Run (Nola Zombies Book 1) (6 page)

There was no one inside, living or dead. It looked like there had been, but they had left in a rush. Papers were strewn about and cabinets were left open.
 

We located the key cabinet quickly and Blake grabbed three sets, all labeled with a big tag that had a 3 digit number on it. I assumed the trucks would have the corresponding numbers on them.
 

I couldn’t believe our luck was still holding strong, no one inside to deal with and the keys easily located. I should have known something was bound to happen to us. Apocalypse life couldn’t be this easy.

Blake stepped out of the front door first and I knew something was wrong immediately. He made a strangled sound and I rushed out the door, I didn’t think about my own safety. There was one of those things on him, its jaws were snapping at his face.
 
He was pushing the snarling creature away from him, trying to keep his flesh away from the creature’s teeth but at any moment he could slip and the zombie would have a chance to bite.

I couldn’t get a good shot. I would have to try and use the ax, but I was afraid I would hit Blake. The creature looked like it had been one of the employees. It wore coveralls with some kind of logo over the heart. It was a mess of blood and mud, it’s flesh ripped open in parts. The zombie looked the worse for wear, parts of its face were ripped away and its teeth were exposed from torn lips as if it had its face chewed on. It was horrendous. I couldn’t imagine having that thing close to my face as it was to Blake’s.

Blake finally managed to push it enough to make the fucker stumble back. This was the opportunity I was looking for. Aiming for the head, I swung the ax and jammed the thing right in the middle of its cranium. It split open with a sickening thump and blood exploded onto my jeans and shirt.
Shit, these were my favorite
.
 

It was a lot of work getting the ax out of the thing’s head. It was stuck in there nice and tight, I had to put my foot on its chest to pull it out and it just kind of squished out with a very disturbing slurp.
 

I frowned at the ax and my now soiled jeans and tee. Damn, I didn’t know if I could take more of this crap.
 

“Well, that was fun.”
Gotta keep things light, positive thinking leads to positive living.
 
I’m screwed.

“Yeah, a blast. Thanks for that.” His light tone matched my own.
We were both screwed.

“Oh that was nothing. Do it all the time.” I grimaced, knowing I would repeat this little scenario in my dreams later. Maybe I could talk Blake into a repeat of last night to wear my ass out and have me sleeping like a baby. No dreams.

“You were magnificent.” He took my hand and ran that wonderful thumb over my knuckles, creating a happy tingle. “Now c’mon, let’s get the fuck out of here. I want to be back on that boat. I’m starting to really like that boat.”

“Me too,” I sighed.
 

The trucks were line up in a row, parked a good distance away and we double-timed it over to them. Blake checked the back for matching numbers, the first one we found matched up with a set of keys we had, but when he started it up the gas tank read only an eighth of a tank. It was a short distance to my house, but better safe than sorry.
 

“They might have a gas tank around here, but I want to check the other trucks, less hassle.” He pointed to the other trucks.

We started up the next one we found and this one had just under a full tank so we were in luck. The noisy diesel truck wasn’t ideal for stealth movement, but it would have to do. We didn’t have many choices.
 

Blake asked me to drive since I knew the area and he would keep look-out in case we ran into more of those things. We were bracing ourselves for a lot more zombies. The guy in the overalls, all dead-like, was a giveaway that the area was infected. There were a lot of 24-hour businesses and apartment complexes in the neighborhood, it could be overrun by the dead.
 

I drove the truck over the levee and onto River Road. I spotted a few shambling creatures almost immediately when we crested the top, confirming our suspiciouns. They looked like they were also industrial workers, likely coming from the warehouses and shipping businesses that lined the river. None of them looked like much of a threat and even though they started walking faster toward the truck, there was enough distance between us that I quickly outpaced them.
 

