Last time on Lovin’ in the Apocalypse!
Rachel and Tom’s first assignment begins in disaster. Separated by a herd of infected, the couple is forced to huddle with other people to survive. Both experienced more than simple survival and now have to deal with consequences.
Will Tom and Rachel’s love remain strong after a big test or is this the final straw? Find out now!
Chapter 6: Coming Clean
Cameron noticed the change in Kelsey’s mood almost immediately. The young woman was bubbly and apparently over the brooding silence she held lately. He was glad to see it but Cameron also noticed Tom. The man was nervous about something. He did not know the couple all that well but he saw Tom to be a pretty easy going guy who liked to joke around. Now, he seemed moody and a bit too quiet. Perhaps the close call rattled the man. Regardless, some part of him did not like the mood switch between Kelsey and Tom.
Cameron wondered if his consciousness was trying to find fault in the man because he spent all night cuddled with his wife. He did not feel guilty about it but did feel a little jealous when the couple ran to hug each other. Tom’s hands moved on Rachel’s body as if he was allowed unlimited access to her. He wanted that kind of access, wondering if he could somehow get her alone again. It seemed unlikely but he could dream. Cameron smiled, remembering their secret.
“Alright. Last night was pretty bad.” No one wanted to make eye contact with him. “So I say we grab our shit and get back home. I never wanted to put you guys through that on your first job.”
Rachel looked puzzled. “Leave? Did we finish the job?”
“Well, the job was just supposed to be Kelsey and I taking a look. Just to check if there was anything worth coming back for. Now that we know this is here, we can come back later with more people and trailers.”
“We got an empty truck, we could at least load some while we’re here.” Rachel pointed over her shoulder at the very empty pickup truck.
“That’s not the plan.” Kelsey sounded a little too sharp, even to herself. “We usually don’t bring stuff back without trailers.”
“No, Kelsey. She’s right.” Cameron said, stepping up on the steps of the house. “We got an empty truck, might as well fill it up.”
Kelsey gave Rachel a tight smile. “Fair enough. Let’s fill it up.”
Rachel looked around and saw Tom patrolling the area with his bow ready. He seemed off this morning, not saying much and keeping some distance. Did something happen between him and Kelsey? That seemed unlikely. She was so young, what interest would she have in a 30 year old married man? And Tom was not the type of guy to take advantage of situations that separated them. Still, the young woman seemed to be in a much better mood. It was strange that a bad night would make her feel better. Was this her own guilty conscience digging for something else? Some way to share the blame of what she did last night? Not that she did anything. Not really.
Rachel decided she was just being paranoid. She would talk to Tom when they got back to camp, tell him everything that happened and then it would be normal again. People were allowed to make mistakes. It’s not the first time either one of them huddled together with someone else to survive a night. As long as she comes clean, this would not disrupt their love. Would she tell him everything though? Rachel heard Cameron’s deep voice in her memory whisper, “Ray” and she shivered slightly. Maybe not everything.
Cameron, Kelsey and Rachel spent about an hour loading up and tying down the rectangular slices of insulation. Tom continued to stalk around the house, making sure no angle of approach was left unchecked. Everything was quiet and that was fine by him. Last night was like some unchecked fever dream in his memory. He could not believe it actually happened. Inside that shed, Kelsey had become like some siren of legend. The somewhat combative and very strategic girl turned into a sex crazed woman with only one thing on her mind. And how did good ol Tom react? By biting the forbidden fruit. How could he have done that? Not only to Rachel but to Cameron as well? Tom felt like an utter ass.
The mood in the truck was so thick with tension and it seemed that’s when Kelsey thrived. Where in the fuck did she get bubblegum? No way. Was she faking chewing gum? Rachel felt oddly wound up by the young woman’s behavior. She was like a toddler, trying to fill in every silent blank with nonsense. And good luck trying to have a conversation with her. The girl was not interested in hearing anyone else speak. She half wished Kelsey would think about whatever made her depressed earlier. Cameron seemed unfazed by it, sometimes even antagonizing her farther into a bit. Tom was just watching the sights of decaying houses and overgrowth reclamation out his window. The bow he half worshipped on the way to the construction site sat ignored on the seat between them.
