A
AsylumSeeker
Guest
I self-edit and I am pretty sure I am missing errors. Okay, so make me aware of them. The gauntlet has been thrown, tossed, whatever.
ZOMBIES - A LOVE STORY CH. 08
By AsylumSeeker
<i>Br-r-r-r-r-r!</i> Caria thought to herself as she woke up freezing cold, her teeth chattering. As her sleepy mind began to clear she was struck by just how quiet it was -- missing was the insistent blowing of the wind and the humming of the generator. A few moments later she felt a vibrating pressure against her feet and was startled before realizing Teddy was shivering as he tried to share the waning warmth of her feet through the sheets and two layers of blankets.
"Come here, Teddy," Caria quietly called for him and he quickly walked up alongside of her. "Oh baby, you're so cold. Come under the blankets."
As if he understood her words he quickly moved under the blankets which she briefly held open for him. Her intense sensation of cold increased when she felt his icy fur pressing against her abdomen, but she hugged him tightly against her anyway as she did her best to warm him up.
Zack, who was spooning her from behind, was also exposed to Teddy's cold coat and murmured an unintelligible complaint during his sleep.
"Baby, the generator has stopped," she whispered, anxious to stir him if he was on the verge but not at the risk of waking him from a deep slumber. "Zack? Are you awake yet? Aren't you cold, baby?"
Finally her words broke through the fog cloaking his mind and he sleepily complained, "Still dark, sleep. Need our sleep."
Caria gently nudged his chest with one elbow. "I'm freezing. The generator has stopped and its dark, but I don't think it should be. Something's wrong, something's really wrong. It's never been this dark before."
When he began to awaken he realized that he, too, was shivering. "Damn, it's cold!"
She rolled her eyes with frustration. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. What's going on?"
"The generator..." he began before his voice trailed off as he began to grasp what she'd been trying to tell him.
It was far too dark in the room, darker than he'd ever seen it. Not even the faintest glow of the moon or stars could be seen at the window, which alarmed him... what was going on? Was this the end they'd both been so scared of, or something different, something more easily explained?
Suddenly feeling helpless Zack tried to find some courage and nervously whispered, "Give me a minute, I need to find the flashlight and figure out where we left the winter clothes."
Braving the body-numbing cold he reached an arm out and blindly groped the nightstand before feeling the familiar shape of the flashlight he'd placed there before plugging in the heater and retreating to bed. Flicking it on he moved the beam around, his blurry eyes adjusting until he located the heavy winter clothes he'd been searching for resting on the floor in front of the fabric chair Teddy had occupied earlier that evening.
Taking in a deep breath and gritting his teeth in preparation for the shock about to wrack his body, he rushed from the warmer bed into the cold, unmoving air filling the room and hurriedly dressed. It would've been easier had the inner fabric been warm, but instead the warmth of his body was stolen from him as his body heat had to defrost the frigid clothing. The whole time his heart raced and muscular, manly form shivered uncontrollably, teeth even noisily chattering.
Zack had to admit, "I've never been so cold before in my life."
"G-G-Get the generator going," Caria interrupted. "P-P-Please!"
Deciding that moving around might help bring warmth about more quickly he ignored the frigid chill gripping him and moved to the door and pulled it open, only to be greeted by a wall of densely packed snow. "Oh shit."
With her head under the blanket to conserve warmth, her hands busily rubbing the cold from Teddy's furry body, she couldn't see where he was. In an alarmed and frightened tone she asked, "Z-Zack, what i-is it?"
He'd never seen anything like this before and it was taking his brain time to come to grips with their predicament. After a delay he reported, "We're snowed in... I mean <i>really</i> snowed in."
Her voice, muffled by the blankets, curiously inquired, "Snowed in how?"
Closing the door he told her, "I mean we won't be walking out of here until next spring."
When she suddenly shrieked he cringed his shoulders and silently cursed himself for being so cavalier with his remarks. Rolling his eyes and briefly smiling he choked back an urge to laugh before reassuring her in a calm tone with, "Relax, you're scaring Teddy. I'll find a different way out."
"A different way out? What are you talking about?" she challenged him.
