“Glad you made it,” he said, shaking her hand, “Call me Sheedy.”
“How many of the girls from the farm are here?” she asked.
“Goddamn, I ain’t secretary of the place. Four? And some minister. We’ve got them all set up together for now.”
“Thank God,” she said with a heavy sigh. Still, that might mean two are missing or dead. And Mikey, the poor kid. She wanted to go to them, to see them alive in person. It was late and they were probably asleep, and she was very nearly ready to pass out on her feet. But Call will probably be happy to finally get me out of his hair.
Call rested a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s not wake anyone. She’ll stay with me for tonight.” Sheedy raised an eyebrow but Call ignored it. “And we need to talk. Tonight. Gather whoever’s here and bring ‘em to the church.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” Ripp muttered. “I’d make a joke about sleeping when I’m dead but we can’t even look forward to that anymore.”
Call chuckled. “See you in twenty.” He led her past the men, towards the office building to the left, towards his home.
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙
Call stripped off his boots and his vest as he stepped inside, sighing with contentment. He flicked on some battery operated lights along the walls. “Home,” he said with a grand gesture. “It ain’t much.” She looked around the small apartment that had once been a large office. He had a bed - a real one, not just some mattress lying on the floor. She gave in to the urge to flop across the sheets on her stomach with a grateful groan. He also had a small table and two chairs, a desk, a recliner, and what looked like a makeshift kitchen. It was small but homey somehow. Comfortable. Safe.
“Forgive me if I just die here,” she said, stretching her weary limbs. He chuckled.
“Make yourself at home,” he said, “Just one rule. No boots on the bed.” She tried to kick them off but they were tied too tightly. But she didn’t want to move. “Lazy.” He sat next to her legs and untied the laces for her.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, her words muffled. She crossed her arms beneath her head and closed her eyes. Her boots dropped to the floor.
“I might just die right here, too, if it’s all the same to you.” He stretched out next to her on his back. “Goddamn.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’ll get out of your hair soon, I swear. Maybe the girls can make room for me tomorrow.”
“What? No. Come here.” He pulled her closer, draping her arm across his chest. She propped herself up and looked down at his face. He looked relaxed for once. The lines around his eyes were still there, but less tense. Maybe this compound really was as secure as he said. “You can stay here as long as you’d like,” he said, then squeezed her arms. “I want you to stay.”
She wanted to. Thoughts of seeking out her adopted sisters and Father Speer faded as she looked down at Call. He’d been kinder to her than anyone ever had. He laughed at her sometimes, sure, but he’d never told her she was bad, never told her she was sinful. He never made her feel like there was something wrong with her.
He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you thinking?”
“I… I think I’d like to stay. If you’re sure, I mean.”
He responded by pulling her down for a soft kiss. “Stay,” he whispered. He grabbed her thigh and pulled her over his waist so she was straddling him, her knees to either side of his body. “Stay right here with me.” He guided her mouth back down to his.
She sighed as she kissed him back. Her hands wandered the hard planes of his chest - he felt so strong and solid. Staying with him sounded so right. It felt right. But is it a good idea? Should I? His fingertips left warm trails along her ribs as they snuck up inside her t-shirt. She tensed.
“Stop?” he asked. She shook her head. His hands trailed higher until he was cupping her breasts. They were warm against her bare skin and she found herself leaning into his touch. “Nice, right?”
“Yes,” she breathed. She could feel him start to stir in his pants, right at the apex of her thighs. He pressed up against her, coaxing a gasp out of her lips.
“Rock against me, baby,” he said. His thumbs brushed her nipples. Oh, God. She was overheating. She pressed herself down on his swelling cock, earning a similar gasp from him. Too hot in here. Too fast.
She broke their kiss and asked the question that had been nagging her and keeping her up at night. “Do you want to have sex with me?”
He was silent for a moment; he closed his eyes when he answered. “More than anything.” He licked his lips as he continued to move against her, his hands kneading her breasts, making her heart race. “So bad. I want you so bad, Lia. But not until you’re ready.” His eyes were creased with concern when he opened them. “Are you? Is it what you want?”
“Yes. No.” She rocked against him, breathing hard. “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just don’t know.”
“Shh,” he said, “You can stop.” He gripped her hips and held her still.
“Why are you so nice to me?” she asked. “You’re so patient. How?”
He was slow to answer, and he laughed at himself as he released a shaky breath. “Because of that time you smiled at me.”
Her brows furrowed. “What?”
“When I said that you’re pretty. That smile made you beautiful. It was like a blast of sunlight in this godawful gray world.” He blew out a breath. “Every minute, around every corner, ever since this apocalypse started it’s just… horrors. Horrors everywhere.” His eyes flicked away for a moment, seeing something that she couldn’t, remembering something terrible. She touched his face, brought him back to her. “I just want to be with you,” he said quietly. “I want to make you smile. If that’s all I can do, that’s enough.”
