Chapter 3:
I stared up at the dark ceiling trying my hardest to go to sleep while I still had the time but my mind was on over-drive. It was reeling with the events of today as I tried to figure out what the fates had in store for me. 'What were the chances of Carson, of all people, being at the house at the same time on the same day I would've ran out of food? Is this some sort of sign? Wh-' my thoughts were cut sort as a sleeping body in the next cot over let out a loud snore. I chuckled lightly because the sound resembled a dying cow. By doing so I woke up the person on the other side of me. "Hey would you shut the hell up and stop laughing! Some of us are trying to sleep here!" the person yelled half asleep still. "Why don't you just go to sleep and mind your damn business!" I screeched back not in the mood for a cat fight at 4 in the morning. I heard shuffling noises and then my wrists were pinned above my head to my bed. My ex hovered over me with flaring nostrils and wild bed hair. Even in this sleepy state he still looked sexy with his caramel skin giving off a faint glow in the candle light. I stared mesmerized by his gorgeous eyes and he stared right back.
One minute I was staring at Ryan's eyes and the next I'm seeing him flying across the room and into the wall of the underground room. I try to adjust my eyes to the dark to attempt to find the culprit but when my eyes land on Carson I'm shell-shocked. He stood a few feet from my bed breathing heavily with clenched fists and his eyes squeezed shut. I watch him to see what his next move will be.
Carson finally opens his eyes and the first thing they come in contact with is my own. At the sight of me he visibally relaxes. His shoulders sag and his fists unclench very slowly. A soft moan echoes through the room and my eyes wonder towards Ryan who is laying on the ground with his back against the wall and a hand to his head like it's in pain. Carson snaps his head towards Ryan and stalks over to him. Carson grabs two fistfuls of Ryan's shirt and yanks him to his feet. He shoves Ryan against the wall and leans in close to his ear and says something that makes Ryan's eyes go wide and gulp in fear. I wonder what Carson could say to him that would make him so visibally scared.
After everything finally calmed down Carson let Ryan go back to bed but not before threatening him again. Carson walked over to my bed and sat on the edge. He picked up a strand of my hair and started twirling it inbetween his fingers. "You know I would never let anyone hurt you right? Even though I just met you, you have taken over my entire thoughts. I couldn't stop thinking about you. That's why I came to check on you. And as I stepped in the room I saw him pin you and I lost it, I'm sor-" he whispered but I cut him off. "Thank you, he wouldn't have hurt me, but thank you." I whispered back to him with sincerity dripping from my voice and a smile creeping up onto my face. He returned the smile and then did something unexpected: he hugged me. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. After the shock wore off I hugged him back. I felt safe and warm in his embrace. It sent shivers up my spine when he started rubbing small circles on my lower back. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and saw him already looking at me who two emotions in his eyes: Passion and confusion. But both of those were wiped away as we began leaning in closer, so close that I could feel his warm breath fanning my face. Our lips lightly touched, but he pulled back slightly to look at my face for permission. I gave him a smile and he began leaning in again but just as our lips were about to connect there was a loud crash from above us. The small underground shelter shook so badly that dirt and rocks from the walls and ceiling came tumbling to the floor waking the others that were down here with us. Panic flooded all of us in here.
We all huddled in a corner of the room to prevent any of us from getting hit with the falling debris. We began to hear shouting and yelling above us and it kept getting closer hinting that they may have found our hideout. Worry flooded my mind and and I'm sure all of the others too. We heard the door of the shelter being yanked on. "Everybody, grab your weapons and prepare yourself! Now that they have found us we will have to fight our way outside and to our other shelter. Some may die, and others may not but for those of you who do I'd just like to say that it was a pleasure meeting all of you wonderful people,"Andrew said in a brave voice. I took a deep breath and got up and walked over to where the others were preparing themselves for the upcoming battle. The shelter door was still being yanked. Apparently they had the same trouble Carson and I had yesterday. CRASH! The door was finally pulled open and sunlight came streaming in. Men came down by the dozens and charged at us with huge knives and the occasional gun. Most were easily killed while others proved to be good fighters. I found myself in a hand to hand combat with one of the biggest of them I have seen. Lucky for me I was small and obviously smarter because he seemed too dumb to understand that trying to continuously punch me was not working. Finally he seemed to catch on and picked up a small fallen switch blade. He came running at me but I seemed to have the upper hand and slid baseball style between his legs. I quick jumped to my feet and catapulted myself onto his back. From that position I put him in a headlock and continued to squeeze while he struggled beneath my grip. He continued to squirm until he slipped in an unconscious state. I released my grip on him and stood up. I looked around the room to find it completely empty with the occasional dead or unconscious body laying on the floor for an exception.
