Love at the End of the World

by Christiana Miller

“She’s next door. Man, at least we’ve got each other. Mum being gone kind of makes it easier but…” Liam’s voice trailed away as Ramon stared at him.

  “You’re talking about some woman you met in the shop, in the middle of a crisis.”

  Liam nodded. “True, Ramon, but she’s alone and next door. I mean, we could—”

  “Now isn’t the time to be finding a girl, Liam. We need to get our hands on a car, get into the city and see if—”

  “You’re wrong. This is exactly the time we should be helping others. Dammit, she’s alone with no one to protect her, and that’s my specialty.” He couldn’t help the knot of anger that swelled in his belly. Ramon might be good with diseases and illnesses, but when it came to helping others, to sorting out immediate problems, that’s where Liam’s abilities kicked in. “I’m going to nip around the back and see—”

  “Liam!” His brother’s shocked voice didn’t stop him as he pushed past the cart toward the back door. “We don’t know if the virus is airborne or…”

  Liam shrugged. If it was, he’d already possibly been infected. He was more than prepared to take his chances to help the red-haired woman he’d met.

  At his push, the glass door slid open and he stepped through into the secure backyard. The high, wooden fence ensured privacy between the two cottages, but there was a gate at the back he’d spied when they’d arrived. His feet crunched on the grass, dry after the long months without rainfall. The gate squeaked open when he turned the handle and pushed, and he shut it behind him, carefully scanning the area and noting the shady trees and a metal shed, then he headed to the back door.

  When he reached the door, he knocked with three short raps.

  The door opened cautiously. He frowned as he took in the woman’s rumpled appearance and her red, swollen eyes. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and sniffled. “Yeah. Just watching the news and…” She ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Uh, come in.”

  Liam crossed the threshold and waited for her to close and latch the door.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I wanted to check on you. By the way, my name is Liam.”

  “Mine is Elaine.” The woman held out her hand, and he shook it. “Would you like a coffee?”

  For a moment, the urge to laugh rose up, but he restrained it ruthlessly. “That would be lovely.”

  She gave him a weird look. “Umm, everything okay next door? I mean, you seemed a little out of it when I asked you about coffee.” She puttered over to the stove, ignited the hob, and placed the kettle on the flame.

  He gave a half-bark of laughter. “It just feels so damned normal, you know? That shouldn’t be odd, except nothing is normal anymore.”

  She nodded, spooning the crushed beans into a mug, and turned back to him, her eyes shining. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s kind of disconcerting.”

  “And you’ve been crying,” he pointed out.

  “I… I saw my friend Emily as I got back to the house. She’s…” She sniffled, and he understood.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Elaine nodded, and they settled onto the large stools before the granite benchtop, waiting for the pot to boil.

  “Have you lived here long?”

  She nodded. “I grew up here with my grandmother. My parents died in a car accident years ago, so she raised me. And I inherited the house from her. Em moved in about eighteen months ago. Her mother had thrown her out and she needed somewhere to stay. But now…” Elaine sighed.

  “Ramon and I lost Mum twelve months ago. She had cancer, but it was swift. At least she didn’t have to see this.” He waved his hands, knowing she’d understand. “Dad took off when we were little, and it was just us. I had a gig at a conference here and Ramon decided to join me, but clearly our timing really sucked.”

  She giggled. The kettle started whistling, and she slid from her chair and pulled it off the stovetop. “I know, right? But what are we supposed to do? I don’t want to leave my home. It’s the only one I’ve ever known. Gran bought it when it was first built, and Chisholm was just starting to pop. She wanted somewhere a little more quiet. She’d grown up in Sydney, and when Gramps died, she decided she really hated the traffic, the noise, and having too many people around her.”

  “Yeah, I understand. We decided to stay here because we were looking for the quiet too. Well, as much as you can find in Canberra.”

  “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Sweet, two sugars and cream, thanks.”