Rachel did not know why the energy was off between them right now but she trusted Tom would talk to her when they were alone. She was intuitive enough to realize he felt bad about something and Kelsey’s good mood was so god damn obvious, a blind person would point right at it. The depth of what happened was not concerning to Rachel. Tom has felt bad about things in the past. The last two years have been strange and trying times in many ways. Tom would feel guilty about having another woman cuddled up to him throughout the night. This post cuddle shame was not new. Plus, Rachel strongly suspected Kelsey just went through a breakup. Having a close call cuddle session would be just the thing to rebound a young woman right out of a bad mood.
After a ride that felt much longer on the way back, the exhausted survivors saw the signs of home. The sun was starting to set, giving them just enough time to get inside before having to use the headlights as more than a signal. Cameron flashed a pattern as the truck slowly rolled to the gate and the drawbridge began to roll down slowly.
“Do you guys have a name for this place?” Tom finally spoke up after being quiet for most of the trip.
“We call it Home usually but we did give it an official name. You know, for council records.” Cameron pulled the pick-up truck into the gate and a couple of guys cranked the drawbridge back up. “Some of the more militaristic minded in the council were all about, “Home Base 1″ or Alpha Base” but we found a compromise.”
“Well, are you going to make us beg?” Rachel smiled at Cameron through the rear view.
Cameron put the truck in park and with much fanfare said, “New Washington!”
Rachel laughed. She could not help it. Not so much because of the name, although her first impression was not a good one. He just seemed so earnest and excited about it.
“Oh wow. Mrs. Hates it Here hates our name too. Big surprise.” Kelsey rolled her eyes and made to get out.
Cameron stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Kelsey! What the fuck? Have some more respect.”
“No, Cameron. It’s okay. I deserved that. But, it’s getting better. It just takes me a while to warm up to people.”
A silent moment passed before Kelsey said, only a little begrudgingly, “I’m sorry. That was a bitchy thing to say. But you didn’t have to laugh at him.”
“I was more, laughing with him but yeah. I get your point. New Washington huh? Like, the new capital?”
“Exactly. We figured the old one probably didn’t make it and no one else is likely to claim it.”
“It’s not bad.” Tom said as he opened the door of the truck. “I’m going to start unloading so I can hit the hay. Didn’t sleep last night.”
“Yeah, I feel ya there. Don’t worry about the truck. Some fresh youngster can do that. You guys go get some rest. We can meet up tomorrow for a mission review.”
Tom laughed. “Yeah, alright. See you tomorrow.” He grabbed his bow and waited for Rachel to get her things.
“Bye!” Kelsey waved enthusiastically to Tom. Her smile diminished just slightly when she looked at Rachel and the friendly wave seemed to turn a bit mocking.
*
Rachel laid down on the bed and all her sore muscles sighed in relief. She closed her eyes and mentally repeated the word ‘home.’ She hoped she could will it into her mind. A petulant voice that sounded like an oracle’s prophecy whispered, “for now. For now.”
Tom was fidgeting around the shack, trying to perform meaningless tasks. He already cleaned and adjusted his bow and placed it lovingly in a leather satchel. He was just holding it now as if he did not know what to do with himself. “I got to talk to Cameron about replacement strings.” Tom was seemingly thinking out loud or trying to fill the silence. “If they’re not stored properly, they’ll dry rot. We could see about getting some humidity packs and plastic bins.”
Rachel rolled over on her side and looked at Tom. Her curvy body was like a renaissance painting, all that was missing was a bowl of grapes. The curly hair on her head and on her pussy was soft and conditioned. Her skin was red and smooth after the cleansing shower. Rachel felt good about herself, attractive in a way that she had not felt in a long time. Attractiveness was not something that mattered when they were on the road. The recent attention from Cameron helped, she was not lying to herself about that. Maybe Tom was jealous of the night before? It seemed unlikely. He never seemed bothered about that stuff but then again, she never got trapped alone with a man like Cameron before.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Rachel could not take it anymore. If they needed to fight something out, fine. Better than the distant silence.
Tom took a breath as if he was trying to collect his thoughts. He looked at Rachel and she could see the pain in his eyes. “I, uhh. I did something with Kelsey last night. While we were in that shed.”
She wanted to roll her eyes and say, ‘no shit’ but Rachel knew he was usually touchy on this kind of sharing. That had been obvious from the way the two of them acted the whole day. She kept the smile from her lips as she said, “Tom, I’m not going to get upset over a little cuddling and smooching. The girl had it written all over her face.”
Tom laughed but it contained no mirth. “If only. It was more than that.”
