This is the End 2(679)

His hand reached up and brushed down my cheek to hold my jaw gently in his calloused hand. “But who’s going to protect you?” His voice was achingly tender and immediately my stomach flip-flopped and then erupted with tingling heat.

I pressed my lips together in an effort to find some sanity. My mind was spinning after the panic and terror from fighting Zombies, to the blinding anger and now to something different…. something entirely…. more.

“Reagan,” he sighed- his voice like rough gravel. Goose bumps pebbled my forearms and my stomach took another dip. He had me on pins and needles with his consuming energy and orbit of intensity. He was telling me something- not just with his words but with his entire being and every part of my body and soul was in tune with what he was about to say. “I’m-“

“What are you two doing?” Nelson asked impatiently from behind Hendrix.

Hendrix’s hand clenched on my jaw and his mood swung again from whatever it was just a second ago to raw irritation. I was actually a little nervous for Nelson.

And depressed that we got interrupted- again.

I had lost count of how many times he seemed on the verge of confessing something important to me and then someone would walk in the room, or wake up, or sit down between us.

Zombies were ruining my life!

“I used my last bullet on my final kill,” Hendrix whispered to me on a growl. His forehead dropped to mine and his hands moved to clutch my shoulders. We were closer than we were before but the intimacy of the moment was gone. And while I enjoyed being held like this, Nelson wasn’t finished.

“You can have mine,” I whispered back.

“We’re making our way to the deli. There’s a freezer back there that we are clearing out,” Nelson was firm and impatient. And while I understood the need to stay together and get somewhere safe, I resented it.

But then maybe Nelson did too. Ever since Haley and him had decided to make it official, he had been particularly irritable.

Of course, they’d gotten the same amount of alone time as Hendrix and I- not that we were a couple- which was none. So I could understand some of his building frustration.

“We’ll be right there,” Hendrix announced- but it sounded very close to a warning.

“Nope,” Nelson replied firmly. “Not a chance. If I can’t have three goddamned minutes alone with Haley, my girlfriend; no way in hell do you get a special time out with your girl friend.”

I laughed- he was right.

Hendrix let out a tired sigh but straightened, ready to comply. Apparently he saw Nelson’s logic too. He leaned into me though and surprised me with a lingering kiss to my forehead. It was soft and sweet and I melted a little bit. How could I not?

Taking my hand he led the way after Nelson. There was even less light near the deli and the smell was foul.

When people went about looting what was left of food and clothes, they often overlooked things that would go bad- like lunch meat and deli salads. Obviously this store had been abandoned in the middle of some kind of business hours. In the time since that no doubt dreadful day, the dry food and paper products had been taken, or most of them anyway. And the fresh food- produce, frozen items, refrigerated items and anything and everything deli related were all left behind.

That made this place smell ripe. Initially we were hit with the sickly sweet smell of rotten fruit and vegetables and then eggs and dairy products in the refrigerated section. There was also a healthy mixture of animal feces and something terrifying coming from one of the bathrooms.

At the time most of us had been otherwise engaged with shooting and killing to really pay much attention, but now back in the deli with different salads still laid out in display cases and dripping, disgusting hunks of lunch meat only partially eaten away by mice, maggots or worse, I felt the familiar gag reflex that seemed to haunt my every waking moment during this Apocalypse.

I followed Hendrix around the employee entrance and side stepped piles of trash. The trash was either from the previous looters, or cardboard boxes that had been dragged into place by some kind of animal- most likely rats.

Oh no. This was definitely prime territory for rats.

Cue the ominous music and montage of Reagan’s worst fears.

We had a long night ahead of us.

“You made it,” Vaughan greeted us with a smile.

“Did you doubt?” I asked with fake offense.

“A little,” he laughed.

“I am a Zombie-killing machine, Vaughan Parker.” I scowled at him.

He chuckled again, “Oh, no I knew you’d be fine against the Zombies. I just wasn’t so sure you’d survive Hendrix after you abandoned him.”

My eyes narrowed on Vaughan for skillfully rekindling Hendrix’s anger flame.