Leona Bushman
Slow Fever
Copyright © 2013 Leona Bushman as Slow Burn
Copyright 2018 Leona Bushman
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictionally, or are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to real places or people are purely coincidental or fictionalized.
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Cover Artist: Victoria Miller
Editor: Deadra Krieger
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Acknowledements
Special thanks to Deadra who, as always, made me look good and provided me with brains as needed. I’ll keep on laughing and looking forward to her smart aleck remarks in future writing endeavors.
To Anne Mhairi. My friend, my cohort, my sister of my heart.
To my Muse, who helped me to keep writing. This is better for you. Thank you.
Also available by Leona Bushman (romance):
The Ulfric’s Mate (War of the Weres series)
The Midwife’s Moon (War of the Weres series)
Bearly There (War of the Weres Chronicles)
Fox in the Wolf Den (War of the Weres Chronicles)
Pirating Christmas
The Shot (Traincoach of Death series)
Luck of the Draw
Winds of Fire (Eagle Claw series)
Murder by Succubus
Magic and Weres (anthology)
Masked Pain
Over a Dead Body
Slow Fever
Darkest Valentine (Darkest Series)
Also available by Leona Bushman
writing as LJ Bushman (non romance):
Demons and Wraiths
Death’s Car
The Fight of the Sorceress
Zombie Infestation
Cerisa’s Quest
Coming Soon:
In for a Penny (Traincoach of Death series)
A Hunter, a Witch, and a Shrew
Darkest Death, Darkest Series
The Panther’s Hunter (War of the Weres series)
Evil in the Highlands
Chapter One
The apocalypse never came.
Not in lightning and thunder and volcanic eruptions.
The zombie takeover didn’t happen in massive hordes within a few days or weeks as depicted on TV.
It came insidiously, like a thief who has planned well for the burglary of a lifetime.
They weren’t shuffling, shambling zombies with no brains.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. It all started one morning before work. Me getting my teen to do his part, my teen pretending to argue. You know, a normal day. A day like any other day, or so I thought...
Sebastian
“Jack, the dog cannot go camping in that state. I only have a half day at work, so get on it right away. Damn. He stinks. I will not have the smell of wet dog follow us all the way up to Bear Camp.” Sebastian Cramer, insurance agent at the top of his game, did not need to go into work smelling like wet and muddy dog.
“Da-ad,” Jack replied.
Lordy, what was it about teenagers and the ability to whine? Did it come ingrained, coded in the DNA, and then released when hormones hit X level? “Ja-ack.” Yes, sometimes, Dad gave as good as he got.
“Rachel will be here any time.” Jack’s petulance explained in a nutshell. Girls. All about girls. Or at least, this one in particular.
“Then she can help. You both best get used to working and helping. We’re not going to Hotel Jack-and-Girlfriend-Do-Nothing.” Although, if they did nothing on other fronts, Jack might not be happy, but he surely would. “I’ve already loaded the ATVs. They’re hooked up and ready to go.”
Seb held the screen door fast against the mostly black lab who’d managed to jump into the pool then roll in the mud during the ten minutes he’d been putting his briefcase in order. “Damn it, Ruff,” he said resignedly at the dog.
The dog’s tail wiggled until his whole hind end shook. With a deep sigh, he did a quick rub on the dog’s head—the only sort of dry spot on him—and went to work. Rather, he tried to.
Jack, who stood in the kitchen area of the open floor plan, called Ruff and, after shaking his wet, semi-muddy fur, Ruff ran full-bore at Jack and landed on his chest. The boy’s lanky form held up for a few seconds before he had to kneel or fall.
“Ruff.” Jack laughed, sounding six again. “Come on, Ruff. You’re dirty.”
Seb smiled. His son didn’t seem to mind the dirty, or the more immediate issue of the water dripping everywhere as he held his dog close. Ruff continued to lick his face until Jack had a fit of giggles and became drenched from being in contact with the dog’s fur. A puddle of water spread out under the two, along with patches of mud dotting the kitchen floor. Seb only shook his head in amusement.
Jack would clean it later, or he’d have to remind his son when he got home. Either way, no one planned on being home for a week anyway, so it didn’t seem that important. Speaking of important... He glanced down at the minute spots of grime on his pant legs and determinedly ignored them. His day was planned out, and if he arrived late for the meeting, his boss would keep him afterward. Not happening. With a last, “Goodbye,” at the frolicking pair, he strode out to his car.
A gleam of water caught his eyes, and he turned to see what caused it. He paused for a moment and gazed at a pack of dogs he recognized from around the neighborhood. Each of them dripped from their own dips in whatever water they’d found, their bodies wagging and shaking. Probably the heat. He knew he couldn’t wait to get into the hills and away from the heat of the valley, and he didn’t have fur. Well—he scratched at the dark scruff along his chin—not yet anyway. He’d chosen not to shave. The boss demanded that he come in on his first day of vacation, citing important clients. Seb frowned. He’d dressed the part, but damn him if he would shave.
