Dawn of the Others

Chapter 12

I stirred awake to find Riley laying across from me, her beautiful eyes staring back at mine. It felt like it had been years since I had seen her, but logically I knew it couldn't have been more than a week at most. My head spun a little as my mind tried to make sense of her presence but my heart didn't care, all it knew was that she was close and that's all it wanted to know.
"You're not really here, are you?" I asked softly, not wanting to know the answer even if she wasn't.
She smiled gently at me and reached out a hand to touch my cheek. "I think you already know if you're asking."
I could barely feel the warmth of her skin but I didn't care, I was content just laying here watching her.
"I miss you." I admitted with a sigh, all I wanted was to wrap her up in my arms and think about nothing but the feeling of her skin.
"I know." She said simply, "But you'll see me again, have a little faith." She teased. I felt my lips turn up a little in response even though faith was the last thing I felt I had right now. "Try to hold on for me, okay?" She suddenly asked, her thumb caressing my cheek as she looked at me with regret. A deep frown grew on my face but I managed to nod, as miserable as life had been lately I was still willing to do anything for her.
Riley seemed satisfied with that answer and leaned in to give me a chaste kiss before rolling off the bed and disappearing with the rest of the warm room. I could have cried as I found myself back in the small cell that had become my new home, the pain and soreness returning almost instantly. I groaned as I curled myself into a tight ball on the hard bed, trying to find some shred of warmth in the frigid room. It was hard to even think clearly at this point, the cold had seeped in so far that it was a permanent part of me along with the pain that came with every movement.
I could hear footsteps in the distance but I paid no mind, maybe if I ignored them then they would leave me alone for once. The heavy boots echoed off the steps as they descended and I found it ironic that I could already distinguish who it was likely to be from the simple sound.
The burly man that had first grabbed me was my most common visitor, the same one that I had swung at the first time he entered. I now knew that his name was Enzo but I didn't know anything more, his steely gray eyes and permanent look of anger made him hard to read and he barely spoke other then to ask what I knew. Despite that he was still one of the more likeable people here, the rest had a crude confidence that led to disgusting remarks that they thought were funny and even worse propositions that I worried they were serious about.
Enzo was quiet and even though he looked like he was about to kill you, I had a feeling that he was a lot sweeter then that underneath. He was different than the others, where they enjoyed the torture and beatings he made it seem more like it out of obligation and simply part of the job. I was also dehydrated, starving and felt two seconds from passing out at any moment though, so maybe I wasn't the best judge of character.
I glanced over at the door as the lock clicked and it swung open, revealing the man that I had just been pondering. His big hands reached out and easily pulled me up out of the bed, as was our routine at this point. I sucked in a breath and tried not to groan as my body protested the movement.
"What, no good morning?" I grumbled sarcastically. He merely shook his head at me and continued to drag me over to the blood covered chair that sat waiting in the middle of the room. I thought about how our relationship had improved since I first got here as he tied me down. Even though he still didn't say much of anything at all, his beatings had become a tad less rough and lasted nowhere near as long as they had before. I studied his hard face, with his dark well kept hair and chiseled jaw he was extremely handsome, but the slight beard and menacing look hid it well.
"If you don't give us something soon she's going to have you killed." He cautioned quietly. I watched him for a long moment, wondering why he was bothering warning me of something that seemed inevitable by now.
"She's going to kill me either way." I finally said with a shrug. As much as I wanted to hold on and wait for Riley it felt as though I was just delaying something unavoidable. Besides, I had nothing to give them, I couldn't tell them what I didn't know.
A look that I couldn't quite place passed across his face but only for a split second before it disappeared just as quickly. Maybe he had considered arguing with me but both of us knew I was right. For now, I was holding out hope that I'd be saved but the odds dwindled as the days passed.
"You really don't know anything." He stated suddenly, as if he was trying to understand. "You're wearing their jacket, how could you not know anything?" His eyebrows furrowed more than normal as he studied me.
I chuckled humourlessly, "Just because someone has something, doesn't mean they know everything about it." I commented. I debated telling him that the jacket had been my fathers at one time and that I had merely found it, but that probably would have led to more questions and another, harder beating that I honestly didn't think I could handle.
