Awakened Desires

by Rissa Blakeley

  Stopping about halfway between the undead and the gate, I said, “Come on. Look at how delicious I look.” Wasn’t that the truth? I smiled at the undead while he sniffed the air. He staggered even closer to me. “That’s right. Come to poppa.” I glanced over at the lass, and shouted to her, “You might want to cover your eyes, love.”

  As she covered her face with her hands, I put a bullet in the undead’s head. He was so decayed that his head exploded. Bloody hell, that was epic. Gross…but epic. He fell to the ground in a crumpled, sloppy pile of blackened blood and rotted tissue. “Another one bites the dust.” I chuckled to myself.

  The lass stayed behind the barbeque, looking back and forth between me and the true dead. “Don’t be afraid, love. Come on out.” I held out my hand, but the lass didn’t move. “It’s okay. Come on out. I won’t hurt you.” I remembered that I should gently smile, so I did. She responded to that better than my demands.

  She slowly pulled herself up, trembling with fear, but managed to come out from behind the barbecue and take a few steps closer to me. She stopped short of arm’s reach.

  “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Her voice was shaky, but that tiny emo-looking lass had quite a potty mouth on her. That made me smile.

  “Well, short of giving you the entire long, boring, drawn out, detailed story, that was a naked zombie, or undead, and I made it true dead, saving your life.” Wink and nod, arsehole.

  “Yeah…” She paused and looked curiously at the corpse. “I think I got that part.” I immediately thought she was a little ungrateful, but I swallowed that. A simple thank you would have sufficed. Maybe I was asking for too much.

  “My name is Gunther. What’s yours?”

  “What do you care?”

  “Hmmm…a cynical, emo child. My favorite kind.” I laughed.

  “I’m not a child!” she growled, clamping her fists tight and lunging forward.

  I held up my hands to stop her, but realized that I still had my gun in my hand, so I tucked it in its usual resting spot. “Right. Okay, settle down a bit, please. I just saved your life. A simple thank you would be delightful.” Her ungrateful attitude didn’t amuse me. I put my hands on my hips and, for a moment, thought maybe I should put her out of her own misery. It just seemed wrong to drain a kid, though.

  “Yeah, thanks. I guess.” She looked down at the ground. I took a step closer to her. When she looked back up at me, her eyes were swimming. “I’m sorry. It’s been a horrible couple weeks.”

  “I understand, love. Really, I do. I’m very sorry for whatever has happened to you.” I paused and softly said, “It’s been hell for me, as well, with having to let go of… Well, let’s not go into that right now.”

  I thought I just might be able to use one of my made up stories. I hoped my vague hint of sadness would seem genuine enough to bring her around. Her spitfire attitude was exactly what I was looking for. She reached up and tucked her short, greasy locks behind her ears.

  “Look, I can help you. I have set up camp with two others in a house about five miles from here. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Why should I trust you?” She took a step back. Her distrust and fear were prevalent, and rightfully so. “You could just pick me up, drive me out to the middle of nowhere, and rape and murder me.”

  I laughed, but then narrowed my eyes at her, incensed by her accusatory tone. “Look around you, love! Look fucking around!” I snapped. “Is there anyone else here?! Do you see anyone else around?! This is the middle of nowhere, sweetheart. I could have raped and murdered you by now if I truly desired.”

  She quickly noted my cocky, egotistical attitude. That must be what Quinn was talking about. Breathe, Erikkson, I reminded myself. I was trying to be as patient as possible, but with the shortage of clean blood, my anger was quite close to the surface. Patience wasn’t one of my finest qualities to begin with. I rubbed my temples, trying to relieve the headache that was about to blast through my head like a pissed up double-decker driver.

  I could see that she was running my words through her head. I had a feeling it was starting to make some sense to her. “So, you won’t do either one of those to me?”

  I waved my hands in the air. “No way. That’s not me. I’m not that kind of person.” I may have been a serial killer, but a rapist? Nope. Women begged to be in my bed the first moment my emerald greens devoured them. Except Quinn. She hadn’t, but hopefully she would soon.

  Mentally, I begged for the lass’ trust. I needed her. Well, I needed her blood. She took a deep breath and looked back at the modest house that was only about a decade old.

  “I have nothing left here. Nothing to lose, I guess.” She was deeply saddened. Like the professional I was, I played on her emotions.

  “Was this your home, love?”

  She swallowed hard. “Yeah…was,” she whispered. “Everyone is gone. I’m out of water and living on crumbs. I came out here to see if I could get water from the hose.”

  “I can see that,” I said as I glanced at her gaunt body. She looked sickly thin. “Come with me and I will help you.” I held out my hand. “I have a truck out front. It’s fucking hot out here. Odd weather for this late in the year.” I took off my aviators, wiped the sweat from my brow with my sleeve, and put them back on. “My truck has air conditioning.”

  That certainly had to be appealing to her. It was for me. I couldn’t wait to get back into the thing. The power had been out for several weeks and without air conditioning, the heat and humidity had been unbearable.

