DANGEROUS LOVE | twd au

Chapter 5:: Paths cross, paths divide

Tara stares at her in disbelief and then continues to try and gives a very audible pull on the handcuff. Espinosa does not react, instead, she walks away, creating room and time for Tara to scan the rest of the garage for the first time.

Her heart drops. There are two bodies on the ground that Rosita is walking towards. Tara covers her mouth with her free hand and makes herself even smaller. It's the second crime she has been an accomplice in in two days.

Rosita turns around at the sound of Tara's sudden change in breathing and movement. She raises her shoulders, looks to the side, and presses her lips together like she doesn't understand Tara's shocked reaction. 'They wouldn't let me in.' She sighs and then starts to drag one of the corpses out of the garage, into the house.

Tara's panic kicks in, the ice that froze her has melted. She yanks and pulls on the handcuff, Rosita shooting her quick, indifferent glances while she comes back and drags out the second body. 'Unlock it! Let me go!' she screams.

That causes Rosita to run back into the garage in a hurry. 'Stop! Stop it right now!' She makes her way over to Tara and kneels down in front of her, pointing her finger at Tara first, and then pushing it against her soft pink lips to signal silence. Tara quiets down immediately, threatened by the sudden closeness and the seriously stern look in Rosita's eyes. 'Sound attracts them, you want to be eaten; go on like you were doing.' She watches closely as Tara lets it sink in. 'So please,' she whispers, 'stay quiet.'

Tara nods. It seems that the advice is genuine, because a few seconds after Tara's outburst, dozens of fists start banging on the garage door. Tara whimpers and Rosita jumps up, only staying low enough to not be completely visible to the outside through the high windows. She then looks at Tara again, and then at the door. 'It'll hold.'

• • •

After a few minutes of staying as still as possible, the infected people outside seem to drift away slowly, losing hope of having a meal inside. Tara pleads to Rosita, who has sat down against the wall on the other side of the garage. 'You can't leave me here to die.'

'What makes you think I'm leaving you to die?'

Tara can't think of an answer that doesn't sound too absurd to be said out loud. Everything she has now depends on this woman, keeping her locked in here while flesh-eating sickos are roaming the street.

The two of them sit in silence on opposite sides of the garage for a few minutes. Tara can barely sit still from the adrenaline. She surprises herself by asking Espinosa a question. 'Do you enjoy killing people?'

Rosita stares at her blankly. Tara waits for an answer, she already feels that it was an inappropriate question.

'I've saved your life twice.'

Yes, Rosita picked her off the street, saving her from the crowd of infected. But the first time? What was that then?

Rosita closes her eyes and the corners of her mouth curl up just a little bit. 'If I wanted to kill you, you would've been dead already.' She stands up and digs around in her pockets. 'That doesn't mean you should try anything,' she warns Tara, now holding up a small key. Tara's eyes widen and she sits straighter up. 'I can still change my mind,' Rosita adds.

Tara nods. Weirdly enough, Rosita Espinosa is starting to become more and more human, even while Tara's reality is getting further and further deformed.

Rosita locks eyes with Tara while she crouches down beside her and slowly sticks the key into the handcuff, not breaking eye contact once. The handcuffs click and Tara watches as Rosita frees her wrist from it. She nods a "thank you" and receives a pat on her shoulder.