  He watched as she moved around, gathering what was needed to fulfill the request. He’d never known a woman who moved with such an economy of motion, he noted she used only what she needed. Elaine immediately replaced the items no longer required back in the cupboard then pushed the cup in his direction.

  “What kind of conference did you come for?”

  He gave a tiny laugh. “Policing in traumatic events. Ramon came with me as he’s just home from Africa where he was dealing with a minor pandemic.”

  Her lips formed an ‘O’ and his body tightened just enough to make him consider his immediate attraction. She didn’t strike him as a weak, grasping female, just one totally out of her depth.

  “He’s an epidemiologist. Works with things like Ebola.”

  She shuddered but nodded.

  “What do you do?” he asked.

  “Not much, it would seem. My boss fired me yesterday after I insisted I needed to come home. He runs a mail-order medical supply company. After most of the staff didn’t turn up, he insisted we should stay there. But the food was running out, and the news and radio urged everyone to go home. He didn’t, but I think it’s more because he was afraid to spend much time with his family. He’s a workaholic.”

  The conversation felt normal, but his brain knew there was nothing everyday about the situation. His phone buzzed, and he reached for it.

  “I’m needed at the local hospital. Can you drag yourself away long enough to help me find a ride?” Ramon’s discontent was clear with his curt speech, and Liam knew he was getting upset.

  “Hang on.” He tugged the phone away from his ear. “I don’t suppose you have a car, do you?”

  Elaine blinked at him. “Uh, yes?”

  “Could you give us a lift to the hospital?” He’d barely finished speaking when she blanched.

  “Your brother…”

  “He’s needed at the hospital. I guess they want his advice and assistance. Can you help us out?”

  “Oh, yes. Sure. I’ll go grab my keys.”

  “Uh, where’s the car?”

  At that she grinned. “It’s actually in the garage at the back of the yard. I moved it this morning, before there were any of the infected around.” Elaine grimaced. “I didn’t want to have to fight them, and the shed has an automatic door so I can be in and out without any worries of them in the yard.”

  “Awesome.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee, ignoring the slight discomfort as the hot drink burned his mouth. “I’ll go grab Ramon and his things, and we’ll be back in a moment.”

  * * * *

  Once Elaine met Ramon she was fairly sure that he didn’t like her. It wasn’t that he was rude—instead, he was scrupulously polite—but he was cool toward her. In fact, if it wasn’t for the current situation, she wasn’t sure she’d want anything to do with him either. Unlike his brother. Wasn’t that a kicker?

  Liam was cute, personable, and somehow protective of both her and his brother. He could easily be the meat in the sandwich if she didn’t get her lust in control. And she lusted him. Big time.

  He was good-looking, with a healthy, golden bronze in his skin, shining green eyes, thick, wavy, blond hair, and he was built like Adonis. Totally yummy. He was also clean-shaven, which showed his beautiful jawline.

  They piled into the car, Liam in the seat next to her. She ignored the tiny car beside hers. It was Emily’s, and right now she didn’t want to think about her friend and what had happened
to her, so she put it out of her mind.

  She pressed the button on the dash and waited as the garage door rose. She inched out slowly, then pressed the button again, waiting to make sure no zombies got inside the building, then pulled onto the road.

  She turned left and squealed. “Oh my gosh! There’s people on the street!” Her hand hovered over the garage door remote as she considered opening the door for those seeking shelter, but Liam stopped her.

  “Wait. I’m not sure they’re normal. Look how they’re shuffling. I think they’re…”

  Elaine squinted and sighed. “I think you’re right, but they’re blocking the way, Liam. I don’t want to hurt them.”

  A strangled sound came from the back seat. “They’re infected, and from what I’ve been able to work out, there’s no current cure. You’ll need to make your way through them.”

  Her gut clenched. “I’m not going to run them over.” Elaine couldn’t control the tone of her voice and the way it rose at the end. Nausea clawed at her throat, and the burn of bile triggered tears.

  Liam coughed and spluttered. “I don’t think that’s what Ramon means, but keep your window up and drive slowly. We’ll need to pick our way through the mess, okay?”

