Wake the Dead 2 (Wake The Dead Series) (18 page)

“He won’t bother you,” Liz said to them with a smile. “And Brian horded matches. There should be tons of them in that top drawer.”

“Thanks,” Alex said, pulling open the dresser drawer and finding dozens of matchbooks. “And congrats, by the way.”

“Thanks, Alex,” Liz called back to him as she exited

He removed one and lit the lantern, turning it up to add another light source. “Doesn’t even look like he’s alive,” Alex said, drawing a spiteful slap from Selina as the door closed behind them.

“Don’t say that!” the cat shifted slightly on the dresser top at Selina’s outburst, but ultimately closed its eyes again.

“Well, you excited about spending the night in a bed with me?” Selina asked throwing back the covers and placing her backpack on the floor. She unstrapped her sword belt and sighed at the relief that afforded her.

Alex dropped his pack, too, and then removed the bow and quiver, placing them on the floor before unlacing his boots.

“Does this feel weird to you?”

“Not at all, tiger. Do we have to go over the whole
‘live-for-the-moment’
principle again?” Alex smiled at her question and shook his head. Then his smile disappeared slowly as she removed articles of clothing.

First, she unbuttoned her shirt, dropped her shorts and kicked off her boots, pausing to allow Alex to drink in the image of her shapely body in black lace undergarments.

Her bra was next and it fell to the floor with the release of a snap in the front. Then she slowly inched her underpants down until gravity took charge and they slid to the floor. She stepped out of them and lay on the bed. “Would you like this?”

Alex was unsure if he nodded or not, as he stiffened beneath his own clothing.

“You are beautiful,” he said matter-of-factly as he hastily removed his own clothing and climbed on top of her in less than a few seconds, kissing her neck and breasts softly. He was going further down when she stopped him and pulled him back up to eye level.

“No need for that,” she said modestly, guiding his hand to inspect her claim. Alex nodded and then moaned as he slid inside of her. He was quick to understand that she was already exceedingly moist with anticipation.

The pair made love for a long time at a very slow pace, switching positions and eventually ending up back where they had started before sharing an intimate and simultaneous climax to their evening session.

“I could use a smoke after that one, tiger,” she said to him, which made him feel satisfied.

It wasn’t long before the relaxation of the orgasm, and the comfort of sleeping on something as soft as a mattress overwhelmed him and Alex fell fast asleep.

***

The next morning came fast and Alex was roughly roused by Selina.

“You conked out on me pretty quick last night,” she said, sitting up on her elbows.

“I'm sorry, hon. Good news is I have the rest of my life to make it up to you,” he said, winking at her.

“You’re lucky I put up with you at all,” she said, winking back at him. “It’s okay. I totally get that you were exhausted. And to be honest, I haven’t slept that soundly in a long time.”

“So you collapsed right after me?” Alex asked, rolling over and onto his stomach.

“You bet your sweet ass I did,” she said with a minor snicker, slapping his rear-end. “We should get up and get moving, though.”

“You in a hurry?”

“No, not really, but I kinda don’t wanna stick around too long. It feels right to go now.”

“I know. I feel the longer we stay, the harder it will be to say our goodbyes.”

“Rip off that Band-Aid,” she agreed, sliding out of bed and pulling on her clothes. When she noticed Alex staring at her, she slowed her movements to allow him the time to drink it all in.

“You remind me of Halle Berry, specifically in a scene from
Swordfish
.”

“Stop it,” she said modestly, embarrassed by his comparison.

“Specifically that scene when she was in her skivvies, angel-face, ya know when Jackman catches her with the wire—”

“I know the one!” she shouted, cutting him off. “I’ve seen it. Like fifteen years ago!” She continued getting dressed in a somewhat bashful way that seemed out of place with the other side of her he had come to know—the sexually assertive side—and when she finally finished, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him thoughtfully.

“Angel-face?!”

“You bet,” he replied, not missing a beat.

“Your turn,” she said with a silly smile. “C’mon now,” she teased, winking at him and rocking back and forth. “I showed you mine, now you show me yours.”

Alex climbed out of bed and did not cover himself at all. He figured he would appease her and do what she asked even though he felt like a complete ass in doing so. He began slowly pulling on his own clothing, one article at a time as Selina made some catcalls and whistles in that same vein.

“Happy now?” he asked, as he put the finishing dressing, tying his bootlaces.

