ZRP-2: Chapter Two, Paradise in Hell

Mira nodded. "Yeah. Leme take a shower." She got up and stumbled towards the specified location.

Eve smiled lightly up at Sam. "That feels nice..." She said to the stroking. She hadn't let go of Sam's other hand.

Hibiki nodded. "Alright."

(James)
=I wasn't paralyzed, I just had a wound that restricted my movements. But I guess to the casual eye, I resembled the kind of person who was paralyzed below the waist when I rose out of the chair. Hibiki still helped me though, into the tub, and I was the first to grab the small handle, turning on the water. It poured from the lower nozzle, a stream of piping hot water that made me jump in the tub at the sudden temperature=
"Okay that's hot."

(Sam)
"Thanks. Wouldn't say I'm an expert or anything though."

=I chuckled a bit=

Take your time.

=I then sit on one of the chairs in the room, twirling my knife around to pass the time=

Mira smiles and closes the bathroom door.

Hibiki laughs. "What, hotter then me?"

Eve smiles. "You do it perfectly Sam..." She smiled genuinely at her. "It's...a...an...appreciated gesture."

(James)
=I could feel myself blush as the hot water rose and engulfed everything below my stomach. What was once incredibly hot, became comfortable soon enough, and with a groan of pleasure I leaned back in the tub. To hell with the pain in my stomach, I hadn't had a hot bath in two years=

(Sam)
"No problem Eve."

Hibiki smiled more. "I felt the same."


Eve closed her eyes, the smile lingering. her hands grew a bit limp on Sam's, and her breathing became more shallowed and uneven. The stroking had relaxed her to the point she had fallen asleep again.

(James)
=The hot water was soothing, enough that the pain in my stomach was dulled down to a throbbing ache. My arm rested on the lip of the tub, near Hibiki while my other rested below the water. The same part of me that wanted her to take a bath with me earlier came back, stronger than before and I had to fight it down. God, but the image it created was still a nice one: Hibiki's nude form laying over mine in the tub, kissing me while she cleaned me=
Dammit, that will just make me worse. Either stick to having her help wash you, or have her leave. But nothing else.

(Sam)
=When she fell asleep, I decided to gently lift her head up, and lay it on the pillow nearby. Quietly getting up from the bed, I looked at the cat, Sammy=
"Keep her safe Sammy."

=She just opened her jaws in a yawn, and curled up next to Eve's sleeping form. That was when i left the room=

The uniformed men were military. I had only spotted one of their sniper teams and one of their ground teams, but their were a lot more. After two years I thought the military would've fallen apart, but I was wrong. These men looked like they had been training during the zombie apocalypse. They looked like they knew what they were doing. They wore no badge, at least not that I could see from this distance. I hoped they were US military and not some stray mercenary band. I heard bad things about Mercenary organizations before the zombie outbreak, now I assumed they were worse.

The men moved around our barricade. Not wasting time trying to get in, they went straight to the zombies. They didn't attack us. That was a good first sign. I looked back at the sniper team, they had spotted me, I waved both my arms in the air. I looked through the binoculars and saw one of them give me a thumbs up, I laughed. I guess these guys were on our side after all.

The Soldiers wiped out the horde relatively quickly. After they did, we let them in. I was still on the roof, I didn't bother coming down. I was enjoying the view, looking at the city on one side, and the great lake on the other. The Sniper team came up to the rooftop, we shook hands. They were marines. Stationed at one of the bases in Illinois, nearest to Chicago. They told me the name, but it went in one ear and out the other. Being my typical self, I asked them a boatload of questions. I found out why they were in the city: they were looking for survivors, after all this time they were hoping to find more people. I was pretty frank with them, I wasn't looking to be rescued.

I told them some stories about what I've seen out here. About some of the people I watched become mindless animals. I told them about all the times I had to help out when their was a zombie horde walking around. All the times I stood in front of the barricade and not behind it. I told them some things that they hoped were just fiction. I was trying to convince them that I could take care of myself. We had a few laughs, I may not be a marine, but some of my attitudes were definitely akin to theirs. Needless to say, we got along.

We talked some more, I asked them if they had any trouble in town, wondering about the thugs that stayed after the zombies destroyed everything. They looked at each other after I asked. They told me about a few men that fired pot shots at them, they ran off when zombies came, attracted to the noise. But other than that one occurrence things were smooth sailings, outside of zombies of course. honestly, they were surprised to find so many people still at the school.

