Survial Kit Series (Book 1): Survival Kit's Apocalypse

by Williams, Beverly

  I squeezed my eyes closed and clung to him. I didn’t have to be quiet now. I didn’t try to be. I finally called out Thom’s name, shaking and thinking I might crumple to the floor because my legs felt so weak. The sound of his name filled the building, but while he and Eric were hearing it, I heard another name breathed into my ear across Thom’s lips: his name for me. I kissed him as desperately as he’d kissed me back at the lean-to.

  I guided Thom in front of the green, overstuffed chair beside Eric’s and pushed him into the seat. I climbed onto him, the way he’d seen me do to Eric the first time Eric visited us here. I straddled him and sucked at the side of his neck, feeling him moan more than hearing it. We were trying to be gentle with each other, but we got a little carried away. We both ended up with some hickeys.

  He rubbed at a couple on my shoulder, and I touched them.

  “Sorry,” he murmured.

  “You’d better not be,” I scolded lightly. Those could easily be covered with a shirt anyway. “Oops!” I giggled and touched two on his neck. Those couldn’t be covered so easily.

  Thom didn’t look concerned.

  Eric chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. People talk, regardless. Wear ‘em with pride. I… really liked watching that,” he admitted, blushing a little.

  I hopped onto Eric and hickeyed his neck too, then pushed my forehead against his. No more punishment, not for any of us, his eyes told me. He kissed me, slowly. It made me want him even more.

  “You guys are so fucking hot,” Thom commented.

  I closed my eyes, letting Thom pull me to him again, to kiss him. Eric still had me by the hips, so I was draped across the space between their chairs. One of Eric’s fingers ventured up in between my legs, into my body. I moaned and kissed Thom again while Eric made me climax repeatedly.

  “Hold!” I finally proclaimed. I needed a break to catch my breath.

  I didn’t feel confused at all anymore about wanting them both.

  I stood and backed away, telling Eric and Thom, “Watch.” After a second, I added, “And then someone else is going to take charge,” and they laughed.

  The MP3 player was already hooked up to a speaker. I played RuPaul’s “Jealous of My Boogie,” dancing nearly impossibly slowly. I shimmied across the room, treating the music tenderly—like a belly dancer’s love song—and forcing myself not to hurry along with the track.

  I was fully nude, and about to do something I once thought I’d never be able to do, even covered up and alone in the dark. It was evidence of how much progress I’d made since my guys entered my life, and it was a big deal to me. So big it warranted a Looking At instead of a Telling Of. I felt excited and proud to be able to do this for them… and for me. I knew they’d understand how important it was.

  The table was old, heavy oak. Solid, and too big for the room. I switched on the tent lantern and its bright circle of bulbs shone down onto the area like a spotlight. I slid onto the cold, grainy tabletop, then stretched my body along the length of its edge.

  I put my hands down between my legs to Do Thing for myself.

  Thank you, first, to my husband, Chris Willie Williams, for his game participation in helping craft this book, for his endless patience, for fighting very hard against his natural tendency to derail our editing sessions with detailed descriptions of dubiously relevant Mr. Show sketches, for cooking us delicious suppers of Smart Dog pizza like a mofo, for being perfect in every way, for being a god who walks as man, really, and for ghostwriting this acknowledgment.

  Thanks to my mother-in-law, Susan Williams, for being totally willing to be my first beta reader in spite of all the sex scenes (“I may have heard about sex before”), and my mom, Allayne Snowden, for being my second beta reader and professing to enjoy the book despite being hugely taken aback by all the sex scenes (“I am an old lady, remember! You should put a warning for anyone over a certain age!”).

  Thanks to my lovely sisterla, Audrey Snowden, for her formatting and editing assistance, as well as her invaluable help with obtaining clearances for the quotations that appear throughout the book. Thanks to Audrey’s lovely wife and my lovely agent, Moya Gibson, for all her assistance as well.

