Grace Lost (The Grace Series) (8 page)

I took the bowl and spoon and ate
hungrily.  I hadn’t realized canned beans and Vienna Sausages could taste
so good. 

“If that stays down ok, we’ll try
some bacon,” said Gus.

“Where’d you get bacon?”

“The house I came across still had
electric.  Found it in the freezer,” said Gus.

I noticed they were both clean
shaven and wearing new clothes.   “Are we going there?”  I asked
with my mouth full. 
“To the house?”

“No, darlin’.
   The house is gone,” said Gus.

“What do you mean?” I asked, not
understanding.

“When I went back for a second
load it was overrun with those creatures,” he continued.

“Zoe, Gus lit it on fire. 
There were just too many of them and it was too close to our little shack
here.  We had to leave you here for about an hour to take care of the
problem.”

“They’re gone though,
right?”  I asked.

“You bet darlin’,” answered
Gus. 
“All gone.”

I nodded, and shoved another
spoonful of beans into my mouth.  “Ok.”

 
“Slow
down, Zoe.
  It’s been two days since you ate,” said Boggs as he
took the bowl away from me.  “I’ll take you outside to get cleaned up.”

“Gus, can you finish cooking the
bacon?” asked Boggs.

Gus nodded.
“Ya
sure.
  Leave the door
open
so I can keep
an ear out, ok?”

 “You bet,” said Boggs as he
helped me to stand, my legs weak.  We walked together to the narrow door
and he led me out into the still gloomy weather.  In the Pacific Northwest
gray days can linger.  It wasn’t raining now, but the many trees that
overhung continued to drip water and the sky was overcast.  Boggs left the
door open and we walked around the corner of the building, where the guys had
fashioned a hanging curtain meant for privacy while camping.  A small
hand-held shower was attached to a water pump that was fed by a portable
propane line.  Boggs helped me to a lawn chair that sat next to the
contraption then primed the line and hit the auto-ignite switch.

 “Wait here just a sec,
Zoe.  I’m just going to grab a towel.”

I sat in the chair patiently,
enjoying the fresh air.  I watched the old trailer, wondering what had
happened to cause the dwellers inside to die their first deaths.  Boggs
returned quickly, a fluffy white towel in hand.  He hung it on a nail and
held his hand out for me.  I took it and slowly stood.

“Zoe, I can come in and help if
you want?” he offered.  I must have worn a look of shock. “You’re so
weak.  I just thought…”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,
Boggs.  Just stay close?” 

 
“Always.”
 
He kissed my forehead and turned around.

Someone had dressed me in a men’s
button-up shirt.  I struggled with the first button, my arms weaker than I
had realized.  He heard me sigh in frustration and turned to face me,
trying to hide an ‘
I told you so’
smile.

“Fine,” I said in frustration.

He took a step toward me and
gently unfastened the top button.  He reached the second, starting to bare
my chest.  He leaned in and whispered near my neck.  “It’s ok, Zoe,
I’ve seen you before.  Just let me help you, ok?”  His breathing was
becoming heavy and instinctively I knew this was difficult for him.  His
voice held a degree of longing that had never been between us before. 
“When I thought I might lose you, Zo, I realized I’d rather die myself.” 
I could feel his lips brushing my neck, and I backed away just enough for him
to perceive my discomfort.  He hesitated, only briefly, and his lips
brushed my neck again as his fingers were now working on a button near my
waist.  “I can’t lose you, Zoe Kate,” he whispered between breaths. 
The buttons all free, he slid the long sleeved shirt down my shoulders and let
it fall to the ground.  I was naked beneath and could feel his body close.

“Boggs,” I breathed, intending for
him to stop.  His lips found my earlobe and his hands reached behind me,
pulling my body to his. My heart now pounding, I tried again to speak but his
mouth found mine and hushed me as he tasted me deeply.  His passion flowed
through me and my already weak muscles gave in to his strong embrace.  He
held me against him, his hands searching me wildly and finding my bare bottom
while he pressed himself against me, his desire obvious by the hardness I could
feel through his pants.

