“I wanted to apologize to you.”
“Oh really? Little late don’t you think?” Candice didn’t say it in a bitchy way, it was just her usual snark. I put my hands up anyway to pause her.
“Hear me out. I know my words are junk so.” Walking over to the armoire I pulled out a wrapped parcel. The fruits of my labor that Zoe had helped me with over those frigid months. It had been taxing for sure, having to sew by hand when I could barely feel my fingers, as I hadn’t wanted Candice to have any idea what I was working on I had to come upstairs in the afternoons and work on the gown. She was worth it though, our friendship was worth it.
My wrapping skills were rudimentary at best, but I still felt my chest swell with pride as I took the light weight of the item into my hands. “I made this for you.” I finished my sentence, holding the gift out for her to accept. The dress had been concealed with plain white linen and ribbon from Zoe’s collection of craft store raids.
“What is...?” She trailed off as she untied the bow. The thin silk layers fell out of the wrapping over the edge of her hands causing her to fumble with it for a moment. Eyes widening, she dropped the packaging, holding the garment up by the spaghetti straps.
“It’s for the Spring festival. I made it for you,” I cleared my throat, I had already said that hadn’t I? Shit.
“Zoe helped me with your dimensions and stuff.”
“Wow, you made this?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed hard, my eyes focused on my shoes. Grey double lined boots that I loved so much in the winter. Their little plaid edging, the wool lining so very worn over the years. “Look Candice, I don’t expect you to forgive me. You are right I have been an awful friend. A self-centered bitty who’s not given a crap about anyone else around her. I didn’t tell you because well, I just figured it would all work itself out. I thought he would just be another one of those fly by night guys and it never clicked in my mind that you really cared about him. Permanence is something I’m having a really tough time with, ever since well, the world broke. Because of my own messed up views on transience I tend to see everything through ‘now’ glasses rather than long term. It never dawned on me that you would get hurt.” Running my fingers through my hair I continued, the words pouring out of my mouth unchecked. “I just wanted you to know that I am sorry. I should have told you. Anything like that ever happens again I will. I didn’t make this because I wanted you to forgive me, I made this for you because I wanted you to have something nice to wear to the spring festival. Because you are an amazing person-smart, funny, kind, everything I’m not-and you deserve to be happy and there are plenty of other guys out there besides jerks like ben and I hope you find one and stuff.”
Biting my lip I looked up from my feet to her face. Her eyes were watering, the dress clutched tight to her chest.
“Damn it Liv.” She mumbled, wiping her left eye with the back of her hand.
I don’t know who stepped forward, if it was me or her. More likely we just met in the middle. My arms wrapped around her, her head on my shoulder as we hugged.
“I’m sorry I punched you.” She mumbled into my hair.
“Don’t be, I deserved the wakeup call.” Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes. I guess that’s how it works. You put yourself out there, open up and bare your soul and sometimes it was enough. Sometimes after all the bull, fluff and filler was broken away there truly was a relationship left underneath worth saving. Candice, as much as I had wronged her, was still a sister to me.
She pulled back, her perfect features brightening as a smile spread across her face. Her hands tight on my biceps.
“I can’t believe you did this! I can’t wait to wear it.” In fact she wasted no time.
Despite the freezing temperature in my room Candice started peeling off the layers.
“I think I have someone I can introduce you to as well...if you’re interested.” Pictures of tall dark and Rylie danced in my head. Just the kind of business oriented guy she would love. Not that I had ever seen him date, but an introduction wouldn’t hurt right? Watching Candice kick off the last of her thermals I came to the conclusion Rylie probably wouldn’t mind at all. She was definitely well endowed, with muscle in all the right places. If I gave a shit about body image, I’d be slightly jealous.
“Get out! Who?” She squeaked, slipping the silk on over her head. It slid down over her body with ease, proving Zoe had definitely gotten the measurements right.
