Except I didn’t want to do what needed to be done. I held off on torturing him, and he actually bested me. I believed him when he said Cole suspected I’d aligned myself with the Vultures.
But after rescuing his girl, the truth came out. I’m a cold-blooded killer, and the men of the Keep are aware of my predilection.
Thankfully, Alistair agreed to help me fake my death.
I make my way to the west side of town, to a place the Keep doesn’t know about. I found it early while exploring, and decided that when I inevitably went out on my own, it’d be a good place to set up shop.
Situated on the upper level of an old apartment building with a garden rooftop, I was able to find a small solar-powered generator to keep the lights on. Now, I’ll spend most of my time building it up, keeping it hidden, and searching forher.
I shouldn’t care about Fiona, and I didn’t. Not at first. After fucking her, I went out to clear my head and came back to an empty apartment. I checked the log to see if any of the guys had come in or out, but the last person to scan in was me.
Relief had washed over me, and I went about the next few days business as usual.
Then, I saw the notebook. I reread what Fiona had told me, and it reminded me of her and our time together.
After that, I went to Salem Street and sought as many of those names as possible. The only one I missed was Frank, who was later taken down when the guys recovered Brooke.
As I worked, names were added to my list, and I steadily rained death on anyone I felt had a hand in Fiona’s defilement.
But I never took another.
Sometimes I wanted to, but I couldn’t, and I began thinking of release at times I typically wouldn’t.
The urge to come always accompanied the urge to kill. They went hand in hand, one always proceeding the other.
But when I thought ofher, desire came without the lust for blood. I imagined her hair spread out on the bed, her eyes widened, her scent filling my nostrils as I licked between her thighs.
I still don’t understand why I even did that. I could have just thought of Madam Levy’s tongueless screams. That would have gotten me to at least half mast. But seeing Fiona sitting at my table, eating, gave me thoughts I couldn’t ignore.
Her potent flavor and sweet scent were a new experience for me, and I often find myself thinking about her squirming, grinding against my tongue.
To say I want to fuck her again is the understatement of the century, and now I search for her, day and night, whenever I can. I watch for her when I take down groups of ragers, wondering if I’m going to find her as one. So far, she’s evaded me, finding places to hide. Leaving no clues.
But I’m patient, and damn good at what I do. I’ve lived in shadows, worn masks, outwitted countless foes. I’ve stalked, tortured, killed, and done a million other things to hone my skills.
Somewhere, deep within the city, Fiona hides, a little mouse evading capture.
But her time is running out. Free of the Keep, my only mission is to find her and take her as mine.
I am a hunter, and she is my prey.
And I’ll burn the whole city if that’s what it takes to claim her.
Chapter 2
FIONA
Months Later
Looking out the window, I see at least three zombies roaming the street. Not asleep, but not wholly active. With any luck, they’ll go catatonic over the next hour.
And if they don’t, I’m screwed.
I can’t put off scavenging another day. Food is growing harder to come by. It’s been three days since I’ve eaten more than a handful of sunflower seeds. If I get too weak, I won’t be able to defend myself out on the streets.
The long hours of loneliness are worse than the hunger. At first, I welcomed solitude. It was better than entertaining the men on Salem Street…and the ones that came after.
I should have died that night the man came. Sometimes I wish I had. Scratch that. I wish I’d died long before the zombie apocalypse happened.
