by Bale, Sarah
“N-no.”
“No clean clothes? Nothing?”
I shook my head. I knew my clothes were disgusting. I’d started out with a suitcase, but someone had robbed me when the virus outbreak began. I was left with the outfit I had on at the time. As time went on I’d look for clothes my size, but it was becoming harder and harder to find things to fit my already small frame.
I considered myself lucky when I found these pants and red flannel shirt the size of a circus tarp, but that was three weeks ago. Thank god my boots fit, or I’d be in a world of hurt.
“Would you like to take a shower?”
What in the hell kind of question was that? My chest felt tight for a moment and I feared I was going to have a panic attack.
“Are you… what are you going to do with me?”
“With you? Now that’s a loaded question. One I haven’t thought through yet.”
Warmth spread in my lower stomach. Why didn’t that statement scare me? It should, dammit. Maybe it was the look in his dark eyes that was somehow reassuring?
“Tell you what, Daisy, why don’t we come to an agreement right now?”
“Wh-what’s that?”
“I promise we don’t have to decide what to do with you until you’ve showered and had a good night’s rest. Is that a deal?”
I shook my head and the corners of his lips lifted.
“Something to add?”
I knew what I was about to say was risky. If it pissed him off then there was no telling what would happen. Baldy’s dead body next to us would agree, if he could.
“You didn’t answer me before. I’m not a whore. If your men come at me I’ll yank their balls so hard I’ll pull out their intestines. Got it?”
He froze and his face became unreadable. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for him to answer. I meant it. I’d rather die than to suffer through his men passing me around. Especially when…
“Well Daisy, I do believe that’s something we can agree on. My men won’t be allowed near you. Anything else?”
“I… I don’t even know your name.”
His eyes flickered to my lips before returning to meet my gaze.
“My name doesn’t matter. But you can call me Sir.”
3
I lowered my eyes as I followed Sir from the barn. It should be degrading to call him that, but it kind of suited him. True to his word a group of men stood waiting, all dressed the same as Red. Red poked another guy in the side and they laughed at me.
“Boss, what are we going to do with her?”
I got closer to Sir, praying I wasn’t making a huge mistake. I mean, it was too late now; my only hope was if I ran that they’d shoot me in the back and my death would be quick.
“She’s coming with us and she’s mine. If I even catch you breathing in her direction I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you.”
The men shifted nervously, but Sir winked at me. My stomach fluttered as it had when he said I was his. What on earth was wrong with me? One moment I was scared of him and the next - my god, I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling -or thinking.
“Everyone get your shit. We can make it back to the base by dark if we hurry.” To me he said, “If you can’t keep up, I’ll carry you.”
My mouth dropped, but I didn’t question if he was serious or not. This man meant everything he said.
The men grabbed their things and I saw a few familiar items from the camp glistening in the fading sunlight. We didn’t have much, but these men took it all. Sir caught me staring at the items.
“You said you had no family there. Lover?”
My gaze flickered up to his and I shook my head. He grunted and began walking, boots crunching on dead grass. Birds chirped happily from the trees, which seemed out of place so close to dusk. I hurried to stay at his side, but his long strides were no match for my short legs. I refused to ask him to slow down.
The men walked around us, but not close enough to speak to him. Was it a sign of respect or did they fear him? Or maybe both?
Red led the group and called out, “There’s a biter ahead. Everyone get ready.”
I faltered, but Sir picked up his pace.
“Sir… I don’t have a weapon.”
This made him stop. “Who in the hell lets a woman walk around with no weapon?”
“We didn’t have much…”
“Clearly, which is why my men were able to take over the camp so easily.” He reached under his leather coat and pulled out a knife. “Do you know how to use it?”
I nodded and took the knife from him. It wasn’t the same one he’d used on Baldy. The handle was beautiful with carvings of flowers and birds. And it fit in my palm like it was made for me. I twirled the knife getting a feel for it. He watched me and nodded, as if satisfied.
“Everyone on your toes. I don’t want any stupid mistakes made,” he said.
The zombie came toward us and Red killed it swiftly. I exhaled and put my knife in the loop on my pants. Red grinned at everyone, but the smile fell from his face when a branch snapped from the other direction.
“The horde is coming!”
The men tossed their stolen goods to the ground and got into a fighting stance.
Sir turned to me. “Stay close.”
I nodded as the horde came within sight. Oh my god. There had to be a hundred of them. Some of the men shifted nervously, knowing this might be their last moments alive.
“On my count. Three. Two. Go.”
The men lunged into action and rushed toward the horde. Over time the zombies had become sluggish in their movements, but when they were in such large numbers like this it was hard to fight them. In fact, that’s how I’d ended up with the camp that Red and Baldy had just wiped out.
Sir walked toward the horde with long strides. I followed him wondering how he could be so calm. My stomach was quaking and I worried I might be sick. He pulled the same knife he’d killed Baldy with and struck the first zombie near us. It fell to the ground and Sir moved forward.
