Warnings: Uh... Just very brief... gore xD and a tiny bit of spice , but it's nothing compared to future chapters.

And we fucking run, the blood in my veins pumping with aldrenaline as I grip tight the hand of the woman I love. 

Snarl, howls, and shrieks consume the air as the monsters rush after us. Jack's store is so close and yet… so far away. Each running step resounds in my eardrums like thunder.

A tugging pressure appears in my hand. Glancing back, Sky stumbles, her knees brushing against the pavement. I lift her, the soles of her shoes scraping up little clouds of dust. We slow down just a bit as I readjust my hold on her and she regains her footing.

“Hold on, Sky,” I shout.

“I- I can't,” she gasps, her voice weak. That's when I notice that her face is paler than normal, with no trace of the rosy color that always pigments her cheeks. Her breaths are short, and I can feel her grip on my hand loosen.

The monsters are quickly gaining upon us, the first one no more than a hundred feet away. It runs with a steady gait, its entire body intact. Gurgling growls rip out of its throat, and it's only a matter of time before it reaches us. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a tree crash down on one group, burning branches flying in different directions. The flames catch several of the things on fire as they scramble over the fallen obstacle. None of them seem to be the slightest distracted by being cremated alive.

With a grunt, I wrap my right arm around Sky’s waist and lift her up. She locks her legs around my hips and hugs me tight around my shoulders, burying her face into my neck. My heart beats faster as the warmth from her skin fuels it, each small breath from her mouth powering the adrenaline flowing through my blood-stocked veins.

We are not going to die. Not today.

Gripping the crowbar in my other hand, I run. Despite Sky's weight on me, I maintain the same speed. I've done this same thing back in the army, only they weighed a lot more than my girlfriend. But it's still a good thing that she's petite, making it a little easier for me.

Readjusting my arm around her, I don't stop. The bloody stench and monstrous shrieks and growls consume the smoke-laden air as my feet hit the sidewalk. Passing the burning boutique and spa with spine-crawling screams coming from behind the broken, bloody windows, I turn right. Up the gray, weathered stairs. And finally in front of the black iron door holding our one-story sanctuary.

A guttural roar appears from behind me, and I turn just in time to spot the first monster entering the pathway. Without hesitation, I throw the crowbar at it, the end impaling its eye. Its body crashes forward , twitching violently as black goo forms a growing pool around its head.

Good thing I've learned to make my left arm as useful as my right, dominant one.

Returning my attention to the keyboard, I fling open the black cover and press my thumb against the screen. A green grid scans it before beeping its confirmation and opening the door. Making sure to not bump Sky's head against the edges, I rush inside and press the close button. The horde of zombies are already at the sidewalk, their ripped faces and amputated bodies tumbling over one another in desperation to feast on fresh meat. Still tightly holding my girlfriend, I hold my breath and back away as the door closes.

Just as it's inches away from sliding shut, a monster's blackened arm with all of its fingers missing sticks through. Just as I'm about to take my knife that I had given to Sky earlier, the edge of the door slams against the wall. And slices the monster's arm, the part dropping to the ground. Just like the tentacle from before, it withers into dry meat, the wrinkles rolling like jello for a few seconds.

Scrunching my nose and spitting at the smoking blob, I set Sky down in the wooden chair a few feet from the door. She sways, the fluorescent lights that had switched on as soon as the door closed shining on her face that is drained of any color. Her chest rises with fast, steady movements, little wheezes of air floating out her partially opened mouth while her terrified eyes stare at me with hints of exhaustion.

“Are you okay, cupcake?” I ask, brushing away several loose red hair strands from her left cheek. Her warmth touches the tip of my fingers like the spark of electricity. Even after two years. Or maybe it's because I had almost lost her.

She nods, then glances behind me at the door. Sounds of banging, growls, and nails, or rather claws,  screeching on metal ensue from the other side. “Are we safe in here?”

