“Christa, no you’re not. Tell me what it was about.”
“It was our honeymoon, or at least that’s where it started out. You were stoking the fire. You smiled at me and crawled onto the bed.”
“Well so far I’m liking where this is going.”
“You kissed me and went down on me like on our honeymoon, but when you came up to kiss me you had Becca’s bloody face. It terrified me.”
“I can see why. That’s one strange dream.” Damion paused momentarily and thought there was more to it than just a nightmare. “What happened Christa, up there with Becca I mean? Please tell me. I know it bothers you and it might help to just tell me about it.”
Christa looked over at Damion, unsure if she should say anything. After thinking on it for a moment she realized if she was going to tell anyone it would be Damion and she didn’t want any secrets between them. “She raped me.”
Damion’s face contorted to a look of befuddlement. “She did what? How exactly did she do that? Did anyone else do anything to you?” Damion’s hand were tightening on the wheel as he asked that last question. His anger was more than obvious.
“She tied me up and went down on me. Then she used…” Christa’s pain shown through her eyes and her hesitation in her statements, “objects on me. She hurt me really bad. The whole time she was raping me I was concentrating on getting my legs and hands free. I was focusing on that to take my mind off of what was happening to me. I could only get one hand and one leg loose, no matter how hard I tried. She climbed on my face and I wasn’t going to let her do that to me Damion so I bit her as hard as I could on her upper thigh. She screamed as blood poured down my face and into my mouth. I had to shut her up before she drew attention so I took my free hand and put my fingers into her eyes. She fell back and with my one free leg I strangled her. I held her tightly between my legs until I felt her move no more and even then I kept holding on to make sure.” Christa was staring off as if she was back there again reliving it, so focused on the details. “I sat there next to her body and I lost it for a moment. I cried. Then I got so pissed Damion, so pissed that I let her do that to me and on top of everything I was crying like a bitch about it. I got so pissed I started punching her in the face as I cried. I couldn’t tell you how many times I did that. It was like I blacked out during it all, but at some point I stopped. My hands were bleeding from it and her face was bloody and unrecognizable. So I covered her up and changed my clothes. And that’s when you came. I only wish you had come sooner.” Damion felt a twinge of pain when Christa said that. “You know it is strange. I always thought girl on girl rape was different than guy on girl rape, but it’s not. It hurts just the same. It’s someone taking something from you without your consent; taking a part of you that’s not theirs to take. So I returned the favor.” Christa looked directly at Damion. “And I don’t feel sorry about it either.”
“I love you, you know that right? I wish I were there too. I didn’t do a good job of protecting you. Some savior huh. I’m sorry.”
Christa’s eyes took on a softer tone, “Don’t Damion. You are my savior. Everything horrible thing I go through you are there for me no matter what. It’s your love that saves me. It’s you that saves me. If I didn’t have you through the good, the bad, and the really bad I would be lost. You are my rock, my shelter in this storm. The bad things that sometimes happen that we can’t prevent, you give me what I need to make it through. No one else can do that but you. Don’t ever doubt you’re my savior. You save me every day of my life.” With that Christa moved closer to Damion and laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled.
“Oh and by the way I have to pee.”
Damion laughed, “Of course you do. Next gas station we pass I’ll stop off and check the place out and let you actually use a toilet and maybe we can get some snacks if the place wasn’t pilfered previously. Sound good?”
“Sure, whatever. As long as I get to pee.”
A few more miles and Christa got on the walkie talkie to let Gerard know they were turning off for a bathroom/snack run. He agreed because he had to go as well. Three exits had passed with no signs of anywhere to stop and then finally the next exit had three gas stations. They turned off on the exit and chose to go to some small town gas station. They pulled up into the parking lot, which was empty and everyone agreed that was a good sign. Christa got out of the truck first and Damion followed suit.
Damion went in first to check out the bathroom and the gas station itself. There was no sign of anyone so he gave her the ok to go use the restroom. “You go ahead and I’ll be out here gathering some things. There’s actually still some food and drinks left, which is amazing. You want anything?”
“Sure get me a diet Dr.Pepper.”
“Diet? I don’t think you need to watch your calorie intake baby. Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m sure. If I gain weight you will leave me for a thinner version of me.”
Damion smiled, “Nah, you’d just be better at keeping me warm at night.” He winked.
“You dork,” Christa laughed.
Christa walked into the bathroom which smelled horrible, but she was just happy she was not using the bathroom in the elements at this point. It can really cold when you have to pull your pants all the way down just to squat and pee in a blanket of snow. After she was done using the restroom she washed her hands and stared in the mirror at herself. It was almost surreal seeing herself in the mirror. She hadn’t really noticed how much she had looked at herself before when the world was normal. It seemed so odd to see herself now. In the world today caring about your appearance is the last thing on your mind, but before it was definitely a top priority.
It’s so funny how life can put things into perspective for you. You find out what really matters in life when things fall apart because only then will most people take note of it and wish they had always. Doesn’t matter if you’re gorgeous if you end up dead. No one seems to care if you have a blemish on your face. They just care if you’re alive, uninfected, and not a psychotic asshole.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. “You ok in there,” Damion asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just washing up.”
