Zombies Ch. 02

"Charles?" She croaked out.

"Yes?" I answered, turning to face her.

"You can... I mean it's alright if... I mean.... Will you stay here tonight? I'd feel safer knowing you're in the house." It was a big step and a display of exactly how much she'd come to trust me over the last day. Barely 24 hours previously she had all but had a gun trained on me, waiting for me to make the wrong move, now she was inviting me to stay in the house.

"Of course," I said, returning to the couch, "I'll just bunk down here, if you need anything all you have to do is call and I'll be up there quick as a flash."

"Don't stay down here," she whispered again, her eyes pleading, "I'll make up the spare room, the bed really is quite comfortable."

"Okay but only if you're sure," I conceded, looking forward to a decent night in a comfortable bed despite myself; the mattress at the pub must be about a decade or two old!

"Yes."

Together we made up the spare room, dressing the bed with fresh linen and finding a collection of blankets, then we made our way to the bathroom where she kindly leant me a toothbrush and we brushed our teeth and washed our faces.

We bid our goodnights before turning into our separate rooms, just before we parted though I pressed the gun into her hands and, despite her protestations, wouldn't take no for an answer; I had my crowbar and I'd feel more comfortable knowing she had a weapon close by, not to mention she'd probably feel more comfortable too if she had second doubts during the night.

I closed and door to the bedroom and stripped off my shorts, I was still shirtless and had been all day, but surprisingly hadn't been too self-conscious about it until now. I slipped into the bed in only my boxers and within five minutes of resting my weary body upon the soft pillow top mattress was out like a light.

***

It was still dark when I awoke and judging by the light shining in through the window from the moon still quite late... or very early. It took a couple of seconds to realize what had awoken me but then came a second soft knock on the door.

"Yes?" I whispered.

"Charles, can I come in?" I heard Zoey's soft voice through the door. I wriggled deeper down into the bed, pulling the blankets up to me chin, feeling self-conscious again.

"Sure," I answered back and heard the door softly creek open. I couldn't help but let out a giggle with the sight that greeted me. Zoey was dressed head to toe in pink floral pajama's, she looked like a marshmallow.

"Hey," I greeted her and she padded over to sit on the bed, "What's up?"

"Nothing just... no nothing, sorry to disturb you," she made as if to get up but I snagged out an arm from under the blankets and grabbed her.

"Come on, you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night just to say sorry for waking me up," my eyes twinkled but I wasn't sure if she could see them in the dark.

"Well," she paused, gathering courage before letting the next words tumbled out, "woulditbeokayifistayedinheretonight?" It took me a second to dissect what she had said: would it be okay if I stayed in here tonight.

"Umm, well sur-"

"Just I'm... a little..."

"Scared?" I finished when it seemed she wasn't likely to.

"Yes," she said, her cheeks burning with color.

"Don't be ashamed, everybody gets scared. Sure jump in."

Zoey slipped between the covers and lay down facing me.

"How do you do it?" She asked, gazing deep into my eyes.

"Do what?"

"Stay so... I don't know. Brave, cavalier, stoic?"

"Cavalier? Stoic?" I had to laugh at this, "where are you from? Middle Earth?"

"Be serious," she chided me.

"Okay okay," I eased out of the chuckle I was thoroughly enjoying and turned a bit more serious, "I haven't had the easiest life. I mean I'm not saying that I have anything on the kids in Africa or anything like that... but well, at home it was always kinda tense. I mean I know Dad and Mum loved each other, and me too, but there was always tension. Either Dad was working too late or Mum was spending too much money or I wasn't trying hard enough in school, or something. There was always something. It didn't help that when we moved we all but left our family behind, we had to find knew friends and start a life again.

"I suppose that might bring some families closer together than ever, and I suppose it did with us in the end, but for a while there it seemed the only way to stop the tears was to laugh. Eventually it became a bit of a joke with us, two or even all three of us could be in a heated row about this or that and all it would take is for one person to say 'Knock Knock' and we'd suddenly back off, calm down and try to see the funny side."

"Wow," Zoey whispered, "Some family. It sounds so exotic living oversees but I guess you never really realize what you give up. I mean I've lived in this town for nearly my entire life. I know practically everybody by name, I see all my cousins and aunts and uncles several times a year, and although Mum and Dad could really get on my nerves there was always somebody to turn to when that happened.

"I ran away from home once you know?" Zoey laughed at the memory, "I was eight and upset at my parents for some reason, I can't even remember what it was, and that night after dinner I went upstairs and packed my bag and ran off to my neighbor's house. I knocked on Mrs. Mitchell's door and she welcomed me with a hug and big cup of sweat milky tea. After consoling me for ten minutes she made up the couch and put me to bed. The next day I'd gotten over my anger and was really sad that my parents hadn't come looking for me. All I could think was 'Why aren't there here! Don't they love me?' Eventually I stormed back home to find them sitting on the couch watching TV. I burst into tears and ran up to my bedroom.

"I had no idea that Mrs. Mitchell called them the second after I got there and asked them if it'd be alright if I stayed over that evening. I remember mum hugging me and telling me that the reason I was so upset was because of how much we all loved each other. God they used to love to tell that story to embarrass me!"

"I can imagine why! You must have been the center of attention at all the family Christmas parties!"

"Oh shut it you," Zoey slapped my exposed arms softly.

"No but honestly, it's true. No matter what happens your family is always there for each other."

"Was" Zoey chimed in I felt the mood deflate quicker than a balloon with a hole poked in it.

"Yes was," I paused gathering my thoughts, "No is. Just because they're gone doesn't mean they can't make you laugh. And who knows maybe one day we'll each have a new family. Life goes on,"

"Like the song," Zoey whispered.

"Like the song."

I'm not sure who started it, I'm honestly not. All I do know is that one second we were lying opposite each other, her hand still on my arm from where she slapped me, smiling softly at each other; and the next second our lips were pressed together and we were kissing deeply.

I will remember that kiss until the day I die. It started slowly enough, just two sets of lips meeting, pressing together for long minutes. Then our mouths slowly started to open, she tasted of cream and berries. We shifted closer together in the bed, our bodies pressed together, the heat flowing freely from one to the other. Our tongues were introduced next, slowly probing the other party, tickling, wrestling and caressing the other's tongue and mouth.

We broke apart after a few minutes, coming up for air, still holding each other.

"Wow," Zoey whispered.

"Wow," I replied.

"That was..."

"Yeah," we lay speechless for the longest time, just holding the other and delighting in the human contact. A yawn eventually slipped into the void between us and the moment was lost.

"Oh sorry, I forgot I woke you up in the middle of the night.

"Don't be, I wouldn't have skipped it for the world," I saw her smile at this and felt my heart skip a beat. How had I come to care about this person so much so quickly? Was it just because she was another human being in a world seemingly devoid of them? Or did we truly have a connection? Whichever, it was a riddle to decipher another time.

"Me neither, well goodnight," she moved in briefly and pressed another soft kiss on my lips before rolling over onto her other side, her back towards me.

"Good night Zoey," I whispered her name and felt a rush flow through my body.

"Goodnight Charles," she responded, wriggling back into me, allowing me to spoon her as we both drifted off to unconsciousness.