He moved the flashlight beam around from the front door to his left and illuminated a connecting door. Unlocking a deadbolt and opening it, he was greeted by a second identical door but this time locked on the other side. Carefully placing the flashlight on the floor he grabbed either side of the doorframe with both hands and kicked the locked door with all the strength he had. It didn't give at first but after several attempts the doorframe splintered and nisily gave way, revealing a dark chamber that was the connecting room.
"Stay where you are, I'll be right back," he instructed after picking up the flashlight and disappearing from view.
"Like I have a choice?" she called after him in a voice that displayed her growing irritability.
A few seconds later more kicking sounds could be heard followed by the splintering of wood as the next room was entered. She lay there as the violent sounds continued, all the while growing more and more faint. When she couldn't hear anything more she waited for what seemed like an hour, heart racing, wondering what had happened to him. All she could so was wait and wonder, silently hoping that Zack was okay and could find a way out of this mess they'd gotten themselves into.
When Teddy, now warm, ventured from under the blankets he jumped off the bed. Caria couldn't see him but sensed where he was and his inquisitive nature, easily imagining the dog peering into the darkness with his head cocked, listening for the faintest of sounds that she couldn't possibly hear.
<i>Yap-yap-yap! Yap-yap!</i> the dog suddenly barked, its sharpness causing her to stiffen with nervous fear.
"Teddy?" she called out hesitantly. "Is everything okay? Please come back to bed," she added, lightly tapping on the mattress invitingly. "Come on, Teddy, pretty please?"
But Teddy and Zack were both gone.
<center>* * * * *</center>
Zack kept crashing through connecting doors until there were no more available to crash through. Silently hoping for the best he opened the outside door of the last unit expecting the worst, but oddly, as occurred so often in nature, he saw clear pavement just outside the door. Stepping out onto the sidewalk he saw a high hill of wind-blown snow to his right and the motel office to his left. He could only stand there in awe of mother nature's amazing and odd capabilities to shift and shape.
"Should've gotten a second floor room," he whispered under his breath as he noted the snowdrift which had swallowed the first floor right up to the second floor outdoor walkway.
As he stood there surveying the snowy landscape, taking note of the desert-like drifts as they still now were slowly changing shape at the whim of the blustery wind, he couldn't help but give into the feeling of being so <i>alone.</i> They might as well have been on the moon, that was how isolated he felt at that moment... not only alone, but so helpless.
As he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks he struggled to fight them back. <i>You can't do this, Caria is depending on you, grow a pair already,</i> he angrily scolded himself. <i>You're not doing so bad, we're both still alive after almost everyone else is dead. Nobody said this would be easy. Come on Zack, think... THINK!</i>
<i>Yap-yap! Yap-yap-yap-yap!</i> Teddy barked as he emerged from the open door and ran across the clear concrete to him, appearing to be confused by the white mountain before him.
Zack couldn't help but smile as he picked up the small dog and pet his head. "Hey there little guy, what do you think about all of this snow, huh?"
Teddy glanced around at the new landscape with his head cocked to one side as he tried to make sense of this with his little canine mind. Looking back at Zack the dog lovingly licked his nose before gazing around again, apparently uncertain what to make of what he was seeing.
Walking along the side of the motel he approached the broken office door. After kicking a three-inch deep layer of snow away from the door he pulled it open and stepped inside. It was like walking into a freezer and he couldn't help but to shiver.
Looking around he noticed a door behind the service counter and he explored the place, eventually locating a large walk-in closet with various types of cleaning equipment -- vacuums, a supply of paper towels and various liquid cleaners, a stack of boxes which contained toilet paper, and in one corner, apparently set aside for the upcoming winter, a snow shovel along with a bag of rock salt.
<i>You weren't prepared for a storm this size, were you?</i> he thought to himself as if he was speaking to the motel's owner while gripping the shovel in one hand and wondering if it would be up to the task at hand. <i>Guess we'll just have to find out.</i>
Once back outside he began attacking the intimidating white mountain that had formed over his generator along with the SUV and its attached trailer. Luckily he found the snow to be light and dry instead of wet and heavy and it could be moved fairly easily. The fact that there was so much of it made it a challenge, and as some was cleared away the surrounding snow collapsed to fall into its place, adding to the volume that had to be moved.
