Club Zombie 1-4

by Z. Allora

  Erick gasped then shook his head but there was a small smile on his pretty face. “No!”

  “Yeah, you were. Come on. We’re about the same size. I’ll show you the only closet I never want to come out of.” He pushed off the sofa and waved Erick into his bedroom.

  Maybe if Cassidy could show Erick his clothing, Erick would understand how deeply Cassidy got what tripped through his mind.

  Cassidy opened the walk-in closet’s door and flicked on the light switch. “I’ve been to a lot of parties in my time, and you’re by far the cutest cheerleader I’ve ever seen.”

  Erick’s cheeks got bright pink, and he shied away. But then Cassidy’s collection of kilts must have called to him, because he rushed to the rainbow of colors Cassidy had amassed over the years. “These are great!”

  “Thanks. They’re comfortable.” Cassidy used the same line he’d used with everyone else. There were straight-up skirts mixed in with the kilts.

  Erick grabbed one of the hangers off the rack and studied the black lace pencil skirt. He studied Cassidy with a cocked head.

  Was this where Erick would say what Storm had said to him?

  Finally, after what felt like hours, Erick said, “I bet this looks amazing on you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Erick wandered to Cassidy’s tops and jackets. “What do you wear with it?”

  Cassidy smiled and opened his dresser. “Usually a vintage T-shirt. Not that I wear it much.”

  “Why not? You’ve got the legs for it.” Erick slapped a hand over his mouth. “I mean… well, you do.”

  The question confirmed Erick might not want to adhere to societal norms on dressing. Still, Cassidy reminded him, “Kilts are more accepted.”

  Erick sighed and hung the skirt back in its spot.

  Cassidy didn’t know why, but he felt the need to add, “I think you’re beautiful dressed as a girl.”

  Erick stopped caressing one of Cassidy’s favorite textured black leather kilts and stared at him. “When you say that….”

  “It reinforces some of who you are?” Cassidy wasn’t sure where the words were coming from.

  Erick spun his face to the kilts, but Cassidy could make out the whispered, “God, yes.”

  “Erick, you’re stunning exactly as you are. I’m sure you’re alluring when you’re dressed in more typically male clothing as well, but I want you to know I think you’re gorgeous when you present yourself in this manner.”

  Erick’s sharp intake of breath worried Cassidy until he said, “You’re the first to see all of me.”

  Cassidy touched Erick’s ponytails. “May I?”

  One jerky nod later, and Cassidy slid the elastic off one side, letting Erick’s dark blond hair loose. Then he freed the other side. He combed his fingers through the strands, scratching Erick’s scalp with a little pressure.

  Erick leaned into the touch with a soft moan.

  Cassidy’s heart pounded. The sound of that simple affirmation touched a place that a thousand guys coming in his mouth and telling Cassidy he was the greatest had never reached.

  “Erick, you’re perfect.”

  “Even dressed like this?”

  Cassidy wasn’t a genius by any means, but he could tell that Erick’s question sought reassurance.

  “I appreciate and accept everything about you.” So much for Cassidy slowing down.

  Erick’s big smile made the breakneck speed worth the chaos it stirred. “It’s weird, but I kind of like you a lot.”

  Cassidy’s heart soared. “Thanks.”

  5

  Signs of Hazards

  Erick yawned, and he asked, “What time is it?”

  “It’s before five.” Cassidy pulled on a hoodie.

  “Where are you going?” Erick didn’t know why he whispered, since he and Cassidy were the only ones in the apartment. Maybe the dark made him speak softly.

  Cassidy’s white teeth showed in the dim light filtering through from the window. “To hack a road sign.”

  “To what?”

  Cassidy chuckled. “To hack a road sign.”

  “What kind of road sign?”

  “There’s a new sign the city’s not using yet, so no harm. It’s about a mile down the road. You want to have some fun?”

  Ridiculous happiness coursed through Erick that Cassidy wasn’t endangering anyone for his bit of silly. Of course, he’d never do that. Cassidy was simply… perfect. His androgyny ticked the deliciousness box in Erick’s head, and his closet suggested he had a penchant for skirting the edges of gender specifics. He also seemed kind and smart, and his acceptance of Erick meant the world.

