Lovin In The Apocalypse Ch 15

Last time on, Lovin' in the Apocalypse!

Rachel and Kelsey have some special bonding time while Tom and Cameron grow farther apart.

Jealousy, as it would turn out, was the least of Cameron's problems. New Washington is attacked as soon as unsavory guests arrive.

What are Kenneth and his goons up to? Find out now!

Chapter 15: Suspicious Circumstances

The orange glow of early morning cast the surrounding mountain scape in shades of golden beauty. There were a few scattered clouds in the sky, but it was obvious that they would clear away soon. Even though the birds had stopped singing or retreated to less occupied areas, the morning could not have been more picturesque. The only detail that marred what could have been the inspiration for an oil painting? A wave of infected humans that came stumbling out of the trees.

"Oh, fuck me!" Tom cried out.

"Back to the walls!" Gregg shouted, training his gun at the incoming threat.

"What about us?" the man named Stephen asked. "Where can we go?"

The first few infected people that emerged from the trees, finally saw the humans standing out in the open. They screamed out miserable wails of starvation and charged forward. A volley of arrows sored out from the walls of the camp and dropped down into the ranks of attackers. Very few of them dropped, but enough of them were falling into the various traps and pits to give the survivors a chance to retreat. No additional gunshots have yet been added to the first one that rang out.

"Come with us, for now," Cameron said. "You'll have to stay where I can keep an eye on you."

"That's fine," Kenneth replied. "Better than being out here right now."

The six men all ran for the front gate which began to rise as soon as they crossed over into the walls. Once inside, Cameron was in a flurry of problem solving and troop manipulation. Tom and Gregg stayed near the group of strangers who were chatting energetically amongst themselves. New Washington was like an overturned anthill; survivors were rushing around in slightly controlled chaos. Gregg started to receive reports from the Deterrent Team. They were currently gearing up to try to slip out of a different gate.

"As of now, it looks like the north gate is the only one under attack. If we're quick, we can get out and try for the bells. Over."

"Heard," Gregg responded in his radio. "I'm tied up here, you guys get moving. Hopefully you can get them going before we have to shoot. Over."

"Heard. We're moving now. Over."

"Hey, we were just talking and I overheard your radio," Kenneth said, approaching Tom and Gregg. "That scumbag is still close and I doubt they're expecting us to act quickly. If we go now, we might be able to catch them."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Gregg agreed. "I think we should go with you. Me and one other person, at least."

"I'll go," Tom said, stepping into the circle.

"I'm good with that," Gregg said, nodding at Tom.

Just then, Rachel and Kelsey came within sight of the front gate. They were running from the same direction, which Tom noticed. He wondered if they had both been at his cabin. He walked away from the group of men to update his wife on what was happening.

Bruce watched as the three of them connected and started whispering. Now that the young woman was here, he finally recognized Tom. These two were the ones he saw fooling around in that old shed.

'So, Mr. Pussy-brain has an old lady?' Bruce thought to himself. 'Selfish fuck, can't leave some for the rest of us?'

"What's happening?" Rachel asked, skidding to a stop. "We heard a gun."

"We're being attacked again," Tom answered. "Probably the same person as before."

"Who are they?" Kelsey whispered, nodding towards the strangers.

"They're from another group. They were attacked like we were. Apparently, they tracked the person doing it in this direction."

"Pretty convenient," Rachel whispered, making hard eye contact with Tom.

"I know," he replied, sharing her look. "We're keeping an eye on them."

"Good."

"So, look... Gregg and I are going out there with them. We're going to chase down the rat that keeps doing this."

"What?" Rachel asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, that's actually insane," Kelsey agreed.

"It's not ideal, I'll give you that," Tom agreed. "But Gregg is going and his team is already on a mission. I can't let him go alone."

"I really hate this plan, Tom," Rachel said. "I suppose you're going to tell me to stay here."

Tom gave her a half smile and said, "Yeah. You need to stay here. Help keep this place safe."

"Don't you fucking patronize me," Rachel said, stepping forward to hug her husband.

Tom hugged her tightly. He made eye contact with Kelsey, who looked scared, but was keeping her distance. He tried to give her a reassuring look.