  She nodded furiously, understanding he was looking to find some kind of common ground between his brother’s ‘we need to get there’ mentality and her ‘won’t hurt them’ attitude.

  They drove slowly, zig-zagging through the shuffling mass, making slow progress as she listened to Ramon’s grunts of dissatisfaction.

  Once they’d navigated through the avenues, they finally made it onto the main street, littered by crashed cars and strange lumps that Elaine reluctantly realized were likely human…or past human. That thought was like a stone in her belly.

  “Are they… Are they dead?” Her hands shook on the steering wheel.

  Elaine expected Ramon to laugh at her, but the silence was deafening.

  “Liam?”

  The expression on his face calmed her. “We aren’t yet sure what you could call it. All we know is that it’s like a virus, transmitted by a bite or scratch.”

  The hospital appeared before them, and she drove with a single-minded focus. At the door, Ramon cleared his throat. “You’d best head home. I’ll ring once I have some more details.”

  Liam grunted and reached for his brother’s hand as he opened the door. “Ramon? Stay safe, bro. I have no intention of losing you.”

  “You bet, brother. As you know, I’m not that easy to lose. Straight home with yourself. I’ll ring for a lift if I can’t organize something, okay?”

  Ramon grabbed the bag he’d brought with him, slammed the car door, and disappeared inside the white building.

  “We should head back.” Her voice wobbled.

  “Yeah.”

  Once more Elaine locked the car and accelerated away, but she could tell Liam was focused on his brother.

  Chapter 3

  Liam wasn’t sure what it was about Elaine that tugged at him, all he knew was that he didn’t feel comfortable with her being alone. It might have been the loneliness in her gray eyes, or the sad droop of her lush lips. So, when Ramon contacted him to say he wouldn’t be back, Liam nipped next door to see about staying with Elaine overnight.

  With a quick knock on the door, he entered the kitchen. “Elaine, I was thinking...”

  His words trailed off when he spotted her cowering in a corner, a man advancing with a bat in his hand. Liam reacted instinctively, moving toward them.

  “Stop where you are!”

  The man swiveled, his face splitting into a snarling smile. “And who’s going to make me?”

  Liam tensed. “Step away from her or you’ll regret it.”

  The man guffawed and Liam stilled, his hand sliding over the clip of his pistol against his hip. He didn’t want to use it, but he would if necessary, as every protective instinct grew and swelled.

  The man tugged the bat further back, taking the stance that told Liam what he planned to do as Elaine sobbed quietly. “Please go away. There’s nothing here that you want.”

  Liam moved as the man’s attention was focused on Elaine. He reached for the bat, tugged, and snarled as the man threw himself against him.

  His hand fisted and thrust upward. It connected with the intruder’s face with a resounding smack, the mash of skin and bone against soft flesh. The explosion reverberated through Liam’s hand and up his arm.

  Liam was rewarded by the man’s bellow as he fell backward, releasing the bat, which clattered to the floor.

  Scarlet splashed on the granite benchtops, the ripe scent of copper filling Liam’s senses. “Get out. Get out now, and don’t come back.”

  The man scrabbled on the floor, moving backward. “I’m outta here, man. I won’t come back. Promise.”

  Liam didn’t believe the man’s vow that he wouldn’t return, but he waited until the man had left the house before following down the hall to survey the broken front door. It hung with a drunken slant, the jamb hanging from wooden strips.

  He moved closer, hearing the sounds of shufflers advancing. “Dammit.”

  There was a lounge chair nearby and he grabbed it and slammed it in front of the door as Elaine followed him.

  “I’m so sorry. I was grabbing my flower pots from out front when he saw me. I closed the door and was locking it when he broke in.”

  Liam closed his eyes, counted to ten as the adrenaline washed away, then reopened them. “Do you think I’m angry with you?”

  Elaine shrugged, making Liam sigh.

