Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 40: My Woman

Chapter 40: My Woman

"Kiara!" Ender angrily uttered as he entered the room. "Get a grip on yourself. If anyone comes to hear of this, you will bear the consequences."

"She seduced my brother, tricked him into thinking that there could be something between them someday. Why should I keep quiet about that?" She angrily asked Ender.

"Because you weren’t there. You didn’t see what he did to me." I told her and something flickered in her eyes, something too brief to recognize.

"What did he do to you? Please enlighten me." She sarcastically uttered.

"I don’t trust you enough to tell you." I honestly told her.

"The feeling’s mutual." She blankly stated.

"Kiara, enough! Marco is far from innocent. You know this better than anyone else. So before you crucify this poor girl, for a rumor that you believe to be true, shut up. For the love of God." Ender uttered in disbelief.

"Fine, then I will leave. My people and I deserve better than this. We deserve to live in a place where our voices are heard." She told Ender who tiredly scratched his thumb against his forehead.

"You will do no such thing." Ender blankly stated.

"Leave us. Ronan, stay." Ender said and we decided to leave his office. Kiara stormed out of the room and the door slammed shut in our faces.

"Asshole," Ellie uttered in an annoyed tone. Oliver opened the door and we thanked him as we walked through.

"Do you think they’re gonna kick us out?" Cooper asked the group of us.

"I mean what else would he want to discuss with Ronan in private?" Ellie asked.

"Ender is a reasonable man. He won’t kick us out because his wife hates Hailey-Jade. That’s not how he operates." Oliver told us and I just quietly ran a hand through my hair before walking away from them.

I headed upstairs to me and Ellie’s room. I grabbed the clothes I came here with, my axe, a few supplies, along with some water. I slipped my feet into a pair of worker boots before sneaking my way downstairs.

Most people were still working so the lobby was empty. I quietly made my way across the parking lot and ran down the road as fast as my feet could carry me.

I ran into the woods behind the hotel and kept running.

I refused to stop. I refused to let my friends get dragged down because of me. If I get kicked out of here, they’d want to leave with me, and I can’t have them do that.

I’m better off alone.

I’m immune to the NecroVirus so my chances of survival are automatically higher than theirs.

Besides, Kiara’s problem was with me and not them. She wanted me to leave.

I just hope they won’t come looking for me.

RONAN

I paced the floor in Ender’s office.

"Ronan, will you take a seat and let me explain?" Ender asked me and my head shot up at him.

"Explain." I blankly stated and he licked his lips before sighing lightly.

"Before the outbreak, I never knew my wife’s family. We’ve never met. Kiara and I met five years ago, here at Watkins Glen. We were both on vacation, she had just run away from home. We fell in love and eloped."

"It was only after the outbreak that she told me who she was. After Marco did this- to my face." He explained while pointing to his face.

God knows what they did to him but it seemed to have been extremely painful. Those scars run deep.

I ran a hand down my face, exhaling slowly.

"What am I supposed to do with this information? Is that supposed to excuse you or your wife from disrespecting Hailey-Jade?" I asked. "I was the one who shot Marco. So why is Hailey being punished for something that I did?"

Ender’s mouth opened as if he wanted to argue with me, but instead, he just quietly watched me.

"You love her, don’t you?" He uttered in realization.

"Of course I love her. Why do you think I didn’t shoot you the moment you approached that gas station?"

"Why?"

"To keep her from hating me any more than she already did. She hated what I did to Marco-"

"And that doesn’t sound suspicious to you? The fact that she was mad at you for shooting Marco. What if she has an agenda? What if she has feelings for Marco?" Ender questioned curiously.

"You would question Hailey-Jade and not your own wife? His sister." I asked him and his mouth snapped shut.

"I was never going to kick Hailey-Jade out. I just had questions, as any man would." He muttered.

"Don’t question her again." I blankly stated and Ender nodded in understanding.

"Very well. I will speak to my wife and fix this." He assured me.

"If you don’t, I will take my friends, and we will leave."

"I know, Ronan. And I know you’ve only been here for two days but I appreciate what you mean for my people and what they believe in." He told me and I simply nodded at him.

I respected Ender. Until he allowed his wife to disrespect Hailey-Jade. I don’t know if I’ll ever find it in myself to respect him that much ever again.

I left his office and found Oliver and Cooper waiting for me in the lobby.

"Where’s Hailey-Jade?" I asked them.

"She’s not in our room either," Ellie uttered as she came walking down the hallway. She stopped in front of us before running a hand through her hair.

"Her clothes are gone too," Ellie informed us.

"You think she left?" Cooper wildly asked Ellie.

"Because I’m now aware of Hailey-Jade’s selfless nature. Yes, I think she left." Ellie stated and Oliver worriedly looked over at me.

That sounds like something Hailey-Jade would do.

"We should go look for her before it gets dark," I told the group.

"Agreed," Cooper muttered while tying his shoelaces.

My mind shifted to Hailey-Jade. She’s still so set in her own ways.

I sometimes wonder what goes through that beautiful head of hers. She must think that we’d be able to live without her.

But how could we when she’s the sun and we’re the planets orbiting around her?

Hailey-Jade is my sun. My woman.

And if anything were to happen to her. I would burn this city to the ground.