  Erick pulled off the blanket that had been tucked around him. “Did you cover me?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be cold.”

  “Thanks.” Snapping out of his Cassidy wonderment, Erick put two and two together. “You’ve done road signs before, haven’t you?”

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that.” Cassidy nodded emphatically enough that Erick could see his head movements in the shadows.

  “Hee-hee. I saw your work driving to the club.”

  “Yeah, that was my work.” Cassidy flicked the light on, allowing Erick to read his shirt, which had I’m so gay I shit rainbows scrolled across the front.

  Double damn! Cassidy probably preferred more masculine guys, not someone like Erick. Everyone wanted the alpha male to fuck them into oblivion. Well, not everyone. Erick didn’t.

  Though, what did any of this matter? Cassidy would be getting a mate with the whole zombie thing. That tore at Erick’s heart, and he needed to remember his wants and little fantasies were pretty much irrelevant. Still—

  Damn, Cassidy had asked him something. “What?”

  “I just asked if you wanted some clothing. It’s probably damp out this early.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “The bathroom’s through there. I put out a new toothbrush and paste for you too.” Cassidy handed Erick clothing and pointed the direction.

  “Thanks.” Erick used the bathroom, cleaned his face, and used the toothbrush Cassidy had left for him. Grinning, he pulled on the borrowed pair of violet leggings that glittered, and a long purple T-shirt that made him feel as if he wore a dress.

  Cassidy handed him a lavender-colored hoodie.

  He shrugged into the matching hoodie and slipped into the heels from last night.

  Cassidy stared at Erick’s feet, muttering something about wishing he could carry off heels, and then said, “I love the shoes, but they are more looking-shoes than hiking-to-road-signs shoes. Do you have shoes in your car, or do you want to borrow a pair from me?”

  “I have a pair of sneakers in my car.”

  “Cool. I don’t want you to get blisters.” Cassidy zipped his hoodie and flipped the hood over his head.

  “Sorry I rambled and ranted last night.” Following Cassidy out of the apartment, he cringed. Last night he kept obsessing about how Ethan lied to him, and then he’d focused on what he should have said when Ethan criticized him for the choice of clothing. Cassidy had made him spearmint tea and listened patiently to his vent session.

  “Don’t be. You can always talk to me.” Cassidy guided Erick to the outside.

  Erick shook his head. “Then I must have just fallen asleep.”

  “I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the company.” The sincerity in Cassidy’s voice chased away Erick’s doubts.

  Erick trudged around the winding stone paths, following Cassidy back to the parking lot. “The grounds back here are immense. You can’t see this from the road or the club.”

  “Yeah, this is Beau’s family estate. He and Lafayette turned the entire property into a haven for us.”

  “By ‘us’ you mean—never mind. I don’t even want to dwell on why zombies might need a haven.” There was only so much his brain could handle before breaking. Ethan coming back from the grave as a zombie had gone over the line. He took a deep breath and asked, “How did you learn to ha
ck a road sign?”

  “Well, there’re these websites that tell what you should never do to—” Cassidy halted to have complete focus to the air quotes. “—hack a road sign.”

  They made a quick pit stop at his car. Erick groaned as he slipped off his shoes. “I’m both happy and sad to get back into my sneakers.”

  Cassidy sighed. “The heels did make your legs look good.”

  Erick studied Cassidy and found no trace of mockery. Not knowing what to do, he grabbed his backpack with most of his essentials in it.

  “Here, let me.” Cassidy took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

  “Thanks.” The unexpectedly lovely gesture made Erick’s heart beat faster.

  “The sign is down this way.” Cassidy guided Erick around several ditches and caught him before he face-planted from tripping over a hidden rock.

  An unfamiliar feeling of being taken care of pushed warmth through Erick. In the McGrath family, the motto had always been everyone for themselves. By age three, Erick was already being pitted against Ethan. He had to compete against his brother for everything from food and privileges to treats.