"Alright," Tom said, pulling back from the embrace. "We got to go."

"I love you," Rachel said. "You better come back."

"I love you, too," Tom answered and kissed her lips. "Count on it."

Tom rejoined Gregg and the outsiders. They hustled to the gate on the other side of camp and loaded up into one of the Deterrent Team's modified vehicles. There were still no signs of the infected coming to this side of the wall. As they left, Gregg went over the situation with Cameron over the radio.

"Heard," Cameron replied. "It's a solid plan, just be careful. Over."

"Will do, counselor. Over," Gregg said.

"I think we'll be okay," Cameron continued. "This doesn't look as bad as last time. Maybe they had trouble finding bodies, or something. Over."

"Heard. We'll ask them when we catch up. Over."

Cameron chuckled into his radio. "Good hunting. Over."

Gregg steered the 4 wheel drive truck into a rough set of trails that the Deterrent Team had made for evacuation lanes. The ride was bumpy and jostled the passengers but none of them complained. They knew he was trying to out-flank an unknown number of infected people. It would be tricky, even if they had a paved path to follow. It was a lot of wasted effort. They had no clue that the unimpressive mob that was attacking their home could be easily skirted. It was only an opening salvo, after all.

"They couldn't have gotten far," Kenneth said from the backseat. "I didn't hear any vehicles."

"Yeah," Stephen piped up. "And they only got a few directions to go after leading infected around. Can't really backtrack that direction."

"That's true," Gregg muttered. "I wonder how they did it. Could this even be possible with just one person?"

"It doesn't seem likely," Kenneth replied. "That would be a good way to get cornered."

"There's a road, not too far from the north gate. We'll check that way first, there are a few places along it that would be ideal for laying low."

They drove on, Gregg steering them out of the woods and onto a very pitted and rough service road. He thought of an old gas station not too far away and thought that might be a good place to start their search.

*

*

*

"Hey dad," Kelsey said, walking up to an exhausted looking Cameron.

He was standing with a group of people that Kelsey recognized as the council. Rosa was there along with a middle aged, short man with a bald spot, an older woman with a long gray braid down her back and a lanky guy with glasses that looked no older than 18 years old. They all were worried and talking with loud, animated gestures. A lot of things had just happened at once, a week's worth of drama dropped in a matter of minutes.

"Hey baby," he answered, hugging her in greeting.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked, standing a little awkwardly by herself.

"I guess you heard the gun?" Cameron continued when they nodded. "It's the same person as before, we think. It's just weird this time."

"How so?"

"For starters, it's daylight. First thing in the morning too," Cameron pointed out. "This kind of attack should be done at night."

"That is weird," Rachel agreed.

"And look," Cameron said, gesturing to the area of attack. "There's not very many of them. We can easily see them and pick them off with arrows. Most of them won't even get through the traps."

The number of infected people that were lumbering towards the wall did not seem great at all. It would be a terrifying thing to experience on the other side of the wall, but as it currently stood, this mob would not be strong enough to breach their fortress. The survivors could easily and currently were, picking them off with arrows and spears. It was so different from the last attack, it made all of them feel uneasy.

Rachel was a schemer and had made a habit out of manipulating the ones around her. She was constantly watching and waiting for opportunities to spin her webs, even when she was unaware of her own intentions. It was ingrained in her, pressed in by a distant mother who had treated her own daughter like a game piece. Rachel picked up on the subtle ways to steer people and she also could sense when it was being done to her. She could smell deception like it was something in the air. This stank of a trap, but from who? She would just have to wait until Tom got back with more information.

"That is interesting," Rachel mumbled to herself. To Cameron she said, "what's the plan?"

"We don't really have one," Cameron said, shrugging his big shoulders. "I think we have to wait until some of those guys come back. I don't think sending more people out is a good idea, right now."

"How long do we wait?" Kelsey asked, a little sharply. Rachel was the only one who noticed it though.

"Let's wait until the Deterrent Team gets back to make any plans to leave the walls," Cameron replied.

