Jade waved her hands defensively.
'We don't want a thing, this is our mission. We want to help people that's all,' she told them compassionately.
'You must want something,' Lottie proclaimed.
'Not at all, we just want to help.' I could tell that Jade was tired of having to keep defending us.
Why couldn't people just accept help without thinking we were after something? I knew the answer to that question, as the number of humans dwindled they became more bestial and less human. We had met our fair share of merciless people, yet somehow we had maintained our compassionate nature while being vigilant enough to survive. Well most of us any way, I thought to myself as Kyle's face flashed in my mind.
I still didn't buy his change in behaviour, he had to be up to something.
After hours of convincing them that we didn't want anything in return for the vaccine we retired to our tents, I was glad of the rest from people. I loved the rare moments when I got to just lay with Jensen without having to worry about the fate of the world.
That night I got to do just that, we lay together with the tent zipped up listening to the noises of the countryside.
'This is heaven,' I said lustfully as I kissed him.
'Mm,' he murmured. I wasted no time in taking off my clothes, our tent was pretty far away from anyone else's so I felt comfortable giving in to my desires. As I took off my jacket and top Jensen lay there staring at me with with lustful eyes. While I had never been a majorly confident person, I felt an inflated sense of ego when I saw him look at me like that. He pulled me down to kiss me hard on the lips before jumping on top of me, he removed his own clothes then proceeded to take off my trousers and boots. I moaned with pleasure as he kissed my body, it had been so long since we had been able to be physical with each other.
In the time we had been together he grown into a man, he was no longer the shy teenager who had to let me take the lead. He grabbed my hair with a forceful yet passionate longing, he bent me over to take me from behind. He gently stroked my body, I felt as though every nerve was being touched, my whole body was on fire. I could feel my body quiver with excitement as he entered me, he gripped my hair even tighter. It really had been too long, I squealed with satisfaction as I felt my body explode.
He grabbed my waist to pull me on to him as he pounded away, I could not stop myself from screaming. I did not care that I was being loud or that the others might hear, I needed this- I needed him. He loosened his grip on me, allowing me to be able to turn around. I sat up and pushed him down, as I climbed on top of him I saw the look of complete bliss in his eyes. I rode him passionately while looking into those beautifully seductive green eyes of his, I wanted to see the look in his eyes as he climaxed.
I loved the way he felt inside me, it was pure ecstasy. There was not a feeling that came close to this, I would ravish him everyday if I could. He pulled me down to kiss me hard as I felt him reach his apex, we moaned as one as we finished our love-making. I collapsed on top of him feeling a wave of exhaustion sweep over me.
I woke the next morning to find that Jensen was still asleep, he looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake him. I put my clothes on and headed outside, I could see that the sun had been up for a while. I found Jade sat outside the house with Brooke and Lottie talking happily.
'I find it hard to believe that you don't want anything in return for the vaccine,' Lottie chirped happily.
'We just want to save what's left of humanity,' replied Jade smiling.
'You must stay with us a while, let us help you get back on your feet before heading out again.' Lottie was a kind old woman, she made most of the food on the farm. I was amazed to learn that they had electricity, there was an old generator that they kept powered by fuel they found nearby. Though as Lottie informed us they were running low, if they didn't find more soon then they would have to use the fuel from the cars they had stored. Turns out they had six cars on the farm, two of which were big ass four by fours. I wondered whether would let us use a few and take them with us, Jade must have read my mind because that was the next thing she asked Lottie.
'I'll have to ask everyone but given what you've done for us I can't see that being a problem,' she smiled.
While Lottie went to ask her people about the cars Marcel came and sat next to us looking troubled.
'I need to talk to you about something,' he said quietly.
'Sure, what's on your mind?' Jade asked softly.
'I'm not going with you when you leave, I want to stay with these people. My mum is buried here and I want to be close to her.'
I could tell it took a lot for him to come to us.
Jade simply smiled at him.