At the mention of school, they natural brought up the topic of what I was planning on majoring in, or had planned to major in. I was a Biology major, I told them, I had no idea what I wanted to do with it when I got it, but that was my plan. They laughed. We talked for more than an hour, they were apparently staying the night. We were the safest place they had come across, no other communities had formed in chicago, or at least none they could see. The didn't enter any places that looked abandoned, so that may have limiter their search.

We stayed up pretty later talking, we just clicked I guess. Some people you can talk to, and some people you can talk to for hours. We were fast friends. I told them about signs painted around the city, and what some of them meant. What areas to avoid, where their were primitive traps, where there were cars blocking the road. Ok, the last one wasn't much of a concern, only that zombies sometimes were stuck in them, or under them, so it was best to be safe and avoid collections of cars rammed into one another. Panic caused lot's of accidents the day the outbreak hit Chi-town.

(Sam)
=Leaving the room, I left to find out where I could get my weapons. When we entered the compound, our vehicles were still hidden, or at least stopped far back enough the soldiers never knew they were there. I had to hope they were still hidden, and that our own supplies were inside. I wasn't looking for the food though: I was looking for a bargaining chip, something to trade=

(James)
"Listen, if you want to go I'm fine. I shouldn't be too long in here.....then again I might."

Hibiki sighed. "I'm staying. Someone has to keep you from killing yourself." She then smiled. "I'm fine."

Eve slept like a hibernating polar bear.

(James)
=I smiled, just a little, my hand reaching for hers=
"No chance of that happening to me Hibiki. Not going to die today."

(Sam)
=Walking through the streets, I headed for the wall. The wall was a large mix between some kind of hard plastic barrier, barbed wire, and assorted dismantled cars. There was a gate in the center, large enough for most cars and trucks, a walkway assembled right on the inner rim of the wall where at least four guards walked, two spotlights at either end. Since it was the same wall we had entered through, I was sure our stuff would be nearby. A soldier stopped me as I drew close though=

*Soldier*
"Excuse me, but where are you going?"

(Sam)
"I was hoping to go over the wall, across the bridge. The people I came with, we had supplies to trade but they're over the river."

*Soldier*
"Let us go get them."

(Sam)
"Not going to happen man. Just give me my weapons, and I'll go get the truck that has the supplies."

*Soldier*
=He seemed to give this a large amount of thought for a moment. Then he turned back to a building the wall was built into, the remnants of a shop maybe, all armored and barred up=
"Go in there, tell them you've been cleared to take back your gear, and they'll give it to you. After that, you're on your own."

Hibiki took his hand. "If you do, pray for mercy. I'll be following you in to drag you back."

Eve nearly rolled onto Sammy, who scooted away and relocated to Eve's face.

=I was, well, waiting, my mind wandering=

Well, Dad, you did warn me...

=I chuckle at the thought, and was glad that my mood was improving...if slowly=

(James)
=Her hand was warm, soft, and somehow was able to channel the love she felt for me. Or maybe it was the warmth of the water, how should I know? I squeezed her hand, and then let go=
"Alright, hand me the bar of soap please."

(Sam)
=Nodding to the solider, I walked into the fortified store. It was basically a smaller version of the warehouse back at the town, minus the large interior. Just the cage with the guy behind it. I told him I was cleared, and which weapons were mine, and soon I was back out of there, shotgun in my hands, pistol on my hip, and knife safely tucked away. I walked through the gate, past the wall, and once more got a decent view of what was outside. There were bodies here and there, almost all of them walkers. Some were Shepherds, judging by the outfits=
Well, hopefully I don't need someone to rescue me.

=I started off=

Hibiki handed him the soap. "Get shot again and I'm hooking up with Miranda."

Eve woke up.
Sam was gone.
Frowning, she got dressed and left the room, her cat perched on her head. She started to look for her friend.

(James)
"Heh, that would certainly make for an interesting sight."
=I started scrubbing myself, slowly over my chest. Not for the sake of teasing Hibiki; if I went too fast, I'd send vibration across my midsection that would be felt around the wound. More pain=

"Still, you'd have to compete with Andrew."

(Sam)
=I was walking quickly, always sticking to cover to keep out of sight. It was four blocks until the bridge, and that was going to be clear on it's own. From there, maybe three more blocks then around the corner before I reached the vehicles=

Hibiki laughed. "You never know; Andrew could be screwing up."

Eve finally ended up at the gate.
"You. Nineteen years old. Red hair. Seen her?" She said to a soldier.

*Soldier*
"Yeah, she went outside the gate earlier. Said something about getting a truck full of supplies."

(James)
=I moved from my chest, to my arms=
"Doubt it. Guy hasn't seen her in who know's how long, want's to be with her."

=I cast her a questioning look=
"Would you want to get in the way of that?"

