Ch - XV The Twisted Path

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

They had found a hovel to hide beside a rocky path for the night. Adrams knew it was a hovel. He lay on his back in the dirt, staring at the shadowy wooden floorboards. When he was a kid they had lived in a similar place. A small two-bedroom cottage with walls so thin they would shake. His father would stomp about, rattling the panes of glass in the window frames.

The old man loved to intimidate with his size. Perfect example of everything Adrams never wanted to be. No, he would only want to protect Macy and he had messed that up royally. Guilt covered him like lead-lining. It was amazing he could breathe.

He saw Finn crawling around in the near darkness, patrolling, watching the street. Adrams didn’t know whether to be jealous or grateful or what. Mostly, he just felt tired. He could feel himself sinking into the ground, wanting to give in to sleep. A yawn cracked his jaw and he opened his eyes wide, trying to stay with the situation. They needed to be on the alert. Shackled fence palings hung on all sides of the cottage, little protection against anything, should anything manage to find them.

The situation was well and truly f**ked up.

His girl was fast asleep, a lovely load warmed across his chest comfort-wise. And because he needed her close. If he were some selfish, sorry son of a b***h, he might have had a moment with her. He might have figured playing mattress was the most he was good for. There was no sugar coating it, he had failed her. He had lured her out of her hidey-hole, and then been too high on life and love to protect her. It couldn’t happen again. For the last couple of hours he had been picking their problems apart, trying to come up with a solution.

If Finn hadn’t turned up, then he or both of them would be dead. Or worse, because there was worse. Her trust issues began to make sense. What those f**kers wanted her for would be a living nightmare, guaranteed. His stomach rolled up inside at the thought of them hurting his girl. There weren’t any limits to how far he would go to keep her from such a fate. He would do anything.

The b******s riding up and down the streets with irregular intervals which blocked off their only escape route, a poorly made old railway bridge. It didn’t seem to bother them that infected roamed the night. Because of their patrols, the only footpath to freedom wasn’t an option. No one was getting across the river tonight.

Smoke remained thick, but the flames hadn’t reached them yet. No more fires had been lit close by. Even the b******s had to be careful not to be risked being caught between the fires and all the infected.

Finn crawled over on hands and knees, favoring one side. His arm was tucked up against his chest, the same arm which was shot. Adrams added that to his list of worries. But Finn could take care of himself.

“There are less infected on the streets than there were a month back,” the kid (Finn) commented, dropping onto his belly.

“Noticed that while you were out and about?” Finn asked.

Adrams nodded, traced a hand over his girl’s back. She slumbered on, on top of him. He slid his hand beneath her shirt, pressed his palm to her back. Feeling her breathe, taking in the warmth of her skin soothed him. “Yeah. They’re running low on food.” Adrams replied.

“Fine. How is she? Woken her up recently?” Finn asked.

“About an hour ago. She threatened me.” Ad grinned, heart swelling with love. He was just beginning to understand the things a man would do for love. “She has such a creative mind.”

Finn chuckled, casting an eye over his sleeping beauty. His gaze gloomed onto the side of her breast where it pressed against Adrams’s chest.

After a hell of a long moment, wherein he was certain the guy had stopped breathing and quite possibly swallowed his own tongue, the kid’s (Finn’s) gaze shot back to Adrams’s face. Hungry-looking eyes turned guilty in an instant. “S**t. Sorry, man.” Finn said with a sorry face.

“Don’t worry about it. I know what it’s like.” Adrams replied.

Yeah, he knew what it was like. He still wanted to hit the pretty a*s**le (Finn), but he did know what it was like.

Therein lay the root of the problem.

Sharing was not in Adrams nature. Every goddamn minute of every goddamn day would be best.

Adrams did not want to share her. Not with the kid, not with anyone, not even a little. He knew it would work, this insane idea of going halves, he just didn’t want it to. He had only recently found her and she was his. But he couldn’t keep her safe on his own, a fact that bit deep and hard and hung on as a Pitbull would. How the hell to convince her? What Macy wanted and what would keep her safe and alive would likely be at odds in this case. She would accused him of being pushy a time or two. His girl had no real idea how far he’d go to protect her.

The kid hung his head, shoulders rising awkwardly with a deep breath. “I’ll go do another lap.”

“No.” Adrams sealed his eyelids tight, then opened them. Belief that he was actually about to take this step was a long, long way off.

