by Zach Sweets
"Truthfully, I don't know. I have been on the road last few days."
"When did it start again?" I didn't remember if he told me or maybe he did back at my place. I was too upset and angry to actually remember everything.
"Today makes it about a week now I think, maybe less. I can't remember. I lost track of time." Rex rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to stay awake.
"So, it has been a week since you really slept? How the hell did the zombie find us? Neither of us is bleeding and we didn't make any noise"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it has been that long. I think it's because zombies can smell other zombies that died out there or it was our motorcycles that got their attention. We better get out of here. I'm pretty sure the gunshot will get their attention, too."
"No," I said firmly. "You need to sleep. It's not safe for you to drive on a motorcycle anymore. I'll grab another room key from the office. You get everything together."
"Seriously, I'm fine. It's not safe for us to be here anymore."
"I don't care. You need the energy to be able to fight them off." I walked to the door and tried to move the entertainment center and realized I couldn't. "Can you help?"
He came and helped me. We moved it enough for us to fit through the door. I ran toward the office, feeling pretty paranoid. Grabbing another key, I immediately got out of the office and saw Rex had the bags in his arms. He was going to his motorcycle and that made me angry.
I opened the new room and left the door ajar, then ran to Rex and pulled his jacket to change his direction to the room instead of the bikes.
"Seriously, I'm fine. We have to get out of here."
"I don't know how to fight and I sure don't feel safe knowing you haven't slept in days, a week even."
Finally, Rex gave up and went back to the other room. This time we made sure the windows and door were blocked. We used one of the mattresses to block the windows, and did the same thing we had done before with the entertainment center to block the doorway.
I sat on the floor with my back against the mattress. "Rex, go to sleep."
"I'm going." I could hear the annoyance in his tone but I didn't care. I was far away from being ready to be on my own. It was a fricking crazy out there. Watching Rex on the bed, I started to feel sleepy again. I stayed awake long enough to make sure Rex had fallen asleep again.
I meant to shut my eyes only for a minute, but I woke up stretching my arms and I was on the floor. Apparently, I had been out. I looked at the clock that was on the night table next to the bed Rex was on. It was almost ten o'clock. It had been only four hours. I checked the bed and saw Rex wasn't there anymore. I panicked a bit until I noticed the light was on in the bathroom.
I was more relieved when Rex came out. He seemed to be fully energized, but I knew four hours of sleep couldn't be enough.
"If you need to use the bathroom, you better do it now, but don't flush it. We can't afford to attract more attention."
"How can you get all of that energy in just a few hours of sleep?" I got up on my feet and yawned.
"I've gotten used to bad sleeping habits. Hurry up. I have a funny feeling that there'll be more surprises out there." Rex went straight to our bags and put them together on the bed.
I went to the bathroom and did my business. As I was about to reach for the flush handle, Rex reminded me to not flush the toilet. That was too close.
When I came out, I saw Rex peeking around the mattress covering the windows.
"Is there anything out there?" I asked quietly.
"No. Quick, help me move this piece of crap."
We struggled a bit when we moved the entertainment center, then we grabbed our bags. Walking to the bikes, I kept my eyes peeled on both sides. I immediately strapped my bag on the bike and secured my backpack, then got on the motorcycle. Starting the engine was what I was nervous about since it was loud. There was no way for us to start the bikes in silence.
"Are you good?" Rex asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
I turned the key and the engine roared. I was about to take off when I was attacked. When I hit the ground, I rolled, and my attacker bounced off of me. Getting up, I saw it was another zombie that took me down. Rex had taken off already and didn't know I was fighting against a zombie again.
I immediately surveyed the ground, trying to see if I could find a stick or anything strong enough to be able to puncture through the dead-walker's head. I couldn't find anything, there was no weapon for me to protect myself. Freaking out was the last thing I needed to do.
The zombie shook its head then it turned around and saw me. It moved toward me and I scrambled backward, unable to figure out what to do next. Without realizing what was behind me, I tripped over my bike. It saved my life since the zombie flew over me when I fell.
