Blackbird's Fall (5 page)

Chapter
Seven

The
silence was deafening, and Maya’s face was void of emotion. Maybe she was
processing this, or maybe she saw Marius for the man he was—one of the evil
ones that had unleashed hell on Earth.

She
finally licked her lips and looked down at Sherman. “You don’t even look old
enough to be a scientist. I see them as old men with white hair and black
glasses.” She chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. She started petting
Sherman, and he could feel her emotions coming from her as if they were his
own.

“You
don’t look very old either.” He smiled.

“I’m
twenty-four.”

Damn,
she was young. “I’m thirty-nine.”

She
lifted her head and stared at him. “You don’t look that old.”

He
couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks … I think?”

She
smiled lightly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “So you made the
infection.” Maya stated it without phrasing it like a question.

He
breathed out and lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair. He needed
a haircut for sure. He’d been able to hack off longer pieces with his knife
while on the road, but he seriously needed to get it cut.

Why are you thinking about cutting
your hair when you should be explaining more important shit to her?

That’s
exactly why he was thinking of stupid things, because he didn’t want to face
this now that it was out in the open.

“Can
you explain it to me? Explain to me what happened?” The way she asked wasn’t
judgmental. She was curious, and he could understand that.

“I
don’t know what I can really say that would explain what is happening, because
truthfully we don’t know what in the hell happened, not really.”

“Tell
me anything.” She sounded more adamant now.

Taking
a deep breath, he leaned back on the couch, the food forgotten, and his
appetite vanished. “The immunization, at its earliest stages, was a medical
breakthrough. We saw properties of cell rejuvenation, documented cases in which
the immunization, which originally was just for a new strain of the flu, was healing
destroyed and mutated cells. That last part had been a fluke. The subject in
which this all came about had cancer, and we hadn’t known about it at the time.
They were one of the subjects that volunteered to do a clinical study with us,
and that’s when we noticed what was happening.”

She
stayed silent, but her focus was solely on him.

“We
studied what was happening, watching the miracle, medical breakthrough,
whatever you want to call it, and studied it, learned about it.”

“I
don’t understand what happened. Didn’t you see the infection effects early on?”

He
shook his head. “We were told by the higher ups to release the immunization
after one or two years of study. We tried explaining it wasn’t ready, wasn’t
fit for injection, but they wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t until it was out and
with the public that we started to see things changing. The immunization
properties were changing, mutating, and we couldn’t understand why. It had been
doing so well in the labs, was stable, and our tests subjects were fine. But,
after the fact, the other scientist and
myself
came to
the theory that possibly external elements had been a factor. We will never
know because too much time has passed, and the world is destroyed.”

He
thought about those clinical trials where they’d been required to stay in a
lockdown lab, the test subjects signing waivers, consent forms, and
documentation that mandated them to stay in the facility as long as they were
getting treatments.

“I’m
so confused. How can you have people that had gotten the immunization years
ago, show no signs of infection, but once it’s released into the community it
changes?” She sounded so confused, and he fucking hated that.

“I
don’t honestly have an answer. We couldn’t understand what was happening
either. We were ordered to stay in an underground bunker and keep working on
it, trying to find out what happened, and a cure.”

“And
you didn’t find anything,” she said with a flat voice.

He
shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve been wracking my head around all of this. It’s
just something that happened, and unfortunately it totally brought down a
plague.”

She
looked at him in the eyes, but didn’t say anything for long moments. When she
finally shifted on the seat he expected condemnation from her, maybe disgust.
He expected whatever she wanted to give, because he had already given it to
himself.

“And
you left the bunker? Why? I assume it was safe down there.”

That
wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “I left because I would have died down there.
It was nothing but a big coffin, and with two of the scientists dead because
they’d gotten the infection,” he left out the fact he’d been the one to kill
them, “I knew I had to get out.” He rubbed his hands on his pants, his body
tight. “I left a fellow scientist down there, but only because he didn’t want
to face what was above ground.”

“He
was smart.”

He
chuckled humorlessly, but nodded.

“I
didn’t mean you weren’t—”

“I
know what you meant, and there were times when I was on the road I thought
about going back. But I couldn’t stay down there. We were running low on
supplies, and dying so far underground, not being able to smell fresh air, feel
the sun on my face, wasn’t something I wanted to do. If I was going to die I
was going to die trying to help fix the mess I’d helped create.”

“This
isn’t your fault,” she said softly.

“It
is, Maya.”

She
smiled and shook her head. “This just escalated. It isn’t like you knew it
would mutate like it did, that it would change people. You sent it out thinking
it would help people, help cure cancer. How can you think you are to blame?”

He
wasn’t going to argue this with her, because she was trying to make him feel
better, trying to make him understand this wasn’t his fault. But it was, to a
point, and he wouldn’t be swayed to think differently.