His men fought around us and I could see that we were actually making a dent. How was this possible? It had to be because of Sir. He and his men were well-oiled machines. Sir caught me watching him and wiped his blade on his leather coat. And damn if my stomach didn’t flutter.
Someone yelled and we turned as one of the men fell to the ground, zombies already ripping him to shreds. The fresh blood drew more zombies and another man fell.
“Son of a bitch. Get your heads on, you fucking assholes!”
Sir’s voice carried over the screams of the man who was dying a merciless death. I swallowed and readied myself. Though my last camp didn’t have to fight often, I knew how to protect myself thanks to my mom insisting we took a self-defense class together. Her face flashed through my mind. I squared my shoulders. I would do this just like I would find my way home.
Sir lunged at another zombie. While he struggled with it, another one approached, sniffing the air. I lifted my knife and struck it through the temple. The blade slid in with ease, like a hot knife through soft butter. It was like carving a pumpkin; first there was resistance until you reached the soft inside. As I removed my blade I used my foot to push the zombie down. It landed as Sir killed his.
“I told you to stay behind me!” His dark eyes flashed.
“There are too many and you need help!”
Another man screamed as he fell and Sir let out a series of curses. We both moved forward at the same and I struck a zombie that was much shorter than me. I’d learned a long time to stop looking at them as “he or she,” and I definitely didn’t think about their age. Thoughts like those caused mistakes, and mistakes were deadly.
I killed another one as Sir moved past me. The air was filled with the scent of rotting flesh. Everything became a blur, and my arms ached. Pulling my blade from their skulls took effort. But – somehow - we were making a dent in their numbers.
Someone fell near me, crying out for help, but I didn’t stop.
The zombies would take care of him before I could do anything.
Ahead, one thrashed, stuck in a thorn patch. I veered away from the group, coming at it from behind. It snarled and snapped its teeth, smelling me on the air. I used my boot to hold it in place and shoved the knife through the back of its head.
Turning, I cried out as two came toward me. They were too close and I backed up, bumping into the zombie I’d just killed. The vine crumbled under my added weight and I fell, landing hard on my wrists. I tried to scramble to my feet, but somehow I’d become tangled, too. My stomach twisted as I frantically slashed at the vines.
One of them reached out, nearly grazing my leg in the process. I kicked, knocking it backward. The other moved toward me as I finally freed myself from the vine, but it was too close for me to get up.
Instead, I scooted on my ass. They were gaining on me. If I didn’t get up, I was dead. Inhaling, I used all my strength, pushing myself off the ground. My heartbeat echoed in my ears and I felt faint as I waited for them to lunge.
One came at me and I wrestled with it, my hands sliding into the decaying flesh. My fatigue from earlier was now doubled and my arm began to give. I pushed back as hard as I could, but the zombie’s urge to make me a meal was greater.
Gathering all the strength I could muster, I shoved the zombie and took a large step backward, hoping it would put enough distance between us that I could get the upper hand. My lungs burned and my legs shook from adrenaline. I then proceeded to trip over a log and fell flat on my ass.
Curses left my lips and I hit the ground so hard that my teeth slammed together, dazing me for a moment. I reached for my knife. Fuck! It had fallen from my hand when I tripped. My mom’s smiling face flashed through my mind. She needed to know I was alive. No! This wasn’t it. I wasn’t going to give up now. I pushed myself off the ground and prepared to fight.
The zombie lurched at me and I braced myself. A loud boom made me jump and I turned to see Sir running toward me with a gun in his hand.
“Get out of the way, Daisy,” he commanded.
I jumped to the side as he fired again, killing the second one. Relief spread throughout my body.
“Thank-”
Sir reached me and silenced me with a single look.
“You made me waste two bullets. How do you think you’ll repay me for that?”
4
Fear fluttered across my stomach like fireworks. Oh shit. Sir led me to the rest of the men, putting their weapons away and gathering items. From what I could tell only a few had died, including Red. I rubbed my cheek where he’d struck me. I was kind of glad he’d died.
Sir inspected a fallen body, taking a gun from the belt, and then smashed the skull with the heel of his boot. “Take what’s good off the dead. We’ll need to make up lost time.”
He grabbed my arm and started walking. I’d never been so thankful for my marathon experience as I was in that moment. I was basically jogging to keep pace with him and he didn’t show signs of slowing. The sky was getting darker as night grew near. Would we stop when darkness fell? It was dangerous to travel at night.
And what if they tried to pass me around? I had my knife, but doubted I had the strength to kill all of them. Epically Sir. A soft snort left my lips. What kind of name was that? His men called him Boss, which I understood. His real name was probably something silly, like Jethro or Billy Bob. I snickered.
We crossed a shallow creek and I was surprised to see two pick-up trucks and an old GTO parked ahead. Sir whistled and the men piled into the truck, some sitting in the back with the items from my camp. Sir’s boots crunched on the gravel as he walked up to the black car.
He opened the driver’s side door and made a sweeping gesture, as if he was doing a chivalrous act. I knew he wasn’t offering for me to drive, so I scooted across the leather seat and waited for him to get in. The engine rumbled to life and Sir peeled down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
I wanted to ask if we could check the radio to see if there was anything, but didn’t. The last time I’d heard anything the news had been grim. Plus, the static of an unattended station was depressing. It meant there really wasn’t help out there. Not like the first all-points bulletin that’d interrupted my favorite Taylor Swift song.
