2: Dreams

James had fallen asleep again, and his dream seemed to continue where it had left off only moments ago…

James had just woken up in the small back room. Erica was cuddled up against him, her head on his stomach, sound asleep still. James smiled and ran his hand through her hair while he listened to the outside. There was little noise that he heard, save for a few growls, gunshots, and snarls occasionally. James thought about his two best friends Hunter and Aaron and Aaron's girlfriend Julie as he laid there listening to Erica's peaceful breathing.

'I hope they made it out OK' he thought to himself. Erica stirred.

"Hey there!" he said excitedly. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she sat up.

"Oh Jimmy! I had such a terrible….." she trailed off as she looked at James and the ripped clothing he was wearing. James frowned, already knowing what Erica was going to say.

Erica had thought it was a dream…no a nightmare, and James wanted it to be a nightmare so he could wake up and make it all go away. Unfortunately it was not. Erica started to sob and buried her face in James's shoulder. James just sat there dumbfounded for a moment, but he then wrapped his arms around her and broke down too.

"I-I-I….I can't b-b-believe he's…no…they are all d-dead!" Erica said between sobs. James held her closer, and he began to feel her heartbeat against his chest.

"I….I wish this was all just….just a bad…bad dream", James whimpered.

"D-d-do y-you think anyone g-g-got away?" Erica asked as she wiped her eyes.

James shook his head, but then smiled as he began to cry some more as well as laugh slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked confusedly.

"Oh…I was just finding it how ironic that I'm finally getting to be alone with you and all, but we're in a life and death situation instead. It's like my perfect fantasy gone awry!" he exclaimed. Erica playfully smacked him in the chest, though she unintentionally hit a tender wound which drew an 'Ow!' from him.

"Jimmy, what ever am I going to do with you?" she said with a curled smile knowing he was going to answer with a smartass comment.

"Well, that depends…what do you want to do?" he asked grinning. Erica leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I have some ideas, but they're too naughty for you." James rolled his eyes.

"You've known me for how long Erica? I'm the naughtiest innocent guy in the world. I doubt any idea you could possibly come up with would be too naughty for me", he said back.

"Oooh you think?" she asked as she sat on her knees next to him. The sitting, James smiled at her as he nodded.

James's smile and nod quickly ceased to exist, as Erica straddled him on his lap. She gave him a twisted smirk as she ground her hips against his drawing a gasp from him. Erica then wrapped her arms around James's neck and brought her face nose to nose with his. James could feel her breath against his face and he began to open his mouth to protest, but any chance of that quickly vanished as Erica's lips closed in on his, and she kissed him passionately. James's mind started spinning trying to comprehend what was happening. He tried to sort his thoughts mentally…to no avail though, and Erica was easily keeping him muted. Erica pressed her body closer to James as they kissed, and James could feel the heat emanating from Erica's body as she did. Eventually, Erica broke the kiss and sat up starting to lift her shirt up when James reached out and held her hands down.

"Jimmy?" she asked him as he looked into her eyes.

"Erica, I love you more than anything else in the world, and you know I truly mean it. You don't know how much I've wanted to be able to be with you, and I want it to continue here and now, but I think it's more important to get out of here and find a safer location", he said with a serious face. She looked a little surprised at what was just said, but then she smiled and nodded as she got off of James's lap. James paused momentarily.

"Dammit!" he cried, "I can't believe I just passed up the chance, that I may never have again!"

Erica laughed and said, "Promise me you won't die Jimmy, and I'll see if you can't get that chance again." James laughed as he stood up. He then pressed his forehead gently against hers and held her hands lightly.

"Can I have another kiss though please?" he asked quietly. Erica laughed and leaned in to meet James's lips and they kissed again.

James pressed his ear to the door listening…nothing was there. He stepped out of the back room into the corpse filled classroom, and peeked around the corner into the hallway. He saw nothing and then beckoned to Erica who tiptoed behind him. They then snuck into the hallway, stepping over their dead classmates and teachers. Erica tapped James on the soldier and pointed down the other hallway at a large hole in the tile floor, that had apparently caved in on itself already. He looked at it briefly and then grabbed her hand and together they ran down the other hallway away from the hole. Erica yanked on his arm as they ran. He stopped and turned around, completely neglecting the large, muscular creature standing in the doorway only a few yards ahead with its back turned.

"James! Look! It's Casey! They killed Casey!" she cried pointing to a dead girl on the floor. Casey was one of their closest friends in the school, and she was one of the nicest people in the world as well. The creature heard the voice and it walked towards it's origin as James and Erica talked.

