Rick's Ruby

Chapter 2

He did wake when she moved, and he was immediately on point, his eyes wide open. He'd been dreaming, of sunlight skies and the bodies of the people he killed spread under it on a green field. He saw Shane's face just before he woke, but not the face he'd known for so long. It was a walker's face he'd pictured.

She wiped his sweaty face with his hand and looked down at Ruby, trying to snap out of it.

She was asleep, she'd just adjusted her position. Her face was halfway turned toward him, her hair fallen over her neck and shoulders. She looked peaceful and beautiful and he felt the surge of desire again, his eyes drifting down her body. They'd worked the blankets down a little and the v-neck tee she wore gave him a glimpse of the cleavage he'd seen yesterday. He flicked the corner of his mouth up and used his other hand to untie himself from her.

"What's happening?" She said and he looked up. She was looking back at him with surprised eyes at first, then a quiet anger returned. He looked at his watch and saw it was well past 8, they'd slept for a long time.

"It's morning." He said, sitting up and moving over her to the concrete floor beyond the bed, tucking the guns back away at his waist. He brought her up and untied the shirt from her legs, and she stretched and crossed them under her when she was free. He leaned around her and got the knots out of the leggings, noticing the fingerprint shaped bruises on her arm and the purple circles around her wrists as he did so. She brought them forward and rubbed them gently when he let her go. "Sorry about that."

It was the first time he even felt a little bad about what he was doing to her, but the purple color stood out so much against the warmth of her skin he couldn't help it. He set his jaw and watched her shake her arm out. It must have been asleep, it had been pinned underneath her all night. "Does it hurt?"

"Why do you care?" She asked and he narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it hurts."

He reached out and took her limp arm in his broad hands, massaging the muscles, trying to get the blood flow back. She watched him closely, a wary look on her face, and he looked up at her, a frown on his face. She wasn't terrified of him anymore, she was just resentful. And the satisfaction he'd had at dominating her had faded to a dull throb of what it was. He'd hurt her, and it was bothering him. Still, he wasn't leaving her to fend for herself. He'd take her back, that hadn't changed. What was one more person who hated him?

"Better?" He asked, letting her arm go. She pulled it back and rubbed it a little more, but nodded. "Good. Get your stuff."

She got up and started pulling her clothing back into her bags as he grabbed an empty one and loaded up the rest of the food and water from the shelves. He strapped it to his back and turned around, watching her brush her long hair out quickly and tie it up into a bun at the nape of her neck. She folded the blankets into rolls and tied them to the bottom of her own pack, and when she reached for the mattress he stopped her.

"Leave it. It's too big and we have to move fast."

She looked at the mattress longingly but stood up and followed him back out into the bright sunlight above.

"Stay behind me, keep your eyes open." He said. "I'm trusting you to not take off again. I'm the only thing protecting you out here, you got it?"

"Yeah. But..." She paused and he turned around, frowning. "I have to go to the bathroom."

He nodded and watched her step away from him around the building. "One minute!" He said harshly, taking the opportunity to relieve himself before she came back. He was zipping up when she moved back from around the building, and she stayed behind him as they walked. He figured they were about an hour away from where he left the group, and he walked quickly, glancing back occasionally to make sure she stayed close.