by Lilly Black
Reid approached his mother cautiously, and though she was too interested in consuming Kenny to be bothered by her son, he wasn't willing to abandon her. He didn't know what she had become, not even when he noticed the bite marks on the back of her left arm where the sleeve of her nightgown had been ripped away.
"Mom," he repeated, but when he reached out to touch her, she only groaned and continued feasting.
"More are coming!" Amina shouted suddenly.
He glanced over his shoulder to see that three teenage boys were running down the street toward them. He tried once more to get through to his mother, but when she turned to face him, her eyes milky and vacant, flesh dangling from her teeth as she chewed, he realized if the much younger, more agile boys coming for him were like her, he would be quickly overwhelmed. Unwilling to leave her regardless of her strange, cannibalistic behavior, he decided to put her in the trunk and figure it out when they got somewhere safe. He yelled for Amina to pop the trunk.
"Come on, Mom," he said, grabbing her arm to get her to her feet, and when she stood, she grabbed back, her grip freakishly strong for her age and size. Then she tried to bite him. He pulled away, hurrying toward the car as she followed. He ran around the vehicle toward the back, hoping to shove her into the trunk when she caught up to him, and he was closely watching the three boys' approach from up the street all the while. He was not watching the opposite direction until an out-of-control SUV was suddenly barreling toward him just as his mother rounded the car.
"Mom, no!" he cried, but he couldn't get to her in time. The SUV plowed over the old woman.
"You're welcome!" the driver yelled back at Reid as he proceeded to charge at the boys, running them over, but it only slowed them down for a few seconds. They were soon back on their feet and their trajectory.
"Please hurry!" Amina cried, and he looked at his mother's crumpled body lying in the middle of the road and knew he couldn't leave her there. As he rushed over to scoop her up, she sprung to life, coming at him again, baring her bloodied teeth, and with the other infected only seconds away, he had to make a soul-crushing decision.
"I'm sorry," he breathed as he ran around the back of Kenny's car, closing the trunk before jumping into the driver's seat and locking the doors.
"Shit! The keys," he hissed.
"Kenny has them," Amina said, and Reid immediately set about hotwiring the engine as the boys caught up to them, climbing on the car and trying to bust through the windows. It took him a couple of long, tense minutes to get the wires stripped with his pocket knife while Amina stared through the windshield at the dead eyes and gnashing teeth of their pursuers, and when the car started, they both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Reid quickly slammed the gas pedal to the floor, knocking the boys off before he headed back toward his mother's house.
"Thank you," Amina said finally. "You saved my life."
"I think you just returned the favor," he said as he stared into the distance with his profound guilt written all over his face.
"It wasn't your fault," Amina said.
"Huh?"
"Your mother. You did what you had to do. She would understand," she said.
"I know. I just..." he trailed off, and Amina allowed him his moment of silence as they drove through the streets of the sleepy community, watching his mother's former neighbors chasing and assaulting each other in the streets between Kenny's house and hers. There weren't that many people out and about so late at night, but realizing that the problem would only grow when the sun came up, he drove right past his mother's house and down the hill toward the interstate.
Day 50
"Oh, God, Reid," Olivia whispered as she hugged her husband, happy tears freezing on her cheeks in the cold, dry, mountain air. "I never thought I'd see you again."
"I never thought I'd see you again either, baby," he said, holding her for a long moment, and though he hated to let go, there was someone else he had fought through a hundred miles of hungry corpses to get home to. "Where's Savvy? Please tell me she's okay."
"Savvy's fine," Olivia said as she gently pulled back from his embrace. "She's going to be so excited to see you. Why don't you go on in the lodge, and I'll call her down? I just have to take care of something at the gate, and I'll meet you two inside."
"Okay," he said, looking at her with a smile he couldn't control. He was just so happy to be home and find that his family was alive and well. "What about my other baby girl?"
"She's probably still in bed, but I know she's missed you."
"I've missed you all," he said, kissing her on the forehead and giving her one last squeeze before he headed up the road to the lodge. As she walked toward the guard house, Olivia called Savannah and asked her to get Evil and come to the lodge immediately, not telling her what surprise was waiting for them, then she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Inside, Alek stood frozen, his head hung, his eyes on the floor. He couldn't look at her because if he did, he wouldn't be able to say the words he knew he had to say. He had made her a promise he never thought he would have to keep, and now it was time to pay the piper.
"I'm happy for you," he lied. "I'll move my things into one of the empty trailers up the hill after my shift."
"Alek, you don't have to do that," she said.
"I said I would step aside if your husband came home. I don't want to cause you any problems, Liv. We'll just pretend it never happened."
"Pretend what never happened?" she demanded. "That you never helped me get through the toughest time in my life? That you never came in here and protected me and my daughter when we needed it the most? That you never had the patience of a saint with me even though you deserved far better than what I gave you? Alek, there's no way I can pretend those things never happened."
She walked over to him and lifting his chin, wanting him to look her in the eye as she got to the point.
