Zac, Rayden, Sam and a few guys that I've never seen before argue with the Enforcers for over half an hour before they give in, allowing the boys to keep Jace's body. Throughout it all, Heidi and I cradle Kayla on the pavement, tears streaming down both of our faces as we attempt to soothe our inconsolable friend.
Once the Enforcers finally leave, Zac orders someone to fetch him a sheet, all of them gently laying Jace onto it, ready to wrap his body away.
Kayla stumbles to her feet, Heidi and I right behind her when she throws herself onto the ground next to her dead husband, crying out in agony and caressing his face. When she starts screaming, Zac lifts her away, ordering Sam to take us to our house and wait for them to return. I hesitantly agree, the look of absolute rage in Zac's eyes warning me not to start an argument.
Heidi and I put Kayla in my bed, both of us staying with her for hours as she cries, eventually drifting off to sleep, tears still streaming down her face. I then spend another half an hour with Heidi in my arms as she sobs, begging me to end this cruel life. I sit there silently, unable to even comprehend what's happened as my hands smooth down her hair, my own face sodden with tear-streaked mascara.
Standing up and wiping her tears away, we eventually walk back downstairs, her hand in mine as we enter the living room. Rayden is sitting with his head in his hands and Sam instantly jumps up from beside him to hug Heidi. Zac stands in the corner, his face like thunder, arms crossed but unfurling slightly as I enter.
"How is she?" Rayden asks softly and I shrug.
"She finally fell asleep."
"What did you do... with..." Heidi trails off, leaning her head on Sam's chest.
"We buried him in Church Cemetery," Sam replies and she nods, burying her face in his chest.
"You should all go home," I manage to say. "She's going to need us as soon as she wakes up in the morning."
"Of course." Sam nods. "Let's go?" he says to Heidi. She agrees, both of them making their way to the front door.
Ray gets up from the couch, walking over and reaching out, placing an arm on my shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow," he says and I smile shakily before he disappears, the door shutting behind him. I turn back to look at Zac, his face softening at my expression.
"Emi..." He trails off as we meet in the middle of the room.
"We have to do something, Zac," I cry and he reaches out, pulling me against his chest. I grip onto his top, desperate to have him close, squeezing my eyes shut as he holds me tight.
"We will," he assures me. "This has gone on way too long."
"They... they killed him," I reply and he grabs onto my head, pulling me back to look at him. "They killed her husband," I add hoarsely. "Germain..."
"I know," he says before lowering his head, gently placing his lips over mine. I return the kiss, an urgent need to stay in his arms, my grip on his top tightening. "Emilia..."
"Don't," I reply against his lips before opening my mouth, letting his tongue invade, the contact somewhat easing my constant fear of losing him. "I..." I trail off, unable to convert any of my raging feelings into words.
"It's okay," he says softly, his hands running through my hair. "You don't need to say anything."
I press my lips back to his, softly at first, his hands drifting up and down the side of my body, warming me. I let my own hands slide under his top, feeling his hard abs under my palms. He's spent the last three weeks furiously working out every day to regain his strength. Feeling the cold metal of his piercing on his chest I move around it, paying special attention to the area.
"Emi," he breathes out, moving us until my back hits the wall, my legs lifting up and curling around his waist as he grabs onto my ass, our lips reconnecting in fiery passion.
"Kayla... is... upstairs..." I remind him breathlessly, his mouth trailing down the bare skin of my neck, a final seductive bite left at the top of my cleavage, the action flooding my underwear with desire.
"Well then." He smirks, lifting his head back to look at mine. "We'll just have to be extra quiet," he mutters, dropping me down to the ground and instead letting his hands trail up my body slowly, cupping my breasts underneath his palms.
I move my hand to his jeans, unbuttoning them quickly, too caught up in whatever we're doing now to stop. I can see the emotions swimming in his eyes; we both need this, we require need the reassurance that we are more than just the State, that there's more to our lives than whatever they say. Sure... we were shoved together, but this? This is on our own fucking terms.
