Bound in Desire: Love's Dark Hold Amidst the Zombie Apocalypse

Feed myself

"Long enough. Same as everyone else dead. Exactly how I will be with my hand tied up if a horde passes by. Or multiple that you cannot handle."
I say through clenched teeth.

Tress canopy over our heads.

"Just forget the food and let me go," I say to them, pleading one last time.

Lincoln grabs my face by my jaw in a tight hold, pulling me close to his face.

"Emmaline, as you travel with us,you will come with us. We told you before we were weren't letting you go. So save your breath." He says to me his voice
is deep and intimidating.

I furrow my brows. "You actually never said that," I say to him, agitation laced heavily in my tone.

Lincoln slightly tightens his hold on my jaw.
"Well hear it now;we aren't letting you go. We are taking you to the sanctuary; it's safe," he says to me.

I scoff and roll my eyes at the offer.

"You know you're safer with the two of us than by yourself," Mason says, suddenly not bothering to respond as Lincoln rough grabs my jaw to control me.

"Im not sure, I think I manage just fine and not having to worry about anyone else, if they are okay, if they are stealing from you. Stuff like that," I say, shooting daggers, not forgetting my stolen bag, gun, and knife.

Not to mention my poured-out water. The action made me mad. It appeared like they knew it.

Lincoln finally let go of my jaw.
"Oh, is our little Emmy mad?" He asked taunting, using a nickname as well, to add fuel to the fire.

I turn my gaze away from his. I reach for a rock in the ground, hoping that it will be noticed.

Unfortunately for me, luck is not in my favor.
Mason grabs the rock and throws it away from us.

Not saying a word, but he knew what I was planning as though he could read my mind. My movements were slow and quiet to not draw attention. Yet somehow he saw my movement without even looking at me.

Mason grabs a bowl, filling it with the steamy soup.
Filling two other bowls, the pan is now empty.

Lincoln begins to eat as does Mason. The last bowl is out of reach from me.

Mason sets his partially eaten soup down and grabs mine. Sitting beside me.

He brings the full spoon to my mouth.

"I can try to feed myself first," I say to him.

It seems as though he wants to argue before sliding the spoon into my bound hands.

I attempt to bring the spoon up to my mouth as the hot liquid slashes my pants and hiss leaves my lips.

As if reloading a gun, he gives me another full spoon, and once again it splashes on my legs, and another hiss leaves my lips.

He roughly takes the spoon out of my hands and this time brings the full spoon to my mouth.

I stare at him confused.
"Come on, eat. I let you try it your way. Now we do it mine. You burned your leg twice," he says, his voice stern and unwavering as frustrated with me and the whole situation regarding food.

"Now, Emmy. Or we can start talking about those ramifications we were discussing earlier." Lincoln says his voice sounds threatening.

I roll my eyes, and Mason brings the soup into my mouth.

"Good girl," Lincoln says.

Mason brings a few more bites before Lincoln says, "I'll finish. I'm done eating. Go ahead and finish yours. I'll feed her."

"If you un- tired my arms, I could feed myself," I say, thinking at least I have a much better chance of escaping them if my hands aren't tied together.

Lincoln takes the bowl from Mason, moving closer to me.
He brings the full spoon to my mouth.
I open my mouth, just wanting the humiliation to end entirely.

"Good girl," he says to me softly as if to humiliate me further than I ever thought possible.

My stomach began to feel full from the lack of resources.

"Come on, you just have like 3 more bites," Lincoln says to me, trying to get me to finish.

I force the last three bites down.

"Good girl," Mason says, taking the empty bowl away from Lincoln and washing it off with a wet rag. Sliding it back into the bag.

The third time I heard it, they were taunting me. Good girl. I scoffed internally

Lincoln helped me up after putting out the low-burning fire. My body is still attached to Mason's waist.

"Come on," Lincoln says, starting to walk.

His strides are long.

After a long time of silence, only the gravel crunching under our weight is heard. Until a few groans are heard close by. Causing me to become frightened.

"Please cut me loose," I say, practically begging Mason. My eyes scanned the situation.

"No, it's not that many; we can handle it," he says, loading to his bow. Shooting down one with ease.

Lincoln takes a more direct approach, walking directly up to them and stabbing straight up from the jaw area or the temple. Each one was taken out without the use of a single gunshot.

Once they were all dead, my eyes searched the area around, and my anxiety was still not settled.

"Emmy baby, there isn't any reason to worry. I know we could handle it; if I hadn't, I would have cut you loose and given you your weapons, but I was right," Mason says as though trying to comfort me, but the constant nicknames were beginning to make me angry.

"Relax, Emmaline; if we're ever in danger, we would have cut you loose. Okay, are you thirsty?" He asked, drinking some water.

Unconsciously, I lick my dry lips.

"Yes," I say quietly.

Mason grabs my gaze from the ground, forcing me to meet his.
"He's talking to you. Look at him and speak up; he's not a mind reader," he tells me sternly.