  Also, regarding the quotations, many thanks to Glen Phillips, Joyce Linehan, Joe Pernice, Eef Barzelay, Yale Evelev, Mike Langlie, Peter Wright, Chris Flemmons, Bruce Smith, Maria Bamford, Michael Pilmer, Gerald V. Casale, Margaret Obank, Scott McGaughey, Stephen Watts, Jade Tree Records, Mark Davies, Curt Kirkwood, Dennis Pelowski, John K. Samson, Jason Molin, and Peyton Pinkerton for their kindness and help. Enormous special thanks to the unique Southern folk-rock musician Jim White, who went very far out of his way to support and assist my efforts to clear lyrics to his song “Jailbird,” just out of the goodness of his heart. Although we were not ultimately successful in getting the publishing company to sign off on it, his hard work was hugely meaningful to me. Even if he hadn’t been so generous with his time and assistance, I would say that the album that “Jailbird” comes from, Transnormal Skiperoo, belongs in every record collection around the world (seriously, it’s sweet, sad, haunting, life-affirming, funny, and beautiful, and you need to hear it), but his music is more personally special to me now because I know what a gracious, giving person he is.

  Thanks to Peter S. Beagle for his advice and encouragement.

  Thanks to my editor, Katelyn Uplinger, for her wise advice and patience. Thanks to Lisa Gus at Curiosity Quills for her enthusiasm for the project from the get-go, and for her suggestions that vastly improved the book before she accepted it for publication.

  Thanks to Peyton Pinkerton, Isla Castañeda, Noa Iacob, Audrey Jennings, Amanda Kenyon Rodgers, Caitlin MacMillan, Ben Marlin, and countless others for their encouragement throughout the writing of the book.

  Lyrics to “I Will Not Take These Things for Granted” written by Glen Phillips, Todd Nichols, Dean Dinning, and Randy Guss and performed by Toad the Wet Sprocket. Used by kind permission of Wet Sprocket Songs (ASCAP). From the album Fear.

  Lyrics to “Weightless Again” written by Brett Sparks and Rennie Sparks and performed by The Handsome Family. Used by kind permission of Music of Virtual o/b/o Handsome Family Music. From the album Through the Trees.

  Lyrics to “Scurry! Scamper! Skitter! Scuttle!” written by Chris Willie Williams (BMI) and performed by Disclaimer. Used by kind permission. From the album They Burned for 18 Days!

  Lyrics to “Silent Grotesque” written and performed by Peyton Pinkerton, published by Pinker Tones (ASCAP). Used by kind permission.

  Lyrics to “Embrys’ Crossroads” written by Peyton Pinkerton and performed by New Radiant Storm King, published by Furnace Rock (ASCAP). Used by kind permission. From the album Hurricane Necklace.

  Lyrics to “Pussy Cat” used by kind permission from Mike Langlie of Twink, the Toy Piano Band. From the album The Broken Record.

  Lyrics to “Everyone Else Is Evolving” written by Joe Pernice and performed by Chappaquiddick Skyline, published by Bony Gap Music (BMI), administered by BUG Music. Used by kind permission. From the album Chappaquiddick Skyline.

  Lyrics to “The Sound of German Hip-Hop” written by Eef Barzelay and performed by Clem Snide, published by Cardboard Music (ASCAP). Used by kind permission. From the album End of Love.

  Lyrics to “Plain Truth” written by Gerald V. Casale and performed by Devo, published by Re-Combinant Music (BMI). Used by kind permission. From the album Total Devo.

  Lyrics to “Floating” written by Chris Flemmons and performed by Baptist Generals, published by Impossibility House (SESAC). Used by kind permission. From the album Jackleg Devotional to the Heart.

  Excerpt from Improvisation, or The Shepherd’s Chameleon by Eugene Ionesco, used by kind permission of Alma Books.

  “Sweet Avenue” written and performed by Jets to Brazil and released by Jade Tree Records. Lyrics used by kind permission. From the album Orange Rhyming Dictionary.

  Lyrics to “Too Many Birds” written and performed by Bill Callahan, pu
blished by Your/My Music (BMI) and Drag City, Inc. Used by kind permission. From the album Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle.

  Excerpt from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, used by kind permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

  Lyrics to “Noble Experiment” written and performed by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. Used by kind permission. From the album Strangers from the Universe.

