The Dead World Ch. 06

"Where do ya think he was goin'?"

"Hard to say... but I just know he's got a group out there, somewhere... maybe he was headed to meet up with them? He took a lot of supplies, enough for a long trip, or to feed a few others. Maybe he liked the idea of Raleigh." Skully stated coolly.

"Could've let us in on his lil' scheme, if that's where he was headed... woulda been happy to tag along," Slash mumbled. His brow furrowed, and a scowl played over his lips.

"We can't trust somebody like that. Nobody saw him loading up the Hummer. Didn't hear a peep out of him—not a clue how he even got the keys. He took a lot, man... almost like he had some help or something. I've looked all over this place, there's no one hiding here, no one else living here..." Skully ran a hand through his hair, pushing the dark locks back before he rolled his shoulders. The tension had yet to let up. They'd been here such a short time and he felt the most uncomfortable he had in weeks. Sitting still, and lounging in literal luxury; these things didn't quite feel real. It was abnormal.

What was worse, there was danger now lingering here. It hung thickly in the air, like a deadly gas... only his older brother was too fucking stupid to see it.

"...Dog?"

Skully chortled at that bit, and slowly reached for the hunting knife tucked into the holder on his right leg, gently removing the blade and daring to clean his nails with it.

"Nah. Probably Ruthless if anybody... Dog wouldn't cross me like that." Skully's eyes narrowed the slightest as he turned his gaze from his fingernails to Slash. "...He should know a good bit about the kid by now, though. He's been hanging around him for a long while. All week."

"Yeah... they're best fuckin' buds at this point. Always spot 'em lurkin' 'round together..."

Silence settled between them, an easy indication that both men were thinking hard about their next course of action. Their initial plan to force the group to go north, to find refuge with an actual live community of organized survivors, had now been pushed back. Transport enough for all of them was a rough find—the other vehicles in their caravan were outdated, unarmored, and harder to fuel. There were hundreds of reanimated now clawing at the front gates, too... thanks to the commotion.

"Tires that size ain't gonna be easy to come by. Gonna have ta make a run... a long one. Nearest city be our best bet. That or we take individual cars... even then, a run... gonna need to find the fuel for 'em all." There was bitterness in his comrade's tone of voice.

"No damage to the engine, right?"

Slash shook his head in response. "Not from what I can tell... windshield busted out, few bullet holes, and the back tires... still full o' shit too."

"Send me Dog." Skully tossed the hunting knife across the way, a thick thud echoing up the stairwell as it buried deep into the wall. "I want to know why he didn't come and tell me the kid was up to something. He's supposed to be keeping an eye on him. If the kid is all about wasting supplies with his foolishness, even with what he seems to know about surviving, it won't be worth it to keep him around. If he's unstable and flighty, he's a risk—a liability... Oz won't see that. Too busy trying to save the fuckin' world." Skully rolled his eyes.

"It's your last night on watch, right? Why don't you go down there... shake him up a bit? Try and get him to tell you what he knows, what he's been up to. Who he's trying to sneak off to save out there. Who knows, maybe he'll spill something worth knowing. Maybe he's trying to get back to his Ma? If that's the case, I'd be happy to help him bring her home..." The men laughed in unison as Slash headed back out the door they had come through, and Skully remained seated on the dark stairwell, his irritations subsiding, for the time being.

He hated when Oz undermined him, and he hated Oz's little crusades for saving youngsters and strays when all the world was going to shit. The dead became a second thought when it came to the rescue cases they could encounter with other groups of survivors.

Oz sure as hell didn't press any of the female strays they came across to join their group; they made a point to avoid women, especially those traveling alone. How obnoxious his brother could be. How easily he seemed to forget about the basic needs and cravings for human interaction his own men had for the sake of nobility and morality that no one—NO ONE—else in this world seemed to hold onto any longer.

He wondered deep down if the reason Oz made the decision to bypass lone women was because he didn't trust his men... or because he didn't trust himself? He tried his best to play the role of the noble savior, to back away slowly, to not intimidate... but Skully knew deep down Oz was just as sinful and human as any other living man. Maybe he just wouldn't be able to help himself if the opportunity presented itself. He stood and went to retrieve his hunting knife with a smug smirk, yanking the eight-inch blade from the wall and handling it with delicate fondness as he let his mind wander, seemingly delighted at the idea that his good and proper big brother was just as much a savage as any one of them. He toyed with the blade idly and waited for Dog to make his appearance.