  At first, he’d tried not to participate, but Ethan would end up punished, so Erick played his father’s games… maybe too well.

  Erick had gotten accustomed to winning and the parental approval that accompanied success. Learning to follow the rules led him to crave the rewards of exceeding expectations.

  However, since Ethan’s death, Erick often wondered if he’d won those dog-and-pony shows because his brother allowed him to win. Ethan probably didn’t mind losing. Heck, Ethan reveled in his father’s displeasure with the same passion as Erick sought out his approval.

  Somehow winning favor became equated with acceptance, not that Erick believed his father would ever acknowledge who Erick was with any respect.

  Enough with the self-analysis!

  They reached the sign, and he asked, “How does this work?”

  “First, you take off the lock on the access panel. Ah, see! It’s not even locked.” Cassidy opened the metal door. “Programming the sign is simple. You scroll to instant text, then type what you want.”

  This kind of rule breaking fascinated and enticed him. A victimless crime that resulted in road giggles. “What are you going to type?”

  Cassidy peeked at him through a mass of dark waves and grinned with sin in his eyes. “You’ll see.”

  Erick thrust his hands into the hoodie’s pockets and stretched the fabric down. Leggings would never hide the erection that Cassidy’s expression had built. Geez, being around Cassidy made it impossible not to get hard all the time.

  “There. Now I hit Enter and select Run without Save.”

  That appeared too easy. “There’s no password?”

  “Sometimes there is one, but usually it’s D-O-T-S for Department of Transportation. If there is one, you can easily change the word by holding control and shift while you enter DIPY.”

  Erick wasn’t computer savvy. “What does that do?”

  “Resets the password to D-O-T-S.” Cassidy closed the access panel and turned the sign toward the road.

  “Oh my God!” Erick burst out laughing and read, “Zombies Coming!”

  “You don’t even know the half of it. Come on. Let’s head back.” Cassidy reached out a hand.

  Erick grabbed on, and their fingers laced. They were palm to palm, just like last night. Hand-holding probably didn’t mean anything to Cassidy. However, the sweet gesture chased away some of Erick’s confusion and loneliness.

  Dawn began to break, but only a few cars passed them on their way back. With their hoods on their heads, no one could tell their gender, so no one shouted anything negative at them.

  When they got to the club parking lot, a tremor of fear ran through Erick. A glowering tower of mean leaned against his car. Shit! He tried to take his hand back.

  Cassidy wouldn’t let go and whispered, “It’s only Lafayette. I got this.”

  Erick recognized the man from last night, even though he didn’t wear the same indulgent smile.

  “We met briefly last night. I’m Lafayette, and you must be Ethan’s brother, Erick McGrath. Pleased to meet you.” Lafayette held out his hand.

  Cassidy double squeezed his hand and let go of him so Erick could shake Lafayette’s offered hand. He tried to find words. “Um, yeah.”

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I hope the doctor and your brother will help you accept… everything.” Lafayette spoke to Erick but kept his glare focused on Cassidy.

  Erick wanted to protect Cassidy, so he found his voice. “Cassidy’s been a wonderful help.”

  Lafayette studied them as their hands relocked. “Um, good.” Rising to his full height, Lafayette asked, “Cassidy, may I have a word?”

  The tone suggested Lafayette wasn’t asking a question, more he demanded compliance.

  Cassidy didn’t give off any worry, but Erick went to full alert. Usually when you weren’t braced for trouble, that’s when you were smacked with it.

  “Sure.” Cassidy strolled with Lafayette a bit away from Erick.

  During the muffled discussion, the only clear words were Erick, zombies, signs, and you shouldn’t have.

  Shrugging, Cassidy spoke loudly enough for Erick to hear. “Well, at least I didn’t spell it c-u-m-m-i-n-g.”

  Lafayette threw his hands in the air and smacked them on his thighs. He stomped away from Cassidy, mumbling to himself.

  Cassidy smirked at Erick and gave him two thumbs-up.

  When Lafayette paced back around, there were more quiet discussions that appeared more serious and had a less carefree Cassidy nodding.

