If Only to Forget (9 page)

“Well, good. Why don’t you get some food in your stomach then we can get you settled in a bedroom upstairs. We can talk in the morning after you’ve gotten some rest.” Sally nods and digs in as she heads out to the dining room. She acts like she knows her way around the place, and she said she came here on purpose. She must have known these people pretty well.

I carry a candle to the dining room and take a seat next to Sally. “So you knew the people who lived here?”

She nods, but her mouth is too full of peaches to say anything.

“They were friends with my parents,” she says after she’s swallowed her food. “We used to come here after church on Sundays.”

“We don’t know what happened to them. I want you to know that. The house was empty when we got here, and there was no sign of them anywhere.”

Sally shrugs, but her face falls. “They’re probably dead just like everyone else.”

Something scrapes against the floor behind me, and I turn to find Riley standing in the doorway. He’s watching the girl and his expression is sad. I love that he feels bad for her. Riley is an amazing guy. Better than a person could hope for in times like these. Hell, better than a person could hope for during normal times.

The peaches are gone in no time, and the second the jar is empty Sally yawns. “I’ve been so tired all day. I wasn’t sure I’d make it here.”

Riley pushes himself off the doorframe and nods toward the front of the house. “Kyra can help you get settled in, then. Okay?”

I smile at the girl as I get to my feet, and she doesn’t hesitate to return it. She’s too trusting, which worries me. She could have come across people who were dangerous. Who would hurt her. It’s something I need to talk to her about tomorrow.

Sally and I head upstairs, and I lead her to the master bedroom since Tori and Jim are in the other. I feel bad, thinking about Riley and me last night and the fact that the sheets aren’t exactly clean. But the other alternative would be the couch. She’d get better rest here.

“You want a t-shirt to sleep in?” I ask, setting the candle on the nightstand. “I can get one out of the dresser.”

Sally nods.

I pull a plain white t-shirt out of the top drawer and hand it to Sally. She hugs it close to her body and stares at me with huge eyes. Like she’s afraid I’m going to stand here and watch her change.

“I’ll leave,” I say, relieved that she’s able to show a little common sense.

Sally gives me a shaky smile and tugs at her sleeve nervously. “Th-thanks. I just don’t like changing in front of people.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Be sure to blow the candle out before you go to bed, and I’ll see you in the morning. Get some rest. Okay?”

Sally nods as I back out the door, shutting it gently behind me. The girl is young, but she seems like she’ll be able to pull through this thing okay.

Riley’s on the couch when I get downstairs. He lifts the blanket, motioning for me to climb under. He doesn’t have to ask me twice. When I’m settled into the couch with him, I scoot closer. Savoring the heat from his body.

“I almost jumped her,” he says, his lips pressed against my head. “In the dark it was hard to tell it was just a little girl and I was so jumpy. I’m not sure I would have ever forgiven myself if I’d killed her.”

I twist around to face him, then run my fingers through his hair and pull his face against mine. His warm lips cover mine, slowly coaxing them open with his tongue. I brush my tongue against his.

“You did a good job,” I whisper against his lips. “You always do.”

Riley pulls me up until I’m on his lap, his mouth never leaving mine. His kiss deepens and his hands move down my back until he’s gripping the hem of my shirt. I break away when he pulls it over my head. Then his mouth leaves mine, covering my nipple. Sucking on it until I’m gasping. My body is throbbing already, and when he shifts under me and I feel his dick against me, it only increases. I grind against him faster as the stiff fabric of my jeans rubs against my clit.

Riley flips me onto my back and moves down my body, pulling my pants down as he goes. The second they’re off he’s on me, his tongue running over my clit, then pressing into me. Making me squirm and gasp and beg. I grab his head and pull his face closer as my orgasm builds, moving my hips against his mouth as he licks and sucks on my clit.

When the orgasm rocks through me, I have to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out. My body convulses and my hips buck against Riley’s face. He lifts his head, grinning up at me from between my legs. Then he flicks his tongue over my already sensitive nub and I gasp. Jerking away.

Riley sits and I crawl across the couch to him. He pulls me close, his mouth moving over mine, and I can taste myself on his lips.

I move down, kneeling on the floor in front of him. His eyebrows shoot up, but I just grin as I undo his pants.

