Refuge From The Dead | Book 3 | Dead Fall

by Masters, A. L.

  “You’ve been bad, baby. You’ve been holding out on me,” he said with a glance at her chest through the corset.

  She swallowed and licked her lips, wondering when he would attack.

  “I think you deserve a punishment,” he said, gesturing for her to come to him.

  She walked forward slowly on her heels, breathing erratic, feeling the flush of arousal spread through her body.

  She got close to him, and he stopped her.

  “Kneel and put your hands on the bed,” he said in a low harsh voice.

  She thought about disobeying just to see what he would do, but she didn’t want that tonight. Tonight, she wanted to please him, not challenge him. She turned and knelt on the rug, putting her hands on the thick bedding.

  “Arch your back,” he said.

  “Close your eyes and don’t make a sound. If you make a sound, I will stop. If you open your eyes, I will stop.” His tone promised retribution of the best kind if she didn’t comply. She closed her eyes and shut her mouth.

  He breathed into her ear. “I’m going to make you all mine tonight. You want that?”

  She nodded and attempted to push back onto him further. He chuckled and held her still.

  “Then get ready…”

  ◆◆◆

  After they had regained enough energy to get dressed, they went back over to the dining tent and ate their meal. She had made a lasagna and they devoured it like they hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  Cam reached over and grabbed the wine and poured them both a glass.

  “So, what do you think Jim will say?” she finally asked. She had been afraid to bring it up. She had no idea how this would go over with him.

  “He already knows,” Cam said simply.

  “What?!” Angie said in surprise.

  “Do you really think I would propose without talking to Jim first?” Cam teased.

  “Did he know you were proposing tonight?”

  “He didn’t know when, but he knew it would be soon.”

  “Well, what did he say about it?” she asked.

  “He thought it was a good idea. He told me to go ahead. I think he was surprised though, he never expected me to,” Cam said with a smile. “I think he was hoping to win you over and beat me to it.”

  “What?!” Angie exclaimed. Was that how serious Jim was about her?

  “Woman, are you blind?” Cam said incredulously.

  “I didn’t know he felt that strongly.” Though…hadn’t she had an inkling?

  “Yep. Babe, there is something that I’ve been thinking about. I want you to hear me out.”

  She frowned. “Okay.”

  “I think you should consider a partnership with Jim.”

  She raised her eyebrows and stared. “A…partnership. As in…”

  “Being with Jim like you are with me.”

  “You mean…as a couple?”

  “Yep. You may be the future Mrs. Breckenridge-Morrison,” Cam said, after taking a drink. As if what he just said wasn’t out of this world. “And there are good reasons for that.”

  She choked and sputtered on her wine. “What?!”

  “Is that all you can say?” he asked.

  “Cam, be serious,” she said.

  “I am.”

  He grabbed her hips and turned her so that she was facing him, then gave her a long kiss. She grabbed his long hair in her hands and tugged, pulling his head back to control the kiss. It was rare that he allowed her to take control and she was going to take full advantage of it.

  “So,” she said when she was finished. “What are the reasons?”

  “One. I met you first. Therefore, you were mine first.” He ticked off the first point on his finger. “Two. Alphabetical order is the proper way to arrange names. And three? It just sounds better,” he said, concluding his reasoning.

  Her mouth dropped and she just stared at him. She felt like she’d just been dropped into an alternate universe…or an alternate alternate universe, because the zombies would have been the first one. She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

  “No,” she said. “That’s insane. I’ve never even considered something like that.”

  “I’m serious, Ang. Maybe we should think about it. Like it or not, I’m the head of this group, and I’d feel better if he was around to take care of you when I’m not. There are going to be times that I’ll have to go somewhere, and I won’t know how long I’ll be gone. I don’t want to leave you with that loneliness and instability, and without protection from someone I trust. The world is too fucked up for a woman to be alone.”

  “Cam, think about what you’re saying. You’re saying you want Jim to be my…my partner. Like sex and stuff. You can’t mean that!”

  “It’s a price I’d gladly pay to see you safe and happy when I’m gone,” he said. “I meant it when I said I’d do anything to keep you alive. I’m not going to lose you.”

  “Two men?” she said and shook her head.

  “Ang, I see the way you look at him sometimes,” Cam said. “It’s the way you look at me, and he looks back just the same. It would be heartbreaking if it wasn’t so damned weird.”

  “I just can’t believe it!” she said again. “I never in a million years thought you’d suggest something like this. You’re so…possessive.”

  “I never thought I would be letting a mouthy, smartass cop fall in love with my woman and weasel his way into being my best friend either,” he said, a little disgruntled.

  “Oh, Cam. I know. Does it really bother you a lot?” she asked worriedly. She never wanted to hurt him, or Jim, for that matter.

  “Hell, yeah it bothers me, but not as much as the alternative. A lot of it has to do with Jim. He’s a good man, and like a brother to me. The world is a different place now, and there are more important things than jealousy and spite and all those other things that made people so unhappy. I want you to think about it while I’m gone. Talk to Jim and get his views on it. It’s your choice.”