Enzo frowned but stayed silent, considering what I had said. I knew that my father was likely involved with the club or at least he used to be, but I couldn't figure out why he would leave his jacket if it was such a telltale sign of their identity, and why did he never tell his family anything about that part of his life. My head had been filled with questions when I first heard their accusations about the jacket but by now I was way too tired and sore to give it much thought. Cuts, bruises and burn marks littered my body and I was sure my face was looking similar to a punching bag by now.
A loud explosion suddenly rocked the building followed closely by a second, raining dust down on us and causing Enzo to shield me with his body as he covered his own head with his arms.
"Shit." He grumbled as he rose and quickly headed for the stairs as gunfire erupted above us. "I'll be back." He called down to me, already halfway up and well out of my view.
I'm screwed, I thought to myself as I tugged at my wrists a little. The ropes didn't budge at all though and I was left feeling like a sitting duck in the middle of the empty basement. My brain searched desperately for a way out as I listened to the gunfight overhead, hoping I could free myself before they came back down. I had no idea what was happening up there and I wasn't about to take the chance. Even if my heart was screaming that Riley had finally come for me, my head warned me not to make any assumptions.
An incredibly stupid idea suddenly popped into my head and before I could think it through I had pushed off the ground and sent the chair tipping back towards the floor. It fell hard with a loud bang and my body screamed at me as pain shot through every inch of my body.
"Damn it." I groaned as I sucked in a few deep breaths. The chair hadn't budged at all and now not only was I stuck but I couldn't see anything aside from the dirty ceiling. My head throbbed as I rested it against the cold floor, breathing out a sigh and starting to accept that I had nowhere to go. I waited as the noise upstairs got louder and louder, I could hear people running and I silently wondered if the infected had gotten in.
My ears perked up as I could hear the door to the basement being fiddled with, it rattled for a moment before finally clicking and opening with a creak. I froze as the blood roared through my body the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I waited to see who would come down. The loud footsteps didn't belong to anyone that I recognized and they weren't the right tempo to be Enzo's.
"Down here!" I heard a yell from the base of the staircase causing another few sets of feet to descend towards me. At least that ruled out the possibility of the infected coming to eat me alive even though I didn't know if this was going to be any better. My breath hitched and I tried not to panic as someone came rushing towards me. In an instant my legs were cut loose and my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion until the person moved into view to free my hands.
"Riley?" I mumbled in surprise causing her to look up from my wrists. For a second I wondered if she was actually there, but she felt real this time.
"I'm sorry I took so long." She said quietly, guilt painting its way across her expression. It upset me seeing her so torn up, the look in her eyes made me want to hold her till she felt better.
"You came, that's all that matters to me." I reassured her softly. Despite the amount of pain I had endured the last few days I was telling the truth, she could have simply forgotten about me but here she was risking her life for me.
"Can you walk?" She asked as she swiftly pulled me up out of the chair. The room spun dangerously fast as I focused all my energy on not passing out from the sudden motion. That was all the answer that Riley needed as she easily scooped me up into her arms bridal style and headed for the stairs.
"Cover us." She commanded causing the two men that were with her to flank us on either side as we climbed back up towards the surface. Gunshots continued to ring out as I hung on to her shoulders, looking around curiously as we walked. It felt like it had been years since I had seen anything other than the depressing walls of the basement. We walked down a short hallway with concrete floors and plain walls before breaking through one last door and finally exiting the terrible building. For a moment I wondered where Enzo had gone and if he was okay, but he seemed to be able to take care of himself. Maybe he was off with the woman that I had seen the first day.
"We gotta go!" A man yelled from nearby as I squinted against the bright sunlight. It was chillier than it had been in the basement but I welcomed the fresh air nonetheless, it was a pleasant change from the dampness that I had been living in. I leaned my head against Riley's shoulder and curled in as we headed across the road to the waiting vehicles.
"It too much noise! There's a hoard coming!" He warned causing Riley to pick up the pace and head for the open doors of the nearest van. She placed me on the soft seat and I quickly shuffled over to make space for her while the others piled onto whatever vehicle they could.
I watched them before my eyes drifted over the driver of our vehicle and immediately jumped back.
"Dad?"