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Chapter 10

Bill POV

"What are we doing here?" I went back to the "torture room" and freed Amy. I told her she would be safe with me, and I took her to my room. "I won't sleep with you, if that's what you're thinking."

"Why do you think that?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"We are in your bedroom, with a huge bed. What else do you want me to think?" She shrugged, but she couldn't be more wrong. "I know what they, your friends, were going to do with me. They will probably doing the same with the rest of women, while I'm here, with my savior. Now tell me, what do you really expect from me?"

"What is your surname?"

"Why do you care?" A woman with character, and yet I didn't want to slap her.

"I just want to know. I want to know you."

She approached me, enough to look at my eyes, but keeping the distance. "Burley. That's my surname."

"Burley. I like it." I smiled, but she didn't smile back. "Are you always so defensive?" I walked away from her, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Only when I'm kidnapped, tortured, and almost raped." She replied dryly. "The rest of time I'm lovely."

"I saved you." Why Amy couldn't understand?

"Yeah, you did." She was leaning against the wall next to the window, without moving a muscle. "But you didn't for your heart's goodness, Bill. You have a selfish reason, like all your friends, and eventually will come to light. You are a man who has become a monster, and as much as you fight it, in the end you'll let that primitive part of you to dominate you completely."

"You don't know me…" I hissed, but didn't move from the bed. "You know nothing about me!"

"The fact that you don't help the rest of women makes it quite clear the kind of man you are. You saved me, so what? How long will your protection last? Is it forever or have an expiration date?" She started walking to the other end of the room, but didn't try to get out at any time. "That's the difference between you and me. I fought to help others without asking for anything in return, but Victor Madden and his guys are ruthless murderers who would not hesitate to kill me to get what they want. And they'll do the same to you."

"You don't know Victor, why do you think he will?"

"Because I can see it in his eyes." She said no more, as if it were obvious. "Call me crazy if you want, but sooner or later Victor Madden will explode, and then all of us, without exception, will pay the consequences."

That night, with Amy beside me in bed, I thought on what she said about Victor. Her words kept me from sleep. Did she just want to get me in a bad mood?

I knew Amy wouldn't allow me to control her, and she'd do whatever in her power to help others. It was totally against what we did here, but I couldn't help but wonder if she'd be right about Madden.

The guy always remained calm, cold as ice. Nothing affected him, and no one stood in his way or plans.

"Why do you doubt of him?" I knew she didn't sleep even if she tried to pretend she did. Amy didn't trust me – nothing new – and would remain alert. "We can survive here better than out there. We have a chance."

"A chance to do what?" She snapped, glaring at me despite the darkness. "To have a normal life? To find a good man to marry him and start a family? Is that what you think will happen here?" She got out of bed, still fully clothed, and stood before the window. "Look out there, Bill, and tell me what you see."

I got up and went to her. Some of the guards were drinking beer and shooting guns at the air.

"They're mercenaries. Do you really think they'll respect our decisions?" I wasn't forced into anything, but maybe Amy wasn't wrong. "You'll be lucky because you are a man. They will see you as an equal, but neither I nor the other women will be so lucky. It wouldn't surprise me that some of them committed suicide to escape from this hell. Because this is it, Bill. Maybe you can't see it now, but sooner or later, you'll also be at Victor Madden's mercy."

"You think you're smart, don't you?" In her eyes I could see that she wasn't afraid of me. Threats will not work with her, but maybe violence will. "I could kill you right here, don't forget. And no one would come to your aid. I'm a man, you said it yourself, and here I have all the power over you."

"Kill me, Bill. Kill me and end with my pain and suffering, 'cause I will be more happy being dead than living in hell."

"Would you rather die than have to make a few sacrifices?" I shook my head, unable to believe my ears.

"Sacrifices?" She asked, chuckling. I wanted to slap her, but this woman aroused my curiosity too. "I am convinced that you don't even know the meaning of that word. I've made sacrifices throughout my life, for others who needed my help, or for myself when the situation required. But I've never let others to use me. And I certainly won't start now."

She locked herself in the bathroom, refusing to open the door. It was late and I was tired, so I went back to bed and fell asleep. Amy could stay in there all night if it was what she wanted, but I wouldn't waste any more time.