“You’ve been at it for hours. It’s my turn at guard duty. You should be the pillow.”

There was a moment of relief followed by a flash of

“what the f**k? ” on the kid’s face. “What? Whoa, aah … I don’t think she

would be okay with that. Let’s not upset her.” Finn said.

Funnily enough, the thought of his girl upset at Finn didn’t bother Ad. Still, it wasn’t a step in the required direction. “I think she would be less interested about having the hard ground beneath her when she’s feeling tender.”

“I can get my towel from my pack, roll it up for her. You know, like a pillow.”

Puh-lease. Adrams said.

“She has nightmares sometimes, loud ones. You need to be close. We can’t afford the noise. Lie down on her other side.”

Finn’s eyes flared in panic.

Jesus, the man could go all urban guerrilla warfare but was too shy to snuggle up to Macy. And Adrams knew the kid wanted to.

“Ad, it’s been a while, and … Man, I …”

“Like her?”

The kid nodded. Emphatically. “Yes, I like her. Uninfected female, how could I not?”

“Yeah, she’s very likeable. Especially when she’s asleep, all soft and cuddly.” Adrams said.

“Sort of my point. I don’t want to cause any trouble here.” Finn replied.

“I appreciate that, really, I do. But take in the big picture here, buddy. World gone mad, chaos, carnage, we all nearly died today.

That we’ve survived this long is pretty wild when you stop and think.”

The kid groaned. “So you’re saying you won’t shoot me in the back if I’m addicted for your girlfriend?”

Sounds tempting, but no I won’t shoot you. Ad shook his head. “Nah. I will tore you into pieces and dismember your body for the infected as food.”

“Right. Thanks. I think.” The kid looked at him a wary blank glance but lay down, setting his gun close by.

Adrams rolled Macy over, shuffled and rearranged her so she splayed out across the kid instead of him. It hurt.

His girl grumbled something beyond comprehension. Actually, it was a direct assault on his familial line, but she’d had a really hard day, so he let it slide. “Easy, princess. Go back to sleep.”

“What’s going on?” Her eyes drifted open. She blinked up at Adrams.

His girl. “Are we making a move?”

“No. I’m swapping guard duty with Finn. Go back to sleep.” Adrams asked.

“Finn?” She raised her head and peered down at the face in question, rearing back in surprise when she saw his presence. “Oh, hey.”  Macy said.

“Hi, Macy. I’m your stand-in pillow,” the kid explained, shrugging, then flinched when he remembered his bruised shoulder too late.

“My pillow?” Her voice sounded slurred from sleep. She couldn’t be badly hurt. He wouldn’t allow it. They would give her up on some super strength aspirin. Knocking her out for hours in sleep with something stronger was out of the question in case they needed to move.

“Is that okay?” The kid’s voice held a hell load of tension, like this girl could make him or break him. Adrams would have found it cute seeing the kid’s reaction if it had been about any other girl than his own loving princess.

“Or not? Your call.” Finn asked further.

“Sure. How’s your wound?” Macy asked.

“Fine, thanks.” Finn replied.

“Good.”

She was fine. Finn was good. Hell, the kid had those soft br**sts pressed nice and tight against him. Adrams wanted to thrust the jerk’s heart out with his fingernails. Bathe in his blood and howl at the moon. S**t like that.

But no. His eyes were burning while looking for few moments.

He forced himself to crawl away as Macy mumbled something to her brand new very best friend.

S****y b*****d. Adrams thought.

Adrams didn’t hear any noise for a long time. Just as well. A man could only stomach so much in the name of true love and the survival of same. He peeked out front through the guardrail, watching the street for a while. Gunshots distubed the silence farther down the lane, and a couple more infected crawled past, drawn by the noise.

Same old, same old.

When the view from the front got dull he moved over to the side, followed soon thereafter by the back. He moved silently, not letting himself catch too much attention of the two bodies together.

Yep, he didn’t see Finn’s hand massaging the muscles of his girl’s neck. He also didn’t see her sleeping like a baby, curled up and draped over him, out like a light.

And he especially didn’t need to see what the kid was packing behind his zipper. No matter how pronounced it might be.

“I hate you, man,” Finn bitched, somehow making everything better.

Adrams smiled.

 

To Be Continued In �" Chapter XVI