“Isn’t that cool yet strange how some places have running water and other amenities but some places don’t? It’s all in how they are run I think and probably how long ago they were abandoned.”
Christa stepped out of the bathroom, “You know, I hadn’t really thought about it until now. I guess it’s just one of those things you take for granted until it’s not there anymore.”
“Yeah well wherever we go next I hope it has water because I would kill right now to be able to take a shower. I swear I stink to high heaven.”
“Lucky for you I stink as well which negates me from smelling you,” Christa laughed.
“Well then there is that I suppose.”
Christa grabbed the diet Dr.Pepper from Damion’s hand. “Awesome. I haven’t had one of those in a minute. Ooh, black licorice! I’ll take some of that. I’m surprised they still have any.”
“I’m not. No one likes it. You are the only person I’ve ever known that likes black licorice.”
Christa puts a piece of it in her mouth and smiles, “I’m unique what can I say.”
“You got that right.”
“Hey guys,” Gerard was motioning them to the employee entrance, “maybe we should see what supplies they have here in the back. We still have a lot of room in those trucks and we’d be crazy not to. We will need everything we can get our hands on.”
“He’s got a point, besides there might be more black licorice back there,” Christa rubbed her hands together and gave them a grin. “You know, so I can work on my girlish figure. Someone has to keep you warm at night.”
“Well black licorice it is. Let’s see what’s back there.” Damion kicked on the door, but it held strong.
Gerard stood in between him and the door, “Stop!” He turned around and turned the knob and opened t
he door. “It’s open dude.”
“Oh.”
They all walked inside and found various boxes of snack, drinks and candy. They also found other items like toilet paper, paper towels, cups, lighters, and an assortment of every other thing you might find in a gas station.
“I’ll start carrying things out,” Gerard said.
Christa was rummaging through the boxes looking for more black licorice. She went over to a big box in the corner which looked like it had been opened before. She opened the top of the box and something inside moved really fast so she jerked back. She didn’t catch a good look of what it was either.
“Is someone in there? Tell me now if there is. I’m not going to hurt you.” She peered her head over the box with her knife above her head when a tiny voice replied, “Then why do you have a knife?”
Christa instantly was taken aback by the voice. She could tell it was a child in the box. “It’s to protect myself from the zombies, not to hurt people.”
“Some people need to be hurt though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some men came and took my mommy. She told me to hide so I did. I’ve been here for a few days by myself. I hid when I saw you pull up. I thought the bad men were back again for me.”
Christa peered over top of the box and saw a little girl inside the box crouching down. She was obviously scared. “You can come out. I promise I won’t hurt you.” Christa reached in to help the little girl out but she flinched away from her. “Come on. It’s not safe here for you by yourself. You can come with us.”
“No! I can’t! What if my mommy comes back for me and I’m not here? She’ll never find me.”
“Well, here’s what we can do. We can leave a note for your mommy so she knows which direction we are heading in and what to look for. How does that sound? That way you won’t be left here in the cold and all alone. I don’t know if you realize how dangerous it is out there. A child isn’t safe alone, especially one that is about, seven?”
The little girl stood up in the box and corrected Christa, “Eight to be exact.”
“Oh well my bad. I should have known. You look like a grown up eight year old.”
“I know.”
“So if you’re a grown up eight year old then you know I won’t hurt you.” Christa extended her hand once again to the little girl. She hesitated only for a moment and then grabbed it. “My name is Christa, what’s yours?”
“Shelby, Shelby Jenkins but you can call me Shelby. Who are those men with you?”
Just then Damion came in with Gerard, “What the, where did she come from?”
Shelby hid behind Christa when they came into the room. “Don’t scare her. She’s lived through some traumatic events already. Damion, this is Shelby. Shelby, this is Damion, my husband.”
Damion came over to Shelby and Christa, “Nice to meet you Shelby. I’m a nice guy, I promise.”
“Yeah well that depends on who you’re asking,” Gerard scoffed as he walked over to Shelby, “and my name is Gerard. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Hi,” Shelby said as she peered around Christa just enough to look at them with one eye.
“Some men came here and kidnapped her mother. I think that’s why she is a little scared of you two. I told her she was coming with us and we’d leave a note for her mother if she came back here.”
“Christa I don’t think her mom will-“
Christa cut him off abruptly with a look and motioned to Shelby as if to say not around her. “Like I said, we’ll leave a note so she can find us. Ok.”
Damion nodded understandingly.
“Do you need to use the restroom or anything before we leave Shelby,” Christa asked while the others finished loading up the boxes.
“I’ll try. My mom always told me even when you don’t have to go you should try.”
“Ok, I’ll take you. We don’t go nowhere alone, understand? Not even the restroom.”
Shelby nodded and took Christa’s hand as they headed off for the restroom. When inside Shelby asked, “Can I change my name? I always wanted to be called something else.”
