Where are you going?

Chapter 20

Julia's POV

"Julia?". I looked back at Colby and followed his fast lead. I was still half-naked until Colby handed me his t-shirt and we kept going further into the building with the guns in our hands and me with my bare legs and Colby with his black and blue face. When we finally find an exit, we both stepped out to the dark alley and kept going. We were keeping low profile in the shadows from the moonlight, putting some light over the city. The sky was painted with beautiful blinking stars on top of a dark blue canvas one quick motion, he pulled me inside a pair of doors and shoved me inside a vandalized shop, that once were at good use. "What are you...". "Sshh.". He walked in front of me and I followed him further into the dead clothing shop, deserted like the rest of the city now. He then suddenly stopped so that I ended up bumping into him and slamming my body into his and felt his back as steal when I stumbled into his arms. I didn't expect him to catch my clumsy ass but I liked it and as his arms went around my waist, mine went around his neck and I snuggled into his bare chest. I heard cars, talking, screaming, and shooting around us but that was far away, and I don't think anyone could possibly know we were in here, and right at that moment I didn't really care either. I felt my eyes watering and finally feeling how much my body needed to rest. I realized I still was only wearing Colby's shirt but I kept on being relaxed in his engulfment. I just realized I was shaking from a mixture of cold and anxiety and Colby noticed too. I could lightly recognize the smell of him and the way he breathed so close to my neck and ears and his strong grip around me. He pulled away from the hug and moved one of his hands up to my face to wipe one of the tears away I didn't realize had formed. He was looking into my eyes, and I looked into his even though the darkness made it hard to. I wanted to look at him and just get back to his apartment, far away from here right now. "How are you? Did they hurt you? Are you bleeding, have you even eaten anything?". His face looked worried after the hug as he asked me and his eyes went all over my face, then my neck, my chest and all the way down to my feet, but he couldn't go any further before I grabbed his head and looked into his blue eyes one last time and smashed my lips on to his own full ones. The shock was mutual but he kissed back immediately and his arms went around my waist again to then rub my back and lean further in to deepen the kiss. I felt his body against my own, I felt his touch and his breathing against mine, the smell of him and I was surprised by the warmth he could give me from just kissing back. I was surprised of my own action, being so vulnerable in front of him after what happened, but I knew I could trust him. I had my hands on the back of his head and liked what he was doing to me in just that one kiss but the emotions from it was a lot. I thought I couldn't do it for longer and so I pulled away, even though I didn't want to. Even though they weren't there I still felt his soft lips on mine and his hands gripping on to my hips and I liked that felling when looking at him and smiling back. "I'm fine, thank you.". I answered and began to chuckle. "Yeah, I know now. Didn't think you could do that.". I smiled at his surprised face and I even think I started to lightly blush in front of him and hid my face in his chest. I didn't know if that was a good idea, or if it even made sense, if he liked me like that, or if I did, but it felt good and I was certain this guy had me thinking about him the day I met him. I looked back at him, but he kept his head low and eyes darted away from me now. His grip loosened up as my fingers went over his busted eyebrow and scraped cheekbone, down to his jaw and further down to the blood on his shirt. I went to where the wound was and graced my finger a long his bruised abdomen, but I was surprised by what I saw. The wound was stitched up perfectly but I could see how they had treated him in the chair and probably before that. "They stitched it up after knocking me out.". "Oh yeah, heard that.". I smiled back at him, kinda proud for standing up for himself and he smiled back in a way that created a pair of dimples in his face and lighting up my mood once again. "Thank you, Colby.". "For what?". "Everything.". We stood there for a while and chose to sit down as well before my eyes were too heavy for me to open again. I felt my body shake and even though my eyes were closed and darkness took over my mind, I still felt movements around me. When I tried to open my eyes, I saw only small glimpse of light and a small voice next to me. I could hear the well-known engine being on, the radio playing and a touch on my hand resting on my thigh. "Colby?". "Sshh, just sleep princess.". I opened my eyes a bit more and realized we were in the car we were driving around in just a day ago and I saw the road in front of us with its yellow stripes and a few abandoned cars parked on the sides. From what I could see it was still night and Colby's eyes looked more tired than ever, but I didn't say anything. My body was still tired and sore and the only thing it could do was apparently shake me awake, and then I remembered what happened just a few hours ago. I didn't like that thought at all. I remembered Adams lifeless face, the blood, the bullet, their yearning looks in their faces. The way they treated Colby in that chair and the little girl on the picture. All those images popped up into my head but I just sat still next to Colby who was driving. I recognized the road we were on and I soon saw the apartment complex I so longed to see again. Tears left my eyes and slowly rolled down my face as I remembered last night and the terror, I would never be able to escape. All the pain reminding me of who I was, and how I didn't regret putting that bullet in Adam's leg. I noticed now how the rain was making the sound on the glass and roof of the car. The rain hit the car and slowly rolled down its edges before another one took its place and made the entire car seem like it was a waterfall outside. What kind of world was this turned into and where was I in all of this? I felt the cold penetrate through the blanket I was wrapped in and goosebumps starting to form all over my skin. Not even Colby's voice or his touch could help me forgot what happened, and so I closed my eyes to stop them from leaving the tears and let Colby kill the engine. I felt him wipe of the tears before walking out of the car and turning up on my side. He grabbed me and I placed my arms around his neck before pulling me into him and leaving the car with me in his arms. I knew where we were, and I knew I was safe around him now. Something had changed in both of us, and I knew I soon knew what really was going on in that horrible place we just were. If Violette said she was in downtown of LA, I wished she weren't where I thought she was. I slowly accepted I might have been alone in all that time but feeling Colby's arms around me and his beating heart did something to me that night. The rain never stopped and it never bothered me. I felt Shaely's fur against my bare legs and Kiwi's barking before Colby carried me to the air-mattresses and laid down next to me. I don't know how he got me inside that car and just drove off to the apartment where I though we only would be safe. I wondered how the rest of the city were. How the zombies were tearing flesh apart like the people were doing to the city, but I didn't care anymore. My eyes were too tired to even take one last look at sleepy Colby before my body gave up and let me go into my own sleep.

