Crimson Rivers

14) Poetic

The floor was cold underneath Sadie, cooler than Martha's skin.

Martha had been unconscious for the past few hours, breathing heavy strained breaths while Jerry leaned on the wall next to her, watching her chest bob up and down, probably waiting for it to finally stop. He tried to shake her awake, force her to eat something, but her eyes stayed shut.

Jerry didn't say anything when he found out the door was locked. It wasn't too much of a shock, exactly the thing the world would throw at them, well the exact thing The Beast would. Sadie periodically threw her head against the wall, staving off the boredom, wishing she would just die already. The pain kept her going, the only thing tethering her to the hellscape.

It was clear from the state of the shelves that The Beast had stopped by before them, removing nearly everything they could have eaten, leaving behind a few bags of stale chips, some meat sticks, and some bottles of water in the fridge. Unable to stop herself, Sadie devoured her share, a voice in her head begging her to stop, to ration it, but she couldn't. Jerry did the same, but left some for Martha if she ever woke. The hunger lessened but still gnawed incessantly.

They'd been allowed to leave just so they could be put in another cage, smaller than the last. She kept thinking of the rest of the group back at the motel, slowly wasting away, waiting for them to return. Sadie wondered if they ever would.

Sadie stood up and tugged at her sweat-coated shirt, suffocating in the muggy air of the store. Tired of the silence, she sat opposite to Jerry. He acknowledged her but said nothing.

"Hey," She said.

Dark bags hung underneath his eyes, and his beard was the longest she'd ever seen it, dipping well below his chin. The almost permanent smirk he had was gone. He looked utterly defeated. Broken.

"Hey," He replied, eyes still fixed on his wife.

"How's she doing?" Sadie knew the answer but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"About as well as you'd expect. Her bandages have completely soaked through. You couldn't find anything else?"

Sadie shook her head, "No, we're lucky we found the first-aid kit,"

"I don't feel very lucky right now," Jerry groaned.

"I know."

"Do you? Do you have any idea how it feels to watch your wife die in front of you?"

"I don't-" She stammered.

"No you fucking don't." Tears welled up in his eyes, but he let them slide completely down his face.

"I treated her like shit... Jesus." He continued, rubbing his eyes.

That's an understatement. Sadie thought.

"Jerry, you can't beat yourself up over that. We've been forced into an impossible situation," Sadie reached her hand over to him and placed it over his rough hand.

"Yeah, that's for fucking sure. Then tell me why I see your face looking back at me every night before I go to sleep?"

Her heart dropped. "What?"

"That day... when Beth offed herself. I just watched you struggle. And I... I liked it."

His words chilled her to her bones, reminding her of the initial fear she had of traveling with Jerry. She slightly shifted away.

The smile he wore that day was more than enough confirmation of his confession. "Where is this coming from?"

He shrugged, "Had a lot of time to think in here, not much else to do, I guess."