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat and decided to work a bit harder to make up for the lapse. The news was jarring yet not wholly unexpected. Kelsey’s mood was pretty high up during the day and throughout the long ride back. That suggested a bit more than cuddling. Rachel felt oddly calm about it and more than a bit curious. She tried to picture the two of them locked together in that shed but could not quite get it. Not yet anyways. Rachel kept her expression neutral. “Tell me.”
“She came on to me, pretty aggressively. First she took her shirt off, claiming she didn’t want it to get sweat soaked.”
Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat. “Reasonable enough.”
“Yeah. Then she got close. Like, so close I couldn’t help but touch her.”
“Right. It was pretty tight in that shed.”
Tom looked at her but saw no expression that suggested he should stop talking. He swallowed and kept going. “It was crazy, it’s like she was someone else entirely. She seduced me, Ray.”
Rachel’s stomach fluttered a little. Her eyebrows rose. “Oh? What exactly did she seduce you into doing?”
“She wanted me to touch her tits and well, they were right in my face and I just did it. I wasn’t thinking.” Tom looked down, shamed but that did not seem like it would be all of it.
“And?” Rachel tried to calm down but her breathing was trying to speed up to match her pulse.
“And then she asked me to-.”
“No.” Rachel stopped him. She really wanted to know what Kelsey asked him to do next but she wanted every detail in this story. “Don’t skip details. You touched her tits? How were they?” Rachel’s own breasts were not anything that would get her on a magazine cover. She did however have a naturally round ass and hips that were made for making babies. Kelsey was her exact opposite. The young woman was thin and did not curve out much. Not until you got to her chest and she obviously knew how to use that advantage.
“Oh. They were nice enough, I guess.”
Rachel scoffed, becoming annoyed. “Tom, if you want this to be okay, you need to tell me everything. Tell me everything she did, what you did, how it felt. I want to know all of it.”
Tom was uncomfortable but this was fair. She deserved to hear the whole of his betrayal. “They were big and heavy and really soft. Her nipples were very reactive. She liked being pinched.”
Rachel caught a little bit of admiration in his voice. She was struggling to maintain a nonchalant attitude. Not because she was upset but because she was beginning to feel bothered. A familiar ache was setting into her loins and she felt the urge to squeeze her thighs for pressure. She held back though, wanting to hear more. Now that he was explaining it, her imagination was showing her the details. Tom, standing with his hands on Kelsey’s tits. He would have that dumb open mouth stare on his face. She probably would have been looking at him with a shy but eager smile. “Then what?”
“She wanted me to touch her elsewhere. Pretty much gave me the green light on whatever. But I said no to all that.”
Rachel felt a bit disappointed. “Oh. That’s all?”
“Not exactly.” Tom rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “There’s more.”
“Okay. Keep going.” Rachel was glad the story was not yet finished. This was making for some delicious foreplay. Foreplay? Was that really the thought she just had?
“So, we kissed a little, nothing with tongue or anything. Just a few kisses and then she told me she was really turned on. I told her that I couldn’t do anything about it so she took care of it herself.” Tom made a crude gesture with his middle and ring finger. “You know…”
“She fingered herself?” Rachel was amazed at Kelsey’s boldness. She herself would have felt too dejected to masterbate infront of someone who just rejected her. “Did you watch?”
“Yeah. To both. I did a bit more than just watch though. I played with her tits while she did it. But that’s it. She finished, put her clothes back on and spent the rest of the night just near me.”
Rachel had the crude scene in her mind now but she wanted a clearer picture. The expression, to be a fly on that wall, never seemed more apted than it was right then. Rachel wondered what she might have done if she had stumbled across this moment. “That’s all?”
“Yeah. That’s all.”
“Too bad…” Rachel let that hang in the air for a moment, “she probably would have felt really good.”
Tom looked at his wife, puzzled at her words and her mood. He expected this to go a lot worse than it was going. “Uhh, what?”
Rachel held her hand out for Tom. He hesitated a moment and then placed his in hers. She pulled him closer to the bed as she rotated to lay on her back. Rachel guided Tom’s hand to her pussy as she slowly spread her legs.
Tom felt a strange moment of deja vu as he was led to his wife’s pussy. Perhaps that was Rachel’s intentions? He was surpassed to find her soaked. None of this was going how he dreaded it would. He could only gape as Rachel looked up at him like she was in heat.
“Get inside me. Now.”
Tom wasted no time pulling his cock out. He smeared her pussy juices on himself as he positioned himself between her legs. Rachel’s hands found his hips and she pulled at him as if she was impatient. “Hurry Tom! Hurry!” She was breathless.
