Page 41

CHAPTER 40

Noah

“O h, you son of a bitch,” the words fly from my mouth. I knew I felt someone's eyes on me since I left that stupid cabin. I coughed it up to just missing him. I should’ve known it was him.

Too many mixed feelings hit me at once. My heart races, adrenaline thrumming in my veins as I fight the urge to jump into his arms. Reed is here, standing before me, alive and— fuck, he’s here .

I take a step towards him, barely registering the trembles in my body. Anger forces its way through the happiness I feel. He’s here. He’s been following me, watching me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice is low and rough. Emotions threatening to spill over.

Reed doesn’t answer; he only stares at me, making everything feel worse. It shouldn’t hurt this much. I told myself I was doing the right thing; I had to leave. But that didn’t stop the crushing absence I felt the moment I walked out the door. He could have stopped me; he could have said anything, and I would have broken and come back. Instead, he followed me.

Anger surges through me; it’s hot and uncomfortable. It burns away any rational thought until all that’s left is a sheer need to make him feel the hurt that I’ve been feeling.

Before I can think clearly, my finger curls around the rough, solid rock I had picked up before he showed up. I throw it at him.

It cuts through the air with force, hitting him in the chest. It’s not enough. Not nearly enough, especially when Reed just looks like it was a fly that hit him.

“We’re back to your rocks again? I thought we moved on from those to an actual weapon.”

My mouth falls open. Out of everything in the world he could say to me, he decides my rocks are the focus?

I turn around, picking up another rock before throwing it at his stupid head this time. My chest heaves as I bend down, gathering up more before throwing every single rock at him. The sound of them hitting dirt, the trees, everywhere but him. My pulse roars in my ears so that I can barely focus on anything but making him feel the slight bit of pain I do.

The realization sinks in my chest like a blade, slow and twisting. He’s here to kill me. I found out he was a killer, and now he’s come to end me because I know too much.

“Stay away from me!” I scream. Reed's expression shifts; the air around me feels too still—too heavy. Instinct screams at me to move. Before I can think, I take off.

My feet pound against the ground, branches snagging on my pants, leaves scattering in my wake. I don’t look back; I can’t. The night swallows me whole, shadows blurring together as I push myself to run faster. My lungs burn as I force myself to move faster. I don’t know where I’m going—I just have to get away. I could go back to camp, but I’m the new guy. I don’t want to bring trouble to them. That would open a can of worms that I don’t feel like doing. Worms are gross and slimy.

The footsteps behind aren’t distant enough; I can hear them right behind me, pounding into the ground. Of course he’s chasing me; why did I think he’d just stay by the riverbank? Why couldn’t he have just stayed at the cabin?

My chest is tight, and it’s not just from running away from him. It’s the emotions twisting inside me—anger, confusion, fear—every single emotion hits me.

A force slams into me from behind, knocking out what little air I had in my lungs. The ground flashes before my eyes; a sharp gasp rips from my throat as his weight pins me down. The world spins between my eyes as I try to gather some air. For a second, everything is a mess—I struggle against his hold, my heart pounding in my ears.

I’m trapped, caught, and hating that I’m not sure if I want to fight him or just give into him.

“Get off me!” I grunt, thrusting my hips back. Logically I know it’s not going to do anything. Reed has proved he’s stronger than me, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. And what’s worse is I feel his cock hardening against me. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you fuck me and then kill me!” I scream, jerking my body against his hold again.

“Will you just quit it?” Reed grunts above me.

“Absolutely not, buddy! I may be easy, but I’m not that easy.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Reed mutters.

My breath comes in fast and uneven, half from struggling against him but also because of something I refuse to admit. Be mad. Be furious. I remind myself. I can’t give in to him that easy.

“Listen here, you little prick, you’ve got balls made of steel if you think I’m just going to roll—AH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” My voice jumps three octaves higher when Reed snakes a hand between the ground and my crotch. “Don’t you dare.” I grit out through clenched teeth.

“Don’t what?” he whispers into my ear as he eases his hand into my pants. Old grandmas, hairy balls—fuck, think pussy. Vaginas, the hole, fucking disgusting. But nothing stops my cock from hardening when Reed wraps his hand around my length.

“I don’t like this.” I lied.

“You say that, but you’re hard, love.” Reed's hot breath hit my neck, causing my body to break out in goosebumps. I hate it. I hate that my body is betraying me. Even worse, my brain is trying to tell me it’s okay.

“Get off me, you big buffoon.” I wiggle against his hold. Reed ignores my words and swipes his thumb across the tip. I gasp, every ounce of fight in my body disappearing. This is wrong; I shouldn’t be giving in this quickly, but I’d be wrong if I didn’t admit I missed him.

“Is this all it takes? A single touch for you to cooperate?” His hand starts stroking me, making my eyes cross and my lips part in a soundless moan. “I should’ve known this was all it took for you to stop talking. A little touch to keep you in line.”

Logically I know he’s being cruel, but that doesn’t stop precum from leaking from my tip and a shiver from running up my spine.

“Nothing will stop me from talking.” I’m grasping at straws, thinking of anything to stop myself from losing control and cumming. I don’t want to give him the time of day. But I’m a cock slut. I’m weak and willing to do anything for Reed just because he’s here.

“Are you sure about that?” He asks.

I open my mouth to tell him yes when he licks the column of my neck. Everything ignites inside me. I’m burning, my blood boiling against my veins. Two different emotions fight against each other—this is wrong. I shouldn’t be letting him touch me while in the middle of nowhere, especially since he’s here to kill me. But something erotic about being pinned down by a killer in the middle of nowhere does something to me. And apparently my cock doesn’t mind all the blood—figuratively speaking, that is.