After working for thirty minutes the chill in his body was replaced by building heat so he removed his winter coat. Teddy was drawn to the scent of his new master and the escaping heat and quickly settled down on top of the discarded garment while watching contentedly the events unfolding around him, yapping occasionally when he wished to be acknowledged with a smile or a brief pat on his furry head.
A short while later Caria emerged from the open door clutching two bottles of water. "Would you like some water?"
He stopped shoveling, emerging from the tremch he'd dug and acknowledged her with a wide smile. "That'd be great."
"The bottles were all frozen," she reported, "but after I got up I put a couple in the bed and covered them over. There was still enough heat left to thaw them out." Seeing a large chunk of ice floating inside the unopened bottle she handed to Zack she added, "Well, mostly anyway."
"This is great, thanks," he responded appreciatively as he uncapped the bottle and drank a hearty gulp.
When Teddy yapped announcing his unresolved thirst, he filled the cap and let the dog wet his lips and tongue. Afterwards Caria bent down and picked the dog up, holding it in her arms as she kissed and pet him lovingly.
"I sure am glad we found Teddy," she shared in an emotional voice. "I love you both so much."
Zack smiled warmly as he leaned on the shovel. "I love you both too. I'll love it even better once we get the generator back up and running."
Her nose wrinkled up as she grinned. "So you can play your zombie game."
He smiled guiltily. "That's right, so I can play my zombie game."
"But not until the room is warmed back up first," she quickly added as a condition.
<center>* * * * *</center>
Once the clouds cleared away the sun returned, its bright rays warming everything it touched. Caria sat on a chair beside the table and in front of the window, drapes open, allowing those rays to contact her back. The heat felt terrific to her. A few feet away Zack sat on the foot of the bed killing hordes of zombies as Teddy say beside him, watching the blood-spattered mayhem as it took place.
As Caria often did at moments like these, sitting and watching her companion losing himself in a mindless game, she pondered their situation. Could it be that they were the only ones left alive, or were there others to the south of them at this very moment as the sign proclaimed, themselves wondering if they were truly the last survivors? How could any of this be possible? She often hoped this was a nightmare from which she might awaken from, but the longer it went on the less hope she had to cling to.
Zack glanced up from his game after completing a level to see tears trickling down his lover's face. Growing concerned he silently placed the wireless controller on the bed beside him and quietly arose, walking to her. He knelt down before her and moved his arms around her tightly, placing the right side of his head against her bosom. He didn't need to ask why she was crying as the answer was all too evident... their lives they knew had been shattered, their fates unknown.
"How can you be so strong?" she asked in a strained tone.
He gave her a hard squeeze of affection. "I'm not as strong as you think I am. I just don't think about it, don't think about tomorrow, just think about my game, about you."
"Your game," she briefly chuckled. "I wish I had something to look forward to. Instead I just think about everything I had, now all of it's gone. What's going to happen to us?"
His shoulders shrugged. "You know I can't answer that. Sometimes I wish we didn't survive, you know? Maybe it would've been better if we'd died with the others, not knowing what was coming."
A long pause passed before Caria next spoke up. "I don't understand. I try so hard to make sense of what's happened, but I can't, no matter how long or hard I think about it."
He nodded his understanding. "What's happened is bigger than us. You can't understand it or make sense of it any more than I can. Even the scientists couldn't figure it out, so what chance do we have? If you have to think about something, find something different to focus on."
She wiped her tears away and tried to force a smile to her lips. "I keep thinking about that sign we saw. I want to follow it, Zack, not that bird. That'll give me something to focus on, give me a small bit of hope. But I don't want to go alone."
He acknowledged her statement with a single nod, realizing her sanity was far more important to him than anything else. "Then that's what we'll do. When it's time to leave we'll follow the sign, no matter what might happen."
Her eyes searched his for a brief time. "You're scared of dying, aren't you?"
"I'm scared of everything and nothing, both at the same time, if that makes any sense."
"It does," she agreed. "I'm afraid of dying, but at the same time I almost wish it would happen. There's nothing to look forward to anymore."