“I am!” Selina said excitedly, gathering up her belongings and heading toward the door. Alex did the same, staring toward the cat that was, at the moment, sitting on the floor, eating from a bowl of cat food. “See ya, Buster,” he said with a slight hint of melancholy.

“Should we wake anyone?”

“Nah, let’s get Shadow and get everything loaded into the boat. I’ll wake Nick right before we’re ready to go.”

The pair picked their way through the castle and back into the Great Hall that guided them into the inner courtyard and toward the moat.

As they exited the castle, Alex saw a figure standing on the drawbridge in the distance. As he got closer, he could see that it was Nick.

“Thought I’d wait here for you,” he said, as Alex and Selina got within earshot. Shadow was also on the drawbridge lying down at the far end, as if he anticipated what was happening.

“Did he…?”

“Bother me? No. He was eating a bird or something when I first got out here, but when he saw me, he headed over here and just plopped himself down in the shade.”

“You okay, buddy?” Alex asked, kneeling beside Shadow and rubbing his head in a playful manner.

“This is for you,” Nick said, handing Alex a rather heavy duffle bag. He opened it and found a good deal of his belongings inside. There was canned food, flashlights, batteries, duct tape, and an assortment of other things, including his extra arrows and broad heads.

“This was in the back of my van. How the hell—?!”

“It wasn’t easy to get, mind you. But needless to say, Phil and I were able to get there and back without much of an issue. Let’s just say that your van is irreparable, and it was a one-time thing.”

“You blew it up?”

“Like I said…irreparable. It was part of our impromptu getaway plan.”

“Well, I’m grateful, man!”

“I know. I thought you could use it.” Alex slapped Nick on the arm as he shouldered the heavy duffle bag.

Minutes later, they had everything loaded into the boat, which was packed more so than ever before, which had Alex wondering if it might capsize. But, before he knew it, they were on their way without incident. As they passed through the moat for perhaps the last time, Alex soaked in the view of the castle. He noted, to his delight, that Liz and Phil stood atop the wall-walk waving to them, which Selina also noted, as she too waved back.

Alex also noted that the parking area and beyond was still plagued with zombie flesh. It was definitely something that would’ve worn on him had he stayed, he admitted, solidifying his choice to leave the confines of the castle.

He was finally at ease with the decision.

As they pulled up to the riverbank to exit, Alex handed the keys to the ambulance over to Nick. “It might need gas.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Nick said, taking the keys and helping them all out of the boat. Shadow even circled around, staring at Nick for a few moments, unsure of where he was going.

“All right then, my friend. It’s been memorable and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us.” Alex shook his hand and Selina hugged Nick, kissing him on his hairy cheek. That said, Alex climbed up the hill, Shadow and Selina following close behind him.

He made it to the place where the Forester was hidden and unlocked the back door. He tossed in his bow, quiver, duffle bag, and then tapped the bumper for Shadow. The wolf hopped up and into the back of the vehicle and immediately lay down.

Alex paused and gave Selina a hug, then they climbed into their respective seats, and Alex turned the key. He threw it into gear and pulled out onto the road.

“There’s a map in the glove box,” Selina said, pulling it out and unfolding it. “Will we be passing any grocery stores on the way? I mean like maybe some little ones that may not have been ransacked?”

“There’s a few mom and pop stores I know of south of here on side roads. I’m thinking we’re gonna have to take all back roads as most highways are gonna be choked with wrecks and abandoned vehicles. But yeah, I know of a few places where we can stock up on the way.”

“Sounds great,” Selina said with an optimistic smile.

“Well, figure out a route we can take outside of the turnpike that’ll get us goin’ south, angel face. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”

With that said, they began their journey south in the hopes of finding a warmer clime, and hopefully, Alex’s family. As they took to the highway, the sounds of
Queen
’s Greatest Hits erupted loudly from the vehicle’s CD player.

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Gary F. Vanucci

Gary Vanucci was born in Pennsylvania in 1968. He enjoys writing, reading, music, art, anything at all that promotes creativity and activities that push the mind beyond conventional thinking. He has spent time as an amateur singer/songwriter and has spent multiple decades creating role-playing scenarios and playing games amongst various genres. Years of reading graphic novels, comic books, fantasy/science fiction novels and the like has led him to discover his true passion—writing!

 His education includes a Bachelor’s of Science in the field of Information Technology and an Associates of Arts in the field of Graphic Design.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."  ~Aristotle.