With a familiar bweep bweep of his car as it unlocked, his half workday officially started. He shouldn’t complain, even in his thoughts, but there were days he wished he had a different job. Angry at himself for once again wishing for a different life when he had all he could want or need—child, health, money—he stomped down those thoughts.
Jack’s mother had been fun, wild, and crazy. An embodiment of the spirit of how he believed in life. But she’d become pregnant after an accidental condom break. When the baby arrived, she’d dashed into the wind and left him with a squalling kid, a note declining custody—and responsibilities.
He contemplated things as he drove. He didn’t’ have the life he’d planned all those years ago. At nineteen, he’d gotten a job, taken night classes and the few online classes they’d offered at the time, and struggled with daycare and playtime. It had been a tough, long road, fraught with challenges he couldn’t have foreseen, but he’d succeeded. And every day he looked at Jack, it was worth it.
Sometimes, though, he wished he could give up his responsibilities and just live off the land. Be wild, be free. His introspection only lasted until he parked his car. After walk
ing the short distance to the office, again noting the large amount of wet pets, a bit of sweat started on his forehead. It would be a scorcher. He could not wait to escape to the hills. To the fresh air, away from the city and its bustle.
As he stepped inside, the phones rang and droned on. Busy bees in the factory of insurance and securities. All the activity made it hard to concentrate, especially when he didn’t want to be there in the first place. As he prepped for the meeting, the chaotic doings outside became even more distracting, pushing their way to the forefront of his mind while he continued to gather his materials together.
Even after the meeting started, every time he checked out the window, he saw more and more animals walking around, and they all dripped water from snout to tail. The sun blazed overhead on its trek to high noon. The heat radiated off the sidewalks, shimmering and rising as if trying to stick itself to everyone and everything. Nice and cool inside, the earlier sweat dried up, yet he couldn’t shake the cloying feeling of oppressiveness.
Finally, it became his turn to talk. He opened up his briefcase, pulled out the relevant folders, passed them out in short order, and ran through the numbers. He spoke quickly and succinctly. He wanted to push through fast. The tie choked like a noose, and he had to stop himself from yanking on it.
Only one other person seemed to feel the way he did—Karla O’Brien. The stunning secretary who many thought was the boss’s on-the-side squeeze. However, Sebastian knew their boss was a closeted gay and only stayed married for appearances in their very straight-laced town.
Besides, she’d been dating Seb off and on for two years, not their boss. She fidgeted with her pencil as if she, too, wanted to be doing something else anywhere else. His cock jumped as he imagined her hands on it the way she held the pencil. He gave Karla a small smile and continued with his speech. When they began discussing the merits and cons of his paper, he stood up.
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen. I have to go. My time here today is a bonus you can thank our boss for.” He paused for the tittering of laughter. The anxiety from the earlier cloying feeling wouldn’t leave him. He wanted out of town. “But now, I’ll leave you to your discussion. I’ll be back in a week. Until then, no email, no phones, nothing to get ahold of me with.” The grin which spread across his face felt so damn good. “I’m going off the grid with my son and his friend. Again, thank you.”
The briefcase shut with a loud snap as he pushed in the locks. The tie came off in two seconds flat, his suit jacket following as he snagged the handle of the briefcase. With a saunter, he flung the jacket over his shoulder and waltzed out of the building.
Once out in the bright, sultry heat, he looked around him. Why did words like oppressive and surreal keep floating through his mind as he gazed at the scene? Why did his heart race as if afraid of imminent danger? People hurried to and fro, some with electronics sticking out of their ears, others with phones or PDAs they swiped the screens of.
Normal.
Children ran through hoses and yelled, “Car wash.” Others biked around. All of them laughed.
Normal.
Dogs barked excitedly at them, but to him, the excitement of the animals seemed more frantic. More, get wet, hurry, get wet. Even the cats doused themselves in the nearest available water. Maybe that was it. His brain couldn’t process so many cats choosing to get into water.
No. Nothing was normal.
The office sat not far from where he’d parked his car, but he hadn’t walked a quarter of the block yet, and already, his armpits had soaked with sweat despite antiperspirant. Maybe he could process choosing to be wet. He forced in a deep breath, the thick taste of tar invading his tongue and sticking to the roof of his mouth as the heat radiated off the roads so strongly, it permeated everything. Two hours and counting. No more heat, no more work. Just his son and the great outdoors.
He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Two
Karla, the sun in my life whenever my duties became too much. I’d loved her for a long time.
I’d become the cliché. The man who waited for a woman to notice him.
Oh, I tried to date other women, but none had her laugh, her smile. No one tilted their head just so when working through a problem. No one else held her magic in their stare. God, I had it bad. Still do. Fear. For the first time in my life, I let it win. However, it didn’t stop me from wanting her, from wishing things could be different.
