by M. D. Massey
He laughed. “Looks like I get to hold you all night and some of the morning then.”
We snuggled up under the covers together, and we may or may not have gone for round two in the middle of the night.
I woke up to Henry playing with my hair. I groaned and stirred under his touch. “Good morning, my love,” he rasped. I smiled at him.
“Morning.” I sat up and kissed his amazing lips. “Did you sleep well?”
“Considering that I don’t sleep much to begin with, the sleep I did get was amazing, but it was because I was next to you.”
“You are such a charmer.” He smirked. He knew what he was doing to me, and I didn’t mind falling for his tricks. “I’m going to go start a pot of coffee.”
“Sounds great. Mind if I hit up your shower?”
“Go for it.” I got up and heard him groan as I walked out of the bedroom in my birthday suit. I couldn’t believe I just did that. It was so out of character for me. There was something about him. After only forty-eight hours, he already had a hold over me. He was my drug of choice.
When I got back to the bedroom, he was in the shower. I knocked on the door and asked if I could come in. “Of course,” he said.
I pulled back the shower curtain, seeing him already rock hard. “Sorry. Seeing you strutting off like that… You’re so damn sexy.” I smiled and stepped into the shower. After I pulled the curtain closed, I dropped to my knees. “Jesus Christ,” he whispered. When I took him into my mouth, he grabbed onto the curtain rod, cursing into a moan. I wanted to please him, much like he did me, and I was pretty sure I succeeded.
-November 2014-
“Earth to Elaina…”
“Huh?” Suddenly, I realized I was deep in thought. I hoped I hadn’t made any moaning sounds while thinking about that night.
“Hey, come on. You zoned out. Let’s go get a drink. Remember, Henry brought back that stash of booze.”
I shrugged. “Okay. I guess I could go for a couple drinks. I should really chat with Nick. I am sure he’s feeling awful, just like the rest of us.”
“Yeah, he is,” Claire mumbled.
“Have you talked to him about everything, including Jenna?”
“When you were out earlier, we chatted.” She paused. I could tell she was holding in her emotions. “He cried, Elaina. It was awful to see him that way. I did my best to comfort him, holding him until he calmed. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I’ve been a horrible sister. I haven’t been there for him at all. He really needs me, doesn’t he? I’m probably the only family he has left.” I had been trying to come to terms with the fact that we would probably never find my mother. Claire didn’t respond, but I think she thought the same thing. I got up and headed out to the kitchen.
Henry sat at the breakfast bar, staring off, clutching yet another nearly empty bottle of whisky. The lit candle near his face flickered, making him glow. My heart skipped as I stared at him. I told myself to cut the shit. I was supposed to be angry with him.
I startled him when I appeared through the darkness. “I’ll go into the other room,” he whispered in a drunken voice, beginning to stand.
“You can stay. It’s your home.”
He looked at me with dead eyes. “It’s not a home without you.” His words cut through me. We locked eyes and my breath hitched, but I made myself snap out of it. I lifted my chin, acting like I was strong.
“We were just going to grab a bottle of booze, then I was going to chat with Nick.” I looked past him, but Nick wasn’t in his usual place on the couch. I turned and looked around. “Where is he?” Henry gazed down, picking at a napkin. “Henry, where’s Nick?” He didn’t answer. Panic hit me. “Claire, go check to see if he’s in the other bedroom or bathroom.”
“Don’t bother,” mumbled Henry. He finished off the whisky.
“What?”
“He isn’t here.”
“Where is…Wait, Nate is gone, too! Oh, my god. Henry, did you send them out at night?”
“No. Sophie needed to go out, so I told her to take them… Shit. Yeah, I guess I did send them out.” He put his hand on his forehead.
I stormed up to him, twisted his shirt in my fist, and pulled him into my face. “You motherfucker! You risked my brother’s life for Sophie?”
“What do you mean needed?” Claire had a knack for listening, unlike me. I missed the “needed” part. I let go of him, waiting for his response.
