Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 50: Manipulating A Wish

Chapter 50: Manipulating A Wish

Elizabeth studied me intently as she gripped my hands in her own. We were sitting side by side on a beautiful leather couch, our knees touching each other as she gathered her thoughts.

"I had forgotten I even made a wish," she sighed after a while.

"I figured you had," I admitted with a shrug. I wasn’t willing to go out on a limb like this for just anyone, but Elizabeth was too important to me not to try. "Like I said, there is a deal accepted, but there is still time to adjust the details."

"I had wished for peace," agreed Elizabeth, turning her head so she was looking out of the patio doors in front of us. It was still the middle of the day, so the sun was streaming through the oak trees in the backyard, lighting up the den we were in.

"Which can mean a lot of things," I stressed. "And that is not a good thing when making a wish."

"And I suppose that I can’t take the wish back now that it has been made." The fact that Elizabeth had accepted that so easily hurt my heart. Did she think that she might meet the same fate that Jennifer did?

Jennifer might not be evil in my books, but she wasn’t exactly good either.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was pure goodness and light. She deserved so much more than the hand she had been dealt.

"The contract has been signed on both sides," I chuckled. "And unfortunately, there is no court of appeal here."

"Peace," breathed out Elizabeth. "It is hard to get, so it must have a high sacrifice."

"You can pick your sacrifice," I reminded her. "Let’s start with what peace looks like to you."

"Originally, I thought peace would mean death," Elizabeth admitted, once again turning to look at me. "But I don’t know if I want that anymore."

"You want to live?" I repeated, almost giddy with the fact that we might get through this together.

"My idea of peace is a safe place to live with an unlimited supply of food. I don’t want to worry about anything trying to kill me, nor do I want to live with someone who hurts me. Peace is living my life the best way I can."

Okay, I could work with that. But what would she be willing to give up in exchange for that?

Dipping my head, my thoughts racing, the two of us fell into silence.

’Would she be willing to take in people needing peace themselves?’ asked the female voice in my head. ’It would count as a sacrifice because she wouldn’t be able to be by herself; she would have to take care of others. But the others wouldn’t be able to hurt her.’

Cocking my head to the side, I thought it through. "Would you be willing to sacrifice your solitude to get what you want?" I asked, my voice startling Elizabeth. Looking up at me, her eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"You want peace, but would you be willing to also be that place of peace for others? You would have to give up the idea of being by yourself, but only those who are also seeking peace would be able to live with you. You said it yourself: no one who wants to hurt you will be allowed in," I explained as best I could.

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed as she mulled over my proposal.

"Yes," she agreed.

"The devil is in the details," I reminded her, a smirk on my face as I looked at her.

"I wish for peace," started Elizabeth. "A peace where I can live in a house that is completely safe from everything and anything outside that wants to hurt me. A peace where I never have to worry about food for myself and anyone else who needs sanctuary. I wish for a place of peace where no one has to worry about anything."

Nodding my head in satisfaction, I felt the same response coming from the voice inside of me. Apparently, we both really liked Elizabeth. And she would make the perfect mother figure for everyone else who needed it.

"And in exchange?" I stressed. The deal wasn’t completely done yet.

"I am willing to sacrifice my solitude for that peace. I will open my door to anyone who needs it as much as I do," finished Elizabeth.

It still wasn’t as detailed as I wanted it to be, but I was sure that I could add some stipulations to the contract myself. After all, I was the one writing the thing.

"You will not be able to leave this house," I announced, feeling a new sort of power coming over me. There was a new confidence in my words that I had never felt before.

I wasn’t willing to just go with the flow for this contract. It was much too important.

"The door will only open for those who mean you no harm. If their intentions ever change after seeing the inside of the house, the house will kick them out without ever bothering you. You will live as long as you don’t leave, whether that is for a year or a hundred. You will offer peace to whoever needs it. Do you accept those conditions? Your freedom for the peace you seek?"

The very air seemed to go still as if the universe was holding its breath for the answer to my question.

"I accept," nodded Elizabeth, a huge smile on her face as tears gathered in her eyes. "Thank you."

"I wouldn’t thank me yet," I chuckled, tapping her hand as both Greed and Pride disappeared from my side. They hadn’t objected to what I was doing, so I assumed that I wasn’t about to get in trouble for manipulating the wish as I had. "You are stuck inside this house, after all."

Elizabeth chuckled, looking out the patio doors at the outside world. "I think I’ll be okay with that."

-----

"Did you feel that?" demanded Pride as he spun around to stare at Greed, his eyes widening as the rest of his brothers appeared in the throne room.

When everyone was there except for Wrath, Greed cleared his throat.

"She created a sanctuary."

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