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What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

Being productive around Alicia had been historically difficult. It was not a knock. It was not something that discouraged Bryce. It only spoke to how cuddly and cute she was. More than once, Bryce overslept his typical wake-up time when he spent time at Alicia’s house, cuddling with her. Beyond that, more than a few times, Bryce recalled foregoing homework or even forgetting about going in to work in the afternoons because he was spending time with the lovely girl. When they were together, it was the only thing he wanted to focus on. He did not miss the brief moment of her checking out her hair in the mirror. Again, cuddly and cute. It brought a smile to his face. He thought about telling her that she looked perfect no matter what, but he assumed she realized he felt that way by now. After all, he enjoyed watching her, anyways. If he had not taught her about guns or defending herself, Bryce would have felt unsettled about Alicia venturing into the house alone. Thankfully, she arrived with something in her hand. He looked at the bottle of water, but decided to not drink it right now. He feared they would run into a situation where the need for water was dire.

His mouth was dry now, but he was not about to pass out from thirst. He could deal with it. Deciding to just slide the bottle down in one of his pockets, Bryce retook Alicia’s hand when she was ready at the door. Their fingers were laced together again before the male nodded his head. “Yes, Princess. Let’s get going.” Unfortunately, Bryce did not have a map nor did he recall anything about the surrounding locations. That was his fault. Bryce knew better. In the future, when they settled down somewhere, he would remember and learn every single nook and cranny around the place. He had a sinking feeling that nowhere was safe anymore. Everything likely crumbled down at one time or another. If it did, Bryce needed an escape route or plan. If he had those two things, Bryce felt confident he could make shit up along the way to reach a certain destination or goal. Never again would Bryce let himself get caught in this situation. He hated this feeling of not knowing what to do. So, after taking a look outside, he made a choice in the direction they would walk.

“I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just keep walking away from the direction we came in. Maybe we’ll get to something eventually. I know the main road is not that far away, but the city is probably infested with the infected. Maybe we can search through some of the smaller towns outside the city and that’ll give us some supplies.” Besides, it was less populated than the inner parts of the city here. Bryce knew next to nothing about Mexico, having never been before. Despite that, he believed they would be fine. With an agreement between the pair, Bryce squeezed his fiancée’s hand, and they were off. He kept his eyes peeled, his free hand holding the pistol in case it was needed. It was the last thing he wanted to use, but he knew how dangerous the world was now. People were even more dangerous than the infected, it seemed, so he needed to keep an eye out for both.

--

Damn it. With anyone else, Nick could hide his true feelings quite well. Madison never quite understood him. Alicia hardly ever understood him, but that was planned. Nick did not want anyone else reading him, sensing how he truly felt about shit. Like Anna, Nick did repress things quite often. It worked with literally anyone else in the world (except for Anna). She could read him like an open book. No matter how Nick twisted his tone or focused on his facial expressions, she always seemed to know exactly what he truly meant or thought. When they were in a relationship, he adored it. If he was feeling down, putting on a fake smile, Anna would see right through it. She would help him feel happy. Anyone else would have just taken Nick’s word as the truth and moved on. How many times had his mother asked him if he was alright to which Nick responded that he was fine, when in reality, things were not “fine”? It happened often, but Nick did not blame his mother for that. If he wanted to talk, he would have. The same was true with Anna, except, she made him talk even when he did not want to. In the end, he always felt better after talking to her.

Now? Nick did not want Anna to know how he truly felt. He did hate the idea of not knowing what they were, he was naïve to think she would have believed it. Even if she could not read him right now, their past history should have told her exactly what it did tell her. The kiss to his forehead was welcomed as Nick feared things were going to become intense. Times like this made him re-think the possibility of having a relationship with her. It always felt like things were going to pop off and explode. Sure, every couple argued, but this was different. They both had completely different viewpoints about what happened. Nick might have known she did not mean it, but it always felt like she was dismissing what he said about the event when she was caught with Ronnie. Again, Nick knew this situation was shitty overall. It was something that provided quite a handful of tension between them. Was it something either of them could get over? Nick liked to think so, but the truth was, he did not know. Listening to Anna continue only intensified the frustration.