"There's one thing," he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a suggestive smile on his tempting mouth.
Caria shook her head. "I'm not in the mood."
"Maybe I can put you in the mood," he said just before tasting her sweet lips as his hands lightly caressed her smooth face and silky hair.
She didn't fight him, instead giving in to the kiss. Whenever they made love it was an escape for her, an escape from the harsh realities of this new life they were living, an escape from all of the haunting thoughts that were so depressing to consider. It was the one thing she could look forward to... pleasing the man she so dearly loved, and allowing him to pleasure her for as long as they were allowed to live.
It started off at a relaxed pace, with tender, gentle kisses that awakened her slowly. Before long she felt the tingling heat in her loins reaching out, causing her nipples to tighten and flare. He always knew how to stir her desire, and did not fail this time either. Zack's lips intermittently left hers to brush them over her cheeks, nose, and closed eyelids before returning for more. All the while his hands were caressing her dark hair or neck.
Caria gave herself fully to this moment and blocked all other thoughts from her mind. When a shiver passed through her body she realized she was getting cold again. He felt her shuddering and perhaps grew aware of the dropping temperature. Pulling away from her for the briefest possible time he turned off and disconnected power from the game and television and got the heater going once more.
During this break she retreated to the bed and crawled under the blankets, leaving plenty of room for him. Her eyes watched him as he worked and she whispered thanks to the powers that be for bringing them together, not knowing what she would've done had they never met.
She knew he was always saying the same thing about her, but there were times when she was sure she'd gotten the better part of the deal they both shared in. Caria's heart swelled with affection and tears of love filled her eyes as he did whatever was necessary to keep her happy.
By the time he joined her in bed under the blankets she was more than ready. They were both still clothed as she leaned into his arms and their lips resumed the interrupted kissing, this time the embrace more passionate than earlier. Mouths opening tongues entwined, savoring the closeness of one another in a world around them which was covered in frigid snow.
"You're starting to smell like a cavewoman," he whispered with a chuckle, acknowledging their lack of a decent bath recently.
She countered with, "And you smell like a caveman, but I'm getting used to it, so don't complain."
He grinned. "No complaints, just saying."
ZOMBIES - A LOVE STORY CH. 08
By AsylumSeeker
<i>Br-r-r-r-r-r!</i> Caria thought to herself as she woke up freezing cold, her teeth chattering. As her sleepy mind began to clear she was struck by just how quiet it was -- missing was the insistent blowing of the wind and the humming of the generator. A few moments later she felt a vibrating pressure against her feet and was startled before realizing Teddy was shivering as he tried to share the waning warmth of her feet through the sheets and two layers of blankets.
"Come here, Teddy," Caria quietly called for him and he quickly walked up alongside of her. "Oh baby, you're so cold. Come under the blankets."
As if he understood her words he quickly moved under the blankets which she briefly held open for him. Her intense sensation of cold increased when she felt his icy fur pressing against her abdomen, but she hugged him tightly against her anyway as she did her best to warm him up.
Zack, who was spooning her from behind, was also exposed to Teddy's cold coat and murmured an unintelligible complaint during his sleep.
"Baby, the generator has stopped," she whispered, anxious to stir him if he was on the verge but not at the risk of waking him from a deep slumber. "Zack? Are you awake yet? Aren't you cold, baby?"
Finally her words broke through the fog cloaking his mind and he sleepily complained, "Still dark, sleep. Need our sleep."
Caria gently nudged his chest with one elbow. "I'm freezing. The generator has stopped and its dark, but I don't think it should be. Something's wrong, something's really wrong. It's never been this dark before."
When he began to awaken he realized that he, too, was shivering. "Damn, it's cold!"
She rolled her eyes with frustration. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. What's going on?"
"The generator..." he began before his voice trailed off as he began to grasp what she'd been trying to tell him.
It was far too dark in the room, darker than he'd ever seen it. Not even the faintest glow of the moon or stars could be seen at the window, which alarmed him... what was going on? Was this the end they'd both been so scared of, or something different, something more easily explained?
Suddenly feeling helpless Zack tried to find some courage and nervously whispered, "Give me a minute, I need to find the flashlight and figure out where we left the winter clothes."
