Afterworld: Into the Arms of Darkness Ch.13
Title: Afterworld: Into the Arms of Darkness
By: Pink Rabbit Productions
Chapter: 13
Date: 16 September, 2010
Disclaimer: Hmmm, characters, not mine, situation, mine, though with the proviso that certain scenarios owe a major debt of gratitude to George Romero. Sex? Likely. Genders involved? Likely all female (at least anything on camera). Also there are likely to be very bad things in this story. I'm not one for prodigious amounts of gore, but this is horror and there is likely to be ickiness and things that might disturb some folks. Seriously. If it's gonna bother you, move along.
Summary: When the dead rise, civilization falls.
Author's Notes: Awhile back, just for fun, I did a faux movie poster that set Otalia in a horror setting and used some elements from an idea I've had running around for ages (what can I say---it was the Halloween season). See the poster here: http://altfic.com/artgallery/otalia/glafterworld01b.htm . Sooo, at some point, it seemed like fun to take a gander at writing them in that universe. I've quite deliberately tried to break away from my usual style and make it a bit faster moving, with frequent chapter breaks, deliberate cliffhangers, shorter scenes and more directed pov. We'll see if I can keep to one pov per chapter (well, they are short chapters...lol).
Previous Chapters: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |
Author's Apology: Sorry for the slight unreliability right now. Still working on getting the internet connection repaired. But good news, I finally have a date with a tech tomorrow, so here's hoping.
Afterworld:
Into the Arms of Darkness
Chapter 13
"Mommy, no!"
Both women froze, a carved tableau painted in shades of bruised flesh and dripped blood.
Olivia's gaze snapped up, a tremor slipping through her as she laid eyes on her child. "Emma?"
Natalia rolled her head back, quickly spotting the little girl where she stood in the doorway to the other rooms, the separating door now open. Apparently, in addition to knowing how to shoot, she could pick locks, leaving Natalia to wonder what the girl's previous life had been like: a sweet, innocent existence, or had she already had those darker skills? Had Olivia been a loving mother or a calculating Fagin using her daughter in some nefarious way? Given the ease with which she used lies, seduction and brute force, Natalia wasn't ready to put anything past her.
And God knew, from what she'd seen of people passing by, those who were kind and decent didn't survive in the outside world. Outsiders had come through so many times in the months since things went bad. In the beginning, they'd run the gamut, some bad, but a lot of families trying to get away from the city. But lately, they were always armed, always after something, and usually willing to take it by any means necessary. Hell, they'd killed almost as many as the dead and usually in far crueler ways.
Olivia appeared to fit into that same selfish, brutal mold.
But the little girl? Natalia didn't claim to understand it. It wasn't like she knew the kid well, but where she was concerned there was nothing but a protective urge.
And she damn well wasn't going to let anything happen to her.
Imagining Olivia's response to any defiance, she rolled to a crouch, ready to put herself between the child and anyone who might harm her-including the shotgun-toting monster before her.
"MOMMY, NO!" Emma screamed again, louder this time.
Natalia's head swung back around in time to see Olivia freeze in place, eyes locked on her, teeth bared, hands white-knuckled where they gripped the shotgun. That she'd been about to shoot was in no doubt. As Natalia stared into that hard, furious face, she wanted to scream at the girl to be quiet. Not because she feared it would draw the dead, but because she feared the punishment it would merit.
"No," Emma said again, her voice softer this time, soothing.
Natalia instinctively held out a hand to stop the girl when she moved forward, but Emma darted neatly around her arm.
"She didn't hurt me," the little girl said softly, her eyes still locked on her mother.
As Natalia watched, Olivia risked a quick glance at the child, and for the briefest second, her expression seemed uncertain.
"She's not like the bad men."
Green eyes darted back and forth between Natalia and the child, then finally swung back to Emma and remained. "You're all right?" she whispered very softly.
"I'm okay," the child soothed and moved closer, stepping between the two women.
Natalia wanted to grab the small body back and drag her to safety from the hard-eyed creature with the shotgun. Only suddenly the hard eyes were liquid and Olivia was trembling violently. Her hands dropped to her sides, tipping the shotgun away, barely seeming able to even maintain a grip.
As Emma stepped close to her mother, Natalia stood on a cusp of expectation, part of her waiting to see rough hands slap or grab and part of her hoping for something else.
She got something else.
