And Hell Followed: A Horror Novel Page 4

  Noticing a few houses in the middle of the enclave, I entered a dark blue one smelling like bleach. A small bathroom held a shower with hot water. There were soap and shampoo too. I washed my hair three times and then caked on conditioner while I shaved.

  In the shower, I found myself smiling. I didn’t think about Daddy out in the darkness, or Leo feeling guilty for not saving me, or Kayla smiling at me while she was torn apart.

  With my hair and skin clean, I felt like a normal sixteen-year-old girl again. Once out of the shower, I found toothpaste at the sink and brushed my teeth until my gums bled. I couldn’t wait to look at myself again and see Samantha Adkins. I hadn’t seen anyone except dirty Sami for so long.

  Even with my hair still damp, I’d forgotten how blonde it was when clean. My face looked too pale and dark smudges lingered under my eyes. While my hair had survived better than my skin, I still felt good as I stared into the mirror over the sink.

  A full-length mirror was on the wall. Even knowing it was silly, I hadn’t seen my body in so long and was curious. Using the towel to wipe off the mirror, I quickly realized I wasn’t Samantha Adkins anymore.

  My legs still had muscles. All the walking kept them relatively toned. My upper body was what made me cry. I knew it was shallow, but I’d hoped to look like Kayla one day. Curves like hers would help me sweep Leo off his feet.

  After a year in this world, I wasn’t sweeping anyone off their feet. My breasts were beginning to fill out when the first reports of zombies had come over the news. Standing in front of the mirror, I saw how the little I had just hung there. Why did I even wear a bra? Had I not noticed the last months how my bra held nothing more than sagging skin?

  My hips bones jutted out. Every time my stomach growled, my ribs grew more pronounced. Even after the zombies rose, I still fantasized about sneaking off with Leo and losing my virginity. Now I hoped he never saw me naked. Looking so ugly, I could never be his wife.

  Though I’d known I had lost a lot of weight, the brutal winter meant I was rarely out of my clothes for long enough to notice the changes to my body. My period hadn’t come since December and I’d always seen this fact as a blessing rather than a sign I was wasting away.

  Stepping closer to the mirror, I forced my gaze off my puny breasts and onto the healed bite mark on my forearm. Brown around the teeth marks and purple where the flesh was torn away.

  Poking at the bite mark, I made myself really look at it. Then I looked into my eyes in the reflection. I wasn’t cheerleader material anymore, and I’d never sweep a boy off his feet or give my virginity to Leo. However, while studying the bite, I felt the tears dry in my eyes.

  I was alive. Millions, maybe billions of people had been infected and died the last year, but I got another chance.

  Wrapping myself in a towel, I peeked out of the bathroom. A pile of clean clothes waited on the bed in the room across the hall, and I could almost smell the detergent on them. Bolting across the hall, I noticed no one.

  The pants left for me were made of a soft fabric. Comfortable, though no good for wrestling zombies, they fit nicely against my body. The underwear left for me fit, and I slipped on the clean bra mostly out of habit. The shirt was thick and plush, warm against my quickly chilling skin. Barely feeling the heater running in the house, I pulled on thick men’s socks and a pair of boots a size too big.

  This time when I looked in the mirror, I was happy again. My clothes smelled good like me. My hair was mostly dried and blonde again like it had been when I was a kid. I needed to find one thing, though.

  After a good rubbing of deodorant, I left the blue house wearing a warm jacket and a knit cap over my damp hair. Standing on the porch, I found a woman next to me. She wore a heavy brown jacket which looked pretty against her long red hair. Her face was tanned and freckled while her eyes were almond shaped and deep blue.

  “Feel better?” she asked in an accent I couldn’t place. “You sure smell better.”

  The woman’s smile was friendly, and I returned it. When my stomach growled angrily, we both looked down at it.

  “Better get some food in you,” she said, nudging me off the porch and toward the red tent. “I’m Zippy. When Derek asks, you’re twelve.”

  Her smile faded at those final words. She gave me a quick nod and walked away. Normally I would have considered Zippy’s words for a bit longer, but my hunger demanded food.

