by Piper Leigh
I longed to reach through the force field and hold him. After all, he wasn’t a danger to me. “You have to do what’s right.” I shuddered at the thought of what they’d do to him if they found out he’d been withholding that information. Then I imagined the virus spreading through the facility like wildfire. I envisioned the rest of the guards falling victim, followed by the scientists and the rest of the staff while those of us already stricken starved to death behind the force fields of our cells.
“What’s right?” he repeated. “How do I even know what’s right anymore?”
“You have to get treatment. You can’t spread this thing any further.”
He nodded but didn’t move. “I came here to help.”
The change in topic of conversation jarred me. “What?”
“I volunteered to work here because I didn’t know what else to do. The whole galaxy was falling apart. I wanted to help fix it.”
“The galaxy isn’t falling apart,” I said. Even though it was—kind of. “Worlds will not end.” Even though they might. “We have every great mind in the galaxy working on this. We’ll figure it out.”
“In time to help us?”
After what had happened to Gryl, I wasn’t so sure about that one. But I said it anyway. “Yes. In time to help us.”
“If I tell them, I may never see you again.”
Which was quite possible. They housed the men and women and tri-sexed separately in the facility. I don’t know what they were so afraid of. Baby zombies, maybe.
“Could we ask?”
He shrugged. “I could put in a request, but I doubt it would make any difference.” A single scream drifted up the columns from one of the lower floors. “They’ve got their hands full down there. I’ll go wherever they have space.”
“Maybe they could give you the drugs and leave you on the job. After all, I’m fine.”
“You’re fine. Others, not so much. They still don’t know why.”
“But it’s only a matter of time. They’ll figure it out and then we’ll all get to go home. We’ll see each other then.”
At least that’s what I hoped. I had the feeling this might be my last stop in this existence.
Benson straightened. He must have come to a decision because he lowered the force field and stepped into my cell. “You’re right. I should do what’s right. I should do what will help the most, and that’s to try to get better so I can help some more.”
He didn’t seem any different, just on edge, a little tired. I remembered how that first day had felt to me. I’d assured the med techs I was fine. “Just a little tired,” I’d said. Been up all night partying. They’d nodded politely and stuck me with a dozen needles.
“But first I want to make sure we say goodbye properly.”
I reached for him, tugged him as close as our bodies would allow. “Not goodbye,” I insisted. “See you later. When this is all over and we can go home.”
“Sure.” He didn’t sound as if he meant it, but he sure meant the scorching kiss he laid on me. No doubt about that.
I drew him toward the bed, not caring if we got caught. They were going to separate us anyway. We didn’t even get as far as the cot in the back corner. We stopped halfway down the wall, my back pressed against it and Benson pressed against me. I stopped worrying what anyone might see. It would be the last time anything exciting happened in my cell.
With that thought in mind, I didn’t waste time. My hands went straight to his belt and I undid it quickly, along with the top button of his trousers. I undid his zipper and shoved the material of his briefs down, freeing him. My fingers found his growing erection and closed around the shaft. Benson leaned his forehead against the wall and groaned softly.
As I stroked his cock, Benson cupped my breasts through the material of my shirt. I arched against him, shoving myself farther into his grip, releasing a soft sigh. I wanted to rip my clothes off. I wanted the warmth of skin-to-skin contact for this last coming together. But that would take too long and make us more likely to be found.
Benson must have had the same idea because his fingers moved over my rib cage until they found the waistband of my pants. Cool air gusted over my skin as he gripped the material and pulled both the trousers and my underwear down my legs to puddle on the floor.
He cupped my buttocks, raising me slightly. His large erection pressed against my belly, proving how much he wanted me. Wetness pooled at my center. I wanted him just as badly.
If anyone interrupts us, I’ll die.
I pushed the thought away and ringed his neck with my arms as he lifted me. His strong hands beneath my butt positioned me just right. Slowly he pushed inside, every inch of him deep within me, our bodies pressed together. My breasts crushed against his hard pecs and my back against the cool wall.
His mouth covered mine, possessing every part of me, breaths harsh as he kissed me deeply…as if for the last time.
Then he began to move.
I let him set the pace—and it was fast. My body responded as each stroke brought greater pleasure. Deep inside me, muscles clenched as I rose quickly to the precipice. We fucked hard, frantically, desperately. The first waves of orgasm rippled through me too soon and Benson just moved faster still, hips snapping as he thrust again and again.
I shoved back with what leverage I had, taking him even deeper. Tension shattered. I came, my orgasm too intense, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Benson’s hot breath came in gusts beside my ear. He moaned my name as he shuddered and came.
Breathless, I leaned my head on his shoulder. After a moment, he let my feet slide down the backs of his legs until I was standing under my own power. Gently we parted, but came together again for a heated kiss.
From farther down the walkway came the sound of footsteps. We sprang apart and quickly pulled our clothing back into order. I glanced around my cell. Nothing seemed out of place. There was nothing to give us away, except perhaps my lips that were still swollen from his kisses. The footfalls were definitely moving quickly in our direction.