“You’ll see.” Candice flipped her hair out from the back of the garment and walked over to my mirror.
“Wow. That really looks amazing on you.” I murmured. Overall Candice killed the look, her blond hair making her appear as Barbie’s incarnate before me. The bright pink that would have made me pale out looked vibrant on her skin. It was a golden age America masterpiece, from the fitted bodice to the layers of skirting that ended just at the knee.
Just like that we were back to the way we were, the way things had been for years. Sitting in my room chatting it up while she wriggled out of the dress and back into her layers of layers.
Despite the fact that Dad had declared the snow season d-u-n, it was still pretty chilly upstairs away from the fire. Soon as she as all bundled up and had her dress in hand, we headed back down stairs.
Zoe was hovering around the doorway to the kitchen, looking eager and anxious in one hybrid stance. Before she could spit out her question, Candice bounced over to her and wrapped her big sister in a bear hug.
“You are such a little sneak!” She jokingly chastised her with a grin. “I love it, thank you my big ninja sista!” Candice ruffled up her hair while Zoe tried to downplay her involvement in the whole thing.
“No take the compliment, I couldn’t have done it without you.” I chimed in. Before Zoe could get a protest out Mark’s booming voice cut in from behind me.
“Well looks like you ladies put the drama to bed. Zoe, I’m going to take the boys outside to play, do you want to come with?”
“Yes dear, would love to.”
“Me too!” Candice added, “how about you Liv?”
“Sure I’ll be out in a bit, I have to change.” With a smile exchanged, I took the stairs two at a time back up stairs. At the top of the stairs, I was surprised to find my father’s door open. He was leaning against the frame looking polished, leading me to believe he had ducked into his room to freshen up. Dad was wearing a white polo shirt under a rust colored sweater with a dark grey fleece layered over for warmth, his ‘business jeans’ covering most of his loafers. I knew under that fleece he had a nine millimeter at his hip. He always did, even though he hadn’t used it in almost a decade.
Well, aside from that nasty business at the wall before the freeze. I’m sure he got a few shots off that day.
“That was a good thing you did. With Candice.” He commented casually, a hint of pride glimmering in his tired eyes.
“You heard all that?”
“Old houses have thin walls.” He responded in a noncommittal fashion. Rather than argue the point I simply shrugged.
“You going into work today?” Considering his clothing, I already knew the answer. Just wanted to make conversation. It seemed Dad and I still had little to talk about that wasn’t small or overly serious. Both extremes got on my nerves.
“Figured I’d get with Richard and Jonathan, sort out this spring business. I saw runners door to door a few moments ago, won’t be long before everyone’s chomping at the bit.”
“Oh I know.” My head auto-nodded in response. Spring meant hurry up and plant, hurry up and clean, hurry up and celebrate. Well, at least it had a theme.
“We could use you at hall today, lot of work to sort out.”
“Yeah, I’ll come in. Mind if I run a little late?”
“Off to see that boyfriend of yours first? Honestly, I wish you would hurry up and marry him. Another winter of you pouting about the house is going to kill me.”
“Dad!” My reply was more of a whine than a huff.
I wasn’t about to start listing all the reasons why his statement was wrong. Cole had definitely not been the source of my pouting. Sure I had missed the big guy a ton and that was where I was headed, I just...wasn’t ready for more of his marriage talk I suppose. The lingering tremors Dimitri had left in my mind made the whole subject feel morbidly wrong. About as wrong as to why I had them, but that was another ball of wax entirely. I had brought my hand up to my throat, fingering the angel pendant that had been my mothers. Something that become a tell in my opinion that I didn’t like the topic.
As quickly as I could muster without looking obvious, I dropped my hand back to my side.
“Either way I want you to know I still approve of him. Damn fine young man you got.” My father wrapped me into a quick hug.
“Yeah. I do.” Apparently when it came to Cole my vocabulary was severely throttled.