Charlie paced her new, temporary accommodations. Occasionally, she moved to the curtains to peer fearfully beyond and make sure the cars were still piled against one another, subduing the massive crowding of the undead just beyond. She hadn't seen so many in one place in... she couldn't even remember how long. It had been far too long now since she had seen one up close—the decoy in the room down the way to help her slip out unseen had been it, and even that one was barely skin and bones of the person it had once been. It was quiet down that way now. No doubt the group had taken care of it when they first arrived. Sweat beaded her forehead, and her heart thumping erratically as she tried to calm her nerves... the anxiety was real.

These were different.

Their eyesight may not be the best at this point but their appetites and physical capabilities were terrifying compared to the starving rotters in the old moat. A group this large could easily overpower even a healthy living human, and it would be only seconds for them to commence ripping said person to pieces and devouring their remains.

The air seemed pervaded with the sickly miasma of decay, disrupting the calm and serenity of the ocean air, seeping into the unsecured tower carried on the high winds surrounding the resort. Her stomach churned. She swore she could hear their hands thumping against the cars and outgrown nails raking against metal... she could hear their teeth grinding in anticipation of a meal. They had not been frenzied, yet. They hadn't spotted life in the darkness, only heard the sound of gunfire and metal scraping harshly against metal when she crashed the Hummer into the bridge.

A sudden, soft knock on the door snapped Charlie's attention back behind her with a leap of hopefulness that Dog had finally returned to keep her company, while she was reduced to being the lookout for the passing herd of reanimated corpses. They were drawn by her careless actions, partially, and that was why she didn't dare argue against Oz's judgment.

Deep down, she wondered if it had been a good thing: being stopped just short of driving right into the mass of them. Even the Hummer would eventually find itself stuck after plowing through so many rotted corpses. Perhaps the foolhardy endeavor had saved her life.

She eagerly opened the door, expecting the younger man to be standing there, and finding no one... it took a spare few seconds for her to realize what was happening, but before she could slam the door closed once again and snap the deadbolt back into place, a hand caught the edge and easily pressed it back against her swing.

"Heeeey now, kiddo... can't hide in there all night... supposed to be keepin' an eye on 'em." Amused, Slash shoved the door the rest of the way open despite Charlie's desperate attempts to shut the door on him.

Charlie stumbled back a few steps, her heart skipping a beat, anxiously putting some distance between them. He did not enter the dark room, but rather, hooked a thumb in a belt loop and relaxed his posture as he leaned against the frame or the door. A smirk was curled over his lips, almost playfully, and he gestured with a set of fingers for her to come out.

She stood there for a long while, avoiding his gaze. A sharp whistle pulled her attention, and as she gritted her teeth and glared at him, she shuffled out of the room uncomfortably. Slash closed the door gently behind her before waving her to go forward down into the darkness of the hall.

"I'm on the shift with ya... y'know, it's my last day since our lil'... tussle in the hall last week. Luuuucky you, huh? Don't gotta be out here by yerself all night. Hey kid, no hard feelin's, right?"

"...We're cool..." She mumbled in irritation, looking nervously at the room across the hall from her own, the room Dog had said he would stay in. When she hadn't started walking Slash placed both hands on her shoulders from behind and began pushing her toward the main lobby. "Where's Dog? I... I thought you guys sent him to spy on me, or whatever..."

"When the Master calls, Dog goes runnin'... he ain't joinin' us tonight, pipsqueak. 'sides... Oz said yer in a hot mess. Yer s'posed ta be alone for that lil' stunt ya pulled earlier... but that's how ya like it right? Solo?."

She didn't know exactly what he meant. 'The Master'? She still had some vague idea that Dog had been called off by Oz. Someone must have noticed them hanging around together and called it out in private. She swallowed hard as they came near the front desk, her small boots scraping the carpet to stop him from pushing her toward the main entrance.

"This... this is good... I can see fine from... here..." Charlie couldn't keep the fear from her voice, which had become considerably quiet. Her cheeks burned, and she tried her best to avoid Slash's gaze, feeling as if the circumstances were causing her guise to melt away. The last thing she needed now was to be found out, especially by this man.