He hisses as I curl my hand around his length, head moving back slightly, his breath altering from my movements. I let go and his face falls, eyes widening at the sight of me delving under my skirt, before I quickly shimmy my underwear down my legs. Zac smirks before his hand reaches out, lightly holding my throat, pinning me to the wall and moving his hand under the skirt, grazing up my thigh and sweeping between my folds. My legs almost buckle at the sensation, a single finger sliding inside me and partially sating my lust, his eyes pinned on mine, the feel of his hand against my neck only heightening my pleasure.
Too soon, he retracts his finger and moves his hand, tugging his boxers down and grabbing a condom from his pocket, sheathing himself quickly. Grabbing onto my ass once more, he lifts me up against the wall and slides into me slowly. Our eyes meet again, watching each other as we connect, the chaos of earlier forgotten, lost in the depths of our mind as pure, carnal desire takes over.
The feel of him stretching me out has my mouth falling open uncontrollably, and he takes the opportunity to restart a passion-filled kiss as he pulls himself back before thrusting me on him once more.
His movements are slow and steady, the speed almost torturous, yet undeniably building me towards a breath-taking high, both of us struggling to stay silent as he continues to angle himself in and out, his hands holding me up as my own run through his hair and down his back, wanting to touch every part of him.
The fact that we are both still clothed only adds to the pleasure, the idea of the spontaneous sex driven act only driving me crazier, his thrusts getting harder and faster, hands moving to pin my waist to the wall, my legs around him helping keep me in place.
He drives into me, my mouth breaking from the kiss as my head uncontrollably flies back against the wall, needing something to lean on as the excitement makes me weak. His eyes open, gaze meeting mine just as I reach the peak, his lips moving to cover my own, muffling my scream of ecstasy as he continues thrusting, an orgasm riding through him only seconds later, his head sinking into my neck, teeth lightly nipping at the skin on my shoulder.
He breathes out heavily against my shoulder, both of us working on slowing our heartbeat. Zac withdraws a few minutes later, reaching down and grabbing my underwear from the floor, handing them to me before disappearing into the kitchen with the condom.
I smile to myself before pulling my panties back on, still exhilarated from the lust-fuelled, comforting ride. As he returns from the kitchen, now fully clothed, I can't help but grin as he leans against the doorframe, looking me over.
A sudden scream from upstairs has me flying up the stairs as fast as I can, entering the bedroom to see a hysterical Kayla wrestling against the sheets, her eyes wide open. Zac pushes past me, grabbing onto her and wrenching her upright, giving her a harsh shake.
"Kayla!" he yells. "Kayla, wake up!" he orders as she continues to cry, finally snapping out of her daze, her eyes flitting around the room.
"Wha...?"
"You're okay," Zac assures, her face between his hands. "You aren't back there. You're safe."
"I..." Kayla trails off, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I thought-"
"You will never go back there," Zac retorts, cutting her off. "I promise," he says with such dominance that I widen my eyes as Kayla finally nods, collapsing into sobs and resting her head on his chest.
I feel my lips part at the sight, before I swallow the lump in my throat. This is private, it's a moment that I shouldn't be a part of. They both went through something so damn horrific at Killmoor, and it's only the two of them that know what that's like.
No matter how hard I try, they can only find true comfort in each other, and that's the cold, hard fucking truth of the matter.
*~*~*
"How is she?" Heidi asks the next day, glancing over at the zombified Kayla curled up on the couch.
"What do you think?" I retort, grimacing. "Zac insisted I sleep in the bed with her last night so that someone would be there every time she woke up."
"How many times did she wake?"
"I stopped counting after eighteen," I reply and Heidi's expression contorts into one of sympathy.
"Kayla?" Sam asks, lowering himself down in front of her, Zac watching from across the room. "I wanted to ask you a question."
Kayla blinks at him twice before answering. "Okay."
"What... What did Jace do?" he asks and I suck in a breath, scared of her reaction, yet unable to deny that I've been wondering the exact same thing.