(Sam)
=So far, no walkers and I had finally reached the bridge. I didn't exactly run across it, but my pace did quicken=

"Nope. I'll just shack up with Sam then." She delivered deadpan.

Eve nodded. "I need my bow. Where is it."

*Soldier*
"Back over in holding, but no way I'm letting a kid go out there. Not insulting any skill you have, just call it a matter of conscience."


(James)
=Snorting, I moved down to my upper thigh, wincing a little as I had to bend my abdomen. It caused a moderate amount of pain=
"Still, this is all built upon whether or not I'll die. Besides, Sam would have trouble getting with the woman I fell for."

(Sam)
=I got to the other end of the bridge soon, the large gate still there. When they saw me, they didn't bother asking questions, they just opened the gate. Either the soldier back at the compound called ahead, or they recognized me and figured I was okay. Either way, I was soon back in the same street as the shootout=

"I was joking." Hibiki said.


Eve crosses her arms. "I am Katniss fucking Everdeen. Either let me follow Sam with my bow or I'll do so unarmed. Your call."

*Soldier*
=He had a conscience, but he recognized the fire and will in the little girl=
"Whatever you say Jennifer Lawrence. Just be careful okay? I don't want to be remembered as the guy that let a girl walk out to her death."

(James)
=I would have gone lower, but to do so would have meant bending further, and more pain. I looked to Hibiki=
"Hate to ask, but could you...?"

(Sam)
=As I walked, I stopped at a rather chilling sight. On the concrete sidewalk, was a spotch of something red. Blood. James' blood, from the gunshot. I remembered how afraid I was, how afraid Hibiki was. We were all panicked that day. I kept walking though=

Eve retrived her weapons and was off running, Sammy hanging on for dear life.

Hibiki smiled. "Nothing I haven't seen - or touched - before." She said, starting to wash Tthe rest of James' body.

(James)
=Was it hard, not to groan in pleasure at Hibiki's touch as she washed me. Oh hell yes. I didn't want to risk things being misinterpreted, or for her to get the wrong idea. This was just a bath, nothing more=

(Sam)
=I finally reached the vehicles, thanking whatever god still existed that they were intact. When i checked the truck, I was relieved to see the supplies were still there, and I climbed into the drivers seat, the keys in the ignition still. Starting her up, I began to drive down the street=

=I waited a few more minutes before throwing out the question=

You ready yet, Mira?

=I watch the blade nearly nick a finger, biting back a curse=

Eve was waiting in the middle of the street, arms crossed, not amused one bit.

Hibiki laughed. "Already thinking dirty?"

Mira walked out, putting her shirt on. "Yeah."

(James)
=A large part of me wanted to answer her by pulling her in. I reigned that side in though, not willing to indulge it in my condition=
"Honestly....yeah, but that's not going to happen Hibiki. Not right now anyway."

=I laid back in the tub, sinking in to my shoulders, the water level rising as I sank=

(Sam)
=When I turned the corner and found Eve standing in the middle of the street, I was one part terrified for her, and one part angry. Rolling down the window so i could stick my head out, I screamed at her=
"Eve, what the heck are you doing here?"

=I sheathe my knife and then get up from the chair=

Don't get any ideas...yet...

=I just smile broadly=

Shall we go out, m'lady?

Eve walked forward and came up to the passenger side door, then climbed in.
"You promised to never leave me." She said simply.

Hibiki sighed. "Maybe you'll avoid getting shot then."

Mira nodded. "Lets."

(Sam)
"Eve, this is not the time or place. We'll talk when we get back to the room, okay?"
=I put the pedal to the metal, and we headed for the gate on the bridge. It opened for us, and we were driving across the bridge=

"But all I'll say right now, is that we had a job to do when we came here, I'm just making sure it gets done, and that James didn't get shot for nothing."

(James)
=I would have laughed, but that would have hurt more=
"I'll remember that then Hibiki."

=Once she was done washing me, I just laid there in the tub, savoring the hot water. I reached for her hand again=

"This isn't about me loving you. It's about you not leaving me alone." Eve retorted, eyes on the dashboard.

Hibiki grinned. "Good." She leaned in to kiss him.

(Sam)
"Eve I am sorry, okay? I'm sorry I left you alone in the room where it was nice and safe. But we're part of a group, a team. We're supposed to help each other, not sit back and keep someone company."
=I didn't mean for the words to come out, but the fact was: she was clingy to the point of suffocation=

(James)
=When she kissed me, most of my self control went out the window. My other hand reached up to go behind her neck, to the base of it, and pull her in while raised myself out. There was a hint of pain in my stomach, a reminder of why anything further was a bad idea, but the kiss was too good=

=I take Mira by the hand and lead her to, what would be considered the cafeteria here=

Well...let's hope they have some good stuff...

