Outbreak The Living (The Outbreak Series) (18 page)

Stretching, I roll on top of Mack. Grunting, he wraps me in his arms and rolls me over, laying on top of me. He swings his hand and shuts off the alarm.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he mumbles. Kissing him softly on the lips, I wiggle to try and get out from under him. If I stay here, I know what we will end up doing and I am way too sore down there for that right now. Laughing, I make my way out from under him.

“Mack, tons to do today,” I say as I walk over to our closet to get some clothes. Finding what I want, I walk back over to the bed and sit down to get dressed. Mack is faster than I am and has jeans and a t-shirt on. He sits back on the bed to throw his boots on. Pushing my tank top down over me, I stand there looking at him. Walking over to the bathroom, I brush out my hair. Looking in the mirror, my blue tips still look good. Leaving my hair down, I brush my teeth and grab a scrunchie to wear on my wrist to put my hair up later if I want to.

“What are you doing this morning?” I say walking back into the bedroom.

“Stuff around here today, I’m going to get the guns and ammo in the RV and then I have watch this afternoon,” he says. Standing up, he slides his hands around my waist.  Shivering, I place my hands on his chest and run them up, wrapping them around his neck. He bends down and kisses me until my toes curl. A little breathless we break apart.

"I get to drive a tank with Nick and see something with Sal.” Looking up at him.

”You will be safe with them, Egypt. Or I wouldn’t let you go. Before you say anything I’m a guy that loves you, I can say that you know,” he says laughing.

“OK, I’ll let that slide this time,” I say smiling. “Ready?”

“Yep,” he says. Making our way to the door, the dogs run at our feet as we head to the dining room.

“You know we need to train you more for hand to hand,” he says. Looking into the dining room, we are the last of the group to get here. There is not a big breakfast. It is too early for Mom. Walking over, I grab some fruit and a cup of coffee.  Sitting down at the dining room table with the rest of them, Mack just has a cup of coffee. He can eat later when breakfast is made.

“So you going to teach me, Mack?” I ask between bites of fruit. 

“Nope, Sal can. He used to train people all the time,” he says.

“You did, Sal?” I ask as I look over at him.

“Sure did, Egypt. We can start tomorrow morning or after your tank training is over.” He smiles at me.

“OK, sounds good.” I smiling up at him.  Looking over

“Morning Nick, I wouldn’t eat too much this morning. I'm sure it will be bouncy today,” I say smiling.

“Just fruit and coffee for me ma’am,” he says.

Standing up, I put my bowl in the sink. Walking to the sliding glass doors, I open them and walk out. The dogs run out barking. Taking a deep breath, I stretch and look around. I see a few RVs with lights on. Walking to the steps, I sit down watching the dogs run around. Feeling a hand on my shoulder I look up. Smiling, Mack comes and sits down next to me.

“I love you, Mack.”

“I love you, too, Egypt,” he mumbles. “Be careful out there today, I’ll see you at dinner?” he asks.

Moving closer, I give him a kiss on the lips. He grabs me and kisses me again. I love this man. Leaning my head on his shoulder, I say, “It’s a date save me a seat.” He kisses me again, then gets up and heads back into the house. I am sure he is going to the garage to get started on the stuff we brought back.  The dogs come back up on the deck. So we head inside.

“You guys ready to go?” Looking at them they are just all talking.

“Egypt, I’m going to ride with the guys to the place we’re getting the fence supplies. You and Nick can follow them I’ll go with you guys so I can show you what I wanted to,” he says.

“Fine by me.” Walking, I go to the front door and head into the front yard.  It is going to be hot today, I can feel it. It is October. It should be getting cold. Looking up at the sky, we sure don’t have that many more nice days. Hearing the door behind me, I watch as the others come out. Nick walks over to me with a big smile on his face.

“Are you ready, Egypt?” he asks.

