“Ew, couples.”
“How can you say that as you are part of one?” Xavier teases from the door, I hadn’t even noticed him coming in.
Chapter 35
Violet laughs and leads Idris out, who has a knowing look on his face.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Xavier smirks, and I shake my head.
“No, was just making fun of them.”
Xavier advances on me and I back up into a table, my legs rest on the cool metal. His eyes take on a glint that makes me want to run and stay at the same time.
“That’s good, because there are quite a few things I want to do to you, and we have a lot of time to play around once we get our own space.”
His lips crash against mine with bruising force as he sucks my breath away. His arms crush me to him as he continues to explore my mouth, his hands slipping lower down my back. I am suddenly lifted off the ground and on top of the table, him standing in-between my legs. Suddenly he releases my lips and begins to kiss my neck, right below my ear. My voice comes in moans, and he sucks on one spot that has me balling his shirt in my hands and holding him to me.
A clearing throat interrupts us, and Xavier takes a step back, his eyes darkening as they look at me, then snap to the person at the door.
“So as much as I appreciate how happy you two are…we need a hand barricading door. Remove thy hands from each other, we have better uses for them.” Idris lectures, and then holds up a finger. “I do not want to know what uses you were thinking.”
I get off the table sheepishly as my face burns, and Xavier has this proud look on his face that I want to slap off. Idris leave, and Xavier pats my bum, urging me forward.
“Come my little one, we are needed somewhere else.” He growls, and I am rendered speechless.
Xavier’s hand gently pats down my hair and smirks, and I make sarcastic comments internally while replaying the scene. We make it back to the front foyer and Idris points to the stairs.
“We require you two giants to help with something.”
“Really, Idris, really.’ Xavier deadpans, then we walk upstairs.
“The third floor is not raided yet, and some of the things are on top shelves. Violet and I were taking care of them before we saw some things on high shelves. Violet didn’t want me to get you so she’s going to be huffy when we get up there.”
“It’s not huffy if you had just listened to my idea.” Her voice echoes through the stairwell.
“Darling, just accept the help.” Idris replies, us reaching the top platform. “Plus, you need to clean the tables in the greenhouse. These two were getting rather touchy on your herbs table.”
My face erupts into flames as I walk past her, and she laughs.
“Get a room you two!”
“We have been trying, so let’s start cleaning classrooms so we can get that space.” Xavier defends us, and Violet shrugs.
“I think all us couples need a little away time from each other.” And Idris nods his agreement. “I think it might be good for us to divide the second-floor classrooms amongst ourselves and us couples. The third-floor should be storage and maybe bedrooms for people who want more isolation. I think that as the days go on more people will join us, I am honestly shocked we didn’t have to fight anyone else.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” I say, then turn to look at Xavier as we walk down the hall. “Third floor or second?”
“My preference is second, but the corner classroom. Also, I want to mention that we should put a safe room on the third floor. One that we can all run too and hide if need be.”
“I like that, just in case.” Violet nods, and then proceeds to grab my arm and drag me into a classroom, slamming the door behind me. “Alright amazon, I need those textbooks and information.”
“Well I don’t know too much about biology, but I will try my best.” I side-track, and notice Violet shaking her head.
“I don’t need to know about generic biology, is what you two are doing is consensual.” Violet faces me.
“Yes. It is, we have discussed it and he know my stance.”
Violet’s eyes narrow, before a playful grin takes over her face.
“Is it fun?”
“…extremely.” I answer, and she laughs.
“Good, just let me know if I ever need to remove his balls with a rusty spoon.”
I cringe and she evil laughs.
“Just kidding. I want to be godmother.”
I throw a chalk eraser at her and she catches it with a puff of dust. The books lay on top of a high shelf and I hand the books to her. We work side by side to raid the classroom, then stack it all in the teacher’s desk. Once the last item is on the desk I go to stand by the window, rubbing my chin, thinking.
“What’s the idea?”
“Well we are going to have a lot of chairs and desks we will not need, and the drop isn’t too bad. What if we dropped the ones we didn’t need through the windows to the ground and used some of them for the perimeter?” I gesture, and Violet follows my pointing. “We could remove the tops of the tables and nail them too the fence, then bury a bunch of them, feet up, around the perimeter. A lot harder to climb walls if you can’t even get to them. Plus, we have a lot of cafeteria tables, we will have plenty of legs.”
“Let’s go tell Idris this plan.” She clasps my hands and drags me to the door, then stops. “But seriously, I will always have your back.”
“Thank you.”
We find Idris and Xavier cleaning out the classroom a few doors beyond and explain the idea. As we finish discussing we see Idris’ car driving towards us, with Dainan behind and Lee driving an unfamiliar truck. Everyone of them have mattresses attached to them in some way, and a trailer is being pulled behind Dainan’s truck.
“Holy crap, that is a lot of mattresses.” Idris says, and we wordlessly agree.
Chapter 36
As my feet hit the bottom of the stairs we hear cheering from the front hall. We meet James in the hall and travel to the front, seeing almost everyone hugging the raiding party. Even Sonji is getting hugs, Lynx glares at everyone that does attempt to hug her, and hugs Sonji. I nudge Xavier and give him a look, directing his attention to Lynx’s actions.
