บท 4: Until then

"Live on. Let our love guide you, even if we are no longer here." -Teiodoro Mendez

Blood splatter, cries echoed, a piece of teeth fell on the ground, shaking eyes because of fear, bleeding knuckles, rageful eyes. The voice of the leader begging to not kill him, and Vins unstoppable rage,

"Please!!! Stop!! It hurts now!! I don't want anymore!! I'm sorry!! Please!!!", the leader keeps on begging for his life,

...unluckily Vins doesn't show any mercy, instead, "Stop!!? Do you really think i will stop if you keep begging for your f*cking life!!? You just killed to people, two special peoples in my friends life!! And now your begging for yourself!!??", Vins throw another punch at his face, which makes the bandits cries more.

"You've killed innocent, peaceful living peoples!!! Did you show any mercy on them!!? No you didn't!!! You didn't even a little bit!!! You killed them in cold bloods!!!", Vins yelled while keeps on throwing punches at the leader.

The bandits can't do anything because Vins was in rage right now, and even they stop him together, they know that...this kid will just beat them without any hardship. They get up, and took their motorcycle, driving away from the scene. Vins didn't stop until he throw one more punch, he rise up his fist, stares at the leader with a menacingly look, and throw his hard punch on the leader's face. Blood splatter again, flowing down to the ground, teeth scattered around.

"...you don't deserve any mercy...you deserve death..for those sins you did..", he said while slowly getting up.

Vins take a look at the two girls at the side, and start walking towards them. He check Chloe first if she got hurt or something, and then immediately crawl to Fionna who's still kneeling at the ground, crying.

"...i promise, no one will ever touch you...until i die..", Vins said while slowly holding her hands, trying to cheer her up.

Vins was tired because of the fight, he get up slowly, and look around to see if there's any infected that attracted to their noise earlier.

"...let go, we need to grab some things..at the house..", Vins said and help them get up, especially Fionna who's still not in her mind.

They arrived at the house, Vins start taking some clothes that he can use, Chloe took some clothes too, for her and for Fionna. Vins walk down the stairs, and saw her sitting at the couch, staring at their photo.

"..this is the time, where they surprised me...its my birthday that day, i was happy because they do all the effort just to make me happy...", Vins look down, and approach the young lady in the couch.

"They want you to move on, but not forgetting them...we need to live so that their sacrifices don't go to waste..", Vins wrapped his arm to her shoulder and rest her head in his shoulder. "We will live for them...i won't let their sacrifices and deaths goes to waste..".

Fionna just stares at the photo and didn't say anything. After they took some things that they can use, Vins start digging on their yard, he carries their dead bodies and buried them in the yard. Fionna just stares at them like her eyes is no longer life on it, Chloe was worried that she might get in trouble in the road, when they start adventuring. Vins just finished burying them, and he start paying respect to them.

"I will take them in a safe place, i promise sir, ma'am..", he said while both of his hands are sticking together, and he start praying for them.

"...let's go now...we can't stay here until night, especially in the road...its dangerous ", Vins said and lead the two girls to the gate of the subdivision again.

The three of them are now coming out the subdivision, its been a while since Fionna go out the house, her last time was before the apocalypse. The outside was really destroyed because of the panic chaos happens last month, car's bumped in walls, death bodies that crumbling now, crows and rats eating corpses, the scent of the environment turned bad, everything turned bad. Chloe hold her hand, and gives a warm smile on Fionna, she smile as well and just look at the road.

Nothing change, even before the apocalypse the world was still on chaos. People arguing with other peoples, unnecessary noises, pollution that destroying the environment, toxic environment, bad community, everything was already bad before the apocalypse. Fionna literally hates the world before this chaos, but because of this apocalypse the world turn more hateable, people killing people, freaks that wandering around, world hunger, and downfall of the world's population. It makes Fionna hate the world more, and it even kill her whole family, especially her parents.

"...Vins...would you...protect me?", Vins stop because of what she was saying all of sudden,

"Of course i will protect you, i pro—", he was cut off because she sudden speak again,

"...not the promise you made with my father...i want you to promise to me that you will protect me, and this kid..", Vins smile and just show his fist on her, which makes the two girl's confused.

"I will, i will protect you from whoever want to touch you, from those freaks, and from this world...i promise that!", he smiles and suddenly Fionna just hug her tightly.

"...i'm glad you came...thanks", she said while hugging her for a minute. Chloe jump and hugs both of them too.

