by M. J. Haag
One of the other men said something, and Drav grinned.
“Yes. We are regretting not removing their heads.”
“Why? Where are they? I hope you took away their guns.”
“The men are tied to chairs in the barn,” he answered. “The guns are hidden there with them.”
More of my scattered memories solidified. Gunshots. Worried whispers. Swearing.
“I want to talk to them,” I said, setting my food aside.
“Are you sure? They usually don’t say more than ‘fuck off’ and spit at us.”
I stood. “I’m sure. Let me shower first so they don’t mistake me for one of the infected.” Other than the clean shirt, I looked like hell. Blood still spattered my jeans.
“Do you need help?” Drav asked, standing.
Although the last time we’d been in the water together had been fun, I knew I didn’t have the strength for that.
“Nope. Just my bag.”
I expected a frown of disappointment. However, he only nodded and threaded his fingers through mine before leading me back upstairs.
Two
After Drav brought my bag, I closed myself in the nearest bathroom and started the shower. Hot water almost immediately rained down on the old porcelain tub. Eagerly stripping from my clothes, I wrinkled my nose at the dirty spot on the top of my foot.
“You’re so nasty,” I said to myself.
I opened the linen closet and grinned. A stack of wrapped toothbrushes, razors, and new deodorants sat next to bottles of shampoo, boxes of bar soap, and tubes of new toothpaste. Way too many of the same kind of supplies neatly stacked together to belong in a normal house.
Leave it to Drav to find the home of some kind of prepper. Shaking my head, I grabbed a razor, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
The shower felt like heaven. Water beat down on me, washing away the remaining aches. I soaped my hair, then scrubbed every inch of my body. The mark on the top of my foot didn’t come off. I figured it might be a bruise, but it didn’t really hurt. Shrugging it off, I shaved then rinsed.
By the time I finished, I felt like a new person and grinned at myself in the mirror until I noticed a mark near my collar bone. It appeared to be the same greyish purple as the one on the top of my foot and, like the other spot, didn’t hurt when I pressed on it. I dried, did a slow turn in front of the mirror, and found another spot on my lower back.
“Drav?” I called.
“Do you want me to come in?” he asked from the other side of the door.
I wrapped the towel around my torso before saying yes. When he entered, his gaze swept over me, lingering on the exposed parts. I could feel myself flush, and my stomach danced distractingly. I let my gaze sweep over the grey skin of his familiar face. The healing scars didn’t change my level of attraction one bit. I still wanted him for keeps.
“I have something weird to ask. Can you put your hand by my foot?”
He immediately squatted down and did as I asked. When he looked up at me–well, not quite at me, more like my crotch—his gaze heated. Before I could say anything, he pressed a kiss to my exposed knee. My concern about the grey patches of skin faded as a tingle spread. He kissed my thigh, right where towel and skin met, then buried his face in the towel over the V of my legs.
My knees went weak, and I gripped the sink with one hand.
“Was this just to get me close to your pussy? Can I kiss it again?” he said, pulling back to look up at me.
“Geez!” I clapped a hand over his mouth. “Can you stop saying that word?”
“Kiss?” he questioned, the word muffled by my hand.
“No. And I’m not saying it. And no, I wasn’t asking you to squat down so we could make out. I’m not sure I’ve recovered enough for that.”
His hand snaked up the outside of one leg and back down again, tempting me beyond belief to reconsider. I cleared my throat and focused.
“I’m worried, Drav. Look at your hand and that spot on my foot. They look close to the same color, don’t they?”
He glanced down again and rubbed his thumb over the mark before meeting my gaze.
“They do.”
“That’s what I thought. I think I was changing, like you had, but wasn’t strong enough. Maybe because I have no magic. I don’t know. But, I do know I was dying. No matter what, I can’t go back down to your caves. I think I got out just in time.”
Drav frowned, his thumb sweeping over my skin again and again.
“We will not go back,” he vowed.
I smiled slightly.
“Thank you. Do you want to shower while I get dressed?”
Before I even finished, he stood and dropped his pants.
“You are shameless,” I said, looking my fill. “Not that I’m complaining.”
He leaned down and kissed me gently. My heart fluttered, and I lifted my hand to his shoulder to steady myself. A puckered bit of skin under my fingers had me pulling back instead of pressing in for more. Dirt and grime covered him as much as it had me. And blood. A lot of dried blood.
“Get cleaned up. I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom.”
Only after I said the words did I realize how they might sound. He stepped into the shower, his hot gaze not releasing me until he closed the curtain and turned on the water.
With a deep calming breath, I picked up my bag and, in just the towel, left the bathroom. Molev saw me in the hallway, his curious gaze traveling the length of me.
“Not happening, Molev,” I said. “Towel stays on.”
He chuckled and stepped into Kerr and Shax’s room while I entered the one I’d shared with Drav. Seeing Molev had helped remind me of the task at hand. I needed to talk to the men the fey had in the barn. Dusk was falling, and I didn’t know how safe we were here.
