Hey you guys! I'm back, and so's Taylor!
Tou NEED to read "Stay"! This story is a gripping thrill ride from start to finish.
Picture this: Maggie and Leon are trapped in a house with danger closing in on all sides. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Maggie's freaking out, and Leon is doing his best to stay strong for both of them, but you can feel the fear in every word.
The stakes couldn't be higher as they scramble to barricade themselves in, desperately trying to hold off the threat. Leon reveals a shocking secret about why he can’t leave the house, and it adds a whole new layer to the story. Maggie's determination to protect him, despite everything, is nothing short of heroic.
This story is all about survival, courage, and the powerful bond between two people facing impossible odds. It's an emotional rollercoaster that keeps you hooked from the very first line. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down!
If you're into edge-of-your-seat suspense with deeply human moments, "Stay" is the perfect read. Get ready to be captivated!
Oh, and at the end, check out the picture I had Minerva put together from the story!
--Kendra
Stay
For Gabriel & Luis
“We're fucked!” Maggie exclaimed, placing her hands on her head. “We are so fucked!”
She looked on helplessly as Leon paced the room, expressing his anxiety in rapid, repetitive movements rather than words.
“Leon,” Maggie breathed, still clutching her hair. “What the Hell are we gonna do?”
Leon paused in the center of the living room and looked at her. Her breathing was quickening by the second. Her wide, lake-blue eyes were bloodshot, her skin pale. She was absolutely terrified and for good reason. He took a deep breath and pressed a shaky hand over his mouth to restore his composure. He closed the distance between them, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“Hey, hey, hey.” His palms rested on her neck. “Maggie, look at me.” His eyes were soft but terrified, his voice calm, but trembling. Even Leon, as strong as he was, couldn't hide his anxiety. “It's okay,” he whispered, his thumbs brushing her jawline. “We're gonna be okay. You hear me? We're gonna be fine.”
Maggie's lips quivered. She hated crying in front of him. “What are we gonna do?”
Leon’s eyes dropped before lifting again. “We're gonna fight, Maggie. We're gonna fight until we win.”
Despite her doubts, Maggie nodded.
Together, they prepared the house, gathering pieces of plywood from the closed garage to board up the windows. They moved what furniture they could and piled it in front of the sliding glass door, praying it would be enough to hold back the threat.
Leon pulled his shotgun from the hall closet, a gun Maggie hadn't seen before, a gun Leon hadn't had to use until now. She'd seen him use his pistol the day he found her bleeding out in the front yard, the day he braved the weak barbed wire fence surrounding the house, slicing his clothes and body, to get to her.
Maggie jumped, hearing the crash of a window breaking a few houses away. The sound flipped a switch in her. How stupid she'd been to think they could hole up in this house with nothing but a broken fence and plywood to protect them!
Her fear was gone, replaced by an even stronger emotion: the desire to live.
“We have to go now, Leon!”
Leon hesitated. A flood of anxiety coursed through his veins like they’d been injected with ice water. Finally, he said, “I can't leave.”
Maggie watched as if he were a train about to careen off the rails. She waited for some sort of collision, but there wasn't any to behold. He just stood there looking more terrified than on the day he saved her, and it angered her. What the Hell was he so afraid of? No death could be worse than being ripped to shreds as they screamed in unimaginable agony.
Another loud shatter brought her back. “Those things are breaking into everyone's homes, Leon.” She closed the distance between them. “If we don't get out of here, we're next. Now, let's go!” She grabbed his wrist and started for the garage door. His next words were shoved out in one panicked breath.
“Maggie, I can't!”
She stared at him again. His wrist shook in her hand. She'd never seen him so afraid. Seeing his fear, feeling sympathy for him, softened her.
“Leon,” she said, lowering her voice. “What's going on?”
A scream echoed from outside. Leon sucked in his breath.
