DARLIN' | d. dixon ✓

III. MUSCLE MEMORY

CHAPTER THREE : Muscle Memory

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REMMI SMOOTHED HER BLACK DRESS as she awaited the arrival of her boyfriend of three years. He was a detective in Atlanta and she was a doctor. The two of them made quite the team. Their friends called them a powerful couple because of having so much talent in one relationship.

Of course, that's only what they could see. On the inside of their Atlanta apartment, the blue curtains stayed closed and the doors remained locked for the fear of someone coming and seeing what demons lurked inside.

Remmi heard the door start to open. She immediately went towards, going to greet who she thought was the love of her life. Her protector from all things evil.

"How was work?" She asked him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek and taking his bag from him. "I made your favorite." She told him, excitement in her voice.

"You're too sweet baby," He told her, placing his hand on her waist. "It was good, bit of a slow day, minus a robbery at this pizza joint down the road."

"You mean Joe's? It got robbed?"

"Didn't I just say that?" He asked her, a scowl on his face.

Immediately, Remmi moved to the kitchen. Obviously she had done something wrong, so she got the lasagna out of the oven. Praying, hoping it was good enough for Derek.

She cut a slice out of the pan and placed it onto a red plate, bringing it over to her boyfriend.

"Let me know if you like it," She told him as she saw pick up his fork.

After getting herself a slice, a small one seeing as Derek told her she was gaining weight, she herself sat down at the table.

"Mhmm," He moaned into the food, "It's delicious baby. Best one you've made yet,"

And then like that, it was a quick switch. Next thing she knew she had bloody hands and a phone to her ear. She quickly ran down the halls towards the stairway, quickly heading for the lobby bathroom to wash her boyfriend's blood off of her hands.

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Remmi awoke with a start. She turned over to see her brother yawning, his eyes closed for less than two seconds. "Finally you woke up," He told her, "I've been following Shane for miles. We picked up a few stragglers while you where asleep." Andrew, the eldest of the Tyler siblings and by far the most rebellious, had been driving for hours.

"How many people?" Remmi asked him.

"An unholy amount," He muttered, "The smaller the group, the better, not the bigger." He replied, louder this time. "How'd you even meet Shane anyway? Pick him up on the side of the road like Derek." Andrew chuckled at his small comment, making himself smile.

Remmi sighed at her brother's comment, "No. He was with me when the military came into the hospital. And I didn't pick Derek up on the side of the road,"

"Whatever Rem. Why didn't you change?"

Remmi was still wearing her dark purple scrubs, her brother's red flannel over her arms to keep the chilly Georgia air away.

"Did you really think she had time to change, Andy?" Ellie, his wife, asked him.

"Thanks Ellie," Remmi muttered softly, looking over to see the small boy across from her. He was sleeping against the window, a small blanket on his lap.

"And apologize," Ellie told him.

"For what?" Andrew protested.

Ellie just gave her husband a look to which he sighed. "Alright, fine. Rem, I'm sorry for my comment about Dicky Derek, okay?"

"It's fine," She replied. Her brother looked at the woman through the mirror, sad eyes looking straight into hers. She smiled at him, reassuring that she was fine.

Or would be anyway.

Minutes later, the caravan turned off an exit. A green sign, with white lettering read:

PINE CITY CAMPSITE
4 MILES AHEAD

And for the first time that night, the family of four had a small calming of whatever was going on and whatever was happening in the new world.

*published