Reed’s hand moves faster along my length, his thumb swiping across my tip. My dick jerks, and cum bursts out of me without a warning.

“AH!” I groan, my forehead hitting the ground. An endless stream of cum shoots all over his hand, my body twitching from the sensation. I can’t move; I can’t breathe. Reed slowly removes his hand before the pressure of his body lifts off me. Blowing out a breath, I roll over and sit up.

“I–is this where it h–happens now?” I stutter over my words. This is it. I’m never going to see Rue or Mallory. I’m never going to get my rock collection from back home. I’m never going to get to know Reed behind the mask he hides behind. I think that’s the worst part of dying, never getting to know him. I’ve fallen for Reed. Fallen off a cliff—endless and terrifying. I’ve never loved someone, and I’m not even sure what it means?—

“What are you talking about?” Reed cuts into my thoughts.

“Just promise me something. M–make it quick. I–I’m a wimp, and I’m not sure if you were the type to draw it out. B–but fuck, please just make it quick,” I beg.

Reed’s brows pull together, his lines forming into a firm line. Anger comes fast, white-hot and all-consuming. One second I’m sitting on the ground, and the next I’m on my feet. My pulse slams against my ribcage, my breath sharp as I step forward. I’m not a physical guy; I don’t like violence, but something about his big head and him looking confused pisses me off.

“Well!” I scream. “Get on with it! No need to draw it out. I’m a big boy. Might as well be taken out by a killer than a fucking zombie.”

“Noah, what are you talking about?”

I throw my hands up, flabbergasted he’s this dense. “What do you mean, what am I talking about? You’re here to kill me! Well, get on with it.”

“Will you quiet down?” Reed narrows his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No!” My voice betrays me because I do in fact quiet down. “What’s the point? Maybe I should scream at the top of my lungs. I should warn everyone that there’s a murderer here! Let the zombies tear you apart.” I won’t because even though he’s here to kill me, my brain still loves him. Which is completely toxic, and Rue would be smacking me upside the head.

Reed rolls his eyes, shaking his head. Somehow that only adds fuel to my anger. Why can’t he just make this quick? Why does he have to drag this on?

“You’re a stupid little boy,” he mutters under his breath.

“For your information, I am not stupid, nor am I a little boy. I’m twenty, just in case you forgot. I’m a grown adult. Also, my IQ is high, 126 to be exact. That’s above the average; I bet I’m even smarter than you!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he grunts.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me; I didn’t stutter. You’re acting like a child, throwing a tantrum, again. It’s not cute.”

“Good thing I wasn’t trying to be cute then, huh?” I raise a brow.

Reed steps forward, clearly done with this conversation. My pulse spikes; every muscle inside tightens as the need to run, to do something, hits me. But I must be stupid, like he said, because I can’t move; I’m stuck staring at Reed as he closes the distance between us. Tilting my head up, I bite my tongue to stop myself from crying.

“You’re annoying, dumb, and clearly need a good attitude adjustment?—”

“If all you’re going to do is insult me, can you just stop and get on to the killing part now?”

“Shut up,” he snaps. My mouth clamps shut, and any words that would’ve come out disappear. “We have a lot to unpack here, and I’m not sure standing out in the middle of the woods where zombies could come and as you put it, tear me apart. But I’ll keep it short; I’m not here to kill you. Yes, I used to murder people for living, but in case you haven’t realized, the dead are coming after the living now. I don’t have time to worry about being a hired hitman, not when the man I love thinks I’m here to kill him.”

Everything around me—the world, every noise, every thought—stops. The air feels like it’s been knocked out of my lungs. My heart forgets to beat. I wasn’t expecting him to say it. Not now—not ever.

No one has ever said they loved me. Maybe Rue and Mallory, though I’m sure we all gagged and never said it again. But no man has ever said they loved me.

And for the first time, I let myself believe it. I let myself feel it.

“But—”

“But what?”

“You let me leave. You confessed some deep feelings, and then when I needed answers, you j–just fucked me. You used me. I can’t forget that Reed.” I hate ruining the moment, but I can’t just let him hurt me and then say he loves me, thinking it’ll fix everything.

“And I regret letting you leave?—”

“Why are you so secretive?” I blurt out.

Reed blows out a breath, his eyes dropping as he gathers his thoughts. I want to reach over and hug him, but I refrain from doing that.

Finally he looks up. “My friend, Viper, one of the guys in the photo. I watched him die. We were ambushed, and he was bitten. We didn’t know much about the outbreak, and so we did nothing. He eventually turned, and I–I was the one who had to put him down. He was one of my best friends, and I had to end him like cattle.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest; they steal my breath before I can even process everything.

Reed lost someone important to him, someone who was a part of him. I can’t imagine his pain. My heart twisted, aching with the weight of his pain. I’d be a mess if I lost Mallory and Rue. And if I had to be the one to put them out of their misery—I shake my head.

I couldn’t.

I move forward, wrapping my arms around him. Reed’s slow to move, but then his arms move around my back, holding me close. Resting my head against his chest, I smile at his warmth, waiting for the sound of his heartbeat. My brows pull together when I don’t hear anything at first until very slowly it beats.

Holding him tighter, I wish I could take a fraction of his pain away. I know I can’t, but maybe just hugging him is enough. Hoping he understands that while I don’t have anything to say, hugging him is the next best thing.