=I continue to head into the cafeteria, a smile on my face=

Hibiki pushed him down, staying with the kiss. Her hands went down to her jeans, unbuckling and unzipping as she went to remove them.

"If we're a team, why the fuck did you leave me alone." Eve nearly screamed.

(James)
=When she pushed me down, the pain in my stomach flared from moderate to white fucking hot, and I screamed out loud in pain and surprise. Some of the soapy water entered my mouth, and I started coughing=

(Sam)
"Because you were safe Eve! Because there you were, in a room surrounded by soldiers. You were safe, and I thought that would be enough."

Hibiki toppled over, neatly avoiding injuries. "I'm sorry! I didn't want you moving much! I thought I wasn't touching the spot! Are you ok James?!"

"You don't understand." Eve said sofly, as if she was trying to keep it together.

(Sam)
"Then explain it to me Eve? Help me understand. Because dammit.....I care about you, and seeing you hurt like that--wait, I hurt you just now, didn't I? By leaving you back there, alone after I promised....."

(James)
=Once I was done coughing, I scowled up at her=
"Other than having my mouth get just as clean as the rest of me, no I'm peachy."

=Groaning, I leaned back in the tub, the pain subsiding courtesy of the warm water=
"Sorry.....I shouldn't have kissed back like that."

Eve nodded. "Mostly..." she said quietly.


Hibiki sat up, throwing her jeans onto the wheelchair. "I was trying to keep you from hurting yourself. Was just going to sit on her legs and kiss you to avoid exactly this..."

(James)
"Hibiki, I'm sorry. But you realize that this could still hurt me.....a lot. You sure you want to go through with that?"

(Sam)
=At some point, I had stopped the truck a block away from the gate back into the compound=
"Eve, I never meant to hurt you. But I didn't want to put you in harm's way, regardless of how skilled you are."

Hibiki rubbed her eyes. "Your gut, not your legs, are hurt. Was just gona kiss you idiot." She said idiot affectionately. "Didn't want my clothes to get wet."

Eve still didn't look up. "You don't understand still. That's only half the story." She said quietly. "But I won't explain until we're back at the room." Then she looked up.
"I'm afraid you won't come back."

=I then walk into the cafeteria with Mira, looking for a bite to eat. My eyes scan the room, noting a couple pairs of eyes watching us=

Slate's goons, no doubt...

=I make a mental note, and go up to the front, the owner spotting us=

Owner: What can I do for ya?

Not much. Just looking for a filling meal is all.

Owner: That I can do. =He then lays some assorted food in front of us= Mind ya, it's the best I can do.

Thank you kindly.

=I find a seat for the two of us, putting our meals in front of us=

This place is no IHOP, but it's better than nothing. Go ahead and eat up, m'lady.

=I then take an orange and peel it, trying to enjoy one of the better breakfasts I've had=

Damn... when do we go and attack the bloody monsters? Or leave?

I eventually made it back to the assigned room I was put in, now I just sit on the bed.

Maybe you're allowed to use that shower, maybe?

(James)
=Honestly.....I wanted this, her kissing me, god did I ever. And yeah if she just sat on my legs and we didn't move around too much, the pain would be barely noticeable. So why was I finding it so hard to accept?=
I should be focusing on recovering, not pleasuring myself. But still....it's just a kiss.

"Alright.....just the kiss, nothing more."

(Sam)
"Eve, why wouldn't I come back?"
=I had started driving again, and we passed through the gate soon, the same soldier from before guiding us to a parking garage=

We walked down the street, patrolling the area around out Forward Operating Base.

Pavel:Alexander, do you think we're fighting a lost cause?

"You were at Moscow, you saw how fast this thing can spread. Humanity would need to change if we were to survive."

Pavel: Moscow... It was hard seeing my home like that.

"No man can watch his home burn to the ground without flinching. We should go back, Yuri and Mikhail will be heading out soo-"

We both drop to stable firing positions, seeing movement near a hedge.

A stray dog steps out of the garden.


"You must be bullshitting me. But, at least we didn't get shot this time."

We both stand and start patrolling back to our base.

Eve looked at her.
"I asked father that when mom left. He never answered." She looked away. "Please. A...at least take ke to the gate. At least."

Hibiki threw her underwear with her jeans and tied her shirt under her breasts before very, very, very, VERY carefully climbing onto his legals and leaning over to kiss James.

