Rave hummed along to the tune coming in through his head phones as he pushed his mail cart through the office. His smile lit up the bleak, florescent room as he passed grumbling office zombies. Occasionally one would look up as him as he dropped their mail into the designated compartment on their desks. Not even their soulless, blank eyes could ruin Rave’s happy mood though. He enjoyed rolling through the office and saying “Hi” to everybody. Especially his bff Flieg.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nobody knew Hex’s name. They just knew him as that creepy guy who worked at the cubicle in the back. He wasn’t trying to be creepy. He was never very social as a child and that had carried on into adulthood. When others were telling jokes around the water cooler, Hex was lurking a few feet away wanting to join but never able to actually get any real words out. Instead he just made awkward noises and grunts that usually drove everybody else away. To keep from embarrassing himself any more he just kept to himself and stayed in his cubicle. From there he could just watch everybody and pretend he was the most popular guy in the office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Being sent to the V.P.’s office was one of the worst things that could happen at CoC Inc. Xe Hal was one of the scariest beings on the planet. There was a reason why Adelaide put her in charge of disciplining workers who got out of line. No one dared to oppose her. Except for one person. Gamble Lazal. He was rebellious as he was British. Ever since his first day he’d been butting heads with Xe. It had all started when he had refused to call her Ms. Hal, preferring to call her by her first name. It all went downhill after that. Gamble starting slacking off, turning his reports in late, and taking breaks when he wanted to. He kept this up until one day Xe called him into her office. The entire office had gone quiet trying to listen in but the doors and wall were too thick to let any sound through. Eventually they all started working again. When the door finally opened silence returned and Gamble walked out with his shirt on inside out.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Hunter Punting
Revenge was sweet.
Carl stood on the roof of Mercy Hospital with his hand extend over the side. In said hand was a tongue. Attached to said tongue was a certain Smoker. Said Smoker was glaring up at Carl while the hunter grinned with triumph.
“This is proof that assholes never win.”
An odd muffled sound bubbled up out of Mark’s throat and Carl went ahead and assumed that it was some kind of smart ass comment. “You should be nicer to me. Right now I am your God. I decide if you live or die.”
“Psuck Choo.”
Carl’s lips pulled back into a gruesome smile showing his blood stained fangs. He loosened his grip on the Smoker’s tongue and watched as he fell a few good feet before catching it again. The scream that had come from Mark was similar to that of a Witch only not scary. More like funny as hell. “Can you say that again? I didn’t hear you the first time.”
Mark’s hand was clenched over his heart as he tried to regain his jerky composure. He scowled at Carl as if daring him to do that again. So he did. It was a lot funnier the second time. “I could do this all day but you only have a little tongue left. I’d be careful if I was you.”
The sight of Mark swinging through the air like some abandoned puppet filled Carl with so much joy, he almost felt alive again.
Carl’s ears twitched as the sound of an approaching horde reached them. It wasn’t a large horde but any kind of horde was annoying. “Horde’s coming. Do you really want to be dangling above a crowd of mindless eating machines?”
Mark’s non tumor covered eye widened in horror. Satisfied, Carl started to pull him back up by his tongue. Mark had managed to get one hand up on the ledge when the roof started to shake. Terrance was charging towards yelling something about not hurting his friend. Carl tried to tell that he was helping mark back up when Terrance punched him in the stomach and sent him flying. He could hear Mark’s laughter and tightened his grip on the Smoker’s tongue. “I’m taking you with me you bastard.”
Carl stood on the roof of Mercy Hospital with his hand extend over the side. In said hand was a tongue. Attached to said tongue was a certain Smoker. Said Smoker was glaring up at Carl while the hunter grinned with triumph.
“This is proof that assholes never win.”
An odd muffled sound bubbled up out of Mark’s throat and Carl went ahead and assumed that it was some kind of smart ass comment. “You should be nicer to me. Right now I am your God. I decide if you live or die.”
“Psuck Choo.”