The next morning:

"Julia, wake up!". I was gonna kill him if he kept on saying that every time I ever had just the best sleep one more time. I slept very well after he had laid himself next to me and Shaely laying by my legs like she used to do in New York. "What?". I rolled over to him and saw his hands holding some papers I never had seen before. He seemed so invested in it, he made me wanna know more and left me curious. I saw the titles such as "Transaction", "payment" and others like "The virus" or "Safe spots". "What the fuck?". I looked up at Colby who just kept on reading the papers in quietness. "where did you find these?". I asked as I finally got Colby's attention and looked into his tired eyes. It was morning from the sun booming into the room we had been sleeping in over the night, but he still seemed tired and pale. "I grabbed food, guns and these papers at one of the offices in where we were. Apparently, the gangs aren't very good at hiding their secret work to intruders.". "Wait. You left me to grab all of these things at night?". "Yeah. You slept very deep and afterwards I carried you to the car where I then drove.". I didn't remember all of that besides the car ride, but I guess I should be happy he did. All the papers were written with transactions and deals between what seemed like two of the gangs. Guns, food, people, and something they called "the device". I got goosebumps when reading the documented criminality like drug dealers and selling of people but it made sense. The police were in a few places of the city but had given up on downtown part of LA. The papers also told us that riots had formed almost all places that weren't affected by the virus and an organization had formed itself and was helping people with good shelter. Apparently, that wasn't good for the gangs on the paper but both Colby and I noticed it immediately and looked at each other. "there is people helping huh.". "Yeah. It's literally 10 minutes from here.". Colby answered back and pointed at the different locations. I looked closer on the text written all over the document saying "Targets". Colby walked in the kitchen and started to make cereal for him and I but my eyes were glued to the paper and what was written on it. "Colby!". I yelled in surprise and scared. He immediately looked at me with furrowed brows and a bit of milk around his mouth, since we didn't have any utensils to eat with. "What?". I looked closer to the exact words and looked at the red dots on the map to be sure of what this was. "They're planning on shooting the whole thin down to the ground!". "No, they can't. police are there and way too man...". "I know but look!". I had no idea if we could trust the people from this organization or even trust the police, but we had either that or the gangs. I pointed at all the obvious sentences and matched the location on the map, so that Colby could see it. "We have to check it out. If they are trying to bring shelter to people, maybe Sam and Violette are there.". no reaction. Colby was still reading the document when I looked up to him, but his face didn't show as much excitement as mine. "Colby?". It was quiet for a while before he stood up and walked away towards the kitchen. "Let's think about it.". "What?!". He looked back at me with a serious look on his face and I noticed how busted up his whole face was but how he had black and blue marks all over his sides, from what I would guess was from him getting beaten up. "I said, let's think about it. We don't know them, Julia. Last time we went outside these four walls, things didn't end up very well, remember?". "So what? You're just gonna spent the time in this apartment and hope for Sam to show up one day?". I looked into his darker eyes now and kept eye contact until he finally answered. "How do you know they're there? huh?". His voice was suddenly very annoying to me, and his eyes kept getting darker with every second I stared back. "I don't know. But if they aren't, we could at least warn the others about the gangs. There's women and children in those shelters, Colby. Just read the dam document!". He looked intensely into my eyes before he gave up. "You are too stubborn to even fight against. I don't have a chance.". I chuckled with him and looked at him turn around and walking towards Kiwi to give him his bowl of breakfast.