"I don't want to lose you, Alek. I don't know what's going to happen, but I can't let you go because..." She paused, searching her brain for words she hadn't said out loud since she was teasing the cute Swedish exchange student in high school, and when they came to her, she had to gather the courage to say them. She looked up into his eyes, her own full of tears, and said, "Jag älskar dig, Aleksander."
Though her pronunciation was off, her words hit him hard, knocking all other thought completely out of his head. He had longed to hear her say she loved him, and now all that mattered was making sure she knew he felt the same.
"Jag älskar dig," he said back as he took her into his arms, kissing her deeply, and for a brief, beautiful moment, nothing mattered beyond the fact that they had finally shared the I love yous that had been on the tips of their tongues for weeks. But as they pulled away, reality came crashing down on both of them.
"I do, Olivia, more than you'll ever know, but we can't fool ourselves. It's never going to work," he said.
"We'll make it work. This isn't the old world. We no longer have the luxury of jealousy. Reid will have to understand."
"He's not going to understand, Liv. He's going to go straight to your room and get a shower, then he's going to want to make love to you because he's your husband, and that's what I'd do in his shoes. You're not mine anymore, and we both have to face that."
"I'll always be yours, Alek," she said sorrowfully. "Please don't do anything crazy. Just give me some time to talk to him and try to figure things out, okay? Please."
Alek paused for a long moment. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He just couldn't figure out how without coming off as angry and bitter as he felt, and because he loved her, he was compelled to try to make her happy even as his heart was breaking.
"Okay," he finally acquiesced.
"Okay," she echoed with a sad smile, squeezing his hand as if hanging on for dear life before forcing herself to let go, and after she left with no idea how she was going to make this work, it took every bit of willpower Alek had not to break down sobbing in front of Jax, who sat quietly at his post through the e
ntire conversation. Though deeply sympathetic, he had no idea what to say to his friend given the circumstances.
Olivia found Reid in the lodge sitting between his daughters on the couch, Savannah leaning on him, Evil rubbing her head against his. It made her smile to know that her girls were so happy, but when Savannah saw her mother, her face fell. They had both believed Reid was dead, and now they both felt guilty for embracing Alek. Just yesterday Savannah had given them her blessing, and she had done it to keep her mother occupied while she sprung Austin from the jail cell. Now, she feared that her decision was going to lead to her parents splitting up.
"Alright, ladies. I know Daddy missed us all very much, but I'll bet he really missed running water a lot, too," Olivia said with a wink as she approached them.
"Yeah, and she probably wants you to get rid of this while you're in there," Savannah said, tugging on Reid's beard.
"Hey, I kinda like it," he protested.
"That makes one of us," Savannah said, kissing him on the cheek as she stood. "Come on, Evie. I think Mommy and Daddy want some grownup time." Evil looked up at her and hesitated before giving Reid a quick lick on the face and hopping off the couch. As he watched them walk away, Olivia caught her daughter's eyes and mouthed the words, "don't worry." It made Savannah feel a little better but not much. She realized the best thing she could do for everyone right now was keep Alek distracted because no matter what her mother was feeling, he had to be the one who was suffering the most. Savannah liked Alek. She had come to see him as a father figure, and even though she was thrilled that her real father was home, she hated the idea of the pain that was causing Alek. Deciding it was time to tell him what she had learned from Austin last night, she went straight to the front gate.
Olivia caught up with Reid before he reached her room. Alek's things were in there, and she didn't want him to find out that way, so she made up a lie about the plumbing in the master bath and redirected him to the guest suite in their residence. It had been empty since they moved the extra trailers onto the property, though sometimes Savannah and her friends used it since three girls had trouble sharing one bathroom even in the apocalypse.
While Reid took a shower, Olivia retrieved some clothes and toiletries from her room, including scissors and a razor because that beard had to go, and when he got out, standing before her with a towel around his waist, she forgot all about the beard for a moment as she looked him up and down. He was just as incredible as he had always been, the hard life on the road not taking a bit away from his beautiful, masculine form.
He motioned for her to come to him, and knowing it would lead down a path she wasn't ready to follow, she shook her head and patted the seat of the vanity chair. Sitting down, he smiled, but as she began to trim away his beard, he felt a sense of loss because although his wife hated facial hair, not every woman felt that way. It reminded him that he and Olivia had a very difficult conversation ahead. Though he had been avoiding it because he had been so happy to see her, he could not hold off any longer. He wanted her, but there was no way he was going to allow himself to make love to his wife until he came clean about the things he had done as he made his way back to her. And he believed she had something to confess as well.
He took the scissors away from her, placing them on the counter and grabbing her hands.
"Liv, there's something I have to tell you," he began, standing to face her, his expression apologetic. "Baby, I've been going over how to tell you this in my head for the past month, and I still don't know how to do it. The first time, I knew you'd understand, but after that, I felt like you'd hate me. Then when I got here and saw who was at the front gate, I realized that maybe it wasn't going to be as hard as I thought."
"I don't understand what you're saying," she said.
"How long?" he asked.
"How long what?" she countered. Though she suspected she knew what he was getting at, the odd way he prefaced it gave her the option of playing dumb, and Reid realized he was going to have to spell it out.
