by Bale, Sarah
Grey asked, “How many wells are there around here?”
“Two. One near the fields and one by the back of the hospital.”
Grey said, “Let’s try the one by the hospital first.”
We reached Jo and Cooper, who were busy cooking dinner over a campfire.
Elijah said, “There’s a nice kitchen inside, if no one stole the equipment.”
Cooper replied, “Here’s to hoping this is the last night we have to eat outside then.”
Elijah told everyone our thoughts on the water being tainted. Cooper volunteered to stay behind again while the rest of us went to the well. It took eight men to move the metal lid aside. As soon as it came off, we saw what the problem was.
Grey whistled. “Well shit. Guess that’s why nothing would grow here.”
We all looked down into the well in horror.
Jo asked, “Who would do something so horrible? That’s clearly a child!”
I shuddered. A very long time ago I had forced myself to stop looking at the biters as ‘him’ and ‘her’ and I definitely didn’t think about their age. But she was right. This was a child that someone had murdered. There were bags floating in the water that were tied to the biter’s legs.
Grey said, “I’m guessing they had sand in the bags to weigh the little fella down. No one would know he was down here, but it would be enough to taint the supply.”
The biter thrashed at the sound of our voices and a bit of skin peeled off, floating on the water. And the smell – I’d never smelt anything so pungent, and that was saying a lot.
Grey went on, “Funny story. I knew a guy who used to work at the medical examiner’s office. Said water deaths were the worst because the skin of the deceased would crumble off like parmesan cheese. Guess he was wrong, because that looks more like gouda.”
Bile rose in my throat and I took a step back. “That’s not a funny story, Grey.”
“Better laughing than vomiting. Am I right?”
Norm covered his nose and asked, “What are we going to do now? Pull him out?”
Elijah grimaced. “That biter has been down there too long. If we try to get it out, the body is going to disintegrate. Our best bet is going to be to close this well off and dig a new one.”
I asked, “Do you think that will be safe?”
“I think it’s our only shot. The nearest river is ten miles out.”
Grey said, “We can work on that in the morning.”
He was right. There wasn’t anything we could do except go back to Coop and enjoy our dinner – if anyone could get their appetite back. We went back and I tried not to think of the little biter. Who could be so heartless to hurt a child? Wyatt? Marianne? Did I even want to know?
Elijah touched my arm. “Let’s eat and then call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
He was right, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were about to face an unknown foe. And I didn’t like it one bit.
Seven
Elijah
The next morning, I woke up before anyone else. We’d slept in our cars one last time, but today everything would change. Gun in hand, I went through the front doors of the hospital. There was glass everywhere and it crunched under my boots. I made my way through the lobby, tapping the walls. If there were any biters inside then the sound would draw them out.
I finally reached the door to my old room. Gun holes covered the door and I ran my fingers over them. This is what Daisy had faced on her own. Shoving the door open, I stared in shock.
The room was untouched. The bedding was still unmade, as if Daisy had just woken up and climbed out of bed. The drawers to the dresser were open, but our clothes were still there. Grasping the wooden trim, I closed my eyes. Time had stood still in this room. I could still feel the panic I’d felt when telling Daisy of my plan to get her out of harm’s way.
There was a sound behind me. I knew who it was without turning.
She said, “I can’t believe it’s still here.”
She went into the bathroom and then came out with a bottle of shampoo in hand. “Why didn’t they take any of this?”
I replied, “I don’t know.”
Because it didn’t make any sense.
She sat on the edge of the bed and dust rose from the blanket in a little cloud.
“You should have woken me.”
“I needed to do this alone.”
She asked, “Have you been anywhere else? The kitchen? The generator room?”
“No. This was the first place I came to.” I opened the bottom drawer of the dresser and pulled out a rolled paper. “This I what I came for.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the blueprints to the hospital.” I unrolled it and pointed. “But this is what I really wanted. It’s a geological survey of the area. It’s how we knew where to dig the wells last time.”
The survey showed several underwater streams that could be tapped into. With any luck the water sources were still there and not contaminated.
I pointed. “We dug here for the well out back. But there’s also this.”
I touched a spot that was on the side of the hospital. It was a little further away, but definitely doable.
Daisy grinned. “That’s great news.”
I laughed. “Now, let’s go see if our luck will hold.”
I took her hand and led her to the generator room. The tanks were empty, but that was an easy fix. The laundry room was still intact, though two of the machines were gone. The washing boards that Bertha had found were still there, too. I touched one, remembering the kind woman who had helped me run the hospital when the outbreak first began.
Daisy said, “I miss her, too.”
The kitchen was the hardest room to inspect. Being there reminded me of Bertha’s death and how Juan had given up his life to save me. Bullet holes covered the walls as did blood. It was probably my blood. All of the dry goods had been taken, but the stove, oven, and stainless-steel tables remained.