I got up and ran so fast it was as if my pants were on fire. I didn't know where I was going, but my instincts took me back to the room Rex and I had just left, and the zombie chased me. Once inside, I ran straight to the bathroom and locked myself in. The banging continued and I started to cry, thinking I was doomed.
It kept on and on for a couple of minutes and I kept my back pressed against the door. "Please go away!" I screamed, knowing the dead-walker probably wouldn't know what the hell I was saying. A loud gunshot nearly scared me to the death.
"Rex? Is that you?" I cried out through the door.
"Yes, it's me. Open the door."
I opened the door, tears pouring down my cheeks. "You came back." I sniffed then ran to Rex and hugged him before I realized what I was doing.
"Of course I came back, we're in this together." I could tell Rex was feeling awkward when he tried to hug me. It was more of a pat on my back thing.
"I fucking hate this." I looked up at Rex and my body was shaking badly.
"I know. We better get going. Can you drive?"
I took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I can. I just want to get out of here."
I was lucky that the motorcycle wasn't damaged when the idiot zombie took me down. We left the place in the darkness, nothing but the moonlight shining on the roads.
Five
May 1
Radio's Back
We'd been in Missouri for two days. Mostly we rested and tried to get our energy back while we searched for Carl or survivors. Who knew if we'd even find any survivors? I hoped we would
The events of the last several days were stuck in my head probably would be for the rest of my life. We had left Delaware, I had killed my first zombie, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about the moment when the zombie tackled me to the ground at the inn two nights ago.
We'd encountered more zombies on the road. Rex constantly listened to his little radio, hoping to hear from Carl or anyone else at all. It was all static. No survivors, no voices, nothing but the two of us and a ton of dead-walkers. The white noise had gotten irritating.
"I know you want to hear from Carl, but I can't stand the static. I honestly don't think we'll find him. We haven't seen any survivors since we left Delaware. Turn it off. Take a break or something." I was cranky. It had been a long day and I hadn't been able to eat or sleep that well since we got there. The nightmares haunted me in my sleep and we were running low on food.
"You never know when he or someone else might be on. If you don't like the static, find something to do. Explore the town, see if you can find anyone else." He handed his extra handgun to me. "Take it; you'll need it if you happen to run into one of the zombies."
"I've never touched a gun and I'm not going to start now."
"Just take it and go." He ignored me completely and concentrated on the static.
I wanted to argue but instead, I put the handgun into my bag and left. I had no idea how to use it, but I knew Rex was right. I had to use the gun no matter how hard I tried to avoid it. When I got back, I would make sure to have Rex teach me.
The bikes were parked in an abandoned warehouse and we'd been staying on the roof,
able to see for miles from the high ground and watch for zombies. We tried to understand their behavior, what they could do. So far, we knew they could smell us, but they were too dumb to figure out how to get in the warehouse. It didn't seem that there was much to learn from them but who knew when we might see something useful.
Approaching the door, I looked out the window to ensure that there weren't any zombies lurking outside it. It appeared clear, so I headed out to explore the area. I hadn't looked around since we got here.
We had reached the town just a few miles south of Joplin, where we were supposedly to meet Carl. It was a bit far away from Joplin, but it was safer that way, since there were so many zombies in the major urban areas. Hell, I couldn't even pronounce the town's name. In a different situation, it'd be a gorgeous place to live.
Down the street from the warehouse, there was a small grocery store and I decided to scope it out to see if there was any good food left. I scanned the area as I walked, looking for places to hide in case a zombie showed up. To my relief, there seemed to be plenty. My heart beat fast as I walked quickly toward the store, keeping my eyes ahead of me.
Finally, I reached the glass door and I went inside. I immediately locked the door behind me. Better safe than sorry.
The store was a mess. Food lay scattered all over the floor, fallen from the tipped over shelves. The interior was trashed. I scoured the place, trying to find something edible. There wasn't a lot. So much had been destroyed, and all the fresh produce was covered with brown and black rot. It stank in there.
