Broken Dreams (30 page)

Oh, god, he was so sexy. I would’ve had him again right at that moment if he wanted to.

“You going to stay the night, or are you running away for good?” I kind of surprised myself. I wanted him close to me all night long, even though I knew nothing about him. For all I knew, he could’ve been a serial killer.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He ran his hand through my hair and kissed me on the forehead. “I would like to stay, but only if you want me to. I don’t work weekends so I’m available for a slumber party.” He smiled and winked.

My body started buzzing again. I could only imagine what staying in bed with him for a couple days straight would be like.

“Well, lucky for you,” I tapped him on the nose, “I just got fired from my job, and I’m free until…whenever.”

He laughed. “Looks like I get to hold you all night and some of the morning then.” We snuggled up closely under the covers together, and we may or may not have gone for round two in the middle of the night.

***

I woke up to Henry playing with my hair. I groaned and stirred under his touch. “Good morning, my love,” he rasped. I smiled at him.

“Morning.” I sat up and kissed his amazing lips. “Did you sleep well?”

“Considering that I don’t sleep much to begin with, the sleep that I did get was amazing, but it was because I was next to you.”

“You are such a charmer.” He smirked. He knew what he was doing to me, and I didn’t mind falling for his tricks. “I think I’m going to go start some coffee.”

“Sounds great. Mind if I hit up your shower?”

“Go for it.” I got up and heard him groan as I walked out of the bedroom in my birthday suit. I couldn’t believe that I did that. It was so out of character for me. There was just something about him. He already had a hold over me, after only forty-eight hours of knowing him. He was already a drug to me.

When I got back to the bedroom, he was in the shower. I knocked on the door and asked if I could come in. “Of course,” he said.

I pulled back the shower curtain, and he was already rock hard. “Sorry. Seeing you strutting off like that… You’re so damn sexy.” I smiled and stepped into the shower. After I pulled the curtain closed, I dropped to my knees. “Jesus Christ,” he whispered. I took him into my mouth, and he grabbed on to the curtain rod, holding on for dear life. He cursed into a moan. I wanted to please him, much like he did me, and I was pretty sure that I succeeded.

-November 2014-

“Earth to Elaina…”

“Huh?” Suddenly, I realized I was deep in thought. I hoped I hadn’t made any moaning sounds while thinking about that stellar night.

“Hey, come on. You zoned out. Let’s go get a drink. Remember, Henry brought back that stash of booze.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Okay. I guess I could go for a couple of drinks. I should really chat with Nick some. I am sure he is feeling awful, like the rest of us.”

“Yeah, he is,” Claire mumbled.

“Have you talked to him about everything, including Jenna?” I felt like I missed something.

“When you were out earlier, we chatted some.” She paused and I could tell she was holding in her emotions. “He cried, Elaina. It was awful to see him that way. I did my best to comfort him, and held him until he calmed. I didn’t know what else to do for him.”

“I’ve been a horrible sister. I haven’t been there for him at all. He really needs me, doesn’t he? I’m probably the only family he has left.” I had been trying to come to terms with the fact that we would probably never find my mother. Claire didn’t respond, but I think she was thinking the same thing. I got up and headed out to the kitchen so I could be with Nick.

Henry was sitting at the breakfast bar, clutching yet another near empty bottle of whiskey and eating while staring off into space. The lit candle near his face made him glow. My heart skipped as I stared at his beauty. I told myself to cut the shit. I was supposed to be angry with him.

I startled him when I appeared through the darkness, but then he said in a soft, drunken voice, “I’ll go in the other room.” He began to stand up.

“Wait. You can stay. It’s your home.”

Then he looked at me with dead eyes. “It’s not a home without you.” His words cut through me. We locked eyes and my breath hitched, but I made myself snap out of it. I lifted my chin, pretending that I was strong.

“We were just grabbing a bottle of booze, and I was going to chat with Nick.” I looked past him, but Nick wasn’t in the usual place on the couch. I turned and looked around. “Where is he?” Henry was looking down, picking apart the napkin he was using. “Henry, where is Nick?” He didn’t answer. Panic hit me. “Claire, go check and see if he’s in the other bedroom or bathroom.”

“Don’t bother,” mumbled Henry, before he poured the rest of the whiskey down his throat.

“What?”

“He isn’t here.” Again with the mumbling.

“Where is…Wait, Nate is gone, too! Oh, my god. Henry, did you send them out at night?”

