by Morse, K. A.
“Harris, ten o’clock,” I whisper for him to look up as she’s heading right for him.
“Fuck, fuck, I’ve been hiding from her since I woke up. She’s like a bad case of the crabs,” he replies as low as he can as she sits almost in his lap.
“Hey, y’all, you ready for some grub?” Klara grabs a carrot and starts eating it.
“The cooked food smells so good. MREs are good, but nothing is as good as some home-cooked food,” I tell her as Metzger and Rockstar finally join us.
“For heaven’s sake, Klara, what the fuck are you wearing? Is that your underwear? Please go put some fucking clothes on!” Rockstar is almost screaming at her as he sits down across from us. Klara runs from the room almost crying. “Sorry, she acts like that around every fucking guy she sees.”
Kyle comes in a couple minutes later holding a ham, making my mouth water from the smell coming off it.
“Where the fuck is Klara?” Kyle questions as he puts the ham down in the middle of the table.
“She was dressed in pretty much nothing, so I yelled at her to put something on. I love her, but we don’t need to see her boobs hanging out while we eat,” Rockstar lets him know as he stands up and starts to carve the ham and put some on everyone’s plate.
“Alright, I get that. You want me to put a shirt on, so you can’t see my tits?” Kyle’s face was very serious.
“I mean if you wouldn’t mind, and a fucking bag for your head, cuz your face is killing me,” Rockstar tries to keep a straight face but can’t and bursts out laughing.
“Okay, bitches, how about we eat before the food gets cold?” Klara says as she enters in a hot-pink tank top and overalls.
Klara looks calm as she sits down again next to Harris but not taking her eyes off of Metzger. Wow, these boys better watch out, she’s ready to rumble. A laugh escapes my lips before I can catch it; all eyes are on me because of it. I just act like it didn’t happen and go on eating food. Besides my ham, I load up on fruits and veggies. Those assholes took all the bacon before I could get any, but they will pay for it, just not sure how yet.
With a full mouth, I ask, “So, Kyle, is all that home grown?”
“Well, it is not by me,” he laughs wickedly. “Since this shit went down, me and Klara have been here, while everyone else didn’t know what to fucking do. Teach them fuckers to make fun of me. Who’s the crazy fuck now?”
“Kyle, you are crazy but not for this,” Rockstar pokes at him. “You’re just crazy because you’re a fucking redneck and love doing weird shit. But you make my life fun.”
“Oh, how fucking sweet. Can we fucking eat? Your cousin love fest is going to make me barf,” Klara declares as she takes a big bite of ham.
“Don’t be jealous of our bromance,” Rockstar chuckles as he pops a grape in his mouth.
“Everyone shut the fuck up and eat, we can talk once all this food is gone,” Kyle is almost yelling. My eyes go wide, how the fuck can we eat all this?
We all eat until we can’t anymore, which only makes me more tired. But these assholes won’t let me go back to bed. The sooner the sun comes back up, the quicker we are out of here. Probably one person less, since Rockstar is with his family; of course, that’s my goal, too.
Klara leads us outside where Kyle is building a fire in his fire pit. The sun is starting to set, how long did we sleep today? I feel super tired still, but play along with them since they have opened their home to us; something they didn’t have to do, but I’m so grateful for. When we get to the fit pit there are only four chairs. All the boys other then Kyle are already sitting down, leaving one seat left, which Klara snaps up but gets yelled at by Kyle to get out of his spot.
“Fine, dickhead. Then I’ll just have to sit in someone’s lap then,” Klara is now grinning as she looks to Harris and Metzger.
Harris gives me a pleading look like ‘save me,’ but I think the ground is looking pretty comfy.
Puff War
Lacey Carter
Harris gives me one hell of a look when I plop down next to him on the ground instead of sitting on him. But to his luck, she must have thought Metzger looked tastier tonight as she sat on his lap.
“I’m still going to get you back for that one, you bitch,” Harris whispers under his breath to me.