Braving the body-numbing cold he reached an arm out and blindly groped the nightstand before feeling the familiar shape of the flashlight he'd placed there before plugging in the heater and retreating to bed. Flicking it on he moved the beam around, his blurry eyes adjusting until he located the heavy winter clothes he'd been searching for resting on the floor in front of the fabric chair Teddy had occupied earlier that evening.
Taking in a deep breath and gritting his teeth in preparation for the shock about to wrack his body, he rushed from the warmer bed into the cold, unmoving air filling the room and hurriedly dressed. It would've been easier had the inner fabric been warm, but instead the warmth of his body was stolen from him as his body heat had to defrost the frigid clothing. The whole time his heart raced and muscular, manly form shivered uncontrollably, teeth even noisily chattering.
Zack had to admit, "I've never been so cold before in my life."
"G-G-Get the generator going," Caria interrupted. "P-P-Please!"
Deciding that moving around might help bring warmth about more quickly he ignored the frigid chill gripping him and moved to the door and pulled it open, only to be greeted by a wall of densely packed snow. "Oh shit."
With her head under the blanket to conserve warmth, her hands busily rubbing the cold from Teddy's furry body, she couldn't see where he was. In an alarmed and frightened tone she asked, "Z-Zack, what i-is it?"
He'd never seen anything like this before and it was taking his brain time to come to grips with their predicament. After a delay he reported, "We're snowed in... I mean <i>really</i> snowed in."
Her voice, muffled by the blankets, curiously inquired, "Snowed in how?"
Closing the door he told her, "I mean we won't be walking out of here until next spring."
When she suddenly shrieked he cringed his shoulders and silently cursed himself for being so cavalier with his remarks. Rolling his eyes and briefly smiling he choked back an urge to laugh before reassuring her in a calm tone with, "Relax, you're scaring Teddy. I'll find a different way out."
"A different way out? What are you talking about?" she challenged him.
He moved the flashlight beam around from the front door to his left and illuminated a connecting door. Unlocking a deadbolt and opening it, he was greeted by a second identical door but this time locked on the other side. Carefully placing the flashlight on the floor he grabbed either side of the doorframe with both hands and kicked the locked door with all the strength he had. It didn't give at first but after several attempts the doorframe splintered and nisily gave way, revealing a dark chamber that was the connecting room.
"Stay where you are, I'll be right back," he instructed after picking up the flashlight and disappearing from view.
"Like I have a choice?" she called after him in a voice that displayed her growing irritability.
A few seconds later more kicking sounds could be heard followed by the splintering of wood as the next room was entered. She lay there as the violent sounds continued, all the while growing more and more faint. When she couldn't hear anything more she waited for what seemed like an hour, heart racing, wondering what had happened to him. All she could so was wait and wonder, silently hoping that Zack was okay and could find a way out of this mess they'd gotten themselves into.
When Teddy, now warm, ventured from under the blankets he jumped off the bed. Caria couldn't see him but sensed where he was and his inquisitive nature, easily imagining the dog peering into the darkness with his head cocked, listening for the faintest of sounds that she couldn't possibly hear.
<i>Yap-yap-yap! Yap-yap!</i> the dog suddenly barked, its sharpness causing her to stiffen with nervous fear.
"Teddy?" she called out hesitantly. "Is everything okay? Please come back to bed," she added, lightly tapping on the mattress invitingly. "Come on, Teddy, pretty please?"
But Teddy and Zack were both gone.
<center>* * * * *</center>
Zack kept crashing through connecting doors until there were no more available to crash through. Silently hoping for the best he opened the outside door of the last unit expecting the worst, but oddly, as occurred so often in nature, he saw clear pavement just outside the door. Stepping out onto the sidewalk he saw a high hill of wind-blown snow to his right and the motel office to his left. He could only stand there in awe of mother nature's amazing and odd capabilities to shift and shape.
"Should've gotten a second floor room," he whispered under his breath as he noted the snowdrift which had swallowed the first floor right up to the second floor outdoor walkway.