Tom sank into her easily and she wrapped all her limbs around him. Rachel gasped in his ear and started to shake. Tom realized she was having an orgasm right off the bat. He ground his hips to give her some internal friction.
“Oh God yes!” Rachel hissed as her hips bucked in time with her orgasm. She pulled him down into a rough kiss, shoving her greedy tongue into his mouth. Without pulling away, she asked him, “did you want to fuck her?”
Tom was quiet for a moment before dismissing the idea to lie about it. Honestly did not seem to be getting him in trouble so why change it now. “Yeah. I did.”
“She would have let you. You could have been balls deep in Kelsey yesterday.” Rachel felt her stomach knot excitedly at her own words. She kept whispering the fantasy, for him and for herself. “She would have been so tight on your cock. So energetic too!”
Tom groaned and began to thrust his hips.
“Did you get a good look at it? Was it a pretty little pussy?”
“Yeah, she was so wet, I could smell her. I wanted to lick it dry.”
Rachel moaned as she pictured Tom’s face between brown thighs. “That would have been tasty.” Rachel realized something. “Have you cum since then?”
“No. I felt too guilty.” Tom admitted.
“So this load you’ve been holding belongs to Kelsey?”
Tom stopped thrusting, sensing a trap. “No, she didn’t even touch me like that.”
Rachel grabbed Tom’s hips and made him move again. “Okay, but she got you hard and worked up, right?”
“Yeah?”
“So she deserved to get this load. How dare you keep it from such a hard working young woman?”
“Shame on me.” Tom got the message now. Rachel was in the fantasy and he could easily follow her. “Making her work for it just to give it to you.”
“Is not fair. That tight pussy was so eager for it.” Rachel’s hips were moving up with his down strokes. “Dripping wet for your married cock.”
“The little slut was damn near begging me for it.”
“Begging to be fucked like this? Give it to her, Tom! Fuck her! Fuck her hard!”
Tom was slamming into her with reckless abandon. Rachel could hardly breathe from the weight of it and the rush she was feeling. “Oh fuck! I’m going to cum!” Tom’s thrusts became erratic and deep.
“Yes baby! Cum inside her. Give her what she deserves!”
Tom released his load with a deep push. He swore loudly as his cock throbbed and shot the warm seed into his wife. Or was it Kelsey? It did not matter at that moment. All that mattered was the built up load was finally being released.
Rachel groaned, deep in her chest and pushed up with all the strength she had. Her own orgasm wiped her conscious mind out for a few seconds. With a rush of air, Rachel moaned out as her body bucked with the force of the intense pleasure. She felt a loosening of control somewhere internally and did not struggle to hold on.
Tom felt a warmth spreading down his stomach before it moved down to drip off his balls. Rachel was having one of her rare squirting orgasms, basically covering his lower half in her cum and urine. Tom reached down and began to roughly rub Rachel’s clit with his whole hand. She bucked her hips wildly and sprayed him again. Her overstimulated body was like a bucking bull, trying to avoid his touch while wanting more of it. Tom did his best to ride it out.
They laid draped over each other while the scent of their sex filled the small shack. The wetness on their bodies glistened in the orange glow of their lantern. The couple panted for air as their heart rates returned to the normal beat. They were both momentarily floating in a pool of endorphins and were not in a hurry to get out.
Rachel considered what she wanted to say next. She looked inward to see if she really meant it or was just feeding the fantasy a little more. Something occurred to her then. Kelsey’s mood was not the only thing that was different today. The young woman seemed verbally short and had taken a few minor shots at her. Rachel thought Kelsey just did not want to play nice and assumed it was her way of blowing off steam from the night before. Now, with hindsight and post coiltal clarity on her side, Rachel realized that Kelsey had been secretly smug about what she convinced Tom to do. Kelsey wanted to rub Rachel’s nose right in the mess. Strangely enough, the mental image of Kelsey’s hand on her neck and forcing her to look at something was nearly overwhelming. She kind of wanted to be dominated by the younger woman. She also wanted Tom to give the girl more than she could handle.
Rachel looked at Tom seriously. “Next time, you should give her what she deserves.”
“Next time?” Tom had been close to dozing off. He looked up and tried to get a read of Rachel’s face.
“Yeah, next time. Take a bigger bite. See what she tastes like. Just, you have to tell me about it after. Every single detail.”
Tom laughed, not sure how to take her. “That’s a pretty good deal. Almost too good.”
