When the Sun Goes Down

I rolled a thick log to the small fire we had going to complete the circle of seats. We didn't have the luxury of a cushioned camping chair, but we at least had something to sit on. I sat down on the log and let out a deep breath. Ryan, Sean, Noah, Mama, Abby and I sat along the small fire, which was begining to die. I would be the one to get more sticks, but that could always wait a few minutes. We all turned our eyes to the path when the van came rolling up.

Romeo, Murphy and Connor had gone out in search for a camping store. From the canoe sitting on top of the van, I could tell that they had success in finding one. They quickly turned it off before emerging from within the thin metal. I got to my feet and watched as they began pulling things from the van. I gave a quick stretch before saying, "I'm goin' for some firewood. I'll be right back."

I waved toward the boys before disappearing into the woods. I placed a hand on my hip, making sure I was ready in case one of the infected made their presence known. I whistled quietly to myself as I went around picking up firewood. That was the blessing of being in the forest; we had enough wood to last a lifetime. I continued to pick up pieces of broken off wood before the crackling of leaves caught my attention. I turned where I thought I heard it and froze.

I couldn't drop what was in my hands; that would create more noise and pin point my location. Yet then again, I couldn't quite reach for my gun either. I let out a cry when heavy hands landed on my shoulder. The wood that was once in my arms crumbled to the floor, forcing a much louder noise. I wasted no time in reaching my forty caliber hand gun and pulling it out. I spun to face my accuser, but froze when Ryan stood in my way.

"You're as jumpy as the Irish fuck."He scoffed.

"What do you want, Ryan?"I felt my heart begin to slow.

I slowly lowered my weapon, but kept it out in fear that he would try to pull a quick one. He seemed to be very conniving and I couldn't stand it. I was a Detective, but I also knew certain sides of dangerous people. The interrogation rooms we had taught you a lot about people's personalities and ticks. Ryan seemed to be hiding something, but he was very good at keeping it hidden. I swallowed hard as he took a close step in my direction.

"Why would you come out into the woods, alone, might I add?"He smirked.

"I came for firewood. Didn't I announce it loud enough?"I spat."Now get to goin' 'cause I'm finished here."

"We aren't finished at all."His hand barely grazed my shoulder when I flipped.

I took a tight hold on his wrist and twisted it, forcing a hurt expression to instantly spread across his face.

"Don't you fuckin' touch me you son of a bitch."I glared.

"You can let go."He grunted.

I kept him steady for a few more minutes before releasing his wrist. He rubbed it carefully before giving me an angry glare. I reached down for the wood once more, but was quickly stopped. Ryan had taken a tight hold on my arms, throwing me roughly into the tree behind me. I let out a cry for help and rose my gun to his head. His reflexes were quick, though, because he had grabbed my wrist and pushed it up against the tree. The pressure forced me to drop my gun and leave me unarmed.

"Hel -"My cries were stopped as he pressed a hand to my lips.

I brought my leg up quickly, hoping I could get him in the groin, but he leaned up hard against me. When he released my wrist, I swung it down, hitting him directly in the eye. He pulled away for only a second, but a second was all I needed to escape. I quickly let my feet run me toward the camp, but I didn't make it far at all. I grunted as Ryan tackled me into the dry leaves. My face glided painfully against the floor, forcing me to get a mouthful of dirt and leaves.

I spit it out as fast as I could before crying out for help again. Ryan's fingers curled into my tank top as he rolled me onto my back. Loudly, I screamed, "Mama! Noah! Help me! Hel -"

Ryan clenched a tight fist and threw it down into my jaw. My eyes instantly watered and I brought my hands to my face. I tried to kick him away, but through his anger, he hit down on my right knee. I cried out once again, but this time in sheer pain. I was a trained Detective, but when it came down to men who really knew how to get down and dirty, I was stuck. I never went out alone if the situation was that dangerous. This would be a situation where I wish I had my tazer.

"Get off!"Ryan gripped my chin angrily and glared down into my eyes.

"Shutup!"He growled."Shutup, shutup, shutup!"

There was the swift crackling of the leaves once more, but Ryan never heard it. I was honestly hoping that one of the infected had heard the commotion and came for dinner. I would rather be eaten alive than go through what Ryan had in store for me. Ryan brushed his lips against my cheek, whispering how beautiful and sleek I was to him. My vision blurred every new second as tears continued to well up in my eyes. I waited for him to continue and finish his job.

I watched as a blurry, black figure came into view. I waited for them to fall over and push their mouth into the nape of Ryan's neck for food, but what came next simply shocked me. Ryan let out a cry of pain as a hard, painful fist hit him in his temple. Ryan rolled off of me and looked up at the angry man. I brought my hands to my eyes and wiped away my tears. I was simply shocked to see Murphy in the woods, fighting off Ryan. I swallowed hard as he guided his large boot into Ryan's chest.

He toppled over in pain and tried to catch his breath. Murphy stepped forward, raising his fist in the air. Loudly, he shouted, "Ya think ya can get away with this shit?!"

He swung his fist down again, forcing Ryan to fall to his side. Blood dripped from his split lips as he tried to explain himself.

"Rapin' a woman?!"I had never seen Murphy get so angry before.

Murphy kicked Ryan in the stomach before kneeling down next to him. His fist was red, but I wasn't sure if it was Ryan's blood or if it was bruising. I pushed myself to a seated position and wiped at my eyes once more. I wanted to catch every bit of Ryan's ass whooping before I scrambled to my feet. Murphy let Ryan have one more punch before he growled, "I should shoot ya now. I should make sure ya suffer like ya were gonna make Adrienne suffer."

I swallowed hard and slid away from the two. I was slightly intimidated by Murphy's anger. He was such a sweet and caring man. I never would have expected him to be so violent.

"I ever see ya even look at Adrienne or Ma, I will fuckin' kill ya."Murphy turned in my direction and the hardness in his eyes instantly went soft.

Ryan spit into the ground as he tried to catch his breath. Murphy made his way to my side before cupping my face lightly in his hands. I whimpered under the soft touch, knowing that where Ryan had hit would surely bruise.

"Are ya okay, Adrienne? Did he do anythin' to ya?"His whispers were so soft and caring.

"I need to go."I whispered."He hit me."

Murphy gently took my hands and pulled me to my feet. I let out a quiet gasp when I put pressure on my right leg. Ryan had greedily thrown a fist at my knee cap, making it crunch under the pressure. I'm sure it would be fine within the next day or so. Murphy wrapped my arm around his shoulder and walked me back to camp. I hadn't noticed I was still crying when Murphy mentioned, "Ya can stop cryin', Adrienne. Yer okay now."

I wiped my face with my free hand and shook my head. The thoughts of Ryan and I ran through my head like a song on repeat. I know that if Murphy hadn't come in when he did, I could be going through with the rape. It could have been worse, however; I could be dead.