'You don't need to be afraid of leaving us, I'm glad you've found your place,' her kind words must have touched him because he wrapped his arms around her and thanked her for getting him here. I had hoped to stay at the farm for a while, it was the safest place we had found in so long. As I sat looking round at everyone, I felt happy, proud. Even Brooke seemed happier. Delilah looked lost, like she was in her own little world. I knew she was from a farm, and I wondered if being here reminded her of her family. I walked over and sat next to her on the grass.
'You thinking about your family?' I asked softly.
'Am I that obvious?' She laughed.
'No, I just know you too well,' I told her.
'It's hard to be here and not think about them, I-I still miss them you know.' 'I know how you feel, no matter how much time passes we'll always miss those we've lost. I have my own concept of heaven, and I choose to believe that they're all watching over us,' I told her happily.
'You believe in the Summer lands, don't you?' She asked.
'Yeah I do, it's a place where your soul goes when you die. You go on a journey that prepares you for your next life,' I replied.
'I think I like that idea,' she smiled. 'So do I.' We sat for many more hours, reminiscing about our loved ones. It was good to talk about them, for me it meant that they were never truly gone. I had a feeling that, we'd be safe here on this farm, with these people. I didn't know how long we would be here for, but having a safe place, a haven to call home, even just for a while, would make such a difference to me, to my family.
In truth, finding these people had given me a new sense of hope that humanity could be saved, maybe our mission did have meaning after all.
For the first time in a long time, I had purpose again, my faith had been restored. I just hoped that, by the time we left here, we would all still be together.
Chapter 25
Delilah
Being at a farm again made me think of my family, everywhere I went, I could almost see them. My dad would be ploughing the fields, my mum waited on the porch with a cold glass of lemonade. My brothers could be found tending to animals, while my sister's played in fields. For the first time ever, I no longer mourned their deaths. I wasn't tormented with guilt that I couldn't save my parents or brothers, nor did I see my sister as the crazed cannibal who tried to eat me, no, I saw my family as we were, happy. I knew they were watching me, and being here kept their memories alive.
'Morning,' Lottie said happily.
'Oh hey, good morning,' I replied smiling.
'You know, you often look lost in thought,' she told me.
Sometimes I really did think I was that easy to read, we'd only been here a week and yet Lottie had caught me off guard by being too accurate in reading me a few times.
'I grew up on a farm, and being here makes me think of my family.'
'How long has it been?' She asked kindly.
'For my parents and brothers, five years. My sisters died four years ago.'
'I'm sorry you lost them,' she smiled gently.
'Thank you, but honestly being here, it helps keep their memory alive,' I replied cheerfully.
'I'm glad you see it that way, so many of us get lost in our grief.'
'So what's on the agenda for today?' I asked changing the subject.
'I think your people wanted to go on a run. We're in need to more fuel for the generator,' she told me.
'Okay, I'll head inside then.' I headed into the house, it wasn't a posh house nor was it as big as the house I grew up in, but it was sure comfortable and pretty. Discussions were already well under way as I entered the kitchen. It amazed me that all of the farm people plus us could actually fit in here, it was a tight squeeze mind you.
'Where should we head to?' Jade asked.
'I've been looking on the map, I think Stoke-On-Trent would be a good place to head,' Frankie replied.
'Are you sure, it's a pretty big city,' Jensen said nervously.
'I can tell you, all of the nearby towns and villages have been picked clean,' Rob told them.
'We've cleaned out most of them ourselves,' Angelo informed us. Angelo was a young man of twenty-two, he was tall, slender but muscular with neck length curly golden blond hair, bright blue eyes and tawny skin. He was kind and gentle but could also be strong and fast when he needed to be, he also had a shy smile and became embarrassed easily, especially if he was complimented.
I took a seat on the edge of the kitchen counter, as there was nowhere else to sit.
Stoke-On-Trent is big enough for what we need, but it's not like it's a major city,' Frankie reasoned.
'You've got a point,' Finn chimed in.
'Who's going on this run, then?' Jade asked.