Rachel cuddled up next to Tom, feeling a cold wet spot on the mattress. She shivered but did not move. It was kind of hot laying in their own mess. “Yeah, you’d be crazy not to take it.”
She listened to his breathing as Tom fell asleep. Rachel thought about all that was just said and what she wanted him to do. Because she did want it. She wanted him to cheat on her. But, was it cheating if she knew about it and told him it was okay? No, it had to be something else at that point. And why on earth would she give him that permission in the first place? Rachel tried to uncover what was making her feel that way but all she could picture was Kelsey’s cocky smile. It should have made her mad. The girl wanted Tom and thought she had the right to offer herself to him. Even though Rachel was right there. Something about that made her stomach squirm in delight. She would have to examine that later.
*
“Oh shit! Good morning!” Cameron’s hand was floating in the air as if he was about to knock. “I was just coming over to see you.”
Rachel’s eyes widened when she saw Cameron. She felt immediately self conscious about her disheveled appearance. Rachel only put clothes on to go to the bathhouse. She subconsciously tried to straighten herself up. “Uh! Hi Cameron. I was just headed to the bathroom.” She laughed awkwardly. “Didn’t know you were stopping by.” Damn this was embarrassing. Cameron looked well dressed and together, like he had been up for a while.
“It’s okay, I can come back later.” This is the first time Cameron saw Rachel like this. She was thrown off guard and wholly herself at this moment. He found her awkward bumbling to be endearing. “I was in the area, no big deal.”
“That’s ridiculous, man you’re here now.” Tom came up behind Rachel, pulling a shirt on. “You can come in but the place is a mess. Hope you don’t mind, we had a long night.”
The place was not that messy but Cameron had to resist the urge to scrunch his nose. The shack reeked of sex. The air inside still hummed with the energy the two of them made while spreading this scent. Again, Cameron felt jealous and wondered if he and Rachel could make a better, stronger smell. He felt annoyed at himself. ‘Damn. I need to get laid.’
“Sorry,” Tom tried to straighten the blankets on the bed. “We did a lot of, well, stuff last night.”
“I’ll be back.” Rachel hurried out of the shack.
Cameron laughed. “I can tell. Plus, your neighbor, Miss Susan came by the hub today to request a move. Turns out, you guys put on quite a show.”
Tom felt his jaw open in shock. “Oh my God. Man, I’m so sorry. I guess I knew we weren’t being quiet but I didn’t realize it was that loud.”
Cameron laughed again. “Hey man, don’t sweat it. Susan didn’t have anything bad to say, hell I think she was happy for you two. She just likes to go to sleep early.”
“Yeah, okay. I’m still sorry. We’ll be quieter from now on.”
“You don’t have to do that. I reckon you two stayed quiet while on the road. It must be nice to be able to let some of that out.”
“It is nice. Thanks Cameron.”
“No sweat. But there is something else I wanted to see you two about.” Cameron started to dig through his backpack as Rachel came back in. She had taken some time to clean herself up in the bathhouse. “Good, you’re back. These are for you guys.” Cameron held out a pack of fun sized candy bars.
“Whoa!” Rachel snatched the pack. “This is chocolate! Where did you get this?”
“We keep a bit tucked away for special occasions. You two completed your first mission for New Washington. Seemed appropriate to reward you.”
Eight fun sized candy bars flew in wild directions as Rachel ripped the pack apart. She snatched one out of mid air before it could escape her range. Like a starving dog, she dug the candy bar out and put the whole thing in her mouth. “Oh mah gawd!” Rachel moaned with her mouth full as her eyes rolled. “Is so guud!” Both men watched Rachel have a nearly orgasmic experience with similar thoughts in their minds.
“You guys enjoy those but don’t expect it every time. And we got a couple of days before team 5 is scheduled back with the trailers so, sign up for some guard shifts in the meantime.”
“Sounds good. It’ll be nice staying home for a few days. Kinda like the new world vacation.” Tom opened one of the candy bars and ate it slowly.
“Thanks for the chocolate. It’s been a while.” Rachel wiped her lips. “Where do we sign up for gate duty?”
“Down at the Hub. We can get you some time slots but you guys are newbies so expect some of the less ideal spots. The old timers pretty much got their choice and the good scraps get gobbled up quick.”
“Good to know. Thanks Cameron. We’ll clean up and see you down there.” Tom smiled, obviously in a much better mood today. The reason was obvious from the state of their shack.
