A young couple adopted me and took me to their townhouse a few years back. Today is their fortieth wedding anniversary. I got to meet my adopted relatives. One of them was a member of the white house. We went shopping and I asked the guard name Tommy what he was looking for. He was a kind man in his forties. He was six foot tall and was lean built. He had the standard issue military buzzcut. His clothes were according to military standards. Since I asked him nicely he gave me a genuine smile as he gently placed his hands on my shoulder and turned me in six different directions. He asked me what I remember. I gave him an accurate recollection. He said that he suspects a man in an overcoat. So until we leave the mall or he goes his way his eye will be on him.
After dinner I asked the man if he ever thought of getting married. He said that he is too busy to follow his desires. He stares at my aunt like he wants to marry her so I waited for the opportune moment to ask him and he blurted out that he wants her desperately. I asked him if I could talk on his behalf. He said that this was a passing infatuation. I assured him that it is not. He will find happiness when he opens his heart. He has been a robot for more than half his life. It is time he behaved like a man. He gave me a look that says as much he wants it he can't have it. So I used hypnosis and forced my aunty to dance with him. I also forced her to tell him how she feels about him. The two retreated to the balcony and when they came back I saw a lipstick stain on his collar. He had a more relaxed posture.
The next few years went without a hitch. Then came the heart stopping zombie attack. We were having a picnic when these things slowly walked towards us. The first to notice was a young man flying a kite. He yelled and everyone ran for their lives. My aunty ran to her car while her boyfriend was not far behind. She drove off without him. He looked dejected that she left him behind. But I decided not to leave him behind. He turned around to defend himself. Soon he ran out of bullets as I drove my bike to get him. I grabbed him and drove to safety. Everyone else was left to their own devices. I drove him till we were safe.
We drove till we reached the shopping mall. The entire building was empty for renovations. Some stores still had their goods. My attention was for the store specializing in weapons. He tried to open the padlock but it wouldn't budge. I pushed him aside and asked him to keep an eye out for trouble. I pulled the lock clean off and pulled the shutters up. He gave me a look of absolute disbelief as he walked in to choose a weapon. He picked a few and left some cash in the registry. We got out and drove till we reached home. The door was locked so I used the pipe and climbed up. He stood still as he tried to guard the perimeter by himself. I opened the window and snuck inside. I ran at human speed and quickly opened the door to let him. I grabbed his jacket and yanked him in. I shut the door and locked us in. He took the weapons and took his position on the balcony.
A few hours later we received news that my aunty was killed along with a few others. When mom and dad came home I asked them if he could stay as part of our security. They concurred. Since he saved me he is a permanent member of security. He became my chauffeur and my bodyguard. He moved to the room next to mine. He would escort me to and from school. I had him placed there so he won't have any sort of trouble getting me out if trouble ensues. I was finishing my homework in the study when he walked in and told me that it was late. I should get some sleep or I will pass out during my exams. I chuckled, "If I don't finish this I will get detention. Besides I am almost done."
After the exams were over he drove me to my favorite diner and we were eating when the alarm sounded. He took my hand and ran towards the car. He took me home only to see the place was burnt down. He turned around and took me to his old apartment. It was a small one room apartment. We stayed there till we managed to reach mom. Then we moved up town to a new place. A three storey brownstone. The place was quaint. We were settling down when the zombies came barging in. I took Tommy and bolted out the back door. We hopped on my bike and drove off to the woods. When the zombies were no longer within my heightened sight I stopped. He hopped off and started looking around for a safe place. Lucky for him the Citadel was a day's journey if we walked on human speed.
I held his hand to calm him down. He gave me a reassuring smile. We waited for half a day. We drove back. Mom was pleased to see us. We were escorted to our rooms. We were invited to have dinner with one of mom's friends. We went over and the evening was so boring that I kept staring at the clock. Tommy kept a straight face but inside I can tell he wanted to laugh. When we got inside the car I asked mommy if I could never come back here ever again. Dad had the same sentiments. Tommy was in the driver's seat grinning ear to ear. When we got home there was a package waiting for dad. Dad had renounced alcohol for the past eight years so he gave the bottle to Tommy.
He and mom retired for the night. Tommy uncorked the bottle and took a sip. Moments later he felt an immense pain and fell to the floor. I stuck my finger in his mouth and made him puke. That wasn't enough to make the poison go away. He was in so much pain that I drew blank. Without hesitation I extended my fangs and bit him. I drew the poison out of his body as my venom calmed him down. I called mom for help and he was taken to the hospital. The police took the bottle and began their investigation. It turns out the bottle was delivered to the wrong address. The intended target was across the street.