  “Sapphire” performed by the Meat Puppets, from the album Sewn Together. Lyrics used by kind permission of Curt Kirkwood and Meat Puppets Music.

  Lyrics to “Winter Wheat” written and performed by John K. Samson, published by the JKS Concern (SOCAN) and Songs of the Mothership (ASCAP). Used by kind permission. From the album Winter Wheat.

  Excerpt from the poem The Verb: “To Be” by Stephen Watts, used by kind permission of the author.

  Lyrics to “Jesus Rode a Bike” written and performed by Jason Molin (jasonmolin.net). Used by kind permission. From the album J.

  I spent each year of my childhood half in Maine and half in Florida, as my parents were none too fond of Maine winters. I’ve finally settled near Bangor, Maine, year-round. For a time, I helped run a local ice rink in exchange for free skating whenever I wanted. One of my favorite experiences of all time was being able to glide by myself across the ice at night, listening to whatever music I wanted through the PA system.

  Music is among my greatest loves—both playing it and listening to it. My vocals appear on several songs on Disclaimer’s recent album, They Burned for 18 Days! I also enjoy sewing, rock collecting, mechanical work, and reality television. Oh, and writing. Survival Kit’s Apocalypse is my first book, and I discovered that I genuinely love these characters and that they have more to tell me, so I plan to write at least two more books in the series.

  I live with two dogs, one cat, one unstoppably shrieky bird, and one husband. I strongly support animal rescue programs.

  Twitter: @bevthestar; Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/beverlywilliams; Facebook: facebook.com/beverlyd.s.williams

  Now that you have completed this book, we hope you will leave a review so that other readers may benefit from your perspective. Authors like Beverly Williams live and die by your reviews, after all!

  Please visit http://curiosityquills.com/reader-survey/ to share your reading experience with the author of this book!

  Prelude to Mayhem, by Edward Aubry

  (https://curiosityquills.com/kindle/prelude-to-mayhem/)

  In the ruins of his world, Harrison Cody follows a mysterious voice on the radio as he and his pixie sidekick travel on foot across a terrifyingly random landscape. They discover Dorothy O’Neill, who has had to survive among monsters when her greatest worry used to be how to navigate high school. Together they search for what remains of Chicago, and the hope that civilization can be rebuilt.

  Prophet of the Badlands, by Matt Cox

  (https://curiosityquills.com/kindle/prophet-badlands/)

  For most twelve year olds, being kidnapped is terrifying. For Althea, it’s just Tuesday. Her power to heal the wounded and cleanse the sick makes her a hunted commodity in the Badlands. For as long as she can remember, they always come, they always take her, and she lets them. Wandering after an escape, she is found by a loving family who helps her find the courage to defend herself. Her newfound resolve is tested by an ancient evil, and a dangerous man bent on exploiting her abilities.

  The Dead Detective, by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr. and J.R. Rain

  (https://curiosityquills.com/kindle/dead-detective/)

  When hard boiled police detective Richelle Dadd wakes up to find herself lying dead inside a chalk outline, her only mission is to find out who killed her—and laid a Gypsy curse on her that keeps her alive, sort of, as a zombie assassin. Now she must stop them before she is forced to kill again and again.

  Dead New World, by Ryan Hill

  (https://curiosityquills.com/kindle/dead-new-world/)

  Before the world fell into chaos, zombies didn’t even exist. Now, they outnumber the living. A man known as the Reverend somehow controls the zombies. He believes they’re God’s creation, making humanity obsolete. And he wants to turn everybody into a zombie.

  Holt and Ambrose faced the Reverend once. Holt lost a foot and a zombie bit Ambrose. He survived, only to become a human-zombie hybrid. When the Reverend kidnaps the woman Holt loves, the race is on to save her. Holt and Ambrose must sacrifice everything to survive in this dead new world, but will that include their souls?

  Appetizer:

  Book Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Quote

  Main Course:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dessert:

  Acknowledgments

  Closing

  About the Author

  Copyright & Publisher

  More from Curiosity Quills Press