World War Z

[Nikki Faroda]

"No, shhh your wife is sleeping " Ashley said in a low, sleepy voice as she shrugged away his hand. She grabs Ricard's arm to pull him on the bed then starts cuddling to him. Harley jumped on the bed to continue her staring contest with the door.  

[Zihark Faroda]

"Wait, what?" Ricard said before being pulled onto the bed since he was caught off guard. Ashley then began cuddling into him. Ricard was completely in shock. He didn't know what to do, or even say. He just laid there, Ashley digging herself deeper into him, staring up at the ceiling and blinking rapidly. He didn't necessarily hate what was going on, but it was a bit awkward. "Um, Ashley," he finally managed to say while turning to look at her. "It's...um...it's time to get up. It's 3:00."  

[Nikki Faroda]

Ashley turned his head to her, kissed his cheek and said "stop talking it's sleeping time now." She settle very comfortably with her head on his chest, her legs entangled with his, one arm spread across his abs and the other holding his hand on her side, forcing him to embrace her. She was waking up, but very slowly. Harley turned from the door and started watch them.  

[Zihark Faroda]

Ricard's eyes went wide. 'Did...did she just do what I think she did,' he thought to himself as he stared at the top of her head now comfortably nestled on the top of his chest. As reality started coming back to him, he realised he was now embracing her. When that had happened he hadn't the slightest idea. "Uh....uh," he tried speaking, but the words just wouldn't come. 'What is going on here?' The thought's ran wild through his head. He tried speaking again, but still the words wouldn't come. He was not only at a loss for words, but at a loss of what to do also. He could just let things be and fall asleep like that, but it would've been too dangerous without having someone keep watch.  

[Nikki Faroda]

Ashley finally opened her eye and started rubbing the other one. After that she looked at her surroundings, then did a double take. "Why are you in the bed? Why are we our legs entangled? Why was i laying on you? And what time is it?" She was looking him straight in the eye and he knew she had no idea what she just did as she tried to removed herself form the bed and his arms.  

[Zihark Faroda]

"Uh...um," Ricard stammered. He stared her directly in the eyes. What should he say? She probably would feel embarrassed about the truth, or worse not believe it, but if he said nothing she might get the wrong idea. He also didn't have time to think up a convincing lie, not that anything less than the truth would be believable anyway. "Well...um..." he began again, this time making his way to the edge of the bed, "you see...when I tried to wake you up you sorta...you grabbed me and pulled me into bed, and then wrapped yourself around me." He said it all with a nervous smile, and she didn't need to know every detail; that would proably just make her feel worse. "But it is 3:00, well it was a little while ago anyway."  

[Nikki Faroda]

"You have got to be joking, right? Why would i do that? I would never do that." She stared at him disappointedly. "I can't believe i actually fell asleep well whatever go to sleep" she said as she went and sat by the door.  

[Zihark Faroda]

"Uh...no, I'm not kidding," Ricard said sheepishly, but he took a look into her eyes and saw that she was really unsure what to believe. He had no proof to back up his claims, and if he continued it might just make it seem he was trying to cover his own a**. "Whether you believe me or not, that's what happened and I'll leave it at that."

Ricard made himself comfortable in the bed, but before pulling the sheets over himself what Ashley said caught his attention. "Wait, what do you mean you actually fell asleep. That was the plan."  

[Nikki Faroda]

"Just go to sleep, you won't have much more time for that later." She said as she grabbed the radio and turned it off. "Get some good sleep you'll need it." Harley then become more interested in the door again and the sharing contest was on once again.  

[Zihark Faroda]

"But..." Ricard began, but decided against arguing with her. He'd question her about it in the morning. She was right, he needed sleep for what was to come tomorrow. "Fine, but this isn't over. Goodnight, and stay safe." Ricard pulled the covers up over him and then laid done, sleep soon overtaking him.  