“As ready as I will ever be,” I say. Walking over to the tank, I feel Nick’s hands grab me by my waist and he lifts me up onto the tank. Climbing the rest of the way up, I climb down the hatch and sit in the chair to drive this beast. I hear him shutting the hatch and locking it down. He comes over and starts telling me what all the buttons do. He tells me to start it and I do.  Putting it into gear, I wait for the truck to pull out. Easing forward, we make a right onto the street.  I am weaving back and forth, Nick covers my hand with his and steadies us. Smiling at him, we stay that way until the end of the street. He finally releases my hand and I keep it straight. 

“SO, you and Mack?” he asks. But not looking at me.

“We’re married,” I tell him.

“He’s a very lucky man, Egypt,” he says so softly I almost missed what he said.

“Thank you, Nick. You know there is a woman that is…”

“No, no if you mean Sally, I have already had the not so pleasure of meeting her,” he says laughing. Looking over at him, I start laughing too.

“So what’s her story anyway, how did she end up with you guys?”

“It’s a really long story, so I’ll give you a short version. I was kidnapped about a month ago, Sal and Mack came to rescue me. Sal decided to go after her. That is the other guys we are talking about and Mack came for me. I did not meet her until we were heading back to Ohio. I do not know that much about her. And there is definitely no love lost between us,” I say, keeping my eyes looking ahead.

“Shit, what happened to you? Who took you? Never mind you don’t have to answer me,” he says, looking at me.

“I will respond to some of it. A guy named Jake took me. For as to what happened to me, well all I’ll say is I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” I do not look at him. I do not want to see pity in his eyes. 

“Wow, I’m sorry, Egypt. I don’t know what to say.” Looking over at him I give a sad smile.

“Don’t be sorry; you can’t let the bad things that happen to you in life define who you are but, rather let them strengthen you. That is what I did. Sure some things still bother me like being touched, but other than that I am doing OK."

Looking over at him, I can see that he wants to say something. “Go on, I can see you want to ask, so ask.”

“Why can I touch you? It doesn’t seem to bother you, yet if Sal does you move away?” Looking over, I do not know what to tell him or what to say.

“I don’t know,” I say quietly.  He does not say anything. He just sits back as I drive. He has me do things while I am driving so I get to know the tank better.  Slowing down, we turn into a lumber yard. Looking around, I do not see any zombies.  Stopping, I turn the tank off and start to get up. Forgetting I’m harnessed in. Unbuckling everything, I stand up. Nick is up the ladder holding open the hatch.

“Come on it is windy and this hatch won’t stay open. It needed to be fixed and I guess we never got around to it." Climbing up I have to slide up against Nick to get to the top. He is right, it does not bother me. I do not like how this makes me feel.

“Egypt, I don’t mean no harm and I know my place,” he whispers in my ear. I do not dare turn to him so I nod. Making it up the last few rungs, I climb out with Nick on my heels. Standing up, it feels good to be outside. Nick jumps off the tank, reaching for me to help me down. Reaching out my hands, they land on his shoulders and my feet hit the ground. Nick takes a step back.

"You really did well driving,” he says. With that, he walks over to where the other guys are looking at supplies. Looking over I see Sal staring at me. Walking over to him, I bump my hip into him.

“What’s up, Sal?”

“Just going to let the guys know what to get, and then we can head out to what you need to see,” he says.

Grabbing his arm before can walk away. “Why not tell me?” I ask, looking up at him. I still don’t totally trust him, but I know he’d never hurt me.

“You really need to see it. Give me ten minutes?” he asks.

“Go, I’m fine here.” Walking away, I walk towards the waterfall that I see. I am ever the sucker for water. Sitting down, I am happy to just relax and watch the water. The sound is calming.  I do not get to relax for too long. Hearing footsteps in the gravel, I turn to see Sal and Nick walking over.

“Ready to go?” Standing up, I dust off the back of my jeans.

“Yep, the guys will meet us back at the house,” Sal says.  Walking over to the tank, I wait for the guys. Looking behind me, Sal is smoking. Walking over, I grab it.

“Damn Sal, holding out on me?” I say laughing. Walking away I smoke the rest of it. Feeling dizzy, maybe I shouldn’t have, it has been a while. Grabbing the belt, I try to climb up. But Nick comes and helps me.