Christa thought about it for a moment, “I don’t see why not. If there was ever a time to start from scratch it’d be now. What would you like your name to be?”
“Annabelle. I always thought it was a pretty name.” She smiled.
Christa tucked Annabelle’s hair behind her ears, “Yes, it’s a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. Annabelle it is.”
They walked out of the bathroom and Christa left a quick note on the countertop. “There. If she comes back she’ll read this note and know where to find you.” She took Annabelle’s hand and went out to the truck.
“Cover up with the sleeping bags Shelby. It’ll keep you warm.”
“It’s not Shelby, it’s Annabelle,” Christa corrected Damion.
Damion shot her a look of utter confusion, “But you said-“
“I know what I said but she wanted to change it. So I didn’t see the harm in it.”
Damion turned around, “Oh, I’m sorry Annabelle. You can take the sleeping bags and cover up if you get cold though or take a nap.”
They pulled out and headed down the interstate once again. Not too many miles down the interstate and Annabelle fell asleep leaned up against Christa. Christa put her arm around her and held her. It was a painful reminder of what she lost, but a reminder of what she saved as well. Annabelle.
Chapter 13
They had traveled for days. The whole time Annabelle had formed bonds with everyone in the group. Darren had made a remarkable recovery due to Christa’s diligent care. The travel had been slow but they finally had made it to South Carolina. The weather, roads being blocked, herds of zombies or the occasional zombie, and their daily needs made the trip a tedious one. They had no notion of where they were headed either. They figured when they found a great place they would know it and that would be their destination.
“It’s kind of nice to be able to drive down the road with the window down. I haven’t done that in a long time.” Christa closed her eyes as the wind whipped through her hair.
“I know,” said Damion. “I was kind of hoping we could make a trip to the beach.”
Christa leaned her head back and looked over at Damion and smiled, “If you did that I’d want to stay.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Damion smiled back.
“I don’t think a beach side condo has the potential to be a forever kind of home.”
“Hmm, true.”
“Maybe we should find a prison like in ‘The Walking Dead’ or a mall like in the movie ‘Dawn of the Dead’.” Christa reflected on the words she just spoke. “Wow. That sounded so surreal to say. I love horror movies and every time I reference one it makes this seem all the more real. Then again I’m expecting to hear the director say ‘cut’ any minute now.”
“I wish he would have said ‘cut’ a long time ago. I’m ready to be out of this nightmare.”
“You’re not the only one.” Christa looked back at Anna who was playing with some dolls they had found on one of their stops.
“Breaker Breaker one nine. This is Big D on-“
“No, no, no, no. ‘I’m’ Big D.”-replied Damion.
“Breaker Breaker one nine. This is Baby D on the walkie,” Damion laughed at Darren. “I’m getting mighty growly in my tummy. Let’s stop for some grub. I eat another Funyun I’m going to turn into one.”
Damion grabbed the walkie, “Sure thing little D.”
“Hey, it’s Baby D, and no I’m not little. Hey Christa, you get tired of being with a boy you can have a man. Did you hear that Christa?”
Christa laughed and rolled her eyes.
“No little D she did not, Big D over and out.”
“You two kill me. Big and Little D.”
“It’s Baby D,” Annabelle corrected.
Christa and Damion busted out laughing.
They pulled off on an exit to a s
emi large city but as soon as they took the ramp off they could tell it was a bad idea so they took the ramp back on. “That’s the only problem about big cities,” Christa added. “They have a lot of resources but they also have a large population and nine times out of ten it is the undead. I think we need to stick to smaller cities.” Damion agreed.
“Onward to the next city. Sorry Darren.”
“That’s ok. I rather wait than eat with the crowd we just passed.”
“Something told me you might say that.”
They traveled further down the road till they got to a smaller town. They took the first exit and stopped off at a barbecue place. They drove around the parking lot scoping out the restaurant before they parked in front.
Christa turned to Annabelle, “Stay put, you hear me? Don’t open the door for anyone but us got it?” Anna nodded.
“Maybe you should stay with her while Gerard, Darren and I clear out this place. It would make me feel better, besides then I wouldn’t have to worry about protecting you inside here.”
“You’ll say anything to get me to stay in the truck won’t you.”
Damion leaned over and kissed Christa, “Yep.”
“Fine. I’ll stay. This time, but don’t think I’ll let you talk me into it every time. I feel better when I have your back.” She watched him walk off and hoped she wouldn’t regret not going with him.
“Are they going to be okay?”
Christa caressed Anna’s hair, “Yes, they’ll be fine. They’ve done this a hundred times. Just relax and soon we’ll be inside and we’ll hopefully be cooking something.” Anna went back to playing with her dolls.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Did you ever have kids? You and Damion.”
Christa’s face contorted and all at once those emotions came flooding back. “Yes. We did.”
“What was her name?” Anna asked nonchalantly.
“Bree. Bree was her name.”
“That’s a pretty name. Where is she now? Are you traveling to get her?”
“I wish Anna. I wish.”
Day Beyond the Dead (Book 1) Page 13