Rise Once More (19 page)

It was nearing midnight by the time they had parked the car and set up the fishing lines. Haus failed miserably at tying a hook but Amy helped him out. She could tell he had never been fishing, despite his objections and claims otherwise. Amy played along with it as to not damage his already deflated ego.

The two of them sat in the darkness of the night, fire flies zipping about, flashing every few seconds hoping to lure in a mate for the evening. The stars were exceptionally bright, and a slight breeze made the muggy air comfortable. “So know what?” Haus asked.

“
We wait silly.” Amy replied.

“
Right. Wait for them to eat the hook.” An hour passed, and still there had not been a single bite. Haus felt the rumble in his stomach and began to feel annoyed. Even the thought of Sauerkraut was looking mighty appealing about now. His stomach let out a low toned growl, which under normal circumstances would have gone unnoticed, but there were little sounds to be heard at night anymore.

Amy giggled as she heard it. “Screw it. I am too hungry to wait for them to decide it is time to bite.” Amy said as he stood up, dropping the fishing pole to the ground. She walked towards the beach, stopping just shy of the waters edge, and removed her shirt and shorts. She placed the articles of clothing on a nearby branch about three feet from the ground.

Haus stood still, not sure if he should mention that he could see her dressed in nothing but her underwear and bra in the partially lit night. The moon was a small sliver, offering just enough light to make outlines and faint shapes.
Maybe she thinks I can't see her. Or maybe she wants me to see her.

“
Umm Amy... What are you doing?” Haus asks.

“
If they aren't going to come to us. I am going in after them!” Amy replied.

“
Right! You are going to catch a fish with your bare hands?” Haus said.

“
Damn skippy I am. More than one too.” Amy said as the water rested at her waist line, her hands on her hips as she looked back at Haus. The water amplified the moonlight, providing Haus with an even better view of her young body. “You coming in or what?” Amy yelled back.

Haus didn't say a word, shredded off his clothes and stampeded toward the water with the grace of three legged buffalo. The water was warm, inviting, and having not bathed in a while felt amazing. He dunked his head under water, swam forward a few strokes, and came up for air. When he broke the surface of the water, he expected Amy to be standing there but she was not. He glanced around, maybe he had swum out too far, but she was nowhere to be found.

Haus began to feel nervous, how stupid was it to trudge into unknown waters, what if the infected were down there in the muck? Their half rotting corpses stuck in the mud, reaching out for anything to eat. Something slimy brushed past his feet, he let out a startled yell, and ran for the shore; water thrashing away from him violently, the droplets raining back down onto the otherwise calm surface of the water.

Haus stopped when he heard laughter from behind him, his heart still racing, as he turned around to see Amy a few feet behind him. In her arms she held a writhing slimy creature, its tail flapping wildly, flipping beads of water high into the air. Amy threw the catfish onto the shore; it bounced around in the grass, twitching back and forth as it struggled to reach the water. It was not a huge fish, around seven pounds, but it was the perfect size for making a meal for two.

Amy waded in from the water; her muddy wet body sparkled among the fire flies and moonlight. As she walked slowly towards Haus, he stood motionless, the scene unfolding before him seemed to slow down time. She walked forward, pulling her hair behind head, as if a goddess of the mud was emerging from her lair. Haus had seen this very thing in movies, but this was somehow very different.

Amy was covered in mud, pond water, and seaweed. Yet despite the muck, grime, and slime it was driving Haus absolutely insane. He watched her pick up the slimy fish, insert a stick between the gills and press the stick firmly into the mud. Making sure that the fish was in deep enough water to breathe and keep it fresh. “One for me! Now it's your turn.” Amy said.

“Huh?” Haus said.

“
We are a team now remember? I got one, now it's your turn. I can't be the only one contributing here. Or are you scared of a wittle fishy?” Amy said. The words stung into Haus's ego.
Did she honestly have to say it like THAT?; like I am some kind of pansy ass. Sure. I ran like hell to the beach, but any sane person would have done the same thing. Well, given the circumstances anyway. Does this woman not know fear?

A single word slammed into Haus's brain, like a runaway eighteen wheeler that had lost its breaks down a mountain pass.
Woman.
He had entrained himself with ideas of a sexual nature, partially acted on a few, but only in his own brain. Sure she was of legal age, but given the age difference he had always told himself that she was just a child.

Somehow his subconscious had crossed a threshold in the last few days, yes she was young, but she was very much a woman.
It doesn't matter anyway. She couldn't possibly even think that way about me. I should be chasing middle-aged cougars around. What business do I have with a nineteen-year-old Philly? Philly? Do I even know what that is? Just what in the hell in going on around here?

“
I will teach you, come on in, the water is warm.” Amy said as she motioned for him to come closer. Haus stood there in his boxers, still partially wet from his previous venture into the murky depths of lake whatever in the hell it was called. His mind flooded with a lethal cocktail of emotions and ideas.

Amy stood in the water, looking back at him, wondering what was causing his delay. Had he seen something moving, an unforeseen danger that she somehow did not see. “Are you alright Haus?” Amy asked.

“I don't think I can...” Haus's voice trailing off, as he fended off day dreams and illicit thoughts; his mind a wash of hormones, partially blocking parts of his brain, and crippling him mentally.

“
Get your ass down here Haus!” Amy commanded, and Haus complied marching blindly toward the water, unable to form any concrete thoughts, his mind floating on a cloud nine high of endorphins. Fixated on her body, like a Grecian sailor captured in the sirens wail, the enchanting song of her voice leading him forward.

Time stood still, yet he marched towards her voice, ignoring everything around him until he felt her hand clasped in his. A spark of energy surged towards his brain, lighting the entire thing up like flipping the switch on a giant Griswold-style Christmas display. Reality came snapping back to him quickly, yet he retained that ephemeral buzz of pleasure, while he walked hand in hand with her into the deeper water.

