Hey I am SO SORRY for not updating in a long time. But do not worry, I have a lot of free time now so I will be updating a lot more frequently and I have no intention of abandoning this story. I am very excited to write it. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait. :) I seriously am awful, lol.
Another loud boom of thunder crashed, causing most of the younger kids to jump.
The rain was picking up now, falling even harder, and another flash of lightning illuminated the prison for a moment.
As a result of the rain, the planned "campfire" for that night had been moved inside, to one of the bigger main areas, and everyone was gathered around the flames, roasting marshmallows, listening to Daryl tell his tale.
"And then, he started walkin' home, not knowin' that the thing he'd seen earlier was followin' him in the dark."
A rather rowdy group of teenage boys jumped as another clap of thunder boomed, and Daryl gently smirked a little at them.
"I thought you boys said yah weren' scared," he said, amusement clear.
"We ain't," the youngest in the group said, glaring at him. "Honest."
"Uh huh," Daryl said, still smirking. And then he continued.
But, absently twirling her marshmallow stick in her fingers, suddenly Beth felt a million miles away from here, her earlier concentration and engrossment suddenly lost. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying herself, though; honestly, this was probably one of the most enjoyable activities they'd had in months and she had wholeheartedly been looking forward to this, but she'd been distracted off and on for days now. And, as always, she knew entirely why.
Nearly a week now, since their last meeting, and she could still feel his touch, and the corner of her mouth still tingled.
Closing her eyes, vividly she was back in front of him, and oddly, she felt her breath hitch and her heart speed up as she felt his warm, fleeting touch there on the corner of her mouth again... His body heat oddly felt good, as she'd suddenly become cold, and again, they were close enough to kiss…
Opening up her eyes again, heart speeding up, she put her stick over the flames, watching the marshmallow cook, and again, felt the all-too familiar tingle. Gently rubbing the corner of her mouth, she uncrossed her legs and rescued her marshmallow from the flames. Blowing on it, she waited a few minutes and then ate it.
If just this affected her this badly, then just how much would his touch affect her on other parts of her body?…
Blushing violently, she tried to quell the thoughts, and banish the thought from her mind.
She knew, though she couldn't understand it, that she was attracted to him. Physically. As painfully embarrassing and hard as it was for her to admit, she knew she was. But lately, she couldn't stop thinking about him, even more than before, and she didn't know why.
Another loud clap of thunder boomed, and, across the fire, she saw Maggie and Glenn kiss.
And now, Maggie was laughing slightly as Glenn played with her hair and whispered unknown things to her, and he pulled her closer to him from where she sat on his lap.
As they embraced again, as if in some fog, she was sitting on his lap as they sat in front of a fire, the stars up above them, just the two of them, the moans and threat of Walkers absent for just one glorious moment, and his hand was tracing her cheek, almost achingly gentle. The gentle blue of his one good eye held hers, his expression serious…and almost as if he were hesitating before doing something… and then, without warning, slowly he leaned forward and kissed her…Now she was gently pressed up against his chest, and she could feel just how his pulse had sped up to match her own racing one…He was so much warmer than the dancing flames before them, and while the flames had been a relief from the cool night air before to her, they were like winter air in comparison now…
Shaking herself, flushing again, Beth got up and grabbed another marshmallow, jabbing it onto the stick.
Going back, sitting down again, she tried not to be so rattled.
Simply because she found him attractive didn't mean she liked him… And surely her unbidden daydream…if that was even the right word…of just a few moments ago didn't mean anything. It didn't. It couldn't.
And yet, later, when she tried to fall asleep, she was back again, in his arms, the fire now spent completely, the cool night air now positively biting, and she still felt warmer than ever.
The sky was gray, and the threat of yet another rainstorm was imminent. Slowly she walked to the truck after having gone to one last store, hoping her inner turmoil wouldn't be transparent to him once she arrived.
She wasn't afraid…not anymore…oddly she wanted to see him again…learn more about him…yet it couldn't be more than that. It couldn't. It couldn't…
"But of course it is. You can't deny he affects you. You can't deny he fascinates you. You can't deny you care about him, even if you may not know you do or want to. You can't deny you want him. You can't deny you want him to do things to you no man has ever done before. Even if you can't understand it…"
Pausing and leaning against a tree, sucking in deep breaths, she tried to ignore the cackling, gleeful, evil voice that was telling her all of this, and shakily stuck her knife in the lone female Walker that had been slowly ambling towards her, her teeth now rotted black and her stringy black hair sticking to her face, making her almost look like an evil witch, silencing the creature's traitorous taunts and words. The words that she didn't want to hear.