Its already night, and the sun already set. The road was was quiet and dark, maybe because the lights are not working anymore. The three youngish was setting a camp near on a school, it was a small town hall that using for evacuation. Vins creates a fire inside of the hall to create some light and to cook some foods for the two, Fionna was cleaning the ground, trying to sweep all the dust before they put all the thin mattress. Chloe is picking some canned foods that they can cook.

"Bigbro, Bigsis, what do you think of Canned Tuna? Its quite delicious even you don't cook it...", she said.

"Yeah, i guess we can take that...we only need to cook is rice, so that we can full our stomach..", Vins then take the pot and put some water on it, he then next pour a little amount of rice to cook it.

"...i hope we can find mom and dad..", Chloe said and this is the first time Fionna hears about Chloe's parents.

"..oh? So your parents is missing?", she said to the kid while preparing the soft thin mattress.

"Yeah, i got seperated from them, when the panicking happened...i hope their fine..", she said and this makes her a little upset again.

Vins look at Fionna and he can see that she want to tell Chloe that her parents might dead too. He tapped Chloe's back and smile at her warmly. "Don't worry, i'm sure they are fine...so stop thinking about them for a while, and think about yourself first..", hr smiles and look at the rice.

Fionna approach Vins, "Why you told her that her parents might alive? We don't know and you don't know about that...you are just giving her hope..", she said.

"...Fio, you know sometimes you need to lie..because you don't know what the truth can cause to us..", he said while scooping some rice and putting it on a bowl they got at the house.

"...imagine it, if that kid found out that her parents are probably dead...she might have a worst breakdown...than you", he added too.

Fionna then realize that, if one of them breakdown, they will become weight bag to Vins, and they will end up dead too. She just close her mouth and didn't say anything more. The three of them is now eating dinner inside of the town hall, after that Vins let the two of them sleep for this night, since they need it. Vins stay awake just in case someone or something came inside and try to kill them.

Midnight, the road was super dark, infecteds are lingering outside, growling, and finding something to eat. Vins on the other hand, was at the balcony watching the dark place.

"...you can really keep awake until morning has come huh...what a good night boy", Fionna comes out and stand besides him.

"You must continue sleeping now, if you didn't you'll end up tired tomorrow..", Vins said.

"...and you'll end up too", Fionna said back.

Fionna stares at the night skies, watching the stars twinkling nonstop, she smiles and remember the time when her mother brought her on a field where she saw all the stars.

"...Vins, those words you said earlier...it makes me, you know...feel ease..i don't know why, but after you said those things...i feel like i'm really an important person for you...why?", she ask.

"...because i promise to your father, and to you...no matter what happens, i will protect you and no one will touch you..", he said with a smiles.

"...that's why, you don't need to worrt anymore...your father entrusted you to me...and i don't have any regrets taking you with me...i will protect you okayy, I will..", Vins added with full confidence.

Fionna blushes, and it makes her smiles. She knows that when her father entrusted a person, she know his serious on trusting that person.' Father, i don't know why you trusted him...but like you do, i will..i will trust him too...i will live for you and for mom...for our family..i will stay besides the man you entrusted me to...i will stay with Vins...for a meantime..', she said on her mind and giggles suddenly.

Vins suddenly startled because she suddenly giggles out of nowhere, "is something fun?", he ask, but she just shook her head and smiling at the night skies.

Another day has come, the three of them set on a adventure towards the Central Plaza, where evacuation is doing few weeks ago.

"Vins? What are you doing there inside of the car?", Fionna ask because Vins is taking something inside of the car.

"..what else? Looting of course, we don't know when we going to lose some supplies..", he answered.

"...and why you taking money too? Its not valuable anymore...through..", she said while both of them are staring at Vins with narrow eyes.

"Why?? We can use this to bribe enemies!", he dumb said.

"What the f*ck you saying?? What, you gonna bribe those freaks with money?", Fionna said and hardly punch Vins face, causing him to spin around, and fell at the ground.

She sigh and continue walking leaving Vins at the ground, Chloe just sigh too and speak on her mind,

"Am i really gonna feel safe with this two? Also...they look couple when fighting..", she said on her mind as she giggles too.

"Hey wait up!!", Vins gets up and run towards them.

'Father...mother...thanks for taking care of me until you died...i really glad you both are my parents...right now, i have my new family...Vins, he was kind of dumb but over protective to me...and Chloe? She was really really good girl, and cute by the way...thanks, for sacrificing yourself for me...for us, we will never gonna forget you two...i will live for the two of you, for our family...for my old family...until then father..i will definitely go back here, and see you two again...i love you father, i love you mom...goodbye for a while..'.

The three of them is now continuing their journey towards the place where they can live peacefully and safely, with no infecteds and chaos.