the living are hungry hodnes [ lexark ]

28] Gon wor!

30 minuets into my first training session, I was flat on my back, gasping for air. Not in the way I was earlier in the day with Elyza, in our room. Nope. It wasn't even from sparring or anything like that.

It was from our warm up. A fucking run. It's the fucking zombie apocalypse, and she had me fucking running for miles. And after our incredible sex-athon, I'm feeling pretty spent before we even get a chance to begin.

"Why.. are.. you trying.. to kill me?" I ask Elyza, as she stands over me.

We had just gotten back from our run, and I had collapsed in front of the truck, from exhaustion.

"I wanted to see the extent of your stamina, Hodnes. It is very important."

"Didn't you get a good enough look at my stamina already?" I ask, with a flirty smile.

She doesn't smile back. What the fuck? I thought that was good. She reaches down and pulls me to my feet, with a serious expression plastered to her face.

"You have got me thinking, Hodnes.."

Oh great. A small groan escapes me. She scowls at me, while I counter with an over exaggerated grin.

"This is serious." She continues, while looking every bit of the soldier she was raised to be. Her chin up, back straight with her hands at her sides. I wonder if she's going to start barking insults in my face. Should I address her as drill sergeant?

"We're going to be in enemy territory, and you will be the number one target."

Ok. So maybe this is a little serious, if she puts it like that. I swallow the bile that threatens to come up my throat.

"If they can get their hands on you, it's a guaranteed surrender on my part. You are my weakness, and they know it's their only chance at getting me alive."

I double over a little as the images of Elyza in my dream fly through my mind. Beaten. Bloodied. Hanging from the fucking ceiling. No. He can't get his hands on her.

"That can't happen." I say.

"No. It can't. Will you reconsider going?" She asks, her voice a little softer.

"Would you? If our roles were reversed?" I meet her eyes. Go ahead, Elyza. Try and lie to me right now.

She doesn't. She sighs and ignores my question.

"Then you need to learn to defend yourself, Hodnes. I'm going to try and do everything in my power to keep you by my side, but things can happen. Will happen. Their goal will be to distract me long enough to get to you. Our only advantage will be that they will be ordered to take you alive" I can see the tension in her stance now. All of her muscles rigid. Her jaw and fists clenched hard.

"Then teach me." I tell her and walk the few steps, until I'm standing right in front of her. "Teach me how to defend myself, so I can protect you. And then you can take out that stupid mother fucker."

She presses her forehead to mine. Her body language changes completely. I feel like she's leaning on me. Like she needs my strength for once. I go to put my hand on her cheek, but she pulls away, now angry. Her mood changing again just as fast. I get fucking whiplash from her sometimes, I swear.

"If only I would have killed him that day we met! You never would be in this fucking mess. But no. I couldn't just kill him there, because I wanted him to suffer as much as I did!" She let's out an angry cry and punches the door of the armoured vehicle so hard it dents.

"Elyza..." I say walking over to her. "You can't think like that. You can't change the past. You're going to get him. You're going to take them all out, and nothing is going to happen to me. Or you. Or anyone else we care about."