Eric POV

"These are the last pieces of wood, we'll need more soon. The days are warm, but the nights are still cold. And the storm seems to not want to give a break." I put the pieces by the fireplace, and sat down beside her on the small, old fashioned couch. "I saw an ax in one of the cabinets, so I shall go into the forest to bring more firewood."

"You think it's safe?" She always worried for everything. She's too young to bear such responsibility.

"I won't go away, Sookie. I promise."

"I'd like to go with you. It'll take us less time doing the work together." I held her against me and kissed her forehead. "Also, I don't want to stay here alone. I won't stop thinking about you until you come back, and I'll end up going insane."

"We'll wait until storms give us a break, okay?" It wasn't safe to walk or take the car. We could get stuck in the mud, or having an accident. "Besides, we can always get warm in other way…" I kissed her neck, stroking her belly at the same time. I couldn't stop touching her, enjoying her wonderful body.

"Eric… God, what was that?" We heard a loud knock, and got up quickly.

"Stay behind me." I stood in front of her, and grabbed the gun I had left on the table next to the couch. "Be quiet." We walked together, without turning on the flashlight. If anyone was out there, we needed to be careful. "I'll go to take a look."

"Eric, no. It's dangerous."

"Stay here."

It hadn't rained, but the sky was overcast. The darkness would give me the chance to hide if I needed to. Maybe it was the wind shaking the branches, or a small animal trying to get into the cabin.

"Eric, be careful."

I nodded and opened the door slowly. I took a quick look, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was probably the wind. Because, what else could it be? We hadn't seen zombies since we crossed the woods to get to the cabin, and they weren't as quiet as not to hear them coming.

I could hear the beating of my own heart, so hard, that I thought it was trying to escape from my chest. If the zombies were here, why didn't they appear? That's not like them, they're not so smart 'cause they're dead, like their brains.

With the weapon grasped firmly, I walked stealthily around the cabin. Through the window I could see Sookie with a gun in her hand and bent down beside the couch. I gestured at her with the flashlight, and saw her nod. I kept walking, getting further in the thicket, and looking down at the ground. If there were zombies nearby, their tracks would have been marked in the damp earth of the last days of rain.

"Come out so I can kill you…" I muttered to myself. I heard noise above me, but with the flashlight pointing up I could only see the branches and treetops shaking by the wind. There was nothing, or at least I couldn't see it.

I looked back over my shoulder, and I still could see the cabin. I had gone far enough to see that we weren't in danger, but I still had the feeling that I wasn't alone in the dark. If I didn't believe it, I'd say a ghost was trying to scare me.

The tallest trees prevented me to see the moon and stars. Their dense and bushy tops moved from side to side, allowing me to see small portions of the dark sky, but nothing more.

"Eric!" I turned around quickly to hear Sookie's voice calling me. Would she be in danger?

I ran back to the cabin, feeling the heart in my throat. I wanted to come as soon as possible and make sure she was safe, that everything was fine.

"Eric! Where are you?!"

I didn't think I'd gone so far from the cabin, but I surely lost track of time with each step. I wanted to find something, anything, and that made me go far and far away into the forest.

"Sookie!" I cried, and saw her flashlight moving in the front part of our shelter. "Sookie, I'm here!" She followed the sound of my voice, and a moment later the light blinded me.

"God, Eric! Are you okay?" She ran to me and jumped into my arms. I caught her in the air, and walked us inside. "You said you'd be back soon, and I started to panic when I couldn't find you." Her eyes were tearing up, and tears started rolling down her rosy and warm cheeks. "Where the hell were you?"

"I thought I heard something, and went to take a look." I made sure to lock the door and close the windows. We turned off the flashlights and we were in the dark, sitting down on the floor. "Sorry I scared you, baby, guess I didn't realize how far I was until I heard your voice."

"Did you find anything?" Her choked voice let see she hadn't still recovered from the shock. "Have you seen any zombie?"

"No. There's nothing out there." I hugged her tightly – she wasn't the only one scared – and didn't let her go at any time. "I think I'm getting a little paranoid, Sook, that's all."

"I was already paranoid before this started, so it's nothing to me." I couldn't help it and started laughing. "But I was scared to death when I looked out the window and didn't see you. I thought…God, I can't even say it out loud."

"I'm okay, baby, I'm okay."