“From those fuckers outside, yes. At least for now. I'm going to do a check around the building first to make sure there's nobody else.”

Her fingers grasp my sleeve as I stand up. “I thought you said nobody has been inside this store for the past year except you?”

“Yeah, but I need to check our surroundings. Just stay here, and I'll be back. Okay?”

She hesitates before releasing her hold on me. “Okay. Just promise you'll be back.”

Her words make my stomach churn. Of course I'll be back. As far as I'm concerned, there's no one else here. I'm the only one who has access to this store, thanks to the thumb confirmation that has been transferred to me from Jack several years ago before he left this town. But I know that it's always best to double, even triple-check.

“I will.” I place a kiss on the top of her head before walking behind the desk and wrapping my hand around the smooth handle of an ax, one which Jack has kept all the time for “emergencies”. I wonder if the current situation is the “emergency” he had thought would happen.

Adjusting my grip and shifting it from one hand to another before it nestles comfortably in my right palm, I check the area. It doesn't take me long, since it's considerably small. It used to be an actual store, but Jack had faced a few… complications that forced him to shut it down. So instead, he turned it into his own place/bunker. He called it his ‘Clypse Lair', and before he left, he entrusted me with maintaining the building to make sure the security system created and installed by him functioned properly. So far, it has been running smoothly.

Everybody else uses security systems. And I don't just mean this town. The entire country uses the service of Thunder Corp., the biggest, top notch laboratory/equipment facility that provides most of the technical services. Fucking capitalist pigs. They had used me and Jack several times on their “secret missions”, and the blue lightning tattoo on my shoulder is proof of that. And a painful reminder of my past.

The building is empty besides two cots with plain gray  blankets and pillows on top of them, a few 8×10 steel boxes containing dried food, cans, and water, a couple chairs, a desk, a refrigerator, and a Halo TV. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that everyone I had in my life besides Sky and Jack are gone, otherwise I would have been tempted to try to bring out a hologram of my mother to check in on her. Only to be disappointed that it doesn't work because it would require Wi-Fi connection, which is one hundred percent down if this apocalypse is happening all around the world.

Satisfied with my search, I walk to the refrigerator standing near the steel wall. Judging by the hum coming from it, the backup solar power must be still running it. Opening it, I find the first aid kit, vodka, and some bottles of water when the photo hanging on the side catches my eye. It's of me and Jake during our time in Moscow, my hometown, during the rampage of AI robots. We're both smiling, but it doesn't reach our eyes which are filled with just exhaustion. Not even anger or frustration. Just tired like hell from battling chunks of rogue metal. The faded words of the date ‘25th Октябрь, 2045’ are printed at the right corner. I can't believe it's been four years already since then.

“All clear,” I announce as I return to find Sky just as I left her. After placing my haul on top of the desk, I carefully put the ax against the side. A bottle rolls off the surface, but I catch it just time with my steel toe boot. Kicking it up, I snatch it with my hand, the ice cold condensed glass soothing against my hot skin. Unscrewing the lid with a pop, I give it to Sky, who drinks it eagerly as if we've been trekking the Sahara desert for five hours without consuming any liquid.

I watch her as she downs the water. I know she must have some injuries from that stupid tentacle. My ankle still aches from being grabbed, but she had it wrapped around her entire body.

Taking the kit, I crouch down in front of her again. She hands me the bottle, which I place on the ground. Wiping the traces of water from her mouth with the back of her hand, she looks down at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you feel any pain?” I ask.

She sets her lips in a grim line. “Yeah… just… here.” She gestures toward her whole body. “That thing crushed me pretty good.” A dry laugh escapes her, followed by a slight wince. Both make my heart feel as if stabbed over and over again.

With a steady sigh, I nod. “I wouldn't doubt it. Let's take a look, okay cupcake?”

I clasp her zipper between my thumb and index finger, and look at her one more time for confirmation. She nods, her eyes glued to my face as I slowly unzip her hoodie. Standing up, I take it off and sling it over the chair’s back. Without being told to, she raises her arms as I take the ends of her purple shirt with the darn pink cat in the front and gently slide it over her head. I hate the color pink, but I've grown accustomed to it for Sky's sake.

