What is this? A new update? How is this possible? The author runs away for a month and doesn't even tell us why or how... She said her exams finished two weeks ago, why is this happening? What's going on? MIND BLOWN!!!
Yes... I stupid start to the chapter like I always have, but hey if I didn't start stupidly then you guys would start to forget that I'm still here... Watching you... Waiting... and yes, I did go away for a while FOR EXAMS! None of you moaned at me which I was happy about :) But I still feel mean when I leave you all hanging.
I only have two days of school left though now (Monday and Tuesday) so I'm hoping to write another chapter and getting it posted tomorrow (NO PROMISES!) and then maybe finish the story in... 3 chapters after... 2... Yeah.
But thats a chat for another day.
Enjoy the chapter.
Sorry I've been gone so long xx Again!
[Payton's POV]
The next morning, I strolled out the shower rooms, soaking wet with both water and sweat, my back was killing me and my thighs burnt like my skin during July, Daryl followed behind me a few minutes later and as we made our way into the room everyone, minus Luke of course, was grinning at us with filthy, perverted looks.
'Look away, people.' I barked. 'Nothing to see here!'
Daryl chuckled as he entered the room and ran his fingers slowly and sexily through his hair, I tensed my legs slightly as he did so as I felt my body wanting him all over again.
Alright, I need to calm down, this is strictly PG-13 enough with the filthiness Payton or we're going to have a problem on our hands.
I smiled gently as I sat down on the edge of Luke's bed, Luke was sat up with a cup in his hands, hot steam flowing from the top of it as he blew gently before asking. 'Where've you been all night?'
'Daryl and I were checking the perimeter.' I whispered. 'Y'know how we are, always making sure every things safe.'
'Which perimeter was that, Payton?' Ben coughed.
Daryl and I glared at him as Daryl made his way over to his own bed and pulled out his backpack and grabbed out two pocket knives and a revolver.
'I'm going with the group to some prison just up the country, there's supposedly a well stocked armoury still in tact just near there. Want me to grab any of you anything?'
'Shotgun ammo.' Eugene muttered. 'I haven't had shotgun ammo in several months.'
'Some sort of hunting rifle... Or normal rifle...' Charlotte mumbled. 'Or at least something with a scope so I can do more long distance shootings in the near future.'
I gave Charlotte a look as Eugene turned to her with a weak smile across his face.
Ben and Demi shook their head and obviously we didn't consider that Luke wanted anything so Daryl turned to me with curiosity.
'Umm... Some sort of short handed gun. Maybe an El Diablo! I used to watch those on all those fighting games and its a really good looking gun or just a shorty... I dunno, anything you can get, Daryl.'
Daryl chuckled and nodded his head before he left the room.
'Why don't you go with him, Payton?' Charlotte asked a few seconds after the door closed. 'I know you have a day off work today and you love hunting.'
'It's tedious to pretend like I hate Daryl.' I shrugged. 'So I think I'm going to spend my day off with Luke and I might even cook something later and-'
'No!' Ben and Charlotte gasped together.
'What?' I laughed. 'I have gotten better. I don't burn anything anymore.'
'Well... New cooker, new rules, we don't want you burning down the place.' Ben held a hand to his chest in relief.
Alright guys, don't need to lay it on, I get it, you don't think I can cook.
'You should go with Daryl, Payton.' Demi smiled at me. 'He doesn't talk to any of the men so he just walks around like a loner, and if they come under attack that'll be dangerous 'cause no one will have his back.'
'You guys really want me to go?'
'Yes.' Eugene smiled. 'Luke won't mind, we had plans today anyway, didn't we buddy?'
I turned to Luke as he laughed and nodded his head. 'Eugene's going to help me get walking again.'
'Oh.' I nodded. 'Ok... Well then, I guess I'll go then.'
I walked over to my bed quickly and pulled out my sword and a few pocket knives, slinging them in my belt before leaving the room.
'I'll walk with you!' Ben called, running to catch up. 'I got work in 20 minutes anyway, I'll stop off at the kitchen and get a coffee or something.'
'Alright.' I smiled as I closed the door behind him. 'So is being a doctor here hard?'
'Nahh, everyone's sweet and polite, very understanding, they get that we're doing our best and the guy I was partnered with... He isn't actually that bad of a guy, personality wise I mean.'
'Well... I still don't like him but it's my fault he treated you the way he did, as long as he's nice to you now and is polite and civilised, I won't break his neck just yet.'