“Call…” Her heart swelled at his admission. She knew that he liked her, that he was attracted to her, but this was something different. She didn’t know what to say, so she leaned forward and kissed him. She held his face between both hands and drew his bottom lip between hers, massaged it with her tongue. He moaned and she smiled at the sound. It struck her, then - she wanted to make him feel good. She wanted to make him feel all the things he’d done for her. She smiled wider as she felt him growing even harder between her legs. Kissing him more firmly, she snaked a hand between them and undid the button of his jeans.
He chuckled. “What do you think you’re doing? I-”
“I just want to touch you.” She tugged the zipper down. “Do you want me to?” A slight shudder passed through his body, so she took that as an affirmation and reached her hand beneath the elastic of his briefs and down inside his pants. She gasped as she found the head of his cock, hot and damp to the touch. She squeezed her hand lower and wrapped it around his shaft. “Take your pants off,” she whispered. She needed to see it.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. She sank to his side as he tugged them off and kicked them to the floor. “Okay,” he said, rolling onto his side to face her. She looked down at his erection and licked her lips. Wrapping her hand around it again, she at least had some idea about what to do. She watched the flushed purple head as she slowly stroked him. His skin was so soft, but he was so hard beneath it. It was captivating. The sight of it, the feel of him, made her feel flushed and feverish.
She needed a closer look. She scooted her way down the bed until she was nearly eye-level with his manhood and took it back in her hand, stroking him softly as she examined its shape, its ridges and its veins. Pretty big, she realized, though she had little to compare it to. His hips moved, pushing his shaft through her fist with more force, and he gasped. “Sorry,” he muttered, “You’re driving me crazy staring at me like that.”
“What do you want me to do?” she whispered. She tightened her grip. “Like this?”
He grunted. “Yeah. That’s good.” She had a suspicion, though, that there was something else he’d like. She’d never done it before and the thought of it made her he
art race, but she wasn’t truly worried - she knew he wouldn’t be upset with her if she did the wrong thing. So she wanted to try. She leaned in and planted a slow, wet kiss on the tip of his cock.
His whole body jerked. His sharp intake of breath was followed by a low groan. Well that worked. “Wait,” he said, but she leaned in again and wrapped her lips around the mushroom head, tasting the drops of fluid that appeared. His groan was even louder. “Wait, wait…” he said.
She peeled her lips away. “You don’t like it?” His breathing was heavy, but maybe she’d misread him, maybe she’d hurt him.
His laugh was weak. “It’s too good, baby, you shouldn’t.”
“I want to.” She licked his slit, then wrapped her lips around him again.
“Fuck,” he groaned. She followed as he rolled onto his back. “Lia…” She gently sucked on the swollen head, then let him pop free and kissed her way down his shaft, lips and tongue touching every ridge and every vein. It surprised her how much she wanted to do this for him.
“I need this,” she said, “Tell me what to do.”
His breathing hitched. “In your mouth,” he said, “And hold it at the base.” She did as he said, letting his cock slide between her lips as she gripped it around the bottom of his shaft. “Yes… God, just… suck it.” She glanced up at him. He looked like he was on the edge of something. His control was waning. She sucked on him, and the groan that escaped his throat seemed like it would never end. It was a struggle not to smile - she loved that she could do this to him and make him react this way.
Working on instinct, she moved, slowly bobbing her head up and down as she sucked harder, moving her hand in tandem. His hips lifted with her and his fists gripped the sheets. “That feels amazing, baby… keep doing that.” She moved faster instead. He gripped her hair with one of his hands, muttering what sounded like an apology, but she didn’t mind; she loved it. She wanted him to grab at her, to buck beneath her touch and lose control.
“You should stop,” he panted, his grip on her hair tightening as he pushed her down on him. She only sucked harder. “Lia, you should stop, I’m so close- ah - wait…”
His whole body tensed, and he exploded in her mouth. She was expecting it but was still surprised by the sheer force. His salty fluids coated her tongue, and she swallowed it down as quickly as she could, keeping her lips sealed around his pumping shaft. He gasped and jerked with each pulse, and she hung on until his breathing slowed and she was sure he was finally emptied.
He smoothed her hair as she sat back up. “Shit,” he said, grimacing, “I didn’t mean to-”
She cut him off. “I think we should stop apologizing to each other so much.”
He smiled. “You’re right. Come here.” He reached out his arms, but she stayed seated where she was by his legs.
“I thought you had somewhere to be. Aren’t you the president of these guys?”
“Exactly. That means they can wait for me. Now come here.” She sank against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll stay?”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
“We’re in the clutches of monsters. We must escape.”
Lia was alone when she woke. It had to be the afternoon, she figured. Call had left food and water sitting out but no note, no way to find him. She had her own matters to attend to, though - Father Speer and the girls were on the compound. She had to see them.
“The walls may keep the dead out, but there are worse things to be afraid of than the corpses. The corpses are mindless. The men practice deceit.”
There were no bikers in sight when she stepped outside, though plenty of people scurried about the square. She could smell things cooking, see laundry hung out on lines. It felt somehow comforting and foreign at the same time. She’d been on the road too long; she hadn’t even thought to count the days. What did it matter?
She stopped a woman carrying an empty pot. “Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find the church?” she asked, remembering what Sheedy had said the night before.