Rolling my eyes at him, I try to listen to what everyone else is talking about while wondering how the infected haven’t made it out here, but then again, it is the fucking middle of nowhere.
“So, have any of the infected made it out this far?” Metzger asks like he’s fucking reading my mind.
“Well, umm, we had a couple stragglers here and there,” Kyle lets us know as he pulls out marshmallows from . . . I’m not sure where. “Easy enough to kill when there’s just one or two.” He shrugs and puts a marshmallow on a stick. Putting it over the fire to toast.
The marshmallow catches fire, so Kyle swings it about trying to get the flame to go out but can’t. He waves it a bit hard, and it flies off hitting Klara’s hair. She gets up screaming. She’s slapping her head and running around trying to put the flames out. Crying, probably from being embarrassed, she hurries back to the compound.
“Oops,” is all that Kyle says as he puts another marshmallow on the stick.
“Just watch where you're waving that one this time, you fucker.” Rockstar grins as he reaches over for a marshmallow and stick.
“Are these twigs growing out your ass?” Harris jokes motioning for them to hand him one, too.
“Here’s a butt stick,” Kyle gets up long enough to hand it to him. “Came along with a free puff.”
I get a good laugh at his word ‘puff,’ not a word used for them often. Once Harris gets it perfectly toasted, I make my move. The stick is in my hand before he even knows what has happened.
“What the fuck, Carter?” Harris’s face is full of surprises then determination. He is going to get it back. “Get your hand off my twig.”
“Oh, you know I can handle it better than you,” I’m taunting him now as I stand. That fucker is about to lunge for me. “You know I can outrun you shithead, so don’t try it.”
Of course, he always takes it as a challenge. So glad my boots are on if I need to start into a sprint.
“Bring it on, fucker.” Giving him a wicked grin, I lightly lick the marshmallow to see if it’s ready to eat.
“Eat my puff and die, bitch,” he threatens me, almost growling.
The marshmallow goes in my mouth quickly, there is a fire in his eyes now. Shit! I take off before Harris can grab me. No clue where to run, there isn’t anywhere here to hide from that fucker. Wow, why did they feed us so much? My stomach is starting to cramp up. Fuck my life right now. Without slowing down, I turn back toward him, dodging him as he grabs for me when we fly past each other. I make a break back to the fire and pray that I’m there before Harris because the punishment will be something way worse than death. He’ll tickle me; damn I hate it, and he fucking knows it.
Right as I’m in reach of the chair, his hands grab me around the waist and it’s over. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground with Harris on top of me. He’s pinned my legs, so there’s no kicking him, he also has one of my hands in a weird position. With my free hand, I’m hitting him, yelling to get the fuck off of me. Harris only smiles bigger as he starts to tickle me.
The laugh that comes out of my mouth sounds more like a shriek of pain. Rockstar and Metzger get up to make sure he’s not really hurting me, then they hear me starting to laugh between trying to yell stop. Finally, he stops and helps me up.
“Fuck face, now I’m all fucking dirty.” I’m pissed at how dirty my clothes are more than the tickling.
“Calm the fuck down, we have plumbing,” Kyle tells us in a raised voice. “Now sit the fuck down and enjoy the peace and quiet for a minute.”
We all shut up and do what he says. We are his guests, after all. It’s the only polite fucking thing to do. The chair is still open, so I take it, enjoying the night sky.
The smell of the fresh air is wonderful, too. No sirens, honking horns, or rude people to deal with. The only thing missing is my sassy girl. Keeping it together to get back to her is my only goal. The boys are chatting about some shit, but I’m just enjoying the stars out tonight, grateful Klara hasn’t come back out to disturb the peace. As the fire slowly fizzles out, Kyle finally gets up.
“Alright, y'all, time for bed.” Kyle gives us a look “Maybe a shower for you two.”
“Please don’t tell me we have to shower together.” I roll my eyes at the thought.
“Oh, you guys aren’t a couple?” Kyle wonders as we walk in the dark.
