ZRP-2 Chapter 6: Scattered

"...Sam...would you stop being complicated and just enjoy this?" Eve said.

Hibiki nodded. "I know."

(James)
"So, this was certainly a good day so far. We get a new home, maybe, and our hosts managed to repel a Shepherd attack. Looks like we're off to a good start."

(Sam)
=God help me, I thought about it. Just to mess with her a little=
"Hmm, I don't know."

"Let's hope it keeps up...James...I don't want to leave soon...I want to be in a good place with warm beds so our baby is born right..." She sighed softly.

Eve whimpered. "Sam!"

(James)
"Heh, then does that mean you'd rather stop fighting and just live here? Only fight to defend this place from bandits or walker herds?"

(Sam)
=Smiling, I kissed her passionately, tongue darting inside. For few seconds it was just a kiss, before I broke off and looked a her=
"Mind's made up."

"No James. I'm saying...I'm saying that I want to be somewhat settled somewhere when I have the baby." Hibiki clarified.

Eve's eyes opened wide before dropping. When Sam pulled away, Eve whimpered. Happily.
"Why did we get bunk beds...so much I want to do..."

(Sam)
"Think of it as a challenge."
=And that was all I said before my lips latched onto her neck, and I began kissing all over=

(James)
"Well......that's sorta in the cars. I mean, I do plan on ending this all before our kid comes along."

"Good." Was all Hibiki said.

Eve moaned softly. "I should take my shirt off, shouldn't I?"

(Sam)
=I moved up to her ear, catching the lobe between my teeth and tugging gently=
"Maybe, unless you just want some over the top action."

(James)
"That said...... I don't think either of us will get a chance treat just yet. If we want that dream, we need the Shepherds to be gone."

Eve gasps softly at the biting. "Then take it off and go to town. Please." She added with a begging undertone.

Hibiki nodded. "I know. And they won't die quietly. We have to put them down like the dogs they are."

(James)
"Yeah.....though lets hope we don't become monsters in the process. At least......in how we put them down."

(Sam)
=Grinning smugly, I let go of her ear and took off her shirt, exposing her chest=
"As you wish..."

(James)
"Don't get me wrong, they deserve worse. But......look, I just don't want to forsake myself, who I am, what makes me....me, in the pursuit of dismantling the Shepherds."

Eve blushed. "I love you Sam...so i trust you..." She pulled Sam close. "I'm all yours."

Hibiki looked a bit...dark.
"How we put them down might not be in a way of our choosing."

(James)
"Well it damn well should be Hibiki. I'll put a bullet in their heads and sleep soundly. But. Want butcher them, or torture them. I won't give them an agonizing death, no matter how much I may want to."
=My hands balled into fists, knuckles white=

"I will not become the same thing I fight. And neither should you, or else by the end of this we'll both be beyond recognition."

(Sam)
"No shit Eve."

"Then make me stop talking and make me start moaning." Eve teased her.

Hibiki looked at James. "I want to shoot their legs out and let them be devoured by the walkers they so revere."

(James)
=Eyes wide with shock, I stared at her, slightly afraid=
"Hibiki......why? Will you really become as bad as them, just to kill them?"

(Sam)
=Smirking a little, I balled up her shirt, or at least twisted up a piece of it, and put it in her mouth as a small gag=
"There, moan through that."

Eve whimpered pitifully...but her eyes begged for Sam to go on.

Hibiki looked at her feet. "They deserve worse...but I'm not to that level of pure hatred."

(James)
"Really? Because it sounds like you are. You want to wound them, then leave them for the walkers. You want them to suffer and not just be dead and gone. I know they've done horrible things Hibiki, I'm not blind to it. Hell,move lived through it. But I still won't become some cruel monster who wants to deliver every horror on them. I won't become that kind of thing."

"Then you want to go and shoot them in the head? Fine. Either way, they die."
Hibiki scowled. She hoped Eve was doing ok.

Eve was doing FANTASTIC actually.

(James)
=I placed a firm hand over hers, though I squeezed gently=
"No, not either way they die. I won't let you torture them to death Hibiki, or submit them to any kind of sick form of execution, or feeding to a walker."

=Leaning forward, I whispered gently in her ear=
"That's not the woman I fell in love with, or married."

"I know James. I know."

That was all Hibiki said.

(James)
"Then answer me this Hibiki. Are you still her? Are you still the same person I fell for?"
=My hand didn't exactly leave hers, though it hovered a little above her hand=

"Because if not......I won't leave you, for the baby's sake. But I just don't know if I'll ever be able to love you the same way again."

"If you think I'm not the same person, then you're not the man who I fell in love with." She said quietly.

(James)
=There really wasn't any way for me to respond to that, other than one phrase=
"I know I haven't changed Hibiki. What about you?"

=And then I got up and left her, before anything really, really bad or unforgivable was said=

(Sarah)

=I'd was left wandering around the houses, while Andrew was nearly livid at the intrusion, and I could almost see the look of 'I knew it' in his eyes. It was sad, really. I just needed to move about, the walking doing wonders for my leg muscles. It was only when I spotted the house James was in, did my disposition change. I instantly felt a haunting sensation, followed by what seemed like a voice in my head=

Voice: You know what you did here...you cannot deny your past. You know who lived here...cause their blood is on your hands, staining your soul...

=I then drop to my knees, nearly screaming. Even well removed from my tormentor...the nightmares still came. Even with my self control...a whimpering sound escaped me, as if from an frightened animal. And my voice was barely audible as I heard something escape me=

Help...me...