(Sam)
"Oh....I'm sorry."
=We got out of the car, a small detail of soldiers walking up to the back of the pickup, no doubt to take inventory. The same soldier that led us there stopped by for a moment=

*Soldier*
"We'll make a list of what you've got, and what we're willing to trade for it. You have my word, we won't take a thing until the trade."

(Sam)
=I nodded my thanks to him, and walked with Eve back to our room=

(James)
=Hibiki was never heavy, and yet having her sit on my legs made me feel like they might break. I guess laying in bed for two days straight tends to do that, though I suppose if it had been for much longer the feeling would have been worse. But all that was washed away (no pun intended) when she kissed me. Once more that same need to indulge myself, beyond the kiss rose up and I had to struggle with it, making sure that all that would ever happen, was a kiss. Still, didn't stop my hands from rising, and pulling her closer=

Hibiki came closer carefully, keeping away from his wound.

Eve took Sam's hand. "Please don't leave without telling me...Please."

=I finish peeling the orange taking a bite into it and feeling instant bliss=

Like being back in the farm all over again..

=I take another bite, keeping an eye on the crowd of people=

When morning came, we said our goodbyes. They left, taking most of the student body with them, armed with blunt objects or whatever they could find. Hopefully they would be safe in the military safe camp. The few that stayed behind were like me, hardened by the 2 years of bloodshed. We were made through trial by fire. If the zombie menace ended quickly and suddenly, we would have the most trouble adapting. Living in peace was not our fate. We were survivors now, killers of the undead. We robbed our dead and burned them, that way the virus couldn't take them.

The dorm was an empty place now. we had stayed as long as we could, but all good things come to an end. Those who left with the military would be safe, that I knew in my heart. I looked up at the gray sky, trying to find the sun's location. All I could see were rain clouds. Dark gray rain clouds. I looked at my watch, it had a few more years left in it, it was midday. Not that you could tell by looking around, it was either dark, or darker. Everything was illuminated, but wasn't. It was too late in the day to start walking off to a destination. Too late to travel, I would start in the morning.

The other guys who stayed behind were mostly older than me, I think I was the youngest one there. They began to organize, using materials to bolster up the dorms defense against the zombies. Thickening barricades, fortifying windows, or completely covering them up. They checked and rechecked everything. I watched. I did nothing to help. I observed from afar. As I watched I noticed something: as this group of young men worked together, I could see the formation of social bonds between them. I could see who was the leader, the alpha, I could see the beginnings of many things.

As time went on, and I ate my meals, watching them, they noticed me, but didn't approach me, not until that night, when it rained. I sat in front of my window, watching the rain fall on the city of Chicago. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Windows rattled, car alarms went off. Zombies would be out tonight. lot's of them. A knock at my door stirred me from my thoughts. I got up from my seat and went to answer the door. When I opened the door I saw the familiar beard and face of one of my classmates, he was in one of my Bio 500's class. "Hey, uh," he looked flustered. I stood their quietly, looking at him, this seemed to make whatever he was about to say harder for him, "me and the other guys were thinking that, uh," My silent gaze was apparently making this harder for him than it should've been. We didn't talk much in class, but everyone in the class saw that I spoke with the professor a lot. Always talking about biology, always talking about research and possibilities for the future. He never got a chance to finish his sentence, one of the older class men said it for him, "We think you should leave." After said that, I looked at him and closed the door. Not a word. I didn't ask why, I didn't care. At least, that's what I told myself. I was hurt. I knew it was coming, but that didn't stop the feelings that came up as they spoke the words.

I packed up my things silently. Rolled up my gear. The room was almost empty. God, I felt so unwanted. I also felt I like I was betrayed. I'm being kicked out of my home. I cried myself to sleep. not raising a ruckus. I grieved and fumed in silence.

(Sam)
"Eve, you shouldn't need me to tell you everytime I'm going to leave, or go out for a walk."
=I still let out a sigh of resignation. This was a conversation better suited for when she wasn't angry at me=

"Look, for now I promise I won't leave without telling you ever again Eve."
=During the conversation, we had arrived outside our room, and I opened the door letting us inside=

(James)
=There was a small twinge of pain from my abdomen, the worst of it subdued by the warm water, pain killers, and my own tolerance for pain. The kiss deepened, and as my eyes closed my other senses took over. The feel of her beneath my touch, the sound of the water sloshing in the tub, the smell of the soap on both my skin and her own......it was a great shame that my wound prevented anything more, otherwise this would have made for quite the nice moment in hell. Heck, this really was hell right now, come to think of it. Zombies and fanatics aside, I was in a bath with a beautiful woman, and all we could do was kiss because my stupidity prevented anything more. That was Hell right there=