Olivia's knees buckled as she reached out to the girl with her free hand. No slaps or even rough handling. Instead, she was impossibly gentle as she brushed auburn hair back from the child's brow, then traced her fingers down the curve of a soft cheek. Green eyes tipped down, running over the girl's small frame, checking everywhere, clearly hunting for signs of any damage, noting adult sized t-shirt and shorts that hung loose on the girl's small frame. "You had a bath," she said at last, her voice tremulous and so choked it was nearly inaudible. A tiny, watery smile curved full lips. "Looking good, Jellybean."
No monster ever looked so simultaneously grateful and shattered. And certainly no monster ever pulled a child into a such a desperate hug.
Then Emma wrapped small arms around her mother, petting her hair with a gentle hand, her voice small and reassuring as she whispered over and over, "It's okay...she didn't hurt me..." And worst for Natalia, "She's not like them...she's not..." Then Emma turned wide, sad eyes to peer at Natalia as though she understood her mental debate. "My mom isn't either."
Natalia's knees buckled and she sagged back to a crouch. Even wanting to hate the woman, her heart shattered as Olivia buried her face in her daughter's neck, body trembling in rhythm with the harsh breaths that gradually grew harder until the tremors melded into soft, broken sobs.
"When she wouldn't let me see you," Olivia mumbled, the words muffled and barely discernable. "...I thought...god, I thought..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence, Natalia realized in a sick rush. No monster, just a woman frightened for her child and pushed to the limit. It made her mistrust and efforts to be careful and methodical seem more like petty revenge than the caution she'd intended.
In her determination to maintain control and not make any mistakes, she'd made the worst one of all.
She'd thought she was doing the best thing, keeping the girl safe, treating the woman's injuries and making sure she couldn't hurt anyone if the worst happened.
But now....
Now it just felt like she'd been cruel beyond measure.
Meanwhile, Emma kept up the gentle petting motion and quiet reassurances until Olivia quieted and straightened, peering at her daughter.
Olivia sniffed back on tears, brushing loose hair back from Emma's cheek. "You are so brave," she praised, her voice gentle and proud.
Emma shook her head ever so slightly. "No...I was scared," she admitted, then added, "but she was nice...even though I threatened to shoot her...'n' she's all alone...like us."
Frowning, Natalia was relieved by the way Emma smoothed things over even if she wished the child hadn't shared the fact that she was alone. Instinct said that was no accident. Whatever else, she was well trained to do whatever was necessary to survive. Sharing anything she'd learned under innocent cover was probably just one more skill.
Then she forgot about everything but Emma as the girl leaned back, peering at her mother, running hands and eyes in the same manner her mother had in the hunt for any injuries.
Natalia's heart was in her throat as she watched the child find her mother's damaged left hand. Small fingers turned Olivia's palm this way and that as she studied the ugly injury. Finally, the girl tipped her head up to peer at her mother, the question written plainly in wide, emotion-bruised eyes.
"Mom?" The child's voice was little more than a breath.
Expecting a denial, a brush-off or some kind of reassurance, Natalia was caught by surprise when Olivia offered a ragged, "We don't know." She didn't have to spell it out. They all understood what that meant.
The news hit Emma like a literal physical blow. Her mouth worked silently and she rocked back and forth ever so slightly, then suddenly threw her arms around her mother's neck, plastering herself to the woman's body and clinging tightly.
Even watching from the sidelines, Natalia was torn asunder by the pain on display. No child should have to fear and hurt like that. Scrubbing at gathering tears, she unintentionally met Olivia's gaze over Emma's shoulder. Not knowing what to say or do, Natalia found herself mouthing, "Why?" She wasn't even sure what she was asking.
But Olivia clearly took it as questioning her choice not to hide the wound from her daughter. "We never lie to each other." The answer was more a matter of moving lips than actual sound. "It's the only way to survive out there." And then Natalia was dismissed again as she pressed a kiss to her daughter's temple and wrapped an arm tightly around her small frame. "Shhhh," she soothed. "No matter what happens, a part of me will always be with you," she promised, her voice small and ragged with emotion.
"Not if you die," Emma whimpered. "I won't...have..."
Without planning to, Natalia moved forward, ignoring the hawk-eyed gaze that tipped up and tracked her. Her entire focus was for the child. She rested a gentle hand on Emma's small back, gently petting long, silk hair. "Whatever happens, Emma, you won't be alone," she whispered raggedly, then looked up, meeting Olivia's pleading gaze. No deals this time, only an honest pledge. "I promise..."
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TBC