GARDEN OF THE UNDEAD - A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ROMANCE & ACTION TALE

chapter fourteen

Joey's POV

It was morning. I stretched out my arms and sat up from bed. Looking to my left, I saw something that seemed impossible to achieve in this day and age. Peace.

Eden was wrapped up in Kaiden's arms as they slept together. They just looked like a happy couple. Kaiden's leg was wrapped around both of Eden's, one of his hands around her waist and the other rested cradling her head by the headboard of the bed where his knife was placed. He was ready to protect her, even in his sleep.

It was funny and quite sweet at the same time.

I knew something was budding between them. It wasn't hard to notice them steal glances at each other or Kaiden keeping Eden especially close to him most of the time.

Leaving the room quietly I opened the door hoping it wouldn't creak and shut the door behind me.

"Is Eden up?" Chen asked, trying to enter the room.

"No she's still sleeping, let her be" I responded raising an eyebrow at him before walking down the corridor attracted to the scent of what seemed to be canned baked beans and beef.

Eden's POV

Stirring from sleep and stretching out my arms, I realised there was an arm around my waist. Turning around and opening my eyes I was greeted with the sight of Kaiden sleeping peacefully for once with a small but mischievous smirk. I could finally analyze his face. He had a faded, dark pink scar running diagonally from his eyebrow to the bottom of his left eye. He had a few very faint lines etched across his forehead and in-between his eyebrows. He does frown a lot.

He looked too good for a man turning 30, I thought.

Tracing his prominent jawline as he twitched in response to my touch , I realised I was too immersed in his perfect face to remember that we weren't alone in the room. Joey was here too. The immediateness of my turn woke him up instantly, making him jump off the bed with a knife in his hand.

"Eden are you alright?" he asked alarmed, looking for what had made me had such a sudden movement.

"I'm fine, I just thought of something that made me jump"

Kaiden's POV

"Fuck" I breathed chuckling at my alertness, "Good morning"

"I mean that's one way to wake up" she laughed sitting upright in bed. My eyes couldn't help but wonder again. Over the hair, the freckles and the possibly pierced nipples.

"I'm going to go freshen up" I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

Good friends. Nice going Kaiden.

Eden's POV

Changing into my cargo trousers and putting my usual top back on, I went into the living room where everyone was sat eating baked beans and greyish beef.

"Eden you're late to the cookout" Femi joked as he dished out servings of the unusual meal combination onto plastic plates, "Here's your plate though"

"Better late than a no show" Kaiden said appearing last from the hallway, he looked at me almost relieved before grabbing himself the final plastic plate and sitting on the sofa bed next to Alexia and Armani to eat.

"Eden, can we talk please?" Chen said, finishing his meal and leaving the plate on the center coffee table in the room.

"Okay" I responded warily, following him into the hallway.

"Chen saying please in a sentence? This really is the end of times" Ryan scoffed, drinking a bit of water, "Watch yourself" Ryan called out, obviously remembering what had happened yesterday.

"Eden I need to apologize for how I've treated you since you arrived a few days ago" Chen confessed rubbing at his eyes as his voice cracked, "You remind me so much of my girlfriend Lori. She died on day zero whilst nine months pregnant with my son. I can't see you die. I can't see her die again, its already killed me once. She was due to give birth just the next week to our son Hunter. I was going to propose. I beat myself up for leaving her there in the house alone. I should've broke that door down to be with her in her final moments I wasn't there-"

I pulled Chen into a hug as he began to cry. One by one everyone came to the hallway, probably having heard what he said and began to join the hug. Before I could blink, everyone was group hugging us giving Chen the support he needed.

He was just a broken man trying to cling onto his sanity as the loss of all he lived far continued to tear him apart. Everyone here has probably lost someone, family or friends.

I realised that Chen wasn't the only one in need of this hug, everyone needed it.

"Sorry guys I think I'm gonna be sick" Armani spoke up, making us break up the hug.

"Must be the beans" Femi sang making us all giggle a bit.

Sounds of static was coming from the living room.

"The radio" Alexia called before everyone rushed back into the living room.

Configuring the radio, a voice crackled in and out warning,

"HORDE...HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF Z'S...APPROACHING FROM NEW YORK THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA TOWARDS OHIO...IF IN OHIO FIND SAFE PLACE....DESTRUCTIVE...THREE DAYS"

"Three days till what?" Joey voiced alarmed.

"Till they rip through Ohio" Kaiden replied sternly rushing his hands through his hair, "And we're nowhere near safe."

END

A/N: Oh no. A horde? If I was them I would be shitting my pants right about now. Anyway, be sure to vote, comment. Let me know your thoughts and theories about what many happen next.

Do you think Chen should be forgiven? Do you forgive him?