As he stood there surveying the snowy landscape, taking note of the desert-like drifts as they still now were slowly changing shape at the whim of the blustery wind, he couldn't help but give into the feeling of being so <i>alone.</i> They might as well have been on the moon, that was how isolated he felt at that moment... not only alone, but so helpless.
As he felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks he struggled to fight them back. <i>You can't do this, Caria is depending on you, grow a pair already,</i> he angrily scolded himself. <i>You're not doing so bad, we're both still alive after almost everyone else is dead. Nobody said this would be easy. Come on Zack, think... THINK!</i>
<i>Yap-yap! Yap-yap-yap-yap!</i> Teddy barked as he emerged from the open door and ran across the clear concrete to him, appearing to be confused by the white mountain before him.
Zack couldn't help but smile as he picked up the small dog and pet his head. "Hey there little guy, what do you think about all of this snow, huh?"
Teddy glanced around at the new landscape with his head cocked to one side as he tried to make sense of this with his little canine mind. Looking back at Zack the dog lovingly licked his nose before gazing around again, apparently uncertain what to make of what he was seeing.
Walking along the side of the motel he approached the broken office door. After kicking a three-inch deep layer of snow away from the door he pulled it open and stepped inside. It was like walking into a freezer and he couldn't help but to shiver.
Looking around he noticed a door behind the service counter and he explored the place, eventually locating a large walk-in closet with various types of cleaning equipment -- vacuums, a supply of paper towels and various liquid cleaners, a stack of boxes which contained toilet paper, and in one corner, apparently set aside for the upcoming winter, a snow shovel along with a bag of rock salt.
<i>You weren't prepared for a storm this size, were you?</i> he thought to himself as if he was speaking to the motel's owner while gripping the shovel in one hand and wondering if it would be up to the task at hand. <i>Guess we'll just have to find out.</i>
Once back outside he began attacking the intimidating white mountain that had formed over his generator along with the SUV and its attached trailer. Luckily he found the snow to be light and dry instead of wet and heavy and it could be moved fairly easily. The fact that there was so much of it made it a challenge, and as some was cleared away the surrounding snow collapsed to fall into its place, adding to the volume that had to be moved.
After working for thirty minutes the chill in his body was replaced by building heat so he removed his winter coat. Teddy was drawn to the scent of his new master and the escaping heat and quickly settled down on top of the discarded garment while watching contentedly the events unfolding around him, yapping occasionally when he wished to be acknowledged with a smile or a brief pat on his furry head.
A short while later Caria emerged from the open door clutching two bottles of water. "Would you like some water?"
He stopped shoveling, emerging from the tremch he'd dug and acknowledged her with a wide smile. "That'd be great."
"The bottles were all frozen," she reported, "but after I got up I put a couple in the bed and covered them over. There was still enough heat left to thaw them out." Seeing a large chunk of ice floating inside the unopened bottle she handed to Zack she added, "Well, mostly anyway."
"This is great, thanks," he responded appreciatively as he uncapped the bottle and drank a hearty gulp.
When Teddy yapped announcing his unresolved thirst, he filled the cap and let the dog wet his lips and tongue. Afterwards Caria bent down and picked the dog up, holding it in her arms as she kissed and pet him lovingly.
"I sure am glad we found Teddy," she shared in an emotional voice. "I love you both so much."
Zack smiled warmly as he leaned on the shovel. "I love you both too. I'll love it even better once we get the generator back up and running."
Her nose wrinkled up as she grinned. "So you can play your zombie game."
He smiled guiltily. "That's right, so I can play my zombie game."
"But not until the room is warmed back up first," she quickly added as a condition.
<center>* * * * *</center>
Once the clouds cleared away the sun returned, its bright rays warming everything it touched. Caria sat on a chair beside the table and in front of the window, drapes open, allowing those rays to contact her back. The heat felt terrific to her. A few feet away Zack sat on the foot of the bed killing hordes of zombies as Teddy say beside him, watching the blood-spattered mayhem as it took place.
As Caria often did at moments like these, sitting and watching her companion losing himself in a mindless game, she pondered their situation. Could it be that they were the only ones left alive, or were there others to the south of them at this very moment as the sign proclaimed, themselves wondering if they were truly the last survivors? How could any of this be possible? She often hoped this was a nightmare from which she might awaken from, but the longer it went on the less hope she had to cling to.