She wanted to “treat him like he deserves”? What the actual fuck? She did just fine with that before. How did she need to make sure of that? All she had to do was keep other guys’ dicks out of her. Apparently, that was a tall ask for Anna. Of course, Nick should have known it was not that superficial, but Nick was not thinking like he should in that moment. Besides, it was not like he was asking to call themselves something right now. He knew rushing into anything was a bad idea. However, he did want something, a direction, or an idea of where they were going. Just being around each other, hanging out = that was bullshit. It meant Nick would have to put himself and his life on hold if he met anyone else, trying to let Anna (the cheater) figure out how she felt. Nick wished he could realize how preposterous that was, but he could not. Instead, Nick only could think about himself and how he felt, immediately dismissing whatever Anna said. It would have been different if they broke up for different issues, but she let someone else fuck her, so Nick thought that was pretty cut and dry unless she tripped, fell, and landed on his dick, which he doubted. “I don’t know what else to say. I mean, it’s not what I want but compromise is important. Take all the time you need I guess. We have nothing but time now. As long as you’re here, I’m good. We can do whatever…” Trying to think about how to change the subject, Nick asked another question. “You bring any shit with you? Smokes? Pills? I’m dying here.”
 
Yes, holding on to the water for now was a good call. Like Bryce, Alicia was yet to touch her and if she knew anything about desert heat it was that she was going to want that bottle a lot more after a few hours in the sun than right now with nothing worse than a slightly dry mouth. Alicia remembered only vaguely what direction they had come from, and it seemed a lot simpler when on wheels. Because she hadn't been planning on having to walk her ass back, she admittedly hadn't been paying attention. Like always, when she was with Bryce she was focused on him. The trip to the estate had been no different - her attention had been focused on the man who would become her fiance. Looking back that hadn't been the best decision, but was she really upset that she had spent a couple idle hours looking at her fiance's handsome face? No, not at all. They would figure things out.

"I think that's a good call, my prince." So, hand in hand, they started off in the direction that Bryce had suggested. That seemed at least vaguely correct, and with any luck they would come across somewhere recognizable so that they knew they were on the right path. Just as Bryce kept his pistol at the ready, Alicia's free hand was occupied with a butterfly knife. She kept it closed for now, clenched in a firm fist, but she was prepared to have to need it at any second. The couple kept the city in sights but in the distance, close enough to see but not enough for them to be at risk, as they followed a bumpy dirt road. The farther they moved the more houses grew scarce, and within a couple hours the city was left in the distance.

Luckily they were used to being active - Alicia had never thought that her runs with Bryce would have ended up being so beneficial. The built up endurance and toning in her calves and thighs made their trek much easier, though. It was shortly after they lost sight of the city behind them that the scarce peppering of residences began to get more frequent, and several minutes later saying that they were "in town" seemed like a fair assumption. Careful for both her safety and her fiance's, Alicia's senses heightened and each creaky window pulled her attention. She stilled as the road forked off towards a small cul-de-sac. None of the infected were in sight down the dead-end street, but she caught sight of two in the distance if they kept going in the direction that they were - and if they could see two then there were likely more. While they would inevitably have to deal with what awaited in order to advance, perhaps a break in a quieter area would be best to do first.

"Hey, let's check out the houses. I need to sit down for a moment and the place seems empty." They had stopped for breaks here and there, and she had gone through about half her bottle of water, but it would be good to be able to pause outside of the direct path of the hot sun. Also, they didn't know how long they would be without supplies and the more they had stocked the better. Six houses would hopefully mean they could find something of use.

