"That's fine," Zac snaps, wrapping his hand around mine and turning, beginning to pull me back towards the exit.

"Wait! No, Zac!" Poppy calls as I yank on Zac's arm, urging him to stop and hear his sister out. "Callum!"

"Rules are rules, Pop."

"He's my brother!"

"And you're his sister. It works both ways."

Zac stops at the intimidating leader's words, turning back and letting go of me. His eyes are blazing as he steps towards the huge, hulking figure of Callum. "Do not proceed to act like you fucking know me. You don't know the shit that all of us have gone through."

"I'm sorry," Callum replies. "But that isn't my problem."

"Tell me again why we should stay here?" Zac scoffs, turning back to us, his face twisted in anger.

"Because-"

"Nope," Anna interrupts Heidi. "I agree. Let's get out of this shitstorm."

"What? No!"

"Let's go." Zac grabs my hand, nodding his head at the uncertain looking Jordan.

"Zac!"

"Where are you going? Callum, please!" Poppy's cries are echoing down the corridor, my heart wrenching for her.

My brother is dead, but I know that if I ever happened to stumble across him, I wouldn't want him to walk away from me either.

"Stop!" I exclaim, pulling my hand from Zac's and digging my feet into the ground. "What's wrong with all of you? I get it... we've been trodden on more often than not, we don't trust anyone after what we've been through," I say. "But we're being offered a safe place here. Somewhere to stay... even if only for a few days," I remind them. "I've spent nine days walking from the fucking wall to this damn city, and you're all having a fucking laugh if you think I'm just going to turn around and walk straight back."

"Em-"

"No," I cut Zac off and shake my head. "We won't make it ten miles. None of us have rested properly in months!"

"She's right," Anna pipes up, relatively quiet. "If we go back out there... we're kind of asking to be killed."

"We're doing the same thing by staying here," Jordan retorts and I shake my head.

"We don't know that," I reply.

"I don't trust you," Heidi says outright to the tall leader and he shrugs.

"Can't say I'm particularly fond of any of you either."

"Please," I plead with Zac, his expression wavering from a hostile glare, instead looking as though he may cave. He tenses his jaw, tightening his grip around the gun in his jeans before he turns towards Callum.

"We'll give up all but four guns," he offers in a low, menacing tone.

"Zac!" Jordan exclaims as Sam shakes his head.

Callum steps back, crossing his arms as he furrows his eyebrows in thought. Poppy stands next to him, biting her lip as she looks between all of us, clearly nervous.

"Fine," Callum relents and I exhale in relief, grateful for the safe environment - mentally praying that I don't regret this later. "You can keep four."

*~*~*

"Wow," I breathe out as soon as Zac shuts the door behind us.

My eyes scan the dark room, a blackout window lining the far wall, a large black bed in the middle with two wardrobes either side. The comfort of the bed looks unparalleled to anything I've seen since before the war.

"I'll keep watch," Zac says, placing his gun on the table and sliding onto the chair beside it.

"What?" I exclaim, staring at him as he shrugs.

"Someone needs too."

"Zac, we locked the door."

"That means fuck all." He scoffs.

"Come on," I plead, walking over and lifting one leg over his, straddling him and wrapping my arms around his neck. "Just one night."

"Emi..." he breathes out, hands resting on my thighs. "We can't..."

"Zac, I honestly think we're safe," I admit and he shakes his head.

"You can't be sure," he answers and I respond by placing my lips on his jawline, savouring the taste of his skin as I pepper light, sensual kisses along it. Zac tenses, his hands gripping onto my thighs, unable to ignore me when I lower my mouth to his neck. "Em..."

I sit back, pushing my lower body into his and grinding slightly. "I need you, Zac," I tell him. It's been an absolute death trap getting to the South and not once have we stopped to enjoy the moment, forever worried about what's around the corner.

Even now, Zac's on edge, and of course I am too, but this is our first opportunity in a long time to appreciate one another, and relish in the fire we ignite inside each other.

"Please," I practically beg, unapologetically pushing my arms together to emphasise my cleavage.

"You're a fucking tease." Zac smirks.

I shake my head. "Not true. I'm offering myself to you so-"

"Fine!" Zac exclaims, gripping my ass and lifting me in the air as he stands. I squeal, gripping his shoulders to stop myself from falling when he turns, chucking me onto the bed.

