Lovin' in the Apocalypse Ch. 05

Last time on, Lovin' in the Apocalypse!

Tom and Rachel reconcile in a not so romantic but intimate way. The air clears for Rachel and she begins to accept life inside the new camp.

Meanwhile, another group not too far away deals with some internal conflict and sets its sights on distant enemies. Their leader shows unbending will and promises to keep his son safe no matter the cost.

How will Tom and Rachel handle being out in the open after a while behind walls? Will their courage hold as unseen danger closes in around them? Find out now!

Chapter 5: On the Job Training

Cameron pulled the pickup truck down a bumpy gravel road and slowly moved along, careful not to make the engine growl too loudly. Diesel engines were noisy enough while idling to attract the infected's attention. The day was quiet and the evening sun was still bright enough to allow them to operate. They would have to start looking for a place to bed down soon though. Moving around at night was a good way to get trapped or worse.

"This is an abandoned construction site. Some housing development that was nearly finished. We found it early on and got a lot of great tools and stuff. We need to give it another look though. We need plywood, insulation, carpet, anything we can find to make the cabins a little better. It gets pretty cold in the winter, don't it?" Cameron reached over and squeezed Kelsey's knee.

"Yep." Kelsey was looking out the window. She had been silent and broodish throughout the day.

"Kinda weird without Gregg here, huh?"

"I guess." Kelsey squirmed a little.

"You okay?" Cameron glanced over, knowing she probably was not going to share.

"I'm fine, dad. Just tired."

"Alright. Well, keep your head up. We'll stop to wait out the night soon." Cameron pulled the truck up to a trailer that would have been used as a supervisor's office. He positioned the truck so that if they had to peel out in a hurry, he would not have to waste time finding the road. "Let's set up camp and then we'll take a quick peek. I think we'll do most of the searching tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Tom hopped out of the truck and stretched. He reached back in the cab and pulled out the bow and arrows that Cameron gave him. He did not want to admit how eager he was to use the weapon. It felt familiar in his grip, giving him a small dose of nostalgia. He knocked an arrow and looked around for a target. A stack of hay squares was nearby, mostly black from rot but still standing. Tom pulled the arrow back until he felt the tickle of artificial feathers on his cheek. He released a slow breath and let go of the arrow. It flew true, thumping into the center of a hay bail. Tom wore a boyish smile as he jogged to reclaim the arrow.

Rachel looked over the skeletal frames of incomplete houses. It felt like she was standing on a historical site. She wondered if humans would ever be free to build homes like this again. These places were built with relaxation and luxury in mind, things that people these days were not concerned with. If humans survived, who could say what their future homes will look like. These thoughts were philosophical entertainment but the reality was, the chances of making it past this extinction event was slim.

They put their supplies in the supervisor's trailer, planning on sleeping there during the night. Cameron kept his pack on just in case. He carried things like notebooks and inventory logs that he liked to look over while scouting. He holstered a 9mm pistol with a silencer screwed on the barrel to his thigh. Kelsey's aloofness was gone now, her eyes were sharp and focused as they grouped up to move around the houses. She and Rachel both tied their hair back to keep from having anything easy to grab. They were each holding a machete in case anything surprised them. Tom was holding his bow with an arrow at the ready. He was moving in slow circles, watching everywhere.

They moved over to the closest house, one that was less complete than the others. Since this one was still mostly studs, they could see bundles of resources inside the house. The lumps were protected by plastic from the weather. It would likely be window or electrical equipment, stuff the camp did not really need but it still was worth looking over. It turned out to be just that and Cameron noted down the findings in his journal.

"There's steps over here. Looks like this place was going to get a basement." Rachel was looking down the dark steps. She could make out some shapes but nothing solid. "It's pretty dark down there."

Cameron dug in his pack and pulled out a flashlight. "If there was any infected down there, they would have come up by now. I'm gonna take a quick peek." He went down the steps slowly, careful to look in all the corners before paying attention to the covered mounds of resources. Once he was convinced he was alone, Cameron lifted one of the tarps. "Holy shit! This is it! The holy grail!"