----

It wasn't wrong to think that she was about to pop off. It had been proven time and time again that she had a quick temper and all she needed to get defensive was the slightest hint of any kind of antagonizing. Hell, that hint didn't even have to be real, she just had to feel like someone had something to say to end up in their face. Combined with the insecurity she felt when it came to Nick, Anna could feel the embers igniting beneath her skin, aching to tell him to just admit he hates her and move on, or maybe just tell him to grow up. Neither would be good things to say, of course. She didn't want him to put his life on hold - he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. If that involved someone else then she sure as fuck wouldn't be able to blame him. Hell, he had been the one to suggest that - they try to figure things out, but if someone comes along that's okay. Anna had never expected him to wait for her, and she had no right to even ask him to.

When he asked if she had anything, Anna was grateful - because she knew that she did, and she knew that she couldn't take much more of this conversation. Before leaving the estate earlier in the day she had made sure to throw what was left of the cigarettes and xans in to her bag - what kind of addict would she be if she had left them behind? She had been popping them periodically throughout the day, as well as over the last few days, so a less than ideal number were left but it would still do. Hell, they were in Mexico - they were likely to be able to get their hands on something if they looked hard enough. Maybe they would get lucky over the next couple days while looking for supplies and she would once again get to experience the pure bliss of a heroin high. The first one after a break was always the best - unless you were an idiot and forgot that breaks fucked with your tolerance.

"Mhm," she acknowledged and she had to take her head off of Nick's shoulder to shrug her drawstring bag off of her shoulders. It was virtually empty, save for the couple snack bars, some chips and what they were looking for. Anna nabbed both the pack of smokes, now empty enough that the lighter fit inside the case, and the pill bottle with one hand and then placed the smokes on the ground so that she could pop the lid of the pill bottle and drop a couple in to her hand. She downed them dry and then offered the open bottle over to the man beside her. After he took it she got to her feet and put her dirtied hands in to the pockets of her shorts. "I'm gonna lay down," she said in a straight, matter-of-fact tone before walking off in the direction of the sole bedroom in the house. Anna had been looking for an out in this conversation and he had given her one, so she was definitely going to take it. If he didn't want to be near her then he could sleep on the much too small raggedy couch in what seemed to be the main room, she wouldn't care one way or the other.
 
For the majority of their journey, Bryce remained silent. The last thing he wanted to do was draw unwanted attention. Silence also helped with picking out cues around their environment. Bryce was easily startled, whipping his head around, gun raised at the slightest sound. Who could blame him, though? Not only was he worried about surviving the day, but he was protecting his woman. It was not like Alicia was incapable of defending herself, but Bryce damn sure would not risk it if he could help it. There was nothing quite as ferocious as a man attempting to protect what he loves. Thankfully, most of the journey went without any incident. They followed an old, dirt road with houses sparingly spaced across the street. They contacted a few infected, but they were spread out, slow, and not a real threat. It would have been risky and time consuming if they stopped to kill any infected they passed. For the most part, if they just kept walking ahead at a brisk pace without going into any potential traps like buildings or narrow alleyways, they were fine to just leave the infected. Perhaps it would also form a quasi-shield behind them.

It did remind Bryce of his runs with Alicia, though the situations had been different. The wind blowing in his face and the feeling of his heart beating quickly – it was familiar, but the worlds they lived in were different compared to back then. In fact, Bryce mostly ran and worked out with Alicia. He played football, so there were some team workouts he was required to do, but he often skipped the extra workouts with buddies from the team in favor of doing something with Alicia. They used the school’s weight room often together or they liked to go for morning runs around the relatively safe neighborhood. Those were the easy, safe days where their biggest worry was being kicked out the weight room for not being supervised by a coach. They reached the small band of houses, searching through each house slowly. It was not like they hit the jackpot, but they found a couple more bottles of water, granola bars, and some canned fruit. It was enough to sustain them for the day. Bryce also picked out a small backpack from one of the homes they could use to put their excess supplies in.

