My Heart Died With This World

Don't Leave

"Wait!" I knocked the gun out of Vic's before he could pull the trigger. Sure there was a distinct bite mark through his jacket but I wanted to see if it was imprinted in his flesh. I knelt down, unzipping his jacket.

"Kellin, what are you doing?"

"Shut up." I pushed it off his shoulder. I covered my mouth and started laughing. There was nothing there. He hadn't been bitten. His jacket had been thick enough that the biters teeth did touch the surface of his skin. "It's not your blood. None of this your blood." Mike came over to see. A big smile broke across his face.

"Kellin, if you weren't with my brother I would kiss you." Vic sat there looking confused. I moved his hair back from his face, framing it in my hands.

"You're not infected Vic." He didn't move, he didn't blink. He was thinking. Shaking it off, the old Vic returned. He wasn't telling us something. I helped him stand to his feet.

"We need to move." His voice cracked.

"Not with you like this. We can stay another night."

"Mike."

"Vic." The two brothers glared at each other. I slung Vic's arm over my shoulder.

"Let's get you cleaned up." We slowly made our way up the stairs. He kept groaning every time he would put pressure on his ankle. I wonder what caught him off guard. I sat him on the edge of the bed. He was staring off at a wall, not even trying to hide how broken he was in front of me. I pushed his jacket off and pulled his shirt over his head. I would need to get him new clothes. I knelt in front of him. I grabbed the wet wash cloth out of the bowl, wringing it out, and lightly dabbing the skin. The blood and dirt came off easily. When I got done cleaning him off all the water in the bowl was red. So much blood. He was so lucky none of it was his. I brushed my fingers against his skin. "Please speak to me." His head dropped down and his eyes closed.

"I was going to kill myself." He said blankly.

"But you didn't."

"I was though." He tilted his head up to look into my eyes. Those brown eyes held so much. "I was going to leave you and wasn't even bit."

"You didn't though. You're here. With me."

"Yes. And I'm so glad you're here." He sighed, bringing our foreheads together.

"What happened Vic?"

"I was distracted. Then a zeke tackled me to the ground. I killed it but after it bit my shoulder." My hand ran across his smooth skin going to rest above where his heart was beating steadily.

"I heard what you said last night. On the walkie. I tried to talk back." He smiled. I pushed his body back on the bed, cuddling up to his side. I put my ear over where I could hear his heart. His arms wrapped his arms around me.

"I thought I would never be able to do this again." I continue to lay with him until I felt his breathing even. I slid out of his arms, trying so hard not to wake him up. I closed the bedroom door behind me and sighed in relief. His was home. That's all I could ever wish for. When I heard the transmission last night, I was so afraid that when we left the next day to find a new house he would be stumbling along as a zombie. I don't think I would be able to shoot him. I would lock him away until they came out with some sort of cure. I made my way downstairs and into the living room. Mike and Justin were playing candyland. They found it in the closest. Mike watched me as I sat down on the love seat.

"How's he doing?" I forced myself to laugh dryly. I rubbed my temples.

"He's more shaken up than he's acting."

"I can understand why." My eyes followed Mike's game piece as he moved it four squares. "He almost killed himself because of nothing. He was doing it to keep us safe though." I let my head fall against the arm rest. I wish Vic would let me know what he was thinking. Beyond just that he was going to kill himself. That was big but there was something else eating way at him.

"I wish he would talk to me." Mike chuckled.

"Take it easy. This is his first real relationship." I sat up on the edge of my seat.

"What?"

"Yeah what?" Justin agreed, both of us looking at Mike. "He doesn't seem like the virgin type."

"That's because he's not." He leaned back against his chair. "After my parents lost their jobs, Vic did everything to keep us together. He made sure I was in school, Mom and Dad were healthy, fed us, clothed us. Hell he did everything. He took up his first job when he was twelve. And on top of all that, he went to school." Mike scratch the back of his head. "When he became a sophomore, he stopped coming home at night and if he did come home at night, it was alway with a girl attached to his face. It was never the same girl each time. Then his sixteenth birthday came and all that stopped. I think that's when he figured out that he wasn't into women. He never brought anyone home after that. He went to school, he went to work, and he came home to take care of us." I felt a little jealousy when I thought about Vic with someone else. But it was overlooked by the fact that he sacrificed a normal teenage life to take care of his parents. "And then he met you."

"Huh?" I was taken back by Mike's words.

"I've never seen him be more protective about anyone outside the family beside you." I smiled, looking down at my lap. "He only says 'I love you' to people that truly matter. Sorry Justin." I laughed. Justin playfully stuck his bottom lip out and crossed his arms over his chest. He was pouting. He flipped the board, making the pieces fall shower onto Mike.

"I'm hurt." He dramatically put his hand on his heart, falling off his chair. I rolled my eyes at them.

"You guys are dorks." I head towards the closet to look for one of those ace bandages you wrap around an ankle. I smile in triumph as I pulled one out of a bag. When made my way back towards the living room to go to the stairs, Justin was sitting indian style on top of Mike's chest.

"Get off me fat ass." Justin shook his head. I giggled.

"I just wanted a nice game of candyland." I rolled my eyes.

"I'll see you guys later."

"You rock his world Kellin." Justin pointed at me. I blushed, running up the stairs. I tried opening the door as quietly as possible.

"I'm awake Kell." I shut the door behind me and grabbed a bottle of water of the dresser. Vic was propped up on his elbows. I stopped, admiring his perfectly sculpted chest. Even if we weren't getting a lot of food Vic managed to look like a Greek god. "Why are you looking? You can touch. It's yours." I came to the bed side and handed him the water. I went to the foot of the bed. I began wrapping his ankle in the bandage.

"How are you feeling?" He smirked.

"Just waiting for you to rock my world." My face started burning.

"Y-you heard that?" His sly smile said it all. I put my finger up, opening my mouth to say something. Nothing passed my lips as I struggled to say something. I was Vic's first 'relationship'. If that's what you called us. Somehow learning that made me nervous around him. What if I don't live up to what he expects? The smile fell from his face when it took me longer to respond.

"Come here darling." I crawled on the bed to rest my head against his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head, playing with strands of my hair. "Thank you for taking care of me." I kissed the spot where his neck met his shoulder and earned a small shudder of his body shaking.

"I love you. No more suicide missions. Do you understand?" He chuckled.

"Yes mother." His hand that wasn't running through my hair laced our fingers together. "I love you too."

"Don't leave us again."

"Never." He whispered. I tightened my grip on his body. We fell asleep in that position.