Fingertips grazed her arm, running their soft points along her flesh. The hand clasped around her waist and dry lips pressed against her neck. Kate’s face scrunched in annoyance. Though she loved Nick’s touch, she was not in the mood for it now.
“Nick,” she said with a warning, her eyes still closed. The only response she received was her body being straddled by firm legs that pinned her to the ground. When an unfamiliar scent reached her nostrils, Kate’s eyes shot open to find a man she had never seen before atop her.
The man’s eyes widened at her panic, yet he continued roaming her body with his hungry hands.
“Nick!” Kate screamed and pushed frantically against the man. When her efforts produced no results, Kate threw her fist into his jaw. The man’s head knocked backwards, and he shut his eyes in irritation. When he opened them, the man launched a punch into the side of Kate’s head. The pain jolted through her skull, sending a curtain of black over her eyes. Her vision returned at once, and she continued struggling against his hold.
Boots thudded against the ground, and the man was ripped away from Kate. She scurried away from the entanglement and backed against the building. What she saw was quite the reversal—Nick’s knees were on either side of the man’s body as he thrust vicious knuckles into his jaw, his nose, and eyes.
“Woah, woah! Stop! Hold up, man!” The man covered his face with his arms, and Nick paused before sending another fist into his head. Surely, there was no good explanation for why this piece of shit had his disgusting body on his woman, but Nick was curious what he would come up with.
“Listen, I got weapons, ammunition, food, medical supplies. I got whatever you need!” The man pleaded.
“What the fuck does that have to do with you on top of my girl?” Nick uttered, low and deadly.
“I’ll give you anything you want, man. Whatever you need. All I need is twenty minutes.” The man was no longer a threat, crying and pleading for his life. Nick stood and pulled him to his feet by the arm. With his forearm against his throat, Nick shoved the man against a tree, pushing hard against his trachea. The man coughed and choked as he struggled for air.
“Twenty minutes of what?” Nick asked, though he knew. He wanted to hear him admit it. He wanted the man to vocalize his depraved idea of what Kate’s body was worth. Nick relented just enough pressure from the man’s throat so that he could answer.
“Just a little time with her, man. I’ll bring her back in one piece—” before the man could continue speaking, Nick yanked his pistol from behind his back and cracked the man’s skull with the butt of it. The stranger yelped and held his head in pain as blood trickled from his hairline.
Nick pulled the man by his shirt and shoved him away from him and Kate, aiming the gun at his head.
“She’s not a fucking piece of meat for sale. Go. Run. Far away. If I ever see you again, I will put a bullet in your head,” Nick threatened.
The man backed away with his hands in the air.
“Sorry, man. You won’t see me again.” And with that, he turned and ran into the woods. Nick watched the trees for a long time, waiting and listening to see if the man would return. When Nick felt confident that he would not be coming back, he knelt in front of Kate, inspecting the red patch of skin where she had been hit.
“I’m fine,” Kate reassured, pushing away his hands. Her body was shivering, fear pulsing through her with vehement force. A pool of tears clung to the corners of her eyes.
“Kate, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you out here,” Nick said, reaching a hand to touch Kate’s face. She pulled away, a dazed, fearful look in her eyes. “Kate?”
“What if you had?” Kate said. She was unable to meet Nick’s gaze, and her lips quivered as a barrage of thoughts flooded her mind. “What if, down the road, things get desperate? What if we run out of supplies? What if—”
“Then, we will starve. Or die to the elements. Or let sickness take us away.” Nick sat back on the heels of his boots, assessing Kate’s reaction to his words. With her eyes fixed to the ground, she nodded, hearing Nick but not believing. “And before you start apologizing or feeling sorry, these have been the bestmonths of my life and I would relive them over and over again, even knowing every shitty, terrifying event to come.”
Kate sighed and patted the ground next to her. Nick sat back against the cement, his shoulder meeting Kate’s. He placed a hand on her knee, and Kate placed her own on top, leaning her head into the crook of his neck. Her dirty, scraped fingers squeezed his.
“Thank you,” Kate whispered, her heart swelling at his words. An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled her soul for finding a person committed to protecting and loving her no matter the cost. The euphoric feelings were swiftly overtaken by a pang in her stomach, and she winced in immeasurable pain.
Chapter 54
The pair rested against the mechanic shop for several hours. Kate fell asleep in Nick’s arms as he kept watch, awaiting the return of the foul man. The encounter reinforced the fact that society was no more. Now, entire groups could move and sell people without a second glance. Trading sex for supplies could be brought up in casual conversation. Fort Vanguard had to be righteous, a sanctuary for the weak, a bulwark for the strong, a place people could come and know that they were not merely surviving. They were part of a community that would be the pillar of a new world, one that respected life, protected it. Nick vowed that it would be a place where everyone could be kept as safe as possible from the corruption of the new world.
When Kate awoke, most of her pain had subsided. They continued toward the military base, maintaining a quiet journey. The evening descended upon them, and they should have been close to reaching Fort Vanguard, yet they had lost much time to Kate’s stomach pain.
Nick broke down a side street, leading him and Kate through a subdivision in search of a home to rest in for the night.
Nick and Kate paused as they closed in on a cul-de-sac. Something stood in the middle of the road. Kate’s eyes widened with glee, and she strode toward the creature. A dog.
“No fucking way.” Nick grabbed Kate’s wrist, but she slipped out of his grasp.
“Hey there, buddy,” Kate cooed as she crept toward the dog, who stiffened at the sound of her voice. Nick blew out a frustrated sigh.
“Come here, boy.” Kate bent at the knees and patted her thighs, trying to coax the dog to her. She took careful steps toward the animal as Nick stayed on her heels. The silver lab with bright, wild eyes stepped backward, leaning down on its haunches, and growled. Nick turned the rifle around on his chest and fixed it on the animal.
“Put that thing away.” Kate pushed the muzzle of the gun to the side. She unzipped Nick’s pack and sifted through the contents until she found an MRE. With an outstretched hand, Kate offered the tuna sludge inside to the dog.