  “I’m not angry with you. I’m cross you were in this position when you didn’t do anything wrong. He tried to take advantage of you because he saw a woman on her own. That’s not going to happen again. I’m going to nail the door shut for tonight, and tomorrow we can fix it properly. Plus, I think I should stay here with you and make sure Mr. Arsehole doesn’t come back.”

  Elaine stared at him.

  “Is that okay?”

  She chewed on her lower lip, clearly thinking. “I don’t know you, but to be honest, there’s something about you that makes me want to trust you.”

  He grinned, feeling better about her words. “If it’s any consolation, I’m a police officer, and you can ring my station if you need a recommendation.”

  Elaine frowned. “I don’t think I’ll need to do that. After all, you were here to save me when I needed you most.” She raised her face to him, and his gut slammed hard at the tears shimmering in her eyes.

  He frowned at her words. “Elaine, I’m not a knight in shining armor.”

  She laughed at that, the tinkle like chimes. “I know that. I’m not a wimp in normal circumstances, it’s just I feel out of my element. I don’t know what to do.”

  “First, we need to fix this door.”

  Elaine nodded and disappeared down the hall, returning with a tiny, pink bag of tools and a packet of nails. She watched his every movement as he hammered and secured the wood tight, testing it, then gave a nod of satisfaction.

  When she sighed and slumped against the small entry table, he couldn’t help himself and gathered her close. He savored the feel of her body nestled against his, all curves and bumps in the right places, so that her body and his flowed together. His mind fuzzed at the edges as the sparking of lust rose.

  It took a second for Liam to clear his mind so he could think rationally again.

  “No one could have expected what happened, and to be honest, we’re all at sea here. We’re waiting to see what’s going to happen. I was talking to my sergeant earlier, and since there aren’t any flights he suggested I hang tight. He’s called in the rest of the team, so they can work without me right now.”

  “I’m pleased you’re not going anywhere any time soon. I don’t think I could manage on my own.”

  He held her close, felt the pounding of her heart, and inhaled her scent. Roses. He’d always liked roses. His mother had grown them in the garden before she got sick.r />
  “It’s getting late, and we should head to bed,” she said.

  For a moment his breathing ceased, his body tightened, and he squeezed his eyes shut. When she laughed, they popped back open.

  “Okay, so that shouldn’t have come out like that.”

  He took comfort from the embarrassment in her voice. “I know what you mean. Tell me where you want me to sleep and…”

  “Uh, the lounge. I’ll go grab some sheets, pillows, and so on.”

  She scurried away, leaving him there by himself. Liam gulped, sat down on the lounge chair, and started mentally listing all the reasons getting involved with her would be a bad thing.

  He and Ramon would only be there for a short while. There was a major emergency and far too much danger to go getting emotionally entangled.

  “Here we are.”

  His gaze roamed over her from the top of her red hair, shining with gold highlights under the downlights, down her lush body to her sensibly shod feet.

  “Thanks.” Rising up, he hoped like hell she couldn’t detect the bulge in his pants, because he was struggling to keep his libido in check around this woman.

  She shoved the items into his hands then turned to the lounge. With economical movements, she pulled the cushions out, and he noted the small handle. As she tugged, the base sprang open, revealing a full-sized sofa bed.

  “I bought this a couple of years ago but rarely get to use it. Emily would have the odd friend over but usually they would...you know, stay in her room.”

  He slid his hand over hers, stopping the chatter, and she turned toward him, her eyes sparkling with emerald highlights. “We’re both uncomfortable right now. It’s okay.”

  The blush that stained her high cheekbones was delightful. Entrancing.

  Then she moved, motion and speed obscuring his thoughts as she wrapped her arms around him, launched up, and set her mouth to his.

  Soft. Warm. His brain kind of exploded as he opened his mouth to hers, and he tasted her. Woman and heat. Sweetness laced with timidity. He didn’t touch her, though his body, tight from the brief interlude, screamed at him to do so when she drew away, breathing hard and her chest moving swiftly.