“Only club members allowed in there. No women.Who you looking for, honey?” The woman was older, short and stocky. And obviously in a rush.
“I’m actually looking for some girls and a minister that were brought in recently. Do you know where they’re staying?”
The woman scoffed. “The little cult? They’re up in building one on the third floor.” She pointed. “They don’t talk to no one, though.”
“Thanks so much,” Lia said quickly. She practically ran for the building.
“We’re going to be crushed between them and the forces they’re warring with. There’s no winners in the apocalypse. We just need to get out of the way.”
Father Speer was ranting. She could hear him as she climbed the stairs to find them. She peeked through the window of the third floor stairwell. A girl looked back from the hall - Yvonne. She didn’t smile. She hardly looked surprised. She merely opened the door and allowed Lia to pass.
She found the rest of them in a conference room just as she’d imagined them - sitting on the floor in a circle around in the minister while he gestured wildly and spoke at each one of them in turn. Sure enough there were only four girls total. Two and Mikey still missing.
She knocked. Father Speer looked up. “One of our lost sisters has returned!” he declared. His eyes were watery, his hair greasy, his face covered in the beginnings of a beard. “Come on in, join us!”
Danielle sprung up and led her inside as the other girls gathered behind her. Lia pulled her in for a tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you!”
Danielle peeled herself away and smoothed her shirt. Right. Too much contact upsets him. “We’re happy to see you too, Lia, but do contain yourself,” he said, his eyes wild.
Lia counted them in her head. Danielle, Charla, Simone, Yvonne. “Where’s Sunny?” she whispered, “And Emily and Mikey?”
Danielle led her to take a seat with them around Father’s Speer’s feet. “Sunny was alive and with one of those… bikers when we last saw her, but she hasn’t arrived here. Mikey and Emily… didn’t make it.” Father Speer’s eyes bulged for a moment but otherwise he was unresponsive. He scanned his tiny congregation with glassy eyes. Has he completely lost it?
“Maybe you can explain why you’re here, since all of these girls seem to lose their voices when asked. Why did you let yourself get taken by men of the devil?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” she asked softly.
“Thrown yourself from his monstrous vehicle. Found a way to take yourself out. Why, Lia?”
She glanced around at the other girls. All their eyes were on their own hands. “I wanted to live, Father. That’s all. I hoped I would see you again - all of you.”
“You’d see us in the afterlife if you had done as instructed.” He shook his head. “All that training, you’re still weaker than I thought.”
“You didn’t throw yourself to the ground,” Lia said, “You’re here and alive.” A hint of a gasp circled the room. Wrong thing to say. Have I forgotten how to bite my tongue so quickly?
Quick as a snake, he reached out and grabbed her hair. She yelped and gripped his wrists. “Stupid girl. Don’t you worry about me. Do you have any idea what they’re going to do to you?” He bent closer, his mouth near her ear, his breath hot against her skin. “Did you know about the breeding camps? That’s what you’re destined for. When this war between the devil’s men is over, that’s where you’re all headed.” He released her and she sat back with tears in her eyes. Breeding camps? What is he talking about?
“We must work together to escape this place,” Father Speer said to the group of them. “The more devil’s men we kill, the better. But we must be as one mind, one heart.”
“Yes, Father,” the four girls said together. Father Speer glared down at her, waiting for her answer.
“They’re not evil, Father. They saved us.”
“Did you not hear me? They saved you for their own nefarious p
urposes!” He spat the words down at her and she cringed. “You disappoint me again, Lia.” Not again! It was an automatic thought.
“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Are you with us or not?”
“I… I don’t know.” She backed away as he tried to grab her again. “I’m sorry!” she shrieked, “I just can’t kill the living, Father, I can’t. They kept us alive for this long - perhaps we can let them live in return. We’ll escape together quietly. No one will know until we’re far away.”
His glassy-eyed stare cleared for a moment as he considered her. “Your heart’s in the right place,” he said, finally stepping back. “You’ve been taught since childhood - thou shalt not kill. I understand.” She sighed with relief. “However you realize this means I can’t count on you?”
“But-”
He held up a hand. “I forgive you. But I don’t trust you. Girls, put her in the closet. We’ll take her with us if we can but not until the path is clear.”
“What?!” She leapt to her feet. She considered the gun in the back of her pants, then - the only one she hadn’t left back in Call’s apartment. There was no way she’d use it on the girls, though, or on Father Speer, mad as he appeared. All four descended on her, grabbing her arms and dragging her kicking and screaming back out of the room. They took the gun and then shoved her backwards into a dark supply closet before she could say two words to them. The door slammed shut, and when she tried to pull it back open she could barely open it wide enough for a crack of light. They’d roped the doorknob somehow, maybe attaching it to another door across the hall or some other makeshift anchor. Either way, it didn’t matter - it was barely budging.
“Please, I’m your friend! You can’t do this to me!” she shouted. She didn’t even know if they could hear her. “Danielle, Charla, please! Come back!” She banged on the door with her fists, tugged it again, hyperventilating. “Father Speer, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Dark Paths: Apocalypse Riders Page 7