"They came to ask why I wasn't at work," she replies quietly. "Jace told them to go to hell. He said I wasn't well enough to return," she continues, halting as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. "The Enforcer said that Germain wasn't taking no for an answer. They argued and then Jace started a fight with them."
"That's all?" Heidi hisses, her eyes wide at the revelation.
"As you can see," Kayla looks up at us, the emotion in her eyes haunting, "It didn't end well for him."
Zac visibly tenses before walking towards me. "I have to go to work."
"What?" I splutter. "Now? After all that's-"
"Emilia," he cuts me off, eyes seeking mine, pleading with me to understand. "I have to go." He emphasises the words, the true meaning behind his announcement finally sinking in. He'll go to work and start building up our supplies of petrol, a move that will finally allow us to take on the State."
"Okay." I nod. He barely gives me a second glance before disappearing out of the front door. I turn back to the kitchen, walking over and standing at the sink, staring out at the garden and watching as one blackbird picks at the grass, not a care in the world. A lone tears snakes its way down my face. Jace didn't deserve to die, he was kind and caring. He and Kayla may not have been in love but he was a good husband, taking on all responsibility for her without a second thought.
"Mils?" Sam's voice says softly from behind me and I look over my shoulder to see him and Heidi watching me.
"Has she eaten?" I ask and Heidi shakes her head, the toast still on the plate in her hands.
"She won't," she mutters and I nod, grimacing.
"We're going to have to force her soon," I reply and Sam shakes his head.
"It may take time, but she'll do it when she's ready."
"We can't just let her waste away!" Heidi hisses.
"None of us can comment," I retort. "We haven't experienced this. I don't even know what to say to her." I grimace, looking down.
"Me neither," Sam admits, "but I think you're doing an amazing job."
I give him a weak smile, reaching out and messing up his hair. "Thanks, Sam." I give him a small smile before turning to Heidi. "Give it to me," I say, taking the plate. "I'll give it a go."
Walking back into the living room I look down at the plate, knowing that it's hardly the most appetising of foods. "Kay, I really think..." I trail off at the sight of the empty couch, the plate slipping from my hands and smashing against the floor.
"What?" Sam exclaims, appearing in the doorway.
She's gone.
*~*~*
"Kayla!" I yell as I round the corner of the street once more, cursing under my breath as I come up short. I've been running around for over an hour, Heidi, Sam and I meeting up every fifteen minutes to check in, none of us having any luck so far.
I'd tried roping Rayden into helping, no-one answering the manic hammering on the front door. Assuming the two of them are at work, I instead worked my way around the back of the houses, checking in every garden, cornering every person that I saw.
"Any luck?" Sam calls to me as Heidi and I both appear from the same direction. I shake my head as Heidi does the same. "Fuck!" Sam yells. All of us fall into line, marching over to the end of the street.
Suddenly, I notice a quick movement down the end of the familiar alleyway, my eyes narrowing at the sight. I instantly take off, running as fast as I can in my impractical boots.
"Mils!" Heidi shouts after me and I hear both of their footsteps following as I leg it down there, turning the corner and heading straight for the road at the end. I stop at the end, eyes scanning up and down the street as Heidi and Sam come to a stop beside me. "Did you see her?" Heidi asks breathlessly.
My eyes suddenly find Kayla, bedraggled and zombie-like as she drinks from a glass bottle, an Enforcer heading straight for her. They look like the only enemy on the street, Sam making a move to go after them. I quickly grab him, shaking my head before pointing at the CCTV camera on the other side of the street.
One of the things I've learned from Kieran and Jordan this last month is about the few CCTV cameras that still work in the city, the State using every one to monitor any unconventional activity.
Kayla reels back as the woman approaches her, lifting her arm up and smashing the bottle against the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces as the Enforcer begins yelling at her.
"Mils, we need to get-"
Sam is cut off mid-sentence as Kayla slams the broken bottle neck into the Enforcer's neck.
Well, fuck.
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Thoughts? Do you like Kayla?
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