“Fuck no,” we both say at the same time.
“Well you sure are fucking chummy,” Kyle tells us as we reach the door, he then opens it and lets us go in first. “I’ll show you where the shower is after I lock this fucker down.”
“Why the fuck are you locking us in?” Metzger sounds pissed at the thought.
Klara pops out of one of the rooms; I assume it's hers. “Well, you don’t want any crazy people getting in while we sleep, do you?” A crazy smile spreads across her face.
Harris whispers to me, “But what about the ones in here?”
“Rockstar did warn us,” I whisper back. Then I make my way down the hallway to the door that looks like mine.
Once mine is found, I grab my backpack and plop it on the bed. I get out what I’m going to wear tomorrow, plus an oversized shirt to sleep in tonight. While waiting for Kyle, it’s a good enough time to load my guns. That way I’m rocking and rolling if shit does go down. As I put the last bullet in my M9, there’s a knock at the door. Kyle slowly opens it.
“Come with me for that shower,” he pretty much commands, but I don’t hesitate.
Remembering to grab my clothes, I pray that there is a towel to dry with. The room the shower is in looks like a big shipping crate. There’s a toilet in here, thankfully, because I sure have to pee. The shower looks like a shower. Of all the crazy stuff, this looks almost better than the one in my house. I thank him and then he leaves me to do my business, closing the door behind him.
Fuck, there’s no lock on the door. Well, the shower won’t wait, so I just take a deep breath and get naked, praying someone doesn’t come in.
My shower was uneventful, thankfully, I kept looking at the door every few seconds to see if the handle was moving. Right as I’m slipping on my oversized shirt, the door comes flying open.
“For fuck’s sake, could you fucking knock?” I yell at Rockstar, so grateful my panties are already on. I finish pulling my shirt down, giving him a dirty look. I grab my old clothes and rush out of the bathroom, mumbling ‘dickhead’ under my breath as I brush past him, running to my room. Fuck, I left my towel. Oh, well, it’s not mine. Now in the safety of my room, I turn around to lock the door behind me. Do these fuckers not believe in locks on any of these rooms? Yet, they fucking locked us in here for the night. My gun is going under my pillow tonight for sure. Motherfuckers got me sleeping with one eye open. Since this place is getting weirder, it’s time to go ahead and get dressed. If shit goes down, I can throw my boots on and go. Once I’m changed, I hear the bed calling to me to lay down. I don’t remember falling asleep.
Back on the road
Trevor Metzger
I’m jarred awake by the sound of yelling. What the fuck happened while we were in bed? Jumping up and slipping into my boots, I gather all my shit in case we have to leave right now.
Within seconds, everything is ready to go, and I head out to the hallway. Klara is freaking out, crying as she hangs onto Harris. Harris looks pissed.
“What the fuck is going on?” I demand moving toward them.
“I’m not fucking sure. Klara just came into my room crying something about Kyle and now we can’t find him,” Harris tells me while trying to console her. “I need you to find Carter. I haven’t seen her yet, either.”
With a shake of my head, I go look for her, opening every door in my path. After the third door, Carter is there asleep still.
“Carter, fucking get up!” I scream at her. She automatically pulls her M9 out and points it at me. “Hey now, don’t shoot the messenger.”
“The fuck?” she says, but she’s already up and has her boots on. “Grab the fucking suitcase.”
Carter motions to the big one with wheels, and she slugs on her backpack, then exits the room; I’m guessing to find Harris. Right behind her, I almost collide with Carson. Fucker came out of nowhere. He looks freaked out about something. We all head toward the entrance to find its wide open. The lock that Kyle put on is gone, and he’s still nowhere in sight.
“I think we need to head to Fort Schaefer now. This is all kinds of crazy, and we don’t have time for it,” Carter says with a wild look in her eyes as she heads up, gun in front of her, ready to shoot anything that might move.
