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

chapter eighteen

KAIDEN'S POV

"But I can't" I finished, stopping the car, "Not here, not now, its not time"

"Why?" she whispered, pulling away from me, "Is it because of Jackson? Do you think I'm dirty now? Ruined?"

"God no!" I ensured, "You're perfect Eden, but I'm not comfortable taking you to that level yet"

"I'm healed Kaiden, what happened doesn't affect me as you think, that wasn't the first time. I'm used t-" she began before shutting down, it was written all over her face, she had said more than she was supposed to. Avoiding my eye contact, she turned her head to face the window, staring out at absolute nothingness.

"Used to what?" I asked, turning her face to mine. She continued to avoid my eye contact, staring down instead of at me.

"It wasn't the first time I've been, raped" she whimpered, mustering enough courage to look me in the eyes, "It happened first when I was fifteen".

"What?" I replied, my heart dropping at her words.

Inferno, internally I was on fire. It was like every nerve ending in my body became alight, my sympathetic nervous system kicking in. I wanted to hurt them, bad. Her words had taken me to a dark and angered place, I became aware of my gun tucked into my holster, aware of its ability to take a life.

I wanted to take a life.

"I came back from school one evening and my father had paid a woman to have sex with him and his friend, Tyrell. But Tyrell didn't want to share so they used me instead. I kicked and I screamed for my dad to come to his senses and stop his friend but he just told me to shut up and deal with it."

"Fuck Eden" I sighed hugging her tighter, "I swear nothing like that will ever happen to you again, I'll make sure of it"

After those words left my lips, I continued holding her close as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. The overwhelming feeling of repressed trauma resurfacing was too much for her. It would be too much for anyone, she broke down in gut wrenching sobs, a wet patch growing rapidly where she buried her face in my chest.

"Where were you before the apocalypse" she laughed pitiably, getting her emotions more under control, "I wish I had met you sooner" she yawned, moving slowly off of me and back into her seat.

"You're strong Eden" I whispered as she began to doze off into a nap, "Stronger than you give yourself credit for"

EDEN'S POV

"Where are we?" I yawned as my body woke up in response to the screeching of the car tyres as they came to a stop.

"Well we cant get back to the others tonight, I don't fancy running from Z's in the darkness" Kaiden smiled twirling a strand of my hair, "I drove to the first safe looking house I could find so let's stay here tonight then move in the morning"

The house we arrived at looked uninhabited, like it had been abandoned way before the apocalypse began. Vines and wild plants engulfed the outside of the house creeping up its brick walls. It was a white cottage with a small swing toppled on its side blocking its entrance and a small assortment of children's outdoor toys scattered around its front yard. What seemed to be a bed sheet hung outside one of its windows, it read S.O.S.

The cottage would have been a beautiful family home once upon a time, a home that younger me would have only been able to dream of living in.

"Alright" I replied unlocking and opening the car door in an attempt step out. Kaiden reached over and slammed the door shut before I could.

"Slow down Eden, we're still very much in an apocalypse, there are these things called zombies incase you had forgotten"

"Paranoid much?" I taunted, whilst allowing him to step out first to quickly scout the area.

"I'd like both of us to be alive for much longer, how about you?" he asked rhetorically, opening the passenger door for me and locking the car door behind me, "I want you to hold onto the back of my jacket as we enter so I know you're still behind me"

The cottage front door opened with a creak, followed by silence. Kaiden turned putting his finger to his lips signalling me to be silent. With a gun in one hand and his knife in the other he cleared the rooms one by one, periodically checking I was still right behind him.

As we approached the final two rooms at the end of the hallway, a light thump came from one of the rooms followed by sounds of quick movement retreating from the door.

Motioning me to put some distance between us, Kaiden opened the door fast and swivelled round the room searching for the undead that was moving around the room.

There was no undead in sight, instead there was a little asian girl. She had cropped, black, tangled hair that stopped at her shoulders accompanied with a fringe that had grown out a bit longer than it should be, covering her dark brown eyes.

"Are you here to help me?" she asked, backed away in the corner of what seemed to be a little girl's bedroom. The room was painted bright pink with a rainbow above the bed, pink netting draped above the bed and toys scattered around the room. It was so pink that it was impossible to miss the contrasting jagged, choppy trail of blood that lead straight out of the room, as if someone- or something had been hurriedly dragged out in an attempt to protect whatever had been left inside.

"Help you?" Kaiden repeated, "Where are your parents?"

"Mom took my dad out of the room, she said he would sleep for a long time. My mom is in the other room, she said people will come to help me by taking care of her"

"Taking care of her?" I asked softly, "What do you mean?"

"She's in the room next to me" the little girl responded, "When I make a noise, she bangs and scratches at the wall, I'm not too sure why"

"Shit"

END

A/N: I've been gone for so long guys! I'm really really sorry, I've been battling school and applying to university for the past few months but I'm back and hopefully ill be more consistent! I promise i will finish this book in the upcoming weeks!