“They know,” Benson said. “They must have seen it when they reviewed the security footage. I’m going to have to go with them now.”
“Only for a while,” I said, mostly to make both of us feel better. He nodded as though he didn’t believe it any more than I did.
Rising up on tiptoes, I gave him one last thorough kiss. He gripped my shoulders and pulled me close for our final stolen moment. We separated just in time to see a trio of guards appear at the door to my cell.
All three guards stood taller than Benson. Together they formed a wall of heavily armed brawn.
My gaze darted to Benson. For a moment we locked gazes. Regret mixed with longing lingered in his expression. He looked back at the weapons trained on us and raised his hands. I did the same.
“Benson?” one of the guards inquired.
Benson sighed. “C’mon, Nar, you know it’s me.”
“I need you to state your name and ID number,” Nar said.
Benson rattled off his credentials. Nar got out his scanner and verified the information. He pointed the device at me as well and matched it to the ID on my cell.
Nar glanced at me. “Just stay where you are. Keep your hands in the air.”
Were they going to put me in detention just for wanting to say goodbye?
The two other guards crowded into my cell. They sandwiched Benson between them and one hauled his arms behind his back before the other snapped on a pair of cuffs. The whine of the restraints charging up filled my cell.
“Benson, you’re charged with failing to report a workplace incident.”
“Incident”? Is that what they put in their reports? That Benson had an “incident”?
“I was on my way to report it,” Benson said. “I just wanted to say goodbye to someone first.”
“Fraternizing with residents is strictly forbidden.”
“So is getting bitten,” Benson remarked. The guards didn’t see the humor.
Co
uld they levy extra punishment on him? Other than sticking him in a cell just like this one?
My muscles protested in pain at being held in the same position. First the romantic workout and now this unexpected torture. “Can I put my hands down now?”
Annoyance crossed Nar’s face. “Sit on the bed and don’t move.”
That seemed like a good idea to me. I crouched on the edge of the cot.
“C’mon, Benson,” Nar said. The other guards each took one of his arms. Benson craned his neck, trying to keep his gaze on me as they dragged him away.
“Wait!” I knew I shouldn’t say anything. There was nothing to keep them from using those stun guns on me and saying I’d been unruly and that the discipline had been necessary.
Nar turned back, looking even more annoyed than last time.
“Can’t he stay here?” I started to rise from the bed and then thought better of it. “I mean, since we’ve both been bitten, what harm could it do?”
“It’s against policy,” Nar said.
“I know, but—”
“Policy.” Nar barked the word, ending the conversation.
I opened my mouth to protest the ridiculousness of their regulations.
“We’re just trying to keep the galaxy safe,” one of the other guards said. They all looked uncomfortable, even the stoic Nar. After all, they’d seen patients like Gryl go through a rapid decline. Now they were hauling off one of their own. They had to be wondering if this would someday be their fate as well.
I stayed on my bed as I’d been ordered to and watched as they took Benson away.
Benson turned his head one last time as they hauled him onto the walkway. “It’ll be okay, Janeece,” he said with such conviction I wanted to be believe him. The guards reactivated the force field on my doorway, sealing me inside.
“Maybe we’ll see each other passing in the halls.” I didn’t know what else to say. The likelihood of us seeing each other again was slim.
“It’ll all work out, you’ll see.” His voice echoed down the walkway.
“Shut up,” ordered one of the guards. I couldn’t see who it was. Their footsteps disappeared down the stairs. I heard the zzzt of the force field disengaging on an access door and then silence.
The disturbance had woken up other residents. Across the circular hallway, I could see shadows lingering in their doorways, watching the events. I’d been reduced to a curiosity, something to discuss in the mess hall and recreation center. A guard carrying on with a resident ought to make for some good gossip, I thought darkly.
Only Benson and I weren’t just guard and inmate. We were people with feelings. Feelings that had just been laid bare for half the level to see.
I thought about Gryl and how the yellow-skinned woman and I had discussed her rapid decline. Even though the conversation amounted to “Oh, poor Gryl”, it didn’t change what had happened.
Most of the other residents turned back to their beds now that there was nothing more to see, but a few lingered in their doorways watching me, possibly to see what I’d do.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw myself against that force field. I wanted to trash every scant piece of furniture in my cell. Anything that would release some of the pain inside seemed like a good idea to me. But I refused to give anyone a show.
So I got under the covers and pulled the blanket up over my head. At least then I could cry in private. If I was quiet about it, no one else would know.
* * * * *
I awoke in the morning fuzzy-head and sad. Staff delivered breakfast to our cells. Everyone was still on lockdown after the incident with Gryl and what had happened between Benson and me. I drank the weak tea and nibbled on a piece of toast. My stomach refused to tolerate anything else.
The facility was strangely silent. I expected another round of doctors poking me with needles, but none showed up. I even anticipated a trip downstairs for a disciplinary hearing. After all, I’d hardly been an unwilling participant in my tryst with Benson. But no guards appeared to drag me away. I sat on my bed and stared out across the cavern. The residents on the other side seemed to avoid looking in my direction. They probably blamed me for being locked up.
