Lovin' in the Apocalypse Ch. 06

Rachel looked at Tom seriously. "Next time, you should give her what she deserves."

"Next time?" Tom had been close to dozing off. He looked up and tried to get a read of Rachel's face.

"Yeah, next time. Take a bigger bite. See what she tastes like. Just, you have to tell me about it after. Every single detail."

Tom laughed, not sure how to take her. "That's a pretty good deal. Almost too good."

Rachel cuddled up next to Tom, feeling a cold wet spot on the mattress. She shivered but did not move. It was kind of hot laying in their own mess. "Yeah, you'd be crazy not to take it."

She listened to his breathing as Tom fell asleep. Rachel thought about all that was just said and what she wanted him to do. Because she did want it. She wanted him to cheat on her. But, was it cheating if she knew about it and told him it was okay? No, it had to be something else at that point. And why on earth would she give him that permission in the first place? Rachel tried to uncover what was making her feel that way but all she could picture was Kelsey's cocky smile. It should have made her mad. The girl wanted Tom and thought she had the right to offer herself to him. Even though Rachel was right there. Something about that made her stomach squirm in delight. She would have to examine that later.

*

"Oh shit! Good morning!" Cameron's hand was floating in the air as if he was about to knock. "I was just coming over to see you."

Rachel's eyes widened when she saw Cameron. She felt immediately self conscious about her disheveled appearance. Rachel only put clothes on to go to the bathhouse. She subconsciously tried to straighten herself up. "Uh! Hi Cameron. I was just headed to the bathroom." She laughed awkwardly. "Didn't know you were stopping by." Damn this was embarrassing. Cameron looked well dressed and together, like he had been up for a while.

"It's okay, I can come back later." This is the first time Cameron saw Rachel like this. She was thrown off guard and wholly herself at this moment. He found her awkward bumbling to be endearing. "I was in the area, no big deal."

"That's ridiculous, man you're here now." Tom came up behind Rachel, pulling a shirt on. "You can come in but the place is a mess. Hope you don't mind, we had a long night."

The place was not that messy but Cameron had to resist the urge to scrunch his nose. The shack reeked of sex. The air inside still hummed with the energy the two of them made while spreading this scent. Again, Cameron felt jealous and wondered if he and Rachel could make a better, stronger smell. He felt annoyed at himself. 'Damn. I need to get laid.'

"Sorry," Tom tried to straighten the blankets on the bed. "We did a lot of, well, stuff last night."

"I'll be back." Rachel hurried out of the shack.

Cameron laughed. "I can tell. Plus, your neighbor, Miss Susan came by the hub today to request a move. Turns out, you guys put on quite a show."

Tom felt his jaw open in shock. "Oh my God. Man, I'm so sorry. I guess I knew we weren't being quiet but I didn't realize it was that loud."

Cameron laughed again. "Hey man, don't sweat it. Susan didn't have anything bad to say, hell I think she was happy for you two. She just likes to go to sleep early."

"Yeah, okay. I'm still sorry. We'll be quieter from now on."

"You don't have to do that. I reckon you two stayed quiet while on the road. It must be nice to be able to let some of that out."

"It is nice. Thanks Cameron."

"No sweat. But there is something else I wanted to see you two about." Cameron started to dig through his backpack as Rachel came back in. She had taken some time to clean herself up in the bathhouse. "Good, you're back. These are for you guys." Cameron held out a pack of fun sized candy bars.

"Whoa!" Rachel snatched the pack. "This is chocolate! Where did you get this?"

"We keep a bit tucked away for special occasions. You two completed your first mission for New Washington. Seemed appropriate to reward you."

Eight fun sized candy bars flew in wild directions as Rachel ripped the pack apart. She snatched one out of mid air before it could escape her range. Like a starving dog, she dug the candy bar out and put the whole thing in her mouth. "Oh mah gawd!" Rachel moaned with her mouth full as her eyes rolled. "Is so guud!" Both men watched Rachel have a nearly orgasmic experience with similar thoughts in their minds.

"You guys enjoy those but don't expect it every time. And we got a couple of days before team 5 is scheduled back with the trailers so, sign up for some guard shifts in the meantime."

"Sounds good. It'll be nice staying home for a few days. Kinda like the new world vacation." Tom opened one of the candy bars and ate it slowly.

"Thanks for the chocolate. It's been a while." Rachel wiped her lips. "Where do we sign up for gate duty?"

"Down at the Hub. We can get you some time slots but you guys are newbies so expect some of the less ideal spots. The old timers pretty much got their choice and the good scraps get gobbled up quick."