I bounce on the soft mattress, giggling as I look up at my husband. Zac reaches for his top, wrenching it over his head and letting me absorb the sight of his strong body, every little detail on show. The ink that covers his upper torso, the scars that mark the flesh, his defined abs...

I grin before he leans over me, his lips crushing mine and claiming the kiss as his own. There's no hesitation when he deepens it, Zac's arms wrapping around my waist to lift me off the bed. I straddle him quickly, grabbing the hem of my vest and yanking it off, fully exposing myself to him. 

He looks at me, a warm smile of adoration on his face as his fingers trail across my exposed flesh, paying special attention to the curve of my breasts. I shiver with anticipation under his touch before pushing away from him and wrenching my jeans undone. 

I ungracefully shrug them off, Zac hovering over me as I work, his tongue flicking out along my collarbone before moving further down. My back arches off the bed from the desire that floods through me.

Finally rid of the fabric, I push him back with force. He collapses onto the bed, and I latch onto the buttons of his own trousers, pulling them apart and attempting to rid him of the annoying material. He laughs, moving to help me.

They tumble onto the floor and I straddle him once again as he sits up. My hands curl around his neck, pulling myself as close to him as possible before our lips reconnect. Our lower bodies are pushed together, his hardness grinding against my soaking wet core and I let out a moan, a small dose of ecstasy beginning to fill my abdomen, spreading out to the rest of my body.

I don't dare let go, not wanting us to part, embracing like there's no tomorrow. I need him close, I have to reassure myself that we've made it. Somehow, we survived the journey from North to South. Both of us are alive, and we're together. We couldn't have asked for more.

I don't know what I'll do if I lose Zac, the guy having embedded himself so deep in my chest that it feels impossible to remove him without killing me.

Zac shimmies his boxers down his legs before his fingers slide along my slit through my panties. I exhale sharply, my lips hovering only centimetres from his. He wastes no time, feeling how wet I am as he slips the fabric to the side.

I'm grateful for the quick action, knowing at this moment just how much Zac needs me. We're both the same, all of our relief being pushed into the now, gripping onto each other.

My fingers dig into his shoulder blades as he pushes inside me, his name leaving my lips. We're as connected as ever, his hands gripping onto my ass as I move myself up, dropping back down on top of him. My head flies back from the feel of his length gliding against my walls, stimulating every nerve, his metal piercing accentuating it even more.

"Emi," Zac breathes through gritted teeth as I continue to move. I pull back slightly, my hands still curled around his upper back as I graze my lips over his. We're both breathing heavily, almost teasing one another by keeping our lips apart.

It's one of the most erotic moments we've ever played, knowing how much I want to crush my lips against his, yet resisting, willingly building the sexual tension between us even more.

One of his hands moves to tug the end of my hair, his favourite move during sex. My lips are moved away from his and instead, his mouth hovers above my jawline, his deep breath against my skin causing every hair on my arm to stand on end.

I fasten my pace, grinding against him as I move him out of me before sliding back down. The movements are getting sloppy but he doesn't seem to mind, his hands reaching for my ass, holding on tightly, clutching it as my nails dig into the skin on his shoulder. 

I can't stop now, the whirlpool of pleasure building at an alarming rate, our skin slapping together as I continue to ride him.

"I'm close," I tell him and he grunts in return, telling me that he's the exact same. I take that as encouragement, finally slapping my lips back against his. The way his tongue sweeps out and curves around my mouth causes something to snap inside me, my orgasm flooding through me as I practically scream out his name.

I feel him twitch inside me as he finds his own release, Zac's head collapsing down on my shoulder. "Shit," he exclaims. "I didn't mean to-"

"I'll find something tomorrow," I cut him off, resting my head on his other shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm ninety percent sure they probably have morning after pills here."

Zac nods against my shoulder before pulling away and tenderly kissing my lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," I reply, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm never leaving you."

"Ditto." He smiles, moving to lie us on the bed. "And I'm not done with you tonight," he promises, the words causing the inside of my thighs to twinge with a pang of lust.

Alright... who am I to turn that down?

*~*~*

As I stir the next morning, I stretch my arm across the ridiculously soft fabric beneath me, my hands clenching at the comfortable sheets.

I'm smiling by the time I force my eyes open, greedily soaking in the sight of the modern bedroom, the safe haven, the normalcy.