A few minutes later, approximately 45 minutes after the gunshot that started the attack, the sound of heavy bells began to ring out from deeper inside the trees. All the infected people that were moving toward the camp, stopped and turned to face the music. With no targets on the ground and no more shots being fired, the mob had lost a lot of its blood lust. The jarring bells seemed to be resetting their prerogative. They slowly walked back the way they had come, disappearing into the thick foliage.

The citizens of New Washington were all survivors and smart enough to realize the danger was not past. Even though the infected were gone and no current enemies were around, there was a tension in the air that they all felt. The day went by slowly, giving them time to spread the news around to everyone. By the time morning gave way to afternoon, most of the citizens knew that Tom and Gregg were out, looking for the attacker. When evening came around, most of them were nervous by the lack of news.

Cameron was standing on the wall, looking out with a pair of binoculars. The light of the sun was nearly gone now; the lenses offered a bit more visibility to the treeline. He was scanning the road, waiting to see headlights, but was losing hope. When darkness fell, Gregg and Tom would have no choice but to hunker down and wait the night out. It was looking more and more likely that they would not be returning tonight.

Rachel sighed. She was standing next to Cameron and watching the same area.

"Agreed," Cameron said, lowering the binoculars. "It looks like they're spending the night out there."

"Not the first time," Rachel replied, trying no to let her nerves show.

"The Deterrent Team is going to head out at first light. They seem quite determined to get their leader back."

"Is that smart?" Rachel asked. "If we're attacked again, we'll need them here. They are our best fighters."

"It's not the best spot to be in," Cameron agreed. "But we got to know what is going on out there. I don't much like sending our people out of radio range."

"It just might be a better idea to send someone else to look and keep our strength at home."

"Look at you, strategic and beautiful." Cameron said and bumped Rachel's shoulder playfully. "What a combo."

"You have no idea," Rachel said, winking at him.

It was a playful moment that cut into a day that had been filled with tension. As the main leader of camp, Cameron had felt on edge for everyone's sake. He was waiting for another gunshot to go off, knowing it would happen at any second. He refused breaks and had yet to sleep. He was very close to pulling a 24 hour shift.

Rachel felt the tension too because Tom was outside the walls without her. She trusted he could handle himself. However, she was afraid that if something happened to him, she'd never get to know what exactly happened. That somehow felt like the worst thing that could happen. She knew and accepted that they were all going to die-- probably violently. Rachel could survive if Tom died but it would drive her crazy to not to be there. If he just disappeared, she would be doomed to search the whole earth to find him. She would need that closure, regardless of the price.

The fact that she was not worried about Tom in a selfless manner was not lost on Rachel. She had never claimed or acted in ways that were not at least in some part, self-serving. Before the end of the world, Rachel could contain a lot of her impulses and make nice with the people around her. That impulse control had been ripped away by teeth and bullets. A long, bloody trail leading from North Carolina to Colorado, pulled the pieces of Rachel's empathy away. She no longer felt it necessary to play by the rules, as long as she got what she needed.

That was why she felt glad to be alone with Cameron right now. She knew he would comfort her and make the night feel less lonely. Rachel did miss Tom and wanted him to come home safely, but she was not exactly going to fret over his absence. There was no reason to. Whatever is going to happen, will happen; regardless of her worrying. Rachel could instead, have another steamy night with Cameron. That would not change the fate of those outside the wall. If Tom didn't come home tomorrow, she would be the first one to leave the walls to find him. Tonight, she was going to feed her inner demons.

Rachel's mind started to make "logical" connections, building a case against a decent conscience. Not that she had one, but she still needed to find room to justify her actions. She pushed doubts aside by thinking about the times Tom was separated from her with Kelsey. Hadn't he indulged in illicit acts when he should have been worried about her? With that idea locked in her mind, Rachel shamelessly began to work her charms.

"You know, if it was anyone else out there, I'd be worried sick."

"You're not worried?" Cameron asked.

"Not about the normal stuff, no," Rachel answered and shrugged. "Tom's tough, we've been in worse places, and he always makes it. I stopped worrying about what I can't change a while ago."

"I guess that's a good way to look at it," Cameron agreed.

"Yeah," Rachel said and then softened her voice. "It helps not being alone, you know?"

