Chapter Three

Chapter Three

          Light blue eyes gazed intently out of the steel sided country style house that sat out on 50 acres in rural Missouri. Nothing ever seemed to happen in Missouri but times had changed and things were different now. When the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, a small smile raised one side of 20 year old Roxi Kapolla’s face as she pulled off the heavy steel sheets that covered the windows during the night when the zombies ran wild.

          It had been quite some time since another human had passed through here and she was starting to wonder if there were any other normal humans left out there. The thought of being the last human on earth made her heart drop in her chest and she pushed the thoughts aside before going around to the other windows and pulling off the metal sheets as well to let light into the dim house.

          Roxi was already dressed and ready to take full advantage of the daylight hours she had before she would have to close up the house once more to stay safe from the heartless monsters that came out every night. A pair of tall, black biker boots were on her feet as well as a pair of dark wash skinny jeans which were tucked into her boots. A plain white tank top was covered by a beat up black leather jacket while Roxi’s dark black hair fell straight down, reaching to the middle of her back. There was no need to wear much makeup since it was very rare to come across a human that wasn’t trying to eat her face but she still liked to wear a little eyeliner now and then.

          The soft clanking sound of her boots on the cracked sidewalk in front of her house rang through the air and she almost jumped but kept her cool, her light blue eyes scanning her surroundings to make sure that there really wasn’t any danger. It only took twelve steps to get to the large metal sided barn that kept all of her equipment. Reaching under the mat to grab the key, she stuck it in the lock of the side door before twisting it open and replacing it.

          Taking a deep breath, Roxi slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open before flipping the light on quickly and slamming the door shut once more. When no screams or wails of pain came from inside she stepped inside and gazed around before relaxing a bit. If a zombie would have been inside, the light would have hurt their eyes and their presence would be known.

          Heading deeper into the barn, she scanned the walls that held her guns, ammo, grenades and other explosives before putting a finger to her lips as she considered her options. Finally deciding on a simple double barrel shotgun and pistol, she pulled them off of the wall before putting the pistol in the holster on her hip and then sliding the double barrel shotgun into the bigger holster on her back.

          Heading over to where a big black 2011 Ford pickup truck sat parked, she pulled open the driver’s door and grabbed the keys that were still in the ignition. Pulling them out, she slammed the truck door and headed back towards the door, getting ready to head back to the house. Reaching for the doorknob, she froze as the sound of footsteps on the gravel of her driveway caught her attention.

          Her hand instantly went to the handle of the pistol she had holstered and she slowly slid it out before reaching for the doorknob and carefully pulled the door open.  Her finger rested gently on the trigger and she closed the door behind her, pressing her back up against it as she edged towards the front of the barn where the driveway stopped at.

          Her father had been in the military and when her mother died when she was six, her father had raised her like the son he never had. He had taught her survival skills, combat, hand to hand fighting, how to handle a gun and anything else she might need to survive, especially now. It was times like these that Roxi was thankful for that.

          Inching closer to the corner of the building, she heard the footsteps stop and she paused a moment before peeking her head around the side just a bit to see if she could spot the source of the footsteps. Pulling her head back, her other hand went to her gun and a wicked grin slid across her face as she counted to three before spinning around the corner and pointing the black pistol at a young man that looked to be a year or two older than her.

          “Who the hell are you and why are you here.” She demanded, her finger resting on the trigger still. Tilting her head a bit she took in the sight of the stranger, knowing he wasn’t a zombie just by looking at him. Zombies were easy to spot because they acted like animals, hated the daytime and had pale skin.

          This guy was rather attractive, though Roxi would never say it out loud. He was tan with short blonde hair and light ocean blue eyes. A sly grin remained on her face as she continued to look him up and down. He was dressed similar to her, wearing a pair of jeans, a plain looking t shirt, black boots, a dark leather jacket and black fingerless gloves on his hands.

          His expression was startled at first but he quickly recovered and put his hands up in surrender before a smile began to slide across his face as well. Roxi slowly lowered her gun a bit but still kept it pointed at him, waiting for his response to her questions.

          “My name is Crew Cooper. And I was just passing through and thought this would be a good place to spend the night. That is if you wouldn’t mind me staying. I’ll be out of your hair by the morning.” He answered as he put his hands down to his sides.

          He had a leather backpack on his back that hung off one of his shoulders and his hand went to the strap as he adjusted it to keep it from falling off. After a moment of looking him over, Roxi finally decided he was alright and put her gun back where she got it.

          “Alright Crew Cooper, you can stay for the night. I’m Roxi Kapolla by the way. Follow me.” She replied as she gave him a flirty smile before turning her back on him and heading back towards the house.

          Once inside, she closed the door behind them and went into the kitchen to find something to eat. Digging through the cabinets, she pulled out a couple granola bars before tossing one to Crew who was standing by the kitchen counter. He caught it easily in one hand and set his backpack down on the counter before pulling off the wrapper and eating the snack. Roxi ate hers as well, though her blue eyes remained locked on him as she looked him over once more. She was quite surprised that of the few humans left alive or normal, there was someone as attractive as him. She might as well go for it, after all, rejection didn’t seem like such a big deal when you were fighting for your life every day.

