Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  He assaulted my body with the same type of sensual kisses. He started at my ear, working his way down to just above my waiting core. He kissed, nipped, and sucked on every part of me, dipping his tongue into my flesh, his cool breath causing me to shiver. I threw a leg over his shoulder to grant him better access, fisting my hands in his hair, holding him in place. I let go and slapped both hands over my mouth, trying to stifle my moans.

  As he kissed his way back up my body, his hands took over where his lips and tongue had been. I felt a strong pull deep inside as he dipped his fingers into me. I moaned, enjoying his tender attention. He pushed my legs farther apart with his knee as he slid on top of me, teasing me with his tip, driving me insane. I needed him in the worst way.

  After a long minute of me frantically grabbing at him and trying to direct him into me, he finally plunged into my desperate body, our breathing in sync.

  My Henry felt so good, doing what he did best. Everything except the beautiful, broken man above me disappeared. I didn’t care about anything happening outside that room. I just wanted him to feel my love. Arching my spine, I wrapped my arms under his and gripped onto his shoulders as he worked me to the edge.

  “Oh, love. You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered. I looked at him with great intensity, trying to read his emotional state.

  “I want to be yours forever.”

  “You have me. All of me.” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he pumped into me. The thought of him hurting as he did made me want to love him more.

  When he opened his eyes, I took his face in my hands. They were still distant, but he was in to our moment. I kissed his jaw and his neck, then ran my tongue back up his throat, meeting his lips. He kissed me just as I felt myself losing control.

  “Henry…,” I moaned. He pushed me harder, rocking my hips with every thrust. His thickness ran deep, punching at my body’s inner limits.

  “Oh god, love.” His deep, sexy groan tore through my body. He ran his hand down my side and pulled up on my leg. I couldn’t hold out any longer.

  I shattered beneath him. He let go of my leg and passionately kissed me, balancing his upper body above me, enjoying me writhing in pleasure beneath him. When I saw his eyes get misty, I took his face in my hands again.

  “Henry…what are you thinking about?”

  “You. I love you so much. Without you…” He shook his head a little, trying to rid his mind of whatever horrible thoughts raced through it.

  “Shhh… I love you, too, very much.” He had never gotten emotional when were together before. He closed his eyes as I wiped away the few tears that had trickled down his cheeks.

  He let out a couple long, shaky breaths, trying to get control of his emotions before he started to take me again. He groaned as he continued his slow, sensual assault. In minutes, he had me falling to pieces again.

  He bit his lower lip, pushing harder and faster into me. His eyes rolled and his jaw slackened. His body trembled as he tucked his head into my neck. His passion-filled moan rattled through me, then his body went rigid. I grabbed his head and made him look at me.

  “Henry, I love you. All of you.”

  His worry filled eyes locked with mine as his moment continued. Finally, he let out a shudder and collapsed, his body covering mine like a blanket. That was probably the most stellar lovemaking I had ever experienced with him.

  We snuggled under the covers as he ran his fingers up and down my arm. We lay there, enjoying each other’s presence. After a considerable amount of time of staring at him, I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

  I drifted off to sleep, only to be woken by a nightmare. I sat quiet, panting, sweating, shaking all over. Henry had those gray, glazed eyes…the same eyes I saw in the undead boy.

  Henry sat up when he heard me. “Love? Love, what is it?”

  When he reached out to me, I sprang out of bed and grabbed the sheet to wrap around my naked body. I saw my Sig on the dresser and grabbed it, pointing it at Henry’s head.

  “Elaina… Elaina, love, please put the gun down. It’s me. Henry,” he pleaded.

  “I can’t.”

  “Love, can you tell me what’s wrong?”

  I swallowed hard. “You were one of them,” I whispered in a shaky voice.

  “I was who?”

  Could he really be that dumb, or was he just lacking in the common sense department?

  “Them! The undeads!” I shouted.