My breath catches in my throat at the sight of the faint ugly purple and red spots all over her skin, ending halfway down her stomach. They're not as bad as I expected them to be, but they're enough to make me feel the incoming rage at the thing who did this to her.

With a deep inhale, I open the small jar of cold emu oil and scoop out a good amount. She whimpers as my oiled fingers glide along her bruises, the sound worse than gunshots in my ears.

“It's okay baby. You'll be fine,” I gently assure her. She shakily takes a deep breath, her body vibrating against my touch. A tear rolls down her face as she bites her lip from crying out loud.

She seems to have … changed a little since this whole shit show went down. As if she's gained some sort of inner strentgh, and I don't know if I should be concerned or relieved that she's trying to cope with this by staying strong.

Even though that's supposed to be my job. But I guess survival is a fucking bitch.

Her back seems to be fine, so it's only her entire front and ribs that have been injured. Once I've wrapped the gauze around her upper body, she grabs my wrist when I reach out for her shirt to put it back on.

“Let me check you,” she whispers.

“I'm fine,” I reply. I'm not. At all. My whole body feels as if it's being doused in flames like those burning things outside. But I don't need her to worry about me. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of her, make sure that she's alright. Not the other way around.

“You're not fine,” she argues firmly. Her eyes lock me down in a concerned but determined stare.

“I am–”

“I swear to God, if you say you're fine one more time, I'll throw you out to those things.”

I blink at her with confusion. She's always had a sassy attitude, but this is … new. But I don't want to argue.

Getting up from the chair, she gestures for me to sit in her place. I comply reluctantly, still unsure about having her see whatever injuries I have underneath.
Taking off my black leather jacket myself, she helps me lift my camo shirt off. Her eyes go wide and a gasp escapes her mouth.

“That bad huh,” I chuckle wryly. Her cheekbones twitch in shock as she nods.

Picking up the first aid kit, she walks behind me. After a few rummaging sounds, her warm hands greased with oil glide down my back and shoulders. I suck in air through clenched teeth at the contact, both soothing and painful.

Her movements stop. “Oh my god…” she murmurs.

“What is it?”

A sharp intake of breath. “You… you have a piece of wire in your shoulder.”

“Oh? So that's why it hurts the most there,” I mumble. I trace my hand along my shoulder blade until my fingers hit a sharp metal. Hissing in pain from disturbing the piece lodged in my flesh, I withdraw my touch and take a deep breath. That must have happened when the monster slammed me into the fence.

“What do I do?” Sky asks, her voice making that adorably high noise whenever she's nervous or scared.

“You’ll have to pull it out.”

“What do you mean I have to pull it out?” she squeaks. “I can't… I don't even know how!”

“Sky, I trust you okay? How deep is the wire? Just make a guess,” I quickly add when she's about to retort.

A few seconds pass before she whispers, “About three, four inches.” Her hands press a little harder on my back, the pressure more comforting than painful.

“Okay, so just gently grab the wire… Do you got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now pull. Slowly.”

She sharply inhales and mutters up to three before a blinding pain appears in the area. My inner self screams fuck but I only hiss out a curse.

“What the hell ,Sky? I said slowly, not pull it out like that!”

“Sorry, I--”

“How is it?” I ask, the all too familiar feeling of warm blood trickling down my back.

“There's a lot of… blood,” her voice quavers, before the stinging effect of alcohol sizzles on the wound. A clattering sound ensues from behind me, followed by a squeaky “whoops” and the tearing of a bandage.

I didn't expect her to pour the vodka without warning me first, but I don't say anything about it. It was probably for the better, although the pain is tearing through me like a meteor.