  She just stared at him, not sure what to say. She halfway expected Jim to jump out and say it was a big joke.

  “My husband was a cheater,” she said. “I have a lot of bad feelings about people who cheat and lie. I don’t know if my conscience could handle it.”

  “Cheating and lying go hand in hand,” Cam acknowledged. “I trust you, Angie and you can trust me. I’m not looking for some woman on the side and I don’t think you would cheat on me either. Hell, I wouldn’t tolerate that from anyone, and I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  “But Jim is different?” she asked.

  “Jim is fucking different, all right,” he muttered. “He’s a clown, a showoff, and a weirdo sometimes but he also loves you. I can’t take that from him, not when he can keep you safe for me.”

  “He’d keep me safe anyway, as a friend,” she said.

  “True. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s seriously unhappy. We have enough of that in our lives already, I think. You would make him happy, and he would make you happier.”

  “You make me happy already, Cam.”

  “I know,” he said, squeezing her hips.

  “I’m going to need time to think. I want you to take time and make sure you know what you want. This was just all so fast.”

  “That’s fine, babe. Take your time. It’s up to you. In the meantime, let’s go back to that other tent...”

  Cam

  They stayed at the tent the rest of the night and by dawn, Cam was exhausted…and more at peace. He had gained a wife and brought up the subject of Jim with Ang without her punching him in the nose.

  He was getting married.

  He was going to have a wife!

  He was sure the others would make their wedding a festive occasion. Oh, there would be no preacher or anything, but maybe they could exchange vows or something like that. He wanted it to be special for Angie.

  He was going to have a wife!

  It kept popping into his head at random times as he got ready to leave. />
  Angie asked him before they went back over to the boat if she could tell everyone. He had to laugh at that. She must think they don’t all know what goes on between them. He told her that if she didn’t tell them first, then he would be shouting from the top deck for everyone to hear. She had squealed at that and took off, clapping her hands.

  Women…

  Cam fastened the drop-leg holster on his thigh and checked the extra mags on the back of the belt. He was wearing his combat load, which was slightly modified from the standard combat load. His contained extra ammo, the M107, and an axe. He was a good fifty pounds heavier with all this on, at least. He could still outrun a Z herd if he needed to though. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to.

  He walked out of his supply tent and headed over to the boat to eat and say his goodbyes. He was both dreading it and looking forward to it. He didn’t want to leave Angie, but he did want to find Ed. The long delay had weighed heavily on him and the chance to finally act made him want to hurry up and leave.

  He walked into the main room of the boat, and everyone exploded into cheers and applause. Jim whooped out loud, picking up Angie and twirling her around the room.

  “So, am I going to be the best man, or the maid of honor?” he shouted out.

  Everyone laughed and Angie lightly smacked his chest. Cam smiled and shook his head. He was really something alright.

  “We’ll let you toss some flower petals,” Cam said. “Leave the important stuff for the adults.”

  Breakfast that morning was both a happy and a sad occasion. Cam didn’t know when he would be coming back. It could be a week, or it could be a month. Or never.

  He ate his fill and got up. Everyone followed him out to the dock.

  He stopped before the boat and turned to look at Angie. She had tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “Aw baby, don’t cry. I’ll come back as soon as I can. You stay here and plan our wedding, okay? When I come back, we’ll go dress shopping,” he said to make her smile. It worked.

  “Okay,” she said, wiping her eyes and sniffing.

  He tilted her face up to his and kissed her with all the love he felt. He clutched her close and squeezed. He felt his eyes burning and blinked rapidly so he wouldn’t unman himself by crying in front of the others. When he got control over his emotions, he pulled back.

  “Remember what we talked about,” he whispered.

  She nodded. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. Forever.”

  “Be careful out there, brother. Come back as soon as you can. Don’t worry about us. We’ve got it covered,” Jim said, pulling him in for a hug.

  Usually, Cam wouldn’t let him, but he made an exception this time…though he did pound him on the back extra hard for taking liberties with his person.

  Jim swallowed and stood near Angie as Cam said farewell to the others and got on the boat. Angie turned into Jim’s chest and Cam saw him hug her tight.

  She would be okay. She had Jim.

  ◆◆◆

  Two uneventful hours later, Cam was approaching the outskirts of the prison.

  He estimated that it was another few miles away, so he decided to find a place to hide out nearby. He passed by several options, but they looked to have been visited recently several times, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted.

  He finally turned down a long, winding road that led deep into the woods. From there, he turned down an old dirt road and followed it. Eventually, he came to a small clearing.

  There was an old shack, overgrown with weeds and obviously long-since abandoned. Behind it, there was a small barn that looked equally decrepit. However, he found that it would hide his vehicle very well.

  This was the place.

  He went inside and cleared the cabin. The floor was somewhat solid, and it was empty of furniture and critters, so he dropped his gear and unpacked a few things. There was an old cast iron stove in the corner of the kitchen that he might be able to make use of, if needed. He pulled the SUV into the barn and closed the rickety old door just enough to conceal it. It smelled of old tobacco. He would need to be careful not to leave his stuff stored in there too long.

