Apocalyptic Love

Trapped

"You ready?" Carter hummed.

I nodded holding my hand out to him, he sent me a confused look as he attempted to climb in the car. "Keys" I laughed.

"No way. I don't feel like dying today" he shrugged but I held form, my arms crossed as I pouted my lips. "No" I kept my stare straight and tried to make my face look sadder. "Fine" Carter finally huffed, throwing the keys to me.

"Thankyou" giggling as I walked around the car, I was about to sit down when he pulled me close to him and held his face inches from mine. I tried to close the distance and kiss him, but he pushed back with a cocky grin across his face.

"Nope".

"I hate you" I shrugged.

Andrew asked for volunteers to scout the area to see if we missed any locations on the map worth looting. I was the first to offer my help, Carter being the second since he didn't want me going alone. Matt and a few others offered, but Andy wanted them disposing of the corpses that had grew too close to the fence,

I was at my happiest. We finally had a safe sanctuary to call home that was thriving in the harsh environment. I had a group of people I trusted, my uncle still alive and a boy who made me the happiest. I knew I was in love with Carter the moment we separated, and it felt like a flame had ignited in my body finally making me feel alive again. But I wasn't ready to tell him and I'm sure he wasn't ready to hear those three words.

"You see that?" Carter gestured to the side of the road.

I slowed the engine, squinting my eyes to see a small figure sat on the side of the road. A small boy, his head resting on his knees that were pulled to his chest. My thoughts drifted to my little brother, if that was him alone all I could do was hope that someone would stop to help him.

"We've got to help him" My eyes brimmed as I looked to Carter, and he kissed my hand knowing where my mind was. He nodded pulling a machete from the pack as I pulled the car to the side of the dirt road.

We were in the midst of nowhere, trees landscaping the terrain for miles "Come on" Carter whispered as he exited the car.

The small boy looked up to us as we neared him, he was covered from head to toe in dirt. He wore a small jumper and ripped trousers; his dirty blonde hair grown out and swept behind his ears.

"Hey, were not going to hurt you" I held my hands up in surrender as I knelt down in front of him. The boy's baby blue eyes locked in with mine, but he stayed silent, he looked to the man beside me for a moment but returned to me. "I'm Katie, what's your name?".

"Daniel" The child's voice was shaky "I lost my dad".

"Where did you lose him honey" The boy pointed to the acres of woods behind him.

"We were hunting, and the monsters came out, I ran and now I can't find him" Daniel cried as he lunged into my arms, his grip barely reaching around my waist as I stroke his hair. Carter was watching us carefully; I know he didn't seem sure about this, but we couldn't just leave the kid here alone.

"Let's help you find him" My hand held out to the boy who enthusiastically latched his smaller palm around mine "Show me where you lost him".

Carter trailed behind us, keeping his pistol firm in his grip while I let Dainel lead us further into the woods. It was dead silent, too silent for my liking and the feeling of someone watching us was growing more apparent.

Before I knew it the boy slipped from my grip and ran further into the treeline, his shadow disappearing behind the shadows. I was about to run after him when the sound of a gun clicking froze my movements.

"Turn around slowly" A voice echoed.

My hands raised above my head as I twisted my body towards the voice. Figures in pure black balaclavas were surrounding us with weapons held in their hands, Carter stood a few meters behind me. A gun aimed to his head as his hands were raised the same as mine. We couldn't take this many on and we both knew that.

"What do you want?" I held my voice high and never let my fear waver.

"Information" Another voice whispered closer to me before everything faded to darkness.

My heavy eyes opened to darkness, a woven bag was over my head and blocking my view, my hands and legs restrained to a chair. I tried moving but the restrained were wrapped too tightly, the rope burning against my skin making me hiss in pain. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.

The bag was ripped from my head in a swift motion, white dots dancing across my vision as my eyes adjusted to the bright lights scattered across the room. A woman was sat opposite me mirroring my position, except she wasn't tied to a chair; she held a wooden bat in one hand and a pistol in the other. Her hair was matte black and tied in a tight ponytail, she looked only a few years older than me, but her body was more petite, and her bones were protruding from her frail skin.

"This will be simple if you want it to be, all you have to do is answer our questions" The girl ordered standing up from the chair and circling me, trying to intimidate me as she waved the bat around.

"Where is he?" I didn't look at her, I kept my angry stare at the wall in front of me. The room was small with concrete covering the majority of the walls, the door was metal, but the latch was broken so the door was held ajar.

"He's alive" The girl stood in front of me tilting my chin up to her, green eyes gazing deeply through my stare "You have a camp, all you have to do is tell us where it is".

My voice stayed calm as I looked her dead in the eye "It's just the two of us, we are hold up in a house a few miles down the road" she was trying to see if I was lying but I was a step ahead of her. In a harsh breath her fist collided with my cheek, sending my head flying to the side as I sucked in a painful breath. I could fell the blood seeping down my cheekbone as she smiled, adjusting the rings on her fingers that were now laced with my gore.

"You and Loverboy are clean, fresh clothes, fresh hair and snacks in a bag. Do you think I'm stupid" The raven-haired girl hissed.

"If I had to guess, I'd say probably" I sent her a sinister smile before her other first collided with the opposite side of my face. I spat the blood from my mouth before sitting straight again "I mean I guess I should say thank you for matching both sides".

"You think your tough" The girl laughed as she slammed her bat into my calf, I winced in pain as a small shriek left my lips. "Wait until I'm finished with you" she grew angry as she punched me in the stomach, hard enough to make me turn my head and empty the contents of my stomach across the concrete floor.

I took each hit only letting her hear my small cries as she carried on; I knew she wouldn't kill me, but every inch of my body was crying in pain as she asked me the same question repeatedly. "Where is your camp?".

These people were scavengers, they take from people who have what they need and leave all but death in their wake. There was no way I would give them the location of my home, the place that held every person I cared for.

I closed my eyes and pictured Carter as the same metallic taste filled my mouth. All I could do was hope he wasn't enduring the same pain as I was and the thought of that only made my anger grow.

The woman walked out laughing at the bloody state she had left me in and that was her first mistake.

Edited