Tom, Rachel and Kelsey hurried down the wooden steps and saw Cameron smiling. He flipped the tarp away like a showman and revealed a neat stack of wrapped insulation. "The mother fuckin' jackpot!" It was only one of several covered stacks.

"This is a good enough find for today." Cameron moved the flashlight beam around the basement. "I want to get a count of what's down here and we'll call it a night."

"I don't like not having eyes up top." Tom felt his way back to the stairs. "I'll keep watch while you guys count."

"That's what I like to see. Good thinking, Tom." Cameron handed Kelsey the flashlight as he pulled out his notebook.

Tom stood in the open air and breathed in the summer humidity. Summer days could get pretty hot up here but he was originally from North Carolina. That place would be damn near unbearable in July and August, becoming so humid that it would be hard to breathe. This mountain air was far more crisp and Tom found it pleasant. His eyes caught the motion of several birds flying over some nearby trees. They were moving quickly with jerky motions as if they had been startled. Tom's old hunting instincts began to fire up.

A lone infected human walked with a dragging gate along an unobvious path. "Sooooo hungryyyy." Its moaning voice was a barely perceived whisper.

Tom was focused on the monster as it moved, careful not to make any sudden motions of his own. It was just across the street, coming out from behind one of the other houses. It was at most 100 yards away. When he was sure he was clear of its peripheral vision, Tom moved to a place with a clear line of sight within his bow's range. He pulled up the bow and drew it. Once he was satisfied with the shot, Tom cleared his throat.

The infected man froze and began to turn around. "Hungry?" The arrow landed perfectly between its white washed eyes. The infected man fell back and hit the ground without making another sound.

"Nice shot."

Tom flinched violently and swore as he spun around. "Holy shit, Kelsey. You just scared the fuck out of me." His heart was racing. He had not heard her approach him at all. He would have been impressed if he was not so keyed up.

"My bad. I saw you creeping and couldn't help myself. Dad sent me to get another flashlight." Kelsey pointed towards the truck. "You good?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't have a stroke, old man."

"I'm not even that old." Tom grumbled as he walked over to retrieve the arrow. Was Kelsey purposely moving her hips that much? It seemed likely since the young woman did not have enough curves to swing on their own. He quickly looked away as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

Tom knelt next to the dead man and tried not to look as he pulled the arrow the rest of the way through the hole. He wiped the grime away on the infected's shirt and then checked to make sure the arrow was still in good shape. It looked okay, so he knocked it back to his bow. That is when he heard Kelsey shout out in surprise.

Tom spun quickly scanning the area for the threat. He saw Kelsey back peddling as quickly as she could before her long legs got tangled up with themselves. Kelsey fell back and there was no time left to stand up. Even stunned, her legs worked, kicking her back and away. The infected woman staggered towards Kelsey, awkwardly favoring its right shoulder. Kelsey's machete was lodged in deep. She just barely missed the creature's neck with a powerful down swing. The infected woman was too damaged to speak, it gnashed its bloody teeth mechanically as it chased Kelsey.

Tom would have quickly handled the situation with a single arrow but Kelsey did not see the second infected that was coming around the other side of the truck. It was closing in and had a wicked grin on its face. Tom ran, knowing that if he stopped to shoot, it would cost too much time. He dropped his bow as he got close but kept the arrow in his grip. With the form of a football linebacker, Tom lowered his shoulder and nailed the infected that was trying to flank Kelsey. His momentum sent the creature flying. It would have been comical if not so dire.

Tom kept moving after reestablishing his balance. Tom leapt over Kelsey and plunged the arrow he held into the infected woman's chest. It reeled back a foot or so before collapsing. His arrow snapped but he considered two kills with one arrow to be plenty. Tom yanked Kelsey's machete out of the shoulder of the dead woman and finished off the other infected as it was trying to stand up. Tom stood over the fallen infected, breathing hard as he tried to calm down. The adrenaline in his system was making his eyes throb.

"Tom look!" Kelsey scrambled to her feet quickly and pointed. A mob of infected ones were coming out from around a house like water from a broken dam. The very house Rachel and Cameron were currently in.