“I, um…I didn’t mean needed. Okay, maybe I did. Bloody hell.” He scrubbed his tired, drunken face with his hands. I saw the sparkle of my ring on his pinky.
“Now is your chance! Fucking tell me! Spill it!” I was so angry, I was shaking.
Henry looked into my eyes. His were full of sadness, swollen from all his crying earlier. When he blinked, a tear silently trickled down his cheek.
Chapter 12
“So, where are we going?” Nick was frustrated, Nate was silent in the back of the Tahoe, and Sophie’s nerves buzzed with excitement.
“To hell and back, darling.”
Nate sighed. “Can we stop with the games?” He was beyond irritated. “You people are a bunch of damn loons.”
“Ha! You are a silly one, Nate. Such a tosser.” She chuckled.
“I don’t understand what’s so funny! We’re driving around at night, looking for God knows what…” Nate pointed out the side window, “and we could be eaten by one of those things at any moment!”
“Detour!” Sophie slammed on the brakes, whipped the truck around to the left, and floored it. Everyone tilted, feeling like they were inside a pinball machine.
“Sophie! What the fuck?!” Nick yelled.
They ran right into an undead, the body splitting in two. His upper torso flew up and over the hood and smashed against the windshield, cracking it. The bottom half went under them, the truck rocking as the body got caught under the wheels. There was blood and gore everywhere.
“Oh god…” Nick wrapped his arm around his churning stomach.
“Woo hoo! Take that, you nasty bugger!”
Nick was disgusted by how proud Sophie was of her achievement. “You really are mental, aren’t you? You do understand that was once a person, right?”
Sophie shrugged. “Meh… Yeah, I guess.”
“Seriously, what if that were your family member? Wouldn’t you want them to be treated with at least a little bit of respect?” She shrugged again. “Seriously?” Nick shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t have any family, Nick. Never have.” It pained her to say that, but it was the truth. “The only person I’ve ever cared about was Henry, and vice versa. I have to step back from him. Not by choice, but that’s how it’s going for me.” The hurt was evident in her words. She missed Henry. He was all she ever had.
“But isn’t Henry your family?”
“No, not anymore. He’s just a friend now. Elaina is his family.” Sophie brought the truck to a screeching halt. “Look, can we not talk about this anymore, please?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Nick felt a little embarrassed, but he was still irritated by her blatant disregard for the people the undead used to be.
“Look. Let’s go in there and see if there are any supplies left for us to take.”
“A blood bank?” Nate didn’t like the idea.
“Yeah, medical supplies. You never know what we’ll need.”
“I think that’s the one where Henry worked,” Nick said, looking around.
“Haven’t a clue,” Sophie mumbled.
“Whatever.” Nate sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Sophie asked for one of the flashlights jammed in the pocket behind the driver’s seat. Nate passed it to her as she opened the truck door. Cautiously walking to the front doors of the building, she shined the light in, looking for undeads. She heard Nick and Nate come up behind her.
“Stay here, both of you. I’m going to go in and grab supplies.”
“No. Absolutely
not,” Nick hissed. “You are not going in alone. I don’t want to deal with the wrath of Henry if something happens to you.”
“Let her go. One less mouth to feed.” The disdain in Nate’s voice was quite evident.
Sophie whipped around and pointed her Sig right between his eyes. “Shut it. Or you will find yourself in a bit of a pickle. Got it?” Nate nodded once. Nick shook his head, wondering when he had hopped on the crazy train.
“Henry will be pissed if we let you go alone. I can’t let that happen.”
“Fine. Nick, you come inside with me. Nate, you stand guard outside the front door.”
“You want me to stand guard…outside?” Nate squeaked.
“I am speaking English, yeah? I know I have an accent, but I do believe Queen’s English is essentially the same basic language as yours.”
“Calm down, Sophie. Nate will stand outside. I think he’s in shock that you trust him with such an important job.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” Nate sighed.