'I'll go,' I offered.
'Same here,' Kyle agreed. Oh great, I so did not want to be in close company with that cunt. I didn't care that he'd been nicer and more helpful lately, I doubt anything would ever make me like him or trust not after all that he'd done.
'I'm good for a run,' Finn chimed in.
'I want to go as well,' Frankie told them.
'Well if your going, so am I,' Jensen smiled.
'I'm heading out too mum,' Rowena said. I could see the look on Jade's face, it wasn't that Jade didn't think Rowena could look after herself. Rowena had been injured a few times when we'd been fighting the dead, and Jade was worried than one day she'd have a bad accident or worse. Frankie and the others seemed to avoid getting injured too often, so Jade didn't worry about them so much.
'I'd like to tag along too,' Marcel piped up.
'Alright then, I think we've got enough people going,' Jade told us. As it was still early in the day, we decided to head out now. We split up into two groups, Frankie, Jensen, Finn and I went in one car while the others took the other one. I was glad that I wasn't with Kyle, I still had not forgiven him.
It was only a fifteen minute drive to Stoke-On-Trent, and we spent that time having a good old gossip.
'Do you really think there's something going with Rowena and Kyle?' Frankie asked.
'Oh god, I hope not,' I replied.
'They do seem to be getting close,' Jensen said sounding a little creeped out.
'It's gross just thinking about it,' Frankie confessed.
'Tell me about it, has anyone spoken to Rowena about it?' I wondered.
'Not that I know off, though I know Jade is keeping an eye on them,' Jensen told us.
'I can't say that I blame her,' I replied.
'I don't get what she sees in him, he's an arse hole,' Finn said a little too angrily.
I looked at him for a moment, I wondered if he was jealous. He'd never taken a special interest in Rowena but he cared about her like he did us.
'Despite his recent change in behaviour, I still don't trust him,' Frankie replied.
'Me neither, I'd love nothing more than to crack him one again,' I admitted.
'Next time he gets outs of line, I'll join you,' Frankie laughed.
'I'll even let you have the first punch,' I joked.
'It's a deal.'
We pulled up to the train station in Stoke-On-Trent and got out of the car, as we waited for the others to catch up.
'Oh goody, here's the little shit now,' I muttered.
The others tried to hide their smiles, but were failing miserably.
'What's so funny?' Marcel asked smiling.
'Just trading war stories,' Frankie replied.
I could see the look on Rowena's face, she knew we'd been talking about Kyle.
'Right, our first stop is the supermarket, it's only a ten minute walk,' Frankie told us trying to be all business like.
'Okey dokie boss,' I smiled. We walked along the desolate city, seeing barely a couple of walkers on the way. It felt strange to be in a city and not have the dead on our tail, I looked over at the others. Rowena and Kyle were walking close together, talking in hushed voices. As I looked at him, I saw that sly, smug smile cross his face.
I almost burst out laughing as I realised who Kyle reminded me off, I walked up to Frankie and whispered in her ear.
'We've got a Ted Bundy in our group,' I snickered.
She couldn't help it, she did burst out laughing. Jensen heard us and a bright smile crossed his face, I think Finn heard as well, though he was doing a good job of keeping a straight face.
'What's so funny?' Kyle demanded.
'Nothing,' Frankie said trying to keep a straight face.
The more we looked at him the more we saw the resemblance to the famous serial killer.
'You are bad,' Frankie whispered to me.
'I couldn't help it,' I told her. A few minutes later we reached our destination, the supermarket seemed clear and quiet from the outside. Frankie and I banged on the windows, and sure enough, two dozen walkers appeared, growling. The doors were those large push doors, luckily they were double doors so we could do our usual thing.
'Finn, Marcel, I want you two to hold the doors while the rest of us take them on,' Frankie told us.