I walked over to where the hatch of the shelter lay open. I gripped the wooden boards lining the hatch and hoisted myself outside and into the crisp morning air. I frantically searched for anyone as a sign on which way I should go. I found no one so I started running in the direction of my old hideout. As I neared the hideout I heard whispering from inside. "If we wait here she will show up eventually. I watched her for a few weeks and I know she's been staying here," the voice was Carson's.
'He's been watching me?' My eyes go wide. How had I not noticed? And why was he following me? With a small pocket knife in hand I slide in through the basement window of an old house. As my feet touch the ground I make sure that I make no sound louder than a mouse. I see them looking out the window opposite me that faces towards town. I slowly creep up to Carson and wrap an arm around his throat and lightly apply pressure to it with the knife. I feel his adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat as he swallows his nervousness.
"Tell me. Tell me why you've been following me or I swear to god, I will murder you where you stand." I spat out venomously at him and the other boy that is down here with him. "Calm down Abby," Carson trys telling me in a soothing voice but it only upsets me more. "DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" By now I'm screaming for the whole world to hear. Carson swears under his breath and slaps a hand over my mouth to prevent me from yelling anymore. After a few minutes of just holding a hand over my mouth he slowly begins to take it off but not before saying, "Before you say anything else, please just let me explain,". I reluctantly agreed.
"I saw you a few weeks back, you were so skinny that it looked like you would break by the slightlest touch. I knew I had to help you. The houses you planned on going in were out of food. We had already raided them. I had been planting food in a few of the-". Carson was cut short by the other guy who stood down here with us. "It was you who had been taking the food?! Andrew punished Chad for that. That black eye he has been sporting for the past week was because of you!" the guy hissed out angrily. I couldn't blame him. Although what Carson did was nice, it was wrong. He stole food and another guy was punished for it.
"Thank you Carson, but you shouldn't have done it. It wasn't worth it." I spoke solemnly. "Wasn't worth it?!" He screeched. "Your life wasn't worth it?! God, your so stubborn! You remind me of Char-" he cut himself off this time. "Remind me of someone I was knew. You are the most selfless person I have met. You would've chosen to not eat just so a kid you don't even know wouldn't get ruffed up a bit. Jesus Abby, would you just think about yourself for a god damn minute. You needed to eat so I gave you food. You needed shelter so I gave you shelter. Now you need protection so I'm here to offer it but your too fucking hard headed that you don't even realize I'm trying to help you here!" He whisper shouts so they don't hear. After all that I'm still stuck on that fact that he started saying my name, my real name. "Whose name were you going to say?" I ask. "Out of that whole speech that's the only part you pay attention to?!" He spits out through gritted teeth. He begins running his hands through his hair and I hear him let out a loud sigh. "Charlotte. She was a girl I knew before this all happened. You just remind me off her at times," he says. The way he says my name has butterflies erupting in my chest. He says it almost with a longing. "Was she a girlfriend?" I ask curious to what he will say. "Ha! Yeah right! She was popular and had guys drooling at her feet. She could have any guy she wanted. Why would she want someone like me? A freak with anger issues and a tendency for violence. I doubt she even knew I existed. She was a bit of a bitch anways and I don't like blondes, especially fake ones," he says with a bored tone. I get offended. A bitch? Me? HA! And so what if I dyed my hair blonde, I only did it to rebel against my parents who were to busy to notice me becasue of work. Okay it's not much of an excuse, but still!
"Who are you to judge anyone Carson? At school your only friend was the god damn Librarian! And even he wanted to kick you out of the library at times! You brought the bullying onto yourself by going to the football practices and making fun of the stupid jocks! You were pretty much saying 'Hey douches! Come beat me up!'. Seriously, could you get anymore stupid?" I reply back and finally let out the breath I've been holding. He looks at me with accusing eyes."Why are you getting all defensive? I wasn't talking about you," he says while eyeing me up and down as if trying to identify me. "I- I- I was one of her friends," I say nervously hoping he doesn't notice the obvious lie. Just as Carson was about to reply the other boy interrupts. "Coast is clear, we better go while we still have time." I let out a sigh of relief. 'Safe for now', I think to myself.
