Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “You could if you had to.”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. Look how I was with Jenna.”

  I sighed. I hated to admit it, but he was right. I picked at the fabric of the coverlet.

  “Henry and I shared a huge moment while we were in here a few minutes ago. I grew to understand him more. I learned so much about who he truly is, and then he treats me like I’m garbage. I felt like I was an inch tall. It’s like he’s two different people.”

  “He’s under a lot of stress. This whole thing, whatever the hell it is, rests on his shoulders. He feels he’s responsible. Don’t you see that?”

  “Yes!” I yelled just as Henry stumbled into the room, hands in his pockets. It was hard to look at him. He stared at his feet and, from what I could see, his face was flush. Probably from all the whisky.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “My intention was exactly as Sophie said. I don’t think you could take me out, and I know I couldn’t take you out.”

  “You would if you had to.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe we are arguing about whether we could shoot one another.” We were all silent for a while until we heard Sophie running down the hall.

  “Henry!” she hollered. “Undeads in the hallway.”

  “Shit.” Henry and Nick ran out to the living room, me right behind them. Henry grabbed the walkie-talkie off of the table.

  I grabbed his arm. “Henry, you can’t go out there! You’ve been drinking! You’ll get killed.”

  “I’m fine,” he snapped.

  “No, you’re not! You were stumbling.” I looked around at everyone else. “No one is going to say anything?” Henry ignored me, continuing to shout instructions. I glared at everyone. No one was backing me up.

  Un-fucking-real!

  “Claire, I want you to open the door slowly, like you did before,” Henry said.

  “Got it.” She was all business.

  “Nick, cover me.”

  “On it.” They grabbed their Sigs, Claire waiting for the signal. He held his hand up and listened. When he lowered his hand, Claire pulled open the door.

  Sophie stood between me and the door, blocking my view. Two shots rang out, making me jump.

  Then Henry shouted, “Claire! Come with us. We’re going to clear this floor.”

  Claire and I stared at one another for a moment, then she headed out the door. Fear I would never see any of them alive again ran through my body.

  Sophie closed the door, locking it. Pacing between rooms, Nate was silent, not knowing what to do or where to go. As for me, I was lost, emotionally and mentally.

  “So we just stand here and wait? I don’t understand why I’m the only one concerned he was drinking!”

  “He’ll be fine.” She was a woman of few words for a change. Staring into her eyes, I sensed she was worried about Henry, too.

  When we heard Claire scream and two more shots, I ran to the door.

  “No! Do not open that door, Elaina.” I looked back at Sophie, trembling with fear. Three more gunshots rang out, then silence.

  I listened at the door, waiting for any sign that Henry, Claire, and Nick were okay. All that I heard was my heart pounding in my ears. I looked back at Sophie again. She walked to the door.

  “Why don’t you go sit for a moment?”

  “Nope. I’m staying here until I know they’re okay.”

  She pulled the walkie-talkie off her belt, turning it on. “I hope he turned his on. HD, I need a location on you.” Static. “HD, do you read me? I need a location.” Static. “Damn it, Henry! Gimme a motherfucking location! Do you need assistance?”

  “SJ, no assistance needed.” I was so relieved to hear his voice; however, he sounded like he had been running. “Less than thirty seconds until arrival.”

  “Gotcha, HD. Be safe.” Sophie looked just as relieved as I was.

  That thirty seconds seemed like an eternity before I heard them running up to the door. Sophie pulled it open and jumped into Henry’s arms. I stood there, staring at my brother and Claire.

  “Four more adults and…” Henry paused and looked at me, “three children.”

  Her face flat and emotionless, Claire looked like she was in shock.

  “Claire…,” I said, reaching for her. She walked around me, past the table, and headed down to the bathroom. When she was out of earshot, Henry told us what happened.

  “The first two shots were one child and an adult. The rest of the children we found roaming the hall. One lunged at Claire and she screamed. Nick shot one, Claire the other. I saw the door open down the hall. As I took off running toward it, three undeads came out. I unloaded on them.

  “When I came back down the hall, Claire still stood in the same spot, pointing her gun at the true deads, completely white, Nick trying to get her to come back here. I stepped in between her and them, grabbed her gun, and we headed back. Elaina, you might want to go check on her. I think she’s having a breakdown or something.”

  I nodded and headed down the hall.

  “Do you think she’ll be okay?” Nate asked, genuinely concerned about Claire’s welfare.

  “I don’t know,” Nick answered in a sigh.

  Sophie pulled Henry to the side. “I was so worried about you. It was silent for way too long. Next time, give me a status report. All right?”

  “Okay.”

  I knocked on the bathroom door. I could hear her in there, rummaging around. “Claire?”

  “Come in.”

  When I opened the door, I watched her scrubbing her face, hands, and arms at a feverish pace. Her pale peach skin turned bright red.

  “Claire.” I grabbed her arm. “Claire, please stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  She pounded furiously on the countertop with her fist. “Does it matter?! Does it?!”

  “Claire, please.” Suddenly, she screamed and punched the mirror, shattering it. “Oh, my god! Claire!” She grabbed a large piece of it and held it up to her wrist. “Claire, no! Put it down!” Henry must have heard her scream, or the smashing glass, because he showed up in the doorway seconds later.