"No." Tom felt shock move into his limbs like ice. "Rachel!" Tom started to run for the house but Kelsey grabbed his arm.

"Stop! Think about it! They already see us. If you run down there, you'll take the mob right to them!" Kelsey bent down and snatched the bow Tom dropped. "Come on, I got an idea!" Kelsey grabbed his hand and pulled.

Tom took one last look at the flimsy looking frame house and felt completely terrified. Rachel was in there but Kelsey had a point. The mob was absolutely focused on them. He forced his legs to loosen and followed Kelsey's pull. She led them back to the supervisor's trailer and she hurried in to grab their packs. She tossed Tom his and put hers on. "We got a spot close by. We set it up last time just in case this happened. Come on." Kelsey ran and Tom followed her.

Kelsey looped around the complex, making sure to stay in the mob's sight. She wanted them to keep moving forward instead of focusing on tearing up obstacles. When she made it to a lot, several houses away from where Rachel and Cameron were trapped, she began to use cover and move more carefully. Tom followed her closely, becoming increasingly impressed with the young woman's skill. Her aim was to steer the mob into wandering off on their own before ducking out of sight. "In there!" Kelsey pointed to a supply shed that was just out of the way off the mob's trajectory. Tom was again impressed. The shed was defended with metal sheeting set at angles on the corners. Besides a small gap in the front, any mindless wandering thing would just roll off this random obstacle.

They quickly opened the door just wide enough to squeeze in. Kelsey went first then Tom after he handed his gear through to her. He shut the door as quietly as he could and made sure the latch caught. He moved away from the door, placing a hand over his face to keep from breathing in too loudly. The sound of a hundred moving bodies grew louder as the mob approached. Kelsey was digging for something in her pack and quickly pulled a two way radio out. Tom was about to snatch it, thinking the scared girl was about to start shouting into the radio for help.

Kelsey pushed the transition button on the radio and tapped her fingers against the mic in a quick pattern. She held the speaker to her ear and waited with her mouth covered by her other hand. They stared at each other with panicked eyes as they tried to breathe quietly. After a few seconds, Kelsey's eyes widened in surprise. She nodded at Tom and he relaxed a bit. Kelsey tapped her fingers on the radio and put it back to her ear. She did this several times, talking in code to Cameron.

As they calmed down inside the sweltering equipment shed, the infected mob marched by slowly. They were all inquiring about the direction of their prey, slowing to a shuffle without having an obvious target. The good thing was, they typically move in the same direction no matter how slow they walk. Kelsey had steered them well but now they would have to wait for the mob to pass by. The heat inside was almost as bad as being outside would have been. Still, the sunlight coming into the cracks was fading. It would not be long before the sun set and the air in the mountains would cool rapidly. Until then, they just had to sweat it out.

*

Cameron placed the flashlight on the floor and clipped the radio to his belt. He placed a finger on his lips and began to move. Rachel saw what he intended to do and quietly helped. It took them only a few minutes to stack the rectangular cuts of insulation into a makeshift barrier. They arranged a place to sit behind the improvised wall using a blanket from Cameron's pack. Now, if an infected one were to wander down here, it would not immediately see them. It was only a little protection but some was better than none.

Cameron sat down on the floor and leaned back against the concrete wall. It was cool down here in that damp way that most unfinished basements were. That is probably why Rachel was feeling the heat coming off Cameron like a radiator. Why did he have to sit so close? It was making her stomach knot up. She could smell his musk and did not find it unpleasant. Cameron was older than her, probably by a decade at least. She had been 25 when this whole thing started and he already has a grown daughter. Still, he was one of those men that aged like good wine. His salt and pepper hair mixed with his wise brown eyes in an endearing way. He reminded her of a teacher she had a crush on in high school.

The reason Cameron sat so close became obvious when he whispered what was going on. Rachel was relieved because a few minutes ago, they heard Kelsey shout but then nothing else. Cameron and her must have a plan for the situation though because when Rachel tried to run up, he stopped her and made her wait for a signal. After the update, Cameron and Rachel sat quietly for a while. They listened for any sounds from above but they could only make out an occasional footstep on gravel. At some point, Cameron shifted his weight and Rachel realized she was leaning into him.