  Walking into a large red tent like the kind they had at fairs, I noticed lines of empty picnic tables. I also smelled food, and my stomach screamed. Bending over in pain, I nearly fell to my knees before Derek was at my side.

  “Sit down, and I’ll bring you food, Samantha.”

  Fumbling my way to a picnic table as my vision wavered, I needed to eat something. I even wondered if I could retrieve my backpack from the men who took it. Beef jerky was better than nothing. It wasn’t better than the food in the bowl Derek set before me, though.

  Hot stew with fresh vegetables and meat. Shaking, I took a spoonful and brought it to my mouth.

  “It’s hot, Samantha,” Derek warned, playing the role of the protective dad.

  I didn’t care if the food burned my mouth. My body nearly convulsing, the hunger wasn’t sated even after half of the stew was gone.

  The food was so good I began crying. Molly was the group’s cook, and sometimes, she warmed up large pots of canned soup. No matter how big the pots though, I could only take a little. The men who hunted and scavenged took the most and that wasn’t much either.

  As I thought about how fast the bowl of food was disappearing, I slowed down to savor the last few bites. Derek had gone to get me a second glass of Kool-Aid. When he returned, he carried not only my drink but a pot of stew. He set them both on the picnic table.

  “Samantha, would you like more?”

  Still crying, I finished the last two bites quickly then handed him my bowl. He filled it but didn’t hand it back to me.

  “How old are you, Samantha?”

  “Twelve,” I said, my eyes locked on the food.

  Derek nodded, still holding the bowl. He finally set it next to the pot.

  “Living life on the road must be hard for someone so young.”

  Once realizing he wasn’t going to give me more food, I wished I hadn’t eaten in a rush. The food was so good, and I might never eat as well again. I really should have savored those last few bites.

  “Did your parents die?” Derek asked softly.

  “Everyone died.”

  “We’ve had this camp up for going on nearly a year now. You know how many people we’ve lost in that time?”

  Shaking my head, I wanted to stop crying, but the food was right there. I could grab the bowl and shove the food down my throat before he stopped me. Yet I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to savor every bite. Derek wasn’t going to let me, though.

  “None,” he said with a soft reassuring smile. “We have something good here, and you could be a part of it.”

  “May I please have more food?”

  “I know you’re hungry, and the stew is good, isn’t it?”

  I hated Derek for teasing me just so that I would tell him about Daddy.

  “Jerry and Alex are good cooks, and we have gardens and a greenhouse. We also have hunters who bring meat back to the camp. You’ve been starving for a long time, and here you would be well fed. You’d have showers and clean clothes, and you’d be safe. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Samantha?”

  The tears hung in my eyes, but I’d accepted I wasn’t getting more food. Staring at Derek, I nodded.

  “I want you to go into the green tent over there,” he said, gesturing toward a line of smaller tents. “My friend will come to see you in a few minutes. If you do what he says, I’ll know you want to stay here with us. If you do what he says, you can have as much stew as you want. As long as you follow my rules, you can be safe and clean and eat as much as you want. Do you understand?”

  Believing I was alone, Derek
teased with the food to make me submit. If I submitted, I could eat, and I needed to eat. No matter the bowl of stew, my hunger wasn’t satisfied.

  Standing up, I looked at the green tent. My hunger ignored what Derek’s friend wanted and Daddy being out in the darkness. I needed to submit because my hunger told me to submit. My hunger told me to do whatever necessary to feed it.

  Inside the green tent, I found Zippy fixing the sheets on an inflatable bed. When I entered, she turned to me.

  “How old did you tell him you were?”

  “Twelve.”

  Zippy exhaled. “Good girl. Do you understand what’s going to happen?”

  “I’m hungry,” I told her, and my howling stomach made sure she understood.

  “I know, baby. I haven’t been out in the world for so long, and I can’t imagine what you’ve done to survive. I do know what you must do to survive here. If you tell everyone you’re twelve, what you have to do won’t be so bad.”

  “Why twelve?”

