THE DEPTHS OF LOVE
Written for Apocalypse Kree! 2013
Prompt: 227. Sam/John. "Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love." (George Eliot).
Theirs is a love of few words. Gestures, looks and eyes locked onto each other's. Neither knows how, where or when it began. It just happened. Gradually, step by step until finally driven home by the circumstances. Some might call it fate; some might call it a coincidence. To them, it just is.
And now they stand here, knowing exactly how, where and when it ends.
"Don't do it." Her voice is quiet. Her hands fist around the fabric of his jacket, holding him back.
Outside the barn they've taken shelter in, the horde moans, groans and pushes against the old wood. They can hear it creaking. It has become worse overnight. Within a short time, the walls will be torn down and they will be overrun.
Unless…
"I have to do this." His voice is quiet too, lowered so the others won't hear. He reaches up to the hands clutching his shoulders and touches them softly.
Sam's throat chokes. Tears begin to run down her cheeks, silent and hot. It burns. She clenches her hands more tightly and John's hands tighten in response.
I'm here. I'm real. I love you.
The words that cannot be spoken transport through the tension in their fingers. For a moment, Sam manages to forget that the world is crumbling around her. For a moment, it is just the two of them. John and Sam. No ranks, just as it's been for the past year since the world was infected.
But all moments inevitably end.
"Sam…" John's hands let go. She feels him turn and opens her eyes to meet his. With a grim expression, John raises his hand and caresses her cheek.
There are no other options. This is about survival. Not the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the future.
The show must go on.
"I love you," Sam says, her voice choked.
John smiles. "I know."
His hand withdraws and a cold shiver runs down her spine. As he turns back towards the door, she can hear the groans rising in volume. Do they know? Are they sensing what is about to happen? Are they excited?
Stepping forward, Cam hands John a pistol. He's got one in his hands too, his expression grim. They're a far sight from the combat-ready soldiers they used to be a year ago, with scraggy beards and worn-down shoes and clothes, but their eyes are much older and hardened.
This was their world now. Not sunny, not happy. Just a long, never-ending fight against the beasts released by the Lucian Alliance in a last-ditch attempt to hit them where it hurts. Against all odds, they've reached this point. They've found each other and stayed together even as others fell.
With some effort, Sam climbs the ladder to the hayloft. She meets the others' tense, scared eyes with a firmness she didn't know she still possessed, and finds a seat next to Carolyn.
But when she watches John and Cam position themselves in front of the door, her hand searches frantically for Carolyn's and clings on for dear life.
For a second, John looks back. Just a second, but it is enough. Theirs is a love of few words. And Sam, running her free hand over her curved stomach, knows that this is the moment when something ends…and another begins.
"Open the door."
His voice is strong. He doesn't hesitate. Neither of them does. Before the zombies are allowed to enter the barn, they cap them in the head and charge straight into the horde. It takes just a second, then he and Cam are gone, and the doors are closed and barred once more.
They listen to the gunshots, the shouts, the excitement rising in the horde. As long as they can hear that, the two men are still alive. Still fighting for the future, giving them a chance.
Slowly, the shots grow more distant. The creaking in the barn walls lessens. The ground reverberates under the movements of the horde. Within an hour, the coast is clear.
Everyone looks to Sam. The tears are running freely down her cheeks, but she doesn't shy back. This world is different. There are no ranks. They are all human. They have all shown tremendous respect for her, no matter what has happened. And now…it is time to move forward.
"Let's go," she says.
There is nothing more to say. Theirs is a love of few words and it suits this world where action speaks loudest of all.
Fin.