Nothing really jumped out at him as a ‘we need to get this shit’ kinda supply, but there were odds and ends they could use, so he packed the bag full along with the food they decided to spare. There was no telling how long they would be on the move. The engaged couple moved deeper, passing a large, fenced in area. Peering around, Bryce thought it looked abandoned at first. It was almost like the command post of the military back in Los Angeles, but much smaller. They were in the process of checking it out when the sounds of gates creaking caught Bryce’s attention. Three soldiers walked out, guns raised, demanding that the two individuals in front of them drop their weapons and raise their hands. “Just do it.” Bryce muttered to Alicia, not wanting to risk anything. He knew the military was supposed to be a friend, but he quickly learned back in Los Angeles that was not always true, so he decided to be cautious, watching their every move as his gun, her knife, and the bags were taken in and inspected. Thankfully, Bryce did feel a little better when he looked out beyond the gates to see what looked like a man, woman, and child being shown around the facilities by another soldier. Maybe it was a safe spot after all.

--

Nick lost count on the quantity of interactions with Anna involving her popping off at him. At times, he truly did not believe he had done anything wrong. That’s one major reason why it was so damn difficult to talk with Anna. If he said ONE thing that she did not agree with – if he pointed out ONE thing that she did wrong, she lost it. Anna seemed like the type of girl that could not handle criticism, especially when it was a cold, hard truth she needed to hear. Honestly, it put Nick off from talking to her about certain issues when they were together. If they had serious conversations, Nick was constantly walking on eggshells. The male was different. It took some serious work to piss him off enough where he yelled, shouted, and displayed signs of pure anger. Most of the time, Nick was chilled, relaxed, and calm – even when others around him were not. The calmness allowed him to read Anna so well, he supposed. That was how he could tell she was tensing, on the verge of an explosion. It was time for him to shut the fuck up. Perhaps there were bigger implications.

He realized that they could not talk to each other without getting pissed. In almost every conversation they’ve had since reuniting that he classified as a serious conversation (about the past, the future, their direction, or similar things), Anna had practically lost her temper. How did she expect to make progress if she threw a little fit every time she did not get her way in the conversation? It was finally hitting Nick – he did need to move on from Anna. This relationship thing won’t work with her. He had told himself that beforehand, but it was only real now because of the experience of talking with Anna. Did Nick really want to spend his life (or whatever short time was left of it) with someone that could not hold a decent conversation without getting offended? Nick could not imagine how that would ever be enjoyable. How the hell did they have so much success before? Nick assumed it was because the cheating incident had not happened when they first got together. Plus, all they did was sit around, get high, smoke, drink, and fuck. It was not like they had many conversations beyond these topics.

Today, they had to worry about surviving, living, and planning – they could not relax and take it easy. That was probably why their relationship worked before. If they wanted it to work now, it actually required communication – Nick hated that word. Taking a couple cigarettes and pills, Nick remained in the same spot until he had finished them all. It was time for him to get some rest as well. Although he thought about the couch, as it felt appropriate, there was no need to split up. So, in favor of not trying to die, Nick decided to plop down onto the bed. However, he ensured that Anna had plenty of space near their bodies. If she was awake, he said nothing but a quick “good night” and closed his eyes. Surprisingly, he found it easy to sleep into his slumber, his body half off the bed, both feet planted on the ground, turned slightly on his side away from Anna. At least, while he slept, nothing would be on his mind. The pills and smokes helped him forget about all of this shit, too. It was the most peace Nick had felt since his last high.
 
