Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  We immediately spotted a sign that said CLINIC. Henry held up his fist, signaling us to stop. He touched the door handle. Locked. He pulled out his trusty tool set and, within a couple seconds, the door popped open. He cleared it and nodded at Nick.

  “Claire,” Henry whispered and waved toward the door. She hesitantly approached it. “Stay in here and lock the door.”

  “It’ll be okay, babe.” Nick put his hand on the small of her back, urging her inside.

  “But… What if something happens to you? How will I know?” He didn’t have an answer for her. She grimaced as the silence continued. He grabbed her arm.

  “Claire, please. You need to rest, and you need to stay safe. I don’t want anything happening to you or my little one.” He touched her belly. She nodded and looked down, a few tears escaping. Nick kissed her on the forehead. “I will be back for you.” Just before she closed the door, I blew her a kiss. She flashed me a sad smile as she shut the door and turned the lock.

  Nick put his hand on the door and his head sagged as he choked back tears. I touched his shoulder, and he shook his head. He fought valiantly, trying to not allow his emotions get the better of him.

  “It’s going to be okay. I have a good feeling about this.” His jaw trembled as he took a few deep breaths. We heard Claire sobbing and it tore at him. It took him a moment before he could pull himself away.

  We cleared the majority of the school. We didn’t look into every closet and room, but we were confident all was clear. It was small, but it was beyond grand to us. We discovered a lot of useful supplies under a layer of dust. The impression that we got was that it was deserted.

  Standing in the doorway of the cafeteria, I watched and waited for Henry. He looked ridiculously sexy standing there with his hands on his hips, scanning the room. He turned around and smiled when he saw me.

  “Well, let’s bring in our stuff. As long as no one barges in on us, I say it’s ours for the time being.”

  Nick jogged down the hall to get to Claire. Thomas, Henry, and I walked behind him to go out and start unloading the truck.

  Once we had brought in everything, we locked the doors of the school. We chose to live in the first wing of classrooms because they were located in the central area. Our rooms were spaced out a bit from one another so we could have some sort of privacy. I was so happy that we wouldn’t be right next to one another for a change.

  The three men went back to the gym and carried all the mats to a bunch of the rooms. It wasn’t quite a bed, but better than the hard floor. They set up Nick and Claire’s room first. She needed to lay down and relax…or try to.

  Henry and I decided to go check out the pantry in the cafeteria, surprised to see it was fully stocked. Some of it was unusable, unless we channeled our inner colonist. There were hundreds of cans of soup, fruits, vegetables, and meats, and crazy amounts of prepackaged snack foods, juice boxes, and water. I almost felt bad taking it, but we were in a time of eat or be eaten. I chose to eat.

  Henry said he believed that the people from the area must have figured they were coming back at some point. Either that, or they didn’t have the ability to take the supplies with them. Whatever happened, I was pleased with our find.

  I grabbed a couple packages of snacks and water, then headed to see Claire. She needed some nourishment. Henry, Nick, and Thomas went off to find locks and chains for all the outside doors.

  I knocked. “Claire? Are you up? I have snacks for you.”

  “Come in,” her voice weakly called from behind the door. I opened it, seeing she was only in one of Nick’s t-shirts. “Sorry. The pants were getting to me, and I wanted something baggy on for a change. I’d go naked, but I don’t want anyone to walk in on me.” She smiled. I had to chuckle over it. I’d known Claire for many years, and walking around naked would be one of the last things she would do.

  “That’s fine. You do as you need.”

  I helped her get situated with the mats and her linens. Finally, she sat on her new bed and leaned up against the wall, sighing.

  “Finally, someplace I can rest comfortably. Let me just say that being pregnant during an apocalypse sucks. Squatting was not working for me, and now that we have a real bathroom, I’m ecstatic. But we still need an abundance of water to flush the toilet. I have to pee, like, nine hundred times a day.”

  Nodding, I handed her the bottle of water and the snacks that I thought she would like. She leaned back against the wall and rubbed her expanding belly.