“No. Sophie needed to go out, and I told her to take them. Shit. Yeah, I guess I did send them out.” He put his hand on his forehead to shade his guilt-ridden eyes.

I stormed up to him, twisted his shirt in my fist, and pulled him right to my face. “You motherfucker! You risked my brother’s life for Sophie?”

“What do you mean
needed
?” Claire had a knack for listening, unlike me. I missed the “needed” part. I let go of him, and waited for his response.

“I…um…I didn’t mean needed. Okay, maybe I did. Bloody hell.” He scrubbed his tired, drunken face with his hands. I saw the sparkle of my ring on his pinky.

“Now is your chance! Fucking tell me! Spill it!” I was so angry that I was shaking. Henry looked into my eyes and his were full of sadness. They were already swollen from all of his crying earlier. When he blinked, a tear silently trickled down his cheek.

Chapter 12

o, where are we going?” Nick was frustrated. Nate sat silent in the back of the Tahoe. Sophie’s nerves were buzzing with excitement.

“To hell and back, darling.”

Nate sighed. “Can we stop with the games?” He was beyond irritated. “You people are a bunch of damn loons.”

“Ha! You are a silly one, Nate. Such a tosser.” She chuckled.

“I don’t understand what is so funny! We are driving around at night, looking for god-knows-what and, at any moment, we could be eaten by one of those things!” Nate pointed out the side window.

“Detour!” Sophie slammed on the brakes, whipped the truck around to the left, and floored it. Everyone tilted, feeling like they were inside a pinball machine.

“Sophie! What the fuck…?” They slammed right into an undead. The body split in two. His upper torso flew up the hood and smashed against the windshield, causing it to crack. The bottom half went under them and the truck rocked as the body got caught under the wheels. There was blood and gore everywhere.

“Oh, god.” Nick felt his stomach churn. That was a little too much for him.

“Woo hoo! Take that, you nasty bugger!”

Nick was disgusted by how proud Sophie was of her achievement. “Oh, my god. You really are mental, aren’t you? You do understand that was a person at one time, right?”

“Meh…yeah, I guess.” Sophie shrugged.

“Seriously, what if that was your family member? Wouldn’t you want them to be treated with at least a
little
bit of respect?” She shrugged again. “Seriously?” Nick shook his head in disbelief.

“I don’t have any family, Nick. I never have.” It pained her to say that, but it was the truth. “The only person that I’ve ever cared about was Henry, and he was the only person that cared about me. I have to step back from him. Not by choice, but that’s how it’s going for me.” She was hurt, and it was evident in her words. She missed Henry. He was all that she ever had.

“But isn’t Henry your family?”

“No, not anymore. He’s just a friend now. Elaina is his family.” Sophie brought the truck to a screeching halt. “Look, can we not talk about Henry and me anymore, please?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Nick felt a little embarrassed, but he was still irritated by her blatant disregard for the person the undead used to be.

“Look. Let’s go in there and see if there are any supplies left for us to take.”

“A blood bank?” Nate didn’t like the idea.

“Yeah, medical supplies. You never know what we’ll need.”

“I think that’s the one Henry worked at,” Nick said as he looked around.

“Haven’t a clue,” Sophie mumbled.

“Whatever.” Nate sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Sophie pulled up to the front entrance and asked for one of the flashlights that was jammed in the pockets behind the front seats. Nate passed it to her. She shined the light in the front windows, looking for undeads.

“Stay here, both of you. I am going to go in and grab some supplies.”

“Oh no. Absolutely not!” Nick shouted. “You are not going in alone. I don’t want to deal with the wrath of Henry if something happens to you.”

“Let her go alone. One less mouth to feed.” The disdain in Nate’s voice was quite evident.

Sophie whipped around and, unexpectedly, pointed her Sig right between his eyes. “Shut it! Or you will find yourself in a bit of a pickle. Got it?” Nate nodded, slowly. Nick just sat there shaking his head, wondering when he had hopped on the crazy train.

“Henry will be pissed if we let you go alone. I can’t let that happen.” Nick opened his door.

“Fine. Nick, you come inside with me. Nate, you can stand guard outside the front door.”

“You want me to stand guard outside?” Nate’s voiced squeaked.

“I am speaking English, yeah?” She snipped at Nate. “I know I have an accent, but I do believe Queen’s English is essentially the same basic language as yours.”