Tommy was in the hospital for a week and he came home. Mom asked him to take it easy. He gave her a polite smile as he looked around for me. When he did he quietly approached me and wrapped his arms around me. His hand stopped at the small of my back. While the other wrapped itself into my hair. He pressed his nose against my neck and took a deep breath. He took a moment before he took a step back and held my face in his hands. He looked like he was going to kiss me. Dad walked in and he went into service mode. The entire time he was standing behind dad he had his eyes fixed in me. I blushed five shades of red as I ate my breakfast. Mom was reading the tablets. She kept reading out the latest news to dad who was reading the financial times. Mom read something about the west wall being demolished. Dad assured mom that it is a hoax. I finished breakfast and asked to be excused.
I told mom that I have to finish my holiday assignments. Tommy was ordered to keep me company and he did. He drove me in the two seater Ferrari to the library. The entire time he had a grin on his face that refused to leave. I saw that the puncture mark was fading. He looked at me and stroked my cheek. I blushed furiously as we reached our destination. My friends were waiting for me. They were equally annoyed that we had to do homework when it is the time of the month to have a blast. Tommy followed close by. I recalled a historical fact that homework was actually invented by a European teacher to punish his students. It caused an uproar. Tommy had a sweet smile as he watched me and the others sit quietly to read the list of books.
Four hours later we were driving home. Tommy placed his hand on mine. I happily squeezed it and he stopped at a crosswalk. He leaned over and kissed my neck. I blushed, "Thanks. That's really sweet but unnecessary" He grinned, "Thank you for saving my life. When you sucked the poison out of me. I felt a sense of hope, happiness and love that I had never felt in my life. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you Annie" I realized that one of the effects of the venom is being high and a feeling like being in love. He mistook the effects as a genuine feeling. I tried to talk to him about it but he made up his mind. He said that the next time the zombies came calling he will take me to a place where those things won't be a problem. He will spend the rest of his existence expressing his love for me. A month later mom caught him several times sneaking into my bedroom in the middle of the night. He was let go and a new guard took his place.
Seven months later I came home one night to see that the door was left wide open. I walked in to see the foyer was decimated. The living room looked like someone dropped an atomic bomb. I imagine this is how Hiroshima and Nagasaki looked after the American Army bombed it. I walked to the study and saw mom and dad laying dead on the floor. The new security guard had a bloody knife in his hands. I screamed and he tried to explain what happened but before he did Tommy walked in and shot him between the eyes. He scooped me up like I was a baby and I leaned on his shoulder as tears rolled down my cheeks. He carried me to his Aston Martin. I cried at the loss of my family. He kept his eyes on the road. He seemed calm and collective. It was like he had conquered Mount Everest or maybe he was the first human to successfully colonize Mars. He drove till we was in the warehouse district. Most were barely occupied and some were bustling with people.
He kept driving till he was out of that zone. I was looking at a row of old apartment buildings. He stopped outside one that looked like it came from the eighties or late nineties. He got out of his car and walked to the passenger side door. I kept crying because it felt like it when Shaw killed mom. He picked me up like I was a baby and carried me inside. The elevator was wide and spacious and the door had a leather strap to it. He pulled it up and it slid up. He walked in and pulled the strap down. He pushed the desired floor. I leaned on his shoulder and kept crying. He carried me and laid me on the couch. He took off my shoes and socks and ran his hand over my ankles. He pursed his lips and got up. He walked away and I heard metal chains clattering.
Moments later I felt a cold metal wrap itself around my right ankle. I heard a clicking sound and realized that he used handcuffs on my ankle. The other end of the cuff was closed on iron chains. I had just lost my family. What was he thinking? He walked off to get something. He came back with a bag of clothes and some Thai food. He set them on the floor and he sat next to me and took a deep breath. He took another deep breath and carried me to a bedroom and stroked my hair. I held on to his hand and dissolved into tears. I pretended to sleep but I can sense his stare. He was watching my chest rise and fall. He tucked my hair when it obstructed his view of my face. He leaned down and kissed my tearstreaked cheek. He wrapped the blanket around me and carefully wrapped his hands on my throat. For a second he tighten his grip before he changed his mind. He got up and walked towards a dresser and pulled out a camera. He took several pictures of me sleeping and he sat next to me and stayed till the sun rose. I pretended to wake up and he kissed my fingers one by one as he wished me good morning. I asked him what had happened.
He looked at me and talked to me calmly like I was the one who was panicking and he was trying to calm me down, "All I want is you Annie. I want you all to myself. I tried to explain that to your mother how you complete me. But she said that you were promised to someone else. I wasn't going to have it. I sneak into your bedroom at night because I need to see that you are safe and sound. She didn't see it that way. She saw me as a pervert who wants to hurt her precious angel. I assured her that I wouldn't hurt you. You're the only woman who made me feel unconditional love. She removed me from your life. She had me replaced with a weak pathetic fool who sleeps on the job. Had I not interfered these past few months I would be attending your funeral. I walked into that house last night to talk some sense into your mother. I was tired of snooping around. Pressing my nose at the window to catch a glimpse of you. Things got out of hand. Things just escalated too quickly. For that I am so sorry. The only good thing that came out of this is that I have you. I will never let you go till the day I die" I realized that he killed my entire family so he can have me all to himself.