  “Well, I guess if you kill me, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to me.” Very true. I nodded in agreement. I had no intention of hurting the lass, but I desperately needed a fix. All of my joints were aching and with that blaring headache on the horizon, I wanted to fork my brain.

  “Is there anything you want to grab from your home before we take off?”

  She looked back over her shoulder at the house once again. “I’m locked out,” she murmured.

  “I can open the door for you.” I jammed my hand in my pocket and pulled out my little tool set and had it open in seconds.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as she skirted into the house.

  “You’re welcome. I will wait right here. Take your time.” She nodded and shut the door.

  Josie stepped into the house and softly closed the door behind her. She thought about locking it, but she had seen how easily Gunther opened the door and figured it would be useless. She made her way through the finished basement, running up the stairs to the main level.

  She quickly looked around the country-themed kitchen all decked out with roosters and reminisced about her mother standing at the range making dinner. She missed her mother’s cooking. Her growling stomach was a painful reminder of everything that had happened. Then she looked toward the dining room and thought about her father sitting at the head of the table, joking around with her mom about everyday things.

  Josie and her family had lived in that house since she was eight. It was a big step up for them—the very first house her parents had ever owned. She walked into the living room and looked at all the pictures her mother had hung on the walls. Most of the pictures of Josie were from her younger years. The older she became, the more she hid from the camera. She regretted not spending more time with her family.

  As the outcast of the family and the outcast within her peer group, Josie spent most of her time locked up in her room, away from everyone listening to music. She trudged up the carpeted stairs, feeling her chest tighten with every step. When she made it to the top, she glanced into her parents’ bedroom and quickly headed down the hall, wanting to avoid any feelings. Without stopping, she passed by her brother’s room and found hers at the end.

  Standing in the doorway, she looked around at all of her material possessions. She swallowed the lump in her throat and choked back her sobs as her eyes darted around the room. Then Josie focused on
her acoustic guitar that was leaning against the wall next to her bed. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

  She loved her guitar. It was the only thing that made her feel like a real person. Her uncle purchased it for her a few years ago because of her love of music. She taught herself the basics, then focused on learning a few of her favorite songs. Once she had the music down, she discovered that she enjoyed singing, as well.

  Josie never sang for anyone, except the only boyfriend she ever had. He praised her up and down for her ability. After a few short months of them being together, he moved out west.

  Picking up the guitar, she strummed the strings, trying to ignore the fact that one string was broken. She set it down and went to her closet. Everything was dirty. Turning to her dresser, she stood still staring at the picture of her family, contemplating what she should do.

  Without a glance back, Josie turned on her heels, left her room, jogged down the first flight of stairs, and ran down the second set to the basement. She made it to the back door and opened it. Gunther was leaning against the siding, staring off into the distance.

  The door opened and I looked toward it. The emo lass was standing there staring at me, not a single possession in her arms. “Are you all set?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” She walked out the door and closed it.

  “You aren’t bringing anything?”

  “I have nothing worth taking.” I nodded in understanding. We started walking toward the gate.

  “I just have to ask one favor before I can take you with me.”

  Her jaw dropped. “I knew it! I will not do sexual favors, you disgusting pig!”

  My eyes popped out of my head. She turned around and ran back to the basement door. Uh…what just happened? That absolutely wasn’t what I meant. I would never hit on a lass so young. She was definitely younger than Carly. She had to be.

  “No. No, wait. That’s not what I’m asking.” She stopped, but didn’t turn back around to face me. Bloody kids with attitudes. No respect, I swear.

  “Then what exactly are you asking?” Her fists were clenched at her sides as she growled at me.

  I smirked at the little spitfire. “All that I would like to do is take a sampling of blood from you to make sure you aren’t a carrier of the virus.”

  She looked over her shoulder at me. “What virus?”

  Could she possibly be that daft? “The one that makes you like that.” I pointed down at the naked true dead.

  “What the fuck are you?” she growled again. “Some sort of fucking British Rambo scientist?”

  I chuckled at her. “I suppose you could say that. I just want to make sure you’re clean. I don’t want to bring the virus back into my camp.”

  “How do I know you’re clean?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

  Cheeky little bugger. “Ah, yes.” My lips curled into a half-smile. “That’s a brill question. You will just have to trust me.”

  The lass laughed. “Whatever, dude. Are you going to give me food and water?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, I have a few packs of snacks and an extra bottle of water in my truck right now. You can sit down and have a snack while I perform the draw.” Just hearing myself say those words caused excitement to ripple through my body.

  She licked her dry lips. There was no way she would say no. I was trying to will her my way. I know the thought of food in her body had to be a one-way trip to euphoria. She walked toward me, signaling that she was going to come with. Relief swept through my body, but I kept it hidden. “Okay,” she said with a nervous twitch.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything you want from your house?” Again, she looked back at her family home, then back at me. The sadness enveloped her dull brown eyes. Christ, I gave her that sadness. I did my best to keep my composure.

  She jammed her hands into her pockets. “No. I have everything I need right here.”

  “All right then. My truck is just right out front.” I turned around and headed back to the gate. The lass walked a distance away from the already rotten corpse as she followed me.