Carl’s lips pulled back into a gruesome smile showing his blood stained fangs. He loosened his grip on the Smoker’s tongue and watched as he fell a few good feet before catching it again. The scream that had come from Mark was similar to that of a Witch only not scary. More like funny as hell. “Can you say that again? I didn’t hear you the first time.”
Mark’s hand was clenched over his heart as he tried to regain his jerky composure. He scowled at Carl as if daring him to do that again. So he did. It was a lot funnier the second time. “I could do this all day but you only have a little tongue left. I’d be careful if I was you.”
The sight of Mark swinging through the air like some abandoned puppet filled Carl with so much joy, he almost felt alive again.
Carl’s ears twitched as the sound of an approaching horde reached them. It wasn’t a large horde but any kind of horde was annoying. “Horde’s coming. Do you really want to be dangling above a crowd of mindless eating machines?”
Mark’s non tumor covered eye widened in horror. Satisfied, Carl started to pull him back up by his tongue. Mark had managed to get one hand up on the ledge when the roof started to shake. Terrance was charging towards yelling something about not hurting his friend. Carl tried to tell that he was helping mark back up when Terrance punched him in the stomach and sent him flying. He could hear Mark’s laughter and tightened his grip on the Smoker’s tongue. “I’m taking you with me you bastard.”
Carl's Thoughts on Mark
Carl did not like Mark. He couldn’t stand him. He was loud, obnoxious, and even after being turned into a horrible, tumor covered monster the bastard still decided it was a good idea to smoke. The toxic smoke that came from the little stick that was wedged between the Smoker’s lips was almost as bad as the smoke that the bastard spit up. It never went away either. The stench clung to Carl’s hoodie so it went with him everywhere he went. A constant reminder that even after the apocalypse there were still douches.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Zombie Vacation
The sand that had wedged itself between my toes was irritating. No matter how much I wiggled it would not free itself. I scowled at my bare feet as if to blame them for being so easily violated by sand. Carl’s growling, mangled laugh came from behind me. I snarled back, looking over my shoulder at him, “Shut up.” This was the worst zombie vacation ever.
We had managed to fight our way out of the city and had went South ending up somewhere in Georgia. There had been rumors passed around via radio that there were evacuation stations all throughout the South. Locating them would be easy. The hard part was living long enough to get there. The Infected, they were mutating further. I could see it in Carl. He’d always been more athletic than I could ever hope to be before but his strength had been steadily increasing over the past few weeks. It had been somewhat humorous when he’d underestimated his own strength and over shot a building, but then it was horrifying because it had been a long ass drop.
“Hear anything?” I asked.
Carl went into a crouch and then completely still. His head turn slowly to the right and then to the left. He shook his head. Nothing was coming. Walked over to the edge of the water, shoes in hand in case a quick getaway was needed, and let the water lap at my feet. It was refreshing. The little pebbles between my toes were washed away and my toes were free to wiggle without interference. I walked out a little further into the water until it was just below my knees. I wanted to just dive into the water to escape the harsh beating of the sun’s rays against me, but I didn’t have anything to else to change into and fighting zombies while wet was no more fun than fighting them dry. Besides, I knew Carl would freak if I disappeared from his sight.
I motioned for him to join me but he just shook his head. “What? Are you afraid of water too?” Carl just shook his head, “Don’t want to get wet?” He nodded, “Okay, fine, stay over there.” I watched his shoulders slump and instantly felt guilty, “I’m not mad,” He tilted his head up a bit, “Yes I’m sure.” I smiled when he perked up and went back to being my loyal guard dog.
I spread my arms up and out, ready to catch the next burst of wind when I heard Carl growl. He was down in a crouch, ready, waiting for something. I crossed the beach and stood behind him. I strained my ears to try and hear what he could hear. When the sound of moaning reached me I saw a massive hoard rise and stand on the edge of the cliffs surrounding the beach.
We were cornered and I was the idiot who’d put down her shotgun.
We had managed to fight our way out of the city and had went South ending up somewhere in Georgia. There had been rumors passed around via radio that there were evacuation stations all throughout the South. Locating them would be easy. The hard part was living long enough to get there. The Infected, they were mutating further. I could see it in Carl. He’d always been more athletic than I could ever hope to be before but his strength had been steadily increasing over the past few weeks. It had been somewhat humorous when he’d underestimated his own strength and over shot a building, but then it was horrifying because it had been a long ass drop.