  Tobacco was a strong smell and would carry. He didn’t want to attract notice.

  He put his kit back on and took enough supplies for the night in case he couldn’t make it back here. He pulled his map and compass and noted the location of the old shack. He plotted a course for the prison, then took off through the woods. He saw an old creek that had clear water running through a portion of it and thought it may be a spring. He needed to remember that. He had water, but not enough for an extended operation.

  He moved swiftly through the old growth. The prison should be approximately two miles away, and he hoped the treeline wasn’t set too far away from it. He wanted the concealment the trees would provide.

  He saw a few deer as he jogged through the woods. They seemed startled that he had come up on them so quickly, and they bounded off in the opposite direction. He didn’t encounter any dead. He hadn’t really expected to.

  Fifteen minutes later, he came to the end of the woods.

  He slowed to a walk and crept up to the edge of the large field. The prison owned the field, and probably part of the woods too. During pre-zombie apocalypse days, they kept the field mowed so that they would have a good view in case of an escape. Now, it was starting to grow up again, and Cam saw that he may be able to low crawl a little closer if he needed to. For now, he would find a tree and wait.

  Cam watched and took notes. He saw a couple of vehicles leave and return. One of them was a white passenger van.

  Coincidence?

  Probably not.

  He saw a driver exit the vehicle, followed by a passenger. Nobody else got out. The two men walked up the steps and into the building. He lost sight of them after they passed through the first set of doors.

  Later on, he saw a line of people leaving through a door in the back. They were walking single file toward something behind the prison.

  Cam decided to relocate and see what they were doing. He climbed down with steady movements. Even though he was camouflaged in a tree in the woods, sudden movement would still draw the eye.

  He made it down and jogged toward the corner of the field, staying in the trees. Reaching it, he made a right turn and found himself at the back of the prison. Across the field, within the fence, he saw a large garden.

  Those must be the people they captured.

  He found another tree to get a better view. Putting the binoculars to his eyes, he saw that most of them were women of all ages and some men. He wondered if Ed was among them. He scanned carefully but didn’t see him.

  He did see something else though. Some of the people had been abused. A few of the women had bruises on their faces. One of the old men had a broken arm that had been set expertly in a cast.

  That was intriguing. It had to have happened after Z-Day, which was approximately eleven weeks ago now. The cast meant that this place had some type of medical personnel. Maybe even a doctor.

  He wondered if he or she was here by choice. If the man who ran this place was smart, then he would keep the key personnel happy, and that meant being free.

  Cam watched the people tending the garden for the rest of the day, but never saw Ed.

  Shortly before dark, he packed up and left to go back to the shack. He would be back tomorrow, and for as many days as it took.

  Chapter Three

  Telling the Truth

  Jessica

  Jessica finally had a four hour stretch with no nausea or vomiting.

  That medication was a miracle.

  She decided to use her time wisely, starting with a shower. She washed and dried her hair and shaved and felt one hundred percent better than she had this morning. She needed to remember to thank Angie for the pills. She probably wouldn’t have even known it existed otherwise.

  This whole pregnancy thing was hard.

  She decided to make the
evening meal for everyone and spend a little quality time with Jack. He had been so busy these last few weeks that they had barely seen each other. She was so sick most of the time that she couldn’t bring herself to even go out to where he was working.

  She had fibbed a little about what she was doing though, so he didn’t really know how bad her sickness was. He thought she had a little virus. She couldn’t believe he didn’t even question a virus that lasted three weeks.

  She was making a chicken and rice dish from their canned chicken. Jean had done a fabulous job on canning all the meat from the store. They probably had at least two years’ worth of various kinds. She was sautéing an onion to add to the rice when Angie came into the kitchen.

  “Hey. Glad to see you looking better! I guess that medicine really works, huh?” Angie said, tossing a schedule down on the counter.

  “Yeah. It’s a lifesaver! I don’t know what I’m going to do when I run out. Hopefully, this morning sickness won’t last too much longer.”

  Jessica looked over at the papers. “What’s that?” she asked Angie.

  “Oh, the training plans Cam left for us all. Jim wanted me to grab them so we could have a meeting after supper tonight. Hey, look at this. I thought you’d get a kick out of yours.”

  Jessica took the schedule Cam had made out for her for the next month and busted out laughing. That man was an enigma for sure. He is the most taciturn and close-mouthed man she had ever met…then he goes and does something like this.

  “Right?!” Angie said, laughing with her. She had tears squeezing from her eyes and she was clutching her stomach.

  Jessica’s schedule was as follows:

  Sunday-Saturday

  5 a.m. through 5 p.m.: eat, sleep, throw up

  When they had finished laughing and talking about Cam’s unspoken commentary on her ability to keep up with her training, Jess popped the dishes in the oven. They would bake for thirty minutes, so she had time to go out and round everyone up.