“What
about your family? Did they survive all of this?” she asked with this tightness
in her voice.

He
looked at his hands in his lap. “When this all went down I sent out help for
them, wanted them to come to the facility. It was the only safe place for them
to be during all of this.” He let the silence hang between them for a few
seconds. “But my parents were older, frail even. I got word days later that
they found their bodies in their bedroom. They’d been attacked.” He scrubbed a
hand over his eyes.

“I’m
so sorry.” The way she said it was so genuine, so sincere, as if she knew the
pain of losing someone close.

She probably does.

The
silence stretched on again, but he didn’t have any words to speak right now. He
also didn’t want to envision what those soldiers had seen when they went after
his parents. As an only child, and both of his parents not having any siblings,
he was truly alone.

“We
can only look toward the future now, whatever future that might be.”

He
stared at her and nodded.

Breathing
out a sigh, she stood. “I’m going for a swim out back.”

“It’s
got to be cold as hell for a swim.”

She
smiled again, but it was still sad.

“Yeah,
but it helps me clear my thoughts, and I want to get in a few more before it
becomes really cold.”

He
didn’t remind her getting sick in this fucked up world wasn’t the best option.
It might still be warm enough that t-shirts and shorts were fine, but taking a
dip in the water was another story.

She
looked down at the food sitting on the tray, half eaten. “Make sure to finish
your food. You need all that protein to help heal you.” Maya smiled, and he
felt his whole body tighten. She had a little dimple in one of her cheeks, and
it made her look even more gorgeous. “If you want to get strong, and help out,
I need you to finish the food. I have some manual labor that needs to be done.”
She chuckled after she spoke, and went to walk past the couch.

He
reached out and grabbed her hand, shocking himself. She looked equally
surprised. “I don’t think you should go out there, and least not alone.”

“I’ll
be fine. Trust me, I know how to handle myself, and Sherman knows if someone is
close that shouldn’t be here. Besides, I’ve been here alone for months before I
found you.” She said that softly, not in an angry way, just in a matter-of-fact
tone.

“I
should come out there with you.”

She
looked sympathetic. “No offense, but you needed help coming into the living
room. Not sure you’d be much help out there.” She smiled, but it was a bit
forced. “I always take a swim, so I’ll be fine.”

And
before he could argue anymore she was gone and Sherman followed behind
.

It
took a few minutes before Marius finally finished his lunch. He stood and took
the tray with the dishes into the kitchen. The window above the sink faced the
back property and the lake, and although he saw Maya walking toward the water
and should turn around and give her privacy, he found himself rooted to the
spot. She bent down and rubbed her hand over Sherman’s head when they reached
the edge of the water, and a second later the dog jumped in. She had been
carrying a rifle, and when she set it down and started removing the various
other weapons she had stashed on her body, he couldn’t help but smile.

But
it was when she started getting undressed that he had to reach down and grip
the edge of the counter. He pressed his fingers into the metal, heard his nails
scrape along it, and knew he was being a motherfucker for even watching her.
She didn’t get nude, but her white panties looked small, and her bra was white,
too. Those would be transparent once she was in the water. He wanted to go out
there and make sure she was protected, be her guard while she swam, but she was
right that he wouldn’t be much help.

That doesn’t mean you can’t stand
watch for her, even if she doesn’t know it.

When
she started swimming he moved from the sink and grabbed the gun that was
leaning against the wall beside the front door. His cock was hard, but there
was no going around getting that fucker to go down. He wanted Maya.

He
stepped onto the front porch, and walked around to the side. Leaning against
the banister, he scanned the woods, keeping his eyes trained on anything that
was suspicious. Aside from a flock of birds that flew overhead everything was
silent, still almost.

He
turned his focus back on Maya, and saw her swimming toward him now. Her moves
were elegant, fluid, and as the water rippled away from her, all he could think
about was how her bra and panties would be soaked, transparent. God, he was so
hard up for her, but he knew nothing could happen between them. She might still
want him to leave, even if she’d mentioned him getting strong to help around
the farm. They hardly knew anything about each other, and he even knew less
about her than she did him. She’d gotten up far too soon during their
conversation, and he knew it was because she didn’t know what to make of his
involvement in the infection.

He
was leaning against one of the banisters on the porch, and he knew from her
location she couldn’t see him, not clearly at least, so watching her made him
feel like an even bigger asshole. But despite telling himself to leave he
couldn’t stop staring in aroused lust as she climbed out of the pond. Sherman
was next to climb out, and with a massive shake he succeeded in getting the
water off of him.

She
grabbed her hair and started
wringing
it out, and all
Marius could do was watch as the water dripped down her body. Even from the
distance he could see the transparency of her undergarments, of the fact a dark
triangle of her pussy hair was visible through her panties.

