I Dream of Zombies, page 13
Carefully, I cracked open the back door; Ramon, Dove, and Julia just behind me. We scanned the exterior, though all was still quiet, and hotfooted it to the shed. Locked.
“Did anyone see anything we can use to open this with?”
“No, but we could shoot the lock off. I mean, that would work, right?” Ramon grinned, and I looked at him.
“Seriously? Like that happens in movies, and I never took you for a thrill seeker.”
Ramon shrugged. “I’ve grown to like action movies since the plague.”
“No. For two reasons. One, someone could get hurt, and two, it might bring interest down on us that we aren’t prepared for.”
The laughter in Ramon’s eyes melted away at my harsh words, but the truth was, I didn’t want to stay any longer than we absolutely had to. We were sitting ducks.
“Let me check the garage. There could be some bolt cutters on the tool rack.” Julia scurried away, and Dove followed her, as did my gaze.
“You like her.”
I started at Ramon’s careful words. “Maybe, but right now, she’s in charge and we have to get out of here.”
“True. But in these times, you have to act fast, because there may not be a tomorrow. I learned that early on. Take the chance, Leroy.”
He was right, but I had so little to offer her at this point. I’d been part of the plot that caused this plague. Not in a position to make decisions, but I’d been one of those who’d carried out the mission. How could I in all honesty now offer her my heart when it was tainted?
I rubbed my hand over my aching eyes, and here came Julia and Dove, carrying a large bolt cutter. “It was in the garage. We should pack the rest of the tools too. Take them back with us in case we need them.”
Taking the cutters, I applied them to the lock. It crunched down, broke the lock, and I pulled it off. Then I opened the doors.
No bikes. “Dammit, there should have been something here. Something useful.”
Julia stepped inside. “Nothing much we can use by the looks of it.” Her shoulders slumped, and I knew she’d been so hopeful.
I spied two small cans in the corner, lifted them, and smiled. “Gas!”
“Great,” Dove said, and he scooped them out of my hands. “I’ll take it to the garage. The men are grabbing what we can carry and loading up now.”
“I’ll go with him,” added Ramon, and he retreated, leaving Julia and I alone in the yard together.
“I was so sure.” She closed the shed with a sigh. “Why can’t something be easy for a moment?”
I rubbed her shoulder in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. “We’ll get back to the compound and go forward from there.”
“Yeah.”
The sunlight, weak and watery, settled on something behind the shed. A glint of metal caught my eye.
“Don’t be so down yet, Julia. There’s something back here.”
I shouldered past the overgrown bushes, and they scratched, drawing blood. More than just determined, I pushed on. Behind the shed was a canvas covered trailer. It was the A-Frame I’d caught sight of, followed by the faded green canvas that covered the boxy tray.
“What’s this?” I grabbed the corner of the tarpaulin and hauled it back. In the cage sat three dirt bikes.
Maybe I should be thanking God and talking to Dove, I thought, feeling a loosening of the weight that had borne down on me.
“Ever ridden a motorbike?” I asked.
Julia grinned. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
I laughed and ran a finger down her cheek, giving in to the need to touch her. “If you have, that’s great, you and I can ride one if they go. And if not, here’s your chance to learn. We can use the trailer to cart what we’ve found behind the people mover, and the bikes will get three of us back comfortably. Let’s get some help and get them out of here.”
As we hurried into the house, I grabbed her hand. “What are you doing, Leroy?”
“Nothing.” But Ramon’s words chased around in my head. Act quick. Don’t waste a chance.
At the door I called for Dove. “What do you know about using tree cutters things?”
“Tree cutters?” Dove shook his head. “I need more information.”
“We’ve got a trailer and three dirt bikes. We’ll need to cut the greenery so we can pull it out. Hook it onto the people mover,” Julia explained.
“There were tree loppers in the garage. I’ll grab them.”
