She knew better. She knew to be more careful.
So if he didn’t make it, it was her fault.
The last glimpse she got of him replayed in her mind. He was fighting them off in droves, but there were too many. She didn’t see him go down before she was hauled away, kicking, screaming and crying, by Riley, who decided it was easier to just sling her over his shoulder. Jack had retrieved Travis’ ‘bow and handed it to a devastated Scarlett once they were far enough away.
She didn’t see Travis die. So there was a chance.
Tears stung her eyes and she tried to hold them back. Now wasn’t the time to get emotional. The one thing Travis told her to have was hope, and she tried to hold on to that.
After a few minutes of trudging through the humid woods, and swatting away the incessant insects that seemed to follow her, torturing her, she caught sight of the mall again, sitting ominously at the bottom of the steep hill she was atop. The dead surrounded it. Where had they all come from, and so fast?
Getting back inside was going to be nearly impossible. But this was Travis. She soon realised that she would face any impossible task for that man. Dangerous thinking for someone who hated to get attached to people.
She smiled a sad, reminiscent smile as she thought about Jimmy. She didn’t want her heart ripped from her chest like that again.
Until a few weeks ago, she was all about herself and content to be so. She would provide for the group, but didn’t care for getting involved with them, with the exceptions of Riley and River, but recently she’d even attempted to push them away. She didn’t need or want anybody. How things had changed. Now it was hard for her to ever imagine life without Travis, especially after having a taste of life without him.
She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She needed to concentrate on the task in hand. She pulled out her binoculars and began scanning the area below. There was a possible opening through a window, but getting to it would be tricky. Getting back out the same way certainly wouldn’t be an option once the Roamers knew she was there.
She swallowed a lump in her throat and, against her better judgement, began looking at the faces in the horde below and studying their clothing; checking to see if any of them resembled Travis.
Please, please, please, no…
Suddenly, she was pulled sharply backwards by strong arms. She stifled a shocked scream and jerked one of her axes free, flinging it behind herself, aiming for the head of what she instinctively thought to be a Shuffler. It grabbed her hand just before it connected with its target. Scarlett’s whole body tensed, unsure of what to do now. As she fumbled for the other axe, a familiar chuckle sounded behind her. His chuckle.
She spun around so fast that she almost lost her balance.
Travis.
There he was with a smug grin on his face, looking as though he’d been through a battle in war, which Scarlett supposed he probably had.
A relieved smile spread across her face and she threw her arms around him, sighing happily as he closed his arms around her in return, locking her against him.
Despite the fact that he was covered in blood and God knows what else, he still smelled gratifyingly of natural musk and cigarettes. A normal person would not have considered this sexy, but to her it was the best smell in the world. She loved smelling like him after being pressed close. It brought her a certain sense of peace.
She gave him a tight squeeze before stepping back and punching him hard, straight in the chest.
“Fuck you! Fuck you, Travis, you fucking moron! Fuck you for always having to play the fucking hero! You could have died, you stupid prick!” her lip began to quiver. “Fuck you.” She repeated. She refused to bawl in front of him, “I’m glad you’re okay,” she added, her tone softening.
He rubbed his chest, sniggering, eyeing her up and down like he always did. It made her insides melt. She liked knowing that he enjoyed looking at her.
He observed her for a moment, her eyes sparkling with the tears she was forcing back. He looked harder into her eyes than anyone else had ever done, and he recognised something in them that nobody else had. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she was scared. Not for herself; Travis knew that as far as Scarlett was concerned, if she died, she wouldn't know about it anyway, so why would that frighten her? No, she was scared of something far worse than that. He knew the thing which terrified her more than anything – more than the malevolent people they had encountered, more than the Roamers. Losing people.
Slowly, he took her face in his hands, drawing her in for a gentle, but passionate kiss. She moaned softly against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
Every time she kissed him felt like the first time; her head span and her heart pounded. And his mouth always tasted so good, at least by post-apocalyptic standards.
She smiled and slowly pulled her head back. She was so elated to know he was okay, she felt like she was floating. But they couldn’t let their guards down here. Even with Number Six, alert as he was, if Roamers appeared, they'd need to be out of there quickly.
Scarlett looked around them, checking for Biters, before moving her gaze back to meet his.
“We should get back to camp. We’ve only got a few hours of daylight left.” She said gently, happy to be staring up at his grubby face again.
Apparently, going back was not on his agenda at that moment because before Scarlett could blink, he was kissing her again. Well, okay then.
She thought about pulling away, trying to resist him, but who the hell was she kidding? She couldn’t turn this man down if she tried. Something about him released her primal side and she was so relieved that he was safe; she wanted to tear into his blood-soaked clothing like a hungry animal, just to be sure that he was real.
They could be in the middle of the forest, surrounded by hungry Roamers and she would still melt the moment he touched her. Oh wait, they were. And she was.
His hands were suddenly everywhere; her hips, her chest, her back, her neck. And the way he was kissing her made her feel as if she was going to burst into flames any second. It was so passionate and possessive, like he was claiming her as his own with his lips. And she was his. Completely.