          Leaning against the counter, Roxi tilted her head so her dark hair fell in front of one of her shoulders while her light blue eyes looked up at him. He was taller than her but not by too much since she was pretty tall herself. A smile raised the corners of her mouth as she finished her snack and tossed the wrapper in the trash, resting her arms on top of the counter once more.

          “So how old are you anyways?” she asked him, not trying to make it sound polite since she didn’t really care if he thought she was rude, he could find somewhere else to stay for the night if that was the case.

          Crew tossed his wrapper in the trash too before raising his light blue gaze from the counter top and looking at her, a smile playing on his lips as well.

          “22. What about you? 20?” he guessed, leaning over the counter towards her.

          She was surprised by their sudden closeness but didn’t back away.

          “You’re good.” She answered with a smirk before leaning a bit closer to see if he would back up or remain still. A bit of a dare sparkled in her light blue eyes as she leaned closer so there was only about a foot between the two of them.

          Crew’s smile grew even more when she got closer and he glanced out the window next to him before turning to look back at her once more.

          “You have no idea.” He added, raising his eyebrows a bit before crossing his arms over his chest but making sure not to move away. He had noticed the challenge and there was no way he was going to lose any challenge, especially one as easy as this one.

          Once Roxi heard his retort, a soft laugh escaped her lips and she stood up straight before slowly making her way around to his side of the counter, feeling his eyes on her the whole time she moved. Her light blue eyes raised to look up into his eyes as she stood in front of him, only a few inches separating them right then. Glancing down at his chest for a moment, she looked back up at him before tilting her head to the side once more. Her lips parted a bit and a smile raised one side of her mouth as she studied his expression thoughtfully.

          “I bet someone as tough and strong as you is good at a lot of things…” she said softly, running one of her fingers up and down his chest. Her eyes followed her finger as it touched him before looking up at his face once more.

          Crew watched her, a sly smile slowly raising the corners of his mouth as he studied her, unsure what she was up to but kind of liking the mystery about her. When her finger ran along his chest his smile grew a bit more and he leaned towards her, his own sky blue eyes glancing from her finger to her eyes and then down to her lips before flickering back upward again.

          “You bet. Wanna see?” he replied, his own voice soft as he took a step towards her, her body almost touching his now.

          Roxi’s motions stopped and her lips remain parted as she looked up at his face. She couldn’t believe how much tension was buzzing in the air between them. Here she was, hitting on this guy she had just met and yet she felt herself wanting to tear his clothes off and just have him right then and there on her kitchen counter.

          Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, his words brought her back to the present. Just as she was about to respond to his question, he leaned his head down until their lips were pressed against each other’s in a kiss. Her eyes automatically closed and she felt her arms go up to wrap around his neck while her lips moved hungrily against his.

          She couldn’t believe she was doing this but desperate times called for desperate measures. Crew’s lips moved down to her neck and his teeth nipped playfully at her neck which made her shiver a bit. It had been so long since she had been with a guy, especially one this attractive. His hands explored her body a bit, running up her sides and back before reaching under her a*s and lifting her up until he was holding her to his chest.

          Roxi wrapped her legs absentmindedly around his waist while continuing to kiss him. The coolness of the kitchen counter was felt under her a*s after a moment and he set her down on it before his lips went to her neck once more. Tilting her head back, her eyes remained closed as she focused on what he was doing, not caring or noticing that the sun was starting to go down outside.

          Unfortunately for her though, he noticed that the sun was almost all the way set and his lips left her neck for a moment as he glanced out the window once more, his hands still wrapped around her and her legs on his waist. Roxi’s light blue eyes opened as she felt him stop and looked to see what he was looking at.

          “I should lock the windows.” She commented softly, glancing out the window before looking down at him to see if he would let go of her.

          Slowly he unwound his arms from around her waist and took a couple steps back, letting her climb off of the counter and move towards the windows in that room. Reaching up, she grabbed a hold of the steel plates that locked the windows and doors shut at night to keep anything out and slid them down before securing them at the bottom.

          After going through every single room and shutting and locking all the doors and windows, Roxi returned to the kitchen and pulled out a few matches from a drawer. Striking the match, she lit one candle with it and then took it around the house and lit a candle or two in each room. She had electricity but she liked to save it for things she really needed it for. Not just having lights when you could use candles.

          A rather romantic glow filled the house now and Roxi felt herself getting turned on again. Especially when she came back towards the kitchen but instead saw Crew sitting on the couch in the living room. The whole house was a simple ranch style house and the main rooms were pretty open to each other so it didn’t take long for her to put the matches back and then come into the living room, stopping in front of him.

          A smile played at her lips once more as her light blue eyes shone in the candle light and she looked down at him. His arms were resting across the top of the couch on either side of him and there was a sexy smirk playing at his lips. Roxi put her hands on her hips, her straight ebony hair fell down to the middle of her back as she stood there looking down at him, contemplating her next move.