  “I’m sorry that you don’t feel well,” I said as I sat in one of the chairs.

  “I feel awful. Like, really awful. I have headaches, and all this swelling.” She looked down at her feet and legs. Something didn’t seem right. Then she tipped her head back with a wince.

  “You all right?” I started to get up.

  “Just stretching pains. They suck. My entire area is achy. She’s wreaking havoc on my body, the little booger.” She let out a soft smile.

  “She?”

  “Yeah. We think the baby is a girl.”

  “Oh, I hope so! Then we can even up with the boys!” We both laughed, then chatted while we ate. Afterward, I decided to leave her be for a while so she could get that much-needed rest.

  I headed into the room Henry picked out for us. It was just across the hall and a few doors down. I loved that each room was equipped with a tiny loo, as Henry called it.

  He stacked desks and chairs to clear out an area for us to put a bed together. I watched him work. He was so efficient. Every movement was calculated and pre-determined. It was kind of sad, actually, but that was how he was. There was no letting go or just casually doing something. It was always going to the max, and with much precision.

  “Hey, hot stuff.” He turned around and smiled at me while he straightened out the bedding on the stack of mats. “All of the doors taken care of?”

  “Yeah. We found chains and key locks in the maintenance room. Plus, we’ll lock our room doors when we sleep. It’s not a perfect way to keep everyone out, but I think we’ll be fine.” I knew what he implied, but I didn’t want to think about it.

  “Good.” I smiled back at him with that look. The one that meant I needed him right then. He knew the look, taking a few long strides to stand in front of me. He took my breath away. Then he slammed his mouth down on mine, grabbing my hands and wrapping them around his neck.

  “I want you so desperately.” He ground his hips into mine. “I haven’t stopped thinking about fucking your brains out since earlier. You prove to be quite a distraction for me, my love.”

  “I like the sound of that…fucking my brains out.” I smiled, and he stole another hard kiss. He groaned as our hips rubbed together.

  “You like the sound of that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Mmm…,” he moaned. He dove in for another kiss, scooping me up at the same time and carrying me over to our new bed. When he laid me down, I could see he was ready for me. In haste, I yanked off his shirt. His body wasn’t as trim and fit as it used to be, because of his lack of proper exercise and drinking to excess, but he still looked hot to me.

  I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him over and onto the bed. I ran my hands down his chest, followed by my tongue, which caused him to moan deeply. I made it to his belt, making quick work of it. I slid down his cargos and exposed all of him, thick and heavy. I felt a little empowered, since he was naked and I was still fully clothed.

  I ran my tongue up his inner thigh, and he groaned in pleasure. He was becoming unhinged and we hadn’t even gotten to the good stuff yet. I slowly made my way up, nipping and kissing, then ran my tongue up his shaft.

  “Oh fuck, love…,” he rasped. I worked my way around, kissing, sucking, licking. He was panting and moaning non-stop.

  It had been so long since we had been able to properly be together. On the road, when he wasn’t passed out or when I wasn’t ready to beat him down for his drinking, we would try to grab a quickie when the others were res
ting, but it just wasn’t the same.

  I looked up at him, to see he watched my every movement. When I licked my lips, a wicked grin crossed his face. “See something you like?”

  “I’d like to see more of it.” He put his hands behind his head, watching as I stood and did a little strip tease for him.

  He watched contently, a wild fire burning in his eyes. He always made me feel good about myself. Even if I didn’t have a perfect body, he made me feel like I did.

  “Christ, love, you are so fucking hot. Come here…now,” he growled. I sauntered my way over. “Hurry up! Don’t make me come and get you.” Once I was within reach, he grabbed my arms and pulled me down on top of him, then kissed me with a ferocious desire. “I’m going to make you come…a lot.”

  “Is that a threat, or a promise?” I asked, full of the devil.

  “Both. You ready?”

  I nodded and smirked. “Silly question, Mr. Daniels.”

  He flipped me over and kissed me around my ear. He trailed gentle kisses down my jawline, and nipped at my lips with a soft growl.