"What's wrong kid? Ya scared of 'em? C'mon... c'moooon! They ain't gonna getcha, don't even know we're in here!"

"No! Slash! Please... I don't—"

Her frantic protests quieted once Slash grasped her wrist, hard, and all but dragged her down the main hall to the entrance and before the unmoving sliding glass doors. It was hard to see through with years of dirt and dust caked onto it and spray paint scrawled across the front face of the building, but she could make the faint silhouettes of the many bodies piled hard against the barricade. She could hear their nails raking the rusted metal; their groans, croaks, screeches and hisses. Her stomach flipped. She felt lightheaded.

"They ain't gonna getcha... Jeeeez, when was the last time ya killed one?"

"Never." She blurted honestly.

Slash didn't laugh. He turned his eye on her, suspiciously, watching her shift uncomfortably behind him, and slowly, he started to walk a circle around Charlie. Sure enough, she turned bit by bit with every step, so that her back was never to him.

"Bullshiiiiiit—yer tellin' me ya been in here for six years, ain't never put down a biter? Not one?"

"Matt, my brother, he took care of them. He didn't want me to—"

"An' how many were here, when ya got here? Place was packed, right? People all crammed in here for shelter, an' yer tellin' me yer teenage brother killed a shit ton o' fresh walkers all by 'imself? How big is yer group, fer real? No point in lyin'. We gonna find out... sooner or later." He watched as Charlie backed away from him, and eventually, she was right where he wanted her. He advanced on her, pushing her back into the glass gently, igniting fear in the youngster he had yet to see. Oh, how sweet and innocent he looked, panicking at the soft thump of being pinned against the glass. "Ya think they heard us? Nah, we're good kid... we're all good here..."

"What the fuck are you doing?!" The hushed squeak of Charlie's voice was laced in panic, followed by a fearful whimper that brought a grin to Slash's lips, his hands curling around the ever so soft, slender neck of the youngster. He was gaunt, yes, but what weight Slash had to him was all muscle. He pressed the full of his body firmly into Charlie's petite frame, causing her to panic, and anxiously try to defend herself by crossing her arms over her chest to shield her most obvious assets from him. She began to shrink down wishing to curl into a ball at his feet, but was permitted to go only so far with the man's fingers tightening around her throat.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Best quiet down. I asked a question ya didn't answer. How many men were livin' here? How many women?" Slash's voice was deadly calm, and he brought his face dangerously close to Charlie's, his fingers squeezing the youngster's neck roughly and lifting her up against the fragile glass door. She was on the tips of her toes now, near gasping for air, her hands shifting to shove roughly into the man's chest before frantically clawing at the glass behind her as she tried to free herself from Slash's grip. She wanted to scream for help. She wanted to fight, thrash, and kick, but she was terrified of more than one thing at this point; too much noise would alert the hundreds of corpses being barely contained, just down the hill.

"I-I-can't... you-you're ch-choking me!"

He released her throat, and instead, moved to grasp her wrists and push her arms back against the glass as he leaned down. Charlie's soft brown eyes were forced to meet his own harsh green gaze. The amusement there, the desire, Charlie felt tears starting to swell in her eyes. He knows... he knows, he has to know now!

"Just me and Matt—I swear, it was only us—I-I keep telling you that! How can I get you to believe me?"

"Tell me where ya keep tryin' ta run off to. I'll go check it out myself."

"A cabin in the mountains—it's in North Georgia. It's far from here... B-But I have the map to prove it! My.. my... brother... he said if we were ever separated, that I should go there... it's safe—what? What are you doing?"

Slash didn't put more space between them as she told him what she thought he wanted to hear. He seemed to close in even more! He pressed a leg between her own and leaned in. She could feel the growing bulge against her thigh, and feel his lips brush against her cheek, sending streaks of lightning panic through every nerve ending.

"Yer cute, lil' shit... 'specially when yer scared. Ya afraid of me?"