I made it to my neighborhood without any further encounters with the dead. I lived in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, mostly singles and older couples because the houses were small. It looked like most of my neighbors were gone. The usual vehicles were missing from driveways, and in some cases, doors were left standing open. I saw movement behind a few blinds as we passed and I sent up a silent “good luck” as I passed those occupied residences.

There was a service alley that allowed back access to my house and a few of my neighbors’ that abutted my lot. It was the only one in the area and one of the reasons I had purchased my house. I pulled into the alley, backing the truck up to my back door.
 
We were ready to go.
 

“I’m going to check the perimeter. You start getting the supplies out by the back door. We’ll load them in the truck together and then head out, good?” Blake said.

“Sounds good,” I responded and watched with trepidation as he moved off, his gun drawn, quietly walking down the side of my house.

I heard Charlie bark once in warning and that was my cue to hurry into the house. We couldn’t linger. Residential zones meant more potential zombies, it seemed quiet now, but that could change quickly.

The power was out in the house and Charlie was in full alert mode when I came through the door. When he confirmed it was me he calmed down, licked my open palm and then went back to pacing. I had converted my third bedroom into the storage area and this was where most of my supplies were located. There wasn’t a lot, or at least I thought so, there could always be more. My prepping was in its infancy. I had only begun preparing when I got my first big raise, which was two years ago.
 

I had stockpiled a lot of water filters for purification, a good sized supply of water in 5-gallon jugs and a six-month supply of freeze-dried foods which I had purchased with my last tax return check, that stuff wasn’t cheap. Not to mention a lot of canned food, energy bars and drinks along with bags of grains, rice, sugar, pasta, peanut butter, powered milks and long lasting cheeses and other essentials that were a prepper’s base supplies. There were a lot of batteries and gadgets, even a Faraday cage in case of that dreaded EMP blast, probably useless now. I also had quite a collection of first aid supplies, blankets, bags, over-the-counter drugs, even boxes of duct tape and random toiletries.

I was just getting the first of these boxes to the back room when Blake came through the door. He looked calm, but Charlie was on alert, growling low at what he assumed was an intruder.

“Charlie,
fuss
!” The growling stopped and his hackles went down a bit. “Stick your hand out to him,” I told Blake and he did as I told. Charlie sniffed his outstretched palm.

“Charlie,
Setzen
.” The dog sat down and Blake ran his hand over the thick fur. Recognizing Blake as a friend, Charlie took one good lick of his outstretched hand and then went back to pacing.

“You trained him in German?”

“He is a German Shepard.”
 

“Woman, you amaze me.”

“You ain’t so bad yourself. Now come on, and help me with all this shit loaded.” I had moved out a lot of the boxes, but there was still a lot to be carried to the back. I led him down the hallway to my storage area.

He whistled when he saw the 3rd bedroom. “You weren’t lying about the preps.”

“A girl’s gotta be prepared.”
 

“That you are.” He peered at some of the items stacked on the shelves. He was in my communications area and I was pretty proud of my solar, hand-cranked radio collection and walkie-talkies. Some of the radios even had a built-in cell phone charger. Not that I needed that.

We managed to move most of the items to my kitchen, near the back door, which led to the yard, in under two hours. We didn’t want to put it in the truck until the last possible moment. All we needed was some asshole to come by and steal the truck with the supplies in it.
 

I packed a good amount of my working clothes in a duffel, along with all my toiletries, medicines, and sturdy footwear. We could leave now and make it back to the boat in record time. But, of course, I had other ideas. All thoughts of a quick retreat pushed aside as my libido kicked in as I took in Blake standing in my kitchen in that t-shirt.

“My hot water heater is gas powered. I’m all dirty, I want a shower. You can join me.” I smiled, trying to be provocative.
 

“Is that an invitation?” He asked a sexy glint in his eye.

“Well, my shower is rather small, but I could manage to wash your back, maybe. If you were to reciprocate.” He grabbed my arm and spun me around, his lips finding mine.
 

“Oh, I plan on reciprocating.”
 