“We have five double mattresses and three singles. All sleeping needs are taken care of.” Dainan announces, and we all cheer again. “And no one got bit!”
Anthony and Lee high five, then go back outside. We grab the mattresses and begin to haul them into the front hall, leaning them against the walls. We finish unloading, and Idris opens the back of his car and cheers. Dog and cat food are stuffed to the brim in the back, and the able-bodied start bringing those in, piling them by the kitchen. The next hour goes by quickly as we prepare the cafeteria with curtain dividers.
“Shit, we are short two singles. We have an extra double instead…” Idris trails off and the single people look to each other.
“We can co-sleep, did it tons during sleepovers.” Sonji offered, and Lynx nods. “Until another few mattresses come along anyways.”
Lynx just grunts in agreement, and we all exchange looks.
“Well that’s taken care of, lets make dinner!” Avyanna announces, then heads to the kitchen with Quiyl in tow.
Sonji and Lynx follow, and we split off to discuss the day’s events, all of us too busy to even stop for lunch. Liam wants to check on the solar before dinner, and Anthony takes off to check the plumbing. Violet and I begin to make our dinner table area, more to the front of the room. Xavier gives me a kiss then disappears to help organize the kitchen pantry with Lee. Dainan and James go to check on the horses then keep watch in the front hall. Idris offers to help Liam, then the two of them disappear.
The screeching sound of metal feet on linoleum echoes and Violet and I cringe in unison. We dig out the tablecloths we stole from the restaurant in Brantford and lay them over the table. I look to violet with a realization, and she stops what she is doing.
“So, have we
thought about the laundry situation and what we are going to do there?”
“Shit…” She thinks, then snaps her fingers. “We could use the art room sinks, they are rather large, and that place has clothesline running through it anyway.”
“I see why you and Idris are together.” I laugh, and Violet thinks for a moment then nods her head.
“I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.”
Screams suddenly ring from down the hall and Violet and I start running to the front. The doors bang against the wall and we see a few figures banging against the front doors. Dainan and James have guns drawn and aimed at the doors, and I turn to see infected banging on the windows. Lee walks over and pushes their guns down.
“There is only four of them, we can handle that without wasting precious ammo.”
Liam stands in front of the shaking doors, wielding a knife in one hand. Anthony and Lee join him, then Idris and Xavier line up to the side of the doors. Idris leans forward and releases the front doors lock. The doors fly open, and the infected stumble through.
Liam’s knife hisses through the air as he buries it in the lead one’s forehead. The infected falls back into another with a wail, and Xavier drives his knife through that one’s neck as it falls. Lee and Idris team on the third, Lee kicking it away from Idris who then leaps after it and beheads it in a swift movement. Liam finishes his quickly and then we all start to drag the corpses outside, one by one in a blanket and leaving them beside the school. We come back in and wash up, and Violet walks past us with a mop. Anthony and James reinforce the doors again and we gather for dinner, another day past of a brand-new life.
Avyanna and Quiyl have set out a dinner of lasagna, raided from the cafeteria freezer.
“Anything interesting out on your raid today?” Violet asks Lee, who is sitting beside her.
“Not really, had to put down a few infected as well but I am really surprised about how few infected there are here. Did everyone either die or make it some distance away before they got infected? It just seems illogical.” Lee responds, and then ponders.
“I hate to say this but what if they are gathering?”
“They don’t seem to have the intellect to do so but I suppose, maybe?” Violet trails off, and all of us exchange confused looks.
“We need to capture one.” Xavier tells us, and I give him a surprised look.
“Okay, my dear. Why?”
“That way we can study it and learn just how far gone these bastards are. I would like to study their intellect and maybe start working on an immunity medicine of some sort. Just so we can not worry about that anymore. I am sure between Sonji and I we can make a decent headway.”
“Should we really be considering that so early in the game?” Sonji interjects, and a few of us nod in agreement to her.
“The human body starts to decompose within minutes after death. Judging by how this disease seems to affect the humans, it seems like it is dragging out the decay by trying to keep the body alive. We know that they lose their memory and seem to be controlled by primitive instinct.”
“Sounds quite a bit like that fungus that turns ants into zombies.” Lynx muses, and Xavier nods.
“That’s what I was thinking. I would want to test a few ideas to see just how far the infected are gone within their heads and how we can go about protecting ourselves.”
“I mean, I like the idea, I do. But how the hell can we safely capture and keep one?” Liam asks, and Xavier points to the door leading to the basement.
“Who all remembers the freezer downstairs that is only used for storage now?”
“There’s another freezer?” Violet asks, surprised.
“Oh, you guys didn’t do that project? Where we had to write a report on the history of our school?” All of us shook our heads. “Alright, maybe it was just me. Anyways about thirty years ago the school had another freezer installed in the basement when there were a lot more students at this school. It was decommissioned about ten years ago, as more high schools opened in the area less people came to this one. Essentially, it is a giant metal box, with a locking handle. The tricky bit will probably be getting the infected trapped in there. But I mean, I am sure we can convince her back to life and help stop the decaying process too.”