Cameron glanced at Rachel and she gave him a shy, yet radiant smile. It made his heart skip a beat. Due to the exhaustion, Cameron felt loose with his words. His own impulse control was compromised and he was ready to make some mistakes. After that night a while ago, he had been secretly hoping to catch her alone again. He was selfishly relieved that she did not feel particularly torn up over Tom's absence.

"Yeah, I guess I do," he replied and returned the smile.

"So," Rachel said, drawing out the last vowel. "Did you end up thinking about that night a lot?"

Cameron let out a surprised laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. Rachel's eyes watched the man's bicep flex and strain the fabric of his white cotton shirt. He was built in a way that suggested the man spent time working out.

"Oh, yeah! Big time."

"So did I. Think about you, I mean," Rachel said and laughed nervously.

"Is that right?" Cameron asked.

"That's right," Rachel said, looking at him with sparkling eyes. "I couldn't help it, you left me wanting more."

"That felt like the smart choice...at the time."

"Oh?" Rachel asked and stepped a little closer. "Have you changed your mind?"

"I may have, considered different directions to take," Cameron said, giving her a sideways smile.

"You want to tell me about it?"

"Well," Cameron said. "We were in that empty cabin. It would have been easy to, you know."

"Yeah, I do know," Rachel whispered. "You wanna go back there and explore some of those ideas?"

Cameron was quiet for a few seconds. He tried to seriously think about the next words to say. He very much wanted to sneak away with this woman, but he could sense the trouble that would come after. Would a good time in a cabin be worth the problems? What about after for him? He would have to see Rachel with Tom and keep to himself. That might eventually become too hard to stand. He was already feeling jealousy towards the man. The biggest thing that was keeping him from making a smart decision now was the fact that it had been too long since he was intimate with someone.

"You know," he said, placing the binoculars back on the hook. "It seems like a bad idea but, I do want that."

"Come on," Rachel said, pulling at one of his big hands. "Someone else can watch the road."

They quickly moved through the camp, sticking to the evening's growing shadows. Luckily for them, most of the citizens were either milling around the front gate or staying locked inside their homes. A small part of Cameron's consciousness tried to berate him for being so cavalier during a state of emergency. Unfortunately, his brain was not calling the shots right now. The desire to feel a woman's insides after years of loneliness was overwhelming.

As soon as they crossed the threshold of the empty cabin, Cameron and Rachel were all over each other. Cameron had to bend to reach her mouth and Rachel was tugging him by the back of the neck. Their mouths opened immediately, wasting no time with soft pecks. Rachel was going at Cameron like she was starving for it. She had not yet found a release for the energy she made with Kelsey the night before. Her pussy was charged and desperate for satisfaction.

Cameron's big hands were all over Rachel. He squeezed her little breasts, cupping all of her swell in his strong grip. The nipples hardened in response and poked through her thin shirt. She was not wearing a bra; the heat from his palm easily passed through the fabric. Rachel felt his need for her in the strength he was exerting on her body. It was driving her into a frenzy.

"Cam!" Rachel gasped out. "Please. I need it."

Rachel spun in his arms and wiggled her jean-covered ass against the bulge in his pants. Cameron's hands moved down to her stomach, making it twist in excitement. He was rough with her button and zipper, taking it personally that they would get in his way. He nearly tore them in the effort to open them. He shoved his right hand into her panties as soon as her jeans were open.

For the first time in years, Cameron was feeling a woman's soft, wet pussy on his fingers. It was turning him mad with desire. She was moaning and grinding her ass against him while he fumbled for her clit. It was exactly like riding a bike. His fingers remembered how to push the button and before long, Rachel was clutching Cameron's arm and taking in sharp breaths. She trembled in his arms, letting the small orgasm rush through her. Although Rachel loved the arrangement she set up with Tom and Kelsey, it felt nice being with someone who would not deny her pleasure.

Rachel's overly sensitive pussy coated Cameron's fingers in her slick juices. She felt them leave a wet trail on her skin when Cameron pulled his hand out of her panties. He grabbed her waist and moved her body against his. Rachel could feel his hardness and wanted him to pull it out already. He pressed his lips against her ear and growled. His salt and pepper beard made her skin break out in goosebumps.