck!

Amazingly, you believed it, though, his façade. You, this mesmerizing, breathtaking woman that had captivated him from the moment you walked in, agreed to go back to his motel room. Ronnie couldn't believe his luck, and while the sex was mindblowing for him, it was what happened after that changed everything.

He slept.

It sounds ridiculous and so simple, but he hadn't slept peacefully in such a long time, not without medicating, anyway.

It was as if you came along like an Angel sent from above and banished all of his demons and all of his terrors. You made Ronnie feel like himself again, made him feel like Centerville had never happened, and he knew he had to have you.

But, he never expected to come across you at work the next day. It complicated things, and Ronnie knew pursuing you would be against the rules - especially as you were his subordinate, but he couldn't help himself.