Alicia hadn't intended to walk in to an encampment, and had the pair known what was within the fences they likely would not have stopped to check it out. They were quickly approached by several soldiers who asked them to disarm, and Bryce didn't need to give her the okay for Alicia to know that the right call was to put her knife down. With guns aimed at their heads, there was little point in trying to fight. Besides, she saw the small family just beyond the gate as well. That immediately made her feel much safer - she couldn't imagine being forced to stay, but the pair had spent most of the day on the move and they were bound to hit exhaustion eventually. This post could potentially have food, water and a bed to sleep in for the night (though she doubted that any they had would be on the comfortable side). She put her knife down and after nodding to the camouflage wearing man in front of her to signify that was all, their belongings were inspected and taken. They got a quick pat down, and then the guns were aimed away from them.

She hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until she finally exhaled, releasing a weight on her chest that had grown as she anxious anticipated being shot. After everything that had happened with the quarantine zone, she knew that soldiers would go rogue. Though she was glad they may have somewhere to pause, Alicia would remain alert and cautious. Though the engaged pair was welcomed in to the camp, their bag wasn't returned to them - looking back that would be the first red flag that this place raised. Alicia and Bryce spent around fifteen minutes getting showed around - it seemed that despite everything that was going on, this outpost was holding strong. There were more women and children than just the small family they had seen at first. Everyone seemed relatively well fed and well cared for, and the soldiers in charge took care of any of the infected that got too close.

"This place doesn't look too bad," she whispered to Bryce as they were shown the cafeteria - now mostly defunct with power out, but they had enough nonperishable food to keep everyone's belly content. They boasted having a teacher among them to keep the children learning, though now the focus was turning towards survival rather than math and biology. Another small building had been turned in to housing, and another for the soldiers. The rooms weren't the biggest but there was a hint of privacy and though the pair had been afforded that from the start so far, to most that was a luxury. They were told that they were welcome to stay as long as they liked, to which Alicia cocked an eye at Bryce to see what he thought of the idea. They were definitely on the right track to get to the Abigail, but she still doubted that they would make it there by nightfall anyways. Perhaps staying the night would be the best call.

----

The thing about talking was that it required both people to actually listen to each other. If he could listen and at least try to be agreeable, so could she. When they were good and new and would still listen to each to each other things had been so good. Anna wanted that kind of feeling again, and she wanted to be able to do that with him. There was no give on his side, though. She couldn't say anything without becoming more and more of a pariah in his eyes and very little in her life had ever been more depressing. He thought she was the one that made things impossible, but at least she had been trying instead of shutting down everything he ever said. Of course that was frustrating. All that she wanted was for him to seem like he actually gave a fuck about working things out instead of being some impenetrable, stubborn ass - she couldn't even say that she wanted to be good to him without him getting judgemental (there was a reason she'd gotten angrier with time: the reactivity exacerbated the anxiety which made her more reactive - she thought not wanting to trap him in that cycle again was a good thing). By now, Nick wasn't the only one who was starting to regret what they were trying to do - and Anna just wished she'd realized that sooner.

She'd never been so happy about the fact that she wasn't a crier as she did when she laid on the bed staring at the ceiling, throwing the long sleeved shirt of his she had pulled on earlier down to the floor. The last thing that she needed was for him to walk in to the room and see her fucked up like that - instead he came in while she was still staring at the ceiling, any thoughts left in the background. Anna hadn't moved since she had laid down, not even to stretch her interlocked fingers, and she didn't acknowledge him. Instead she rolled away from him a moment later until her belly was against the bed, stomach sleeping a valid option because she had smaller than average breasts. One thing about her that hadn't changed, besides her reactivity, was the way she would sleep with her face flat in a pillow. Precarious to witness when she was on dope and had a high chance of respiratory arrest even if she slept like a normal person - but it didn't matter at all right then.

Anna woke up first - she almost always woke up first. She'd rolled in the night and woke up facing Nick's slouched over, sleeping form. For a moment she felt pleased, wanted to reach out and touch him. Maybe today could be different. Maybe he would start taking her seriously and she could stop regretting even trying... the chances of that seemed slim, though - too slim for her to confidently reach out to him. Instead she climbed to her feet and hopped off of her side of the bed and out of the room. Her bag was in sight as soon as she got through the doorway and she remembered that there were still some goods left there, and for a moment a light flashed through her eyes - at least she'd be able to start the day good. Anna was left severely disappointed once she crouched down by her stuff, though. Not only was the bottle of pills empty, but the few smokes that remained were gone as well.

