Ambrosia

Claire and Tom were walking silently through the tunnels. It was like an underground city now, over the course of the evacuations. Burrowed homes that reminded the two of “hobbit houses” were in rows down the long passage. People made it a lifestyle to live in the dark. As Claire observed the people walking around her, she sighed, looking down. Tom looked over inquisitively.

“All right?” he asked in a hush tone.

“I’m worried about Allison and Jamie,” Claire mumbled loud enough for only Tom to hear. Anyone could be watching.

“They’re tough. They’ll do alright out there. They’re strong and have each other. Plus, they’re probably on the move like us, and can’t be traced. They’ve got each other like arse about face,” he laughed.

“You know that Jason guy is after them!” Claire shook her head.

“That’s rather blatant, if you ask me.”

“What if he were to get hold of them and…--“

“Belt up!” Tom exclaimed, “It’s your talking like that, which can easily begin thinking on worst case scenarios like that! You don’t want to be too blinkered about situations like that. They’re strong, they can handle it.”

Claire was getting oddly more nervous, sighing and looking down, “Whatever,” she then stopped herself, leaning against the wall.

Tom stopped several steps ahead, looking back at her sympathetically. He wasn’t sure what to say at first, but then shrugged, “Look, I know we’ve been down here for more than a bloody month now… we’re both getting dim with our situation.”

Claire looked up at him silently for a long moment, “You don’t know how hard it is, do you?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been with you the entire time!”

“Has there ever been someone you’ve been infatuated with?”

“Infatuated…” he mused for a moment, “I can’t say I’ve ever really fancied anyone in a while.”

“You wouldn’t understand then,” she closed her eyes.

“Claire, just try to explain to me what exactly has been bothering you this entire time.”

“It’s a complicated matter, I’ll talk about it later,” Claire shifted her feet, beginning to move.

“No, stay here and talk,” Tom pushed her against the wall gently.

Claire stared for a long moment in silence, unsure what to say as he stared back. She felt her hand shake slightly as she pursed her lips, looking down. Tom watched her quietly and noticed her nervous charisma. He felt himself grow warmth inside, his cheeks flushing slightly. As his hands pinned her arms back against the wall, he could feel she gave no strength into them. He slowly let go, her arms dropping to her sides as she fell still. She kept her face low.

“Claire…” Tom began, unsure what to say after. His hand moved up and rested against her cheekbone, tilting her head up again, “tell me what the matter is.”

Claire was completely speechless. She wasn’t sure how to begin herself. Tom couldn’t wait much longer. He felt his lip quiver, and his hands were growing impatient. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t control himself—or how he could control himself before—his hands moving down against her neck, resting and holding her head up as he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers gently.

Claire’s eyes immediately filled with tears as she kissed him back gently, her arms embracing him slightly. As Tom then parted and watched her sodden eyes avert his, he rested his forehead against hers. He was well about four inches taller than her, but to Claire, it felt as though he towered over her.

“Please tell me what’s wrong…?” he whispered gently.

Claire shook her head against his, “The worst burden on a girl is to make her hide how she feels about someone. When they lose that power, it slowly destroys them.”

“I’m here, and I want to know how you feel,” he watched her.

Claire moved away for a moment, “Right now isn’t the right time though… our first priority is to try to get somewhere safer… and we need to reach Cleveland. Maybe we’ll find Jamie and Allison there.”

Tom ineptly moved back, unsure what to say. He wasn’t sure if he was discomfited or disconcerted. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he smiled faintly, “Come on, Claire,” he laughed slightly as he began to walk, motioning her to follow.

As the hours passed, the tunnels got darker. Watching around themselves, they searched for any light that they could find. Soon, Tom flinched, looking up.

“Up there!” he exclaimed, “There’s a manhole!”

Claire looked up quickly and saw it herself as well. She smiled lightly as she felt around for a ladder. As the two scrambled to find their support, Claire finally grabbed a metal bar on the side of the shaft. Quickly, she began climbing up, Tom behind her. When the two exited, they noticed that it was sunrise. They began to walk quickly toward the northern roads.

As time passed, the two started to get a bit slower from exhaustion. Claire shook her head as she coughed, “I can’t walk anymore for a while.”

Tom pursed his lip, “We can’t go on longer like this… damn.”

When they walked through a small town, Claire leaned up against the side of a building, “It’s going to be dark soon. We really need to find a place to stay.”

Tom agreed, nodding as he began to look around. The sound of something smashing was heard several blocks away. Both Claire and Tom flinched, looking forward. There was nothing in site.

“..What do you reckon it was?” Tom whispered.

Claire stood still, “Hell if I know…”

The sound continued again, behind them. Both turned quickly, looking around. Claire started to get more apprehensive, her knees shaking slightly, as if she would break into a run.

“Stay calm, Claire—“

“This isn’t a situation to stay calm in!” she snapped.

“Claire Morningstar and Tom Rolland… what a surprise,” a voice spoke lowly from behind them once again.