“Hear anything?” I asked.
Carl went into a crouch and then completely still. His head turn slowly to the right and then to the left. He shook his head. Nothing was coming. Walked over to the edge of the water, shoes in hand in case a quick getaway was needed, and let the water lap at my feet. It was refreshing. The little pebbles between my toes were washed away and my toes were free to wiggle without interference. I walked out a little further into the water until it was just below my knees. I wanted to just dive into the water to escape the harsh beating of the sun’s rays against me, but I didn’t have anything to else to change into and fighting zombies while wet was no more fun than fighting them dry. Besides, I knew Carl would freak if I disappeared from his sight.
I motioned for him to join me but he just shook his head. “What? Are you afraid of water too?” Carl just shook his head, “Don’t want to get wet?” He nodded, “Okay, fine, stay over there.” I watched his shoulders slump and instantly felt guilty, “I’m not mad,” He tilted his head up a bit, “Yes I’m sure.” I smiled when he perked up and went back to being my loyal guard dog.
I spread my arms up and out, ready to catch the next burst of wind when I heard Carl growl. He was down in a crouch, ready, waiting for something. I crossed the beach and stood behind him. I strained my ears to try and hear what he could hear. When the sound of moaning reached me I saw a massive hoard rise and stand on the edge of the cliffs surrounding the beach.
We were cornered and I was the idiot who’d put down her shotgun.
Left 4 Dead 2
After an intense waiting period, Left 4 Dead 2 has finally been released. In my excitement my hands can no longer sit still. They have been shaking since 11:59 last night. In true fangirl form, I have downloaded both the TV trailer and the leaked Zombie Survival Guide trailer, which both now call my iPod home. I have watched both at least five times now.
My only downer about this day is that, with no money, I will not be able to get the game until around mid-December for my birthday. This extra month long waiting period will probably kill me. I will go on as if I myself am an Infected. My stumbling, corpse like body will live as if on auto-piliot. The only cure or my disease will be when my mom or dad hands me my on copy of Left 4 Dead 2.
I'm most excited and scared by the Spitter. She so freaky looking yet so cool at the same time.
My only downer about this day is that, with no money, I will not be able to get the game until around mid-December for my birthday. This extra month long waiting period will probably kill me. I will go on as if I myself am an Infected. My stumbling, corpse like body will live as if on auto-piliot. The only cure or my disease will be when my mom or dad hands me my on copy of Left 4 Dead 2.
I'm most excited and scared by the Spitter. She so freaky looking yet so cool at the same time.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Surviving with Carl
I don’t know where he came from or how he found me, but he did. Carl wasn’t like the others. He was gentler, kinder, them. They would have torn me limb from limb and devoured my flesh. He didn’t seem interested in that at all. He did have a temper and an attitude but with the right tone of voice I could keep him in check. I was often met with a growl if I gave him an order. I learned quickly not to back down because he would listen if I held long enough.
It was hard figuring out how we were going to eat. I just wanted food while he had an insatiable hunger for meat of any kind. Most of the grocery stores and such had been looted a long time ago. The once fluorescently lit buildings were now dark and dingy. Shelves laid overturn like giant, elaborate dominos. Remnants of their former contents strewn about on the dirt caked floor. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to look, to take a chance.
I stock up on ammo, health packs, and pain pills before even thinking about opening the door to our safe house. It was a room I’d found in some building a while back. The door was thick and heavy and kept me in while keeping everything else out. Carl stayed in the safe house with me. I know it sounds crazy to lock yourself in a room with a zombie, but after said zombie saves your life, stands guard outside of your door to make sure you’re okay, and runs away to go hunting so that he won’t eat you, I think it’s alright to let him in.