Once I'm all wrapped up, Sky returns in front of me. Glancing up, I take in the gauze around her body, hints of bruises peeking out at the edges. Her eyes still hold that bright spark inside of them, but barely perceptible. And the sight of her finally breaks me down as hot moisture blurs my vision. I can handle the death of my comrades or excruciating pain without so much as shedding a single tear, but watching my girlfriend in pain is a different matter.  I thought I was done with all of this. The violence, the dead bodies, everything. All I wanted was to live my life peacefully with her in this town. And yet… here I am.

“Hey, you okay Ari?” Sky's voice reaches my ears like a soothing melody.

I swallow down the lump in my throat. “I just… sometimes I feel like this has been my whole life. Running. Killing. It's like a never ending cycle. Doesn't matter if it's the battlefield, a hidden swamp or mountain, or-” I gesture around me. “-this mess. When I met you two years ago, I swore to never drag you into any of the shit that I've seen. Now look. Whatever I did in my past life, it must have been so fucked up.”

“No,” Sky firmly says. She places her hand on my thigh, the simple move more than enough for a tear to escape its high-security prison in my eye. "Ari..."

“When I saw you… and that monster… I thought…”

“But I'm here, aren't I? If it weren't for your badassery, we would be just like them out there. This apocalypse or whatever is happening right now, it's not your fault. It happened. And we're surviving.”

She leans close to me, pressing her forehead against mine, prompting me to look into her eyes staring deep into my soul. A shiver runs through my body as I sniffle and wipe away the damned tear.

“Remember what you said? Me and you. Together. Forever. We'll always have each other. I'm your sunshine, right? I'm here for you. Always. Emotionally. Mentally. Maybe a little bit physically, although we both know I'm useless in the muscle department.”

I let out a small chuckle, cupping her face with my hand, and whisper, “What did I do to deserve you?”

She brushes her fingers over my knuckles and kisses the heel of my palm. “Because I see you for who you are. Someone who is worth all this love, and more.”

“You're worth more than anything in this world.”

She smiles before leaning forward, her lips softly landing on mine. Her tongue brushes against mine, tentatively at first, then intensifying like a small fire reaching full flames. Each move deepens the desire burning inside of me as I swallow her soft moans. My hand grabs the back of her neck, pulling her closer to me. She tastes so sweet, like ripe, warm strawberries. Each sensation transports me into a dimension higher than heaven itself. She's like the sun in my life, rejuvenating me and keeping me alive.

The sound of clanking metal prompts me to glance down at her hands rummaging with my belt. I break off the kiss to grab her wrists. “What are you doing?”

“Isn't it obvious? I want you. Now.”

“But –”

“No buts. Okay?” Her eyes search mine, a raging fire burning inside of them. Heat radiates off her body in waves, penetrating my core. She does want this. A little too much.

I hesitate. “But you're not in a condit–”

She clasps her palm over my mouth. My eyes go wide at her unexpected action. With a smirk at my bewilderment, she swings her legs on either side of mine and sits in my lap. My hand immediately grasps the small of her back as she looks down at me

“Can I ask you something?” she asks, her voice alone sending electric shocks down my body.

I nod. “Anything, cupcake.”

“I want to be the one doing the ordering around this time. Is that okay?”

Her request takes me off guard. She has never wanted to do that before, but maybe there's a first time for everything. I would be lying if I said her recent actions haven't been… out of the ordinary, but seeing the hell outside is bound to make people act different than they usually do.

At least, that's what I want myself to believe. But I want her just as much as she wants me. Her fiery spirit, the fire burning in her eyes, the simple touch of her skin against mine, the pressure of her body on my thighs…

I press a kiss to her temple, my hand resting on the curve of her waist. “Yes baby, that's okay.”

She smiles.

“I want you to fuck me like it's our last time.”

A/N

Did you guys catch the Resident Evil quote? It's fun to reference the movies I'm inspired by!

Fun fact:

I'm fluent in Russian, so expect a phrase or two scattered throughout the story!

Notes:

Октябрь means October, but I think that was obvious heh.