"Oh no! No no no nooo! How could those….whatever those are do this!" he cried.

Erica looked up from the body and then fell backwards as she yelped. The large creature was standing right behind James.

"J-j-james? B-b-behind y-you" she stammered pointing at the monster her hand quivering.

James looked at Erica, who had a look of complete terror in her eyes, and began to turn around to see what she was pointing at. He stood up and was facing the towering creature, James fairly tall himself was coming up only to its chin. It snorted out of its nose sending a noxious smell into James's face. He and Erica both screamed at the top of their lungs. The monster grabbed James with its massive arms and hands, and lifted him off the ground by his shoulders. Pain started searing through James as his body was being crushed by the monster's immense strength.

"LET GO DAMN YOU!" James shouted as he started flailing his legs and body. The monster started to grin, and it growled as if it were laughing and started squeezing harder.

"JAMES!" Erica screamed as James cried out in pain.

"LET ME GO!" James cried, and he slammed his forehead into the creature's forehead.

Unfortunately for James, the monster had a much thicker skull, and all James did was make it growl-laugh more as well as knock James into semi-unconsciousness. James then felt something warm running down his face, and he licked at it. It tasted salty, it was blood, his blood! Erica screamed again as the monster tossed James into the wall. James crumpled to the ground, and he tried to see Erica's face, but couldn't lift his head off the ground. He felt two soft hands grab him and start violently shaking him with Erica's voice saying, "Don't die on me James! Don't leave me! No! Please NO!" Everything started to go dark and all the sounds of the world began to fade away. The last he heard was Erica's crying, then a scream, a snarl, and then a gunshot.James was floating in a dark abyss. He was on the brink of life and death. He was walking with no destination in mind.

He thought to himself 'Am I dead?'

He heard a voice say 'You have a choice, but you must choose now.'

"What?! Who? Why! HEY!!" he shouted into the abyss, his voice echoing.

'CHOOSE NOW OR I CHOOSE FOR YOU!' boomed the voice.

'I made a promise to Erica. I promised her I wouldn't die. I won't die! EVER!' he thought.

'You have chosen well. Now fulfill your promise' the voice said as it faded out.The abyss began to rumble and shake. James felt something warm pressing against his forehead and something hitting him on the cheek, as if he was being woken up. The abyss began to brighten up, and James began to hear voices calling his name, one of which was Erica's. The world came into focus, and Erica was looking down at him with her hand and a cloth resting on his forehead, the other hand was tapping his cheek trying to rouse him.

"James? JAMES!" she cried as his eyes opened and she hugged him crying.

"Wha-, Huh, Erica?" he grunted still dazed.

"Oh Jimmy I thought you left me! I didn't want to be left alone in this god-forsaken world!" she cried still.

"Heh…", he forced out a grin, "I promised you I wouldn't die. I'm gonna' be here for you always," he said. Erica lifted his head into her lap and began to sit him upright still hugging him.

"Well well…glad to see you're OK!" came a voice.

"Hah! Good ol' Jimmy would've made a great COG soldier", said another.

"What? Who's there?" James asked.

Two guys in blue battle armor bent down and looked at him with big smiles on their faces. It was Hunter and Aaron. James nearly jumped up as he realized who it was. Hunter and Aaron pushed him back down into Erica's lap.

"Aaron, give Julie the OK. We lift off in a few minutes", Hunter said. Aaron nodded, and walked out of whatever room they were in.

"James go back to sleep. You need to get some rest, and you too Erica, you've both been through a lot today," said Hunter to the both of them.

James held out his fist, and Hunter punched it gently.

"Thanks man. You guys are seriously the best friends a guy could ask for", James said half-asleep, and then fell asleep as a large whirring sound started up. Hunter laughed and then hollered "Take us to James's house!"

James awoke to the same loud whirring sound in his dream, but now he knew what that noise was. It was the sound of a King Raven helicopter landing. Erica was already sitting up in the bed and looked over at him as he yawned.

"Morning Jimmy", she said with a smile and blew a kiss at him.

"Hi Erica", he said back with a big grin and 'caught' the kiss.

"I guess they're back?" she asked.

"Hmm….I guess so. I wonder if they brought us anything?" he queried as the loud noise began to lessen.

The two of them got up, grabbed their weapons, and walked through the ruined home. They walked into what was once the front yard, and the circle that James lived on, and there was the helicopter in the middle of the street. Three COGs were stepping off of the helicopter, and waved to James and Erica as they walked towards each other.