It let out a final snarl and then fell to the ground. Beth pulled her knife out and wiped it off. Chancing one last glance at the corpse, she could swear it almost looked like it was smirking at her, making her feel even more unsettled. Walking away, she glanced back one last time at the corpse, wanting to be as far away as possible from it. "You can't deny it."
A gentle, far off rumble of thunder hit as she walked to his door. Sucking in a deep breath, Beth knocked.
She was startled as she heard his voice, gentle and low though it was.
"Hey," he said, as he came around a corner, putting his gun back in his holster. "I'm sorry, I was just doin' somethin' before the rain hits…"
Beth shook herself, trying not to be so flustered. "H…Hi. And oh, it's fine…I understand completely."
The Governor came towards her, until he was right in front of her. Involuntarily, her knees bucked a little.
Taking one step back, wanting to put at least a little distance between them, she still tried to smile.
He noticed. "Hey, you alright? You…you look like you saw a ghost."
He was staring at her, and she had never before felt so uncomfortable.
Her mind flashed back to the Walker. Shaking herself, she said, "Oh, thank you, but I'm fine."
Yet still he was staring at her, as though he didn't believe her.
Unbidden, she thought, again, of what she had thought about at the campfire at the prison, and she tried in vain not to blush.
Beth cleared her throat and spoke, hating herself. "I…how was your week?"
The Governor looked surprised that she was even asking, but curtly nodded and said, "It was alright. Yours?"
Beth smiled, trying to make the discomfort go away. "It was wonderful."
He smiled gently, and somehow, her heart skipped a beat.
"Well I'm very glad. Though maybe we should sit down…you look like you're gonna faint, Beth. Are you sure you're alright?"
"You can't deny it."
Clearing her throat, strangely feeling touched at his concern, Beth answered, trying not to think of the Walker. She nodded. "I am. Truly. But thank you."
Slowly she let her eyes wander down his form. He was wearing a white dress-shirt and black pants today with matching belt, and black shoes. And yet, as if of their own accord, her eyes lingered, for just one moment, on his belt, making her blush even more, and she honestly wondered if she had the courage to dip below it, but then, looking at his face again, she knew she didn't… His eye was still fixed on her, and she tried not to notice how well rested he looked…or how soft his hair looked…
Shaking herself, Beth also tried not to linger on just how lean and muscular his forearms were…
Forcing herself to tear her eyes away, she said, clearing her throat, "So…shall we?"
He nodded. "Of course."
He opened the door, holding it for her, and she nodded at him in thanks.
She sat, hearing the door shut behind her, and then he came over to her. "Did you want anythin' to eat or drink? If you want it and I have it, it's yours."
She couldn't help but to smile, still feeling a little uneasy, but somehow considerably less so now that they were inside.
Looking at him, she said, "That's very nice of you, but I'm ok."
She swallowed. The Governor nodded, sitting down, adjusting his sleeve. "OK. But let me know if ya change your mind."
As always, he sat down across from her, and she made herself speak first, knowing conversation would distract her.
Pausing before she spoke, Beth finally said, "I…well…I was thinkin' that…we could get to know each other more…If you'd want to, of course," she quickly finished. "I…I well…it's always just so…hard thinkin' of things to talk about with other people, and I…know it sounds lame, but…"
Awkwardly she broke off, feeling stupid.
Smiling self-consciously, looking at her hands, "I'm sorry. I'm ramblin'…"
Softly he laughed. Looking up, The Governor was leaning back a little in his chair, grinning a little.
He honestly did have a beautiful smile…
Beth forced the thought to die, shoving it out of her mind.
"You have nothin' to be sorry for, Beth. If anythin' I feel sorry for you that you willingly spend time with me every week."
In spite of herself, she smiled at his statement.
Leaning back a little more, crossing his arms, he said seriously, "Whatever you'd like to know about me, I'll gladly tell you, Beth. I'm an open book."
Biting her lip, Beth nodded. "O…okay." Breathing in deep, she tried to think of a question.
Finally she settled on one. "What's somethin' that nobody knows about you?"
A few moments of silence, and then he answered. "I spit on my daddy's grave at the funeral, after everyone had left. I didn't even want to go, but I knew my mother would have wanted me to. That's the only reason."