He pulled his head back and she almost whimpered. Was that it?
“I missed you.” He admitted, in a gruff, but sensual tone.
Her eyes flew open and she looked at him in disbelief. Scarlett grabbed Travis and jerked him against her so hard she almost winded herself. He laughed against her mouth, but his amusement was quickly replaced by his need for her.
She wanted him now. Just as she was about to beg him to take her, he pulled his mouth away and spoke first.
“Scarlett,” he whispered. “moments like these tend to put things into perspective... I should have said this weeks ago, after that night... You do somethin’ to me.”
“There's a lot of things I'd like to do to you...” Scarlett joked.
“Stop.” He smirked. “I think I’ve finally figured it out. You make me feel… I--” Scarlett put her finger to his lips before he could say any more.
“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, Travis. Please.”
Travis didn’t know whether he should confess his emotions for Scarlett. He’d never been in love, so how could he even be sure that love was what he was feeling? He saw a silent anxiety in her eyes which he stared into, holding her chin and moving her hand away from his lips. Taking a deep breath, his head swimming with confusion, his mouth made the decision for him.
“I love you.” He blurted.
Scarlett froze for a moment and stared. There. He said it. If her heart wasn’t dangerously close to exploding out of her chest before, it certainly was right then.
“You could say somethin’, you know. It’s gettin’ kinda awkward,” Travis said with a nervous smile.
She blushed softly and put her arms around his neck, one hand sliding down and resting on his cheek.
“Travis… Is it not painfully obvious tha
t I am completely in love with you?” She whispered back to him, her smile dropping slightly. “And that scares the shit outta me. Nobody’s guaranteed tomorrow.”
“Then we’d better make the best of today.” he replied, his voice warm and husky, “You hear me?” Scarlett thought for a second before responding.
“I hear you.” She answered.
“Good. Now shut up and kiss me.”
Best of today indeed. Scarlett finally had what she wanted. An equal. He'd saved her ass and she'd saved his. And she realised; sometimes your knight in shining armour turns out to be a red-neck in dirty work boots.
* * *
Scarlett’s sheepish return to camp with Travis earned her a severe telling off from Riley; “We were worried sick about you… you should have told me you were going after him... you could have been killed...”, which he concluded with: “but well done for finding him...”
It wasn’t long before Travis made for his tent, exhausted from the day’s events. The children were already sleeping and one by one the other survivors gave in to slumber too. Riley remained by the fire. He hadn’t yet eaten after spending his afternoon worrying about Scarlett.
Scarlett followed Travis to his tent, but not to sleep. He was lying on his side, the blankets crumpled where he had pushed them aside. The camping bed was still folded in the corner. Seemingly Travis no longer had any use for it. Scarlett crouched down next to him, hoping he was still awake.
“You okay?” he asked, aware of her presence.
“Yeah...”
Travis could tell she wanted something and rolled onto his back to look at her. Without a word, Scarlett leant forward and kissed him. He reciprocated, running one hand up to the back of her head, and resting the other on her waist. Scarlett temporarily broke the kiss, sitting up to remove her shirt, simultaneously kicking off her boots before allowing Travis to slowly pull her onto himself. He was already shirtless, and Scarlett ran her hands over his chest and down his stomach, coming to a stop at his belt line.
Before she could go any further, Travis sat up and pulled Scarlett’s vest over her head, dropping it to the ground. Her body was warm, and Travis enjoyed her heat on his lips as he kissed her neck, holding her against himself. Her head instinctively rolled back to give him better access.
Travis unbuttoned Scarlett’s jeans and lifted her enough that he could slide them down to her thighs. Taking hold of her legs, he skilfully changed their position so that he was on top of her and able to remove them completely, along with her underwear. Pushing his own down his legs and kicking them off, he pulled her back onto his lap to continue kissing her.
* * *
Emerging from Travis’ tent, Scarlett spotted Riley sitting next to the campfire and made her way over to join him.
“I thought you’d gone to bed.” Riley said softly.
“Too hungry to sleep.” Scarlett replied, still tingling and dizzy from being with Travis.
“Hotdog?” He offered.
“Sure.”
They shared the hotdogs, cold and straight from the tin, but Scarlett began to feel ill. It wasn’t gradual, either. She stood and barely had time to get clear of the tents before she threw up. Twice.
She returned to the fire to find Riley staring at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah. Maybe it was the hotdogs.”
“I feel fine.” He stated. “Listen, Scarlett, I think you need to take a break. I can go on runs with Travis for a while. You’re making yourself sick because you’re trying to do too much and you’re not eating properly. Spend a few days here with River and the others. You can wash my socks.” He smirked.
Scarlett sniggered but guessed he must be right. What with the supply trips and hunting, combined with her lack of a decent night’s sleep, she was drained. She nodded in agreement, said goodnight and made her way back to Travis’ tent, praying she had no dreams.