The moment of unexpected passion
was interrupted by the sound of Gus clearing his throat.  “I don’t mean to
interrupt you two young lovebirds, but Zoe’s in no shape to exercise right
now.”  Boggs continued to hold me to him, his body hiding mine
protectively from Gus’ view.  “Get cleaned up, Zoe, and you two get back
inside.   I need to check on that hip of yours.”

Gus had lingered a few moments
longer than necessary, but made his point.  Boggs kept his grip on me, and
placed his forehead against mine.  No more words were spoken. 
Instead, Boggs lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he
carried me into the makeshift shower.  He set me down on my feet and
turned me to face away from him.  He gently sprayed me with the warm water
while I stood in front of him.  The warmth from the water and his hands
soothed my tense muscles.  He gently shampooed my hair, rinsed it clean
and washed it a second time.  He used his fingers to comb conditioner
through the tangles, and then gently caressed my cheek with the back of his
hand.  His arms encircled me, a bar of soap in his hand.  He started
at my belly button and used his hands to lather up to my bare breasts, where he
used his thumbs and forefingers to gently pinch my erect nipples while he
sucked wildly at my neck.  His caress felt wrong, yet safe at the same
time.  Although I had known him my entire life, this touch was so
new.  His hands found my waist, and then moved down to my most private of
parts.  He studied my body with his hands, as if trying to memorize each
detail.  I felt a craving stir deep within my body, and found it difficult
to catch my breath.  The gentle caressing turned to frantic groping with
his hands, almost as if he wanted to devour me.  I heard him moan into my
neck, almost growling.  I desperately tried to turn my body toward him,
craving what I had never before experienced, but his strong arms held me in
place. 

“Not yet, Zoe, I want the time to
be right,” he said in his deep voice.  “You have no idea how much I want
to make love to you, but I want it to be right. 
For
both of us.”

He lightened his touch, and rinsed
my body off with the hand held shower.  Eventually I couldn’t feel his
hands on me anymore.  I closed my eyes and while his touch was absent, I
waited for my heart and breathing to slow.  I felt a towel placed upon my
shoulders, followed by his hands as he turned me to face him.  I tightly
held the edges of the towel in front of me, trying to stay covered and warm.

I kept my gaze on my bare feet and
the rubber mat that had been placed on the ground. He placed his hands on my
shoulders as he spoke softly.  “Zoe, look at me.”

I slowly brought my eyes up to
meet his, excitement and fear dancing in my stomach unlike anything I had known
before.  He leaned down slowly and kissed me lightly on the lips. 
Without backing away more than an inch or two, he spoke gently “I can’t ever
lose you, Zo. You’re so important to me.”  He bent down and lifted me
again.  Cradling me in his arms, he carried me back into the little stone
shack.

Gus looked up and smiled. 
“It’s about time! I was about to eat all the bacon myself.”   He
laughed, and walked to the door and locked it as Boggs set me back down on the
bed.  Gus had been busy, hauling the old tattered mattress out and
replacing it with an air mattress he had pillaged.  He had kindly put
fresh sheets and a quilt on the saggy bed while I showered.  I made sure
my towel was wrapped around me tight.  Boggs went to the corner and
changed his now wet clothes, opting for a dry pair of sweats and a
t-shirt.  Gus had brought back an assortment of comfortable dry clothes,
as well as three fold-out nylon camping chairs, all in matching red.

Boggs came back and settled down
next to me, causing the air bed to plump up as he plopped.  He began
drying my hair with a smaller hand towel.  He pulled a white cotton
nightgown over my head. I smiled in thanks as he helped me rid myself of both
damp towels.  He brushed my blonde hair, being careful of leftover
tangles.  Gus joined us, kneeling on the floor next to the air bed.

“Zoe is it ok if I look at your
wound?” he asked.

I nodded and pulled my night gown
up so he could inspect my hip.  “It’s stinging a bit,” I said.

“It probably will for a couple
days.  I can give you another pain pill if you want,” offered Gus.

“Maybe just half
of one?”
I suggested.

“I’ll get it,” said Boggs.  He
stood and walked to the little shelf to get the pill.

Gus peeled the old dressing off,
the task made easier by the dampness from the shower.  I winced.

“It looks a little less red,
that’s good.  We’ll try to do two dressing changes a day for a few days,”
said Gus thoughtfully.  “I suspect it’ll clear up just fine, but you’ll
need to stay on the antibiotic.”