In a stroke of genius, I headed to the liquor aisle, and was so glad to find some unbroken bottles of good wine. After the craziness of this week, I needed a drink. I kept picturing Thomas in my head and the zombie I killed, and drowning in alcohol had appeal.
I picked up plastic bags from the counter, then filled them with what food I could find and a couple bottles of wine, and headed for the warehouse. This time, I jogged a bit, not wanting to bump into a zombie and take a chance on losing my treasures. I made it back to the warehouse without any problems.
"Rex? I've brought some food and booze," I called to him as I ascended the stairs.
He didn't respond, which concerned me. He normally answered me right away. "Rex? You up there?" I tried again. Still no reply. Too engrossed in his damn radio, I saw as I came up on the roof. He was bent over it with his finger in his right ear and the radio pressed against his other. That explained why he didn't hear me. I put the stuff on the floor then tapped his shoulder.
Rex dropped the radio, his hand grabbed my wrist, and then he twisted it until my arm was behind my back. It was similar to what cops did when they were about to arrest someone. "What the hell? It's me, Jake!"
Rex immediately let me go and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."
"I called you twice, what do you mean, you didn't hear me?" I was cradling my wrist and my shoulder.
"I was concentrating on the radio. Someone was talking, but it stopped, so I tried every channel to find it again. I couldn't."
Suddenly, I forgot the throbbing pain in my wrist. "What did they say?"
"Something about where this all started. There was a woman on the radio and she said the first time anyone saw a zombie was in New Jersey right by the shore. A child saw rainbow colors in the ocean and she jumped in the water and splashed around where the colors were. A couple of minutes later, she was turned into one of them. The signal faded right then, so I didn't get the rest."
"There's a chemical plant in New Jersey, maybe the chemicals leaked into the water? Something went wrong?" So many questions rushed inside my head and I wanted answers.
"That's a possibility. I really don't know. That still doesn't explain the funky weather. I'll try listening again tomorrow morning." Rex sighed and shut his radio down. He pointed at my wrist. "I'm sorry for hurting you. How is it?"
I had almost forgotten about the injury. "It hurts, but I'll live."
Rex nodded and saw the bags on the floor. "What did you find?"
"I thought we'd need something to eat, so I took what I could. And, I don't know about you, but I could use a drink, so I got this." I picked up one of the bottles of Shiraz. It was my favorite. "Hope you like this one."
Rex smiled, "Yeah, I love it."
"Good, I've two of them." Thankfully, it had a screw cap instead of a cork so it didn't require a bottle opener. The next time, I would remember to get a corkscrew from the store.
I unscrewed the caps and handed one to Rex, which he lifted up to make a toast.
"Here's to our surviving the pandemonium." He chuckled without any real mirth.
"Hear, hear." I tapped my bottle to his and drank.
One sip of wine flowed into another and another. We went through our respective bottles and the room was starting to spin a bit. Even better, the pain of losing Thomas that I'd been carrying started to ease a bit.
I slurred, "I'm hungry." I started to laugh uncontrollably, losing my balance as I reached for the bag of food. "Ah, chocolate bars. Want one?" I tossed a bar to Rex and kept one for myself.
"Thank you, Jake," he slurred. As I was munching the chocolate, Rex moved closer to me. I could feel the warmth of his leg stretched out along mine. He dropped one hand on my thigh and asked, "You used to be married?"
"Wha? Uh, no. Never been married." I stared at him. "Why?"
"Was wondering, since you had a son." He pulled his hand away and looked at it, as if he just realized he had put it on my leg.
Just as quick as that, all the pain of losing Thomas came rushing back. The tears poured from my eyes like a waterfall.
"Shit, I'm sorry for bringing him up." He leaned over and gave me a hug, trying to comfort me. He shushed at me, rocked me, and tried to let me know that it was all going to be okay.
