Chapter Three

I was terrified that I might slip off as the motorcycle moved unsteadily through the trees, but that feeling faded the longer I remained safe, another extreme emotion filling the void as electricity thrummed through me. 

He helped me readjust my position after we were no longer in imminent danger, and there was no doubting that my rescuer was indeed a he considering the impressive muscles that I could feel flexing under my fingertips as he expertly steered despite the added passenger.

I kept expecting him to slow down now that we had outpaced the wolves, but the male kept up the same breakneck speed, carving a path through the underbrush with a metal guard that I could see he’d attached to the front of the bike.

Boom! Craaacck!

Shit! I’d completely forgotten about the storm rolling in, but I evidently didn’t need to worry about it with this guy around. He was already driving straight into the mouth of a cave before the next rumble sounded, the pitter-patter of rainfall starting seconds later.

The headlight cut off before I could get a good glimpse of the enclosed space, but he seemed to know right where he was going, once I remembered to unglue my arms from around him, that was.

I skittered back after I’d clambered off the bike, immediately dropping my backpack and wincing as I put too much pressure on my injured foot, but my ears detected the echo as the male purposefully strode a number of steps away before stopping to fiddle with something.

A minute later, the moderate-sized area was illuminated for me to see by what I realized was a preset fire, and I idly wondered how often he stayed in the area, as a result.

Without giving myself permission, I felt my eyes run over the well-defined man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

I noted his semi-short brown hair and the beard he was sporting, but I also observed how attractive he was. He had a Roman nose and a pair of piercing hazel orbs that were perusing my body as boldly as mine were his.

“Damn, what’s someone as gorgeous as you are doing wandering around alone out here?”

I stopped ogling his stocky build as his deep voice registered, a blush heating my cheeks, and I cleared my throat as I replied, “That’s a long story. Maybe we should start with names. I’m Zoebella, or just Zoe.”

Butterflies danced in my belly with the compliment, but I forced myself to concentrate on his words, knowing I had a lot to learn about this new world.

“Gage, and we have a while. This acid rain isn’t letting up anytime soon.”

He answered, but I didn’t feel as jumpy when he took his full focus off me, stripping off his jacket and moving around the confined space.

Nevertheless, my interest was piqued by his mention of the rain, and I guess he heard the curiosity in my voice because he spoke up, saying, “Seriously, Zoe, you didn’t know about it? Have you been living under a rock?”

“I mean, kind of…”

I went on to tell him about my life in the fallout shelter and the sickness that had wiped out the rest of the bunker’s inhabitants.

A pang of sadness ran through me as I talked about my dad, but I explained to Gage about what his job had been and his advice before he’d died, all the same. He hadn’t been sure whether acid rain would fall or not, but he did mention that it was a distinct possibility.

To have it confirmed wasn’t a pleasant occasion, but it was nice not to find out about it firsthand, anyway.

Gage had directed me to sit on a soft pallet of blankets, which I grasped was already here in the natural shelter before we’d arrived, as he dug through the supplies that he’d stashed on his motorcycle. Then, he was gently taking my left foot, inspecting the damage the wolf had been able to inflict before we’d gotten away.

“Are all the animals as big as those wolves were now?” I asked to distract myself from my nerves and the tenderness emanating from my foot as he removed my boot to get a better look.

He paused what he was doing to meet my eyes as he said, “Those weren’t normal wolves. They were shifters, and I guess the rain is a good thing, seeing as you’re going to have to stay off this for at least today.”

Ensuing, Gage skillfully administered first aid as he told me all about the impossible, how the wolves could supposedly turn into men at will. It wasn’t that I thought he was lying.

It just seemed so fantastical that I had a difficult time accepting it without seeing it for myself, and I told him as much too.

“I can’t say that I blame you, but you saw how dangerous they are. This isn’t a good area for you to hang around. I can take you back to my community about a days’ ride away after the rain lets up, but I’ll warn you there are downsides to residing there.”

“What kind of shortcomings are we talking about here?” I probed, not sure I wanted to knowingly enter another situation like the fallout shelter had been, even if it did mean safety with numbers.