It had taken a while before I was able to sleep peacefully knowing Carl was around. He wasn’t one of the undead zombies of fantasy and fiction that I had grown up loving and fearing. Carl was the result of some kind of chemical war apocalypse that I had survived for whatever reason God wanted me to. He was what was an infected. There were millions of people that were infected after the incident but a small percent of them changed the way Carl did. He was what known as a hunter, a type of special infected. Besides the Common Infected, which were just angry, bloody people, Hunters were the most human. Carl, like most other hunters, no longer had eyes but empty sockets of dried blood, and his fingers and nails had been morphed into semi-long claws for weapons. Carl’s hands were permanently blood stained. A reminder of what he could do to me if he wanted to.
With a grunt Carl opened the safe house door for me and held it open. I whispered a quiet “Thank you,” as a passed by him. The metal door grated against the ground with an earsplitting tune as he closed the door. He winced. I knew the sound was murder to him. With no eyesight he relied on all his other senses to know what was around him. The lock snapped into place with a clang when the door was completely shut. We were ready to go.
Carl kneeled down in front of me so that could catch a ride piggyback-style like I always did. He could jump, run, scale buildings a thousand times better than I could, so he carried me to save time and to get our errands done faster. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms hooked under my knees. Carl turned his head to look back at me. ‘Are you ready?’ he was asking.
“I’m good to go.” I told him. He nodded. Every modified muscle in his body tensed and I held on tighter as he prepared to jump. The first time we did this had, for lack of better words, scared the shit out of me. Flying through the air attached to a hunter is one of the most scarring, horrible, fantastic, funnest things I have ever done. The sensation of being whipped around was a mix of falling in a nightmare and riding the biggest rollercoaster in the park. It was no different this time. The pounding wind against my face forced me to close my eyes and block the dead moon of the night from my sight. “Find the nearest store,” I yelled, “Any store. I just need to find food.”
I felt him change directions so I held on tighter not wanting to fall off. The wind threaded in and out of my ears, muffling most sound, but I could still hear the gravel under Carl’s feet as he landed and ran across roof tops. There was the occasional moan and growl of the Infected in the streets beneath us. Even if there was food down there, it was not worth the fight it would take to get to it.
There was a long decent and then Carl stopped. We’d reached our destination. I slid off his back and stumbled, trying to regain my land legs. Carl’s hand gripped the top of my arm and released me when I was balanced again. I checked all the equipment to make sure that none of it had fallen off. Satisfied with my packing skills and started to walk towards the decrepit store that Carl had found. Before I even crossed the threshold he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. “What? What’s-“Carl placed his hand over my mouth to keep me from talking and held up his other hand to his ear. So I listened.
There was sobbing. It was blood chilling cry that sang of loss, despair, and the end of the world. It was the cry of a witch.
It was hard figuring out how we were going to eat. I just wanted food while he had an insatiable hunger for meat of any kind. Most of the grocery stores and such had been looted a long time ago. The once fluorescently lit buildings were now dark and dingy. Shelves laid overturn like giant, elaborate dominos. Remnants of their former contents strewn about on the dirt caked floor. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to look, to take a chance.
I stock up on ammo, health packs, and pain pills before even thinking about opening the door to our safe house. It was a room I’d found in some building a while back. The door was thick and heavy and kept me in while keeping everything else out. Carl stayed in the safe house with me. I know it sounds crazy to lock yourself in a room with a zombie, but after said zombie saves your life, stands guard outside of your door to make sure you’re okay, and runs away to go hunting so that he won’t eat you, I think it’s alright to let him in.
It had taken a while before I was able to sleep peacefully knowing Carl was around. He wasn’t one of the undead zombies of fantasy and fiction that I had grown up loving and fearing. Carl was the result of some kind of chemical war apocalypse that I had survived for whatever reason God wanted me to. He was what was an infected. There were millions of people that were infected after the incident but a small percent of them changed the way Carl did. He was what known as a hunter, a type of special infected. Besides the Common Infected, which were just angry, bloody people, Hunters were the most human. Carl, like most other hunters, no longer had eyes but empty sockets of dried blood, and his fingers and nails had been morphed into semi-long claws for weapons. Carl’s hands were permanently blood stained. A reminder of what he could do to me if he wanted to.