I even thought my son would like her, but maybe she wasn’t ready for the duty of stepmother. She certainly didn’t have the evil part down. Despite my fear, I did make it known that I wouldn’t be adverse to going out with her again. And though I tried to get her to see I wanted her regardless of the scuttlebutt around the office, it took me leaving for a week to get her to notice me beyond a casual date.
Hell of a time for it.
Karla
Karla watched Sebastian walk out of the building. It took all of half a minute for her to decide to follow up on impulses she’d had for months. Why hadn’t she asked him out? How many times had he hinted he’d accept it from her? Picking up her purse and keys, she mumbled a hurried goodbye and tried to ignore the knowing grins thrown her way.
“Sebastian!” she called and rushed after him. Hell, he walked fast. Already, he’d managed to make it a quarter of the way down the block. Despite her dress and heels, she managed a small run to catch him.
He turned to her, and his smile caused her to catch her breath and her nipples to tingle. So free, so big, so...male. “Karla!”
Now that he stared at her, some of her courage failed her. No. It was now or never. “We’ve been flirting for a long time now,” she began. For Pete’s sake. What am I doing?
“Yes,” he said, his stance straight out of GQ, the slung jacket giving him almost a rebellious aura.
Staring at him caused her body and mind to go all sorts of places and heat up as if she ran there. “We’ve been on a few dates, and...” Then she faltered. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t be so brazen as to invite herself on the trip. Just, she was a good camper, and maybe Jack would warm up to her, and Sebastian would see she’d fit in well. She wanted that so much. This could be her chance to really shine. Moreover, it may be her last chance, so she snagged her courage with both hands, pulled herself up by the proverbial bootstraps, and laid herself bare. “I have some time off coming.”
In fact, she’d asked for two weeks. And she’d already been paid. Mostly, she owned what she required, but she’d used her pay to purchase all the rest of the equipment she needed for a deluxe camping trip to go with what she had already taken out of storage and packed for the trip. Now, she had it all.
Pans, metal silverware, knives, bows and arrows, targets, guns, axe, tents, compasses, boots, water, food, and a month’s worth of clothes. Her 4x4 sat packed and ready to go. One way or the other, she’d be in the hills. Question was, would it be with or without company?
The sun beat down on her, hotter than normal for late April. Her heart jumped in her throat and clogged her breathing when he stepped toward her. Maybe it wasn’t the sun frying her brains.
“Karla. Can you be ready in”—he checked his watch—”about an hour and a half for a week of camping and fun?”
His grin was infectious, and an answering one flew across her lips. “I’m already ahead of you. I’d planned on going by myself for two weeks. I’ll get changed and head over to your house.”
He stooped over and kissed her firmly on the mouth. “Good. About time.”
As he walked away, she stood staring after him in a daze. Her fingers flew to her tingling lips, her body wanting more. A lot more. Wait. What did he mean, about time? All this time, she’d been waiting on a cue from him to take it to the next step. After all, he was the one with a child to think of. Even if that child was fifteen or sixteen going on thirty. Could Sebastian really have been waiting on her?
She turned back to go to where she had parked her more-than-ready 4x4. Seriously, all she h
ad to do was get out of her business attire, throw some jeans on, and lock up the house. Her heart raced. Had she really done it? The woman who’d only dated two men in five years, counting Sebastian, had asked herself along on a camping trip.
Camping.
The smile plastered to her face threatened to cause permanent wrinkles. Their last date, when he’d mentioned wanting to live in the country with a ranch and self-sufficient farm, she’d fallen in love. For his child, he’d given that up. To provide health insurance and food on the table, he’d given up running as a wild cowboy until he’d found a place of his own. What woman wouldn’t fall for a cowboy like that?
She chided herself. He wasn’t a cowboy. Had never proclaimed to be one; just the way he talked made her think of one. Without even hanging up her blouse and slacks, she threw on jeans, her cowboy hat and boots, and left to be with him. The only thing missing was that she couldn’t take her horses, Thunder and Lightning, with her. Or could she? The thought brightened her up. Likely, she’d still have to pay the boarding charge, but the trailer was all ready to go. With a quick flick of her wrist, she looked at the time. Still had an hour. In a flurry of excitement, she called the boarding house, texted Sebastian, and made her way to the boarding ranch to get her two horses.
Though she loved them, her plan was a bit more devious than simply taking them with her. She wanted a way to get some alone time with Sebastian, and to her way of thinking, the horses were the perfect way to do it. Plus, she knew trails. Maybe she could bond with Jack over Thunder and Lightning… Kids liked horses, didn’t they?
Chapter Three
I would look back on that day as the beginning of something special with Karla, and as the start of our zombie experiences. I decided to put aside the unease caused by the animals with little thought in favor of enjoying the moment with Karla.
I had spent years wishing for the chance to be myself, and I wasn’t about to let go of it. I’m glad, now, I allowed myself that.
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