Dead On Arrival~ Season 2- Episode 1: Things Left Unsaid

Episode 1: Things Left Unsaid

“Vince, it’s getting late. Come in. Come to bed.”

He looked up from the hood of his car. His hands covered in oil. His eyes steely and cold. “I’m coming,” he grumbled wiping his brow.

I stood in the doorway watching him. The sky an orange haze behind him illuminating his chiseled figure and tan skin. He closed the lid to the rust bucket of a car he now treasured and pushed his tools aside. He headed towards me looking tired. I caught his eyes and he forced a smile on his weary face as he nodded. We walked in together then. Into the little rest stop, we had been living in for months.

Half a year had gone by in our troubled little wasteland of a world. There was more dead than living now. I was sure of it at least. I couldn’t remember the last I time I had seen a living soul. No, all I had was Vince and all he had was me. It was comforting, but something had been damaged on the journey here. The foundation had been cracked between us. We had become nothing more than two strangers hanging onto each other for dear life. Hanging on to some semblance of a human connection for fear of loneliness.

“We need to talk,” I said quietly as I placed pillows and blankets in our respected spots behind the store counter.

“About what?” he said glancing back at me as he sat in a chair beside me loading his shotgun.

“About what happened back there. About David. About Mar…”

“Don’t speak those names. I thought we agreed not to speak of them.”

“But I can’t go on like this. You barely speak to me. You barely look at me. Sometimes I think you hate me,” I cried straining to keep my composure.

“Hate you?” he gasped. “What do you think I’ve been doing all these months? Out there? Everything I’ve done has been for us. That car…”

“That car! You and that stupid fucking car! All fucking day!”

“I almost got it up and running!” he snarled looking hurt. He then rose to his feet and joined me on the floor where I sat now. ‘What do want to know? I told you everything. What do you want from me?“

"I want whatever this is. Whatever’s hovering over us making it us this way to be gone,” I said calmly. “You may have told me everything, but you’re hiding something. I know it."

"I told you I was a convicted felon.”

“I know that. It’s just you’ve changed.”

He sighed hanging his head. “I can say the same thing about you.”

“What? What are you talking about?” I said bewildered.

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

“What?”

He reached out towards me and I recoiled slapping his hand away. He tried again scooting closer. His hand reaching for mine. His eyes burrowing into me as he did.

“That enough!” I shrieked.

He shook his head. “That’s what I mean. Rather it’s accidental or on purpose. Even if just slightly you recoil from me as if I’m contagious. As if I’m repulsive. It’s enough to make me think you hate me.”

“No. Never.”

“Do you think I’m him? Do you think I’m Mark? Do you think I’m like him? Is that why you want me to talk about him? About them…”

“That’s not why…that’s not fair!”

“Save it. I don’t believe you,” he said sadly grabbing up his pillow and blanket. “But it’s fine. I understand.”

“No!” I shouted grabbing his wrist.

He sighed dropping the bedding to the floor and touched my shoulder gently studying my reaction. His body tensing up mirroring mine.

“You have to trust me, Audrey,” he said facing me. He grasped my hand smiling a bit and then placed one hand on my cheek. “I would never hurt you.”

I felt warm. Conforted by his touch. The tension was still stagnant in the air, but the tone was different. Strange and unfamiliar. Our eyes locked. The coldness in his eyes dissolving as he stared into mine. Only the sound of something smashing into the glass broke the strange moment we found ourselves in.

A zombie or what he likes to call them, a corpse.

New episode tomorrow if possible. Going make Friday and Saturday DOA days. :)

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