With a grunt Carl opened the safe house door for me and held it open. I whispered a quiet “Thank you,” as a passed by him. The metal door grated against the ground with an earsplitting tune as he closed the door. He winced. I knew the sound was murder to him. With no eyesight he relied on all his other senses to know what was around him. The lock snapped into place with a clang when the door was completely shut. We were ready to go.
Carl kneeled down in front of me so that could catch a ride piggyback-style like I always did. He could jump, run, scale buildings a thousand times better than I could, so he carried me to save time and to get our errands done faster. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms hooked under my knees. Carl turned his head to look back at me. ‘Are you ready?’ he was asking.
“I’m good to go.” I told him. He nodded. Every modified muscle in his body tensed and I held on tighter as he prepared to jump. The first time we did this had, for lack of better words, scared the shit out of me. Flying through the air attached to a hunter is one of the most scarring, horrible, fantastic, funnest things I have ever done. The sensation of being whipped around was a mix of falling in a nightmare and riding the biggest rollercoaster in the park. It was no different this time. The pounding wind against my face forced me to close my eyes and block the dead moon of the night from my sight. “Find the nearest store,” I yelled, “Any store. I just need to find food.”
I felt him change directions so I held on tighter not wanting to fall off. The wind threaded in and out of my ears, muffling most sound, but I could still hear the gravel under Carl’s feet as he landed and ran across roof tops. There was the occasional moan and growl of the Infected in the streets beneath us. Even if there was food down there, it was not worth the fight it would take to get to it.
There was a long decent and then Carl stopped. We’d reached our destination. I slid off his back and stumbled, trying to regain my land legs. Carl’s hand gripped the top of my arm and released me when I was balanced again. I checked all the equipment to make sure that none of it had fallen off. Satisfied with my packing skills and started to walk towards the decrepit store that Carl had found. Before I even crossed the threshold he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. “What? What’s-“Carl placed his hand over my mouth to keep me from talking and held up his other hand to his ear. So I listened.
There was sobbing. It was blood chilling cry that sang of loss, despair, and the end of the world. It was the cry of a witch.
Pink or Blue
Krista kept the knob turned as she shut the door to the bathroom. There was no sound except for the click of the knob as she let go and the drumming of her heartbeat in her ears. She didn’t want to be near it. She didn’t want to be near the little stick that would tell her her future in 3-to-5 minutes. Her lower lip was raw from where she had been chewing on it for the past hour or so.
Even her foot steps were silent as she crossed the room to her bed. The springs of the mattress screamed under her weight when she finally sat down. Krista looked down as her hands and noticed they were shaking violently. Trying to choke back a sob, she shoved them under her armpits. Her ebony hair fell in a thick curtain around her face, hiding her tears from the world.
God, what was she going to do? If she was…you know...her parents were going to kill her. If not that, they were going to at least disown her. Junior in college or not, she was still their baby and they thought of her as being as innocent as she was when she was ten. The fact that they hated Darius did not help. It didn’t matter that he’d made it through a childhood dramatic enough to be a Hallmark movie, he was smart and made good grades, or even the simple fact that he made her happy and treated her right. Her parents just couldn’t get over their princess falling in love with someone that was black. The stares they had given Darius when he came over for the first time were embarrassing. He still got antsy at the mention of her parents and refused to have anything to do with them. She couldn’t blame him.
How was she supposed to tell him? What would he do? Krista fell back onto her bed and curled up into a ball. Would Darius be the kind of guy that would leave her? She didn’t think so but there was no way to be one-hundred-percent sure. The though of being abandoned was horrifying. There was no way she could do this by herself. She could go on with her parents being upset with her, they would get over it eventually, but she didn’t want to see if she could make it without Darius. She loved him so much it hurt to imagine him not in her life.
BZZT! BZZT!
The vibrations of her phone pulsed through the mattress, shocking her out of her thoughts. She crawled over to the corner of the bed where her phone lay charging. The screen glowed and showed the words ‘1 New Message From: Wynter’. She pressed the button that would let her read the text message.
‘Have you told him yet?’
‘I don’t even know.’
‘How much longer?’
