the living are hungry hodnes [ lexark ]

31] it's just four walls

I can feel Elyza tense up beside me at my brothers words. I wrap my hand tight in the front of her shirt and look at her. I can see her mind working, weighing the options.

I turn her head to look at me. The second I look into her eyes, I know her answer. She is already risking too much.

"Just think about it, ok?" I tell her.

She nods at me. "I'm going to run and grab the gear from the church. Can you make sure everything gets packed up?"

"Yes. You're not...?" I start scared she's going to take off, for the briefest of moments.

"I'm going to be right back, Hodnes." She looks me in the eye. I sigh in relief knowing she speaks true.

"Be safe." I tell her with a kiss. She jumps off the porch and heads to the car.

I turn to face my family, who if I'm being honest, I forgot for a minute they were there. Elyza has a way of making me forget there is a whole world outside her beautiful blue eyes.

"Sooo..." Nick says. "Is that a maybe?"

"Lyndsey..." The evil voice says, drawing her name out like a hissing snake.

Lyndsey's eyes snap open. She looks around her surroundings and thinks for a minute she might just be having a nightmare.

Lyndsey knows she is back at the compound. She is back into a room that she never thought she would be in again. There are the bright lights and white walls of the cerebral experimentation lab. Desks filled with the remaining Red Weather Corp scientists. She knows without looking, that behind her sits one of the greatest super computers the world had ever created. She can feel the input connected into her neck.

Worst of all, she knows she has been uploaded. That everything that she has been through, thought of, and seen since she left the compound is now in that super computer. In Jayson's slimy, disgusting hands.

She is strapped to a chair, unable to move her arms, legs, and head as the leather restraints are preventing her. Lyndsey moves her eyes to the direction of the snakes voice a few feet in front of her. Looking into Jayson's disgusting face, her blood begins to boil.

She might not be able to move her head, but she can sure move her mouth.

"You stupid fucking son of a bitch! Where is Maree?!" She spits at him.

The flying saliva hits him right in his beady little eyes, also knocking away the twisted smile that was plastered on his face. He takes out a handkerchief, and cleans himself off.

He tsks at her a few times, shaking his head back and forth. He walks over, taking one of the rolling lab chairs to sit in front of her.

"Now. I'm going to let that slide since you have been out of the controlled environment for so long. As for Maree, you know I have always advised against relations between the subjects, Lyndsey. You're a smart girl. You should know better than that." He sits back in the chair and crosses his arms, looking at her with disappointment. Like she was his dog, and just ate one of his cheap looking shoes.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't tell me where the fuck she is, Jayson!" She starts thrashing in her restraints as much as possible.

He sighs, rolling his eyes giving in. "She may have expired, they couldn't find her body."

Lyndsey closes her eyes, she starts playing the scene of what happened before she was hit with a tranquilizer and brought here. She watches the images fly through her mind. She has an eidetic memory, and tries to pick apart the details to see if she can figure out if Maree made it.

They were ambushed from the front. They almost couldn't stop their bikes in time. Maree fought off 5 soldiers, before reinforcements came in another van. Maree was taking a beating but still not letting them close to Lyndsey. She replays Maree getting knocked to one knee but still getting up for more. Then she remembers the all familiar warmth from the tranquilizer dart spreading throughout her body, as she reaches for Maree, before blackness. She can't tell what happened to Maree after it all went dark. But Maree is strong. Just because they didn't find her body, it doesn't mean she turned. She's a fighter, she could have escaped.

Jayson's voice draws her eyes open once again. "Now. I know about your plans to storm the compound, with Elyza. And we will talk about that. But first.." His sick smile is back. "Why don't you tell me about how you figured out the formula to replicate her healing abilities."

Lyndsey closes her eyes once again. She knew they would find out, if she was uploaded. It happened after Elyza told her she was immune. She sat up working out all the different possibilities. She didn't mean to, but with the thought of being able to save the human race, her mind wouldn't stop. She hadn't even told Elyza or Maree. She didn't want to put pressure or guilt on Elyza, as it really would require her blood. Lot's of it.

Fuck, she thinks. Don't come here Elyza, she silently begs. Just leave me.

We're still loading things in the truck when Elyza pulls back into the driveway. My heart starts thumping in my chest. Part of me was really scared she was going to be on her way to the Corp by now, but she promised.

Elyza slides her arms around my waist from behind, and pulls me close. I spin in her arms and take a second to breath her in. It's about to get messy and I just want one more minute of what has become normal, since we have been at the farm.

"Is everything packed, Hodnes?" She says, her lips pressed against my hair.

"Yes, for the most part. Travis and Daniel are finishing up with the gear in the shed. And then.. just our room." She holds me tighter, hearing the despair in my voice.

The church was our private spot for training. Our room though, was our private place for just us. A place where we could talk for hours without prying eyes and ears. We shared stories, confessed our darkest secrets with each other, and talked about what we want to do once this is over.

We were able to shut the rest of the crazy fucked up world out and just love each other. We loved with our bodies, our hearts, and our souls.

She takes my hand and leads me into the house. We go up the stairs to our room for the last time. I couldn't bare to pack it up. Elyza starts packing our things in our packs. Once done, she turns around to face me.

I don't want this to be the last time we are here. A few tears slip out, and Elyza comes over to me. She lifts my chin to meet her eyes.

"It's just four walls, Hodnes. You are my home, and I am yours." It sounds like her voice has a small shake to it.

Maybe she is going to miss it just as much. But she is right. It is just four walls. The reason it feels so special is because it was shared with Elyza.

She kisses me. "Im sorry." She whispers. "We have to go. Now."

I nod. I know we have to. Every minute we stay is more of a risk. She opens the door and heads down stairs to get Maree. I take one last look at the room, committing everything possible to memory, and shut the door.

It was just four walls. Liar.