  “I love what this mouth does to me. You have no idea how good that felt.” I blushed. “Don’t be embarrassed. It was amazing, and I hope you do that to me more.”

  I had kept my oral sex offerings to a minimum. To be honest, the only experience I had with it was with him. I never knew if I was doing it right, or if it was exactly how he wanted it. Before me, I was sure he had a lot of experience in the receiving department.

  He ran his tongue down my neck, kissing my collarbone as he made his way down to my nonexistent cleavage, which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller by the day. He grabbed one breast with one hand and dove into the other, wrapping his mouth around my nipple. He went to work, pulling, tugging, pinching, nipping, sucking, licking. I was getting close just from all of the intense attention on my chest. He ran his hand down my abdomen, reaching the most desired point. He slid a couple fingers into my begging body.

  “Bloody hell, you’re so wet. I need a taste.” He pulled his fingers out and gave them a lick. “Mmm… So sweet.” He moved to my lower half and gave me the kind of tongue lashing that made me cry out in pleasure. I reached my peak in seconds, my entire body was rocking from it. He pulled himself up to my face.

  “How was that?”

  “Oh god, Henry… Amazing.” I couldn’t speak above a whisper. He smugly grinned at me, going back down again. He kissed and nipped my inner thighs, then dragged his tongue back up to my soaked core. He groaned as he kissed me there. I was at his mercy. I had no control over my body as my legs fell open for him. I was limp and already exhausted from his assault.

  He massaged my little nub while he dipped his tongue in and out. I shattered again. I heard him let out a soft chuckle. I opened my eyes, seeing he was up near my face again.

  “How was that?” Did he have to ask? Could he not tell?

  “I need you,” I moaned. I wanted him in me. I wanted to feel him in my deepest parts. I ached for him.

  “You want this?” He grabbed my hand and made me stroke him. He breathed out a moan as I slid my hand up and down his soft, silky skin. “Jesus Christ…,” he whispered.

  I decided he needed more attention. I pushed him over onto the bed, and I went in for the kill. He let out a loud gasp. I hadn’t seen him that sexually undone in a long time. He propped himself up on his elbows. His jaw was open, his head tilted back. Then he grabbed my head and made me stop.

  “Keep it up and it will be your loss.” He prowled forward as I leaned back. He settled himself between my thighs, teasing me with his tip. I was desperate to have him in me. I tried pushing him in. He chuckled a little.

  “How bad, love?” he asked with grit.

  “Oh god…so bad,” I moaned, struggling to grab at him.

  “Tell me how bad.”

  “I want you to fuck my brains out.”

  “That’s my girl. As you wish…”

  He thrust himself into me, the sound escaping his throat pure ecstasy. He pounded into me, hard and fast, just the way I needed it. His passion was evident.

  My body began to quake beneath him. I was so fucking close. I grabbed his hips, holding him firmly in place. I cried out as my core grabbed onto him and held him tight. He bucked his hips into me a few more times, pushing us across the mat and slamming into the wall. He went silent and stiff when he emptied himself into me. He let out a significant groan, then went limp on top of me.

  There was nothing better than having his sexually fatigued body melt over me. After a few minutes of trying to calm his breathing, he looked up at me and kissed me on the lips.

  “Good?” he asked with a prideful grin.

  “Oh, my god. Good doesn’t even cover it. Not even close. I can’t even think of a word to describe it because you abso-fucking-lutely fucked my brains out.” He laughed and rolled off me. Henry stood from our bed and headed toward the pile of our personal belongings. I knew what he was doing, and my heart sank.

  Anger coursed through my veins as he turned back around, a bottle to his lips. He took a long pull as he walked back toward me. My eyes burned with angry tears. I rolled over so I couldn’t see him. We just had the most amazing session of lovemaking, but he ruined it. He sat beside me and pulled the covers up over his lower half.

  “Elaina—”

  “Don’t,” I bit out at him.

  “I’m sorry. I promise you I will stop. I just need time.”

  “Whatever, Henry,” I mumbled, and he sighed. I heard him swallow again. Fucking asshole. I was so pissed that I could have decked him.