Feeling horrible, she said, "I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up…"
Gently he smiled. "Do you always apologize this much for not doin' anythin'?"
Smiling a little, Beth nodded.
The Governor then said, "What about you? What's somethin' nobody knows about you?"
Beth bit her lip, surprised. Thinking, she finally spoke. "When I was in high school, I thought about bein' a professional figure skater someday…I always was good at it. I thought I could do it. But I never told anyone that."
He nodded. "That's very interestin' and I'm sure you would have been excellent at it."
Beth nodded. "Thank you."
Suddenly he spoke again. "What was your favorite movie? Or book before all this?"
Thinking, she said, "I couldn't pick just one…I loved a lot of romantic movies…and I just had a lot of favorite books too. Romance novels were always my favorite…especially ones set in the past…wars…stuff like that. My momma had a whole bunch in the basement I'd always read. And I always liked, well, fairy tales and all that. Especially fairy tale movies, like Cinderella…movies like that."
Softly smiling, he said, "I always liked horror novels and movies best. Drove my wife crazy when I'd try and make her watch some with me…she'd always just say they were too gross and just stupid."
Beth laughed a little, unable to help herself. "Well did she ever?"
"Yep," he said, grinning. "And then I'd have to sit and watch god romance movies with her and whatever other things she'd want to watch. But I guess it was a fair trade."
Beth said, "What was your favorite subject in college?"
"I actually always liked science…I was always pretty good at it. Aside from the whole me hatin' school thing."
Smiling, Beth said, "I always liked English best. Aside from music."
The Governor spoke next. "Did you ever go on vacation out of the country?"
Beth shook her head. "No, but we always went to Florida plenty. I always had fun. Why, did you?"
He nodded. "Yep, Jamaica for my honeymoon and England for our one-year anniversary."
Beth nodded slowly, stunned. "Wow…must have been fun. I know back before all of this…I had always wanted to go to England. Did you have fun?"
The Governor nodded slowly. "We had a great time. It was very expensive, but still worth it."
Beth spoke, momentarily feeling sad. "It's just…so strange to know that the entire world is full of Walkers…everywhere. And that life just isn't the same anymore."
The Governor nodded.
Silence, and then she spoke again. "So…what…um…was your favorite season? I always liked spring the best."
"I always liked summer the best."
Beth nodded. "Did you have any pets?"
He nodded. "We had a cat…But I never had any growin' up. My mother was allergic."
Beth said, "We had a cat, too. But we were lucky. We always had lots of animals on the farm. It was nice."
Thinking again, she said, "Did you ever think about other career options besides insurance?"
The Governor said, slowly shaking his head as he looked at her, "If I had a dime for every day I sat in my office chair and hated my job because of my boss, I would have been rich. But I actually was fine with bein' in insurance…my coworkers were nice, and mostly we'd always just make fun of him behind his back when he was bein' extra unbearable and an ass. Which was always."
Continuing, he said, "Like I said, it certainly wasn't glamorous but I did go to college and graduate with a business degree. It got me a job that paid more than any other company would have, so I guess it was worth it."
Curiosity striking her, Beth said, "Did you honestly enjoy college? Or not?"
Smiling, he said, "Did I enjoy college? The schoolwork part, no, definitely not, but the drinkin' and the partyin' aspect, yes."
Beth smiled as well. Speaking again, she said, remembering last time, "Well, bein' second in your class isn't anythin' to be ashamed of. That's truly incredible."
Looking at her, he simply shrugged a little. "Thank you, but not really. I'm nowhere near as smart as lots of people I went to school with."
His modesty sunk into her. She almost wanted to tell him to not be so hard on himself, but imagining the reality of saying it out loud, as well as embarrassment, stopped her.
The Governor asked, "Did you like school?"
Beth nodded, shrugging. "Yes…I did. I mean, I liked seein' my friends and all but I always did like it."
Silence fell again, and then she spoke again. "So…did anythin' excitin' happen in your week?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Nope," he said softly. "Unless you count all the Biters I had to kill. If that's your thing then it was excitin' as all hell." He gave a small smile.
Beth smiled a little. "Fair enough."
"What about yours? Did you have fun?"
Beth nodded. "Yeah…we…we actually had a…a fire one night…indoors…because of the rain…and yeah. We had…marshmallows…scary stories…it was fun," she said, trying not to remember the anxiety thinking of the fire pulled up in her.
