Rain - A Zombie Apocalypse Story -

Chapter Nineteen: Tunnel of Love

Chapter Nineteen

Tunnel of Love

Melody's P.O.V

"Mel I'm in love with you."

Silence entailed as my voice was insidiously snatched from my throat. My hand reached up as the tips of my dainty fingers grazed along my neck. My eyes fluttered open, wider than I believed conceivable as a static noise infiltrated my ears. He stood considerably still beneath the archway of the door. His shoulders strained forward in a rigid, tense fashion.

My entire body had shut down at his words.

My heart beat rapidly in my chest, a harsh thud, thud, thud that seemed to rattle my entire body. My eyes drooped to the ground before landing on his shoes, soaked in dirt and blood. His pants torn in certain places revealing the hairs on his legs. With a strained effort my eyes traveled up his frame before resting on his shirt, crinkled and splattered in blood. A small vein probed out of his muscular arms as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his blood stained hands. My eyes traveled further until they finally reached his.

Like the bulb of a bright light, his blue eyes were alight with a burning passion, yet dimmed by a hidden darkness. His nostrils flared as his perfectly sculpted lips trembled ever so slightly. His face was contorted in fear, a fear of rejection. An expression I had never personally seen. A tickle in my throat seemed to build, taking perch on the tip of my tongue. Like a bird fluttering it's wings demanding flight, my lips parted until a lonely word escaped.

"What?" The word was so small and fragile that the beat of a butterfly's wing would have overpowered it. The word fluttered over to him and as it reached his ears, his lips creased into a forlorn frown. The light in his eyes seemed lost as his gaze travelled anywhere but mine. His tightly clenched fists unraveled and lay still at his sides as his gaze returned to mine.

"I just..." The words were forced as they seeped out. He stopped momentarily to watch me, his brows furrowed in concentration. A sigh bled from his lips as every contour of his face lowered into a heartbroken expression.

"I just wanted you to know."

Like a flake of snow caught in a gust of wind, I felt utterly weightless. I averted my gaze away from him, unable to muster the courage to look at him for any moment longer. My entire body felt so empty as my heart danced wildly. I clutched my chest, the tips of my fingers feeling the pulsating rhythm of my heart as it gushed out a message I couldn't decipher. Tears began to brim, but before they had a chance to fall I looked back at him.

"What do you expect me to say to that?" Like a delicate chain of glass, my voice broke at the end as my whisper evolved into a cry. His eyes already holding so much pain were devastated by my words. He shook his head, his shoulders shrugging slightly before slumping back down.

A single tear fell before more followed. Each congregating at my chin before dripping off. All sounds were consumed by the pounding of my heart as I shook my head back and forth and stared desolately at the ground. A cry shook my body as a loud whimper was spewed out.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ." I cried as I turned away from him, my hands shakily sweeping the hair out of my face before clamping down onto the sides of my skull. My nose began to run while strings of saliva clung to my lips as I cried. My body bent forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. Balancing on the point of sharp needle, me emotions had plunged off.

I choked on a cry as a match of resentment was lit. Like a bush-fire it grew in ferocity as a flare of hatred clouded my senses. Spinning around I locked gazes with him as a shout ravaged my lungs.

"What do you mean you love me?!" My fists clenched at my sides as I stared at him, waiting for a response. His heartbroken expression was quickly replaced with one of pity and guilt as he quickly looked down at the ground. His refusal to answer me, to even look at me acted as fuel to the fire as it grew hazardously within me. Even through the flames tears continued to cascade in a relentless effort to douse the fire.