It took me half the day to realize that I hadn’t heard any screams coming from the lower levels. During the past couple of days they’d been nearly nonstop. Things would quiet down for a while, then abruptly someone would begin shrieking and guards would come running from all directions. The sudden quiet made me nervous.
It could mean things are better, my optimistic side offered.
Or that the screaming people have perished, came a more pessimistic revelation.
Once they’d strayed into darker territory, my thoughts refused to lighten. What would happen if the whole facility fell? Were there safeguards in place? What reserves could they call in with planets all over the galaxy being overrun by zombies?
We won’t starve to death, came my blackest musing yet. Without further medical intervention, one after one we’d become mindless zombies trapped in our cells. With no way out, we’d be forced to eat—
I finally succeeded in dragging my thoughts away from that scenario. I forced myself to think about the brief time Benson and I had spent together instead. I clung to memories of our passionate lovemaking.
Our lockdown stretched for days on end. I was beginning to believe I might spend the rest of my life trapped behind that force field when suddenly one day, an announcement echoed through the speakers, saying lunch would be served in the mess hall on the usual schedule.
Whatever had been happening downstairs, it seemed things were maybe back under control. I sighed in relief. If the other residents blamed me for their incarceration, their resentment would eventually dissipate and they’d be left with only the scandal about Benson and me to discuss.
Lunch brought a welcome change in routine. I headed into the mess hall with the rest of the residents from my level of the facility, who stared at me and whispered. I might be the subject of gossip, but I was still relieved to be let out of my cell. I took a seat at the end of a long table and ate in silence. Whispers continued to drift over from the surrounding tables, along with furtive glances in my direction.
“Hey.”
I glanced up to find the yellow-skinned woman standing beside me.
“Okay if I sit down?”
“Please,” I said with relief. I didn’t want to spend any more time alone with just my thoughts for company.
She took a seat across from me and we ate in silence while whispers about both of us raged at the next table.
“Sorry to hear about your recent adventure,” she said finally.
“Always happy to provide a diversion,” I said darkly.
That made her laugh. “Well, you did that.” She fell silent for a moment, then said, “Not that it makes any difference, but I thought they should have left the two of you alone. I mean, what can it hurt? We have no idea how long we’re going to be here, or if we’ll ever get out…”
I merely nodded. What was there to say?
“And it’s not like we’re criminals. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Technically, I’ve done a lot wrong.” Which was true enough. I’d defied quarantine, gotten bitten and fraternized with a guard. I was lucky to be eating unshackled in the dining hall.
“Technically,” she agreed. “But I still think they could have allowed you a little happiness, for what it’s worth.”
“Well, thanks.”
A buzzer sounded, followed by an announcement that lunch was over. Guards appeared to escort us back to our cells. I recognized none of them. I guess they thought they’d better rotate the roster, just in case any other residents had developed relationships with their captors.
I filed out after everyone else, walking in a long line snaking back to our cells. One guard took the lead, one brought up the rear. The last place I wanted to go was back to my room but I followed the line obediently, staying just ahead of the rear gua
rd. We’d reached a bend in the corridor when a humanoid woman I didn’t know stopped suddenly, insisting she’d left something in the mess hall. The guard at the rear groaned and escorted her back to the lunch area while the queue continued on toward the cells.
Just as I began to shuffle forward again, a hand covered my mouth from behind.
I tried to scream, but it covered my nose as well, stopping me from being able to draw a breath. My feet went out from under me as someone dragged me backward into darkness.
“Shh! It’s me.”
I recognized the voice. Benson.
He loosened the hand across my mouth. “Promise you won’t scream.”
I nodded and he let me go.
We were in what looked like a massive curved tunnel roughly carved out of the mountain. Benson swiftly crouched at the opening, fitting a large grate back into place. He had something bulky strapped to his back. He glanced back at me, gaze pleading for silence. Out in the corridor, the woman who’d forgotten something in the mess hall passed with the guard who’d gone with her.
Once the sound of their footfalls dwindled, Benson screwed the grate back into place and rushed to my side, taking my hand. “Come on.” He motioned down the odd tunnel, where a giant fan stood motionless. “It won’t take them long to figure out that the ventilation system isn’t running. We have to be past this corridor before they start it up again.”
“Wait!” I tugged on his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Out.”
“Out?! If we leave we’ll become…” I didn’t want to say it.
Benson dragged me forward a bit. “No we won’t. I have something.”
“What do you have?” I wasn’t going anywhere until I found out.
“Shh, I’ll explain it all when we get somewhere safe.”
“But where will we go? We can’t go home.”
“Does it matter where we go? No, we can’t go home, but we could make a life somewhere else. I know we haven’t known each other long but we do have a connection…don’t we?”
I nodded. We did have a connection, one that I could see growing quickly into something bigger.
“Then come with me. Please? At least we’ll have a chance.”