“Good.” I began stripping out of my soiled clothes and I could feel my body getting ready as I took in the hunger in his eyes. He watched as I peeled off every layer. Patiently waiting as he devoured me with his eyes.
 

“Your turn.” I was breathless by the time I stood there bared to him. He did as told and I wondered if my eyes looked as predatory as his did.
 

When we both just stood there staring at each other, my heart pounding, I knew I was in trouble. This guy was in my head. He had penetrated all my defenses so quickly. That didn’t happen with me, I needed to know a guy inside and out before I committed, before I gave my heart. Blake was different, we were thrown together in an instant and now all these emotions were floating around, bouncing and trying to surface. Word like love and trust and need were trying to break free in my mind. I was in for a good brain fuck with old Blake here, he was going to break my heart, or in our current situation he was going to get eaten, die and I would be all sorts of fucked up because he was dead and I was alive.
 

Can I come back from something like that?
 

Honestly, I had no idea. I had never really loved anyone. I had thought I did, but it was fleeting and I was over him quickly.
That couldn’t have been love, right?
This wasn’t love either, not yet at least. But, it had the potential. Our relationship was going to be a trial by fire. We already trusted each other and we were going to have to rely on each other greatly. There was passion galore and we were now going to be with each other non-stop in one life or death situation after another. This was a lot to take in and there was really nothing I could do about it. Blake and I were in this, together, until we die or survive. That was it. This was our path.

I was more than willing to have lots and lots of sex. I might as well enjoy myself on our path, but could I let myself fall head-over-heels in love with him? Or even allow myself to rely solely on him and him alone? What would happen if he died?
 

Those were tough questions and ones I didn’t want to answer right now. Right now he was in front of me, nude and beautiful, and his hard length was screaming for me to touch, lick and possess. I wanted him so badly and from the looks of it, he wanted me just as much. There was no denying it.
 

“C’mon.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom. Leaning in I turned on the spray and was relieved when hot water poured from the spout. His hands grabbed my ass and I was giggling like a school girl when I pushed aside the shower curtain and we both tumbled into the shower. We showered, washing each other, some places quickly, others taking more time. By the time we got out, all the hot water was gone and I was thoroughly clean.
 

He pushed me into my bedroom, not breaking the kiss we started in the bathroom. He only stopped kissing me long enough to glance around my room to get his bearings.
 

“Utilitarian,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
 

“Thanks, jerk.” My room consisted of a single bed, industrial shelving for my dresser and milk crates for my nightstand. It was the last place in the house that needed furniture. I didn’t invite men over, ever, so there was really no need for fancy bedroom furniture.
 

“Not much company in this room?”

“You’re the first.”

“Consider me honored.”

“Your sarcasm is showing. I’m not the kind of girl that invites men into her bedroom, or anywhere for that matter.”

“Except me, I really like that.” He laughed.

“Except you, you’re a special case.” I bit his ear and jumped away playfully as he made a grab for me.

“That I am. So what do you want to do with this special case?”

“Suck you.”

“Well, get to it then.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me closer. In a quick move and as a show of strength, he pushed me down on my knees in front of him. I enjoyed when he dominated me and for the life of me I didn’t know why. If other guys had even remotely tried to do something like that I would have flayed them alive and I definitely wouldn’t have screwed them. But, Blake, there was just something about him. I wanted to let him take over in the bedroom.
 

I took his dick in my mouth, swirling my tongue around the head of his penis. I thrilled at the gasps that it elicited after each new move. He grabbed the back of my head and thrust into my mouth. He was amazing and I couldn’t get enough as each thrust brought him deeper. I grabbed his ass and took him all in, pushed him as far in as was possible. He was taking my mouth like he would my sex, thrusting hard, not minding as my teeth grazed the length of him. I added my hand and pumped him with each thrust into my mouth, I swirled my tongue around his length and he moaned with each pass.