Again, she saw the Walker's face, smirk contorting her face evilly. "You can't deny it."
Involuntarily, she flinched a little. Shifting in her seat, she looked at him and found he had noticed.
"Are you sure you're alright, Beth?" he asked quietly, his eye scanning her. "You just seem…"
"I'm fine," she said quickly. "I'm fine, thank you."
Beth looked at him and felt a jolt as she focused on his face.
Breaking her contact, she said, "I…well…you sure anythin' excitin' didn't happen durin' your week? There must be somethin'" she said quickly.
The Governor said, "Well…I got a lot of sleep. But that's really it."
She nodded. He spoke again. "Have you been eatin' okay and sleepin' fine, Beth?"
Looking at him, she somehow could not speak for a few moments. He was still staring at her as though he felt something was wrong, and in that moment, somehow she felt touched yet again…as conflicted and tortured as she felt about her feelings, she knew that he truly wasn't evil, despite everything…
He had done such terrible things, yet when she tried to think of him as just a monster, it always felt off…wrong…horrible. He truly was human…
But everyone at the prison…if only they knew how she felt… And wasn't she a horrible person for thinking so about him…?
Shaking the thoughts off, Beth nodded slowly. "I…yes, I have been. Thank you. But…how about you? Have you?"
He nodded, answering softly. "Yes. But…I can tell. I make you uncomfortable. It's plain as day… You don't have to keep comin' here, Beth. Honest. I completely understand. You're just too polite to say it."
Beth just stared at him, shocked. She didn't know what to say… "I make you uncomfortable."
True, but goodness, not in the way he clearly thought…At least, not anymore…
Flushing again, she tried not to let her mind wander just then to dangerous thoughts…
Taking a deep breath, she looked at him again.
"I…no. No, no. I'm…You don't make me uncomfortable, and I do want to come here every week. T…truly," she said, speaking in both truth and a half-lie.
He was silent for a second before replying. "You won't offend me, Beth."
Nodding, she spoke again. "Honest. I do want to come here, and I…I'm sorry if you get the impression I don't…"
Shaking his head, he said, "You don't need to apologize. You did nothin' wrong."
Weakly she smiled. "I do want to come here. I…I'm not afraid," she said, the truth hitting her.
No, she was not afraid anymore. At least, not for fear of him himself…and the worries he might do unspeakable horrid acts were, oddly, long forgotten.
Yet she was afraid of how she was almost slowly coming to care for him…that terrified her. Especially when she imagined everyone's reaction, if ever they were to find out…
He looked at her, unspeaking for a few moments. "I…I know how it must sound, comin' from a man like me…but…you really do have nothin' to fear from me, Beth. I…I'd never harm you…"
She nodded slowly. "I know," she said softly. The overall sincerity of his words hit her, more than anything. Somehow she had come to this realization all on her own, but just hearing him say it…her uneasiness about thinking him a good person evaporated just a little more.
Silence again, and then Beth cleared her throat, changing the subject. "So…well…what else is there to know about you? I'm sure there's more."
Glancing at him, The Governor seemed as shocked as ever, but quickly seemed to recover. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well…I took speed-readin' in college…got pretty damn good at it too, if I do say so myself."
Interested, she said, "Wow. That's impressive."
Softly he laughed a little, glancing down. "No, I just took it because I needed the extra credit. But it was useful. "
Wanting to volunteer more information about herself, she said, "I taught myself how to play guitar. I always liked singin' more, but…"
"That's very impressive."
Glancing down at her hands, she said, "No, it's not. But thanks."
"You don't give yourself much credit, do you? You should. That's a lot more impressive than speed readin'" he said, smiling a little at her, and she couldn't help smiling back, flushing a little.
"Can you sing?" she asked, genuinely interested.
Putting his elbow on the table, he said, fixing his sleeve, "Well, technically everyone can, but nope. Not at all. I can't sing to save my life, though I always was pretty good at singin' karaoke when I was hammered when I'd go out with friends. Mostly in college, but I won't lie…I did that after college too."
Beth smiled a little.
"I always could get the lyrics perfect no matter how much I'd had to drink. Damn near crownin' achievement, if you ask me," he said, smiling, letting her know he was only joking.
"Did you ever learn any foreign languages?" she asked. "I took French in high school…I'm nowhere near fluent but I always thought it was pretty easy."