“NO, FUCKING NO!” Klara is yelling at us all. “WE HAVE TO FIND KYLE, YOU CUNTS. WE OPENED OUR HOME TO YOU, AND YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LEAVE US HERE TO DIE?” She starts to sob again.
“No one fucking said we were leaving you behind, you twatwaffle. So, shut the fuck up or we will.” Carter’s eyes are full of rage as she looks down at her from the top step.
“We need to all shut the fuck up and get to the Suburban.” I try to calm everyone the fuck down.
Carter finally turns back around, and there stands Kyle, but he looks strange.
“Run! Fucking run! They are coming!” Kyle pushes past Carter as he comes to me. I see the bite mark on his upper arm, as well as one more on his back.
“What the fuck happened? How the fuck did the infected get all the way out here?” So many questions, and he doesn’t answer one.
“If you want to live, you need to get out of Dodge, now.” It’s the last thing he says as he disappears down the hallway.
Klara is ugly crying now as Harris is pretty much carrying her out of the compound. We haul ass to the Suburban, and at one point, Harris has the top half of Klara’s body and Carson the bottom half. Right now, I’m too scared to laugh, or I would have. When we make it to the vehicle, we throw all our crap in the back then jump in. Carter’s in the driver's seat. Somehow, Klara managed to get away, she’s running back to her brother.
“We need to fucking move it. She’s made her choice,” Carson tells us all. “So, put the pedal to the metal, Carter.”
Carter does as he says, and we take off. We are just crossing over the first cattle guard when I hear it. I turn around to see a huge explosion from where we have just left.
“Fuck! What the fuck?” comes out of my mouth, like my eyes are lying to me right now.
“Did you fucking know he had it rigged to blow?” Carter asks in a cold tone.
“I had an idea if shit went down, he would take all the fuckers with him he could,” Carson explains.
As we drive, I’m still looking back. The infected are now where I can see them. There is a shit-ton of them. The fire is attracting them, and the infected are falling in the hole where the bunker used to be. Carter yells something about that stupid fucking map. Harris, who is in the back seat with me, starts digging to find her pack. Handing it to Carson, he mumbles something as he sits back down.
“Carson, why the fuck did Kyle go back outside once he had already locked us in?” It’s something one of us has to ask; since I’m labeled the asshole, that leaves it up to fucking me.
Carson turns to look at me, “No fucking clue, he was so crazy smart. But more crazy then smart.”
“Klara wasn’t far behind him,” Harris says under his breath. “We fucking try to save her, and she runs back into the danger area.”
“Klara and Kyle being twins had a very strange and strong bond, so she would have rather died than lived without him.” Carson now turns back around and looks forward, telling Carter where to turn. I’m just glad to be out of there and on the fucking road again.
Bad Mojo
Lacey Carter
Still i
n disbelief of what just fucking happened back there, my eyes are glued to the dirt road. I am super shaken up from the crazy-ass events we just endured. I do my best to not show it. So far on this mission, I have shown too much of my emotions.
“Okay, so how many more days until we get to Kentucky?” I ask as we finally hit the pavement.
“Miles wise, probably two more days, tops,” Rockstar tells me as he studies the map. “As long as we don’t run into any major issues.”
“Yeah, well, that’s a lot of land to travel with no problems.” Harris laughs from the back.
“How about you shut the fuck up? I don’t need any bad mojo coming off of you!” I yell at Harris as I make a last minute hard right.
“Fuck! Could you give me a heads up?” Harris yelps. “My head just bounced off the fucking window.”
“That’s your bad mojo coming for you, fucker,” I mumble as I look ahead.
I drive until I just can’t anymore, my eyes start to droop, and Rockstar says I’m snoring at one point which freaks me the fuck out. How the fuck did they not make me pull over sooner?
“Are we close to any towns?” I question as we change seats, stretching my legs as I walk around to the passenger’s side.
“Yeah, we are almost to St. Louis,” Rockstar tells me as he hops in the driver's seat.
“What time of day is it?” The sun is only coming up, and I’m fucking falling asleep.
