Octagon Project 3: Zachary McHall

~-8-~

"This room is a lot smaller than the one you had back at the house." Zack commented as he gazed at a gleaming Mel. Her bare shoulder shook lightly as she chuckled and pulled the sheets higher over her chest.

"And that bothers you?" She asked, looking down at the tip of his nose that was mere inches from hers in the small space provided on the floor of her new bedroom.

"Not one bit." He answered, kissing her lips softly. "What would bother me is if you asked another what if question about you dying."

"What if," Mel began. Zack closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Please, don't repeat that moment." He begged.

"What if," Mel started again, scooting closer so that their knees and noses touched. "What if we stayed on the run?" She asked with childlike light in her bright green eyes.

"That's almost an equivalent question." Zack replied. Mel clicked her tongue and pushed herself away a small distance.

"I'm being serious."

"You said that last time too." He frowned. Sighing loudly, Mel began to sit up. Quickly, Zack pulled her back down to the carpet ground and pinned her there. She rose an eyebrow as she gazed up at him and he sighed. "Sorry, that's just a bad memory..." He apologized.

"Well?" She asked. "Clearly you're pinning me for more than just to apologize."

"Yeah, that's to keep you from getting dressed." He answered honestly with a cheeky smile. "But are you sure you would want to stay running from the Octagon?"

"After so long, they'll give up." Mel stated as a matter of fact.

"What about Kaylee?"

"She's a woman. She can make her own decisions." Mel answered, turning her head to look away in discomfort of the topic. Although she wasn't looking, Zack gave an understanding nod before giving her neck a surprise kiss that gave her goosebumps.

"Alright." He mumbled as he went to kiss her jaw. She'd moved her head to look at him and his lips landed on hers.

"What do you mean, alright?" She asked once he pulled away.

"We can stay on the run." Pulling herself forwards, she kissed him.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Of course." He answered, removing his hands from her wrists and bringing them down to her waist when there was a knock on their front door that made them both jump. Mel stared with wide eyes as Zack got up and pulled on his basketball shorts and began to walk to the front door with caution. With her room being across the kitchen, she watched as he grabbed one of the stake knives from the knife block in the kitchen and went to open the door. Zack's shoulders dropped and he pushed the door further open to let Rocker in before glancing around outside and shutting the door again behind him. Rocker watched Zack put the knife up before catching Mel laying on the ground of her room with the blanket pulled up around her. He rubbed the back of his neck and Mel rushed to shut her room door to get dressed.

"I see you guy are vigilant." He nodded in the direction of the knife block as Zack shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Zack said. "Can never be too cautious."

"Yeah especially with those targets on your backs I've heard." Zack furrowed his eyebrows in question of how he'd know or even understand the full extent of what was going on. Before Zack got the chance to ask, Mel emerged from her room in a pair of dark jeans and a grey T-shirt.

"Rocker, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I told you I'd come back to work on the car."

"Yeah, but it's like, midnight."