Laughing a little, he said, "Oh god…I took German in high school, and then again in college. I've forgotten like everythin' now except really basic things, but I remember this one time, my senior year in college, I'd been out partyin' with friends until 4 AM and I was just hungover the whole day. I had to give a speech for my final exam that was worth fifty percent of my grade…nailed it. Don't know how I did it, but I did it."
"Well that's a crownin' achievement right there too," Beth said, echoing him from earlier.
"It was almost the end of the year anyway and I was just done with school by that time…everyone was," he said, laughing a little. "I really wasn't always that irresponsible. Mostly."
Beth couldn't help laughing softly. "I…gosh, I guess this one time I didn't start a paper until two days before it was due…but I'd written the rough draft all out anyway. I just had to edit it. Nowhere near as irresponsible as that must have been."
The Governor laughed again. "I actually always did like to go to the library by myself sometimes and just read when I had nothin' to do. Which wasn't often, but more often than not I'd be readin' the latest King novel instead of studyin' or readin' the actual books I had to read."
Nodding, she said, "Yeah, our town library was always really nice."
She was surprised when he spoke again. "You ever like campin' or anythin' like that? I always did."
Nodding, she said, "It wasn't my favorite thing by far but I did go a few times…it was fun at times."
Silence again, and then Beth spoke. "Did you ever like, you know, want to leave Georgia?"
Rubbing his neck slightly as he answered her, he said, "I did get a few job offers out of state after I'd graduated, but no. I've always liked it here…I just wanted to get away from my daddy. That's all. Once I'd moved seven hours away from him after college, I was fine."
She nodded. Silence fell again, and then she felt compelled to ask another question.
Looking at him, she asked, "I…gosh, I hope I'm not bein' rude, but…well… did he ever try and contact you?"
The Governor laughed a little, bitterly. "The only times he'd contact me were only to yell at me and cuss me out over the phone for bein' a horrible son and names I won't repeat in front of you. But it's fine," he said, noticing her expression. "I never took it personally. He just always pissed me off. We'd never been close, and then after I beat him up and the restrainin' order went through, that just sealed it. I always did go up to see my mother as much as I could, though, and take her out when he wasn't there. I don't think she ever told him. I always felt so sorry for her, trapped in that house with him. I always told her she'd be more than welcome to move in with me for as long as she needed to and divorce his sorry ass, but she'd always have none of it. She didn't believe in divorce, and for some odd reason, she loved him."
Saddened, Beth said, "She must have been a wonderful woman."
He nodded. "Thank you. She was."
Clarifying, he said, "My wife and I did long-distance for a year because she got accepted to this internship program in New York for a year after college. It worked out, thankfully," he said, grinning a little. "We saw each other all the time on weekends and as often as we could, but I wouldn't have minded my mother livin' with me while I had my own place that year. I coulda used the extra company. Especially from her. And it woulda been even more worth it to get her to leave my bastard of a father finally."
Nodding, Beth said, "It's clear you loved them both very much."
Falling silent, he simply looked at her. "More than anythin,'" he said softly.
Curiosity piqued, she said, "What did your wife do? If…if you don't mind," she said quickly.
The Governor shook his head a little. "Of course I don't…she was a children's psychologist…One of only two people who got accepted to that internship. I was so proud of her."
Beth nodded, impressed. "That's truly amazin'. She…she must have been as smart as she was beautiful," she said, remembering the photograph she had seen on one of her earliest visits.
The Governor nodded. "She was…but I'm…I'm sorry that I mention her so much; I know it must get annoyin'…"
Surprised, Beth said, "Hey. Don't apologize about that. I know how much you must miss her, and how much you loved her. It's only natural."
Staring at her, The Governor surprised her yet again when he spoke next. "I talk so much about my family…tell me more about yours. If…if you want to," he said. "You by no means don't have to if you don't want to."
Shaking her head, Beth said, "No…I…I'm fine."
Sorrow filling her as she thought of her mother, she said, "I…my mama looked just like me, and I remember even when I was a little girl I thought she was just so beautiful… I…I always wanted to be just like her when I grew up." She gave a sad smile.
"My daddy swears I got my singin' voice from her…I remember she'd always sing lullabies to me whenever I was sick or just had had a hard day. I…I was so close to her, and I did have a lot in common with her. She had a beautiful voice, and always wore the prettiest dresses and clothes. And she was so smart, too. As well as kind…but she also liked to have fun," Beth said, grinning a little at the memory.
