I wake up with a pounding headache and my wrists bound together behind my back. When I try to sit up, my entire body aches.

Scanning my surroundings I am no longer in the house Diego took me. The ground beneath me is covered with dead leaves and all around me are trees; I am in the forest.

There is a snapping noise from a branch making me turn to the left to see Diego looking at me. "Finally I began to think I strangled you a little too hard baby," He says this with a sick smirk on his face.

I never thought I could hate somebody as much as I hate Diego. He killed Olivia and an innocent boy that looked like me. How many people did he already kill since this all started?

Maybe we should have gone back for him when Mike attacked him. Or maybe he should've just died that day.

I can't believe it, he is the reason Bryan started to bully me. And all that just so he could have me in the end because he 'loves' me. A person like him doesn't know what love is. This new world is made for people like Diego, where they can do whatever they want without anyone to stop them.

Suddenly the air leaves my lungs when something kicks hard into my side.

"Hey I was talking to you Max. Sometimes you are so disrespectful, but we will work on that when we start our lives together."

While Diego tells his sick fantasy to me about us being together, he starts stroking my cheek like everything happening is normal.

"What are you going to do Diego?" I decide to ask him.

His eyes sparkle when I speak to him, like he is happy I finally decided to talk to him after his previous abuse.

"Well, we are very close to the cabin where you guys are living. I left the living corpse of that redhead at their door with a note on, telling Bryan where we are and if he wants to see you again he will need to come alone."

"Haven't you hurt enough people already Diego? You have to stop this." I try to reason with him. He can't kill Bryan, he is my everything. I don't want to survive without him.

"Max, why can't you see the bigger picture? I am doing all this for us. If Bryan is gone then you can let go of him and love me. I will even let that other redhead and the little Mexican live for you if they leave us alone to be happy."

Deciding not to respond anymore I look away from him and close my eyes. Maybe I am not meant to be happy. This psycho was always going to destroy my life, with or without the apocalypse.

Why was Bryan foolish enough to let himself fall into Diego's trap? Maybe without the end of the world Bryan would still bully me. Or perhaps I also would have fallen for Diego's manipulation and be with him now.

"Crack."

I open my eyes to see Bryan walking through the trees. His eyes instantly find me, they shine with worry and fear. When his eyes turn to Diego they change with anger and pure hate.

"Look who decided to show up, I always knew you would come for Max. After all you like to take things that aren't yours," Diego sneers at Bryan.

"Max isn't a 'thing' that belongs to you Diego. He is a human being that can choose who he wants to be and who he wants to love," Bryans says harshly. He is clearly getting angry, his hands are balled into fists and his face is turning a darker color.

"Hahaha, that is funny. We both know Max isn't capable of choosing. You messed for years with his head making him always blindly choose you above anyone else. He is even a bigger lapdog then Mike was from Lexi."

Is this true, am I really some kind of lapdog like Mike was? No, I am not blindly following Bryan. I forgave him and we are equal in our relationship, Diego is just trying to mess with my head.

"So what now Diego? Are you going to kill me and then live happily ever after with Max as your prisoner/lover?" Bryan asks with a mocking voice.

"Actually yes. First I am going to kill you and since you, like the good boy you are, came alone, those two chicks can stay alive. After you're dead, I am going to make sure Max falls in love with me so he will not be a prisoner, only my lover." This is said with a sick glint in Diego's eyes.

Sending a pleading look to Bryan to do something. I am so scared what if Diego kills Bryan. I can't think like that Bryan will get us out of here, alive.

"Do you want Max to survive the apocalypse Diego?" Bryan suddenly asks.

Diego seems suspicious with Bryan's question but nods his head.

"Then let's fight, like real men without weapons. The one who kills the other will be best to keep Max safe and he will not hate you for killing me because it would have been a fair fight."

Diego's brows are pursed and his eyes narrow. He seems to think about what Bryan just said while scanning him for some kind of trap. After a quite tense minute, there appears a smirk on Diego's face. "Deal."

"Bryan, no Diego is stronger than you, you will die," I say immediately after Diego agreed.

Bryan looks deep into my eyes. "Max this is the only way." The way Bryan says this is like he has a plan and I need to trust him. Even if I trust him I can't help but feel scared.

I decide to trust him and nod my head.

"Okay enough, I am sick of you playing with Max. Let's start this shit so me and Max can start on a clean slate," Diego says impatiently.

Bryan and Max put all their weapons to the side. I see Bryan didn't bring a gun. Maybe that's for the best. Last time a gun went off here a horde of zombies heard it and Lilly almost died.

I don't think Diego has a gun. I have only seen a crossbow and a few knives.

Bryan and Diego take positions opposite to each other. "You know Bryan I have always wanted to kill you for being so close to Max, I just didn't want to risk jail. But you are not so different from me, the first chance you got to leave me for dead you took."

"That's not true Diego, I didn't want you dead, but I had to choose between you and Max and that choice was very easy. You should have died that day so I and Max would have been safe from you. Max forgave me and loves me, I will always choose him and he will always choose me," Bryan says confidently.

This seems to make Diego furious as he lunges for Bryan while screaming, "MAX IS MINE!"

Bryan tries to dodge him, but fails which results in Diego punching Bryan right in the face. Bryan stumbles to the ground from the impact.

When Diego lifts his foot for a stomp, Bryan kicks his other leg making Diego loose balance and fall. Bryan immediately jumps on top of Diego and starts to land punches in his face.

I try to get free from my ropes, which seems impossible by how tight and secure they are.

Suddenly Diego takes something shiny out of his pocket. "Bryan, watch out!" I scream.

Bryan lifts his hands from Diego's neck to prevent the knife from stabbing him.

Swish

"Aaaaah!" Bryan screams in pain when I see two of his fingers fall on the ground.

Diego flips Bryan around who is in slight shock from his cut fingers. "Finally the moment I have waited for. Max will be mine forever," Diego says as he lifts the knife above Bryan's throat.

"No, Diego stop!" I scream, but he doesn't listen.

Whoosh

Diego stops moving and turns towards me. There is an arrow sticking through his eye. "M...m...ax m...mi...ne," he says to me before collapsing on top of Bryan.

I look over my shoulder to see Lilly leaning against a tree for support with Diego's crossbow in her hands. Her eyes shine with hate and tears.

"Lilly."

My voice seems to snap her out of her daze as she drops the crossbow and comes towards me with her crutch as support.

"Max I am sorry I was almost too late. Abby and I were coming, but we stumbled on a dozen zombies. Abby is killing them while I came," Lilly says while untying me.

Right when I want to respond I see that Bryan is still under Diego. "Bryan," I say worriedly as I go to him. I rip Diego's dead body of him to see the knife sticking in Bryan's stomach.

"Maxie, your safe now" Bryan says with dazed eyes.

"You have to stay awake Bryan, Abby will be here in a second and treat you," I tell him while stroking his cheek.

"I love you Max, promise to live for me," Bryan says with a small smile before closing his eyes.

"Bryan! Open your eyes Bryan!" I yell and slap his face.

A hand stops my wrist making me stop. I look up through teary eyes to see Abby in front of me.

"Please save him."

Posted on June 19, 2019.