“Luckily, not anything too horrible, at least that I’ve experienced so far, but I always have a contingency plan if things ever do go south. You’ll have to pick a job; everyone has to have one for us all to survive.”

He finished securing the bandage around my foot, striding away to clean his hands off, but then he tacked on a minute later, “The worst of it is that the food’s rationed, and the rules can be pretty strict if you’re not a scavenger. They’re for everyone’s safety, so it’s hard to argue with them.”

While we conversed, Gage went about heating up some food, and the aroma of beef stew was near intoxicating as it saturated the enclosed area, even if it did come out of a can. I hadn’t eaten for quite a few hours, and the adrenaline had all but evaporated by now, leaving me hungry, sore, and tired.

I devoured the food as soon as it was in my hands, having gone too long without a break, but I managed to keep up with our conversation in between bites.

“What do you mean by scavenger?” I questioned, taking a sip from my water bottle as I waited for his reply.

“It’s not an occupation I would suggest for you, Zoe.” He speedily reacted, his tone seeming somehow protective in spite of our short acquaintance, before he persisted, “It’s risky, but the rewards are worth it. I hunt for supplies in the abandoned dwellings I come across, but I’ve been having to search further and further from our home base as everything gets picked over. I’m also one of the mechanics when I’m not off scouting, so it was fortunate I was out this way today.”

He’d added the last part almost as an afterthought, but I was more than grateful for his presence, knowing I wouldn’t be here otherwise.

I listened intently to Gage as he tried to acquaint me with everything that he thought I needed to know about this post-apocalyptic world and the group of humans that he’d managed to endure with after the numerous nuclear explosions.

At any rate, my eyelids kept drooping shut for longer periods of time as he went on, and it got to the point where I couldn’t pull them back open. I nodded off somewhere in the middle of his monologue, knowing I wouldn’t remember half of what he’d said tomorrow.

My dream took on a lifelike quality as I felt hot lips press against the tender spot behind my ear, and I swore I could feel teeth nibbling on my earlobe a second later.

I’d never envisaged anything so scandalous before, my libido mostly stunted due to my years spent in isolation.

The closest I’d ever gotten was when I’d read the few spicy novels my mom had shoved in her bag at the last minute before our escape to the bunker, but my fantasy continued as I felt the shape of a toned body pressed against my back.

When I awoke, water was still drizzling from the sky, but then I became aware of the solid weight of Gage’s arm as it pinned me to his muscular chest, leaving me wondering if any other part of my dream had really happened.

Radiating heat from the blush coloring my cheeks and spreading down, I was embarrassed beyond belief, but I couldn’t deny the stirring of arousal within as a result of his nearness.

Wriggling, I tried to pull out of his hold, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that he was conked out based on the snoring ringing in my ear. However, my squirming must have roused him because he pulled away a minute later, taking his body heat with him.

I sat up, inching away as I gazed around in the dim light, but then I was shrieking, practically leaping into the air when I spotted the massive fucking spider sitting not a foot from where my face had been.

Gage shot up with a dazed look on his face, looking around wildly for what had frightened me, but he busted out laughing when he realized what it was.

I didn’t find anything remotely funny about it, but he mercifully got rid of the arachnid after he wiped the tears from his face.

“Honey, you’re going to have to get over that fear fast out here. Bugs are everywhere, Zoe.” He uttered, leaving no room for argument.

“I’m not dumb, Gage. I know that. I was just surprised.” I defended.

Even though I was aware that my fear went a little deeper than that, I also knew that I was able to ignore it for the most part if I zeroed in on something else, and there was almost always something that took precedence in my brain since leaving the fallout shelter.

An attraction simmered between us regardless of my mild annoyance, but I didn’t have the courage to explore it with everything else going on right now, besides my inexperience and wavering getting in the way.

We spent some time going through our supplies while we waited out the last of the rain, and I gladly took his advice when he suggested that I leave some of my provisions behind to prevent them all being commandeered for the group once we arrived.

In any event, it dawned on me that the steady dribble of the rain had ceased in the interim, and Gage broke the tension before I did something to embarrass myself, announcing that we should be on our way.