“Calm down, Sophie. Nate will stand outside. I think he’s in shock that you trust him with this important job.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” Nate sighed.

“You do this, Nate, and we will hit up a designer store and you can pick out whatever your little heart desires. Tab is on me.” Nate rolled his eyes and wondered if she was trying to get Nick alone so she could seduce him.

“Sure. Whatever.” He sighed again.

“Get your packs on and let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Nick hopped out when Sophie did. Nate, being his typical self, took his sweet ass time.

Sophie went to the door of the facility. She tested it and, unsurprisingly, it was unlocked. Nick came up next to her. She whispered, “Does your watch work?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s set a timer for ten minutes. Once the timer goes off, make a dash back to the entrance.” Nick swallowed hard. He wasn’t keen on splitting up. Henry had specifically said that there was to be no splitting up.

“So many things can go wrong in that short of a time span. Henry would want us to stay together.”

Sophie stifled a laugh. “I can handle myself, Nick. You mustn’t forget that I was trained, just like our fearless leader.” He shook his head. What was he going to do? He set the timer on his watch for ten minutes. “I’m going to go in, and you follow behind to cover me. Then, once we get in, we’ll figure out which way we will go.” Nick reluctantly agreed. He looked back at Nate, who was scanning the surrounding area.

“Henry is going to kick my fucking ass,” Nick grumbled.

“Don’t worry. I will handle him if he goes crazy.”

Sophie and Nick crept into the blood bank, guns ready and flashlights on. Sophie stopped abruptly before making it to the reception desk. There was an island near the back of the waiting room directly across from the entrance. There was a resounding putrid odor and a low humming sound in the background.

Sophie turned towards Nick. She pointed to herself and then to the right side of the desk. She motioned him to go to the left side. He didn’t like the idea, but he agreed. Nick tried to keep his breathing even. His nerves were starting to show. He wiped the sweat off his brow.

There were two doors on either side of the reception area. Sophie stopped before she went down the hall. She flashed the light at Nick. He gave her the thumbs up, and they both went down their separate hallways.

***

Nick pushed open the swinging door, wondering what he would face as soon as he stepped through it. He was worried about going in on his own. His shirt, laden with sweat, was stuck to his body. He feared what would happen to Elaina if he died. She was already on the verge of snapping. Then he thought about Claire.

It pained Nick, knowing that one of his last moments with her was him crying like a baby onto her shoulder. It was so embarrassing, but he couldn’t hold his emotions back anymore. He needed to stay strong for Elaina, regardless if she had Henry next to her or not.

He quickly shone his flashlight around the area. The hallway was narrow with a few offices on both sides. His heart raced and his breathing quickened. He knew that, at any moment, someone or some
thing
could take him out. He stopped to gather himself and to try to breathe normal.

“Grow a pair, you bitch,” he whispered, and forced himself to continue on.

The further he crept down the hallway, the stronger the putrid odor became. He put the back of his hand over his nose to try to block some of the smell. Nick knew the scent of death would never leave him, no matter how much he tried to stop it from creeping into his sinuses. It would dig a crevasse in his brain and neatly tuck itself away. When he least expected it, it would tap him on the shoulder, and the haunting would start all over again.

Nick debated opening doors to find the source of the smell. When he looked toward the back of the hallway, he could see a dim light under the farthest door. He focused the flashlight on his watch. Seven minutes remaining.

He decided to forego the offices, and headed straight to the door at the end of the hall. He lay down on the floor, trying to see under it, but there wasn’t much clearance.

He could hear low grunting sounds. A slow shadow staggered by. It made him recoil. Nick got up and tried to gather himself again. He knew he needed to go in and check it out. His mouth was parched. His breathing was becoming even more rapid by the second. He cracked his neck and knuckles, then jumped up and down a few times, trying to prep himself for what he was about to see and smell.

Again, he thought about Elaina, and what would happen to her if he wasn’t around to watch over her. His thoughts traveled to Jenna, then to Claire. He clutched his chest as his heart began to ache. He felt like he was facing certain death.

“This is no time to think, Nick. Stop being a pussy and go in,” he whispered to himself, while positioning his body against the door. It was another swing door, like the one up front. He counted to three in his head.

***

Sophie waited a solid minute after Nick went down the left hallway. She crept back to the front doors. She saw that Nate was pacing around on the sidewalk. Once he was out of sight, she slowly opened the door and saw him standing on the corner. Sophie smirked. She walked out to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped around, his Sig ready.