  “Shhh… Quiet down,” he whispered through his teeth. “It was just a nightmare, love. I’m as normal as can be.” He started to get out of the bed.

  “Stop.”

  He held his hands up. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

  “Prove to me you are real.” My arm shook from the weight of the cool, heavy steel in my hand.

  “I’m real. Right here, right now. I don’t know how you want me to prove it to you. Tell me how.”

  “Get up slowly.”

  He did as he was told. He stood before me, naked, completely vulnerable, his hands raised in front of his chest.

  “I’m here. Now, what do you need me to do?” He swallowed hard.

  “Show me your eyes.”

  “Okay.” He looked around the moonlit room. “There’s a flashlight over on the nightstand. Is it all right if I get it?” I nodded, still aiming the Sig at him, following him as he moved about. He picked it up and turned it on. The light was dim, but it was enough. He walked over to me and shined the light toward his eyes.

  They were gray, but not the gray, glazed eyes of the boy. I felt relief run through my body. Blowing out a breath, I lowered the Sig to my side.

  “Here.” He held out his hand. “Give me the gun,” he demanded with a gentle voice. I handed it to him, and he set it back on the dresser.

  “I’m sorry.” I looked down at my feet, embarrassed.

  “What happened?” We walked back to the bed.

  “I had a nightmare. You were you, but you were partially them.” My voice was shaky. “Your eyes were glazed over like the undead boy’s.” He pulled me close and held me, his cool, naked body pressed against mine.

  “It’s all right, love. It was just a bad dream,” he whispered, cradling me in his arms. He kissed the top of my head.

  “I was so scared.” We sat in silence for a few minutes.

  “Love, let’s not think about it anymore tonight. It scared you too much. Let’s try to get some more rest.” He pulled the blanket up and helped me get comfortable. “I’ll stay awake until you fall asleep.”

  For some reason, that made me feel better. I felt like he was protecting me. I drifted off again, hoping I didn’t have another nightmare.

  I woke up and looked at Henry, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully for a change. I grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and headed to the master bathroom. I stood in the tub and poured the water all over me, slow and steady, until the bottle was empty. It was so fucking cold that it instantly woke me up, every nerve standing at attention. Who needs caffeine when you can pour cold water all over your body? I was reminded of Henry’s chilly body against mine.

  My mind went to the previous night. I closed my eyes, seeing him, feeling his loving touch, remembering how emotional he’d gotten. I sighed, envisioning him moving deep inside me. I ran my hand down my chest to my hip.

  Noises outside the bathroom window snapped me out of my erotic trance. While I towel dried myself, I looked out the window, seeing a few undeads staggering in the street. I dressed in a flash and stormed out of the bathroom.

  “Henry?” He was no longer in bed. “Henry?” I said louder as I headed down the hallway. Claire was in the kitchen rationing food. “Claire, where’s Henry?” She looked at Sophie, who was helping Nick and Nate fold up their blankets. “Hello? I’m asking a fucking question here!” My patience had worn thin. “Answer me, damn it!” Everyone just stared at me. I wanted to throat punch all of them until they started talk
ing.

  “Um, he…he went, um…” Claire looked down at the food in front of her, crinkling the wrappers.

  “Somebody say something before I flip the fuck out!” I screamed so loud, my voice reverberated off the walls. My throat burned. I clenched my fists at my sides.

  Sophie walked over to me. “He went out.” Those three simple words turned me into a cornered honey badger.

  “What? He went out? What the fuck do you mean he went out?!” I grabbed her arms, causing her to wince. “Tell me! Know what? Fuck you all…every last one of you! I’m going to find him!” I pushed Sophie away, then grabbed a Sig and headed for the door.

  “No. You’re staying here.” Nick stood between me and the door.

  “Get the fuck out of my way, assface!” I raised the Sig at my brother. Nothing was going to get between Henry and me.

  “Sis, calm down.” With some hesitation, he walked forward and took the Sig out of my grip.

  “Why did you guys let him leave by himself? He said no one was to go out by themselves!”

