Apocalyptic Princess

Apocalyptic Princess: Chapter 1

     Rick lied to get Amanda distracted. When she left the room, he made his move to the door. Removal of the large steel, that secured the doorway, caught Amanda's attention. She ran back into the room in enough time to make eye contact with Rick as he jumped out of the apartment. Slamming the door shut, Rick began to secure several locks on the outside. Amanda beat against the door from the inside, while Rick checked to make sure the locks were secure. When his task was complete, he buckled over and placed his hands on his knees. He fell back into the wall and sunk down to the floor. Tears rolled down his cheeks while he looked at the door's surface that vibrated from Amanda's slamming fists.

     "Don't you do this," she screamed. "Rick! Open this door! Let me out, damnit!"

     Wiping the tears from his face, Rick stood up and walked away from the door. He couldn't stand to listen to her anymore. Her pleas were tearing him up inside. Rick knew that after today, things would never be the same. It had been a week since he had last left their shelter and he dreaded this day. Amanda wanted to get out, and Rick let her believe that he was going to let her accompany him, but that was never the case. After the collapse of the structured society they once knew, things only got worse. For a long time he had protected her from the horror that was surrounding them, but it was beginning to reveal itself. Keeping Amanda in ignorance, Rick was able to forget the world, and enjoy his paradise. His paradise was beginning to crumble.

      Rick and Amanda lived on the third floor of their abandoned apartment building. They resided in the same apartment that they were living in when the riots started. Their planned camping trip kept them away when the Government started detaining people for health issues. Camps were set up, and those that abided the Government's directives, were loaded up in busses, and locked behind chain-link fences topped with barbwire. They returned from the wilderness in the cover of night. Dodging security patrols, Rick brought them back to home. Keeping a low profile, they were never noticed, and later forgotten, as the camps moved away from the area.

      Rick began to see less and less of the security patrols. As the Government disappeared, the more he started to see other people that also avoided being put into camps. The plan, at first, was simple: survive. At first, the plan was easy to achieve, but as time carried on, problems were beginning to present themselves. In the beginning, Amanda used to accompany Rick when he went out scavenging. They would stay close to the apartment, in areas that Rick never saw anyone. Amanda got sick and it took her a few weeks to regain her strength. During those weeks, Rick started to see the area decline in safety. Aggressive groups were organizing, and becoming a threat.

      The only thing that Rick ever wanted in life was a happy forever, with the love of his life. There was a point in time when he thought he had achieved that goal. As security collapsed around them, he saw that goal diminish. He knew, outside the comfort of home, the struggle would begin, and he wasn't sure if there was an end in sight. Keeping the threats a secret, he let Amanda enjoy the fantasy of their quiet nest, ignorant of what was closing in on them.

      Before he concerned her of any changes, he wanted to develop a plan. There were a few weeks that he was able to talk Amanda out of accompanying him as he ventured out, but she wasn't agreeing anymore. He tried to explain the threats that were growing, and that kept her at bay for a while, but she was now growing stir crazy, and wanted out. Scouting was no longer for the frail. When he hit the ground, it was a race, for his life, to his destination and back. If threats were to follow him, and discover their home, all could be lost. He needed her safe; she was his world; and he couldn't fathom the thought of losing her.

      So, out of fear, he kept her locked up. The longer she stayed behind a locked door, the longer she stayed safe. He did it out of love, but he also did it out of selfishness. In her head, she was ten feet tall and bullet proof, but Rick knew that was not the case. She was his delicate flower, and he wanted her protected. Now she was starting to fight back, and Rick feared that he might have taken things too far. This morning, she fought with him about going out, and Rick refused. The arguing didn't stop until he agreed to take her. When she went to get her bag, Rick made his escape and left her behind.