“Fuck,”
he said under his breath, and felt his cock give a jerk. He was being a voyeur
right now, and should have felt disgusted enough with himself to turn away. And
then she lifted her head and he swore their eyes locked. For a second they just
looked at each other, and then he felt like the biggest fucking asshole. He
turned and headed back toward the front of the house, telling himself he’d stay
by the front door and watch the woods until she was inside.

He
just needed to get his erection under control so she didn’t see him as some
depraved pervert.

Chapter
Eight

Maya
stared at the table that she’d set for dinner. When she’d gotten back into the
house after her swim several days ago, she’d felt this funny sensation moving
through her. Marius had been watching her, and most likely had seen more of her
body than she’d intended to. The fact was she’d needed that swim to help clear
her head after what he’d told her. She’d used that pond since she’d gotten here
to help her relax, knowing that it was one of the few comforts she had left.
And when he’d told her about being one of the scientists that had created the
immunization she hadn’t known how to process it all.

Swimming
had been her first thought.

Ever
since then she’d been thinking about Marius in a way she shouldn’t, in a way
that was dangerous. It had only been a little over a week since he’d been here,
and she should be on high alert around him. But she wasn’t, not anymore. He’d
been helping her around the house even though she wanted him to rest. He was
stronger, that was for sure, and she couldn’t help but admit watching him fix
the little things, seeing his muscles flex beneath his skin, made her wet and
tingle between her thighs.

She
knew it wasn’t his fault that the immunization had mutated the way it had, but
she also knew he blamed himself. There was something very noble about that,
something that told Maya this man would take a bullet even if it weren’t
intended for him. He didn’t have to tell her any of that, didn’t have to admit
his involvement, but he’d been honest. That went a long way with her.

Tonight
she was making a nice dinner for them. She’d even cracked out one of the
bottles of wine that had been stored in the cellar. Winter would be fast
approaching, and although she was working hard to ensure she wouldn’t freeze to
death, she was also thinking about other ways to stay warm.

Get it together.

She
heard Sherman barking and went over to the window to look out of it. The sun
was setting, but she could see Sherman and Marius coming from the greenhouse.
She’d told him she needed some fresh herbs, but he’d insisted on going and
getting them himself.

Sherman
starting jumping, trying to play with Marius, and she knew, just by the way she
felt and how Sherman acted, that Marius wasn’t one of those “bad men”. Maybe it
was naive and stupid for her to think so, but it was the truth, and how she
felt. She relied on her instincts, had to in this new world, and her instincts
told her that if he’d wanted to hurt her he could have ten times over by now.
But he’d been helpful and kind to her. She’d also caught him staring at her
more times than not, and that had her already growing arousal becoming more
noticeable.

He
came inside just minutes later, and before he rounded the corner she smoothed
her hands down the dress she’d put on. It wasn’t anything fancy, was even one
her grandmother had owned when she’d been younger. But it was the only feminine
thing she’d found, and she wanted to look delicate for him, wanted him to see
her without the dirt smudging her face or the wrinkled tomboy clothing she wore
when she worked around the yard.

“I
forgot to ask you what kind you wanted and how much, so hopefully this is
enough—”

His
words stopped when he lifted his head from the basket and stared at her. For a
second they just stood there facing each other, neither speaking nor moving. He
lowered his gaze up and down her body, and she heard and saw him swallow.

God, him looking at me like that,
watching me like how a man watches a woman he wants, has
me
so wet.

Marius
looked at the table next, and she knew he was surprised by the expression that
covered his face. “What’s this?”

She
felt herself blush. “I thought we could have an adult meal.” Walking over to
the table she held up a bottle of wine. “Found it in the cellar.”

He
smoothed one hand over his torn pants, and nodded. “I’m grossly underdressed
for this.”

She
smiled again and set the bottle on the table. “It’ll be a little while longer
for the food to finish cooking, so you can change if you want.” They stood
there staring at each other for a moment too long, a second longer than what
was comfortable. All she could feel was the pounding of desire in her veins.
Maya was aware of the fact Marius watched her with this clear heat, this
arousal that he tried to fight, that he tried to hide.

“Yeah,
okay,” he said with a harsh, gravelly voice, and ran his hand over his hair.
“Let me just put something clean on and wash up.”

And
before she could move or say anything he was walking past her. The scent of
masculinity, of all male, filled her head as he walked by her and a breeze
moved over her. She closed her eyes, clenched her hands into fists, and told
herself she wasn’t some hormonal teenager. She could control herself and how
she felt for someone.

This isn’t like how it used to be. This
is a desperate world, filled with hate and loss, death, and sorrow.

When
she heard him ascend the stairs she breathed out a lungful of air and braced
her hand on the table beside her. She could get through this without acting
like she had never been with a man before, that she didn’t know how to control
herself and how she felt.