'Good.' Ben laughed. 'Now hurry up, you don't want them to leave without you.'
I chuckled as I sprinted away, my back ached from sleeping against the wall of a shower (amongst other things) but I ignored it as I reached the front entrance and thankfully, the hunting van was still parked and the men were only just beginning to climb on.
'Hello Payton.' One of the men smiled at me, I couldn't place his name but I recognised him from my first hunt three weeks ago. 'Coming with us today?'
'If you don't mind.' I smiled as I strolled towards him.
'Happy to have you, you and Charlotte are the only female fighters we have in this group, but to be honest, we don't train our girls so we could have more if Paul just allowed it but he's the "men are the protectors" kind of guy, you know?'
'Yeah, I get what you are saying.' I chuckled as I climbed up the stairs into the van, waving at the man as I went.
I should really learn his name, he's a cool, honest guy.
Anyway, I scanned the bus and noticed Daryl sat right at the back, sharpening his knife against the broken edge of the chair.
I sat down on the chair in front of him and turned my body right around to face him, my knees up on the seat.
'Hellooo.' I sang quietly as he looked up at me with surprise.
'Something wrong?' He asked. 'Do you want me to stay?'
'No idiot, the guys wanted me to come with you for today's hunt since apparently it's my day off. Though I didn't think I got days off.'
'When I told the women who help you teach the kids that I wanted you to have a few days off, I asked for yesterday, today and tomorrow off.'
'Oh sweet.' I grinned. 'Well I'm glad I'm hunting today, I haven't been out this warehouse since we went to my old house.'
'Yeah I know, but this is a boring hunt, Payton, we're literally breaking into an abandoned prison... That's it.'
'DID YOU NOT WATCH THE WALKING DEAD?!' I gasped. 'That came out when I was like... 15... They went into a prison at one point and all the guards and prisoners turned and got all rotten and-'
'One thing I know I've learnt, Payton, is not to trust old zombie films. Have we seen any nazi zombies yet?'
'No.'
'Have we seen any zombies with coral growing out of them?'
'Nope.'
'Well then...' Daryl chuckled, finally pulling his knife back into his boot. Daryl stretched his legs up onto the chair, his big black rubber boots almost touched me even though they were the other side, they were huge boots, I'm telling you.
'Well... Zombies bite and turn us, that's all I need to know to be honest.' I mumbled.
'Payton, I noticed something a few days ago...'
'What?' I asked, shuffling around till my feet were crossed beneath me.
'Well... When I met you, I don't know if you remember it as well as I do but you were very... rude... Very sarcastic, almost like a robot with a default setting and then if I compare you to now it's almost hard to believe. You're considerate to me, to Luke, you... You've really changed. It's hard to believe you're the same person.'
'Wow. Ok. Thanks.' I laughed. 'I guess it's you that did it. You and Luke. Luke helped me connect with my... sensitive side if I'm honest, young kids need care, they need love and I felt so sorry for him that I just gave him everything and more, and then there's you... You taught me that I could be safe and think of other thinks at the same time... You always said you'd have my back even if we were at each other's throat.'
'If you say so.' Daryl laughed. 'Anyway, enough sappy talk... I presume you want to pick your own guns now.'
'I want as many as possible. Thousands of guns! Millions of guns!' I laughed as I threw my hands up in the air.
'You know, I think the men are noticing how friendly we're being.'
'Good for them, who cares if we're friendly and civilised. They don't know anything different so that's ok.'
'If you say so...' Daryl laughed.
A few minutes later, a few more men wandered onto the best, the last man closed the door behind them and every one took their seats on the American style school bus.
'Off we go. Nothing bad will happen.' Daryl winked, and I knew full well by saying that, the cocky git was asking for trouble.
'Get out.' I laughed as the bus finally took off.
[Charlotte's POV]
'Charlotte...' Eugene whispered my name for the seventh time in the last five minutes, his hand resting lightly against my thigh. 'Charlotte... It's time to talk.'
I shook my head. 'One more week, Eugene, let the fiasco with Daryl die down first. I mean it was his first birthday during the apocalypse.'
'Yes and this is the first pregnancy I've come across during the apocalypse. I know which ones rules.' Eugene hissed quietly. 'We need to talk about it.'
'Fine.' I turned to him regretfully.