Dove left us at a run, and I took the opportunity to pull Julia close and loop my hands over her shoulders. “Get the men to load the trailer as quickly as you can, then get the helmets. We’ll need to check to make sure they start and have gas. Since they were stored in a caged trailer, hopefully the keys will be in the ignition. We’re going to have to move quickly though.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll get Ramon to pack the tissue sample in the front of the van. You and I on bikes. If we don’t have a third…”
“Ask Dove. He’s a man of many talents.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Look, about Dove—”
The urge overwhelmed me, and I found myself pulling her head to mine and kissing her. I tried to keep it light, but the hunger that never really went away scorched me. “Not now,” I whispered against her mouth. “Later. Back at the compound.”
Her hands covered mine. “You bet. We’ve got some stuff to discuss. But I need you to know, I have no intention of ignoring this thing between us.”
She grinned and moved away before heading for the back door.
* * * *
Julia
The bikes worked, although it initially took some effort to get them to start. We’d loaded the trailer and hooked it to the car, and thankfully, it started with the first try. Everyone loaded up, and I pulled on the helmet Leroy passed to me. It was tighter than I would have liked, but I refused to ride bare-headed so I shrugged it off. At least mine was pink. Hot pink with silver unicorn decals.
We’d agreed that Dove, Leroy, and I would ride ahead of the van, and we’d radio in closer to the compound. That way we could react faster if we came across the truck. I just hoped we didn’t.
“Let’s ride,” I called, and Dove laughed as I throttled up.
My hands curled around the handles as we rode out of the yard. Truthfully, I hadn’t been on a dirt bike, or any kind of motorbike, since I was sixteen and going out with Freddy McClure. I snorted with laughter remembering his pimple face and earnest blue eyes. I wondered what happened to him, then looked over to my right. Leroy rode beside me, already comfortable on his red and blue unit, and Dove on the orange one brought up the rear.
We’d plotted a course, fairly straight, which would take us back to the compound in under two hours. I just hoped we had enough gas in the tanks, but Leroy had checked and was sure we’d make it. Besides, we’d loaded the full cans into the vehicle behind us.
The day was cool and crisp, as if some great being understood the need to be fast. After two and a half days on the road, we needed to get that specimen into use before it degraded too much. We needed Ramon back behind the safety of the compound fence, and I needed to clear the air with Leroy.
All in a day’s work, really.
Chapter 12
Leroy
The ride was strangely quick and painless. I radioed in about twenty minutes out, and we’d seen no signs of a military unit.
We roared into the compound, the doors slid shut behind us, and I pulled in the first full breath I’d managed since leaving that house.
Liam came out to meet us. “Well, you’ve brought bounty with you, I see. What about the specimen?”
I watched as Julia clambered off her bike and rounded the vehicle to accept the precious cargo from Ramon. “Right here,” Ramon said.
“Good work, team. Ramon, bring it in. I’ve got a team arriving tomorrow, but if you’ve got something to do…” Liam waved his hands, and I waited as Julia sauntered over to me. “Well, the rest of you deserve a day off. Go get some food, a shower, and a change of clothing. We can meet for a debrief after—”
“Not quite that simple, Liam. We’ve got a rather large problem, and you need to know about it sooner rather than later,” my girl told him.
Liam blinked. “All right then. Come inside and I’ll organize some coffee.”
The two of us followed him inside after assuring the others they could go take some downtime. It felt odd to be coming in from the field to what was essentially a very homey kitchen and office setup. I knew we stank, and I particularly was covered with dried blood, but we needed to tell him straight away about the military movements.
Elaine left the three of us settled at the table even though I’d said I really shouldn’t sit down.
“Liam, there’s military or pseudo military out there. They’re gathering up the zombies. We don’t know where they’re taking them, just that they’ve got them all in trucks, like cattle, and they’re shipping them elsewhere.” Julia spoke quickly, and I nodded, the whole time watching Liam for his reaction.
Liam’s face turned stony. “How far away?”