‘I don’t know…I’m scared.’
‘Darius is a good guy. He’ll d the right thing. If he doesn’t I’ll kick his butt. :P’
Krista couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. She smiled through her tears, knowing that there was at least one person that would be on her side throughout all of this.
‘I’m going to check now.’
Willing herself out of the bed, Krista made her way back to the bathroom door. She took a deep breath to try and calm her somersaulting stomach. Her right hand reached out to turn the knob while the other pushed lightly door. It glided open like some ethereal being. Her feet carried her to the sink counter where her destiny lay waiting. She couldn’t look. Eyes closed tight, Krista just stood there afraid. Afraid to face her future. Afraid of the disappointment and joy she might feel at either answer. A single drop of water fell from the faucet continuously, urging her to get it over with. “Look. Look. Look.” It chanted.
“I have to do this,” She thought, “I can’t just stand here forever,” Eyes still shut, she picked up the test and held it. She opened her eyes just a crack. Her eyes looked right past it, refusing to focus. “I can do this. I just have to look.” She did.
It was pink. It was positive. She was pregnant.
The feelings of despair and joy hit hard, making her feel dizzy. Her knees turned to mush and Krista had to kneel on the counter to keep from falling to the floor. She wanted to scream, to cry, to smile, but she couldn’t do anything. Her body was frozen against the marble. It was like her whole body just stopped. Her lungs and heart were just as confused as her brain and had forgotten how to function. The obnoxious tune of her cell phone ring-tone flipped her brain back on. She jerked up and stared at her bed through the doorway. Who was it? Should she answer it? Would they call back if she just let it ring? What if it was Darius? Would she be able to talk to him?
Her body seemed to think so since she had somehow managed to walk into the room without noticing. She was really out of it. Looking down she saw that it was her mother. There was no way Krista was going to talk to her right now. After a few more rings her phone went silent, the last few notes still echoing in her ears.
Once she was sure that there was no way her mother could over hear her, Krista picked up her phone and dialed Darius’ number. Lifting the phone to her ear, she tried to not hang up with each ring. Her throat went dry and she was considering saying she dialed his number on accident but he would know.
“Talk dirty to me,”
Krista rolled her eyes. This was the wrong time for Lance, Darius’ roommate, to decide to be funny. “Lance, give Darius his phone back.”
“Say the magic word,”
“Now,” Krista growled, her patience shortening with each second.
“Alright fine.” he huffed, “Dude, your girlfriend’s on the phone, and she sounds pissy.”
Krista could hear Darius in the background and her heart started to flutter in that familiar way that only he could make her feel. She could imagine the smile that was on his face right now, that goofy smile that he always had, his green eyes lighting up because she had called him. “Hey, Kris,”
“H-hey,” her voice was shaky and she cursed herself for it. Now he would know. There was no way he wouldn’t pick up on the distress that laced that one little word.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, the worry in his voice making her feel guilty. When she didn’t answer right away the panic in his tone increased, “Are you alright? What’s going on?”
“I-I’m fine.” Krista choked out, “I just…c-can you just come over I really need to talk to you.”
“Sure. I’ll be over there in a few. Love you,”
“Love you too. Bye”
“Bye,”
Krista pressed the end-call button on her phone and waited. Time passed by her but she didn’t notice. She sat in comatose state on her bed as it hit her. She might be about to ruin the life of the man she loved forever. Their love was strong but was it strong enough?
There was a knock at her front door and she jumped up. She flung open the door. Darius stood there, the top of his head barely missing the top of the doorway and a worried look on his face. Krista stepped back so that he could enter. She closed the door as silently as she could. There were no words spoken between them. Krista pressed her forehead to the door but she could feel his gaze at the back of her neck. When she turned around she found herself in his arms and unable to hold back her tears any longer. He lead her to the couch and let her cry until she couldn’t anymore. Her hand slipped into his. It looked tiny compared to his. The pale, milky hue of her hand contrasted greatly against the rich, caramel color of his. It was comforting being next to him. The stress she had been feeling earlier had lifted and she relaxed as he stroked her hair.
