Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 4 Feelings

As quickly as it happened, the kiss was over. Rick pulled away as if he had been burned, “I'm, I'm sorry, Kagome, I shouldn't have done that,” Rick whispered.

“I know, but it was only a kiss, don't worry about it,” Kagome said, as she looked away from Rick and went to check to see if the rabbits were cooked.

Rick watched Kagome busy herself around the fire with the rabbits. Rick felt terrible that he didn't feel as guilty as he should have. Feeling Kagome's lips against his own felt good, it felt right. It was something he had never felt before, not even kissing his wife. He didn't understand these feelings he felt towards this petite Japanese woman. In the depth of his soul, Rick had this need to keep Kagome close to him and keep her safe. She seemed so small and helpless, little did he know.

Kagome could feel Rick's eyes on her as she took the rabbits of the fire. The guilt of kissing a married man was eating at her. Kagome felt so ashamed of herself, even if kissing Rick felt good and right; it was still wrong since he belonged to some other woman. Why was that the story of her life? Why was it that the men she wanted to be with were with someone else? Kagome sighed, ‘I guess that's my fate, to watch the men I care for be with other women.’

Kagome put the spitted rabbits on two plates and hands one to Rick, he smiles at her and accepts the plate, she also gives him a cup of tea. Kagome then goes and sits on the other side of the fire. Kagome carefully starts eating her rabbit, blowing on it to cool it down. She doesn't bother to look up at Rick. Rick can't help but feel disappointed that Kagome didn't sit down next to him. Rick sighed and began to blow on the rabbit as well to cool it down before he takes a bite.

He hums at how flavorful the rabbit is, “This is very good, Kagome.”

“Thank you.”

They ate their meal in silence. When Kagome and Rick were finished, Kagome took the plates to the creek to wash them. While she was cleaning the dishes, she heard stumbling and growling coming towards her; she quickly threw up a barrier around herself as the Walker reached her and touched the barrier; it turned to ash. Kagome lowered her barrier and made her way back to the camp.

“I'll take first watch, Rick,” Kagome said.

Rick was about to argue but changed his mind; he got up, unrolled his sleeping bag, took off his boot and gun, and crawled in. It didn't take long for Rick to fall asleep. A few hours later, Kagome woke Rick up so that he could take over. Rick got up a little tired and put his boot and gun back on, then took Kagome's place. He sat there on the log, listening intently for any signs of walkers approaching. But as Rick sat there, he couldn't help but look at Kagome's sleeping form. She was so beautiful and so kind. In the short amount of time, Rick had known her; he started to care for her more than he should. But he couldn't help it. And it was beginning to eat away at him.

The next day, Kagome made them some ramen noodles and tea. After they ate, they put the fire out and packed up their gear and hit the road again. Kagome and Rick walked for what seemed like an eternity until they spotted a farmhouse in the distance, “Maybe they have a truck we can use,” Rick said.

When they got to the house, they found that the occupants had taken their own lives and that the vehicle Kagome and Rick had didn't have any gas in it, but they did have two horses. Rick went to the barn and grabbed to blankets and placed them over the horses' backs, then Rick helped Kagome get on one, and he got on the other. Once they were ready, they rode the horses out of the field and headed for Atlanta.

It still took them several hours to get to Atlanta, but they were at least making better time than before. As they neared Atlanta, Kagome and Rick were shocked to see the enormous traffic jam leading out of Atlanta and how desolate the city looked. The duo glanced at each other and proceeded into the city at a slower pace.

Kagome and Rick suddenly heard a helicopter overhead and decided to follow it. Rounding the corner, they came face to face with a crowd of Walkers. The horses whinnied in terror and reared back, knocking Kagome and Rick off their backs, they turned and bolted down the way they had come, escaping the Walkers quickly.

Having been robbed of their prey, the Walkers turned towards Kagome and Rick and started shuffling towards them. Rick picked up their bag of guns and grabbed Kagome's arm, “Come on, we have to get out of here before we're swarmed.”

Kagome pulled her arm out of Rick's hand and turned to him, “Run, Rick, I'll hold them off.”

“Are you crazy?! You can't hold them off by yourself, come on!” Rick yelled.

Kagome gave Rick a hard shove making him stumble, “Trust me.”

Rick watched in fascination as Kagome dropped her backpack and pulled a charm of a bow off her bracelet. His eyes widened as the bow expanded into a longbow. Kagome stood fearlessly in the middle of the street as the Walker got closer, She drew back the empty bow, and suddenly an arrow of pure energy appeared. Kagome quickly loosed the arrow; it went whizzing into the herd of Walkers, and without hitting a single one of them turned the majority of them to ash.

“How did-”

“I'll explain later; we need to get out of here.”

Rick nods, “Right,”

Kagome quickly shrinks down her bow and puts it back on her bracelet. They take off running down the street as the remaining Walkers advance on them. Rick suddenly sees an Asian boy stick his head out from around the corner and start waving at them, “Hey! This way, come on hurry!”

Kagome and Rick quickly duck down the alley and chain the fence close. The follow the young man up the fire escape to the roof of the building where there are other people trapped up there as well. The minute Rick gets up to the roof, he draws his gun, not taking any chances that these people are going to attack him and Kagome.