With a pat on the back, Dad left me alone and wandered downstairs, his loafers clapping loudly against the wood.
Before I changed into fresh clothes, I put myself through a quick exercise routine. Sit-ups, Squats, Push-ups. Then a ten minute yoga cool down; warrior pose being my favorite.
In the hard winter one thing had become increasingly clear about my body, it had rebounded. The pain in my legs was gone, rehab complete. I felt...new. Strong. Agile. Most important of all, able. No longer did I feel like a liability, someone who needed coddling. Someone who would slow the group down in a pinch. Not that I was destined to get in a pinch in the foreseeable future.
Dressing quickly in my little room, I threw on a thick pair of jeans and a grey thermal with white and black angel wings printed on the back. The color had faded, but it was still one of my favorites; warm enough to not need an over shirt, tight enough not to worry about grabbers. I paused at that thought as I slipped on my socks, not that I had to worry about grabbers much now did I? I was going to sit in a stuffy office all day, planning parties and crops.
“You’re not a suit, you're a soldier.” I shook my head to loose Rylie’s words while I laced my boots. Damn him, damn his words. I was where I was supposed to be. Where my father, my community needed me. So why did it make me feel so...empty? Did I truly relish in the gruesome deaths of the already dead, or was there something else. Some more primal defense instinct that pulled me back to the fight.
With a groan, my eyes landing on my own face staring back at me from my antique mirror. Maybe I really was damaged. I didn’t feel it, didn’t look it. I still had the same big green eyes I always had, my sculpted brow, and my ever growing mess of mahogany hair. Then again, do the insane truly acknowledge their own lack of sanity? No, I’m sure they just go about their merry little way in the cocoon of the world they have created for themselves within their minds.
Yeah that’s I chastised myself. Wasting no time enough of that Liv. , I took the stairs two at a time on my way down. Telling myself it was just a combination of cabin fever, being a repeat luncheon for Caius and my worry for Dimitri turning me into a blithering mess of confused drama. Fresh air and sunshine were the two glorious creations I needed more than anything at the moment.
As I didn’t pass anyone on the first floor on my way for the door, I could only assume they were already all outside. A guess that was confirmed as truth soon as my boots hit the concrete. The twins already had pulled all sorts of yard toys out of the garage, Mark was helping Tyler on his bike while Candice and Zoe played catch with Max. I just stood there for a moment, a living statue, watching life play out in that carefree way it did around children. Their laughter, so sweet and innocent, Marks playful encouragement, Zoe and Candice’s pretty church bell giggles. It was like watching a Hallmark card. Walking towards them I felt refreshed, taking a deep breath of the pleasant spring air. It was over, our horrible caged period of hibernation gone for yet another year. In its wake came spring and all the promises of new beginnings, new life against all odds. In the fall, due to a combination of our caged period and fall out from the spring festival, there would be newborns. Each one heralded as a momentous achievement against our extinction.
“Livvy catch!” Max squealed when I was in range, his perfect little angel face spread into a wide grin, thick brown hair a tousled mess.
The red plastic ball flew high into the air and slightly to the left, two quick steps to the side I caught it, with a theatrical effort of course.
“Right back at you Maximillions.” I announced, lightly tossing the object back in his direction. My heart swelling as he caught it with both hands, turning to throw it to his mother. I kept telling myself I needed to leave and go find Cole, but the simple innocence of the spring morning was too enthralling for me to pull away. Robin’s chirped overhead in agreement as a light breeze wove through us, carrying the red ball slightly left as it sailed from Zoe to Candice. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I stifled a giggle as Candice fumbled with the catch. This was what life was about; tranquility, family and-
A scream ripped down the street. A blood curdling, horrified scream that ended as quickly as it had begun in the morning light.
My feet were flying towards it without a thought, from the shouting behind me Mark was rounding up his family and getting them back in doors. Someone yelled for me to join them, but I was already in motion.
