{18+ COMPLETED}
A war that destroyed the world. It came and it went, leaving death and chaos in its wake.
In the resulting turmoil England has split into four regions, a safety measure that was 'essential' to ensure that violence would not reign ov...
Fuck this, I let Claudia convince me that it was a good idea to come back here, and she isn't even in.
Walking back down to the kitchen, I pull the cupboards open, raising my eyebrows at the empty shelves. What the hell has she been doing for food? Slamming them shut, I make my way back to the front door, not taking another look behind me at the miserable house before walking into the street and shoving my hands in my pockets, the English rain pouring down.
I make an effort to avoid the few couples I see walking down the street, my head down as I make my way through the familiar small streets, weaving and winding around the maze, eventually coming to the large house and making my way around the side, letting myself in.
"Back so soon?" Anna comments as I enter, smirking. I pay no attention to her, having received everything I needed from her this morning.
"You argued again?" Claudia scowls at me and I roll my eyes.
"She wasn't even there," I mutter, slouching back down onto the couch.
"Your wife gave you the slip?" Jordan smirks and I scoff.
"She isn't my wife," I retort.
"You'll give in eventually," Claudia insists, grinning as she slides down onto Jordan's lap.
"No he won't," Anna argues from the corner.
"What do you know?" Claudia scoffs.
"She just wants to keep Zac to herself," a grinning Bridget exclaims as she enters, chucking something at me. I move to catch it, staring down at the lump of metal in my hand.
"You stole another one?" I raise an eyebrow at the blonde girl as she slides down on the seat next to me.
"Eleven guns and counting," she confirms. "I'll put it in the basement later."
"All well and good, but no ammo?" Kieran retorts as he walks into the room. "We haven't got a chance."
"We have time," Claudia replies.
"The longer we wait, the more of us are partnered off," Anna argues and Claudia rolls her eyes.
"You're just jealous you haven't been matched with anyone yet."
"I am not!" Anna argues back. Fucking hell, I'm not here to listen to their petty arguments.
"So, where is your wife anyway?" Bridget asks, shoving against my shoulder. "Emilia, right?"
"She isn't my wife," I repeat, for the hundredth time. "I have no idea."
"Seems like Zac has found someone just like him." Kieran smirks.
"She's nothing like me."
"I beg to differ." Jordan snorts. "Yesterday at that party, Emilia nearly caused a fight because she shagged someone's husband."
"She didn't fuck him." The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them, defending her as fast as I can. I don't even know whether Emilia told me the truth, it's not like she's been given any reason to trust me.
"If her knight in shining armour hadn't saved her-"
"I'm not her fucking anything," I snap at Jordan, cutting him off.
"Let's all calm down," Claudia exclaims, arms out in front of her as she looks between her husband and I. I stand up, annoyed and frustrated, but not quite sure why, other than the fact that my so-called friends keep talking about Emilia. Fucking let it go.
"Where are you going?" Kieran asks as I stride across the room.
"Out," I retort, grabbing a pasty and a couple of beers from the kitchen side. Anna reaches out as I pass her, laying her hand on my chest and shooting me a seductive smirk.
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asks, grabbing onto a strand of her dark hair and twirling it around her finger. "We didn't get to finish what we started this morning." She pouts and I battle to keep my eyes from rolling.
"No," I reply bluntly before continuing past her, grabbing onto the door and letting myself out into the dark alleyway. I need a break from all of them.
I don't know what's come over me, Anna having always been a relatively satisfactory fuck, waking up to her mouth around me this morning was fucking great, apart from the fact that Emilia's damn face was in my mind. When I came to, realising that it was Anna instead I immediately lost anything I had going, shooting upright in bed and gently pushing her away.
After I dressed and went downstairs, Claudia had managed to convince me to check on Emilia, advising me that I should be careful how I break the rules. I have no intention of learning the rules, no intention of sticking to them. Fuck that.
I won't break them in public, I'm not that stupid, knowing what the Enforcers do to people who disobey them. There are bigger things at stake here, a greater plan that means we all need to stay under the radar.
Making my way back towards the clustered houses of make believe couples, I am grateful that the rain has stopped, the grey clouds above signalling that it won't last long.
Walking up to the tiny house I let myself in once more, shutting the door behind me. Nothing meets me but silence. I guess Emilia is still out.
*~*~*
I am woken abruptly by the sound of the front door slamming shut and I shoot upright on the couch, whirling around to find a gun, a knife, anything to use as a weapon. Coming up short I curse, standing up from the couch and turning to see who's let themselves in so early in the morning.
My eyes widen at the dishevelled state of Emilia, her clothes torn and ripped, three wide cuts down the side of her face, unlimited scratches covering her arms.
She is clearly surprised to see me, her eyes bloodshot, her bottom lip shaking for a second before she pulls herself together and masks her emotions, staring at me blankly.
I take a step towards Emilia before I falter, a strange need to protect her washing over me.