  “Love—”

  “Just leave it!” I snipped at him. He got out of bed and I listened to him dress.

  “I’m going to go explore the building,” he muttered as he walked out the door, bottle in hand.

  “Thanks for ruining it, asshole,” I grumbled. I knew he wouldn’t hear me, but I felt the need to say it anyway.

  Once again, we had only connected through sex.

  Chapter 45

  Henry walked out of the room, cursing himself. With heavy feet, he trudged down to the cafeteria. Nick was in there playing his guitar, so he decided to settle down and kick back instead of aimlessly wandering throughout the building, trying to rid his mind of the dire situation his relationship was in. He knew he had fucked it all up, and he wanted to drown himself in the bottle of whisky that he held.

  Once Nick realized he had an audience, he stopped playing.

  “Don’t stop on account of me. I was enjoying it.” Henry tipped back the bottle.

  Nick looked past him to the door. “Where’s Elaina?” he asked with mild curiosity.

  “She’s pissed at me.”

  “Why now?” Henry held up the bottle, and Nick nodded.

  “How’s Claire feeling?”

  “She’s exhausted and worried and, frankly, so am I. She’s worried something is going to happen to the baby.” Nick set down his guitar and scrubbed his hands over his face. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

  “Well, with a place to rest for a while, I’m sure she will start feeling better.”

  “That’s what I keep telling her. She is just… I don’t know.” His voice trailed off. Henry could hear the worry in it.

  “I understand. Just have to take it one day at a time.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Henry settled back into his chair and drank some more, propping his gore-covered boots up on another chair. He held up the bottle to Nick. He looked up, staring at it for a minute.

  Then Nick grabbed the bottle and took a long pull. The two men sat, silently sharing the bottle for a while, until Thomas wandered in. He had found a couple decks of cards in the teacher’s desk in his room. They all played a few games, sipping from the whisky bottle as the night began to settle in.

  Someone knocked. “Hold on!” I shot up off the mat, grabbing my clothes. All I needed was Thomas or Nick to see me naked.

  “It’s just
me!” Claire shouted from the hall. I ended up just grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around myself as I headed for the door.

  “Hey…,” I said, standing in the doorway.

  “Hey. Can I come in?” I opened the door all the way for her.

  “How are you feeling?” She didn’t look any better.

  “Okay, I guess. The usual. Hungry and bitchy. I thought I would come see if you wanted to venture down to the cafeteria with me.”

  “Yeah, sure. I just need to get dressed. I can’t go in my nice clothes.” I posed, and she smirked at me.

  “Had some hot sex, did we?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Yeah,” I said, uneventfully. She furrowed her brows when I sighed. “Right afterward, he jumped up and grabbed a bottle, sucking it down. It made me so fucking angry, it hurt.”

  “Oh,” was all she could muster.

  “Yeah. It was like he let go, then hopped up, grabbed the bottle, and sat back down with me, like I was just going to cuddle up with him and Jack…or whatever the fuck he’s drinking.” Claire turned around as I dressed. “He said he’ll quit. I have half a mind to dump every last bit of it.”

  “You should,” she muttered.

  “I don’t know if I can. He needs it. He would be sick without it. I have dumped some when he hasn’t been looking, but he keeps finding more.”

  “He has to detox at some point, hon.”

  “He does, for sure. I’ll have to think about it.”

  We continued to chat about Henry’s drinking as we headed out the door to go to the cafeteria. “I can tell you one thing. Nick is sick of it, as well,” Claire said. “I’ve had to talk him out of kicking his ass on more than a few occasions. He said he sees what it’s doing to you and how much it upsets you. Plus, it stresses him out. A lot. He feels like he has to do the work for two.” I hung my head. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “You’ll get through this, and you will get him through this. I know it.”

  “I hope so. I can’t take much more of this insanity.”

  When we made it to the door of the cafeteria, my anger hit the boiling point. I clenched my fists at my sides, and I was quite sure I had steam coming out of my ears.