The sound originated west of my position, towards Fifth Street. Rounding the corner to the next block I saw heads poking out of doors in confusion, others who had heard that horrible sound as well.
“Get back inside.” I managed to spit out as I ran, last thing we needed was civilian gawkers in a pinch. I think I heard a door shut behind me, I wasn’t about to turn around and confirm. My eyes were focused solely on finding the source of the distress, legs pumping at full speed.
I was half a block away when I saw something out of the ordinary. Something I hadn’t seen in months, a scene that took me back to a battered graveyard of a city with the scent of decay in the air. A sky thick with flies and the aura of death.
How the hell?
The front door on a brick bungalow was wide open. About three paces down from the front steps was a horror that didn’t belong within our walls. A deadhead was bent over a woman, blood poured from her throat where the thing was chewing on her. Wounds marred her left arm, as though she had tried to put up a fight, it hadn’t worked though. Through lifeless she stared up at the blue sky, her mouth slack in a frozen expression that was almost peaceful considering what was occurring to her vacant flesh.
The thing was so enthralled in its meal it hadn’t noticed my shuffled approach. On impulse I reached over my back for my bow.
It wasn’t there. I was a civilian now. No reason to be armed in town right?
Shit. I had some time though, it was preoccupied, I could find something around in peripheral. Maybe one of the terracotta pots at the end of the drive could be used to another moan brought my eyes up.
A mangled version of Jeff Arnold lurched through the open front door, I knew it was him based on the flannel shirt and cargo pants. No one else in town sported that kind of mismatch with pride. Still it was a look I had given him a hard time about when I passed him at the Garage. Sadly, his poor clothing was about the only thing left on him that was easily identifiable; his jaw was practically detached, skin peeled back off his face exposing the bone of his cheeks and forehead, there was a dinner knife sticking out of his shoulder and his left foot dragging, turned out at a forty five degree angle.
In seconds the sound morphed into a choir, there were two more behind him. I couldn’t make them out aside from arms attempting to get around the slow mover that blocked the doorway.
No bow, no time...
On a prayer I dug into my boot, praying my habit of tucking my-
Yes!
My hand wrapped around the rubber handle of my short knife. I pulled it up into the open air, the silver of the blade reflecting the warm sun in rays across the pavement. Out of sheer habit I had shoved it in my boot, probably while I was chastising myself for Rylie’
s comments.
I needed to strike often and fast. The feeder was the first in my path but occupied.
However, that wasn’t a constant. He could ankle grab or jerk up at any moment.
In a quick dash I sprinted forward, kicking the feeder in the side of the head with as much force as I could put behind my steel toed boot. Twice. It’s bloody face turning to mush underneath the impact. The woman underneath would have to likewise be dealt with, I had sometime before she turned though.
The remains of Jeff Arnold were almost within arm’s reach. With no time to think I went with the classic defensive kill motion we had learned on guard training day one. Crouch down under extended limbs, thrust up with knife inside the grab zone. It worked like a charm, the hilt pushing through the soft skin underneath the dislocated jaw back into the brain, its blood didn’t pour from the wound, it came out in a cold almost black ooze that smelled like well fermented compost. Stifling a gag, I pulled back my weapon from the thing as it crumpled.
Revealing the smaller female that had been right on his heels.
It grabbed at me, jaw snapping.
My heart jumped in my chest, the other one was trying to reach around its comrade with its one working arm.
I took a step back and tripped over the body of the woman, falling backward onto the pavement with the deadhead on top of me, grabbing it by the neck I pushed up, trying to keep its teeth away.
A loud metallic thud rang out behind me. Something fell to the ground by my feet. I didn’t register what it was, there was nothing on my mind aside from the blackened teeth foul breath inches from my face.
Then the dead on top of me stopped moving, a small hatchet stuck in the side of its skull. I pushed it off of me before it had the opportunity to bleed all over me.
The Blood Bargain (Book 2): Breach Page 12