After closing the door, I dug in my bag, looking for a fresh pair of underwear and a clean pair of jeans. Fate spared me with the underwear, but not the jeans. I took what I could get, found a pair of sweats in one of the dressers and a t-shirt in another. Still looking like a hobo, but a clean one, I gathered up my clothes and went in search of a washer, hoping we would be able to stay long enough to use it. If not, I’d raid houses along the way.
When I finished, I returned to the bedroom and found Drav dressed and waiting for me.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and squeaked when he scooped me up into his arms.
“I can walk,” I said.
“Yes. But I like carrying you.”
“Yeah, I know. Cuz I jiggle.”
He pressed a soft kiss to my lips that made me yearn for more.
“And I don’t want you to lose your pink coloring again,” he said.
He left the room and carried me downstairs. With Molev, Shax, and Kerr close behind, we left the house.
Dusk had already come and gone. The brightness from several portable stadium-type lights, which I’d mistaken for daylight, illuminated the fenced-in yard and barn. Curled barbed wire topped the chain link fence, and I shivered.
This wasn’t the home of a prepper. This went way beyond prepping. The people who owned this place were not messing around. The additional height of the barbed wire above the fence brought the top close to level with the second story windows. Definitely taller than normal. Hopefully, the fence and the light would be enough to keep the hellhounds out.
Drav stepped over to the large, red-painted barn. Deep furrows marked the boards facing the house. Hellhounds. Shit. I hoped that was before the fence and lights went up.
“You put the humans in here? You didn’t hurt them, did you?” I asked.
“No. They would like to kill us and challenge us continually. We’ve ignored them and kept them safe for you but are willing to accept their challenge if you are not against the idea,” Molev said.
Whoever had been here first had really rubbed the fey the wrong way.
“I’m against it.”
“You can let me down, Drav. I promise on the way ba
ck you can carry me.”
Drav grunted but set me down as Kerr and Shax stepped forward to open the large door. Enough of the light filtered in to reveal a large filled space. It wasn’t until I fully entered that I understood what type of place the fey had found. Not a home of hoarders or preppers but a secured location for a group of looters.
Pallets and racks full of supplies created two columns of aisles extending into the shadowy depths of the building. My eyes widened as I walked over to the nearest pallet of neat layers of bathroom supplies stacked one on top another. My thoughts went back to my shower and all the supplies in that cupboard.
Wood scraped against the floor, drawing my attention to the four men tied to chairs just inside the door. Based on appearances, they ranged in age from Ryan to my dad. All four watched us with varying levels of fear and hostility. I couldn’t blame them. They didn’t know Drav’s people and being tied to chairs by them certainly didn’t make a good impression.
“Hi,” I said.
One man curled his lip back in distaste while the rest of them remained silent. I stepped closer, and Drav reached out to stop me from approaching the men.
“No, Mya.”
“It’s okay.”
He didn’t seem convinced but released his gentle hold on my arm. I moved toward the men, giving them a friendly smile. One turned his head away, refusing to look at me.
“I’m trying to find my family. We lived in Oklahoma. I was away at university when the hellhounds attacked. I got one call from my brother in the brief window when they turned on communications for the bombing warnings. He said my family had been evacuated to a safe zone, but he didn’t know where. I need to find them.”
The man in front of me scooted back in his chair, sitting a little straighter. A surge of hope grew inside of me. His lips twisted before he opened his mouth and spat at me.
Drav picked me up and moved me further back, growling a warning at the man.
“Challenge her again, and you will deal with me,” Drav warned.
The man scowled at us but remained quiet.
“Please,” I said, trying again. “Where are the safe zones?”
“Fuck off, slut,” one said.
That’s why they were spitting at me? Because I was with the fey?
“You fuckers brought back those damned hounds,” another said hotly. “The bombing nearly wiped them out.”
Guilt nipped at me. The bombings had successfully driven the hounds from the surface. Yet, herding them back to Ernisi wasn’t any fairer to the fey than siccing the hounds on the humans.
“The hounds would have returned no matter what.” I glanced at the supplies crowding the inside of the building. “This can’t all be just for you. Please, tell us where we can find a safe zone. These guys can help with the hounds.”
“Help with the hounds?” the one who’d spit sneered. “Like the two who helped drive the infected in here?”
“What two?” I asked, glancing at Drav.
The rude man on the chair made a sound of disgust.
“Get a little demon cock, and you think they can help?” he said. “They’re all the same. Killers. It’s better to die than to let one of them touch you.”
Anger flushed my cheeks. I understood the men were scared and lashing out with their crude words, but knowing that didn’t make them any less hurtful.
“You’re going after the wrong people, here. I’m not the enemy. These guys aren’t the enemies. The hellhounds spreading the disease that created the infected are the real enemies.”
“If these guys aren’t the enemy, then why are we tied up?” the younger one asked, a slight quaver in his voice.
“Because you shot at them. They aren’t stupid. They know you’d do it again in a heartbeat, given the chance.”
“Damn straight, demon whore. We know our side,” the older one said.
Drav’s grip around my waist tightened, and his free hand curled into a fist.
“What is the point of all this slut shaming and name calling? What do you think it’s going to accomplish? You’re wasting time and proving you’re an asshole. That’s it.”
“You are changing colors again, Mya,” Molev said. “Maybe it’s time for you to return indoors and rest some more.”
