Zombie Exodus: Aftermath - Chapter 5

Continued from chapter 4 

"What do we do now?" Portland asks. "Should we keep moving? It's getting dark, but I feel like we've been here too long."

"I hate to be the realist here, but what if we all go to sleep, and Cameron changes? Who's to say we stopped the infection by cutting off his hand?" Jesse asks.

So far, you see no signs of Cameron changing. If it were a variant that bit him, he would have surely had more symptoms by now.

"We can't move Cameron, and I'm not leaving him. Let's stay here for the night," you say.

Jesse scoffs and turns away from you. She mumbles, "Always getting' overruled like I'm some kind of…." Her voice tapers off.

"There are three cabins. Let's put Cameron in the first one for this from the others and lock the door. If he turns, he won't be able to get out. We should keep one person on watch duty all night anyway. We can position that person right outside that cabin, and they will be alerted if anything happens. Who wants to take the first watch?"

"Screw it, I will," Jesse says, pacing back towards you, hands on her hips. "I'm too fired up to sleep now anyway."

Portland raises her hand tentatively, like a shy student. "If I can make one suggestion, Cameron will need antibiotics. We should search through these cabins and see what we can find. Tomorrow, we should check around for houses or buildings that may have supplies we need."

"You're absolutely right. Let's get to it," you say.

The three of you spend the next half-hour scouring through the cabins while taking turns watching Cameron. He sleeps for most of it, only stirring near the end when he's carried into the first cabin and placed on the bottom cot of bunk beds. When you finish, you come together to share the meager spoils: half a bar of soap, a broken lantern that Jesse fixes, oil for the lantern, a box of tea bags, and a magnifying glass.

By the end of your search, you are all so tired that you share few words. You and Portland head into the last cabin and bar the door closed. Since her ankle is still sore, you agree to sleep in the top bunk. You climb up the short ladder and crawl into bed. As soon as you close your eyes, you hear Portland stirring from below. A moment later, you hear her soft voice.

"Violet, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

There's a moment of silence, and then she says, "Would you come down and sleep in my bed?"

You lean over the side to stare at her looking up at you. "Sleep in your bed?"

She smiles, biting the bottom of her lip. "Today was a helluva day. I need to relax."

You climb from the top bunk and slide in next to Portland. As soon as you hit the bed, she kisses your mouth and rolls you onto your back. You're amazed at the softness of her lips and the gentle touch of her hands on the sides of your face. Tired from the day, you lie back and let her take charge, excited to focus your thoughts on her alone. She climbs on top of you, straddling your hips, but as she tries to sit up, she bumps her head on the frame of the top bunk.

"Ouch," she says with a laugh and rubs her head. She takes a moment to stare down at you, and even in the darkness, you can see her playful smile and the moonlight reflecting off her button nose and sharp cheekbones.

She strips off her hoodie, revealing a soft pink tank top. Small, firm nipples poke through the material. You sit up and run your hand through her hair. She smiles and kisses your palm. As you open your mouth to speak, she plants another kiss and falls on top of you. Her tongue spears yours as she explores your mouth, and her hand slips along your belly and wiggles its way into your pants. Your body tenses as you feel her push a finger inside you, and then you relax and enjoy her careful movements. From the corners of your mind, thoughts try to take over: running from camp, sailing the river, dealing with the zombie, saving Cameron. Portland keeps calling you back, erasing all memories and bringing you to the present. She presses her body into yours, kissing your neck and shoulder, and you explore her body with your own hands until you slip one through her waistband and give her a share of your pleasure. She gasps in your ear, and the two of you enjoy the stillness of the night and the comfort of one another's bed until it leaves you both satisfied and exhausted. Afterward, she cuddles against you, her head on your chest, and you both fall asleep to the sounds of light rain hitting the top of the cabin.

***

The following day you wake up to the sounds of a crackling fire and movement through the camp. Your eyes flutter as you wake up, and the door bursts open. Jesse stands before you with a flipping fish hanging from a line.