"Come on, Olivia, Aleksander Hellström is at the gate. Please don't lie to me."
"What are you accusing me of?" she demanded.
"I'm not accusing you. I'm stating facts," he said, and as she stared at the floor, terrified of what was coming next, he lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "Even if he hadn't looked at me like he was already plotting my murder, I would have known. When I was declared dead, every man in here probably lined up to take my place, but he's the only one who would have had a chance with you. He's what you had to take care of at the gate, isn't he?" Reid paused, and when Olivia didn't respond, he added, "It's okay to admit that I'm right."
"I hate you," she whispered with a laugh as tears filled her eyes.
"I know you too well, my love," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
"I'm so sorry, Reid. I never meant..."
"Shhh," he breathed as he pulled her into his arms. "I know, baby. I know."
"What are we going to do?"
"Do you love him?" he asked, and she hesitantly nodded her head against his chest. "It's okay. I fell in love with her, too."
"What?" she asked, her tears stopping abruptly as she looked up at him.
"I didn't come here alone, Liv. I had travelling companions."
"What happened to them?" she asked.
"They're in John's house down in the lower ring. Did something happen to the Vincents?"
"They're fine. They moved to the inner ring," she said. "Why did you do that? Why did you leave them down there?"
"They're perfectly safe, and they can contact me if they need me." He indicated a walkie talkie laying atop his shirt on the counter. "I thought it would be best if you and I talked before I brought everyone in, and then when I got here and saw Hellström at the gate, I realized it was the right decision."
"Let me get this straight. You're saying that you've been fucking around on me, and since you saw some famous guy who fits my preferences at the gate, suddenly that makes what you've done okay?" she demanded, furiously pushing him away from her. She had played this scenario in her mind a hundred times when she couldn't accept that he was dead, and though learning that Reid also had a lover was the only way it ever worked out in her imagined simulations, now that she was faced with the reality of it, she couldn't believe how it was affecting her. Reid was just as surprised. He was supposed to be the jealous, irrational one.
"You did the same thing, Olivia," he reminded her.
"It's not the same thing! I thought you were dead!" she shouted.
"And the second I die, you just jump into bed with another man?" he demanded, her anger feeding his.
"That's not what happened! It took me weeks to even acknowledge that you were gone! I waited. Even in this fucking nightmare world where Alek was risking his life every day to take care of your wife and child, I waited! You want to know when I finally accepted that I needed to move on? Last fucking night, Reid! If you had shown up then, Alek and I never would have been intimate. And I'm guessing you probably could have been here yesterday, right? You could have been home with Savannah and me, but instead you were spending one last night with your whore because you knew coming here meant you'd have to give her up!"
Reid backed away. He didn't know what to say because she was right. He could have been there yesterday evening, but the closer they got to their destination, the more anxiety he could see in the eyes of the beautiful woman who was terrified of losing him at the end of their journey. So, he did spend one last night with her because everything was about to change no matter how they viewed it. And as he thought about that, he realized something.
"You're right," he admitted. "I risked one last night out on the road away from home for her, and now I'm glad I did."
"Excuse me?" Olivia demanded, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
"Baby, you didn't fall in love with Aleksander Hellström last night. That takes time, and if I had shown up before you consummated it, you might never have, then wher
e would we be?"
She looked up at him, confused.
"You love him. I love her."
"Are you... Are you breaking up with me?" she asked.
"No, Olivia. God! No," he said, taking her hand as he sat down in the chair before her. "I can't lose you, and if what I'm about to suggest means that I will, I'll break things off and never speak to her again. I need you to understand that. You're my wife, the mother of my child, my soul mate. But I just spent the last two months out in a world where my death was waiting around every corner. I've learned how fragile life is. I could be gone in a second, and strangely, I find it comforting to know that you would have someone to pick up the pieces if something happened to me. I love you, Olivia, but I don't need to possess you. I feel like we can make this work so nobody gets hurt."
"Are you saying we can keep them and stay together?"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because that's not very fair to either one of them," she said.
"This world's not fair to anybody anymore, but she's willing to try, and if Hellström loves you like I do, he'll be willing to try, too."
Olivia thought about it for a minute. It really was the perfect solution, but in these scenarios, Reid's other woman was a vague, faceless concept in the back of her mind. Now she was real, and Olivia was going to have to share her husband with her. It was a dismal state of affairs, but if she got to keep both Reid and Alek, she was willing to try.
"So, how would this work?" she asked. "Do they get to fuck each other on nights when we're together?"
Reid laughed. "That's really up to them, but I hope so. Wouldn't you feel less guilty if they did?"
"Yeah, I guess," she admitted. She didn't know if this was the right answer, but she suddenly felt a lot better about the whole situation. She just hoped Alek would accept it. Any scenario where she didn't lose him was better than the alternative. "But what if she gets pregnant?"
"She has an IUD," Reid said. "Listen, Liv. I don't want you to just go along with this. Think about it while I finish getting rid of this beard, then we can talk some more, okay?"