Shelf Life (3 page)

Josh smiled.

“Yeah, you’re right...it would have sucked not to have met you.”

Shannon looked up at Josh, wiping away the last remnants of her breakdown. She felt the heat rise in her chest, replacing the pain of only a few moments ago. She looked into his eyes, realizing they were green, deep green like leaves on a tree. Shannon felt her breath catch, but before she could speak, she felt his hand behind her head, pulling her to him. The warm softness of his full mouth against hers as the stubble of his beard pressed against her face. She felt her arms wrap around him as her fingers pressed into flesh and hair, wet lips twisted together. She felt herself being lowered to the floor, and the weight of him on top of her. She let go of her pain, her loneliness and allowed herself to be carried away; the sadness and trauma of the last twenty-four hours being wiped away with his kisses and his hands. They pulled at each other’s clothes, the feel of their hands on one another, skin against skin, wet mouths on flesh, his hands on her face, fingers knotted in her hair and he entered her. Moving together, harder and faster until they climaxed. Their breathing hot and frantic as they tried to catch their breath.

Shannon opened her eyes and held Josh’s face, her thumb lightly tracing his bottom lip and she smiled.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that since last night,” he said.

She kissed him.

“I want to do it again right now, but I think we need to get out of here before dark,” she said.

He looked down at her body and groaned, then kissed her chest and began to rise. Once standing he held out his hand and helped her up.

“You’re right. Let’s get dressed and get going. Oh...sorry, Max.”

They looked down at the dog, who raised his eyebrows and then looked away. Shannon laughed.

“Poor traumatized dog.”

His tail thumped against the floor. They both dressed quickly and packed the duffle with as much as they could carry. They each picked up their bags and Josh looked briefly out the window and nodded. Shannon opened the front door and started into the hallway, when suddenly she felt a hand cover her mouth and something sharp in her side as she was pulled away from the door.

Josh had stopped just inside the door and grabbed something from a table, slipping it into his pocket, and then he walked into the hall and closed the door. Max was growling and when he looked over, he saw a large man with a knife holding Shannon. Then he felt cold steel against his temple.

“What’s this, Joshy? Keeping all this trim to yourself? And a nice feast with the beastie here,” said the man with the gun.

Max snarled at the man, who grabbed Josh by the hair and kicked Max in the side. The dog yelped and flew against the wall. Shannon felt the rage begin to fill her.

“Don’t!” Josh yelled. “Leave him alone!!”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to give any orders here, kid!! You should have brought the bitch and the dog to us!! Good thing we saw you at the store...now...now, I guess we’ll just take them.”

“I left you crazy bastards a week ago!! Let them go!!”

Josh began to struggle, but slowed when the man holding him put the gun to his jaw, digging it deeply into his flesh. Josh winced. Then he saw the guy holding Shannon move his hand lower and grab her breast through her shirt, smiling and smelling her hair.

Shannon’s anger could no longer be contained. She reached into her backpack and felt the cool metal against her fingers.

“You think you’re man enough to fuck me, you ugly son of a bitch? Bring it!”

The men laughed, and the one with the knife grabbed her by her hair with his free hand and spun her around to face him. He slammed her against the wall and then raised his knife. She stared at him, never flinching, as she heard the jeering encouragement of his comrade. He brought the knife forward and stuck it in the wall next to her head. She smiled and he blinked.

“Dumb fucking asshole!!”

The backpack fell from her grasp and she brought her knee up full force and connected with his groin, knocking the wind out of him, which caused him to lose his grip on her and step backwards.

“BITCH!”

He looked up, but before he could utter another word, she slammed the end of the L Bracket into his chest. He looked down as she pulled it out and had only time to gasp as she jammed the end of the bracket up through his chin. In a split second his eyes grew dark. She pulled the weapon from his head and turned. The other man pointed his gun at Shannon. He snarled and just as he pulled the trigger, Josh pushed his captor’s arm away. The gun went off, a bullet streaking down the hallway, stopping in a wall. Shannon was already moving and without hesitation plunged the bracket through his eye. She slowly pulled it out and watched as he fell to the ground limp. She looked down at both of them, and then she heard Max. He was whimpering.

“Oh, God, Maxie...no, sweetheart.”

“C’mon, Shannon...I’ll carry him...we have to go!!”

“You knew them?”

“Part of that group I told you about...come on...please, baby...we gotta go!!”

Shannon got up as Josh gingerly picked up Max. She picked up her brackets and placed them in her backpack. Then she grabbed the duffle and shouldered her pack. Josh started to walk up the stairs and took a door that led to the street. She followed him several blocks when he stopped in front of a repair shop.

“My left pocket, there are keys in there...grab them, please.”

She placed her hand in his pocket and let her finger curl around a key chain and pulled it out.

