"What if they remain virgins?"
"Then they impregnate them. Like Myrtle."
I stood up, disgusted. I couldn't take it anymore. "Please, stop. I-- can't hear this."
Rape, murder, forced pregnancy? I was going to be sick.
Callahan followed me into the kitchen, where I'd gone to drink water. I spun around, pissed. "And you fucking fell for it. Do you like thinking of little kids when you're shoving your dick inside her hairless pussy?"
"What? No. Not at all. I grew up with Eleanor. I don't see her as a child. You're sick if you think I'd do something so heinous."
"Well," I threw my hands up. "You tell me that's what they intended. What else am I supposed to think?"
"That I love her!" He screamed.The room fell silent. "I love her and we left so we could be together. Now, are you going to help us or not?"
I stared at the man in my clothes. He loved her. It wasn'tjustsex.
"Help you what?" I inhaleddeeply. "Escape across the wasteland? I can give you directions, but the rest is up to you. It'd be a shame if you got two days out and were shot dead by some bandits."
Callahan considered my words. "Then what do you propose we do? We just killed a dozen high-ranking soldiers. They'll be looking for us."
I nodded. "They will. But we can hide you. We hid Milton for a full week. No one steps onto Heathen Heights property without my permission. Stay here and I'll teach you guys how to survive on the surface. It's not as easy as just having food and shelter. People will know you ain't from here." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my cigarette case, removing a cigarette. I lit my smoke quickly and inhaled. "And that is going to be what gets you wasted."
"Wasted?" He shook his head. I rolled my eyes and kicked off the cabinets I'd been leaning on.
"Dead! Killed! Throat slit, liver stabbed, head shot, dead!" I walked over to him and slapped his shoulder. I gripped him tightly, admiring the muscle underneath the shirt. I stood toe to toe with the man. Desire pooled hot in my belly as I stared at his lips. God, I bet he tasted nice. "Stick with me, and I'll make sure you live to tell the tale of the horrors of 237. What do you say?"
"Okay."
Chapter 43 - Eleanor
Not every stranger is your enemy.
Iwoke up gasping and pulling at the rough mattress. Where was I? It was dark and hot and smelled like men's cologne, oil, and dirt. I threw a scratchy blanket off me and crawled to my feet.
Where were my shoes? Where was my dress?
I ran my hands down my body. The fabric of what I was wearing was rough and uncomfortable. I brought the collar to my nose and inhaled. It wasn’t soft, but it sure did smell good. Whoever’s this was had already worn it. It smelled like a man.
I took a step and winced. The floor was… crunchy. I squinted as I lifted my foot. It was covered in dirt. The entire carpet was filthy. Clothes piled in one corner, brown bottles stacked along a dresser, and books stood in one tall stack in the other corner.
I left the room, each step slow and cautious. I hated the feel of my feet picking up more dirt with each step, but I had to find Cal. I couldn’t remember— oh.
It hit me all at once. Our escape. The acid rain. The Daddies melting, our… despite being alone, I still blushed, remembering our hot moment on the vehicle before we took off into the night… to here, wherever here was.
“Daddy?” I called into the hallway, but was met with silence. “Daddy?” I walked down, passing door after door. Nothing was on the yellow, peeling walls. It appeared as if someone had been attempting to keep the hall clean, but not the bedroom I’d just slept in.
I followed the stairs down and found a living room, with Cal sleeping on the couch. I looked around. Everything was dirty, faded, and worn, but also, it appeared as if someone had been attempted to rectify it. It had a faint smell of lemon, but also an underlying hint of oil and dirt, just as it had upstairs. This floor was cleaner; my feet weren’t tracking more dirt around.
I sighed, going to Callahan and crouching. I ran my hand through his hair. He was beautiful when sleeping. His eyes didn’t even twitch. He must be exhausted. I left him, heading into the room to the right, where the aroma of coffee was wafting from. Was someone here? They must be, otherwise, how did we get in? There’s no way Callahan would have let me sleep alone if he didn’t trust this place.
I stepped inside and froze. I’d been preparing for… I don’t know what I’d been prepared for. But black boots, tight pants, a cut off shirt revealing large, toned, tattooed muscles all the way down his arms that led to black leather motorcycle gloves, and bright yellow hair reaching the nape of the person’s neck was not it. They seemed to sense me and turned. My mind went blank.
Wow.
This man was everything Cal was not. Dark brows, eyes a bright hazel-brown, a straight nose and a dimple in his chin. Tattoos covered his arms and neck and I assumed, based on how some of them trailed under the torn shirt, they covered his chest as well.
This man couldn’t be more opposite of what I’d been attracted to in the past, but… wow.