I dug out my map. “We were here when we saw them.” I pointed to the location, and he rubbed a tic above his left eye. “They’d gathered them up, which is why I was able to get the sample we have. The guy in control of the second truck had gone inside.” I explained the rest of the situation, the truck we’d seen last night. “Have you seen any trucks in the vicinity?”
Liam shook his head. “We’re too big for most militia to bother with, it would seem. But we need to know more.”
“Liam? We were talking, and Leroy and I think that they’re rounding up those that have evolved. Perhaps to test them or to experiment on them. Which is bad enough, but what if they’re behind the evolution? What if it’s a continuation of the initial plan?”
Her hand gripped mine really tight as Liam glanced at me, aghast. “Do you think that’s likely?”
“The only thing I know for certain is the guy in the first truck is military. I saw the way he moved. If he’s not from the unit I was co-opted to, I’d be very surprised. If that’s the case, he’ll want and need that tissue sample. They’ll find us soon enough, and when they do—”
“We’ll be ready, Leroy. Now go. Downtime for you both.”
Chapter 13
Julia
We walked back slowly. Not touching, but there wasn’t a lot of space between us. No one spoke to us. We didn’t gain anyone’s interest, and that suited me just fine, because the roiling in my gut and the nerves that settled in my chest would have made speech impossible.
At the steps of the building, I stopped, turned, and looked at Leroy. “Will you come up with me?” I knew exactly what I was offering and breathed a little easier when his gaze roamed my face then he gave a nod. He knew too.
I fumbled in my pocket for the key, which he removed from my nerveless fingers and unlocked the unit.
We stumbled inside. The interior was cool, and I shivered.
“Are you all right?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Shut the door.” My words wobbled a little, but he pushed the wood closed so we were alone in the silence.
I stripped off my dirty jacket and dropped it on the floor. There’d be time to deal with that after.
“Julia,” he whispered.
I lay my finger against his lips, stilling his words. I didn’t want to talk, not yet. I just needed to feel him. His strength surrounding me was the one thing I’d craved during the mission. We’d both denied ourselves that though, because we knew how it would end.
Leroy’s arms wound around me, and I simply rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart.
“What are we doing here, Julia?” The timbre of his words echoed in his chest and set off tiny fireworks of sensual hunger inside me.
I tugged away and looked at him. “You know I want you, Damien Leroy.”
“Yes.”
He remained immovable, like a boulder, and I sighed. “I want more than that though. More than just a quick session of sex. I heard what Liam said about procreating and children, and that… I want that someday, but not yet. I want time with you. To be with you and to learn about you and us.”
He frowned, and I wondered what he was thinking in that moment. “All right.” But his gaze remained clouded as if he were unsure where I was going with this.
God, I’m making a mess of this! “Leroy, I feel deeply for you. I mean, when you disappeared down there to get the specimen I felt like—”
“I understand,” he whispered.
I shook my head, tears burning beneath my now tightly closed lashes. “No. I knew then that if anything happened to you, I’d just wither away. That I couldn’t lose you. That I…” The words stuck in my throat. “I…I love you, Damien Leroy!”
The silence grew. The quiet was unbearable, because I’d just bared my soul to him and he didn’t say anything. Mortification burned me, my face flaming hot, and I ducked down, wishing myself a million miles away.
When his hand took mine, I tried to snatch it away, but then I caught sight of him, the tears rolling down his cheeks, and I stopped.
He was crying. Silently shaking as if an integral part of his being had been smashed.
“Leroy? Are you all right?” Terror replaced the fear, and I reached up, cupped his cheek with my shaking hand. “Talk to me, because you’re scaring me.”
He laughed, shaky and uncertain. “I’m lost for words. I love you too. It surprised me when I realized it, but you didn’t seem to be interested in anything long-term, and I… I’ve made decisions and done things…” He tried to pull away, but I stopped him. “Things that no one could possibly love me for.”