Chapter Thirteen:
Scarlett woke with a start as bile started rising from the pit of her stomach. She wriggled free of Travis’ sheets and rushed for the tent zipper. She was only able to open it far enough to get her head and shoulders out before retching, again and again, stomach acid burning her throat as it came up and spilled out of her mouth, eyes watering.
Just as she thought she was done, a waft of smoke from the campfire brought with it the distinct aroma of meat cooking, a smell which would usually have been the reason she woke up. Not today. And not for the last three weeks.
She gagged again and neglected to notice Travis' tattered boots come into view at her side, only realising he was there when she felt a strong hand rest on her back. Shit.
Travis’ other hand appeared in front of her face, offering a canteen of water. Gratefully, she took it and grunted a ‘thanks’, unsure if it was wise to actually drink any.
She daringly unscrewed the lid and took a small sip, swilled it around in her mouth and spat it out before backing up into the tent. Travis followed her and Scarlett avoided eye contact with him as she spoke.
“It was brave of you to get so close. Could've made a mess of your shoes.”
“I’ve told River time and time again to ask if she’s not sure when the meat was caught. Are you okay?” He asked, holding out a tissue.
Scarlett wiped her mouth. She knew exactly what was causing her sickness; she’d been been suffering for a few weeks and it certainly wasn’t the meat.
She was sure that Riley knew. He was so quiet, but always fucking watching. He had to know. He had walked in on her vomiting a couple of times since the hotdog incident and given her a knowing look.
Fuck, she thought, Fuck, fuck, fuck!
She couldn’t tell Travis. Not yet. Questions would eventually need to be answered, especially when she began to show. She wondered if he’d even own up to it when the group grilled her about the paternity. One thing she did know was that they would be angry. How careless of her to get pregnant when the world was the way it was. Another mouth to feed, and a screaming mouth at that.
Scarlett grudgingly dressed herself in her vest, shirt, worn out jeans and boots. She could feel Travis watching her from the camping bed.
“You comin’ out with me today?” he enquired, unbuttoning his dirty shirt in favour of a slightly cleaner, less pungent, grey vest.
“I think I’d prefer to stay behind. Maybe walk down to the lake and do some laundry. See what it’s like to be a stereotypical, post-apocalyptic woman.” She joked.
“You’re hiding something from me.”
Scarlett was caught off guard.
“What do you mean?”
Travis stood and took her arm, turning her to face him.
“You haven’t been scoutin’ with me for almost ten days. What happened?” She didn’t have a reply, so Travis continued, “Those people out there are relyin’ on us to find somewhere secure to stay, and you seem to have given up,” he lifted her chin forcing her to look him in the eye, “You’re sleepin’ in, hardly eatin’, and you just ain’t yourself. I think you should talk to Henry. If you’re sick you can’t risk passin’ it on to anyone else, especially the kids. I can go out alone, get you somethin’ to make you better, but please get checked out.”
Scarlett winced at the mention of children. A baby would make things difficult for everyone. She loved the children in the group, all of whom no longer had their parents to look after them, and she hated the thought that her baby, when it was born, could put their lives in danger.
She thought about leaving. She’d never been on her own before, let alone on her own with a new-born. Fuck. She had to tell him something. She loved him and he loved her, or so he said. If she just disappeared, he’d come looking for her anyway, thinking she was in trouble.
“You know what? I will come with you. I’m feeling better already.” She lied. “Fresh air’ll do me good.” She started to gather her weapons. “But just us, okay?”
“Sure.” Travis said, confused.
She ha
d no idea what she’d tell him, and no way to know how he’d handle it when he did find out.
They packed their weapons and water into Riley’s SUV, let the others know they were heading out, and sped off down the dirt track.
Their journey into the town was a quiet one; Travis driving, Scarlett looking out of the windows, doing everything she could to avoid a conversation.
They drove into the countryside, eventually stopping outside a large gated cottage. The building was trimmed with decaying flowers, and had a car still parked in the driveway. Travis pulled out his map and marked down their location.
“It’s a big place. Plenty of space for all of us. S’long as we can clear it out. Don’t look like it’s been touched by anyone since the shit hit the fan. Probably stinks in there if the owners didn’t get out. Don’t see why they’d leave their car. Those bars look sturdy too. And look at that,” he said, pointing at the solar panels on the roof, “they were eco warriors. Wanna check it out?”
“Okay.” Scarlett said. One word answers were all she felt brave enough to give as she began to feel queasy again.
They both climbed out of the car and Travis slung his crossbow over one shoulder and his bag on the other, while Scarlett fastened her axe belt to her hips.
They cautiously approached the gate and Travis pulled a pair of bolt cutters from his bag to break the chain holding it closed.
Scarlett studied the car; a silver estate, still in perfect condition. Upon inspection, however, she saw an incredibly decomposed Roamer, barely able to move itself. She could see by looking at the woman's patchy, grey hair that she was an old woman when she died, simply taking shelter in the car as the key was nowhere to be seen.
Scarlett opened the car door and observed the creature as it desperately tried to claw its way to her, lying in a puddle of rancid bodily fluids. The smell hit Scarlett like a shovel to the face. She jumped back, urgently stifling her gag reflex.
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