  Zippy sighed and pushed her long red hair behind her ears. “They have an old rule about how old a girl must be to become a pack mate like me.”

  “A what?”

  “I’m the mate to the pack,” Zippy said. “You only have to be a mate to Ryan. Be careful with him. He’s edgy, but he won’t be so bad.”

  “And then I can eat?”

  “If you do what Derek wants and mate with Ryan, you can eat as much as you want. Trust me that they treat the mates special. Just don’t freak out.”

  My brain finally stopped thinking about food. “Freak out?”

  Zippy took me by the shoulders. Up close like this, she looked younger than I had originally thought. Maybe late twenties. Staring at me, she moved her hands to cup my cheeks.

  “What happens tonight doesn’t change you, baby. People and experiences can’t change you. Only you can change you. Don’t let Ryan or anyone else make you feel different. Tomorrow the sun will rise, and you’ll be safe and fed, and you will still be you.”

  Staring at Zippy, I wondered about her accent and where she came from and how she ended up here?

  “Do you understand?” she asked when I remained silent.

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” Zippy said, pulling her hands away from my face. “Wait here for Ryan. He won’t take long, and then we’ll get you fed, okay?”

  Watching Zippy leave, I felt like I did when my mom offered for me to live with my dad. Loved and abandoned at the same time. While Zippy wanted me to feel safe, she was also leaving me to be used by Ryan.

  Waiting on the bed, I thought about Daddy so I could stop thinking about eating. It didn’t help. My hunger was too strong.

  The tent flap opened, and a young man stormed in. He frowned when he saw me and I wondered if he was in the wrong tent. His expression then shifted, and he looked angry.

  “Take off your shoes,” he said, kicking off his boots. “Pants too.”

  Doing what I was told, I didn’t panic. I was going to submit, and then I was going to eat and then I was going to sleep. When I woke up, and my body felt better, I would figure out how to leave this place and get back to Daddy.

  Sitting on the bed, wearing my heavy shirt and socks, I felt strange without my pants on. Ryan pulled off his top shirt, leaving only a white tank. His blond hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, and his skin was tanned like Zippy’s. He also had blue eyes, but his were lighter. He kept looking at me, frowning, and then looking away. While I didn’t think I was scared, I flinched when he moved toward the bed.

  “Look, just lay there and close your eyes,” he said, climbing onto the bed and causing me to nearly roll off from the movement. “Don’t scream or fight. If you fight, I’ll have to hold you down, and you don’t want that.”

  Even though he was trying to comfort me, he was so angry that it only made me more nervous. Focusing on how healthy he looked, I noticed his skin was bright and clean. He was handsome too, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. Besides, I could always close my eyes and imagine Leo.

  Ryan still looked angry when he shoved my legs apart. Unwilling to watch, I wanted to daydream about Leo or food or Daddy. I felt Ryan moving around on the bed, and I felt his weight lean on and off me, but then I felt nothing.

  “Your name is Samantha, right?” he said, and I opened my eyes.

  Nodding, I studied him and saw he hadn’t undone his pants.

  “I’m Ryan,” he sighed, his lips twisted in thought. “This isn’t going to work.”

  “Derek said I couldn't eat any more until you’re done, and I’m really hungry.”

  Rolling his eyes, Ryan shoved his fingers between my legs, past my panties, and inside me. I gasped, and he yanked his hand away.

  “You’re not ready. You’re twelve, but you understand, don’t you?”

  Staring at him, I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say or do. Ryan sighed again.

  “You know how sex works, right? How the man and the woman have to get excited.” He waited for me to understand, but I didn’t. “You aren’t excited. If you aren’t excited, it’s going to hurt.”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  Ryan glanced at the front of the tent then back at me. His face shifted, and he looked less angry now, more uncertain.

  “You’re not really twelve, are you?” When I said nothing, he put his finger to my lips. “Yes or no,” he said, nodding then shaking his head.

  Unsure of the right answer, I went with my gut and shook my head. Ryan sighed, seeming relieved.

