***
I woke up, and Henry seemed to be sleeping peacefully for a change. I grabbed a bottle of water that was on the nightstand and headed to the master bathroom to clean up. I stood in the tub and poured the water all over me, slow and steady until the bottle was empty. It was so fucking cold that it woke me up instantly, standing every nerve at attention. Who needs caffeine when you can pour cold water all over your body? I was reminded of Henry’s chilly body against mine.
My mind went to the previous night’s love making. I closed my eyes, seeing him, feeling his loving touch, and remembering how emotional he was. I sighed, envisioning him moving deep inside me. I ran my hand down my chest to my hip.
Noises outside the bathroom window snapped me out of my slight erotic trance. While I towel dried myself, I looked out the window, trying to find the source. There were a few undeads staggering around in the street. I dressed in a flash and stormed out of the bathroom.
“Henry?” He was no longer in bed. “Henry?” I said louder as I headed down the hallway. Claire was standing in the kitchen, trying to ration food for all of us. “Claire, where’s Henry?” Claire looked at Sophie, who was helping Nick and Nate fold up their blankets. “Hello? I;m asking a fucking question here!” My patience had worn thin. “Answer me, damn it!” Everyone was staring at me. I wanted to throat punch everyone until they started talking.
“Um, he…he went...um…” Claire looked down at the food in front of her.
“Somebody say something before I flip the fuck out!” I screamed so loud, my voice reverberated off the walls. My fists were clenched at my sides. My throat was burning.
Sophie walked over to me. “He went out.” Those three simple words turned me into a cornered honey badger.
“What? He went out? What the fuck do you mean he went out?!” I grabbed her arms in a death grip, and she winced in pain. “Tell me! Know what? Fuck you all…every last one of you! I’m going to find him!” I reached for a Sig and headed for the door.
“No. You’re staying here.” Nick stood between me and the door.
“Get the fuck out of my way, assface!” I raised the Sig at my brother. Nothing was going to get between Henry and me.
“Sis, calm down.” With some hesitation, he walked forward and took the Sig out of my grip.
“Why did you guys let him leave by himself? He said no one was to leave by themselves!”
“He came out of the bedroom. He said he had something he needed to do, and he would be back. He left so suddenly that none of us had time to grab him. Not that we could have stopped him.” Nick didn’t sound confident about the situation.
“Are you fucking with me because if you are...”
“He’s telling the truth. Sophie and Claire hadn’t even came out of their room yet. It was just Nick and me.” I glared at Nate.
“Nick, please tell me you didn’t let him go out there on his own!” I ran over to the front window that was covered with clear garbage bags, remembering the undeads that were roaming out there. “Oh, my god! He took the truck! He must be going somewhere far away!” I think I would have panicked over a hangnail at that point. I felt warm arms around me.
“Honey, listen,” Claire said. “There was nothing Nick or Nate could have done. He was out of here in a flash. We just have to wait for him and hope he will come back soon.” She was trying to comfort me, but it only made me angrier.
I wiggled free, and turned around to face my family. “You bastards! He could die out there! He could turn into an undead! He could be an undead…” I dropped to my knees. Claire tried to catch me. She knelt down and grabbed me by my shoulders.
“It’ll be okay, Elaina. He will be back. This is Henry we’re talking about here. He knows what he’s doing. You have said so yourself. Try to have faith that he will return to you. Okay?” I shook my head.
“He will come back,” Sophie said from across the room. “He’s a stubborn son of a bitch.”
I was scared that the night before was the last time I would ever lock eyes with Henry again. I was fighting my emotions. I wanted to lash out at everyone, but I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until my eyes swelled shut. My nightmare kept creeping into my thoughts. What if it was some sort of premonition?
Time went by so fucking slow. I stood in front of the window like a lost puppy, waiting to see his truck reappear. Even Sophie was pacing the floor, whispering to herself. I don’t know if she was praying for him, or cursing at him under her breath. Each hour ticked by slower than the one before…and then it happened.