  Lafayette murmuring something and patted Cassidy on the shoulder. Then he waved to Erick and called out, “I’ll see you later. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask… the doctor.”

  Cassidy rejoined him. “What’s that about?”

  “Let’s just say Lafayette and Beau are great guys but explaining Zombism isn’t in their wheelhouses.” Cassidy shook his head. “Come on. We should get you to your brother’s apartment for breakfast.”

  Embarrassing to admit, but he missed the hand-holding. “Sure.”

  Cassidy plopped onto the bench that sat off the path under a huge oak. “I’ll just hang out here for a bit.”

  Did he sense Erick’s unease? Not wanting to put Cassidy out, Erick took his knapsack and said, “You don’t have to.”

  Waving him off, Cassidy claimed, “I’ve got some texts to write and phone calls to make. That way, if you need me, you’ll know where to find me.”

  Erick meeting his brother shouldn’t require the comfort of his new friend waiting out here but…. “Thank you… for everything.”

  This had to be done. Erick entered the building and went to his brother’s apartment.

  Ethan threw open the door. His expression went from happy to all pinched and judgmental. “What the hell? What are you wearing today?”

  “God, you not only sound like Father… you’re wearing the same damned face!” Erick pushed past him into the apartment.

  “Lush, with a modern industrial vibe” would be an accurate description of Ethan’s place. The open floor plan had all wooden floors, so the area that housed black leather sofas, chairs, and a huge flat-screen bled into a dining room. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances, open stainless shelving with matching white china, along with mason jars filled with dry goods and a big bowl of fruit on the granite island.

  “Coffee, Erick?” Cutter poured coffee into the cups of the others on Team Ethan or Team Storm, who sat around the table. They had variations of sexy hair colors: blond, brown, deep reddish auburn.

  “Yeah, please, Cutter.” Erick moved toward the seated collection of his brother’s… mates… husbands. Three of them…. He didn’t want to dwell on the reality or the logistics of that. Or the fact his brother was a zombie, ’cause no….

  The blond one pushed out a chair. “Have a
seat, Erick. I’m Ulrich, and this is Alex.”

  The red-haired alpha-looking male said, “Cut,” and raised his chin toward Ethan, who paced around the glass-and-steel coffee table.

  Cutter stalked over, cornered Ethan, and frantically whispered at him. Ethan’s best friend always knew how to tame the beast, but not this time.

  Ethan pointed at Erick. “Look at him. He’s dressed in girly clothing again. You said he wore the costume for Drag Night, but now there he is again. Sparkly purple leggings? Our father would kill him for less.”

  “Storm,” the Alex-person enunciated.

  Everyone straightened and went on alert, including Ethan.

  What the fuck?

  Red kept his voice low. “This situation… our reality is upsetting and confusing for Erick. Please stop focusing on details that don’t pertain to the matter at hand.”

  “My brother is dressed like a goddamn— Does Father know?” Ethan stalked over, asking as if he didn’t know the answer.

  “Know what?” Erick took a bit of perverse pleasure in making Ethan hurt him.

  “That you flit around wearing… this? He can’t know. Jesus, you know what he’s like. He’d kill you dead. I can’t protect you.” Ethan’s hands trembled, but then he squeezed his eyes shut as if he couldn’t look at Erick another minute.

  A piece of Erick wanted to reassure his brother these were the only clothes available at Cassidy’s. Although another larger part of him, the one that wanted to wear white after Labor Day—a white skirt needed to be given a voice regardless of season—wouldn’t give Ethan such comfort.

  Good God, he’d already lost his brother once; did he want to risk losing him again? Would he lose him if Ethan knew?

  Ulrich gestured to an open seat. “Storm, come eat your breakfast. I made your favorite pancakes.”

  Cut shared a look with Erick that appeared to say, Sorry, Ethan may be a zombie, but he’s still a jackass, and I love him. Stomping his foot, Cutter demanded, “Stop being an asshole, Storm.”

  “I tried once, but no one recognized me.” Ethan’s pretend death hadn’t changed him much. He continued hiding behind self-proclaimed clever quips.