Helena sighed.
"Helena, love, you are sighing again," Richard pointed out and, to annoy him further, she sighed heavier and louder. "Is there something wrong?"
With a look of disbelief on her face, Helena gawked at Richard.
"Seriously? You are asking me if something is wrong when only TEN MINUTES ago, I watched someone be killed in front of my house. Not only killed and murdered, but come back FROM the dead! And you caused it!" Helena practically spat at him.
"Helena. Shh. Please. We don't want to alert them of our presence. Plus, they aren't dead. Just infected," Richard corrected, rubbing the side of his face in mental fatigue.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Helena said sarcastically. "Richard, an abomination is an abomination!"
"I don't want to get into this again," Richard complained.
"I don't give a damn what you want! Just because you don't want to talk about it, doesn't mean that it is going to disappear."
"I know that isn't going to happ-"
"You have created this apocalypse. You know what you are, Richard? You are a terrorist!"
"Helena. Quiet, please."
"And a murderer! And a –"
"Helena! Shut up!"
Though his voice wasn't loud, it was full of authority. Helena quickly silenced herself, not because of his order, but because of his nerve to command.
"Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Helena demanded but Richard didn't answer. His face was bent into concentration and his eyes were closed. He looked almost to be listening for something.
"What is it?" she asked, suddenly worried.
Richard held up a finger to silence her, but she kept on.
"Richard? What – "
"SHH!"
Again, Helena silenced herself and turned her gaze to Zeus who was playing in the corner, probably with a spider.
Finally, Richard relaxed.
"My apologies, love. It's just. . . I thought I heard something downstairs and I didn't want it to follow your voice," Richard explained.
"Uh hu," Helena replied simply. "Is that an excuse to leave me again to get something else?"
Now, it was just Richard's turn to sigh.
"You are acting bipolar. One second you are being nice and sweet and the next, the horns are out," Richard stated and let his head fall back onto the wall.
"Oh! Now, you are calling me bipolar? That is a really good way to get yourself ignored, Richard," Helena warned, looking at him in disbelief. Feeling the tension in the room again, Zeus moved away from its small black play buddy and moved to Richard, placing himself on his lap to demand attention.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"Let's not do this, please?"
"Oh, bugger off, Richard!" Helena exclaimed and looked down at down at her black pumps. She loved those shoes. If they got ruined by this adventure, she would really have to kick Richard's arse, preferably with her stilettos. His cheeks would end up looking like swiss cheese.
"I'm just – "
"Richard! Honestly!" Helena interrupted and looked at him with annoyance on her face.
"Fine, fine. I'll be quiet," he surrendered and began to pet Zeus' head and small body. He didn't know why Helena acted the way she did. She was safe. The attic wasn't the ideal haven, but it was better than nothing at all. It was definitely better than being Bed Head woman who was now walking the streets in search of an innocent person to mutilate. She had Zeus who, though he wasn't housebroken yet, could put a smile to anyone's face and she had him, Richard. She wasn't alone; she had company.
As Richard thought, a bang sounded through the attic.
"What the hell?" Helena asked silently. "Where did that come from?"
Richard shook his head, hoping that it would sound again so he could locate the area of the noise yet praying it didn't for fear it was too close. The source of the noise obeyed his hopes instead of prayers by a banging on the door of the attic.
Bang. Bang! BANG!
The banging turned into a rapid succession of pounding and, as it became faster and more determined, Helena's face fell.
"They found us," Richard stated simply and looked at the door. Though the door was strong, it wouldn't hold through the unyielding beating of the infected.
"What do we do? We can't just sit here!" Helena asked, her voice showing the terror that she felt, and she looked at Richard. Richard looked around for a second, then thought of something.
"I have an idea," he exclaimed. Standing up and moving toward the stacks of boxes, he started to pile them up far enough from the wall to place someone rather uncomfortably.
"What is the idea?" Helena asked though she probably already had an idea.
"You are hiding. I'll sidetrack them, ok?" Richard answered and continued to stack them up on top of each other. He beckoned her over, placed her behind the boxes, and started to stack them against the wall on the side of her so she was encased with boxes. "Squat down. And hold Zeus to you. Make sure you don't let him make any noise. At all. Be quiet. Don't make a sound either. If you make a sound, it'll ruin this whole plan."
Helena nodded in understanding, proving it by holding Zeus tighter. The boxes were getting tall, tall enough for Richard to lift higher and reach high enough to his chest. Then, he took the blanket the Helena had been cuddling under earlier and draped it across the top.
"The won't see you. They can smell, but I'd be there to keep your scent minimal. Now, if you just keep quiet, still, and don't do anything stupid, you will be safe," Richard explained and patted the boxes as reassurance.
"What about you?" Helena asked, her voice slightly muffled by the boxes and blanket.
"Then, I want you to run to the garage. Don't stop or look around. Don't let anything sidetrack you. Don't let anything touch you. I'll tell you when to run."
"Why can't I just stay here?" Helena asked.
"Because the infected can sense the blood and before I came in here, I killed an infected right outside the door. They tracked the dead infected to the door," Richard answered.
"Where will you be?" she asked.
"Getting the infected away from you."
"But, Richard," Helena asked and stood up, pushing the blanket off of the top to look at him. "What about you? Will you meet me in the garage?"
Richard took a second to reply back.
"Helena, to me, your safety is more important than mine. If I can keep you safe, then I will be happy."
The words hit her and she started to tear up.
"Keep me safe by being alive."
"Love, just follow my rules," Richard replied and as he went to go push her down and put the blanket over the top again, she grabbed his hand and kissed him.
"Please. Don't leave me."
"I'll meet you in the garage."
"Promise?"
"I love you, wife."
"I love you, husband."
A quick hand squeeze, a kiss, and then Helena was back under the blanket. It was then, as she was under the blanket with Zeus in one arm, that Richard had slipped the gun into her hand. Though she denied it in her head, she knew in her heart that she had just seen Richard for the last time.
Outside of the box, he walked toward the door cautiously but not slowly. His lips still tingled from when Helena kissed him and he fought back the tears. She was down one companion, but at least she had Zeus.
His hand reached out and opened the door, quick enough to stun the infected long enough for him to push his way through. Running down the hall toward the bedroom, the infected started after him immediately, taking the opportunity at a normal human being to tear apart effortlessly and emotionlessly.
As he ran, he noticed his legs were burning.
Hm. I should have worked out with Helena. Too late.
The infected were gaining on him, proof of Richard's activity level, and he ran into the bedroom. He didn't close the door immediately, but waited for the infected to enter before he did.
They were on him like flies on shit, tearing at his body with their fingers and biting his flesh off without any problem.
"Helena! Run!" He yelled at the top of his lungs but he was unable to say anymore as the infected tore out his throat. All attempts to yell to her were drowned out in gurgling blood.
His veins started burning up, feeling like the blood had been replaced with flames, and his head was pounding. The muscles in his body were tensing up so much, he was getting cramps. He didn't need to be told he was dying of blood loss as he watched the blood pour, literately POUR, out of his neck. The world was getting dizzy and confusing, yet he was relaxed mentally. He died saving Helena, his life for her safety. And little Zeus'.
His last thoughts before he died were simple. It was the only thing that he had been thinking about for two years.
He died thinking of her. His love. His soul-mate. His only one. His Helena.