The DJ’s voice had been tense, but hopeful, telling everyone to stay at home until the Army could help those who needed medical attention immediately. Then he spoke of a virus, saying if anyone felt sick to stay away from others. My dad called, ordering my cousin and myself to get home. But we hadn’t listened nor had any idea of the monsters outside…
Sir tapped the steering wheel as he drove, but he didn’t speak to me. I knew better than to make idle conversation. Instead, I watched the clock on the dash to occupy time. Exactly one hour later we pulled up to a large fence surrounded by zombies stuck on wooden posts that were still very much alive. They reached for the car, their nails scraping the paint.
I looked behind us. The men in the backs of the trucks were now walking so the zombies couldn’t touch them. Sir honked the horn three times and the gate groaned as it opened. We drove through and a man lifted his hand to wave at Sir.
Sir rolled down the window. “It was a shit day.”
The man crouched and saw me sitting there. “Must not have been too bad if you brought back a Goldilocks.”
Sir chuckled and my skin crawled.
“The loot is in the second truck. See you later.”
We left the man behind and I crossed my arms across my chest. We reached a second gate and sir parked the car on the other side. Ahead I could see houses - a residential area? I followed Sir down the street noticing none of the houses had lights on. It wasn’t surprising that there wasn’t electricity, but I’d expected to at least see candlelight.
We walked a few more blocks and came upon another gate. The doors opened as if they knew we were there. Men with guns nodded at Sir as we passed. He hadn’t even glanced at me since we got out of the car. I wondered what he was going to do to me. Anger rolled off his body in waves and I shivered.
Ahead, I saw a large building. We passed an unlit sign that said Emergency Vehicles Only. A hospital? As we got closer we walked through unkempt flowerbeds.
Sir grabbed my wrist and said to the others, “Go to your homes. We’ll assess everything in the morning.”
He pulled me behind him as he walked, his long strides making me almost trip. I stumbled and he let out a curse before lifting me over his shoulder. My face flamed. How could he carry me like this? What would people think?
We entered the building through a glass door that was reinforced with sheets of metal and stepped into what appeared to be a lobby with working lamps. I couldn’t believe it. Electricity? But how?
Women sat on the floor folding laundry, but they all kept their heads down. Sir never slowed and moved past them. One woman with light hair met my gaze, but it was anything but reassuring. In fact, the look on her face made my breath hitch in my throat.
Sir walked down a hallway and then another until I became confused by the tiled maze. Maybe that was a part of his plan? This way I wouldn’t be able to run, not that I’d be able to get past the men, the gates, and the zombies guarding the exit. Sir reached a door and unlocked it with a key. He stepped inside and put me down on the floor as he kicked the door shut with his foot.
He watched me as he took his leather jacket off, tossing it onto the bed. I tried not to notice how comfortable the bed looked, but damn… I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept on a mattress with actual bedding.
“You will stay right there until I say you can move. Do you understand?”
I tore my gaze from the bed and met his harsh stare. I nodded and he lifted a dark eyebrow.
I bobbed my head again, showing I understood.
He grunted and pulled his shirt over his head. It was stained with fresh blood and I gasped.
“Are you hurt?”
“It’s not mine.”
> He turned away from me and unbuckled his belt. His muscular back had a large scar across one shoulder that marred a tattoo of a pin-up girl. What had happened to him? I started to ask when he faced me, belt in hand.
“Did I not tell you to stay behind me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Stand up.”
My legs trembled as I stood. He was so damn intimidating, but that wasn’t what scared me. It was my reaction to him. I wanted him, which was fucking insane. He could be about to kill me for all I knew and all I could think about was how sexy he looked with no shirt on.
He stepped toward me and air rushed through my lips. I reached out and touched his cheek.
He grasped my wrist, stopping me. “If you were one of my men I’d kill you for disobeying me. There would be no question.”
Oh, I had no doubt he could do harm. The way his men cowered around him was proof enough. But his eyes betrayed his words.
“Take off your pants.”
“Excuse me?” I exclaimed.
“Take. Off. Your. Pants.”
Each word was clipped and left no questions in my mind. He was very serious. My stomach quivered and I turned away from him.
“Did I tell you to turn around?”
I glanced at him, shaking my head.
“Turn so you’re facing me.”
I pivoted and stared at a spot on the white wall behind him. This was so humiliating. My hands trembled as I unbuckled my belt. It was the only thing holding the too large jeans on my thin hips and my pants slid down my legs.
“Kick them to the side.”
I did as he asked, trying to shield myself from him. The grey panties I wore were an embarrassment, but had been the only thing I could find that fit. And there was no way I’d go without them.
“Look at me.”
I tore my gaze from the wall. He looked me up and down a few times and then made a low sound in the back of his throat. My heart missed a beat. He moved to the foot of the bed and sat.
“Come here.”