“Christ! What is your malfunction?”

She smirked again. “I don’t have one.” She grabbed him by the neck and picked him up off the ground, choking him. “You know, Nate, I’m not a fan.”

He was kicking wildly and dropped the Sig. Sophie licked her lips. She was more than ready.

“There is something I need from you. A favor, I suppose.” She dragged him over to the passenger side of the truck for some privacy.

“What…are…you…doing?” Nate struggled to get the words out. Fear poured from his eyes and flooded his face.

“Oh, now, hush, little Nate. It will all be over in a moment.” She pushed him against the side of the truck, forcing him to slide down into a sitting position. She pressed her hand over his face and knelt down on his thighs, pinning him right where he was.

In one quick motion, she launched at his throat and tore it open with her bare teeth. Nate screamed. She groaned as the blood started to pour from the gaping wound. She latched onto his neck and sucked in her fill with long, hard swallows.

Sophie rested back on her heels. “Holy fuck.” Her head was buzzing. Her eyes rolled back and her inner core stirred. She thought about finding Nick and milking him dry, but decided that wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Get a grip.” She wiped off her face, and noticed that Nate was officially true dead. “Oops.” She grabbed a vial out of her vest and milked out enough for Henry. After cramming it in her cleavage, she licked the rest of the blood off of her fingers and pulled out her Sig.

For a brief moment, she felt bad, but she needed her fix or things would get real. He was an easy target, and he was a pain in the fucking ass. And her pain? It, too, was a pain in the fucking ass so she felt it was justified.

“Hope the pearly gates are as pretty as they describe them. I will never know.” She aimed her Sig, and put a bullet in Nate’s head.

Sophie wanted it to look like he committed suicide after he was bit. She ran out and grabbed his Sig and wrapped his hand around it. She checked her watch. “Shit.” Only a couple minutes left.

She ran back into the blood bank and bolted down the hallway to the door at the back of the facility. She found the storage room, pulled a couple reusable shopping bags out of her pack, and quickly filled them with needles, vials, and bags. Once she filled the tote, she headed toward the back of the building.

***

Nick stepped up to the door and tried to swing it open. It stopped about a quarter of the way. He slid through and aimed his gun to the left. He had to blink a few times in the dim lighting, and he realized there were four undeads about ten feet away, having a feast. Two of them were in scrubs and they were in a horrible state of decay. His first thought was Sophie.

As he looked around, he discovered that was where the sharp odor was coming from. There were rotting bodies everywhere. He trained his Sig on the closest undead.

“Don’t shoot yet,” Sophie whispered behind him. She startled him, and he almost came out of his skin. “They’re busy. Come.” She waved him to the right.

“We should make them true dead!” Nick tried to whisper, but he wasn’t too successful.

“Nick, I know what I’m doing.” She spoke through clenched teeth. Nick looked back at the undeads, undisturbed by their minor disagreement, and decided to do as Sophie instructed.

They stepped over half-eaten rotten bodies. The sights and smells were atrocious. Nick almost vomited when he slipped in a pool of sticky blood. It looked like a war zone. There was blackened blood and bits of rotten flesh littered all over the floor. When Sophie turned around to give Nick some direction, he furrowed his brows and noticed droplets on her face.

“Is that blood on your chin?” He reached up and wiped the thick red liquid off her chin with his thumb. She sucked in a sharp breath when he touched her. Her body was still on fire from her great ingestion.

Her eyes pulled him in. They were bright in the dim light. His eyes wandered down to her overflowing cleavage. He watched it pump up and down for a moment. She begged silently for him to touch her. His fingers started to go for the drips on her chest, but he stepped back.

“And on your chest?”

Sophie stood there, stunned. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Then she thought of a cover story. “Ahh, yeah. I stumbled, and bit the inside of my cheek. Darn shoes.” She nervously chuckled.

He looked at her for a moment, not sure if he should believe her story. He looked down at her feet, and she was still rocking her spiked hooker heels. Then he looked back up at her and shook his head, thinking that those were probably the cause of her never seen before clumsiness.

She looked nervous, and then she held up the bags she was clutching. “Look. I found a bunch of supplies.”

“Great. Now what do we do?”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“We can’t leave them!” Without thinking or aiming, Sophie raised her Sig and took out all four undeads without even trying. They pushed through the door and ran back out front just as their watch alarms went off.