"I remember this one time me and her played the greatest prank on Maggie and Shawn at Halloween…Shawn near screamed like a little girl, and Maggie got so mad about it, but we all just ended up laughin' about it."
Biting her lip, she said, "My momma was a lot younger than my daddy, but they were always just so in love. It was just so beautiful watchin' the two of them…and because of that, I've always wanted what they had some day…for a man to look at me the way my daddy always looked at her…"
She glanced up, unable to stop smiling as she remembered her parents together, and found he was staring at her with the oddest expression on his face as she said her last words...entirely serious and entirely focused on her, and almost as if something were breaking within him...as if he were keeping something hidden deep within him...
Flushing, she shook herself a little. It was nothing...
Looking him in the eye again, ignoring it, Beth continued, "My daddy's first wife…Maggie's momma…died before I was born…But another amazin' thing about my momma was the fact that she loved all of us kids equally, and supported us in so many ways, just like my daddy… I…I miss her every day, and I…god…when I lost her and Shawn, I…it was like I…"
Breaking off, she said, "Well…I told you what I tried to do," speaking softly. "And showed, you, too…" gesturing to her wrists. "I'm ashamed of it now, lookin' back, but…"
His response was soft and immediate, and when she finally gained the courage to look back at him, she found he had probably been staring at her just as intently as now the entire time she'd been speaking…as if he were committing every word of hers to memory…Or maybe she was simply imagining it…
Unable to stop herself from blushing a little as he spoke, The Governor said, "You have no reason to be ashamed, Beth. Believe me. I'm very sorry for your losses, and your mother sounds like a wonderful woman."
Continuing, staring just as intently at her, he said, "But believe me, you don't have to be embarrassed about that. When I…when I lost my wife, if it wouldn't have been for Penny, I…I wouldn't have had a reason to live. And when I…when I lost Penny, I…I coulda shot myself. So I understand completely how you felt."
She couldn't help feeling great waves of sympathy for him. "I truly am sorry, for your loss," she said softly. "I…I…she was a beautiful little girl, even though I…I obviously didn't know her," sure she sounded like an idiot.
"I…she looked so happy in that photograph of the three of you…she knows how much you loved her…and that it…it wasn't your fault she…she got bit."
Something seemed to shift in The Governor's eye, and for a moment she regretted having continued to speak about Penny, but thankfully, he did not seem offended or angry.
He simply nodded. "Thank you, but I…I know that's not true."
He fell silent again, and Beth wanted to say more, but she simply decided to let it be.
After awhile, he spoke again. "What was your brother like?" he asked softly.
Somewhat shocked he was asking, Beth was silent for a few moments before answering.
"I…he was the best big brother any girl could ask for," she said, smiling. "He was always so smart, and even though he liked to play pranks a lot, they were always the funny, harmless ones. And Shawn…he always helped me out, and always stood up for me growin' up…he was just the most wonderful person," she finished softly.
The Governor was still staring at her. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
Beth shook her head. "It isn't your fault," she said. "And at least…at least he and my Momma are in a better place now, away from all this. And…and I'm very sorry for your losses. Truly. Your wife and Penny…they're in a better place now, too."
Silence fell again once more as she stared at him, and he seemed to not know what to say. Neither did she.
Yet, truly, it always was so easy talking with him…and she could never understand the reason why…
Looking out the window, a light rain had begun to fall, and Beth knew, as always, that it was time to leave.
Standing up, she said, "I…I'm sorry. I…I have to go…"
He had recovered quickly, standing up too. "Of course. I'll walk you out."
It was cool and a light breeze had picked up as well on their way to the gate, and Beth tried to ignore those …almost intoxicating… whiffs of the, by now, altogether too familiar ivory soap that clung to his skin and clothing as they walked to the gate.
He slowly opened the gate for her, his eye never leaving her face. "Goodbye, Beth. See you next week."
And, of its own accord, her heart skipped a beat and something shifted within her at the sound of his voice as he said those words…and how intently he was staring at her…
Recovering quickly, she said, "Th…thank you. See you next week."
Nodding at him, she smiled and soon enough, she was in the truck, the rain beginning to fall more heavily now. The entire ride back to the prison seemed to never end.
And, unbidden, as she rounded a bend by the lonely woods, a rotted, decaying face entered her vision once more, smirk even wider and more evil than before as she thought of him again.
"You can't deny it!"