Maybe

Chapter 11

"Who's Becca?" Ethan whispered to me as we walked along the forest floor heavily guarded on all sides by survivors

            I looked down as I kicked a loose rock before answering

"No one, it doesn't matter. I just didn't want to give them my real name. I guess it doesn't matter so much anymore, but old habits die hard." I said as I looked around to the men carrying guns

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked

"Ethan, I was never mad at you." I said avoiding eye contact

"Well then I just don't get it." He said

"You don't get what?" I asked

"One day you are so happy that we are a team and everything and the next you won't talk to me and you get annoyed at the very sight of me, I mean what happened?" He asked

"Stop talking you two, do you want to draw a mob of walkers on us or what?" The lead guy yelled back to us before I could answer

            Before I knew it we were coming up to a clearing. There was a massive farmhouse with a tall barbed wire fence surrounding it. The fence looked very out of place beside the beautiful, white, innocent farmhouse where these men had decided to set up camp.

"I have a bad feeling about this." I whispered to Ethan

            One of the men opened a gate and we walked through the barbed wire fence, hearing it slam close behind us. I could hear what I could only guess as music coming from inside the house, along with laughs and screams of dozens of people inside. I turned to Ethan.

"Do you hear that?" I asked

            He nodded in response before we turned our attention to the leader as we saw him holding the front door open for us. I didn't want to go in. I wanted to get as far away from this house as possible. I looked behind me before stepping into the house and my eyes met the dozen that surrounded me, making sure we didn't go anywhere. I took a deep breath and walked in the house.

            I paused as I waited for Ethan to stand beside me.

"Alright, this is our safe house." The leader said.

            Somehow I just couldn't wrap my mind around the idea of this being in any way...safe.

            I looked over his shoulder and into the living room where dozens of people were blasting music and dancing.

"They're celebrating." The man said as he answered the question that I hadn't voiced aloud

"Celebrating what?" Ethan asked

            The man shrugged and took a pause before answering,

"The end of the world."

            I looked up at Ethan as he looked down at me with a scowl on his face.

"Well come on now, don't be rude. Go say hi." He said with an evil grin on his face

            My feet stayed planted on the wood floor by the front door as I stared the man down.

"Oh come on, we don't bite." He said as he pushed me towards the living room

            I stumbled as I looked up to see myself buried in a mass of dancing people. I shoved my way through the group as I was handed a cup of some sort of liquid. I stood on my toes as I searched above the crowd for Ethan, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I started to panic as I was tossed around by the swaying of the crowd. Suddenly, something strong grabbed my arm and I sighed in relief as I turned around to face who I thought would be Ethan. I was wrong. It was a man who reeked of alcohol and had trouble keeping his balance on the even floor. I tried to yank my arm away as I looked frantically around the crowd for Ethan.

"Come on darlin, just one dance." He slurred

"Let go of me." I said

            I didn't want to start a fight in a place with people who could probably kill me without a second thought.

            The man became angry at my response and pulled me closer to him. He reached down to the hem of my shirt and started to tug up until I could feel his cold hands on my waist. I didn't want this and I was starting to get mad. I gathered whatever strength I had in my body and kneed him as hard as I could in the groin. When his grip loosened I squeezed out and ran to the back of the house. I was counting on him being too drunk to remember to go looking for me as I ran into the kitchen. It was completely empty and I ran to the corner in-between the wall and refrigerator. I slid my back down the wall, pulled my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them while I rested my head on my knee. I started to cry.

"Olivia?" I heard someone call faintly

            I heard pounding footsteps on the creaky wood floor before the kitchen door burst open to reveal Ethan.

"Olivia." He said

He immediately saw me curled up in the corner and ran to me. He kneeled in front of me and placed his hands on my arms.

"What's wrong, what happened?" He asked

"I don't want to be here Ethan. I don't." I said

            He took a seat beside me on the wall and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap and into his chest.

"I know, I don't either. But, we really don't have a choice right now." He said

"Please, don't leave me alone in this house any more." I said

"I promise. I won't." Ethan said, "I promise."

            We stayed here for what felt like forever. When we finally heard the music die down we got up from our spot in the kitchen and made our way back to the living room. Before we entered the living room, Ethan grabbed my hand and locked our fingers together. I looked down at our hands and back up at him as I saw a small smile light up his face.