System Of The Undead

Chapter 120: Vulnerability And Deceit

Rachel gulped, she couldn’t believe this was happening, she was in a bathroom with Jason who was practically naked.

She could feel her thumping heart in her chest, it was so loud that she thought that Jason could hear it.

"Say Rachel..." Jason muttered.

"Yeah?" Rachel responded, her hands stopping.

"Tell me your story. I want to know," Jason said, he went from wanting silence to wanting to hear her story.

"What happened to silence?" Rachel questioned him.

"It would be a waste not to hear your voice... I just realized I would rather hear your voice," Jason said with a smirk on his face.

"I bet you tell all the girls that..." Rachel responded with a giggle.

"Heh! I have only told one girl this..." Jason said.

Rachel wanted to know who he was talking about, it couldn’t be her.

"She is a green-eyed lady with quite the chest on her," Jason described Rachel.

Rachel knew he was being cheesy but she couldn’t control the grin on her face.

Rachel conceded and decided to tell Jason her story, she told Jason everything that happened to her and her younger sister.

This was a rare moment of vulnerability for her and she waited to see Jason’s reaction.

That was common, his reaction would tell her how he received it but Jason was indifferent.

She expected him to say something but he didn’t say anything and this made Rachel scared.

She worried that she might have overshared and scared him off.

"I’m sorry... I didn’t mean t-!" Rachel was interrupted as Jason turned around and slowly pulled her head toward his chest.

She didn’t resist and allowed her head to be buried into his chest. She didn’t know what was happening but she didn’t want it to end.

"I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Rachel and I promise you, you will never have to go through something like that again as long as I’m alive. No one will touch you or your sister, I make you this promise." Jason reassured her and Rachel didn’t know when the tears started flowing but they did.

She tried wiping it but it only increased in intensity as Jason slowly ran his hand up and down her back to try and calm her down,

This happened years ago but it was the first time that Rachel was sharing it with someone.

The thing she had carried with her for years, she felt that weight lift off her shoulder the moment she shared it with Jason.

"I shouldn’t be crying... I’m sorry for making this awkward," Rachel apologized but Jason removed her head from his chest so he could look her right in the eyes.

"Do not even apologize for feeling what you feel, all emotions are valid," Jason said with a cheering smile and at that moment, he was the most attractive person in the world to Rachel.

Rachel tried to look away but Jason returned her gaze to him.

And he made the first move, Jason began to get closer to Rachel, there was no doubt that he was going in for a kiss to which Rachel reciprocated.

"You really should shower," Rachel stopped when she was mere inches from touching Jason’s lips.

The young man chuckled the moment she did this, he knew it was too good to be true.

Rachel was a beauty and he could only imagine how many people tried to get her.

"You’re right," Jason responded, he understood why they didn’t kiss but he was glad that he got through to Rachel.

To Jason, getting her to show vulnerability was a far greater achievement than getting her into bed. Jason knew the power of vulnerability, it made even the strongest of people bend and this established that Rachel trusted him.

"I think I have washed your back enough, I should probably leave to allow you to wash up," Rachel said, she was getting ready to leave the bathroom because she knew if she stayed any longer, things would escalate.

Rachel wasn’t sure that Jason would live but she knew she couldn’t prioritize both him and her sister. Lillian was the one thing that she wanted to protect at all cost but she recalled what Clementine told her.

Rachel was walking out the door before she heard Jason call her name, she turned back expecting a smart comment or tease.

"Thank you," These were the words that came out of Jason’s mouth and the lady found herself feeling closer to this man.

"You’re welcome," Rachel responded with a broad smile.

-

The night passed and a new day was welcomed, the sun didn’t shine as brightly as it usually does with the clouds darkened for it had absorbed enough moisture from the atmosphere.

Jason awoke in his bed, what happened the day before all felt like a dream.

That zombie, Jason didn’t even know what to think of it but this was the first time he had encountered a zombie that was stronger than him in every aspect.

However, it didn’t have intelligence but rather, it acted based on instincts.

It wasn’t as self-aware as Jason thought it to be but that could be due to how long it was merged with the fragment.

"Man! That sleep hit the fucking spot!" Jason exclaimed, stretching as his body began to shake like he was convulsing but that wasn’t the case, this only showed that he had a good night’s sleep.

But he also recalled what went on with Rachel and couldn’t help but smile.

"Did that really happen...?" Jason asked himself, he was still in denial.

[I can confirm that it did happen.]

Chronos responded and Jason rolled his eyes, Chronos didn’t understand that Jason was in his feelings or rather, couldn’t understand.

The knock on the door alerted him that someone was there, and Jason rushed there.

He opened the door without thinking twice but he saw a man that was approximately the same height as him but the mass of muscle on him made him look like the Hulk.

Jason stepped back instinctively but he saw the much smaller Debra behind him.

This allowed him to relax and take a closer look at the man.

"Is this him?" The man asked Debra and she nodded proudly.

"What’s going on Debra?" Jason asked, he was uncomfortable with the situation that he found himself in.

"I told the boss about what you did last night," Debra said but Jason was confused.

This was something that was meant to be kept between the both of them yet she had disclosed it to the man that was in charge of the position he wanted to join.

Jason couldn’t say anything, he just stood there and watched what was going to happen next.

"I’m impressed young man," The boss said and Jason couldn’t believe the bass that his voice carried. It felt like there was a mini earthquake.

"Woah! What the actual fuck is up with his voice?" Jason thought to himself.

The man was bald but Jason couldn’t see a single tattoo on his exposed flesh with his black eyes looking somewhat intimidating.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..." Jason tried to deny it but Debra just shook her head.

Her eyes quickly darted around the room to find the letter that she had dropped, hoping that Jason hadn’t seen it but she couldn’t see anything.

And judging by Jason’s demeanour, there was no way that he could have seen it.

Debra only told her boss because he had succeeded but she altered the story to avoid punishment.

What she did wasn’t allowed, she knew that if the boss found out that she had sent more than a dozen people out previously to retrieve this bag and lost their lives as a result.

Debra was anxious, she needed to get Jason on track with her story.

"He knows Jason, he knows I led us outside the wall to retrieve the bag of medicine," Debra quickly said to which Jason had a look of confusion on his face because this was clearly a lie.

"I’m glad someone as capable as you was with Debra. We have been looking for more supplies and I’m impressed that you could retrieve this bag that we thought lost," The man said,

Jason knew this story would be the only one to save his ass but in reality, if this man found out that Jason did it all alone, not only would his respect for the young man increase but he would also be wary of his strength. It wouldn’t match the story that Carl had told them about him.

"Hahaha! Yes, it was all thanks to her that it was possible," Jason said with a weak smile.

He could see the relief on Debra’s face, it was full of unspoken gratitude even though Jason had every intention of asking her questions later.

This all worked out for the best so there was nothing to complain about.

"Welcome to the raiders, young man," The man in his mid-fortieswelcomed Jason but Jason didn’t expect the man to be this friendly.

"T-Thank you sir...