  We reached the truck, and I opened the liftgate. “Have a seat.” She hopped up while I rummaged through my pack. “Here’s a bottle of water. Drink up so the draw will be easier.” Greedily, she grabbed it out of my hands. In a flash, she had the bottle open and was guzzling its contents. “Whoa, love. Take it easy. I don’t want you getting sick on me.”

  She choked. “Sorry,” she said, coughing. I rummaged some more and found a couple of bags of crisps.

  “Now, take it easy and only eat a bit at a time. It won’t turn out well if you eat like a maniac.”

  “Okay,” she said, shoving a handful of the greasy snack into her mouth. I readied a couple of large vials and a butterfly needle. I pulled a small dropper bottle out of my pack.

  “What’s that?” she asked with her mouth full, pointing to the bottle with her chin.

  Cool as a cucumber, I already had all of the answers to all of the possible questions. “This little gem is the chemical that will tell me if you are a carrier.” She nodded. Little did she know, it was just water.

  “Where did you get that?” she asked.

  “I know people in high places. Knew, I should say.” She paused and I could see her wondering who and what I knew. “Ready?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  I opened an alcohol pad and swiped the crook of her arm. My fingers were shaking because my body was more than ready for the donation. I pulled off my belt and wrapped it around her upper arm. When my jeans slid lower on my hips, she raised her eyebrow. It creeped me out a little because I was old enough to be her father. Waiting for the pinch of the needle, she closed her eyes, but the only thing she felt was my icy cold touch. Her eyes popped open.

  “Why are you so cold in this heat?”

  “I have poor circulation in my hands.”

  She eyed me carefully, then nodded. Closing her eyes again, she waited for the needle to be shoved in, but she didn’t feel a thing. When she opened her eyes, I was holding the vial while it slowly filled. She seemed impressed by my finesse and gentleness.

  “You’re a bit dehydrated so this is going to take a little longer than normal. Keep drinking.” She nodded, still eating at a rapid pace. “You still haven’t told me your name. Now that we are going to be hanging out together, I think I should know it.”

  She finished her mouthful, pulling open the next bag with her teeth and free hand. “Josie. Josie Patterson.” I smiled at her. I readied a second vial. “You need two? And that big?”

  “Sadly, yes. Sorry. It’s for comparison.”

  “Okay, I guess.” So young and very naïve. Josie seemed annoyed, but she must have understood that it could be the only way out of her tough situation. “Can you hurry up and finish?”

  “Working on it, love. I cannot control your blood flow.” I untied my belt from around her upper arm, pulled the last vial off and the needle out, holding a gauze pad to the area. I began salivating. “Just hold this for a minute, please.” Josie put mild pressure down on the gauze.

  I pulled up my shirt to put my belt back on, exposing my cut abs and that thin trail of hair leading to places she shouldn’t have been thinking about. But she was watching. I turned sideways so she wasn’t looking directly at me.

  I turned back to the truck and popped the top off one vial. My hands shook from the fight not to put it right to my lips and dump it back. I twisted the cap off the dropper bottle and she watched me add three drops to the one vial.

  “What is it supposed to look like?”

  “Like blood.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” she said with an eye roll.

  I laughed at her attitude. “If you are infected, it will turn to a sludgy dark color.”

  “How long does it take?”

  “A minute or two.” I shook the vial to make it look good. The warmth in my hand was crippling me with need. I had to find an out so I could dump them back.

  �
��Okay. I’m going to go out back and go, umm…use the facilities. Don’t leave without me, please.”

  Ding, Ding, motherfucking ding!

  I did my best not to look excited. “All right then. Be careful and stay away from that corpse,” I ordered. Josie nodded.

  As I watched her walk away, I looked around to see if anyone was watching. I popped open one of the two vials and poured it back. The smooth, salty taste sent me into the small rush that I needed and desired.

  My breath hitched in the back of my throat. At times, I thought the high was better than sex. My head was already clearing up. I quickly popped the cap off the second one and dumped it back. I took off my aviators to rub my eyes and had to grip onto the truck so I wouldn’t fall over from my glorious, short-lived euphoric state.

  My body shuddered and my spine felt limber. Enjoying the movement, I tested my neck. It had become looser. The anger that was bubbling up had subsided.

  Josie walked back toward me, so I slipped the empty vials into my pack. “Well?” she asked.

  “Perfectly normal.” I smiled.

  “Right. Okay, well…”

  “Hop in.” I opened the passenger door for her. She hesitated. There was nothing left for her there, though. Everyone she knew was gone—thanks to me.

  Her eyes grew large when she looked into mine. They were obviously a color she had never seen before. They were mesmerizing. All women thought so. Then Josie’s eyes traveled from my face down to my physique again. Even though I was much older than her, it was apparent she had a slight attraction to me. I could feel it and I didn’t like it one bit. She blushed and looked down.

  “If you are going with me, we need to get moving.” I waved her into the truck.

  “Right.” Josie hopped in and I slammed the door shut. When I opened the driver’s side door, she was looking around at all of the artillery and survival supplies, then she saw a picture of a beautiful little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl taped to the dash. New addition before I pulled out of the driveway back at the house.