  “Twelve’s young,” he whispered. “Like elementary school young. I can’t rape a little girl. Tell me you’re older. Like high school at least.”

  When I nodded, Ryan gave me a tight smile. “I can do this then, but I can’t do it with you lying there with your eyes closed. I can’t do it when you’re scared. I can smell your fear. I can’t, you know, get ready to do it, if you’re scared like that.”

  “I still don’t know what to do.”

  “You’re going to have to help me.”

  “How?”

  “Participate. Even a little would help. With you lying there, it feels like rape and I can’t…” Ryan glanced at the front of the tent again. When he turned toward me, his gaze was dark. “You and me need to help each other. You need me to be your mate, so you don’t get stuck being the mate for all of them. I need you to make me look good, so I can look strong and protect my sister. She’s young like you, and she’s pregnant, and I need to protect her. Can you help me?”

  Even without understanding the structure of this enclave, I sensed Ryan might be the lesser of two evils.

  “I’ll help you,” I said.

  “Good. I need you to take off your shirt so I can feel your skin.”

  “No,” I said, unwilling to have him see my shrunken breasts. “I’ll take off my panties.”

  When Ryan frowned hatefully at me, I worried he might hit me. Then he blinked a few times, and his expression softened.

  “You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

  “You won’t like what you see, and you won’t be able to, you know, get excited. Do me like this.”

  Ryan smiled at my tone. “It’s not about your body. I need to feel your skin. I can’t relax, and I’m so tense. I won’t be able to help you relax either unless I can feel your skin against mine.”

  “I can’t relax if you can see my chest.”

  “Girls,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. “Okay, so let’s make a deal then. See my shirt?” he asked, gesturing to the tank. “It’s clean. I just put it on. If you switch into this, I can feel more of your skin, and I can focus. You’ll still basically be covered, though. We’ll both get what we need to relax.”

  “Okay.”

  Ryan pulled off his tank and turned away. I switched shirts, and he turned back. I was cold now, but the shirt was big enough to cover what I wanted to be covered. His blue eyes studied me from my face to my feet then he nodded.

  “I think I can do thi
s now.”

  Ryan’s gaze focused on my bite mark as I crossed my arms over my chest. He looked into my eyes, and I saw pity in his expression. When his eyes softened that way, he wasn’t so intimidating.

  “I’m going to kiss you and sort of lead up to it, okay? I have to pretend this is real and not me taking it because I can’t relax otherwise.”

  I felt a little better knowing Ryan didn’t go around raping girls every day.

  Stroking his fingers over the bare skin of my thigh, he stared into my eyes. “You’re so calm. I guess you’d have to be to survive out there. You’re doing so well, Samantha. Soon you can get something to eat, and you can rest. Once we do this, I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

  Staring into his eyes, I so badly wished Ryan was Leo. I even felt guilty for allowing my first time to be with someone else, but the guilt was short-lived. Not only because Ryan’s kisses felt good, but because every kiss brought me closer to being fed and able to return to Daddy. Once I was with Daddy, we’d travel to site four. Leo needed to know I was alive and he hadn’t failed me.

  Ryan wasn’t the first boy I’d kissed. Braden Strong was, and I even let him feel me up. Kayla stood nearby at the party, making sure I didn’t get in over my head as a freshman surrounded by juniors and seniors. She was like my big sister. Just like a big sister, she teased me mercilessly afterward about how much slobber Braden left on my face from our make out session. She kept swiping my cheeks with her index finger like she was looking for dust. When Kayla showed me leftover drool, I laughed too because he’d licked off all the makeup from one side of my face.

  Ryan wasn’t clumsy or lick-crazy like Braden. He was very gentle, and I wished I could want him like I wanted Leo. Though I couldn’t, I decided to be gentle with him. He seemed very tense and scared. Not of what we were doing, but what might be happening outside the tent.

  I barely noticed when Ryan’s kisses changed from gentle to hungry. He was hot against me, keeping me warm, and I let myself relax in his affections. Even though I was tired and hungry, his touch felt nice, and I enjoyed it once I pretended he was Leo.