"Oh, for goodness sake. Look at you two; all cuddled up like a pair of teenagers after the prom." She shakes her head. "While you two were in here fornicating, I was changing Cameron's bandages and catching trout. Get yourselves out of bed and come help me."

She leaves the door open as she walks off. Portland gives you a quick kiss and climbs out of bed. It only takes a few minutes for you to get dressed and walk outside the cabin to a small fire and fish frying over hot stones.

 Before you even sit down, Jesse says, "Our buddy without a hand ain't doing so well. He needs antibiotics. Part of me wants to sail him down to that farming community and see if they can help him. Not sure if he has that kind of time. We may want to search to the north of here for houses. We might get lucky and find medicine, supplies, and even food for us."

"Wouldn't it be faster to go without him, get help from the farming community, and come back for him?" Portland asks as she sits by the fire.

"We don't have time to sail to the farming community. We should look to the north for antibiotics and supplies."

Jesse and Portland agree. The three of you eat a quick breakfast of the grilled fish and wild mushrooms found yesterday. It's not exactly breakfast food, but you enjoy the first substantial meal you have had in days.

Because her ankle is still healing, Portland decides to stay behind with Cameron and keep watch on him. That leaves you and Jesse to start your trek through the woods to the north. Just past the first row of spruce trees lies a field of Evergreen, making you think back to when you went shopping for Christmas trees. The smell brings memories of chopping down one of the biggest your family ever owned. Those days are long gone, but the nostalgia remains.

You're brought out of reminiscing when Jesse places her hand on your shoulder. "Hear that?" she whispers.

Faint voices come from the west, and the two of you sneak towards them. Soon you see a break in the trees and a small tent pitched along with a burned-out campfire. A man and a woman sit on the ground with their backs to the tent, plates of food in their hands.

"You may have thought I called out her name, but I called your name out. Serena! Serena! That's what I called," the man says. He has a light beard and wears blue jeans, hiking boots, and a sweater with a Disneyland logo.

She shifts on a small blanket where she sits. She wears shorts, low ankle hiking boots, and a black tank top. "I've heard you call my name out before when you sleep, and it sounded nothing like my name last night. It would be like me calling out Tony. Your name is Steven."

He shakes his head. "You were half asleep. Do you know what you even heard?"

As the two argue, you slip back through the trees. Jesse waves you to circle until you are close to the back of the tent. You can see two full backpacks nestled together beside a sleeping bag. Jesse then gets close to you and brings her mouth to your ear. "Let's sneak in the back and rob the tent. They are so busy blabbing away and stuffing their faces, they got no chance of seeing or hearing us."

When you look into the back of the tent, you can see a long metal bar beneath a sleeping bag. You have seen a rifle enough times to know they have one tucked under their sleeping area. You could probably sneak in, grab the rifle, and hold them at gunpoint while Jesse takes all their gear. You also consider approaching them. They appear to be regular people and could very well be friendly and willing to offer help. There would be no reason to rob them, and you may even make some allies.

"I think we should approach them and ask for help. It's too dangerous otherwise, and they look like normal people who are probably friendly," you say.

Jesse's eyes go wide, and her face flushes in anger. "Are you out of your mind? You're assuming two people we meet in the middle of nowhere are friendly. Fooling around with Portland got your head all in the clouds if you think for one moment…." Jesse covers her mouth and acts like she's screaming in her hand. When she finishes, she points her finger at you. "If you want to go talk to the lovebirds over there, you can do it alone. I'll stay back and watch. If it goes bad, I'll do what I can to help you. Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Promise me you won't try to rob them while I have them distracted."

Jesse jerks her head back and wears a look of surprise. "What? You think I would do that?" Her eyes look past you at the couple, and then she grits her teeth and says, "Fine. I won't rob them. I hate you."

"Yeah, I love you too."

As you start to walk past her, Jesse grabs your arm. "If anything goes wrong or you get a bad vibe, run past this way. I got your back."

You give her a fist bump and then head through the clearing.

Continue to chapter 5 

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