“You do this, Nate, and we will hit up a designer store so you can pick out whatever your little heart desires. Tab is on me.”
Nate rolled his eyes, wondering if she were trying to get Nick alone so she could seduce him.
“Sure. Whatever.” He sighed again.
“Grab your packs and let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Nick ran back to the truck. Nate, being his typical self, took his sweet ass time.
Sophie tested the door, finding it unlocked. Nick came up next to her. “Does your watch work?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s set a timer for ten minutes. Once the timer goes off, make a dash back to the entrance.”
Nick swallowed hard. He wasn’t keen on splitting up. Henry was adamant about that.
“So many things can go wrong. Henry would want us to stay together.”
Sophie stifled a laugh. “I can handle myself, Nick. You mustn’t forget that I was trained, just like our fearless leader.” He shook his head, setting the timer on his watch for ten minutes. “I’m going to go in, and you follow behind to cover me. Then, once we get in, we’ll figure out which way to go.”
Nick reluctantly agreed, glancing back at Nate, who scanned the surrounding area.
“Henry is going to kick my fucking ass,” Nick grumbled.
“Don’t worry. I will handle him if he goes crazy.”
Sophie and Nick crept into the blood bank, guns ready and flashlights on. There were two doors on either side of the reception area. Sophie stopped abruptly before making it to the desk. There was a putrid odor and a low humming sound in the background.
Sophie turned toward Nick. She pointed to herself, then to the right side of the desk. She motioned him to go to the left. Nick tried to keep his breathing even, his nerves starting to show. He wiped the sweat off his brow.
Sophie stopped before she went down the hall, flashing the light at Nick. He gave her the thumbs up, and they both went down their separate hallways.
Nick pushed open the swinging door, wondering what he would face as soon as he stepped through. He worried about going in on his own. His shirt, laden with sweat, was stuck to his body. He feared what would happen to Elaina if he died. She was already on the verge of snapping. Then he thought about Claire.
It was possible one of his last moments with her was him crying like a baby onto her shoulder. It was so embarrassing, but he couldn’t hold his emotions back anymore. He needed to stay strong for Elaina, regardless if she had Henry by her side or not.
He moved his flashlight around the area. The hallway was narrow with offices on both sides. His heart raced and his breathing quickened. He knew that someone or something could take him out at any moment. He stopped to gather himself, pulling in a deep breath.
“Grow a pair, you bitch,” he whispered, forcing himself to continue on.
The farther he crept down the hallway, the stronger the putrid odor became. He put the back of his hand over his nose to try to block the stench. Nick knew the scent of death would never leave him, no matter how much he tried to stop it from creeping into his sinuses. It would dig a crevasse into his brain and neatly tuck itself away. When he least expected it, the stench would tap him on the shoulder, the haunting starting all over again.
Nick debated opening doors to find the source. When he looked toward the end of the hallway, he could see a dim light under the last door. He checked his watch. Seven minutes remaining.
He decided to forego the offices, heading straight to the end of the hall. He lay on the floor, trying to see under the door, but there wasn’t much clearance.
He heard low grunting sounds as a shadow staggered by. It made him recoil. Nick got up and tried to gather himself again. He knew he needed to go in and check it out. His mouth was parched, his breathing becoming more rapid by the second. He cracked his neck and knuckles, then jumped up and down a few times, trying to prep himself for what he was about to see.
He thought about Elaina again, wondering what would happen to her if he weren’t around to watch over her. His thoughts traveled to Jenna, then Claire. He clutched his chest as his heart ached, facing certain death.
“This is no time to think, Nick. Stop being a pussy and go in,” he whispered, positioning his body against the swing door. He counted to three in his head.
After seeing Nick walk down the left hallway, Sophie counted out a minute in her head. She then crept back to the front doors. Nate paced on the sidewalk. When he walked out of sight, she opened the door, finding him standing on the corner. Sophie smirked. She walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped around, his Sig ready.