“Thanks, sometimes it sucks being short,” I say laughing. We get in the tank and drive twenty minutes away down an old gravel road. I can’t say that I’ve ever been down this way before.

"Egypt, turn at this farm and stop at the front of the house,” Sal says smiling.  Shaking my head, I do as he says. We get out of the tank and I have my gun at the ready.

“It should be clear, we were just here yesterday, and it’s not like it’s a busy place,” he says. Walking up to the old farmhouse with a big front porch. I step up and the step squeaks. Holding on to the column, I make my way up. I look at the door and back at Sal.  Raising my eyebrow in question.

“We need to go to the barn, that’s where it’s at, Egypt,” he says. Making my way to the barn I stop dead in my tracks, in the pasture in front of me is a Gypsum horse. Watching him for a while, I finally make my way to the fence. He slowly comes over to me. Nuzzling my hand to be pet. Looking behind me, the guys stay a few feet back. Smiling, I slowly bend and crawl through the fence. He backs up and snorts, throwing his head.

“Hey, there big boy, I’m not going to hurt you,” I say softly. Slowly, I walk forward until I am right next to him. I run my hands down his sleek black and white body. He leans into my touch. Looking at the guys.

“He’s for you, Egypt. I don’t know if you can ride him, but I thought you’d want him. You used to talk about the farm all the time,” Sal says. Looking at him, he blushes.

Looking back at the horse. “Well let’s get him back to the barn and see if I can ride him. If so, I’ll have to ride him home,” I say excitedly.

Grabbing him by his mane, I give it a gentle tug. He follows me towards the barn and then in it. Finding a halter, I slowly put it on him, so that I can hook him to the lead. Walking around, I grab a brush and spend twenty minutes getting him cleaned up.

“Egypt, here’s a saddle and bridle,” Nick says.  Hooking them over one of the short stall walls. I look at them and make sure they are useful.  Looking around the barn, I find a saddle blanket and take it over to the horse.

“Guys stand back a bit just in case he freaks.”

“What about you?” Nick says. 

Laughing, I shake my head. “Oh, Nick, I got this you guys would just be in my way.” Slowly I bring the blanket up, he never moves so I sit it up on his back. Walking over, I grab the saddle and swing it up placing it on the blanket. Still he does not move.

"I’d say he’s been ridden before, or I would have never gotten the saddle on him like that.” Finishing up with him he is ready to go.

“So, you guys OK for me riding him home or are you guys going to act like tough men and give me a hard time?” I say, with my hand on my hip while the other is holding the reins.

Nick busts out laughing enough to make his eyes water. And Sal isn’t too far behind.

"We will follow a ways, Egypt,” Nick says between fits of laughter.

“Here, let me help you up on that beast,” Sal says.

“Not on your life, big boy. The day I can’t get up on a horse is the day I give up my riding boots.”  Throwing the reins up and over his head, I grab his mane, lift my leg into the stirrups and lift off, swinging my leg over him. Settling into the saddle, I adjust the stirrups and get comfortable.

Clucking, he starts walking. The sway of a horse moving is almost as good as sex. Smiling, I turn my head.

"Beat you home?” I say, kicking him into a canter.  Laughing out loud, I see the guys running for the tank.  He picks up speed as we sail down the road.  My hair is flying behind me, I forgot to put it up this morning. Smiling for the first time in months, I feel free. Watching the houses go by, I slow him down. I am sure it has been a while since he has run like this.  Trotting down the road, I slow him to a walk. The rocking motion is relaxing. I can hear the tank behind us. Looking over my shoulder, I see Sal, with his head out of the top, Nick is keeping it slow and away from us.

A half hour later we are turning on our road. We’ve mosied for long enough. Clucking, we pick up speed until we are at a nice canter.  He moves amazingly just like a rocking horse. Coming up on the house, I lead him to the right and take off at a full gallop in the field, I can tell he loves to run he keeps going faster and faster. Loping around the field, we head towards the house. Looking at the house the gate is open I see Nick, Hank, Pete, Sal, and Mack all watching me.  All of them are smiling. Slowing down to a walk, I take my feet out of the stirrups and dangle my feet, giving him his head we walk slowly to the house.