Savage (The End 1)

He shone the light across the interior, saw turned-over chairs, the tables in the same manner. The concession stand had a broken glass counter, and the popcorn machine looked like someone had tried prying it out of the wall.

“Let’s see if there’s any food back there,” he said more to himself, and headed over there before the girls could say anything.

After rummaging around all he found was a few bags of unpopped popcorn, a case of liquid movie theater butter, and some paper cups.

“Hey, what about this?” Lucy said, excitement in her voice. She held up a small box and shook it a little bit, contents rattling around. There was a huge grin on her face as she set the box down and reached inside.

She started pulling out boxes of candy. Milk Duds and Skittles, Nerds and Goobers. It wasn’t exactly what they needed to survive, but it was something and that was better than nothing.

Sasha was on the other side of the concession stand looking through some cupboards, and he couldn’t help but stare at her … watch her.

Her body was lean, a little bit too thin. She hadn’t been eating enough, but then again, that was the world they lived in. She bent over and her jeans formed along the roundness of her ass. She was perfect, strong and smart, gorgeous and clever.

“Jackpot,” she said softly and turned to hold up two dusty looking bags of nacho chips. She looked back in under the counter and pulled out an aluminum can of nacho cheese sauce.

“Now all we’re missing is the movie,” Lucy said, exhaling as if she were disappointed.

Damn, how he wished he could give her what she wanted.

They took their supplies and set up a makeshift camp in the corner, close to the door in case they needed to escape.

“I need to make some rounds, make sure we’re really alone and that things are secure.” He didn’t wait for them to argue, just handed over his second gun to Sasha, made sure Lucy had her lead pipe, and headed toward the back where the theaters were.

There were only three, and each one was as deserted as the last. He checked the bathroom, the storage room, and employee break room. All empty, dirty, and looking like they’d been ransacked, or whoever had been here had left in a hurry.

There was a vending machine in the corner, but Malachi didn’t expect anything in there. It was foolish to not check. And surprising the hell out of him, he saw a few bags of chips and some candy bars. The pop machine beside it, after he pried it open, rewarded him with five cans of soda.

He brought everything back to where the girls were, saw that Lucy was already digging into the chips and nacho cheese and noticed that Sasha had opened up the aluminum can with her knife. He growled low, not liking that she had done that given the fact she could’ve been seriously hurt.

But he kept his mouth shut. She was already apprehensive of him and the last thing he wanted to do was drive that wedge between them even deeper.

“How long do you think the storm will last?” Lucy asked around a mouthful of candy.

He sat down beside her and had his gun by his thigh, at the ready. “I don’t know.” He glanced at her. “But we’ll be safe in here.” He smiled, and it was a strange sensation. He’d never been one to show pleasantries. His former life didn’t call for it. He’d always had to be rough, brutal and take no shit. That’s how he was feared, how he’d become a drug lord. He supposed things were no different now. In fact, life was even shittier, and people had to be harder.

“Lucy, you need to eat something real, not just junk,” Sasha said and grabbed a can of peaches and another one of green beans out of her backpack. He watched her expertly open it with her knife, proud as hell that she was so self-reliant.

He was falling harder for her each day, becoming even more possessive of her, more territorial. The very thought of her being taken from him hurt; anything that made it so she wasn’t his, had Malachi feeling a blind rage.

He rested his head back against the wall and stared straight ahead. Lucy handed him the can of green beans and he smiled at her, taking a few out and popping them in his mouth. They’d need more than just canned shit to eat. They’d have to get meat, protein. He’d have to hunt for them.

What Malachi needed to do was make a home for them, one where he could protect both of them and where Sasha could be his, where she’d see how he could take care of her, of them both.