“That one...with the blue hat thingy on it...unlocks the chain there on the garage door,” he said.

“What is this place?”

“My Grandfather...his friend owned this place and he always had a key...he kept his car here when he couldn’t drive it anymore. I can’t believe it’s still standing.”

Shannon put the key in the lock and turned, allowing the arm to pop from its chamber. She lifted the lock from the chain and let it fall and pulled the door to the right, sliding it along its track, and then the other. There sat a pristine blue four-door sedan. Josh moved into the garage and motioned to the back door. Shannon tried to pull it open, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried harder.

“Babe... the key...”

“Stupid...” she hissed under her breath.

Josh tried to hide a smile as she unlocked the car and then opened the door. Josh gently laid Max on the back seat and then turned and ran into the office. Shannon dropped the duffle and backpack and knelt down next to Max, stroking his head. He seemed alert, just in pain.

“My poor baby...”

Josh reappeared carrying a big blue box. He slid it onto the floor of the back seat and grabbed the backpack and placed it next to it.

“Get in the car, Shannon...c’mon!!”

Shannon stood up, consumed with worry, and gently closed the back door and opened the front passenger side and slid in. Josh had grabbed the duffle and placed it in the trunk, then opened the driver side and slid in.

“Keys, please.”

Shannon handed him the keys and looked at him. He gave her a quick smile and then grabbed her face, kissing her deeply. He turned his attention back to the car and closed his eyes.

“Please start...”

He placed the key in the ignition and turned. The car sputtered, then roared to life. He pulled out slowly, and drove around the wreckage and debris of the city. Then he gave it gas and headed toward the mountains. The roads were fairly clear and soon they were out of the city and racing to the forest. Shannon watched the dark and sparse destruction they had once called home slowly disappear as the green of the forest loomed before them.

They had been travelling for about an hour when they pulled over to assess Max’s injuries. He was able to move now and he could breathe and eat. They assumed he must have cracked ribs. He winced when they touched his side. Shannon taped him up as best she could and gave him some water.

The sun hung low in the sky as they hurried deeper into the forest. The orange and pinks of the impending sunset danced against the clouds. As they drove, Josh finally looked over at Shannon.

“I never would have given you to them...I hope you know that.”

She smiled.

“If I’d thought you would have, I would have killed you then and there.”

He smiled back.

“So...you still want to be with me?” He asked.

She sighed and then smiled. She had spent most of her life looking for someone she could connect with and now at the end of the world, she found him. A man she had known for less than forty-eight hours. A man she knew relatively nothing about, but he wanted to be with her.

“Yes, yes, I do...you know...you don’t even know how old I am, Josh.”

“Does it matter?”

“Not to me... but it might to you.”

“Naw... I’ve always been into older women...guess you’re just not used to being a cougar.”

Shannon laughed. She had always loved laughing, but now...now she really felt it. The warm rumble as it moved through your body, coating everything in joy.

“No, I guess not.”

“Seriously though, do you even know how hot you are?”

Shannon smiled and shook her head.

“Oh, yeah...” he said. “What you did back in the hallway...totally Bad Ass. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Thanks...I didn’t either.”

“But I have a question...”

“Yeah?”

“Why brackets?”

Shannon began laughing again and then explained her dream about the zombies.

“Who knew they would work so great against douche bags?” she said.

Josh laughed and nodded. Shannon smiled as she listened to him talk about his life before. She reached into the backseat, rubbing Max’s head, then she opened her pack and pulled out the photos she had placed in there. Then she reached deeper and pulled out her three photos. She looked at all of them and then she placed them on the dash and lightly touched his hand. He stopped talking and glanced at them. Then he looked at her and smiled. He turned back to concentrate on driving and she looked out the passenger window. He slowly lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

“I love you,” he said.

She smiled and watched the sun drop low in the sky as the trees whipped by and she wondered...exactly how do you plant a garden?

S
. L. Dearing was raised in Westlake Village, California and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Shannon attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, then spent several years studying at Los Angeles City College's renowned Television/ Film program. She has worked on several film projects in many capacities: directing, writing, 1st Asst. Director, etc. She is a book reviewer and a blogger of life and books. She has written several screenplays and short stories, and she is presently working on continuing the Lia Fail series. Shannon currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

© 2012 by S.L. Dearing

A
ll rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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The Lia Fail Chronicles:

The Gathering: Book 1

A Wish: Lia Fail Short Story 1.1

A Touch: Lia Fail Short Story 1.2

Anthologies:

Apocalypse: A Collection by Readers and Authors

Shelf Life by S.L. Dearing

A Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST

Blood Lines by S.L. Dearing

Stalkers: A Collection of Thriller Stories

Affliction by S.L. Dearing

All our Love

The One by S.L.Dearing

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