“I have something really important to tell you. I hope you don’t hate me for it.” Darius squeezed her hand softly, wanting to comfort her and reassure her that he could never hate her. “How would you feel about an addition to our relation ship?” She lifted her head from its resting spot on his chest.
The puzzled look on Darius’ face was no surprise. She felt him tense up as he tried to process what she had just said, “What?”
“There’s going to be somebody else and they’re going to be here soon,”
“Now waita second,”
“In about nine months or so,”
All the color in Darius’ face flushed away. The silence between them was so thick Krista could hear the clock ticking next door. She laced her fingers between his and when he didn’t respond back she panicked. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have told you yet. This is all a big mistake.”
Krista moved to get up but Darius wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head. He never did let go of her hand.
“Don’t say your sorry,” he whispered, “It’s not your fault. We did this together. Besides…” Krista looked up at him and was surprised to see that he was smiling down at her. goofy grin and all. “It’s not like I wasn’t hoping it would happen. I was just thinking later instead of sooner.”
Krista just stared at him. She was overwhelmed by the relief and love she felt at that moment. She said nothing and just rested her head on his chest. Both of their phones went off but they ignored them. They just wanted to be alone. Just the three of them.
Even her foot steps were silent as she crossed the room to her bed. The springs of the mattress screamed under her weight when she finally sat down. Krista looked down as her hands and noticed they were shaking violently. Trying to choke back a sob, she shoved them under her armpits. Her ebony hair fell in a thick curtain around her face, hiding her tears from the world.
God, what was she going to do? If she was…you know...her parents were going to kill her. If not that, they were going to at least disown her. Junior in college or not, she was still their baby and they thought of her as being as innocent as she was when she was ten. The fact that they hated Darius did not help. It didn’t matter that he’d made it through a childhood dramatic enough to be a Hallmark movie, he was smart and made good grades, or even the simple fact that he made her happy and treated her right. Her parents just couldn’t get over their princess falling in love with someone that was black. The stares they had given Darius when he came over for the first time were embarrassing. He still got antsy at the mention of her parents and refused to have anything to do with them. She couldn’t blame him.
How was she supposed to tell him? What would he do? Krista fell back onto her bed and curled up into a ball. Would Darius be the kind of guy that would leave her? She didn’t think so but there was no way to be one-hundred-percent sure. The though of being abandoned was horrifying. There was no way she could do this by herself. She could go on with her parents being upset with her, they would get over it eventually, but she didn’t want to see if she could make it without Darius. She loved him so much it hurt to imagine him not in her life.
BZZT! BZZT!
The vibrations of her phone pulsed through the mattress, shocking her out of her thoughts. She crawled over to the corner of the bed where her phone lay charging. The screen glowed and showed the words ‘1 New Message From: Wynter’. She pressed the button that would let her read the text message.
‘Have you told him yet?’
‘I don’t even know.’
‘How much longer?’
‘I don’t know…I’m scared.’
‘Darius is a good guy. He’ll d the right thing. If he doesn’t I’ll kick his butt. :P’
Krista couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. She smiled through her tears, knowing that there was at least one person that would be on her side throughout all of this.
‘I’m going to check now.’
Willing herself out of the bed, Krista made her way back to the bathroom door. She took a deep breath to try and calm her somersaulting stomach. Her right hand reached out to turn the knob while the other pushed lightly door. It glided open like some ethereal being. Her feet carried her to the sink counter where her destiny lay waiting. She couldn’t look. Eyes closed tight, Krista just stood there afraid. Afraid to face her future. Afraid of the disappointment and joy she might feel at either answer. A single drop of water fell from the faucet continuously, urging her to get it over with. “Look. Look. Look.” It chanted.
“I have to do this,” She thought, “I can’t just stand here forever,” Eyes still shut, she picked up the test and held it. She opened her eyes just a crack. Her eyes looked right past it, refusing to focus. “I can do this. I just have to look.” She did.
It was pink. It was positive. She was pregnant.