  “He came out of the bedroom, said he had something he needed to do and he would be back. He left so suddenly, none of us had time to grab him. Not that we could have stopped him.” His voice shaking, Nick didn’t sound confident about the situation.

  “Are you fucking with me? Because if you are—”

  “He’s telling the truth. Sophie and Claire hadn’t even came out of their room yet. It was just Nick and me.” I glared at Nate.

  “Nick, please tell me you didn’t let him go out there on his own!” I ran over to the front window covered with clear garbage bags, remembering the undeads roaming out there. “Oh, my god! He took the truck! He must be going somewhere far away!” I think I would have panicked over a hangnail at that point. I felt warm arms around me.

  “Honey, listen,” Claire said. “There was nothing Nick or Nate could have done. He was out of here in a flash. We just have to wait for him and hope he will come back soon.”

  I wiggled free, turning around to face my family. “You bastards! He could die out there! He could turn into an undead! He could already be an undead…” I dropped to my knees. Claire knelt and grabbed me by my shoulders.

  “It’ll be okay, Elaina. He will be back. This is Henry we’re talking about here. He knows what he’s doing. You have said so yourself. Try to have faith that he will return to you. Okay?” I shook my head.

  “He will come back,” Sophie said from across the room. “He’s a stubborn son of a bitch.”

  I was scared that the night before was the last time I would ever lock eyes with Henry again. I fought my emotions. I wanted to lash out at everyone, but I also wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until my eyes swelled shut. My nightmare kept creeping into my thoughts. What if it were some sort of premonition?

  Time went by so fucking slow. I stood in front of the window like a lost puppy, waiting to see his truck appear. Even Sophie paced, whispering to herself. I didn’t know if she were praying or cursing at him under her breath. Each hour ticked by slower than the one before…then it happened.

  In the eerie silence, I heard tires squealing in the distance. Everyone looked toward the window as a blacked-out Tahoe sped around the corner.

  “It’s Henry!” Everyone rushed over to the window. He slammed into undeads, running them over. He took out every single one in front of him. There were still a few more wandering near the stores.

  He parked the truck and jumped out, standing on the side step. Henry pulled his rifle out of the truck, picking them off with remarkable accuracy. The undeads dropped like flies. He jumped down, slammed the door, and ran to the liftgate of the Tahoe.

  “What the hell is he doing?” I said, confused. Henry grabbed bags out of the back of the truck, then made a mad dash for the building. “Sophie! He’s coming in!” Sophie pulled her Sig out and ran out the door.

  Within a minute, they both ran back into the apartment, winded. As soon as Henry dropped all the bags, I ran over to him and latched onto his neck. Then I stood back…and punched him in the stomach.

  “Argh!” Henry buckled over. “What the fuck, Elaina?”

  “Why did you leave? You could have been killed! Or worse! It was so stupid of you to leave on your own and not tell anyone where you were going! What if something happened to you? I’m so mad right now I could kick you in the fucking tomatoes!” Bent over, his hands on his knees, Henry nervously watched my feet.

  “Please don’t kick me. Jesus Christ.” He gripped his stomach.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” I yelled as he straightened up.

  “I wanted to surprise you.” He pointed at Claire. “Surprise you and Claire. Goddamn, you throw a hell of a punch.” He rubbed his abdomen. I looked back at Claire, who shrugged.

  “Surprise us?” I was blown away, and not in a good way. “You risked your life to surprise us?”

  “Look.” He pointed down at the bags. They were my luggage, several bags of clothes, bags of food, and medical and beauty supplies. I gasped. Claire came running over. “There are more bags of food and supplies in the truck.”

  “Oh, my god, Henry,” I whispered in amazement.

  “Surprise,” he said warily.

  I unzipped the luggage and rummaged through everything. It turned out to be the clothes I had packed for our honeymoon. It was mostly warm weather stuff, but I could layer.