"Shit man, I'm sorry." Rachel sat up straighter. "I didn't even realize I was leaning."

"S'alright. No harm." Cameron did notice and was sitting still on purpose. It felt nice being this close to a woman again. A married woman, granted but he is not trying to fuck her so he felt no guilt in a little snuggling. Besides, being trapped and alone like this, what would be the harm in a little comfort. "Hey Ray? I've been thinking. About when we picked you up at that fire station."

Rachel's stomach did that weird little flip again. No one except Tom ever called her Ray. She usually told people not to do it but for some reason, she did not hate it coming from him. Still, it felt like toeing a line. "What about it, Cam?" She purposely put inflection on shortening his name as well.

Cameron gave her a sideways grin. He could barely see more than an outline of the woman but he knew her features. He was subconsciously noticing a lot about her. She was attractive, he guessed her to be upper 20s, maybe 30. Old enough to be a proper woman but still young enough to be daring. He also liked her challenging eyes. He guessed she would be one of those wild in the bed types. Cameron tried to shake those thoughts away. "About what you said with the other camps. It's really that bad everywhere? You'd think with a law of averages, there would be more good places."

Rachel thought about it for a minute. "There were a couple good ones. They... they aren't there anymore. I think it's more sad than that though. I don't think all those places started out bad, you know? I believe most people are innately good. Something just happened to them and twisted their perspective."

"That's incredibly insightful. I don't think I could look at it like that, if I was against them. I like to be open to people but that's a big risk for anyone these days." Cameron started fidgeting with the flashlight even though the beam was off. "I just wish there were other groups to trade with and stuff. The kind of thing that will rebuild society."

"That's optimistic." Rachel tried not to sound too petulant. "It took us thousands of years to build what was and lost all of it in just two of them."

"We haven't lost all of it. The infected aren't targeting libraries and museums. They can't erase our language or history. When this virus runs its course, and it will run out eventually, we'll be able to rebuild. I guarantee it."

Rachel felt moved by his certainty. "That's a good dream. A real good one. Even if it doesn't happen in our lifetime."

"Right. Gotta keep looking forward." Cameron looked at his watch and saw it would be dark outside. He could not help but worry about Kelsey but she was smart and strong. They have been in this situation before, it would not help to worry about it. She would send another signal if things got bad.

"You talk like a local level politician. What did you do before all this?"

Cameron chuckled. "I was a supervisor at a machine shop. Nothing too glamorous. I did win a debate title when I was in high school though." Rachel laughed quietly. "What about you?"

"I was an office assistant at a bank. Super glamorous." They were quiet for a bit. It was a comfortable silence that let them both remember what was before. "Who knows? History is full of sadistic tyrants that rise and fall. If that hurries along and good people step up, then we can open your trading post." Rachel nudged him playfully. "Cam's General Store."

"Hey, that's not bad. I hope you were giving that away."

Rachel laughed quietly. "It's all yours." Rachel thought about Tom and wondered what he was doing. Knowing him, he was probably chewing his nails to bloody stumps and worrying about her. He worried a lot when they were together, it was probably worse in times like this. She wondered if she should be more worried than she felt. Maybe so. There was something about this man beside her that made everything feel okay. He was like a preacher or a gentle doctor, someone who could make you calm with a smile. No wonder he was a leader.

Rachel's heart began to beat wildly as words began to form on her tongue. The words held weight and felt a little naughty. She let them sit for a moment, thinking about the consequences of little things over time. They were wrong, she knew it entirely but the excitement she felt was just as strong. She needed this, wanted to feel a little special to someone other than Tom. It did not have to go anywhere, it could be just for fun. "Cameron, you can't call me Ray...when Tom's around. He is, or was the only one who calls me Ray." She felt Cameron look at her but it was too dark to see anything. Good. She was sure she looked like a nervous girl.

"Okay. Understood, Ray."

A thrill shot through her and she smiled a private little one to herself. She tensed when the weight of his arm draped over her shoulders. After a moment of hesitation, Rachel allowed herself to be pulled close. She placed her head on his firm chest and heard the sound of his heart. It was beating fast like hers.