*
“Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, immoral, the imposters…like me.” Bruce looked up from his worn Bible and let the rest of the passage flow through his thoughts. Quiet moments like this were made for introspection and he made sure to use free time for just that. The old leather Bible was not his own. He found this one in a burned out camp while searching for anything useful. Normally he would have just overlooked the book and kept digging but a picture of a little girl slipped out of the cover and for a second, Bruce had seen the face of his own lost child. He could recognize a sign when he saw one.
Bruce liked being out here, away from the complex. He was never much of a people person and living that close to strangers was nerve racking. Sitting up here in a tree with his own thoughts and the sounds of nature was about as good as life could be. Too bad it could not be this simple. Bruce was independent but could not grow crops. He could not sow or treat wounds and those were just the surface of needs. Bruce needed help to survive this level of hell with any longevity. For that was the test God has given him. To atone for his life of sin and join his family in heaven, he must survive. That was the test of all the sinners left alive. Last man standing gets the prize.
Bruce leaned back against the tree and sucked the wad of chewed jerky that was stuffed in his lip. The meat was nearly flavorless but it was something to do. Oh how he missed chewing tobacco. The sun was getting low, almost too low to keep reading so Bruce stowed his Bible and used a few lengths of rope to secure himself to the tree. He could get a few hours of rest without having to worry about falling out. Sleeping in a tree was not the most ideal spot but it was one of the safer places. The infected rarely look up and the healthy never do. He could have made camp in the house across the street, it looked to be in decent shape but he had gotten a strange feeling while looking at it.
Not long after sunset, Bruce was surprised to see headlights moving slowly towards his direction. “Damn fools. Cutting it close.” Traveling at night was a good way to end up dead. The way these people moved into the driveway of the house across the street said they knew it was getting dicey too. They did not even come close to spotting him so Bruce just hunkered down and watched the strangers. They pulled the two trucks with enclosed trailers into the house driveway and moved quickly into the house.
After a few minutes, long enough for them to clear the house, the 8 strangers came back out. They quietly and efficiently moved their vehicles into tactically sound positions and moved some comfort items into the house. They were skilled and smooth, Bruce could tell they worked together well. He could see them easily enough, they were using dim lights. He still pulled binoculars up to see if he could get some more information. Within 15 minutes of their arrival, the group was settled in and the silence of the night fell back over the area.
It was harder to see what they were up to now that they were not moving around with lights. Plus the moon was too small to offer good light. He occasionally spotted one of them moving around, keeping watch for their sleeping comrades. Dave had been right about these people. They were strong and well organized. Bruce did not doubt he could kill the watchers and steal one of their trucks before they knew what hit them. But he had better ideas. He would be able to see what direction they go from here. Tracking them would be pretty easy after that. According to Dave’s directions, he was getting close to that camp.
Bruce dozed, periodically watching the house across the street. When the grey light of early morning started to brighten the sky, Bruce carefully climbed out of the tree and ducked into some tall weeds. He did not want to be so exposed when that group began to move around. One of them might be a bird watcher. Bruce pulled his flask out and shook it near his ear. One little sip was all that was left, just enough to put the taste on his tongue. He put the flask away. He always saved the last drop for her, no matter how thirsty he was.
When the sun was good and up, the group of survivors packed their trucks and prepared to move out. Two of the people pulled hoses out of the truck beds and refilled the tanks. The scent of diesel fuel carried over to his hiding place. Bruce was tempted to watch them through the binoculars but the sun was wrong for that. They might catch a reflection on the lenses. “Four to each truck,” Bruce muttered to himself. “Capable of traveling a good distance away.” He continued to make technical observations until the trucks pulled away.
Bruce stayed where he was for a while, just in case they had forgotten something. When he was sure he was in the clear, he stood up out of the brush and stretched his cramped and arching limbs. He could move more casually now that he had a direct direction to follow. Bruce uncovered his bike that was hidden in the same brush. He was excited about being able to abandon that ridiculous looping pattern he used to search with. A nice straight ride was just what he needed to clear his thoughts. That and a stiff drink.
The old bike coughed then came to life between his legs. The bike was far too quiet for his taste. A good bike should roar when going down the road. But times were what they were. Bruce kicked it into gear and swerved onto the road. The wind felt good in his long hair and beard. Careful not to get distracted by the good feeling, he maintained an even pace and followed the road. He did not need to stay close to the trucks. The tracks left by their tires through the growth and debris on the road would be easy enough to follow.
*
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/tdthyg/lovin_in_the_apocalypse_ch06_apocalypse_romance