I debated leaving. So far, the men had acted exactly as Drav and Molev had said. All they did was spit and curse. I couldn’t force them to talk. Letting them calm down seemed like the smarter thing to do. Hopefully, they would see the fey men posed no threat, given time.
“You’re right,” I said to Molev. “I should rest.”
Before Drav could pick me up, a new sound rose over the rumble of the generator. The oldest man stilled, and a smile crossed his lips at the roar of an approaching engine. A tingle of worry erupted in my stomach.
“Are there more of you?” I asked.
He continued to smile slightly and remained silent.
Turning my back on the bound men, I went to the barn entrance where Shax was standing. I was glad he made it out of the caverns whole, his hair still intact.
I patted his arm and smiled up at him as I walked past.
“Mya, it might not be safe,” Drav said from right behind me.
Outside, a big black truck idled on the other side of the gate. My heart slammed in my chest at the sight of a shadowy, long line of people further down the road. The mass moved with single-minded purpose toward the truck. Infected. The idea of a truck full of more gun-toting humans did worry me, but not as much as leaving the humans to fend for themselves outside the gate with those oncoming infected.
I opened my mouth to say we needed to let the truck in when the driver’s door swung outward. My mouth stayed open at the sight of Ghua as he walked toward the fence and unlocked it.
“Good. Ghua has returned with the others,” Drav said from behind me.
Without preamble, Drav lifted me in his arms and began moving toward the house. I twisted to look at the people still on the road. They didn’t stagger and waver like the infected.
Ghua saw me, raised a hand in greeting, then got back into the truck. It rumbled forward up the drive.
“Can you put me down?”
“You said I could carry you back,” Drav said, shifting my weight in his arms.
“Yeah, but I want to talk to Ghua. I want to know what it’s like out there.”
“Barren, except for infected and hounds,” Drav answered without stopping. “The men will be tired from traveling in the sun for hours. You can talk to them after they rest.”
With the truck out of the way, the fey wearily filed into the yard. My heart squeezed at the sight.
“Tired and probably hungry,” I said. “I’m betting that barn has a lot of soup. After you drop me off inside, can you go back for a few cases? Soup will be quick and easy to heat up.”
Drav nodded and set me down inside of the house. While I searched for pots in the kitchen, he left to get the food. Molev, Shax, and Kerr came in before he returned.
“Thank you for thinking to feed them, Mya,” Molev said. “They are tired from making their way out of Ernisi with the remaining hellhounds chasing after them.”
I placed four pots on the stove. It had looked like at least forty men following behind the truck.
“No problem. Can you two go help Drav with the soup? I’m guessing we’ll need a lot.”
Molev nodded to Shax and Kerr. Those two left, and he sat at the table. A few moments later, the kitchen door opened again, followed by heavy footfalls.
With a wide smile on his face, Ghua stepped into the room. He looked untouched from the hellhound attacks but still tired and dirty.
“Food then rest,” Molev said. “Sit and tell us the news while you wait to eat.”
Ghua sat, and I went to get him a glass of water. He thanked me, drained the cup, then looked at Molev.
“The hounds have abandoned the crater. That is a good thing for the men who still need to leave the city. They have divided into three mor
e groups. A group of ten is waiting in the old orchard to direct the others to our location. As you asked, a group will remain behind to guard the city.”
Molev grunted in acknowledgement. I inhaled, ready to ask Ghua where the heck he’d learned so much English, but the arrival of Drav, Kerr, and Shax with cases of canned soup distracted me. Directing the men to set the cases on the table, I began sorting the cans while Ghua continued.
“Twice while waiting, I saw a lone human. The first one stayed back as if afraid to approach. However, when I went to greet it, I could smell the decay and see the wounds from a hound. The second ran before I could tell if it was one of the intelligent ones or not.”
“It sounds like the bombs really did decrease the infected numbers if you only saw two,” I said, removing anything tomato based or with peas from the variety of soups they’d brought.
“Yes, in the cities. But, not outside of them. We killed many groups of infected on the way here. The lone sightings were different.”
Drav helped me open the cans. I dumped all the chicken based soups into a separate pot from the beef based ones and turned the heat all the way up.
“Any injuries?” Molev asked.
“Yes. Dax and Tor were hurt. Hound injuries from the caverns. They had reached the surface shortly after us. I found them when I went back. They slept in the bed of the truck, under a cover, while we waited.”
“They will heal,” Drav said, catching the sidelong look I gave his injuries. “So will I.”
“I know. The soup is almost ready.”
“Ghua, let the men know to come in. They can rest anywhere inside the house, except the bed in the last bedroom. That is for Mya and Drav.”
Blushing, I walked away to change over the laundry while listening to Ghua leave. I added a dryer sheet and started the machine, grateful for the generator, before returning to the stove.
Ghua walked back into the kitchen a short while later followed by the first of the men who’d traveled with him.
Once the soups were warm, I pulled out dishes from the cabinets and began ladling out portions. Drav set the first two servings in front of Molev and Ghua before coming back for his own.
Cup in hand, I ladled another serving and swayed unexpectedly on my feet. Drav was right there to steady me.