Maya
could make this work, because that was the only way they would get through
this. Sleeping with him would complicate things, would change things between.

But it might be for the best. It
might be exactly what should happen.

He
was back downstairs ten minutes later, a fresh shirt and pair of pants on, and
his hands and face cleaned. She’d give him her grandfather’s old clothing. It
was outdated, but they’d been about the same size and it worked for him.

“It
smells delicious, Maya,” Marius said in a deep voice.

“Thank
you. I hope it tastes okay.” This was the first “real” meal she’d had since all
of this had gone down, and she knew it was probably the same for Marius. She
didn’t have much she could spare, especially not since she was trying to stock
up for winter, but she’d gotten some fish out of the pond, had a few canned
potatoes in the cupboard, and even opened one of the jars of peaches. The
cellar had been stocked nicely with canned items. Her grandfather, who had been
a farmer and a manly man all the way through, had also canned fruits and
veggies, even some salmon and chicken. The cellar had two large shelves with
just those canned goods alone.

“I’m
sure it’ll be incredible.” He was looking at the table, and she gestured for
him to take a seat. “This will be the first ‘real’ meal I’ve had. I mean you’ve
been taking care of me, but I haven’t had a sit down meal since before all of
this happened.”

“Me
either,” she said and took a seat. “Dig in.” Maya started serving some of the
veggies and put the peaches on a small plate. She was nervous, because she knew
what she’d like to do tonight, knew she’d like to finally give in to her
desires, even if she shouldn’t want to. A lot of things went through her mind,
things that said a platonic relationship with Marius might not be realistic,
but that it was what was smart. Once people slept together the whole dynamic of
things changed, and sometimes that wasn’t for the best.

She
popped the cork on the wine and poured them both a glass. As they ate and drank
their wine in silence, she felt like this thickness was between them. Marius
seemed distant, although he was polite. He just seemed like he was keeping this
wall up.

Had
she totally read him wrong? Had the looks he been giving her, the ones she
thought were filled with desire, nothing but her need to be with him?

“You
never really told me your story.”

She
looked up from her plate. “My story?”

He
nodded and took a bite of the fish. “What you were doing before all of this,
where you came from.” He continued to eat and watch her. “I’m curious about
you, but didn’t want to pry. I figured you would tell me when you were ready,
if you were ready.”

She
didn’t say anything at first, and although after the infection she’d become
distant with strangers, not sharing anything about herself because that opened
her up, made her vulnerable. But she’d grown to put more trust in Marius and
this strange kind of relationship they had. Would he leave once he was fully
healed? She checked his wound every day and it was healing, with no sign of
infection, but she also knew that asking him to stay would change everything,
as well.

“I’m
from Thornton originally. I was with my parents when everything went down, and
we just stuck together.” She stared at her plate of food, suddenly losing her
appetite. “We stayed put for months, waiting to see if the infection would die
out, or if the government would be able to get it under control.” The memories
of what she’d lost, of what she’d had to do to her parents, played in vivid
color in her head. Grabbing her glass of wine she poured it full, and then
sucked it down. She refilled it, mindful of Marius sitting across from her
silent, still.

“You
lost your family.” He stated it without forming it as a question.

She
nodded, and drank off the second glass of wine. “Yeah. My father had gotten
bitten, and he turned a week later. Up until that point I tried to make him
comfortable, all the while knowing he wasn’t going to be with us for much
longer.” She lifted her head and looked at Marius. “Yes.” She didn’t know if
she should divulge, but she figured if they were going to get closer, and if
she was going to broach the subject of him staying long-term—if she was going
to do that—she needed to be honest.

“I’m
sorry about that.”

She
looked down at her food again. “My father turned from the infection and killed
my mother. I ended up shooting both of them.” The tears were going to come on
fiercely, and she needed to stop them, to be strong. She finished off her glass
of wine, refilled it again, and drank half of it. The fact she didn’t have any
food in her belly yet, and that she was sucking down alcohol, had the buzz
coming on with an intensity that startled her.

“We’d
planned on coming up here when things got calm, when it was safer to travel. We
should have left sooner.” She whispered the last part. She finished off her
wine, not going to cry, or at least telling herself that. “So, I came up here
after they were … gone, and started to live my life and survive. I’ve been up
here for the last few months, and until you came along you’re the only healthy
human I’ve seen.”

He
didn’t speak, didn’t even move, it seemed. But then he rose and walked toward
her. She was frozen, wondering what he planned on doing. He helped her out of
the chair and pulled her in for a hug. All he did was hold her, rub her back,
and tell her he was sorry but that things would be okay.

Maya
wanted to believe that, and being in Marius’s arms had her feeling like everything
could start to be good, be better.