“What do you have planned there?” he asks.

“Just want to return the favor.”

Riley grins and moves so I can pull his pants down. I wrap my hand around his hard dick and lean forward, running my tongue over the head, then down the shaft. Riley groans and moves closer. I run my tongue back up, circling the head once again before drawing it into my mouth. Riley’s hands go to my head, pulling me closer. His dick hits the back of my throat and I almost gag, but I work hard at relaxing my throat. I don’t have even half of him in my mouth. I wrap my hand around the base of his dick as I work him in and out of my mouth, moving my hand in time with my head. Riley shifts and moans again, thrusting his hips up as his hands tighten on my head. This time, I do gag, but only a little. I work harder on relaxing my throat as he moves faster, and I tighten my lips around him. Sucking slightly. Then he picks up speed and his whole body stiffens. He’s close.

“I’m so close, baby. Do you want to stop?”

I shake my head and focus on keeping my throat relaxed. Riley’s fingers tighten against my skull, then he grunts. Hot fluid fills my mouth, and I swallow it down without hesitation.

Riley’s breathing heavily when he pulls me onto the couch. He wraps the blanket around us both and I rest my head on his chest. It’s moist with sweat, but I’m beginning to love the feeling. 

“So tomorrow we load up on supplies,” he says.

“Sounds good.”

“I’m looking forward to Florida. Seeing you on the beach in a bikini. All tan. Sounds super-hot.”

I laugh even though that’s not exactly the future we have to look forward to. I’m sure there will be some beach time between work, but for the most part it’s going to be rough. We’re going to have a lot to figure out.

But we’ll be together for it. Me and Riley, and Tori and Jim. And Sally, if she wants to come. I think it would be a good idea if she did, but I’ll leave it up to her. I’m not going to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.

“The beach sounds nice,” I say instead of arguing with him. “We can find a big house on the beach and spend our days relaxing by the water. Fish. Swim in the ocean every day.”

“Like a vacation that lasts forever.” He presses his lips to the top of my head and I smile up at him. “Only better. Maybe, one day…” He chews on his bottom lip, then lets out a chuckle. “Never mind.”

“No. What were you going to say?”

“Nothing important. Just rambling about the future. Which is stupid. Thinking about the future is dangerous, right?”

“No. Thinking about the future is what will keep us alive. We have to focus on that so we have hope. Otherwise, what’s the point of trying?”

Riley hugs me tight and I close my eyes. I try to picture the future. Me and Riley on a beach. Living in a nice house. Growing older…

Having a family?

wakes me when it’s my turn to take watch. He’d stay up all night if he and Jim weren’t going out to find supplies, but I made him promise to let me take a turn. I give him the whole couch because I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep again, then spend the rest of the night sitting next to a candle squinting at a worn copy of
Pride and Prejudice
. I’ve read it a million times. Choosing one of the dozens of books I’ve never read had crossed my mind, but with the dim light I figured a story I was familiar with would be better.

Every fifteen minutes or so—or at the end of every chapter—I get up and do a walk of the house, looking out to make sure nothing else is creeping up on us. But the landscape is clear and the house is so silent I have a hard time focusing on the book. My eyes keep threatening to close.

When the horizon turns a faint orange, I move into the kitchen to start breakfast. There are only a few sausage patties left, but we also found a box of sausage links, so I cook those up. The meal will represent the last food we were able to salvage from the freezer, though. What little bit that’s left was toward the top and thawed out first, and we all decided it would be unadvisable to cook it. We don’t’ want to risk food poisoning.

The coffee is made by the time Riley stumbles into the kitchen, and he’s just taking his first sip when Jim and Tori come down the stairs. The sun is still low, but the men want to get a head start on the day.

We fill them in on the previous night as we munch on peaches and sausage, and they’re both as anxious to meet Sally as I thought they would be. Tori voices her concerns about the girl’s safety if she decides not to go with us, which makes me relax. I’ll have a valuable ally when I talk to Sally about heading down to the Keys with us.

When breakfast is gone, Riley and Jim get ready to head out. Watching Riley tuck a hunting knife into his belt makes my stomach clench uncomfortably. I’ve just gotten used to him being around, I don’t want to lose him now.

