The Dead World Ch. 07

How happy she would be, to reunite with her long-lost love again, if they were so lucky to even make it that far.

The reality was that he half expected they both might die on this trip. He'd crossed half the country and found a new threat waiting on every highway, in every city, around every corner... but he wouldn't tell her that. The impulsive drive to protect her was strong, even if it meant keeping the deadly truth to himself until a situation arose that made it so he couldn't anymore... they'd be better off trying for Raleigh.

The sun began to sink below the tree line at long last. With the last bit of daylight he had, he turned to deal with the rotters he had put down earlier, dragging the three bodies of the dead to a large garage space in the back of the rows of storage units to enclose them within' an empty lot, not wanting to leave any traces or apparent signs that there were living people occupying the gated facility.

There just wasn't enough time to map out a path ahead, scout the perimeter of the nearby town, clear their temporary accommodations and double back several miles through the wilderness to push the truck off the road, so he set that task for tomorrow at the first sign of daybreak and made his way through the rows of storage units back toward the main building.

Once inside the quiet, dusty building, he beelined for the fifth room on the right from the facility office. He knocked softly on the heavy metal door, five times, and opened it just enough to slip inside before pushing it back shut firmly and shoving a heavy desk to block it. No one would be coming inside without making a hell of a racket.

"You're wetter than a fish," Charlie teased with a grin, and Dog shook his head good-naturedly, sending droplets of rainwater spattering about before peeling the dark leather jacket from his thin arms. Charlie's goggles were slid back and off of his head, lengthy tendrils of inky black hair seeming even longer weighed down with rainwater. He flashed a lazy grin and kicked his boots off before flopping unceremoniously onto the nearest stack of mattresses with a soft, tired sigh, laying there motionless for a moment.

"I was starting to worry, you were gone so long... Are you going to sleep wedged between two mattresses to keep warm? You'll catch hypothermia running around in the rain like that."

Dog chuckled low in his throat, not at all accustomed to anyone's true concern. He sat up to struggle with the heavy, wet black shirt before finally rolling it upwards and off of his thin torso, and Charlie averted her eyes politely as he moved to undo his belt.

She barely heard him move from his stack of plastic enveloped mattresses when she turned her head away for a moment, half tempted to venture outside and see if there was any comfort to be had in the falling rain. She could feel the temperature dropping, though, and the idea of doing something that might lead to sickness was foolish in such uncertain times.

She shifted onto her back, staring at the light concrete ceiling above, "We should look through this place tomorrow... maybe we'll find something cool, or... useful..."

Her voice trailed off quietly as Dog moved onto the mountain of bedding Charlie had claimed as her own, a soft flush spreading onto her cheeks. Most of her own clothing had been splayed out on the hotel furniture in the storage unit to dry... she lay there now in only her sports bra and underwear, still damp from their trek through the woods. Her long, dark hair had been released from the elastic band she'd pulled it up with earlier, sweeping over her shoulders. It was hard for Dog not to stare.

"...I... guess it'll be smarter to sleep together, right? Warmer?" She caught the appreciative glint in his eye as he scooted across to curl at her side, bare as the day he was born. As he cozied up next to her she realized his pale skin was not only freezing, but rather scarred. He wasn't at all shy about encircling his arms around her waist and drawing her closer to him.

Charlie swallowed hard. She almost thought to protest, but her mind wandered back to their earliest meeting, and the deal they had made... her secret in exchange for simple comfort. Dog had stayed true to his word, so by all fairness that meant their agreement still stood, right?

Simple comfort was all he was after.

He buried his face against her neck and breathed her sweet scent... the smell of her skin, and still-damp hair. The rigidness her muscles coiled with at first slowly faded away as she realized Danny had no devious thoughts to act on, no salacious intentions other than simply holding her and stealing a bit of her warmth. She was far warmer than he was, that was for certain. He fought the urge to shiver as he rested there against her... pleasantly surprised that after a long few moments, Charlotte reached to draw thin linens around them and curled her slender arms around his torso.

"...Thank you, Daniel... for looking out for me. If it wasn't for you I don't know where I'd be right now, or what I would have done... so... thank you..."

Her voice was a comforting murmur, her lips pressed a delicate kiss to his forehead, and he nuzzled his face into her chest and melted to her affection. He felt very pleased with himself at all he'd accomplished today. Tomorrow, he'd go back to the truck and push it off the road—and perhaps see if there were deer to track in the area, or rabbits. He'd look through every unit in this storage facility for supplies they might be able to use... and he would help her get to where she was meant to be, no matter the cost.

The rain falling down upon the roof paired with fatigue from the long day of hiking through the forest, of scouting the area and securing their makeshift camp, Daniel dozed off in only a matter of moments holding the slim, nearly nude woman in his arms... and she was not far behind him, feeling at peace for perhaps the first time in years.

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