Speaking of the devil, Henry stuck his head in. “How’s it going?”
“Okay, finding some good things. We can definitely use a lot of this stuff.” She said, holding up the nail clippers.
“Nice, I never was a nail biter.” He grinned.
“How is Gabe doing today?” she worried, Gabe had gone into a depression, but seemed to be coming around, and was smiling more.
“Better, he’s starting to wrap his mind around it. Told him it was okay to grieve.” Henry shrugged.
“Good, I just feel so damned bad for him. I’ll keep him in my prayers.” She smiled.
“Thanks. Hey, gonna go fishing, you wanna come?”
“Sure, I’ll get back to this later. I could use some fresh air and fish stew sounds good for dinner.” She grinned and both walked out of camp.
¤¤
Connor was pacing back and forth, he was angry, Vana had died early last night and no one knew about it. He was afraid to salvage her body, but they had no choice. They were all starving and looking to him to make the decision as to whether to butcher her up. He didn’t know how long a body could sit before eating it. He’d never heard of anyone eating road kill. Both Joey and Matt were watching him, their bloodshot eyes angry. Why the fuck are they angry? He wondered. He looked once more at Vana, her gut bloated and she looked nine months pregnant.
That couldn’t be good. He looked at those around him and shrugged.
“Let’s start with her legs, roast those, I don’t think we should open her gut, that shit looks like it is ready to explode.” Connor said, his face clinched in revulsion.
“Who are we going to fuck now?” Joey asked angrily, his voice almost a whine, which jumped on Connor’s last nerve.
“Go jack off numb-nuts, I’m not your fucking pimp.” Connor snarled, lifting a machete threateningly.
He turned and went to the body and began hacking at the leg. Luke turned his head and Connor sneered to himself. The ass was eager to eat it but not butcher it. He watched the others as they built up the fire. Joey had brought up a good point however.
There were only three women left. All of them out of reach, maybe they should do a raid, pick up a woman and supplies. It was something to think about and plan. He knew they’d have to be careful. The others were a hell of a lot stronger and they now had more numbers. Not only that, they’d not want to give up their women so easily and there would more than likely be some kind of retaliation.
He, like any red-blooded man wanted a good screw, but he wondered if it would be worth it. Then what would they do with her? Maybe they could hold her hostage, barter for food, maybe keep her as a prisoner, and make them feed her and them. That was a pleasant thought. Have them bust their asses and he and his guys reap the benefits.
That was sounding like a great idea. They had tried again to fish and hunt, but they’d failed so many times. He thought surviving would be easier than this. They made it look easy on TV. He should have known they would have Hollywooded it up. They had to do something. They weren’t going to survive much longer. Vana would be the last of their meat unless he killed one of the guys. But then they would turn on him and end up killing him. It was a no-win situation. He needed to think more on this problem.
¤¤
Aiden sat watching Sarah, she was braiding long strands of grass. The crinkle between her brows looked cute and she looked up and grinned at him. She was now a deep golden color; the sun having enhanced her face. She stared back at him, her hands going still. His heart hammered into his chest at the look she was giving him. His mouth twitched, he wanted to smile, but his face felt frozen. She stood up and walked toward him, her eyes not leaving his.
His mouth fell open, as he watched her approach him. She had a soft smile on her lips. She walked up to him and knelt down in front of him. Aiden wanted to say something but he couldn’t seem to speak, his mouth gone suddenly dry. She took hold of his shirt collar on each side and pulled him into her and kissed him.
His hands slipped up to her face and cradled it. Her face was sun warmed, and she smelled of wild grapes. Her mouth was soft and sweet, it had been so very long for him. He’d not even trusted himself to meet another woman after Becka. He was afraid who ever he met would change and become a nightmare. But Sarah had remained her sweet self. His mouth possessed hers and he pulled her down on top of him. She moaned softly, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”
He still couldn’t find his voice and so he simply kissed her and held her. His hand going down her back to rest on her hip. He pulled her closer to him, his legs locking onto hers.
“I want you, I really do.” She said softly, raising up. He rolled her over and laid across her, his hand going to her hair. He smoothed it back, his hand tangling in the fiery strands. He dipped his head and kissed her once more. He felt her hand going to his shirt and he grinned as she began to unbutton his shirt.
¤¤
Sarah laid on the ground watching Aiden sleep. A soft smile curved her kiss reddened lips. He was so strong, he had been her rock, when he was with her, she wasn’t afraid or unsure.