I sighed. “This is a good start.”
Daisy touched my arm. “It is.”
We went to the cafeteria. Thankfully, there were no biters or bodies. For some reason I had this fear that I would walk into this room and come face to face with Bertha, or what was left of her. Daisy told me that Bertha had been shot in the head, but I’d always had doubts that it was a clean shot through the brain. Thankfully some kind soul had cleared the room. I wondered if it had been Andrews or his wife.
After checking a few of the other rooms we made our way outside. Everyone was awake, waiting for us.
“Well?” Grey asked.
“Looks good. Looks real good.”
Grey hooted. “What’s the plan, Boss?”
I replied, “We’ll let Andrews know what we found here and then start working on the new well.”
Daisy said, “I’m going to start cleaning the inside of the hospital. Anyone want to help me?”
Cooper was the first to volunteer, which didn’t surprise me. Jo and Kat also said they would help.
Kat blew a kiss at Grey. “Got to find a nice spot to deliver this baby when the time comes.”
Grey nodded. “After we dig the well I’ll start looking for medical supplies.”
Everyone’s morale seemed high as they went to do their tasks. It was small, but it was a start.
At the end of the day I met Daisy at the front door of the hospital. My body ached from the manual labor I’d done, but it also felt damn good.
“Did you get the well dug?”
I shook my head. “We’re close, but ran out of light.”
Plus, it had taken a while to find enough shovels so that everyone could dig. I hated that the days were getting shorter and shorter. It was only a matter of time before the first snow would fall, which put a deadline on what we could accomplish before winter set in.
Daisy said, “Cooper found some diesel. We got the generators going. The appliances still work, though we had to haul water from
the river since we couldn’t use the plumbing.”
“You walked all the way to the river?”
It was a good ten miles away.
“Hell no. We took one of the trucks and filled three tubs with water.”
I kissed her cheek. “Sounds like we’re headed in a good direction. Once we get the well dug we can run a pipe from the hospital to the well and have water inside.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Guess that means we have to sleep in our dirty clothes tonight.”
“Or we can get naked.”
Someone cleared their throat and I turned, finding Andrews standing there with a grin on his face.
“Just wanted to let you know that I talked things over with Nancy.”
“And?”
He said, “We know where some of the families went after the attack. We want to let them know that you’re back and the things you’ve already done.”
I couldn’t help but to smile. “That sounds great. Thank you.”
Andrews shook his head. “No, thank you, Boss. This is all because of you. You’ve found a way for us to stay in our home.”
He left and I turned to Daisy.
She threw her arms around my neck, kissing me. “Elijah, that’s freaking great news.”
“I know.”
I didn’t want to get my hopes up. People might not want to come back after everything that had happened, but I hoped they would. Daisy tugged on me and I let her lead me to our room. When she opened the door, I was surprised at the amount of changes she’d been able to make. The bedding had been replaced with clean sheets and blankets. She had dusted and mopped the floor making the room smell like lemons. And she had even unpacked our clothes, which wasn’t much, but felt significant.
I closed the door behind us.
“Daisy, it looks great in here.”
She grinned. “I know. It’ll look better when I have hot water to mop with, but we made do today. I even found some old lemon water to use to make things smell better.” She took a step back and said, “Elijah, I disobeyed you the other day, at the river.”
“You don’t have to apologi-”
She went to the side of the bed and lifted my old belt that I’d left behind. My mouth literally went dry as she held it out to me.
“I think I should be punished.”
My cock twitched in my pants, agreeing with her. I took it from her, closing my fist around the strap. The first time I had used it on her had been partly out of anger and partly out of lust. This time would be purely for pleasure. I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Take off your pants.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Excuse me?”
“Take. Off. Your. Pants.”
She grinned, doing as I said. She slid her jeans down her legs, kicking them aside. Then she turned, facing me with bright eyes. God damn. This woman took my breath away.
“Come here.”
She closed the distance between us.
“I’m going to spank you, Daisy. Eight lashes for disobeying me at the bridge. And you’re going to count them.”
Her lips twitched. “Only eight?”
I squeezed her hip. “Now you can cry. You can scream. You can even curse me. But don’t you dare try to run from me.”
Air hissed between her lips and she whispered, “Yes!”
I grinned as she dragged the word out into multiple syllables. I knew exactly how she was feeling. I moved her so her stomach was flush against my thighs, holding her in place with my free hand. When I lifted the belt, she glanced over her shoulder at me with a hooded expression. I struck her across her butt and then rubbed the sting away.
“One.”
I spanked her again, this time on her upper thigh.
She moaned. “Two.”
The leather came in contact with her skin harder this time, but, again, I rubbed the sting away.
“Three.”
When I had done this the first time, she had cried after her third strike. This time she reached between us, cupping my cock through my pants. Her smile was nearly my undoing as she stroked me.