"Yes!" If ever a time for dishonesty... but oh, lying was the last thing on her mind! She wanted him away from her! She'd tell him everything if he asked, just to get him away from her. A tear slipped from those wide, panicked eyes, racing down her cheek as her breath caught in her throat and she jerked her head away from him. "Stop! Please stop—"

"I ain't gonna hurt ya... c'mon now, what kinda guy do ya take me for? I'm just foolin' around, kid... relax—"

"I told you what you wanted to know!" Charlie pleaded desperately as Slash looped an arm around her waist, and she squirmed as he pulled her body against him, his lips teasing a small, rounded ear. "Stop, stop! STOP! SLA—mmph!"

His free hand curled across her mouth with deadly speed cutting her off mid-screech, his words a dangerous, husky whisper in her ear, "Shut... the fuck... up... yer being too fuckin' loud. Ya want 'em ta notice us?"

Bite him. Bite him. Bite him! Her mind echoed again and again, but he had begun to slowly pull back. He released her face and put a small distance between them, a reward for her obedience, if nothing else. He still had her body close enough to him to be pressed between his own and the sliding glass doors. He dropped her wrist, and took her chin between his fingers with that ever-entertained grin wide upon his lips.

"Chill out... I'm just foolin', kid! Ya know not all of us been so lucky to get all zen n' shit by the sea, enjoyin' our solitude n' shit. Ya start cravin' bein' close to somebody... anybody... when ya seen the kinda shit we have..." He held her fearful gaze, fingertips teasing her soft heart-shaped cheeks. "Yer soft, too... like a girl, almost... psh—chill the fuck out pipsqueak. I wouldn't do anythin' ya wouldn't love anyways."

"I don't want you touching me!" She couldn't keep the fury out of the words as they hissed from her lips, causing Slash to chuckle rudely in her face, and grasp her chin roughly in his hand.

"Yeah? I'm gonna fuckin' do it anyway." He leaned in and purred the words against her plush mouth with devious intent before pressing a forceful kiss upon her lips, reaching around to grasp her ass harshly, and only then did he free her from his grip with both hands raised in mock surrender.

She was livid, and shaken. Her soft caramel complexion had brightened several shades, cheeks red hot, her brow furrowed and nose wrinkled ferociously... and yet she couldn't just start screaming obscenities at him. She felt a sharp impulse to go darting back to the safety of the southern tower... or even the room she was restricted to down here. A part of her doubted her ability to outrun Slash, though.

As uncomfortable as being near the dead made her, she realized standing here limited him to how far he could take things... and somehow, someway, he hadn't pressed into her close enough to feel any abnormalities on her bound chest or in her jeans. If he came that close again she doubted she would be so lucky.

"Let's cut a deal, kid... I wouldn't ever ask somethin' for nothin'..."

"No! No deals, no trades—none of that bullshit! Don't fucking touch me, dude! Keep your goddamn hands off of me Slash! I'm warning you!"

"Ooooh man, MAN oh MAN! I'm scared of ya, pipsqueak! I really am! Damn terrified!" Slash howled with laughter as the boyish youth began to puff up. He all but slapped his damn knee as Charlie tried intimidating him. "Askin' permission is me bein' polite, kid. I'm gonna get what I want... I always do..."

"So you're just going to rape me? Is that it?!" Again, that snide, cruel laughter met her ears and boiled her blood just a little bit more. Slash even took a step back as if to bring Charlie a bit more comfort in the fact that he nearly took offense to her accusation, and he brought his hands up again, clicking his tongue at her in disapproval.

"Don't fuckin' insult me. If I wanted to do that, woulda done it already. I'm not fuckin' like that kid. Nah... see, like I said, it wouldn't be anything ya wouldn't love.. even if ya put up a bit'ova fight at first. I don't want to make ya do anythin' ya don't wanna. So, at least hear me out... I'll make it worth yer while."

"Give me a car, and let me leave... and I'll do whatever you want." Charlie blurted it out before she thought about it, and took him aback, almost. His expression mellowed and was unreadable for a long few moments as he toyed with the idea. His eyes brushed over the smaller male, anticipating how soft Charlie was beneath the layers of protective wear... but slowly, that coy, devious smile curled wide over his mouth. He leaned his weight back to one leg and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yer ask in' fer the only thing I can't do fer ya, kid... I mean, damn, I wish I could—I'd make that deal quick. That's outta my hands though, I'd get in a helluva lot of trouble if I just let ya drive the fuck off here only ta come back with a posse an' kill the shit out of me and all of my friends..."