[Nikki Faroda]

She listened to Ricard's breathing getting suddenly more even. When she knew he was in the deepest part of sleep, she pushed the dresser in front of the door and said, "Harley you look after him i'll be right back." Harley just nodded as her master started climbing the shelves in the closet to a little square. Ashley push the square and it revealed a secret way between the two rooms through the attic. She really missed her aunt's weird ways. When above her bed, she took a quiet look around to find in hadn't been touch, Ricard must have shut the door earlier. She hopped down onto the bed. After laying for about 10 minutes, she grabbed her knife, putting it back in place and a suitcase from her closet and filed in with stuff they might need: snacks, water bottles, clothes for her, and Harley's food. She knew they would need to get Ricard some spare clothes but didn't know from where. She picked up her headphones and Mp3 player, turning it on and putting the headphones over her ear, leaving it off the other one so she could hear the people, then went back to her aunt room with all the stuff she had got. When she got in the room she looked at the time and was suprised she still had 2 hour before waking up Ricard.  

[Zihark Faroda]

There was nothing but darkness. From every direction came the those unholy moans. A bloody tire iron in hand, Ricard swung in one direction, and then in another, blindly trying to keep back the unseen threat getting ever closer. He could hear feet dragging, but from which direction again he couldn't tell. He couldn't move from where he stood. It was too dangerous, but staying still was just as bad. Before he knew it, Ricard could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck, smell the putrid stink of something rotting, and hear the feral groan of a hungry animal standing behind him. Ricard spun around as fast as he could, tripping on his own feet as he did and falling on his a**. He looked up only to finally see the man from the car accident standing above him, half his skull crushed in from a blunt object. 'No,' Ricard said, 'no, it can't be.'

Ricard awoke with a start, his eyes shooting open and his body moving slightly, but otherwise made no other sign he had just awoken from a nightmare. His breathing was slightly rapid now. He killed that man. It may have been self defense, but he had killed that man, and with the way everyone was now going crazy, how many more people would he have to kill in self-defense, and would he be able to do it. Ricard looked up slightly, but was unable to see Ashley by the door in the dark. It obviously wasn't time to get up yet, so Ricard turned on his side and then went back to sleep.  

[Nikki Faroda]

Ashley heard the rapid breathing but when she stood up and walked over to him, he was asleep again. She would ask him about it in the morning. In the mean time she needed a shower. With the dresser still in front of the door, she went into the bathroom leaving the door slightly cracked so she could hear if he called for her. She took a relaxing shower, but when she went to get out she slipped. As she fell she hit her head hard enough to break skin, a lot of it. When the thud came from the bathroom, Harley started jumping on Ricard to wake him up.  

[Zihark Faroda]

Ricard was now beginning to drift in and out of sleep, becoming ever so slightly aware of his surroundings, but at the same time not truly knowing if it was a dream or what was actually going on around him. The running water of a shower crossed his sleep-addled mind, but nothing came of it. It wasn't until there was a rather large thud and Harley jumping onto him that Ricard became fully aware and jumped up awake. "What is it girl?" Ricard asked while petting Harley, his mind having not quite caught up with the rest of him yet.

Out of the corner of his eye Ricard could see that the bathroom door was partly closed, and the light from the bathroom leaking into the room was enough to show him that Ashley was no longer in the room. "Ashley?" Ricard called out toward the bathroom. "Ashley?!" he called out again, worry now creeping into his voice. When he called out a third time and still there was no answer, Ricard jumped out of bed and burst through into the bathroom. A small river of blood upon the floor immediately caught his attention and he followed it back toward the tub where he saw Ashley lying in a pool of her own blood which was gushing forth from her head. Without hesitation Ricard ran forward and grabbed Ashley, pulling her out of the tub and laying her on the ground. While holding her in his arms, he reached for a nearby towel and quickly put it up against the gash in her head, pressing down hard.

"Ashley, can you hear me?" Ricard asked, his voice full of more worry than it had ever been before.  

[Nikki Faroda]

The whole room went dark, Ashley laid there thinking she was going to die. Then she hear a muffled voice saying something she couldn't hear. She opened her eyes slowly and reached to touch the blurry figure. As she realized what this voice was saying and who it was she tried to answer but nothing came out. So she nodded and mouthed the word, "Ricard."