I struck her and she moaned out, “Four.”
The fifth one left her thrashing for me. Her skin was red and pink and so fucking sexy.
“Five.”
I caressed her ass with the pad of my thumb. And then I spanked her again. Her throaty breaths filled the room.
“Six.”
The next one left her bucking against me. I knew that if I put my hand between her legs that she would be soaked.
“S-seven.”
Sweat rolled down my back, but I wasn’t the only one. Her entire body glistened in a light sheen of sweat. I wrapped her ponytail around my fist, tugging her head. Her nipples scraped over my jeans as I raised the belt.
“Eight,” she cried out.
I dropped the belt and ran my fingers through her folds. As I suspected, she was drenched.
“You took your punishment so well that I’m going to reward you.”
I rubbed her clit in a circle. She thrust against my hand. When I slid a finger inside, she moaned.
“Does my dirty girl like that?”
She breathed out, “God. Yes.”
I slipped in another finger and worked her pussy and clit until she cried out in pleasure. Watching her shatter was so fucking beautiful. She rode my hand, enjoying herself and I loved it. I worked her until she stopped shaking.
She stood and said, “Pants off. Now.”
Grinning, I did as she said, not even taking my boots off. She pushed my chest and I fell back onto the bed. She straddled me and slid onto my cock. Her movements were slow and torturous as she rode me.
Holding onto her hips I asked, “Is this my punishment?”
She grinned and did a swirl motion with her hips. “Maybe.”
I groaned. “Then punish away.”
She ran her hands over my chest, leaning forward to kiss me. I kissed her back. For the first time in a very long time everything felt right.
“Play with my breasts.”
I cupped her full breasts, running my thumbs over her nipples. The dusty rose peaks hardened as I toyed with them. She was always so responsive and I loved it. Her movement became frenetic and her skin flushed. Reaching between us, I rubbed her clit until she cried out. Her own orgasm set me off and I came, filling her until I had nothing left to give.
Sighing happily, she rolled next to me.
“Damn. I missed this.”
I kissed her. “I did, too.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
Her gaze met mine. “It worries me every time you come inside of me.”
“What?”
I thought I heard her wrong.
She went on. “I’ve watched Kat and it scares me thinking what could happen if I got pregnant.”
I couldn’t blame her for being worried. Childbirth was dangerous before the apocalypse. Now, it was more so.
“Do you want me to pull out?”
She shook her head. “No. I like the way you feel when you come inside of me.”
And I loved coming inside of her warm depths, but I would do whatever it took to make her feel at ease.
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m not sure what you want me to say, Daisy.”
She replied. “There’s nothing to say. I love you. And I love when you come inside of me. I just want you to know that the thought of having a baby scares me.”
“I hear what you’re saying. I can try to find condoms to use.”
It would be hard, but I would try. Everything was picked over at most stores, including contraception.
She shook her head again and sighed. “No. I don’t want that either. I guess what I’m saying is how do you feel about it? About a baby?”
Ah. So that’s what this was about.
I replied, “I hadn’t ever thought of kids until I met you.”
�
��Me either. Obviously.”
Because she had been a virgin when we met.
I went on, “I told you once before that if things were different that I could see us having a kid together. I meant it, too.” I kissed her. “But I can see us having a kid now. I think we’d be great parents.”
Her cheeks flushed. “So, you would be okay if it happened?”
My heart missed a beat in my chest. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
She replied, “God no! Nothing like that. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
I said, “If we have a child it might be scary, but I think it will be worth it. I’m not in any rush, but if something were to happen, I would be happy.”
She relaxed. “Good.”
I kissed her again. “Good.”
She snuggled into my embrace and said, “I’m so glad we came here.”
“Me, too.”
And I was. We’d only been back for two days, but it felt so damn good, like this is where I was meant to be.
Eight
Daisy
The next morning I awoke to an empty bed, unsurprisingly. Elijah had tossed and turned all night, so I had known he would get to work as soon as the sun rose.
After dressing, I went outside and found Elijah and some of the men working on the well. Elijah’s shirt was tossed to the side and sweat glistened on his skin, even though it was still early out. He shot me a grin that made my heart do funny things in my chest. I waved and then went inside to see what chores I could find for the day.
The first thing on my agenda was getting rid of the spoiled food in the kitchen. Jo, Kat, and Coop agreed to help me.
Coop gagged at one point. “God, this might be worse than cleaning up after biters.”
He wasn’t wrong. The smell was so awful that I wondered if I’d get my appetite back.
Kat screamed when she discovered a rat’s nest in one of the drawers. We all ran, squealing, until Grey came and took care of the problem.
He laughed at us, saying, “Y’all are a bunch of sissies!”
Kat replied, “That thing was as big as a damn cat.”