  “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t! One fucking reason!” Her hand bled all over.

  “Claire…you’re bleeding,” Henry said. It was not the time for obvious observations. I turned toward him.

  “Get some gauze and antibiotic solution.” He walked to the closet. I could hear him digging through it. “Claire, please, put it down.”

  “Why, Elaina?! Why?! So I can continue to kill children?!”

  “They were already dead. You didn’t kill them. You allowed their little souls to move on.”

  “I put a bullet in the head of a pigtailed girl who couldn’t have been more than five years old!”

  “She wasn’t a little girl anymore. The virus had control of her.”

  “Ha! You sound like your boyfriend.”

  “Please hand me the glass, Claire.” I held my hand out.

  “I want a reason! One good reason for me to stay in this fucked-up world!” I didn’t have a good reason. “Goddamn it! Give me a fucking reason!”

  Sweating, I panicked, then gave her the only thing I could think of. “Me! You have me!” I couldn’t hold back my tears. I loved Claire like a sister. We had been friends for so long and shared so much together.

  “Why? So I can watch you with Henry, but I have no one? I want to choose my own destiny!”

  “Claire, please. Put it down.” Nick stood behind me. She gazed at him, swallowing hard. Slipping around me, he walked to her. “You have me, Claire. I’m here for you.” Tears ran down her cheeks as he ran his fingers down her arm. “Just hand me the glass.”

  He was slow and calm. He grasped the piece of glass, gently pulling it out of her hand. She collapsed into him. He held her tight and kissed the top of her head, whispering to her. I couldn’t make out what he said. I was too busy trying to clean up the bits and pieces of glass.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here so Elain
a can clean up. We have to check your hand.” Holding her tight, he walked her out the door, Henry following.

  I heard the distinct sound of spiked heels on tile behind me. With a soft voice, Sophie asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  I paused, not looking up. “Uh, yeah. Yeah. Can you grab the trash can and broom from the kitchen?”

  “Be right back.” She left the bathroom, coming back soon after. She brought the can in and knelt in front of me.

  “Thanks.” We cleaned in silence.

  “Umm…Elaina?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Listen, I know we started off on the wrong foot, and I understand this whole thing isn’t easy for you. It’s not easy for me, either.” She sighed. I listened to her, but I still didn’t look up. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but…” She cleared her throat. It seemed like she was searching for the right words. “I love Henry. I’ve loved him for years, since we were teens. He helped me through so much. He was my first. He saved me and protected me for years, then Roger pushed him out into the field. I lost my protector. After he left, I was violated time and time again.” Her words were laced with sorrow and hatred.

  “What are you trying to say?” My voice was a little cold, but it was all I could offer at the moment.

  She cleared her throat again, trying to push back her sadness and pain. “I don’t know… I don’t know what I’m trying to say. All I know is Henry loves you now. He loves you so much, and I want to see him happy. I never made him as happy as you do. We have chatted several times about you during your relationship.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, skeptical. “How can he be happy in this life?”

  “There’s so much you don’t know.”

  “I’m starting to understand that. I know he’s still hiding stuff from me. I can feel it.”

  “He’s just trying to protect you. He’s trying to protect all of us. He has a lot on his mind, the weight of the earth on his shoulders.”

  I sighed. “I know. I’ve heard that one before.” I felt ashamed for how I reacted to splitting up. “I just wish he would open up to me more.” When I looked at her, she nodded.

  “He will. I know he will. He just needs time to process who he is and what he needs to do. He was treated the worst out of all the recruits, and I never understood why. He was the only one who questioned everything, including the program. He was beaten so severely on many occasions that there were a few times I didn’t think he was going to pull through. He suffered many broken bones, including a fractured skull, several concussions, deep gashes, tasing, whippings, and so much more. Then there was the verbal and emotional abuse, and the murder of his mother. I spent so many nights nursing him back to health, only for him to be beaten down again. I feared for his life. I still do. He was the only person with whom I connected.”

  My heart ached for him and, believe it or not, for her. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was just so surreal.

  “So you were beaten, as well?”

  “Yes, and repeatedly raped into submission.” I looked into her sparkling emerald green eyes, and I was taken aback. I could see the same pain I saw in Henry’s.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered and looked down, ashamed of my immature, selfish behavior. After all she endured, she didn’t need my crassness.

  “Thanks. Can we start over?”

  “Sure.” My smile was weak, but genuine. She reached up and touched my cheek, like Henry always did. Her cool caress sent shivers down my spine.

  “Henry picked a good one.”

  Her words moved me. I had a newfound respect for her. Sophie stood, grabbing the broom. We finished cleaning up the glass and blood in silence.

  After we finished, I had a new warmth in my heart. I could feel love for my group and for Sophie, which was a miracle in itself. I stood back as Sophie walked toward the table where Nick and Henry tended to Claire. I leaned against the doorway, watching the scene play out in front of me.

  Claire sat on Nick’s lap. He held her tight against him, trying to comfort her, as Henry picked glass out of her hand. Even Nate helped, readying a needle and thread. Sophie grabbed a cloth from the kitchen and wiped Claire’s tears away.