=Even though I was sure no one would hear my mute plea=

Mira knelt in front of Sarah. She had headed after her, and barely heard the plea.
In front of Sarah, she did something entirely stupid and probably would have Andy yell at her.
Mira kissed Sarah.

"I'm here Sarah." She whispered. "I'm here."

"Command, this is Diamond team, be advised, unknown contacts in the town, 30 plus. Over." came over the radio, Diamond being a scouting team.

"Copy that Diamond, keep visual contact on the town but do not approach. Over."

"Roger that, Command. Diamond out."

"Sir, I think we should send a team in to make contact with this group," offered one of the intelligence officers, "A group that large might have something useful to trade."

With a nod, the commander agreed.

(Sarah)

=I feel the kiss before I hear the words; and I open my eyes, my eyes staring right into Mira's, my expression one of fear. My tone was hardly anything but strong. It was the voice of a child=

I know...thank you.

=My expression softened a bit, my arms wrapping around her neck and my head lay upon her shoulder. My face started to streak with tears=

I...I don't want to feel like this anymore.

"You don't have to." Mira said softly, holding Sarah. "You're my Sarah now...not the Shepherd. Not the murderer. You're my Sarah. Andy's sister. You're free. Let go...you've paid your penance."

(Sarah)

=I close my eyes=

It's just...it's just that the memories won't let me go. They don't think I've atoned.

=I close my eyes=

They want to see me suffer and die...even though you're right.

(James)
=I didn't walk back to the house. Sam and Eve would probably want to be alone, if my suspicions were right. So I wandered within the compound, steering clear of Hibiki. I felt guilty over what I said to her.....but not enough to take it back. I meant it after all=

"Then kick your memories in the balls and shoot them. Then go and have sex with someone you want as the ultimate middle finger." Mira aevised solemly.

(Sarah)

=I smile, remembering that she had said this to me before, almost a month ago it seemed. Except for the sex part. That was a new and welcome concept=

Yeah...good idea.

=I whispered in her ear=

On both counts.

(James)
=There was a small, tiny park along the road we had come in from, Eve and I. It was inside the safe zone, and I sat down in a swing, not moving around that much as I trailed my feet in the sand=
So, what will you do Hibiki. How will you respond?

Mira giggled.
"So. Need help finding someone to let loose with? Sure we can find someone."

Hibiki got up and started to walk. Excercise should be good for the baby.

(Sarah)

=I grin a bit=

Oh...I don't know...

=I lean in close and whisper=

I'd say you'd do just fine.

(James)
=Sitting there on the swing gave me some time to think. Not about much though, just what Hibiki had said. What she wanted to do. It scared me that she sounded so ready, so willing to let go of her humanity, her decency, in the pursuit of fighting the Shepherds. I was no better I admit, having led a herd of walkers into a Shepherd camp, bashing in the corpse of another while I was in a fit of rage, and even dumping Jonah over a railing and letting him get torn apart by walkers. So did I have any right to judge her, or to view what she wanted with revulsion? The answer was......no, not really. But I wanted to turn back on all that, regain my humanity. Because I would not let that child have a monster for a father=

Mira looked shocked.
"B...but...I mean, I'm not against it...I mean...Andy..."
She looked lost and unsure what to say.

(Sarah)

=I smile teasingly=

He's walked in on us once already.

=I run a finger down her neck=

What makes you think he'll be shocked seeing us at it again?

"That was kissing Sarah..." she was pretty taken back. "What if it hurts hiI'm?" She bit her lip. "I can't hurt him."

(Sarah)

=I smile=

Then we'll just have to keep it light, huh?

=I hope I was reassuring her...and not sending her over the edge=

"You're making me want to have a go...why are you so good at this?"

She leaned in. "As long as you promise you'll take the blame and placate Andy...I'll possibly give you a chance."

(Sarah)

=I smile teasingly again=

I just seem to know the right words.

=I place my head on hers=

And don't worry...I can handle Andrew.

Mira sighed.
"Damn you and your honeyed words..." she took Sarah's hands. "Ok. You win."

(Sarah)

=I smile=

Go ahead...you know where the room is.

=I take my head off her shoulder=

"You seem more in charge really." She giggled. "You lead the way."

(James)
=Eventually, I got up from the swing and headed back for the house. I figured that if I was going to find Hibiki anywhere, it would be there. And if she wasn't there, I could always wait. Reaching the front door, I stopped.....and then sat on the small bench out on the porch=

(Sarah)

=I smile and giggle=

If you insist... well, alright then.

=I walk towards the room, a feeling of happiness coming over me=

Mira followed a bit happily, not letting go of Sarah.

Hibiki reached the porch and sat beside James quietly.

(James)
=Neither of us said anything for a few moments. How could we, given what we both talked about earlier, the way it ended. But.....silence would only make things worse=
"So.......where do we stand?"

(Sam)
=After I was done with Eve, I let her lay on the bed. She had......made a mess, and it would probably do to clean her up=

Eve, before passing out, had taken her pants and panties off. Now naked, the girl laid there peacefully, as if she was Eve from Eden just sleeping under a tree. She was a mess, but only around her privates.

Hibiki looked at the buildings across from them.
"Together."

(Sam)
=Using the sheets, I wiped her down, and then got her clothes from her bag. Getting her dressed was......a new experience=

(James)
"Together......okay. But what does that mean, Hibiki? Does it mean you plan on killing them, and just that? No torture, no feeding them to walkers?"