Eugene stared at me, that same look of awe in his eyes. As he stared, I wondered what he must think of me, is he disgusted that I want to keep the baby? Is he panicked because it's his baby so his responsibility too? Is he scared? Angry? Jealous?
'Let's talk.' I gulped.
'You already know my opinion on the matter. There shouldn't be much to talk about unless we both disagree on our decision... I would rather we didn't have the child as I don't think it would be fair but if you want to have it... Then I will help you as your partner and the father of the child.'
'Ok.' I whispered. 'You know how I used to feel on the matter... I wanted to keep it because it thought it would be wrong to get rid of the child but... I see where you come from when you say it might be best to get rid of thee child, I even sided with you for a while... But I can't... I don't want to loose something that I've always wanted... I want to try to protect him or her, I will succeed... I want to keep the child.'
'Are you absolutely sure?' Eugene whispered. 'No going back after this final decision.'
'I'm certain.'
'Alright then... Lets talk about our future then.' Eugene suddenly smiled at me as he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. 'Let's talk about our baby.'
'Well... I was thinking about names a few days ago.'
'And?'
'Well...' I gulped. 'I wasn't sure 'cause I used to be against this but if the child was a boy, I'd like to name him after my brother, and if it's a girl I'd like to name it after your sister... As remembrance but maybe that would be painful.'
'It's fine.' Eugene smiled. 'I thought of names too when I thought that we'd keep it and I thought that as well.'
'Good.' Charlotte smiled. 'Also, I'd like to make sure he or she has a proper crib or car seat since we'll be travelling a lot... but I would like to settle in a safer place, like this place but not this place... Somewhere we could raise the child till it was old enough to understand the world...'
'Do you still want to travel with the others?'
'Of course! They are my family too and they can protect the child too. Luke would have a friend, someone he could teach children things too and... Eugene... No matter what happens... I don't want our child to grow up to fast.'
'That'll be hard but we'll try our best.' Eugene smiled.
The two of us talked for several hours more about the baby, Demi popped in once or twice and we finally revealed to her the good news, even though Eugene had to restrain her since she started screaming in happiness.
Then when Ben came in during his break, we told him too, he was a little shocked that I was keeping it but the second I said "I'm pregnant" he laughed and said "that explains it."
The cheeky git.
I swear I've called him that a thousand times lately, it's actually nice to look at Ben, call him something silly and for it to just be laughed off.
It's nice that people are happy.
Genuinely happy.
But of course, I'm not ignorant nor am I naive. I know that all this happiness won't last, I've learnt that now, I've always tried to look on a brighter side and I always will but... I need to be prepared for the worst.
If the worst were to happen.
[Unknown's/You'll figure it out's POV]
'Once upon a time there was a girl, and she lived a terrible life... Until the day she fell pregnant, she was as happy as can be and vowed to protect the child until the day she died... However... That didn't last my dear audience... Oh no.' A voice sneered above me.
I wiped at my bloody nose as suddenly my face was grabbed and forced to look at my opponent. The opponent who beat me.
I teared up as always these memories resurfaced, all this pain and guilt rising up at once.
'It was your fault.' The voice snarled. 'IT WAS HER FAULT, AUDIENCE! SAY IT! YOUR FAULT!'
The audienced chorused and I grabbed at my head as it throbbed in pain, my poor child, I was a monster, it was my fault, I should never have left her alone, I should never have left her with those men.
My fault.
My fault.
My fault.
'The lord forgives anyone who wants to be forgiven... But it'll take a lot of work...' The "ring leader" shouted over the crowed. 'It's best if you just die and hope that's enough to earn his total forgiveness.'
I nodded slowly. 'It was my fault.'
I heard a chuckle above me before I felt my hand lifted and opened before something was pushed into my palm, closing the fingers like curtains behind it.
'Do it now. In front of everyone. Beg for forgiveness. Beg! Beg!'
'It was my fault!' I screamed out as I pulled my out in front of me, then quickly pulled me hand into my stomach.
I felt the sharpness of a blade pierce through my body, this was what I wanted, this was what I always wanted, I just didn't know it then.
'Die, whore of Satan!' The leader cried. 'Die and be reborn as a child of the lord!'
'I'm sorry... Emma.'
I felt the blood build in my lap but I was numb, no pain, I could just feel myself getting tired.
I slowly lowered my self down on to my back and kept my hands gently in my lap as I slipped off into an endless slumber.
I'm so sorry.