'Sure thing, boss lady,' Finn replied smiling. Marcel opened one door just long enough to let four of them out, I pulled my knife out, waiting for my chance to get into the fight. I watched as Marcel slammed the door shut, Finn helped him keep it closed. Kyle, managed to knock me over as he ran to help. Rowena grabbed me before I fell, we ran to the others making sure none of corpses was getting too close. Kyle took out two by himself, while Frankie and Jensen dealt with the other two.
'Everyone alright?' Frankie asked.
'Yeah I'm good,' I told her.
Everyone else nodded.
'Okay, Marcel, Finn, open the door again please,' she said. They opened the door, letting out half a dozen. I made sure I was nowhere near Kyle as the dead charged at us. I took out one corpse, managing to get it's blood all over me. Kyle killed one, slicing its head right off. Frankie and Jensen dealt with three, while Rowena took on two by herself.
'How many more are at the window?' Frankie asked, after checking we were all still okay.
'There's fourteen left that I can see,' Marcel replied. 'Everyone okay to carry on?' She asked us. Even after knowing her for almost a year, it still amazed me that she was both kind and fierce. God forbid if anything ever happened to Jade, she would be the next best leader.
'Yeah, I'm always up for a fight,' Kyle tried to joke, well I think it was meant to be a joke. 'We know you are, but what about everyone else?' She asked impatiently.
'Don't worry we're good, aren't we guys?' I asked the others.
They all nodded and smiled. Marcel opened the door again, but this time all the walkers piled out before he and Finn could close it. Marcel and Finn went flying, they landed on their arses a few feet from the doors. They scrambled to get up and grab their knives, I raced over to help them up before the dead could take a bite out of them.
We were now facing at least fourteen corpses, I pulled Finn away from the doors as they piled out.
'Everyone get back!' Frankie shouted. We all stood in a line, except for Finn and Kyle who stood a little ways back to shoot the dead with their crossbows. I lunged forward, taking out a walker that was too close. Frankie and Marcel did the same.
I had to admit, for a guy Marcel was nice to look at. I felt marvelled by his strength, he grabbed a bit
er and flung it into the others. He looked embarrassed as I smiled at him encouragingly, I waited until another one got near me as we didn't want to break formation. I quickly wiped the blood off my face as I moved back in line, Rowena kicked one back into the other dead heads.
I was glad we'd all eaten that morning, other wise we wouldn't have had the energy to deal with all the undead. Rowena surged forward to take one out but ended up falling on her arse, Kyle and Finn jumped forward to help her but only succeeded in bumping into each other. I smiled thinking that they both had a thing for her, I just hoped she picked the right one.
'You alright?' I asked as I helped her up.
'Yeah, god damn it I'm so clumsy. Do me a favour, don't tell my mum,' she replied.
'Your secret is safe with me,' I told her. We got back to the task at hand, Finn and Kyle resumed their position, taking out the dead from afar. It made our job that much easier, Marcel helped a great deal as well. We sure were lucky to have the gentle giant on our side. Before long, we'd finished them off.
'Rowena, I'd like you, Kyle and Finn to stay behind and keep an eye out,' Frankie told her.
I knew she was doing it to keep Rowena safe, and given the look on Rowena's face she knew it too.
'Sure,' she mumbled quietly. 'Alright then, everyone else, move out!' She ordered. We all marched forward, looking somewhat like troops from the military. Once we entered the supermarket we each grabbed a trolley, Frankie and Jensen took one aisle while Marcel and I took another. This place was still really stocked, the shelves were full to the brim.
'I think we struck lucky here.'
'You're right, I'm glad we're starting to have lucky days,' Marcel smiled.
'Same here. After all we've been through, we deserve a rest.'
'They're lucky to have you,' he said suddenly.
'What makes you say that?' I asked curiously.
'You don't say much, but when you do, you always speak the truth. You're honest, strong, kind but also you're not one to mess with,' he told me laughing.
'Well gee, thanks for that. It's nice to know I'm appreciated,' I joked brushing off his compliment.
When he smiled at me, there was a twinkle in his eyes. It only just occurred to me, Marcel didn't know that I favoured women.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 26