We laid on bed, but neither of us could sleep that night, so we stayed hugged to each other in silence. I kept looking at the ceiling, trying to relax enough to forget the pain throughout my body. So much stress was starting to get at me.

"Are you okay?" Sookie whispered to me. "Eric, what's up?" I wanted to answer, but the words didn't cooperate with me. "Look at me." She leaned on her elbow and stared at me. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I can't get to relax." She stroked my cheek, and seemed to work, but when she stopped touching me I felt tense again. "I don't know what's wrong, but don't worry. You sleep, get some rest. I'll get over it."

"I think I can help you."

She forced me to lay face down, and began massaging my back. I felt much better at the touch of her hands against my skin. "Oh God, this is…great. Where did you learn to do this?"

"Practice." She continued massaging the key points, and I was getting more and more relaxed. "Are you feeling better? I'm no expert, nor do I have an official masseuse license, so…"

"You're doing an excellent job, Sookie." I cut her off. Why was she so insecure sometimes? She's the bravest person I've ever met, and I don't think I could have endured being locked up as long as she did. Alone, with no way out, and hopeless. "You could have worked at this, instead of being a waitress."

"Yeah, I'd have liked, but I didn't have much money to pay for the course, and working at the bar I earned enough to live. Tips were greater the shorter my pants were. And if I showed enough cleavage, then they were mesmerized with my breasts, and they weren't aware of the bills left on the table." She laughed, but I don't think she thought it was funny. "It was a shitty life, but it was my life."

"Were you happy?" She stopped, and stood up from my thighs. I thought I had offended her with my question, but sitting beside me on the mattress, I saw her smiling.

"I think so. Despite everything, I was still happy. I had friends, a job, and an apartment. It wasn't much, but I've never needed many luxuries to be happy."

"I lived with a girl for three months, but it didn't work."

"Why?" Was she really interested in my sad story? I hesitated, and she laughed. "Come on, I told you my story, I'd like to hear yours."

I turned around, and leaned on my elbow, watching her. "At first all went well, we had a good living and I believed it'd last forever. She was the first woman that looked at me like an ordinary man, and not someone you would take home one night to get laid. Guess that's what attracted me to her, she was honest with me."

"Sounds like a good girl. Why didn't work?"

I sighed heavily, trying to answer a question I had wondered too many times. "Honestly?" Sookie nodded, and I kept thinking on it. "I think she got tired of me."

"How is that possible? You're a great guy, Eric, any woman would be lucky to have you." She stroked my cheek, and down my jaw with her finger until she touched my lips.

"One day I came home and saw her gathering her things." I said no more. "There isn't really a lot more to tell. I asked her why, and she only shrugged. She looked at me for a few seconds, and then went back to what she was doing. I dunno, I was probably a jerk with her, so she got tired of me."

"You're not a jerk, Eric. And if she left, I'm sure she had her reasons, but you can't blame yourself for everything." I never imagined I'd talk about it again when the zombies took the absolute control. With so many problems it was stupid to think on a simple breakup. "I don't want to say anything bad about her, but I can't help thinking she was an idiot."

I laughed at Sookie's honest. "You know, I think you're right. For a long time I blamed myself, looking for an explanation. But there was none, and I ended up thinking that I was not the kind of person who knows how to keep a relationship."

"We have a relationship, Eric." I was about to protest, but Sookie wouldn't let me. I could see it in her beautiful blue eyes. "It may not be in the best circumstances," and she chuckled, "but it's a relationship after all. We're two adults who have found something they never knew they were looking for."

"I think I was looking for you." I said no more, keeping her laughing. God, I loved to see her happy. "And I had to make the first move quickly, before Compton won me."

"Believe me, Compton would never have won." We both laughed now. "I dunno, I've met many men like him, and I have never been attracted to them. Bill was no exception, and when he looked at me…" She frowned, as if something was bothering her.

"What?"

"It's silly."

"Tell me." I insisted.

She doubted. Why was she doubting? Couldn't be so bad; I never let Bill to put a hand on her.

"There was something in his eyes that screamed 'careful', like an alarm. I don't know, I've always trusted my instincts, and decided to keep doing it." She bowed her head. Embarrassed? There was nothing for her to feel ashamed.

