Necrocide

Chapter 18

Aaron's eyes slowly slid open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his flat. A dim beam of sunlight entered the room through his window, casting an orange glow on the dull furnishings of his apartment. He turned to his side, only to bump into his surprise visitor snuggled up against him.

He brushed his hand through Nika's hair, her long blonde strands as soft as a kitten's fur. She lay there peacefully, quietly sighing with every breath. She was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before, as if she was a symbol of the serenity the world felt before the Deadmen took over.

"Morning, love," he whispered, still brushing his hand through her hair. He moved closer and kissed her forehead.

A smile formed across her face as she pulled herself closer to Aaron, pressing her head against his chest, her eyes still closed. "Good morning," she sighed.

"I don't recall any plans for a slumber party." Aaron wrapped both of his arms around her. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I honestly didn't plan this either," Nika replied. "But after last night, I think it's obvious not all plans go well."

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"Your fainting is not gonna become a regular thing, is it?"

Aaron chuckled. "I hope not." His smile disappeared immediately. I seriously hope not, he thought to himself.

"Well after you collapsed, Kat had to fight off that Lavinia lady since she was being kind of grabby. Jonah finally calmed down and helped me carry you here to make up for his outburst. We kept an eye on you since you hit your head pretty hard. Eventually Jonah left and I stayed here to look after you."

"Did he use the secret key I hid underneath the welcome mat?"

"You don't have a secret key or a welcome mat."

"I know. I thought it'd be funny. But where'd he go?"

"Back to his flat. I have no doubt he was still upset about what went down earlier."

"I'm very sorry about what happened last night. I never wanted to replace your sister. I was just hoping we'd all get along. You know I care about you too much to hurt you or anyone we care about. If I'd ever hurt you, I would just—"

Nika kissed him on the cheek, immediately shutting him up. It was his favorite way of being told to shut up. "I'm fine, Aaron. You haven't done a single thing wrong." She scooted up in the bed so her head was on his shoulder. "You've only ever been a good person. Plus, it's refreshing to see that you've been taking everything so well."

I'm most certainly not taking everything well, Aaron thought to himself.

"What happened afterwards?" he asked hesitantly.

Nika remained quiet. Aaron suffered as he spent those next few seconds wondering if it was a good idea asking more questions.

"Nika?" he asked again.

"Shaw and Kat escorted Natalya to her cell," Nika replied, choking back tears. "They said she wouldn't see the rest of Matheson for a long time. And if they find out she's infected, they'll kill her."

Aaron's heart shattered like glass. He didn't mean to sound selfish, but he quickly realized he'd meet the same fate once they'd find out about him. And given his new reputation, they would just kill him on the spot. Usually they'd let infected citizens decide whether or not they wanted to be released into the Dead Zone or be executed, but criminals, even the wrong accused, were always executed.