We stop at the door and Jim puts his arm around Tori’s shoulders. “While we’re gone, you two need to get as much packed onto that trailer as possible. Remember to keep it to the back so I can hook up the chicken coops I made. We’ll cover all the supplies with a tarp so they don’t get covered in shit, but otherwise it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“We’ll take care of it,” I say, not taking my eyes off Riley.

His gaze meets mine and he smiles, but it’s as tense as I feel. When he steps toward me, I start to shake. “It will be okay. In and out, little to no risk. We’ll get everything we need and then tomorrow we can head down to find our dream home.”

I nod, but can’t get my mouth to form words.

He pulls me against him for a brief second, kissing the top of my head, then lets me go. The second Riley pulls away, Jim opens the door.

Tori and I stand on the porch and watch the men drive off, not going back inside until the SUV is out of sight. Seeing them disappear feels a little bit like I’ve been shot.

“Well,” Tori says, turning to head back inside. “We better get busy if we want to get everything done.”

I don’t answer, but I do follow her into the house. I don’t think we’ll have much of an issue getting everything done between the two of us.

Tori and I get busy moving stuff to the trailer, and it doesn’t take long before my skin is covered in a fine sheen of sweat. It’s still early morning though—probably no later than ten—so we have a long day of waiting ahead of us.

“That girl must have been worn out,” Tori says as we head back inside to get another load.

“She was, but it’s getting late. You think we should wake her up?” I stop at the bottom of the stairs and stare up. The door to the master bedroom is just visible and it’s still closed.

“Naw. Let her sleep.” Tori lets out a deep breath and twists her head to the side, cracking her neck. “I need some water.”

I follow her into the kitchen, distracted from my earlier thoughts of Sally by the realization that my throat is dry.

Tori grabs two bottles of water and hands one to me. I open the bottle and I throw it back, gulping it down until my eyes water. Then I let out a big sigh of satisfaction.

Footsteps pound on the ceiling above us and Tori raises her eyebrows. “Looks like she’s up.”

“I should heat up the sausage we kept for her,” I say, peeling the foil back from the plate on the counter. “It will probably be gross cold.”

“Good idea.”

Tori drinks her water while I fire up the camp stove. Once it’s warm, I throw the cold sausage back into the skillet and push it around, trying to move it evenly over the hot surface. I want it to get warm, but not burn.

“I wonder what’s taking her so long,” Tori says.

“Maybe she’s nervous.”

Tori turns and heads out of the kitchen. “Well, I’ll go on up there and introduce myself so she feels more comfortable.”

I hum quietly as Tori’s footsteps pound up the stairs, trying to distract myself from the uncomfortable knowledge that Riley is gone. That he could be in danger.

I’ve just plopped the sausages onto a plate when Tori’s scream rips through the quiet house. The plate falls from my hand and slams against the wood floor, shattering as I dash out of the room. Thumps come from the master bedroom, and even though they’re loud and terrifying, they don’t come close to matching the pounding of my heart. I take the steps two at a time, my eyes on the open door at the top of the stairs, and when I reach the top I dash into the bedroom without thinking.

At first, I can’t figure out what I’m seeing. Tori is on the floor and Sally seems to be on top of her. They’re fighting, but I can’t figure out why the small girl would be fighting Tori…

Shit!

“No!” I scream as I rush forward and rip the zombie child off Tori.

The girl flies across the room and Tori scrambles for the hall. But the second Sally is back on her feet she’s coming at us again. Arms out. Growling like a rabid dog. Tori is sobbing and my heart is pounding in my ears so hard I can’t focus, but I know one thing for sure: I don’t have a weapon.

“Out!” I yell, grabbing Tori’s arm and pulling her from the room.

Tori barley helps me as I drag her across the floor, and Sally’s nearly on us when I slam the door shut. But even having the wood between us doesn’t help my heart rate slow down. The girl slams against the other side of the door, clawing at it. Howling furiously as she tries to get out. Panting and out-of-breath, I stare at the knob. Waiting to see if she’ll be able to figure out how to open it. It doesn’t move. Just like all the other zombies we’ve come across, she doesn’t know how to get it open.

Gasping, I collapse on the floor next to Tori. The other woman hasn’t stopped sobbing, and when I turn to look at her for the first time, I see why.