  It was a brilliant sight. We all had our differences, but we came together in a time of need. They were my family. We had only been a group for a short period of time, but I felt connected to everyone in one way or another.

  Henry looked back and saw me standing there. His loving gaze broke me out of my thoughts. I walked up to the table. “Is there any way I can help?” I asked, feeling a little overwhelmed.

  “I think we’ve got it, love.” His smile was welcoming. “Maybe you could fix us a meal? I’m pretty hungry.”

  I felt pride in the thought of taking care of my new family. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be.

  Chapter 8

  Over the next couple weeks, we cleared Henry’s building, only finding two other survivors. Neither wanted anything to do with our group. Henry figured they were scared and didn’t trust us. He also said we didn’t need anyone else tagging along with us anyway.

  The nights had turned chilly. Fall had settled in for the long haul, and winter was knocking on the front door. During the night, anxiety would rush through me. Every new day was another horrific, murderous drama, and I didn’t want to partake in it. None of us did.

  While Henry, Nick, and Nate tried to figure out a new way to secure the front window that broke when Sophie tossed the grenade, I just watched their efforts.

  Sophie cleaned the weapons, and Claire quietly placed candles around the apartment so we could see at nightfall. Still lost in her thoughts, but I knew she would come around soon. She was the strongest person I had ever met.

  After another physically and emotionally exhausting day, I decided to retire for the night. Grabbing two candles out of the kitchen, I walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I stripped out of my borrowed clothes, finding another clean t-shirt to wear.

  Not wearing panties was really starting to get to me. I rummaged through Henry’s drawers and found a pair of gym shorts with a drawstring. I knew I’d have to find clothes that fit soon. Hearing a light knock on the door, I pulled on the shorts and opened it. Henry slipped in without a sound.

  “Hey.” It was my old Henry again. His graying eyes looked hollow in the candlelight.

  “Hi.” My voice was quiet, the tension thick between us. It rattled me to the core. We weren’t the same as before our wedding day, and it broke my heart.

  “I wanted to check on you to make sure you’re doing all right.” He reached out and touched my arm, causing goosebumps to spring up all over my body. I didn’t know if it was his cool hand or if I was missing his romantic touch. “How are you doing, my love?”

  I laughed to myself. “Pretty fucking dandy. How about yourself?”

  “Ah…there she is. That’s my girl.” He smiled. “Not quite as fantastic as you look, I must say.”

  I laughed again. “Really, Henry? I look fantastic? Wow. I didn’t know a ‘free blood donor’ t-shirt and a pair of big gym shorts made me look fantastic.” I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

  “You look more than fantastic. Absolutely sexy, if you want to know the truth.”

  I shook my head, looking down at my borrowed clothes and sighing. I wasn’t prissy in any way, but there was just something about wearing clothes that fit. And I could have used a few pairs of panties. I’d even settle for some granny panties at this point. It was amazing what I took for granted before, but never again.

  He grabbed both my arms and made me look into his eyes. They looked so sad and full of anger. I knew it was his past hanging over his head like a fucking black cloud. “Look. Tomorrow, we’ll try to get you and Claire clothes. With everybody borrowing, I’m running out of stuff myself.”

  “Okay,” I said, sighing. He pulled me close, humming a song I didn’t recognize. He swayed, holding me tight to his body. My voice was
soft when I said, “Henry?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What’s happening to your eyes? They keep turning gray, then back to green.” He stopped moving, his body stiffening. “They remind me of that undead boy’s eyes.” I swallowed hard, hoping I didn’t upset him. There was no way I could deal with him flying off the handle again.

  “I’m just not feeling well. I think I might be catching a cold or something.”

  I wasn’t sure if what he said were true. It was just strange to see a person’s eyes go from bright sparkling green to gray dead eyes, then back again.

  “Listen to me. I love you so much, Elaina. I can’t even tell you how much.” He quickly changed the subject.

  “I love you, too, but…” I stopped. I wanted to ask more about his eyes, more about him, and more about his past.

  “But what?”

  I tried to find the right words. “I love the old Henry. I still see parts of him in here.” I put my hand on his chest.

  “The new Henry is in the old Henry. I’m the same person. You’ve just never seen this side of me. I always kept it hidden, taking out my aggression at the gym.”

  “I know. I’m just trying to get used to you wearing your bossy pants.” We both smiled, then he leaned down and kissed me.

  I missed him so much. I missed him touching me. He scooped me up and laid me on the bed. He lay beside me, kissing and touching me like he used to. He knew I needed that tender side of him.

  Things heated up at an unforeseen rate, and I never felt so close to him. Once we tore off each other’s clothing, we couldn’t get enough of touching one another. I wasn’t going to take another moment for granted. It could very well be the last time we could get that close. I wanted to show him how much I loved him, so I kissed every square inch of his body from head to toe, making sure to pause at all his most sensitive places.

  His breath hitched when I got to his pulsating thickness. As I ran my tongue over him, he let out a guttural moan. He grabbed me and flipped me over onto my back.

  “It’s your turn,” he growled in my ear.