"It'll never be okay. Thomas is gone for good. Everyone and everything I've ever known is gone." I looked up at Rex, his expression turned sympathetic. I completely forgot why I was upset with him earlier and I kissed him. I don't know why, but I did. I needed some contact, some closeness, just something. Rex did nothing to stop me. It was just a kiss on his lips, nothing more. I touched my lips and spoke, "Sorry."
Rex's eyes went wide then he gave out a deep sigh. "It's okay. You know, if you want to talk about Thomas, I'm all ears. I know exactly how you feel, since I lost my babies." He rubbed my cheek with his hand and everything felt so right but strange. Normally a straight, tough man wouldn't be doing that.
"Thanks. I asked Annika, my best friend, to be a surrogate mother. She wanted a child as much as I did, and couldn't wait to help her raise Thomas. She died of severe bleeding after having him, though, and I miss her. It's so rare now, but it happened to her." I rubbed my eyes, remembering the past.
Rex reclined back against the wall but kept one arm around my shoulders. I relaxed into him. "Oh, that must have been painful," he said. "Did you both grow up together?"
"Yeah, she had been my best friend since we were kids. I could tell her anything." I smiled at the memory of us being brats when we were little, getting into trouble.
I felt the rumbling in Rex's chest against the back of my head. It was nice to hear him chuckling. His hand kept rubbing soothing circles on my bicep and I sat up, meeting his eyes. I thought I felt a connection, but it wasn't the time or place to think about any sort of attraction between us. "So yeah, the day she died was horrifying. My ex-boyfriend couldn't stand seeing me mope or deal with a new baby and he left me."
"Wow, that's terrible." He placed his hand on my thigh again and squeezed. It was oddly comforting.
"Yeah, it was seven years ago. I've moved on. Or I've tried to." I watched his hand as he started to rub it up and down my thigh. It felt good. "Anyway, so, are you cool with me being gay and all?"
"The world is about to end and I should care whether you're gay? Nah, not at all." He grinned. "Two of my closest friends were gay, so it doesn't bother me."
Finally, I got a chance to see
a glimpse of the real Rex, and I liked it. I yawned several times. "I guess all the wine is getting to me. I think I'll get some shut-eye. Night, Rex."
Rex slowly removed his hand from my thigh as he stretched and yawned. "Sure. Night, Jake."
I paused and turned around. "Rex?"
"Yeah?"
"I know you're not gay or anything like that but…" I cleared my throat. "Can you hold me while I sleep? If you don't want to, that's okay." Did I really just say that? Shit.
I saw the shock register on his face. I gave an embarrassed "forget it" wave and walked over to where we'd been sleeping. To my surprise, he followed me.
"I have no problem holding you. I just didn't expect you to ask, that's all." He lay down on the floor with his arms wide, welcoming me.
I snuggled in, holding him tight.
I felt him kissing the top of my head, just a whisper of touch. His arms tightened around me, and in just a few moments, my body started to respond. I wanted to forget what was happening, and his embrace was helping me do just that.
He tilted my chin up, looked at me eye to eye, and he kissed me on the lips. He muttered, "You're safe with me." He sucked my bottom lip between his teeth and then licked my lips, waiting for me to invite him in.
With the greatest feeling of shock, I opened up and let his tongue slip inside. I hadn't had a kiss like that since before my ex left me. We tongue-wrestled until we had to stop to breathe. I had to pull back to ask, "Rex, what are we doing?"
"Shh, don't talk." He pressed his finger on my lip. "Just let it happen."
I closed my eyes and let it happen.
Rex grabbed my ass and pulled me to him, until our cocks touched. We were both hard, growing even harder as we continued kissing. I slid my hands underneath his shirt and felt his furry chest, delineated by hard, worked muscle.
I was overwhelmed by how wonderful his kiss felt, how delicious he tasted, how amazing it was. I didn't want it to end any time soon.
He rolled on top of me, grinding his cock against mine through the heavy denim we both wore. Before I knew it, the feeling overwhelmed me, and I came in my jeans. Seconds later, I could feel his body tense as he followed me into bliss. We were both panting hard as he collapsed next to me.