“You have to feel around the bottom with your toes. The cats dig these holes out and lay down in them like beds. They can sleep down there for days at a time, until they are ready to feed; the bigger the hole, the larger the fish. You got that?” Amy said.

“
Big hole. Big Fish. Got it.” Haus said, his voice shaky, mind aloof,

“
I got a hole over here, I am standing at the start of it, get behind me. I can feel its tail on my toe. Be careful not to spook it.” Amy said. Haus moved slowly behind her, she pulled his hand forward until he could feel the warmth radiate of her body under the water. He hovered just a few centimeters away from her, his body curved to match hers, his head peering out to the left of hers.

He inhaled, his nose flooded with an intoxicating smell that reminded him of Lavender. Haus knew she could not have been wearing perfume, yet the sweet smell still inundated his senses. It was something he had never experienced before, as if on a chemical level, possibly even deeper than that, his body wanted more. The feeling was intense, he wished there was a way to capture that scent, put it into some kind of a bottle, refine it, and inject it directly into his veins. It could course through his blood stream, erupting every cell it touched, and spreading the feeling until he was completely overwhelmed.

Yet, despite how great it made him feel, it left him hungry, as if there was something even more potent in store for him. Teasing him, taunting him, and stringing him along. Much like a drug dealer will always give out a sample of the really good stuff, but only sell you the cut product. Selling the sizzle but not the steak. A small part of him attempted to resist the pheromone onslaught, but it was far too late.

Amy felt the loosening grip of Haus hand, and quickly tugged him forward. She expected his body to make contact with her, she welcomed the warmth, as she had already been underwater for quite a while, but Haus remained slightly distant.
Is he afraid to touch me?
She wondered inside her own mind.
He thinks I am some dumb hick from the sticks. Here I am proving that stereotype too. He has to understand right? Food is on the line here. Wait a minute...

Amy wanted to giggle, but she couldn't chance disturbing the catfish at her feet. She stood in the water like a stone effigy, the catfish at her feet, a sacrifice to an ancient goddess, and Haus one of her faithful followers praying behind her.
He's got the hots for you!
Amy's inner voice chimed like a teenage school girl taunting herself about a crush.

It all makes sense now. He is protecting me, not because he thinks I am weak, but because he actually cares about me. Silly boys. Always trying to be the bad ass, when all they need to do is use that mouth of theirs and tell us how they feel.
Amy had admired Haus, sure at times he was an asshole, and a little too sure of himself. In the end he had made sure things got done.
How long?
She wondered. How long had Haus had an eye for her? Today? From the beginning?
Don't flatter yourself.
She thought.

Amy had always considered herself a decent-looking woman, but here she was relishing herself in thoughts of a smitten man, to swoon over her from first sight, that he would do anything to save her life. The thoughts were flattering, maybe a little too much, but she welcomed them anyway. It made her feel wanted, cherished, and important; even if it was all just a fabrication of her over analytical brain.

Haus was older than her, but in a good way. She always sought out men older than her; they tended to be more mature, and could relate to her views of life. She never wanted to be a back seat driver to life, not one to be a subordinate, or a trophy wife. She was her own person, and craved for the recognition, Which was something that men her age could not grasp, let alone be supportive of.

Amy flashed back a few minutes in time, watching Haus stripped down of most of his clothing, and marching towards the water after her. She could recall his slightly muscular body; it wasn't that of a body builder, but rather a slender man. The muscles even more pronounced by the recent upheaval of society, and the scarcity of a decent meal.

Years ago she imagined he was a little overweight, but all the challenges of recent events had melted his fat, once again revealing the man that had always been there.
He is actually kind of hot.
Again, Amy wanted to giggle, as if she was just now seeing what had been there all along. She somehow had ignored everything, but tonight it had all become very clear.
Am I being overly confident? Maybe he doesn't like me.

“
Just reach down and grab it.” Amy said. Haus stood motionless for a few moments, and Amy grew impatient. Once again she guided Haus's right hand her hand on his wrist, then only a few inches below the water, deeper into the water. His hand was partially open, she pressed it against her rib cage, only an inch below her bra, and his knuckle briefly pressed into her right breast, as his fingers laid out flat.

Amy moved his hand down along her rib cage, his fingers raising and lowering over each rib, until she reached the flat of her stomach. She guided his hand forward, his middle finger dipped down into her navel as it traveled further south. She pushed his hand even further, following the crease of her upper thigh, following her panty line, hovering for a slight second above her lady parts.

Haus could feel a warm sensation below his knuckles, his mind raced, knowing all too well what treasure lay below his finger tips.  The object of his ravenous desire, to be this close, plunged him deeper into his hormone soaked dreams.

Suddenly, Amy thrust his hand several feet down, his fingers dipping into the sticky mud of the bottom. His palm came to rest on her foot, his fingers extended forward, and feeling a slimy coated body in front of it. The second he came into contact with the unknown creature, it burst to life, its tail flailing violently in its attempt to get away. Mud and debris forcibly pushed past the spaces in his open hand, he instinctively tried to grab the fish.

The small beast darted right, bumping into his left leg, then reversed ramming head long into his right leg. The confused animal swam for the surface, the only logical escape route, forcing its way between Haus and Amy; the slimy body wiggling upward between his belly and her back. One of the catfish's spines pierced into Amy's back, causing her to move forward, allowing the little beast even more wiggle room.

It felt like a small alien, imbedded in Haus's belly, wriggling, and searching for open air. It flicked its tail, moving up past his belly button, continuing past his rib cage, and launching itself high into the air above Amy's arched forward back. The catfish flipped a few more times in the open air, as it began its descent to the watery world below.