  It made me a little bit sad that they were for our first trip as husband and wife that never happened, but I was so overjoyed with all those clean panties and bras. Not to mention the additional clothes he had grabbed. What could I say? I was easy to please…sometimes.

  “Henry? You went to both of our apartments?” Claire was stunned.

  “Yes. I figured since they weren’t that far away from each other, I would give it a go. I did find some areas of congestion and had to make my own road a few times.”

  I jumped up, hugged him, and planted a big kiss on his cheek. I looked into his eyes. They were brilliant green again. I stepped back, confusion obvious on my face.

  “What?” He furrowed his brows.

  “Your eyes.”

  “My eyes?”

  “They’re green again.” I was baffled. Had I imagined that his eyes were turning gray? He glanced over at Sophie. She cleared her throat and walked to the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

  “Ah yes, well… I’m feeling better today. I feel more rested.” He winked at me.

  Something was off, but I wasn’t quite sure what. I decided to let it go for the moment. I turned to Claire. “Well, let’s go put some clean panties on!” We both grabbed our bags and headed down the hall.

  Henry looked at Nick and Nate. “Don’t worry. I didn’t forget you guys. There’s more stuff out in the truck. I hit up your flat, Nick. What a fucking sty that was!”

  Nick smirked. “You didn’t happen to grab my guitar by any chance, did you?”

  “Ah… I didn’t. I apologize.”

  “That’s all right. Thanks for doing this. Even though you royally pissed off Elaina, I know you did it to make her happy.”

  “That I did. Anything to make her smile. I’d do anything for her.” Nick and Henry nodded at one another. There was a newfound respect between the two of them. “You two want to come out with me to grab the rest?”

  “Sure,” Nick replied. They grabbed their guns and headed out. Nate covered Nick and Henry while they unloaded the truck. Luckily enough, there weren’t any more undeads wandering near them.

  “Well, look at you two. I’m glad you have clothes that actually look good and not frumpy.” Sophie smiled with delight when she saw us. The men came back in seconds later.

  “It’s not a fashion show, Sophie,” I said.

  Nate balked as he walked by with an armful clothes for himself. “Honey, it’s always a fashion show!” he yelled, heading into the bathroom. We all had the first good laugh since everything started.

  Henry walked up to me. “Well, it’s nice to
see that fabulous smile of yours.” He rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “Let’s get all this food put in the cupboards.”

  We unloaded the bags. There was everything from canned goods to granola bars to shelf stable milk, plus several cases of water.

  And let’s not forget all the alcohol. There were several cases of Henry’s favorite whisky, in addition to cases of wine, champagne, and liquor. I thought I caught a whiff of booze on his breath, but I wrote it off as from the previous day’s minor boozy event.

  “Henry, where did you get all this stuff?” I asked in awe.

  “I may have found a store or two that were empty of the living.”

  “Were there undeads in there?”

  “Yeah. I took care of them and went on a spree.”

  “You didn’t take everything, right? So that other survivors could get supplies if they needed it, didn’t you?”

  “Come on, Elaina. Of course I did. You know me better than that.”

  I smiled at him, then grabbed a box of cereal and a container of the milk. Claire grabbed canned fruit and we headed to the table. We sat around, eating together as a family. It was a rare moment where everything almost felt normal.

  After we ate, Henry’s team went out for a couple hours and swept a neighboring building. As soon as they walked back through the door, I went to Claire, concerned she would react like the broken mirror incident. I took her by the hand and pulled her over to the bookcase spanning the entire front wall of the apartment.

  I whispered, “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. Yes, I think so.” She had a few splatters on her cheek and speckles on her shirt.

  “Maybe we should rethink wearing our clothes to go out undead hunting. We should ruin Henry’s entire wardrobe before ours.” I winked, and she chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” I took her by the hand and we headed down to the bathroom.

  When we finished cleaning her face and changing her shirt, we headed back to the living room. Everyone was sitting around, waiting. Henry wanted to chat about where he wanted to go next.