“That’s a good idea, but also kind wrong in the moral standpoint.” I say, and Avyanna and Violet look to Xavier.
“We can’t prove that the person is not still in there, so freezing them might be cruel.” Violet argues, and Xavier holds a hand up.
“But technically it would be also helping slow the process.” He responds, and Violet shakes her head.
“I still don’t really like it. It’s like keeping a ticking bomb next to you and hoping it doesn’t go off.”
“Lets just leave this discussion for another night. I say let’s focus on making this school the most secure location ever. Tomorrow we rotate raiding parties, and I say we head to town with plenty of people and raid some of those grocery stores just, so we have a lot. Another idea is heading to the farms about a half an hour from here and seeing what’s there. Or we stay tomorrow and just start building that perimeter.”
“Those are all good proposals; I think food and supplies is our top priority first. But if we head into town we could also maybe come across some more people, more hands would be good?” Idris says, and Sonji nods.
“If we can just get a colony of survivors going it could become a stable living here.”
Everyone finishes eating and Lee and Anthony clean away the plates this time. James and Dainan grab knives and say they are going to check on the horses. I feed Molly and the cats, who have all settled in to living here quite nicely. Xavier and I get ready for bed and Liam and Lee offer to take first watch, and Quiyl comes to sleep in the medical bed to keep her upright. Sonji and Lynx disappear to the back of the school to be the second watch. Slowly snores start to sound through the room and I snuggle into Xavier’s side.
“For the record I am for your scientific research, it just rubs me the wrong way.” I say quietly, and Xavier takes a deep breath.
“I appreciate your moral compass as you listen to yours a lot more than some people, but during these times I don’t know if we have the luxury of thinking there is still a person in there.”
“I do understand that, but all I can picture is if I became infected, would anyone care to find out its still me, what if the person is still in there but not at the driver’s seat.” I sigh. “I am way too good at relating to someone and that’s just what drives me sometimes.”
“I do understand, I would just rather save the people I know, and I put that above saving everyone.” He concludes, and I lean up and kiss him.
We lapse from words for a few moments before separating, and I gaze into his eyes. My heart beats fast in my chest as I realize how much I care for this boy. He gets a boyish smile on his face, and one hand comes to brush some hair off my cheek.
“I love you Geneva.” He says, and my eyes widen before I kiss him again.
As I kiss him I feel his hands grab my hips and slide me on top of him. I settle, my knees on either side of his hips, and then suck his bottom lip into my mouth. He growls, and runs his fingers through my hair, before tugging my head back, separating us. I smirk, and he releases my head.
“I love you too, Xavier.”
His smile goes from ear to ear as he regards me kindly, and then helps me lay down again, before hugging me tightly. I lay my cheek against his chest and hear his heart beat fast, and I pull the blankets up around me.
“This mattress is so much more comfortable than the other one.” I mumble, and Xavier chuckles.
“It is way better. Goodnight my love.”
“Goodnight, sweet dreams.” I say back, and my eyes close as sleep takes me away.
Chapter 37
I wake to Violet shaking my shoulder, and I check the time to see it is around four in the morning. I groan quietly as I wipe the sleep from my eyes.
Xavier wakes up beside me, and nods to Violet. She walks over to where Idris and she are sleeping, and I slip on my sweater. Xavier and I strap our blades to our thighs and walk to the front of the school, settling into the chairs. The moonlight is illuminating the front yard of the school, shining off the soccer net posts. Xavier yawns, and I stretch my shoulders, catching his eyes as my body lengthens.
“You got to stop giving me bedroom eyes while we are not separated from the others yet.” I giggle, and Xavier winks.
“Once we get our own room, you have no idea what I want to do to you.” His voice rumbles, and I shiver at the prospects, my excitement dancing in my eyes.
“Ew.” A voice comes from the door by the cafeteria, and we turn to see Liam standing in the door. “Couldn’t sleep so I figured I would keep you two company, but I now see that is a mistake.”
Xavier gestures him to come over and Liam settles against the wall, sharpening his blade.
“Thank you for all you have done for me, and I am glad you two are happy.” Liam says sincerely.
“How are you feeling in all this?” Xavier questions, and Liam shrugs.
“I just buried my brother yesterday, so I can assume what happened to the rest of my family. I have shed my tears and laid that to rest. Idris, Lee and I spent a long time talking yesterday, and we are all feeling a bit better. But I am lonely, out of the thirteen of us here, most are couples. It just kind of sucks, y’know?”
“Hey, we did say we were going to look for recruits’, maybe we will find someone for you.” I wink, and Liam chuckles.
“If any hot girls walk past the school we will let you know, we cannot guarantee that they are not infected, we will leave that up to you.” Xavier jokes, and Liam laughs louder.
“Would not recommend in-depth analysis, from a distance is better until you know for sure.” I join in, and Liam continues to laugh.
“But once you know, the more in-depth the better.” Xavier winks at me, and Liam grimaces and continues to laugh.
Friends Against The World (Book 1): Bite Me Page 15