The feelings of despair and joy hit hard, making her feel dizzy. Her knees turned to mush and Krista had to kneel on the counter to keep from falling to the floor. She wanted to scream, to cry, to smile, but she couldn’t do anything. Her body was frozen against the marble. It was like her whole body just stopped. Her lungs and heart were just as confused as her brain and had forgotten how to function. The obnoxious tune of her cell phone ring-tone flipped her brain back on. She jerked up and stared at her bed through the doorway. Who was it? Should she answer it? Would they call back if she just let it ring? What if it was Darius? Would she be able to talk to him?
Her body seemed to think so since she had somehow managed to walk into the room without noticing. She was really out of it. Looking down she saw that it was her mother. There was no way Krista was going to talk to her right now. After a few more rings her phone went silent, the last few notes still echoing in her ears.
Once she was sure that there was no way her mother could over hear her, Krista picked up her phone and dialed Darius’ number. Lifting the phone to her ear, she tried to not hang up with each ring. Her throat went dry and she was considering saying she dialed his number on accident but he would know.
“Talk dirty to me,”
Krista rolled her eyes. This was the wrong time for Lance, Darius’ roommate, to decide to be funny. “Lance, give Darius his phone back.”
“Say the magic word,”
“Now,” Krista growled, her patience shortening with each second.
“Alright fine.” he huffed, “Dude, your girlfriend’s on the phone, and she sounds pissy.”
Krista could hear Darius in the background and her heart started to flutter in that familiar way that only he could make her feel. She could imagine the smile that was on his face right now, that goofy smile that he always had, his green eyes lighting up because she had called him. “Hey, Kris,”
“H-hey,” her voice was shaky and she cursed herself for it. Now he would know. There was no way he wouldn’t pick up on the distress that laced that one little word.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, the worry in his voice making her feel guilty. When she didn’t answer right away the panic in his tone increased, “Are you alright? What’s going on?”
“I-I’m fine.” Krista choked out, “I just…c-can you just come over I really need to talk to you.”
“Sure. I’ll be over there in a few. Love you,”
“Love you too. Bye”
“Bye,”
Krista pressed the end-call button on her phone and waited. Time passed by her but she didn’t notice. She sat in comatose state on her bed as it hit her. She might be about to ruin the life of the man she loved forever. Their love was strong but was it strong enough?
There was a knock at her front door and she jumped up. She flung open the door. Darius stood there, the top of his head barely missing the top of the doorway and a worried look on his face. Krista stepped back so that he could enter. She closed the door as silently as she could. There were no words spoken between them. Krista pressed her forehead to the door but she could feel his gaze at the back of her neck. When she turned around she found herself in his arms and unable to hold back her tears any longer. He lead her to the couch and let her cry until she couldn’t anymore. Her hand slipped into his. It looked tiny compared to his. The pale, milky hue of her hand contrasted greatly against the rich, caramel color of his. It was comforting being next to him. The stress she had been feeling earlier had lifted and she relaxed as he stroked her hair.
“I have something really important to tell you. I hope you don’t hate me for it.” Darius squeezed her hand softly, wanting to comfort her and reassure her that he could never hate her. “How would you feel about an addition to our relation ship?” She lifted her head from its resting spot on his chest.
The puzzled look on Darius’ face was no surprise. She felt him tense up as he tried to process what she had just said, “What?”
“There’s going to be somebody else and they’re going to be here soon,”
“Now waita second,”
“In about nine months or so,”
All the color in Darius’ face flushed away. The silence between them was so thick Krista could hear the clock ticking next door. She laced her fingers between his and when he didn’t respond back she panicked. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have told you yet. This is all a big mistake.”
Krista moved to get up but Darius wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head. He never did let go of her hand.
“Don’t say your sorry,” he whispered, “It’s not your fault. We did this together. Besides…” Krista looked up at him and was surprised to see that he was smiling down at her. goofy grin and all. “It’s not like I wasn’t hoping it would happen. I was just thinking later instead of sooner.”
Krista just stared at him. She was overwhelmed by the relief and love she felt at that moment. She said nothing and just rested her head on his chest. Both of their phones went off but they ignored them. They just wanted to be alone. Just the three of them.
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