Her hand is pressed against her neck, and she’s covered in blood. More seeps between her fingers. There’s so much. Too much for such a little injury.

My stomach clenches so hard I’m afraid I’m going to throw up.

“Tori—” I scoot across the hall to where she’s sprawled out on the floor.

Her face is pale and she blinks up at me. “I-I’m infected.”

“Let me see,” I say, pulling her hand away.

Blood pours from the wound like a waterfall, gushing out with each pump. The bite is big. Deep. So much more damage than I’d ever imagined human teeth could do, especially from a child.

Tori swallows and takes a deep breath. “I th-think she hit an artery.”

I press my hand over the wound as hard as I can, trying to stop the bleeding. I’m sobbing. Thinking about Sally and how I let her in. This is my fault.

“I’m so sorry. She must have been bitten when she got here. She didn’t say, and we didn’t check.”

I feel like such a fool. Why didn’t Riley and I think to ask Sally if she was infected? Thinking back on it, I can remember how she tugged on her sleeve, and how she didn’t want me to see her change. She must have been hiding it. She knew, but she didn’t tell us.

Tori shakes her head, and puts her hand over mine. “It’s not your fault. But you know how this works. We saw it.” Tears still fall from her eyes, but her voice is amazingly calm.

I shake my head, but Tori doesn’t tear her eyes away from mine. Even in those few seconds, I can see the life going out of her. It may have taken Sally all night to die from the bite, but when Tori bleeds out she’ll turn fast. We’ve all witnessed it. The day we stumbled into the school, we’d just walked through a massacre. We saw people around us die, only to turn mere minutes later.

Tori and I sit in silence for a few minutes, then her breathing becomes labored and slow. She winces. Maybe the virus will speed up her death. I don’t want her to suffer, and the thought of watching her slip away is killing me as well.

“You need to kill me,” Tori says.

I shake my head and press my hands harder against her wound, like I can hold the blood in by sheer force of will. “No!”

“I’m going to turn and then I’ll attack you. You have to do this!” she hisses, her brown eyes flashing.

Tears pool in my eyes as I desperately try to think of a way out of this, but I can’t. There just isn’t one. “I don’t have a gun! What do you want me to do? Stab you in the head?”

Just saying the words fills my body with a horror so intense I can barely breathe. I can’t stop shaking my head, and no more words will come out. This can’t be real. Can’t be happening!

“You don’t have to feel bad. I’m going to turn. You’ll be doing me a favor. Putting me out of my misery.” Tori takes a deep breath, and when she lets it out the air rattles in her chest. She blinks and tries to get up, but her legs wobble. When her eyes meet mine, they’re full of fear and agony.

I shudder as I scoot away. My hands are covered in blood, and I wipe it on my pants. Tori closes her eyes, and her hands slide from her wound. Dropping onto the floor. She doesn’t move and I’m pretty sure she’s stopped breathing.

I scoot back, away from the stairs. Tori is blocking my way!

A second later, her body jerks and I scramble to my feet, trying to decide what to do. I could run by her. Go down the stairs and try to get to the kitchen so I can find a knife. But I might not make it. She could get me!

Then Tori’s head jerks my way, and she opens her eyes. Her once brown eyes are lifeless, and there’s nothing in her expression that’s even remotely human anymore. Ice fills my veins. It’s too late. I waited too long!

The creature that used to be Tori gets to her feet, and I turn the other way. I rush down the hall, away from the stairs and safety and my friend who just turned into a zombie. Straight into the other bedroom. My heart almost stops beating when footsteps pound against the floor at my back. Right behind me. The zombie moans and I skid across the floor, practically slamming into the wall as I try to dash into the bedroom. My hands are shaking so hard I have a tough time grabbing the doorknob on my way by. My fingers slip off, but I grab it on my second try. I try to pull the door shut as I rush inside, but Tori is right on my heels me. She squeezes her face through the crack before I can get the door shut completely, chomping her teeth at me as she growls. Spit flies from her mouth and I scream as I punch at her with my free hand, trying to force her back.

Her head jerks and moves out of the way, and somehow I manage to get the door closed. The second it clicks shut, I collapse. Sobs shaking my whole body as Tori slams against the other side of the door.