Jody’s face melted into a mask of sadness. “Dude. Not cool.” He came to his feet and grasped his chair. He turned back towards his own trailer, his eyes stealing glances at Lana. “At least your woman wants you,” he muttered.
Simon turned his attention back to the fire and ground his teeth. He knew he was angry. He knew he was completely disappointed and shocked by her behavior. He just couldn’t put into words the mix of emotions that swirled through him.
He noticed the few other campers sitting around the campfire suddenly sit up and take notice. He knew what she was about to do before she did it.
She appeared by his side and a moment later she swung her leg up and over, straddling his lap. “I really need you, darling.’ she purred. “I don’t care if the neighbors watch, if you don’t.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” he growled as he came to his feet. “Just once can’t you…” He stopped himself before he said something he’d regret. “Fine.”
He spun and pulled at her arm, dragging her back to the trailer. He pushed her inside then stepped up into the RV, pulling the door shut behind him. “Now is NOT the time,” he growled.
Lana gave him a hurt, pouty look and stuck her lower lip out. “I can’t help it that I want you.”
He slowly shook his head as he looked her up and then down. “What is it with you? Do you enjoy shocking everybody here?”
She slowly broke into a toothy grin. “You think I’ve got that effect on them?”
He rolled his eyes and fell onto the couch. “Lana, do you even think before you act?”
“Of course not.” She straddled his lap and pressed her chest to his face. “I’m the empress. I don’t have to think first.” Simon let his head fall back and sighed as she worked at his belt. “Come on baby…I’m still worked up from supper.”
Simon tried to push the gruesome image of her supper out of his mind. He tried not to think of her teeth ripping the flesh from the bones of the rabbit or the feral look in her eyes as she devoured the poor animal.
She had just reached into his pants when a primal scream erupted outside and he instantly came to his feet. “What the hell?!”
Lana fell to the floor of the RV and burst into laughter. “Oh my god…”
“What?” Simon zipped his pants and leaned forward, peering through the curtains and into the campsite.
“I think the good doctor found the present I left for her.” Lana laughed as she rolled over, kicking her legs in the air.
“Present?”
She looked up at Simon and licked her lips. “I couldn’t finish all of the bunny so I thought I’d share with her.” Her eyes flashed with an evil that Simon had prayed he’d never see again.
“What did you do, Lana?”
She rolled up onto her knees and licked her lips at him. “I may have hung what was left on her front door.” She laughed again and fell back against the foot of the couch. “You’d think she’d be a bit more grateful.”
Simon cursed under his breath and stormed out of the RV. He slammed the door behind him and marched next door to Vee’s trailer.
Veronica stood just outside her trailer, her hands shaking. She looked away from the bloody mess on her door and fought to keep her tears in check. “What happened?” Simon asked.
She pointed to her front door and hanging just over the glass was the rabbit carcass. The word ‘Bitch,’ drawn in blood below it.
She turned and fell against Simon’s chest, sobbing. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and felt his anger rise to an entirely new level. He craned his neck to glare back at Lana watching them through the windows of their RV, an evil smile plastered across her face.
“She’s gone too far.”
13
“Can’t you just tell me?” Hatcher asked as the Jeep bounced roughly on the trail road.
“I could, but you wouldn’t believe me.” She cranked on the steering wheel hard and the Jeep made a hard slide in the soft soil.
“Slow down for shit’s sake. You’ll roll us!”
She shook her head as she downshifted and floored the accelerator for the hill ahead. “We’ll be fine,” she muttered as she navigated the small SUV around the large boulders strewn everywhere.
Hatcher grabbed the oh shit handle tighter and fought gravity as the hill threatened to launch him from the seat. “What could be so damned important?”
“You have to see for yourself.”
“Just TELL me!” He oofed as the small Jeep made a hard landing.
“You wouldn’t believe me…even if I told you that a UFO had landed on the mountain.”
He stared at her hard. “We’re living in a post apocalyptic world with cannibalistic monsters running everywhere. Trust me, even a UFO is believable.”
She slammed on the brakes and Hatcher fought not to eat the narrow dashboard. He was thrown back in the seat from his fighting the g-forces and he spun to glare at her. “What the hell?”
She pointed through the bug splattered windshield. “There.”
Hatcher turned and saw hundreds, if not thousands, of items of brightly colored clothing scattered about. Some articles hung from trees, others draped over bushes or hanging on low brush.
“What the hell is this?” he uttered as he slipped out of the passenger seat.
He walked slowly forward and Missy killed the engine. “Beats the shit out of me. I’ve been down this way twice since this all started, and this is the first I’ve seen anything like this.”
Hatcher pulled a ski vest from a bush and examined it. “Other than being a little sun faded, it’s like new.” He turned to Missy. “When was the last time you came down here?”
She shrugged. “A couple months at least.” She gave him a sardonic stare. “What?