Boggs returned with half of a pain
pill, a bottle of water, and a piece of bacon. “Thanks, Boggs. 
You too, Gus.”
  I yawned.

The activity from the morning had
left me tired, and full of thought.  I sipped on water and ate half a
piece of bacon, then was ready to sleep. 

Boggs tucked me in between the
crisp new linens on the mattress and kissed me on the cheek, letting it
linger.  I closed my eyes and let my aching body relax, my mind refusing
to shut itself off and surrender to sleep.  Near the fire, the men talked
of plans to relocate soon.  Our stone home was small and would not last
indefinitely.  There was talk of finding other survivors. There was talk
of the coming cold season and how it would hit us soon in the mountains. 
Before long the pain pill started working and I fell into a fitful
sleep.   My dreams were filled with the living dead and of Boggs
walking away from me, leaving me alone in the world.

When I woke next, the fire had
died and the room was cold.  Gus and Boggs both slept in the camp
chairs.  I crept from my bed and tiptoed around them, intent on lighting
the fire.  The wind howled outside, whipping against the sides of our little
abode.  I could hear the camp shower knocking against the metal
roof.  As I crumpled some newspaper to rekindle the flames in the stove, a
tree crashed in the distance.  Faintly at first, a new sound mingled with
the storm. As I struck a match, the moans became clear.  Ice traveled up
my spine.  The match fell from my hand, lighting the newspaper by
chance.  A howl not matching any beast that belonged in the woods was
followed by a scream.

Gus was closest to me, so I shook
his shoulder.  “Gus! Gus!”  I whispered as loudly as I dared.

The cowboy startled awake,
instantly alert.  He stood and grabbed his shotgun.  Boggs stirred
awake from the commotion.  The wind lulled and the screams grew closer.

“They sound human. 
The screams.
  They sound human.”  There was
urgency in my voice.

Moans from the dead intertwined
with the wind.  There was a loud
thump
against the door followed by
the pounding of fists.

“Help me!  Please, help me!”
pleaded a woman’s shaky and terrified voice.  The knob shook with her
attempts to enter.  “Please, God, let me in!” she begged.  Her
pleading changed to sobbing as the moaning drew near.

I started to rush to the door, but
Gus held me back, twisting my arm painfully.  I cried out and Boggs cocked
his arm back, landing a blow on Gus’ cheek.  Gus stumbled backward,
releasing my arm.  I took the opportunity to rush to the door and unlock
it.  I couldn’t bear to let another person perish if we could help
them.  The door gave way and a young woman fell inward.  The dead
were close behind, excited by the new discovery of more food.

“Boggs!”
I screamed.  The girl lay flat on her back with her
legs still outside, making it impossible to shut the door.  He and Gus
both ran to her.  They each grabbed an arm and dragged her inside.  I
slammed the door as the first of the creatures reached the shack.  I
struggled with the lock as the monsters pushed back against me.  A
decaying hand forced its way between the jamb and the door and the howls of the
dead grew riotous.  The men both rushed to my aid, throwing their weight
against the door. Gus brought the butt of his shotgun down on the hand,
severing shredded tendons and ligaments until it fell free from the arm. 
The door slammed shut with the sudden release, and I twisted the deadbolt to the
locked position.

The girl cried hysterically. 
Her face was a mess of mud, rain, tears, and a splattering of blood and
freckles.  She had short messy red hair and wasn’t much taller than
myself.  I thought she couldn’t have been older than eighteen.  I
went to her and wrapped my arms around her shaking body, for her comfort as
well as my own.  We sat there facing the door together, watching as dust
and cob webs fell from the rafters as the horrors outside beat against the
building attempting to gain entry.  Gus had positioned his shotgun in one
of the small holes and fired.  The hellish moans of the rotting corpses
got louder.  Boggs took a stand at the other opening in the wall, firing
his pistol blindly into the night.  Shot after shot rang out until finally
the moans and screams of the creatures ceased.  Everyone fought to catch
their breath as the rain fell steadily, beating against the roof. The girl
clutched at my arms, her sobs increasing as she moaned in emotional agony.