"Good to know. Thanks Cameron. We'll clean up and see you down there." Tom smiled, obviously in a much better mood today. The reason was obvious from the state of their shack.

*

"Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, immoral, the imposters...like me." Bruce looked up from his worn Bible and let the rest of the passage flow through his thoughts. Quiet moments like this were made for introspection and he made sure to use free time for just that. The old leather Bible was not his own. He found this one in a burned out camp while searching for anything useful. Normally he would have just overlooked the book and kept digging but a picture of a little girl slipped out of the cover and for a second, Bruce had seen the face of his own lost child. He could recognize a sign when he saw one.

Bruce liked being out here, away from the complex. He was never much of a people person and living that close to strangers was nerve racking. Sitting up here in a tree with his own thoughts and the sounds of nature was about as good as life could be. Too bad it could not be this simple. Bruce was independent but could not grow crops. He could not sow or treat wounds and those were just the surface of needs. Bruce needed help to survive this level of hell with any longevity. For that was the test God has given him. To atone for his life of sin and join his family in heaven, he must survive. That was the test of all the sinners left alive. Last man standing gets the prize.

Bruce leaned back against the tree and sucked the wad of chewed jerky that was stuffed in his lip. The meat was nearly flavorless but it was something to do. Oh how he missed chewing tobacco. The sun was getting low, almost too low to keep reading so Bruce stowed his Bible and used a few lengths of rope to secure himself to the tree. He could get a few hours of rest without having to worry about falling out. Sleeping in a tree was not the most ideal spot but it was one of the safer places. The infected rarely look up and the healthy never do. He could have made camp in the house across the street, it looked to be in decent shape but he had gotten a strange feeling while looking at it.

Not long after sunset, Bruce was surprised to see headlights moving slowly towards his direction. "Damn fools. Cutting it close." Traveling at night was a good way to end up dead. The way these people moved into the driveway of the house across the street said they knew it was getting dicey too. They did not even come close to spotting him so Bruce just hunkered down and watched the strangers. They pulled the two trucks with enclosed trailers into the house driveway and moved quickly into the house.

After a few minutes, long enough for them to clear the house, the 8 strangers came back out. They quietly and efficiently moved their vehicles into tactically sound positions and moved some comfort items into the house. They were skilled and smooth, Bruce could tell they worked together well. He could see them easily enough, they were using dim lights. He still pulled binoculars up to see if he could get some more information. Within 15 minutes of their arrival, the group was settled in and the silence of the night fell back over the area.

It was harder to see what they were up to now that they were not moving around with lights. Plus the moon was too small to offer good light. He occasionally spotted one of them moving around, keeping watch for their sleeping comrades. Dave had been right about these people. They were strong and well organized. Bruce did not doubt he could kill the watchers and steal one of their trucks before they knew what hit them. But he had better ideas. He would be able to see what direction they go from here. Tracking them would be pretty easy after that. According to Dave's directions, he was getting close to that camp.

Bruce dozed, periodically watching the house across the street. When the grey light of early morning started to brighten the sky, Bruce carefully climbed out of the tree and ducked into some tall weeds. He did not want to be so exposed when that group began to move around. One of them might be a bird watcher. Bruce pulled his flask out and shook it near his ear. One little sip was all that was left, just enough to put the taste on his tongue. He put the flask away. He always saved the last drop for her, no matter how thirsty he was.

When the sun was good and up, the group of survivors packed their trucks and prepared to move out. Two of the people pulled hoses out of the truck beds and refilled the tanks. The scent of diesel fuel carried over to his hiding place. Bruce was tempted to watch them through the binoculars but the sun was wrong for that. They might catch a reflection on the lenses. "Four to each truck," Bruce muttered to himself. "Capable of traveling a good distance away." He continued to make technical observations until the trucks pulled away.

Bruce stayed where he was for a while, just in case they had forgotten something. When he was sure he was in the clear, he stood up out of the brush and stretched his cramped and arching limbs. He could move more casually now that he had a direct direction to follow. Bruce uncovered his bike that was hidden in the same brush. He was excited about being able to abandon that ridiculous looping pattern he used to search with. A nice straight ride was just what he needed to clear his thoughts. That and a stiff drink.

The old bike coughed then came to life between his legs. The bike was far too quiet for his taste. A good bike should roar when going down the road. But times were what they were. Bruce kicked it into gear and swerved onto the road. The wind felt good in his long hair and beard. Careful not to get distracted by the good feeling, he maintained an even pace and followed the road. He did not need to stay close to the trucks. The tracks left by their tires through the growth and debris on the road would be easy enough to follow.

*