Both turned, seeing nothing once more. They backed up against the side of the building. They looked at each other briefly before looking back around themselves. A figure appeared across the street, looking at them with bright, blue eyes. He slowly walked toward them, a hood over his face. Claire’s hand slid across Tom’s grabbing it slightly, nervously.

As the figure stopped directly in front of them, his long hair covering his face along with his hood, he sighed, looking up, “I haven’t seen you guys for a while, now haven’t I…”

Tom’s immediate reaction was that it was a Tantalus, his eyes noticing the dark blue tints around his neck. He gripped Claire’s hand, reaching for his gun.

“Don’t even,” the man firmly spoke. He lifted his hood, moving his hair out of the way, revealing a familiar, yet pale face. Jamie Fuller. Tom’s eyes widened as he let go of Claire’s hand. She was just as surprised as he was.

“I can’t talk long about what happened, I knew I was a infected from the start… I just couldn’t tell anyone. You have to help me though… Allison’s in trouble…”

Tom and Claire nodded quickly as they stepped forward.

Jamie was sitting at the edge of chair, watching the snow fall from the window. He was tapping his finger on the coffee table in front of him, his eyes moving from each direction. He was biting his lip frequently as he kept his feet crossed.

Time was running short, and he knew that Jason would do all that he could to make Allison suffer. It’s been over three days now, and he hasn’t heard back from Tom or Claire…

As he continued to wait, he began to stare at the ceiling. He shook his head, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but begin to think of the worst case scenario. He could see it run through his head… He could see her suffering… the things that Jason would be doing…

“STOP IT!” he suddenly screamed, jumping up. He stood there, breathing heavily as he looked to the chair he sat in. He wiped his head, trying to stay calm… whenever something was not going his way… he’d get angry. It was the side effect of becoming infected. He heard the sound of a stifled cough outside the house. His eyes widened as he quickly turned, seeing both Claire and Tom, holding Allison between them, her arms around their shoulders. She looked breathless and injured. She must have been malnourished and exhausted. Her eyes were pale.

Jamie quickly ran out the door, heading toward them, and breathed heavily as he stared at Allison’s somber eyes. He walked forward to her, his gentle hands shaping her cheeks. He shook his head as tears fell from his cheeks.

“Don’t ever leave again… I can’t afford to lose you,” he whispered to her as she shook her head; she herself was crying.

They all took Allison inside, laying her in Jamie’s bed that he had been sleeping in. She was so stunned from all that has happened in the past few days, she couldn’t think straight. Claire and Tom were sitting together on a couch downstairs, quietly finishing off some food they had eaten. Jamie had finished bringing Allison food and then cleaning off her plates in the sink. He returned to the upstairs hallway, outside her room. He stood outside her door for a long moment, unsure what to say or do. He wondered what would happen; they were in Ohio now; in the very home that Allison lived at 3 years before. But still, things were worrying to him. He couldn’t get the worry out of his mind about how Allison was feeling.

”What happens when a Tantalus gets a human pregnant, Jamie..."

These words repeated in Jamie’s head over and over again. He wasn’t sure what to think. Allison was only 16 and was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant, but she was having a baby that was infected. If she was pregnant with his child… and people get infected by seminal fluids, than she, herself, was infected as well. This was all his fault; that’s all that he could think. He felt his heart breaking. He was turning her into something she was trying to avoid. He was killing her slowly with a cursed seed within her. If he hadn’t taken things so drastically that night when they…

He was over thinking things too much. He had to talk to her, maybe she thought differently. But how could she? She was the one that was affected by this situation. She had to be thinking worse things than he was. How could he know the pain she was going through? He only wanted to show her how much he loved her that night, and now she’s paying for his decision.

He slowly reached for the door, but stopped himself. He couldn’t bare talk to her now. He was afraid. He was afraid to hear her say what would break his heart.

I hate you. I never want to see you again.”

He constantly heard this in the back of his head, concluding that this is what she would say to him eventually in time. He knew he went too far into their relationship… he took things too fast… but he wasn’t sure how long he’d survive. He wanted to prove his love before his time ended.

“Jamie,” a voice within the room spoke softly.

Jamie looked up, blinking. He reached for the handle, slowly opening the door. He stared at Allison who was lying on the bed quietly. This is the first she had talked since she had gotten back. She stared at him with bloodshot eyes. Despite her unkempt appearance, she was still mesmerizing.

“Don’t leave. I need you to know something,” Allison spoke quietly.

Jamie nodded, walking toward her, “What’s wrong?”

Allison held a hand up, simply wishing for Jamie to grab hold of it. Jamie did as she hoped, grabbing it, wondering if he was to help her up, but she pulled him down quickly, making him kneel beside her. She stared at him for a long moment as she breathed in.

“Jamie,” she spoke again.

“What’s bothering you?” he whispered.

“I think I know what the answer to the cure is.”

Jamie stood in silence, his eyes widened.