"Sookie…"

"People like him – especially men – always assured me that I was clearly under them." I wanted to say that they were just stupid, but I kept with my mouth shut. "I didn't let their comments to affect me, but many nights when I got home, I couldn't help bursting into tears. I cried and cried until I fell asleep or my head hurt so bad that I was no longer able to shed more tears."

"Sookie, I'm so sorry." But she stopped me with a wave of her hand. "It's not your fault, Eric. No need to apologize for other people actions and comments." She bowed her head down again, but I wouldn't remain silent this time.

"Do you know why some people need to believe they're superior to others?" Sookie did not respond, not even gesturing. "Deep down they're weak and are as scared as the rest of us. Their way of defense is attacking those who believe they are beneath them, but they're just as lost as you and me."

"I used to think the stick up their asses pressed their brains too." We laughed until my stomach hurt, and my eyes filled with tears.

"I think it's a good way to explain it. And you're probably right." Sookie shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Nothing really matters, just to stay alive."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to do this, Eric. I don't even know what I'm doing." Sookie grabbed the ax tightly, so stronger that her hands were shaking. "Why don't you do it? I'm a total useless."

"You're not useless, and you're doing great." I placed another log on the stump, and pulled away so she could cut it. "I know you can do it, so trust yourself a little bit."

"Okay…" she muttered reluctantly, but raised her arms up above her head, and with one single move cut the wood.

"Very good!" I took her in my arms, and kissed her passionately. All this after dropping the ax on the ground, of course. We didn't want to suffer an unfortunate accident. "I told you that you could do it."

"Y'kno, I feel good, very good." It was clear the fresh air, and be able to relax, were two things that were doing wonders to us. "I love this place."

"Me too, and I hope we can stay forever."

I was serious, this place had many possibilities, and since we were here we hadn't seen a single zombie. They might show up at any time, but I didn't want to jinx our luck by saying it out loud.

"Are you hungry?" She nodded vigorously, and went back to the little cabin. It wasn't much, but it had become our home. "We should prepare something special to celebrate today."

"Really? I just cut a log in half, it was nothing." I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and she giggled like a schoolgirl. "Not that I've found a cure for a mortal virus."

"Jokes about the apocalypse," I replied, chuckling. "That's new. And then you'll tell me that zombies are driven by cables, like the Muppets." If we couldn't take things with humor, then the whole world would go straight to hell, and the two of us with it.

"Muppets? Really?"

"What?" I asked, pretending to be offended. "I loved them. They were dolls that came on TV, and also appeared with celebrities, what else could you ask for?"

"And you didn't think it was a little odd that a piggy was in love with a frog?" She gave me a raised eyebrow, but I shook my head, without believing we were discussing about the Muppets. "Come on Eric, it was a little weird. Even you have to admit it. Because, how did they make love? Or where? I don't think they chose a bed, and a frog wouldn't have felt comfortable doing it in the mud."

"You know, they're good questions." I said seriously, scratching my chin.

"Are you really thinking on it?" Sookie had to sit down on the couch when she was bent with laughter. "But I'd like to know how a frog and a piggy would have do it, really." We then laughed again. God, it was so good to forget about all the problems, even for a few minutes. "I'm sure National Geographic would do a story with that."

"And you think they'd be lucky to shoot a couple of pictures?" I asked, eyes wide open, and grinning until my cheeks hurt.

Madness after madness. We hung out until the food was ready. It was nice to be able to joke again, although anyone else who would have heard us would've thought we were crazy.

"Do you think there will be others around?" She asked me suddenly. "Survivors? If we followed this path, maybe other people did too.

"I don't know, we haven't seen many people for the last months. If there are more survivors they'll be likely hidden." And I didn't like the idea of someone else found about us. I knew from experience that people can change their attitude when it comes to survival. "I don't think we should worry about it, baby."

"Well, I've thought about it, and I believe we should be prepared if it happens." I stopped what I was doing, and focused only on her.

"What do you mean, Sookie?" I had a vague idea, but I preferred we both were agreed.

"To survive, Eric." She replied, shrugging. "I learnt from Bill, and I know there will be many others out there that will not hesitate to attack us, or let us die, to keep going. Humans have lost what little humanity we had, and without it we're no better than zombies."

"Then it better no one comes looking for us, don't you think?" I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. "We'll be ready, Sookie, for whatever comes after us. And I will fight until the end."

"I will fight next to you."

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

:K