“Christ! What is your malfunction?” he squeaked.
She smirked again. “I don’t have one.” She grabbed him by the neck and picked him up off the ground, choking him. “You know, Nate, I’m not a fan.”
He kicked wildly, dropping the Sig. Sophie licked her lips. She was more than ready.
“There is something I need from you. A favor, I suppose.” She dragged him over to the passenger side of the truck for some privacy.
“What…are…you…doing?” Nate choked out. Fear poured from his eyes and flooded his purple face.
“Oh, now hush, little Nate. It will all be over in a moment.”
She pushed him against the side of the truck, forcing him to slide into a sitting position. She pressed her hand over his face and knelt on his thighs, pinning him right where he was.
In one quick motion, she launched at his throat and tore it open with her teeth. Nate screamed. She groaned as the blood poured from the gaping wound. She latched onto his neck and sucked in her fill with long, hard swallows.
Sophie rested back on her heels. “Holy fuck.” Her head buzzed, her eyes rolled back, and her inner core stirred. She thought about finding Nick and milking him dry, but decided that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Get a grip.” She wiped off her face, then noticed Nate was officially true dead. “Oops.” She grabbed a vial out of her vest and milked out enough for Henry. After cramming it in her cleavage, she licked the rest of the blood off of her fingers and pulled out her Sig.
For a brief moment, she felt bad, but she needed her fix or things could have gotten bad really fast. He was an easy target and a pain in the fucking ass. And her pain? It was also a pain in the fucking ass so it was justified.
“Hope the pearly gates are as pretty as they describe them. I will never know.” She aimed her Sig, putting a bullet into Nate’s head.
Sophie wanted it to look like he committed suicide after he was bit. She ran out from behind the truck and grabbed his Sig, wrapping his hand around it. She checked her watch. “Shit.” Only a couple minutes left.
She ran back into the blood bank and bolted down the hallway to the door at the back of the facility. She found the storage room, pulled a couple reusable shopping bags out of her pack, and filled them with needles, vials, and bags. Once crammed full, she headed toward the back of the building
.
Nick tried to swing the door open, but it stopped about a quarter of the way. He slid through and aimed his gun to the left. He had to blink a few times in the dim lighting, four undeads about ten feet away coming into focus. Two of them wore scrubs and were in a horrible state of decay. Bloated, skin torn and hanging, Nick choked back the vomit.
As he looked around, he discovered this was where the sharp odor came from. There were rotting bodies scattered on the floor. He trained his Sig on the closest undead.
“Don’t shoot yet,” Sophie whispered behind him, making him jump. “They’re busy. Come.” She waved him to the right.
“We should make them true dead.” It came out louder than he intended.
“Nick, I know what I’m doing.” She spoke through clenched teeth. Nick looked back at the undeads, who were seemingly undisturbed by their minor disagreement, and decided to do as Sophie instructed.
They stepped over half-eaten rotten bodies. Nick found the sights and smells so atrocious, he almost vomited when he slipped in a pool of sticky blood and rotten flesh, littering the floor. When Sophie turned around to give Nick direction, he furrowed his brows, noticing droplets on her face.
“Is that blood?” He reached up and wiped the thick red liquid off her chin with his thumb. She sucked in a sharp breath, her body still on fire from her ingestion.
Her eyes pulled him in. They were bright in the dim light. His gaze wandered down to her overflowing cleavage. He watched her chest pump up and down with each breath. She begged silently for him to touch her. He held out his fingers, going for the drips, but he stepped back.
“And on your chest?”
Stunned, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Ahh, yeah. I stumbled and bit the inside of my cheek. Darn shoes.” She nervously chuckled.
He stared at her for a moment, not sure if he should believe her story. He glanced down at her feet, seeing her still rocking the spiked hooker heels. Then he looked back up and shook his head, thinking those were probably the cause of her never seen before clumsiness.