The need to reassure overcame rational thought. “We all have. Since the outbreak, the laws and morality have changed. We’ve changed. Nothing is the same. We did what we had to in order to survive.”
“It doesn’t undo what I did before,” he bellowed as he stepped away. The distance chilled me as much as the self-loathing in his voice. “I don’t deserve you, or this.” He waved his hands at the small apartment. “Any of it.”
“Why? Because you followed orders?”
Fury sizzled in my veins. He’d followed the bloody orders he’d been given. Now he had to live with the knowledge of the consequences because some fucking arse in Canberra wanted to be prime minister and run the whole fucking show. It wasn’t good enough that they could be scared, because in that moment I wanted them to pay. But Damien Leroy was suffering now, before me, and he was my priority.
“You didn’t know what they were doing, you merely carried out the task you were told to do. You weren’t the only one to follow orders, but you’re the one helping us find a way forward now, when it counts. Nothing can change what’s already happened, but we can learn and be better people because of our experiences.” God, I hoped he was listening, because it was breaking me into tiny bits to listen to him tear himself apart with guilt.
“I don’t…” He slid to the floor, hands over his face, shoulders convulsing in front of my gaze. “Then I had to take that hand, and I just…” Leroy quieted now and sighed.
I knelt down. “I know. I understand what you’re saying, if not exactly how you feel, but you don’t have to do it anymore. No more missions for either of us, Leroy. I’ll talk to Liam, but you need help, and I’m here. For you. Always for you.”
“Fuck. You must think I’m some kind of weakling,” he groaned, swiping at his face.
“No. I think you’re a good man who’s trying to deal with a situation you didn’t invite or want. You need help to come to terms with this, and tomorrow we’ll go see Ramon, together. But for now, know that I’m here and not going anywhere.”
He rose, his face averted.
I tugged him toward my tiny bathroom. “Come on and have a warm shower, then I’ll organize some food for us both.”
“Julia…” He gripped the doorway, ceasing my push as he turned. “Thank you. I’ve never lost it like that. Not ever.”
Unable to stop myself, I rose on tiptoes and kissed him gently. “I guessed as much. But you don’t have to tough it out on your own anymore. That’s what people in love do for each other.”
* * * *
Leroy
I ate slowly, picking at the pasta dish Julia had organized. It wasn’t that I wasn’t hungry, but embarrassment chewed at me. Julia sat opposite me, watching me as I shifted food around my plate.
“If you’ve had enough, I can pop your plate in the fridge,” she offered.
“Yeah, sure.”
Before I could shove away from the table she was out of her seat and leaning over me. “Damien?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you maybe talk to Dove? He’s a priest and might be able to, you know, ease your mind a little.”
Ouch! Talk about difficult decisions. Dove was three-quarters in love with the woman I intended to sleep beside tonight and forever, if she’d have me. On the flip side, baring my soul to him might ease the pain of knowledge. Or would it? The indecision was almost worse than the truth of what I’d done.
“Maybe,” I temporized, and she laughed; the first true laugh I’d heard from her since we’d returned home.
“He’s not going to tell on you, Leroy. He’s a priest, with the sanctity of confession and all that.”
“Maybe.” But I refused to be drawn further. If that path was the one I decided on…well, that would come in its own time.
Instead I took her plate, carried it to the sink, then turned and tugged her into my arms.
“Right now, I’d rather not talk.” I leaned in to kiss her, letting it deepen so that our mouths ground together, and my hands slid around her figure to cup her butt.
Her legs wound around me, clasping me in an intimate embrace, and the heat that constantly licked at me burst into flame. Hunger surged in my veins, urging me to more and greater intimacy.
I moved to the benchtop and balanced her there, dragging my lips from hers. With shaking fingers, I reached for the buttons of her shirt, and she watched, eyes glazed and lips swollen from my efforts. God! She’s so hot! I was so ready for her, I was almost ready to explode, my cock pushing against my briefs.