“There's a reason I hardly had any food when you came here.” His tone became fragile. “i-I have agoraphobia. It's a panic disorder that makes something as simple as going for a walk outside or a trip to the store intolerable and terrifying. I can't drive myself anywhere. I can't be driven by others anywhere. I can't even look up at the sky without feeling like I'm going to die.” He sucked in a shuddering breath, and Maggie imagined she could see his pulse hammer in his neck. “I don't like talking about it. I don't even like thinking about it. Even if we made it down the street, I'd spiral into a panic attack and slow you down. Then, you'll be in danger because of me. That's why I have to stay here.”
He pulled away from her, pacing the room again before finally settling on the couch. He leaned forward and explained the Hell she hadn't seen.
“It was my neighbor who brought me here. He had to force me here, force me into that truck that's out in the garage. I was curled in the back seat with a fucking coat over my head and losing my goddamn mind. I wanted to die. I wanted the truck to crash so I wouldn't be forced to face the panic anymore. That's how terrified I was. That's how tight a hold this panic disorder has on me.”
Leon sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping under the crushing weight of the memory. Maggie, sitting next to him, didn't bother to ask what had happened to his neighbor, concluding he'd been dragged away the moment he stepped out of the boundary of the barbed wire to fetch food. Leon blew out his breath and talked on, his voice quiet.
‘I came here shrouded in terror and panic and … Weakness. I don't want to go out like that, Maggie. I can't die like that.”
Maggie took his fingers in her own. “Then, I'm with you.”
“No!” Leon spoke abruptly, harshly, pulling his hand away. “I'm not gonna let you sacrifice yourself for me. I may not be able to escape this nightmare. But you still can, Maggie. You can get out of here. You can find refuge. You can live an amazing and incredible life, a life that you deserve -”
The sound of the fence being torn away cut him off. He gripped Maggie's shoulders tightly.
“Get out of here, Maggie.”
Maggie spoke up before he had the chance to say anymore. “I'm not just gonna leave you here to die, Leon. We can get through this. I know we can. We have to think of another way to get you -”
Pieces of plywood sailed across the house, revealing a fresh eater's arm in its place in the shattered window. Maggie gripped Leon's wrist with one hand. He squeezed her shoulders.
“Maggie, take the truck and drive as far from here as you can. I'll distract them. I'll hold them off until I know that you're safe.”
He stood swiftly, moving with purpose. He grabbed his gun and aimed at the door.
With a hammer of recognition, Maggie realized why he was choosing to stay. He didn't want to die in fear. He wanted to remain as brave and strong as he was now. He wanted to die with dignity. He wanted to die a hero. And it was true. Despite everything his agoraphobia dictated throughout his life, Leon refused to let it dictate how he was going to die. Today, he'd die with dignity, not weakness. He'd die fighting, not curled up in fear.
“Go, Maggie!” he ordered. “Get out!”
Maggie was in the hall now, only a few feet from Leon. The blast of his shotgun was deafening. Lights flashed in Maggue's field of vision as she scrambled to the bathroom, closed the door and got into the tub, praying that Leon would soon follow.
Another blast, followed by his shout. “Come on, motherfuckers! Come on!”
Two more blasts. Maggie ducked her head and covered her ears.
Come on, Leon. Come on!
The screams of the flesh eaters blocked out every other sound.
“Maggie?” Leon's voice held surprise. He closed the door behind him and stepped towards the tub. “I told you to get out of here!”
Maggie looked up at him, her expression anxious. “I'm not leaving you behind.”
Leon propped his gun against the wall nearest the tub and climbed in. The flesh eaters were breaking through the front door. Maggie could hear their screams and thesplintering of wood. Leon hugged her, burying his face into her shoulder and Maggie felt a hot tear fall against her neck.
“Thank you,” he choked. “Thank you.”
The flesh eaters roamed the house. They could hear their uneven gait, the snuffling moans as they sought their prey. All that stood between them was the locked door, and the hope that their silence would last long enough for the eaters to lose interest.
Leon crushed Maggie into him. He no longer cared about or reached for the gun that would protect them. He no longer cared about how he might to die. All he cared about was the girl who refused to give up on him, the girl who didn't leave behind, the girl who chose to stay.
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