Turning on my side, my grin widens at the sight of Zac, his face free from worry, his muscles completely relaxed. It's the first time I've seen him like this in over a month, since way before the State burned down our terraced houses. Since then we've been on edge, danger at every turn.

Until now. 

Now we finally rest, accepting every form of comfort, the damn bed making my entire year. Last night was pretty impressionable too, hardly one to forget for a long time.

I reach out, flicking my index finger against Zac's nose and giggling. His eyebrows furrow before he attempts to bat my hand away. I don't give up, instead repeating the action. He clamps onto my hand, tugging it towards him as I squeal.

I'm pulled right into his chest before his eyes flutter open, the gorgeous warm browns meeting mine. I smile as he smirks before pushing my hand down his chest, trailing it across his rock hard abs before forcing it lower. I gasp, Zac's face drawing closer to mine.

"That was a pretty rude awakening," he says quietly, his voice husky. "Why don't you make it up to me?"

I grin at both the insinuation, and at how damn normal this is. One couple, waking up in bed together and welcoming the morning in the right way. He damn well knows I'm not going to say no.

I nod before pressing my lips against his, where they belong.

*~*~*

"Jeez, I thought you guys were never going to make it," Anna exclaims as soon as Zac and I step out of our room. I raise my eyebrows, Jordan smirking at us as Poppy watches from the other end of the corridor, her eyes wide.

"Well, we're here now," I assure Anna, shooting her a smirk before she grins, turning towards Heidi, Sam and Myles who are sitting on a couch in the empty corridor. They stand up as Jordan pushes away from the wall, every single one of us starting to walk towards Poppy. Noticing how tense Zac has suddenly become, I reach over, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly.

He nods before turning his attention to Jordan, both of them resting their hands behind their backs where I know they're keeping their weapons. Neither of them feel safe, and I don't blame them.

I'm not even sure I do... or whether I'm just desperate to not feel threatened anymore. I've been running for so long, disobeying rules and being punished for six years. When the hell will it end?

"Good morning," Poppy exclaims as soon as we reach her. "Do you remember the way back to the dining hall?"

"No," Anna answers bluntly. Poppy quickly nods, silently gesturing for us to follow. The group falls into an uneasy silence, Myles' hand also drifting behind his back defensively. I grimace, internally begging the men not to do anything stupid, knowing that sometimes these protective boys act without thinking. 

Pulling my hand from Zac's, I step forward, closer to Poppy as she leads us down the corridors.

"This place is really nice," I tell her and she smiles at me.

"Thanks," she replies. "Callum has really tried..." I let her continue, glancing back over my shoulder and shooting a warning glare to every single one of them. 

I listen to Poppy as she explains how Callum built this place, destroying the outer appearance and fortifying it as he gathered more people. We walk down a wide, winding metal staircase, coming to a halt directly at the bottom. 

I struggle to comprehend how large the space is, a huge skylight above us, the space as light and airy as my parents' conservatory used to be. It's filled with people of all ages, everyone talking and laughing, some standing, some sitting around the numerous tables. I nearly faint at the sight of  young children running past us.

"Food can be collected from over there." Poppy points towards the other side of the room and I glance over to see a huge buffet table, my mouth dropping open. "You take as much as you need."

"This is..." Anna trails off, her eyes as wide as mine. There's... so many people. And everyone... they're all happy.

They look truly happy. Families that laugh and run around like before the war. Friends giggling and whispering to each other as they gossip.

One group of girls are subtly looking at the table of boys behind them, coyly chuckling to themselves as they check them out. A couple sit on the stairs in the other corner, the girl feeding the guy something from her hands as they laugh.

It... it really is normal.

A sudden high pitched laugh catches my attention, and I turn my head to see a tall blonde standing from a table, pointing at the guy across from her before she pushes her hair out of her face. 

I hear Anna suck in a breath as the colour drains from my face.

The blonde grins at her friends before turning, freezing in place as she spots us. Zac steps up beside me, his hand nowhere near his gun as Anna's own hand flies to her mouth to stop a sob from escaping.

I smile at the girl, my eyes welling up with tears as her mouth drops open, a squeal leaving her lips.

"Bridget!" Jordan exclaims.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

IT'S BRIDGET!!! Alright... be honest, how many of you forgot about her?!

We have so much to catch up on with our sweet blonde Bridget...