Zack glanced up from his game after completing a level to see tears trickling down his lover's face. Growing concerned he silently placed the wireless controller on the bed beside him and quietly arose, walking to her. He knelt down before her and moved his arms around her tightly, placing the right side of his head against her bosom. He didn't need to ask why she was crying as the answer was all too evident... their lives they knew had been shattered, their fates unknown.
"How can you be so strong?" she asked in a strained tone.
He gave her a hard squeeze of affection. "I'm not as strong as you think I am. I just don't think about it, don't think about tomorrow, just think about my game, about you."
"Your game," she briefly chuckled. "I wish I had something to look forward to. Instead I just think about everything I had, now all of it's gone. What's going to happen to us?"
His shoulders shrugged. "You know I can't answer that. Sometimes I wish we didn't survive, you know? Maybe it would've been better if we'd died with the others, not knowing what was coming."
A long pause passed before Caria next spoke up. "I don't understand. I try so hard to make sense of what's happened, but I can't, no matter how long or hard I think about it."
He nodded his understanding. "What's happened is bigger than us. You can't understand it or make sense of it any more than I can. Even the scientists couldn't figure it out, so what chance do we have? If you have to think about something, find something different to focus on."
She wiped her tears away and tried to force a smile to her lips. "I keep thinking about that sign we saw. I want to follow it, Zack, not that bird. That'll give me something to focus on, give me a small bit of hope. But I don't want to go alone."
He acknowledged her statement with a single nod, realizing her sanity was far more important to him than anything else. "Then that's what we'll do. When it's time to leave we'll follow the sign, no matter what might happen."
Her eyes searched his for a brief time. "You're scared of dying, aren't you?"
"I'm scared of everything and nothing, both at the same time, if that makes any sense."
"It does," she agreed. "I'm afraid of dying, but at the same time I almost wish it would happen. There's nothing to look forward to anymore."
"There's one thing," he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a suggestive smile on his tempting mouth.
Caria shook her head. "I'm not in the mood."
"Maybe I can put you in the mood," he said just before tasting her sweet lips as his hands lightly caressed her smooth face and silky hair.
She didn't fight him, instead giving in to the kiss. Whenever they made love it was an escape for her, an escape from the harsh realities of this new life they were living, an escape from all of the haunting thoughts that were so depressing to consider. It was the one thing she could look forward to... pleasing the man she so dearly loved, and allowing him to pleasure her for as long as they were allowed to live.
It started off at a relaxed pace, with tender, gentle kisses that awakened her slowly. Before long she felt the tingling heat in her loins reaching out, causing her nipples to tighten and flare. He always knew how to stir her desire, and did not fail this time either. Zack's lips intermittently left hers to brush them over her cheeks, nose, and closed eyelids before returning for more. All the while his hands were caressing her dark hair or neck.
Caria gave herself fully to this moment and blocked all other thoughts from her mind. When a shiver passed through her body she realized she was getting cold again. He felt her shuddering and perhaps grew aware of the dropping temperature. Pulling away from her for the briefest possible time he turned off and disconnected power from the game and television and got the heater going once more.
During this break she retreated to the bed and crawled under the blankets, leaving plenty of room for him. Her eyes watched him as he worked and she whispered thanks to the powers that be for bringing them together, not knowing what she would've done had they never met.
She knew he was always saying the same thing about her, but there were times when she was sure she'd gotten the better part of the deal they both shared in. Caria's heart swelled with affection and tears of love filled her eyes as he did whatever was necessary to keep her happy.
By the time he joined her in bed under the blankets she was more than ready. They were both still clothed as she leaned into his arms and their lips resumed the interrupted kissing, this time the embrace more passionate than earlier. Mouths opening tongues entwined, savoring the closeness of one another in a world around them which was covered in frigid snow.
"You're starting to smell like a cavewoman," he whispered with a chuckle, acknowledging their lack of a decent bath recently.
She countered with, "And you smell like a caveman, but I'm getting used to it, so don't complain."
He grinned. "No complaints, just saying."
You really should work to make your agenda a little less transparent.