"What the fuck?" She said as she tossed the empty bottle towards the kitchen; it bounced off the table and on to the ground. The day had just started but she was already done with it.
 
The soldiers’ extensive search through Bryce’s bag did not surprise the male. The way these men walked in front and behind Bryce and Alicia checking for wounds or bite marks did not surprise Bryce, either. They were being thorough and cautious – something he would expect from anyone. “They’re clear sir. No wounds. No bites.” One of the soldiers responded to a taller male, the one Bryce presumed was left in charge of this place. Finally, the pair was invited inside. At first, he did ask for his bag, but they assured Bryce and Alicia it was going to find them in their new quarters. Everything needed to be confiscated and searched for safety reasons. Again, it was slightly understandable, but not entirely. Bryce understood why his gun and Alicia’s knife was taken without the intent of giving it back while they were inside the fences, but the bag? Against Bryce’s better judgement, he followed along with the others. The gates closed behind him and the tour started. It was a simple layout – the barracks where civilians could stay was located around the perimeter. For easy access, the soldiers’ quarters were centrally located. There were posts watching the entrances at all areas of the fence.

There was also some sizeable mess hall they used for meals. There were a few buildings used for vehicles and other “storage”. Nothing raised a red flag there, but one of these buildings would hide a sinister secret. When Alicia said that she thought this place wasn’t so bad, Bryce was agreeing with her. He just kept it to himself, though. He was far too focused on everything else. He locked eyes with the soldier escorting them once. Bryce swore he saw something dark in his eyes but he could not place it. It was almost like this soldier knew Bryce was skeptical, which would make his job more difficult. After all, in a time like this, basically everyone welcomed the military and a place like this. Looking to Alicia after they were offered to stay, Bryce knew she was waiting for his okay. With the battling in his mind, there was eventually no reason he could think of to directly decline the idea. Therefore, he agreed to stay for the night. “We’ve got somewhere we’re trying to go… but we’ll just stay the night. It’ll be good for us to get some food and rest before we continue.”

The soldier looked ecstatic, almost too happy the pair was going to stay. They were shown where their rooms were located, even given a key to one of these rooms turned into a bedroom. Before that, they were offered to visit the mess hall and get something to eat. Bryce liked that idea. After the soldier left them alone, Bryce didn’t waste time in explaining his hesitancy to Alicia. “This might not be bad, but… I don’t want any chances taken. Don’t get out of my sight, okay? Let’s get something to eat, though. Maybe I’m paranoid, but don’t talk too much when we get there. Don’t say anything about where we’re heading.” Bryce might have been paranoid, but the last thing he wanted was to risk being followed. Usually his instincts were accurate – he would eventually wished he had followed them.

--

These were things Nick probably regretted the following day. Nick had a nasty habit of saying things he should not have. True, every human has this problem at one time or another, but lately, Nick found himself in that position almost all the time. It was a combination of many things from his shitty ego and the apocalypse to other various causes. There were no good reasons, though. With time, this would likely change. Nick was naïve to think anything would be easy with Anna. It was his fault, too, even if he did not want to take responsibility. The sad thing was: Nick did give a fuck about her and them. He just struggled to show it. It was shitty of him, yes, but it was the truth. Nick Clark was never good at these things. With Anna, he had the most success. When it was over, it was like everything collapsed. It was obvious he still had never recovered from the incident. Again, as much as he wanted to blame Anna, it was partially his own fault. It would take him some time before he truly understood and accepted it. He might have apologized before, and he might have meant it, but psychologically accepting responsibility was not a step yet reached.

The sleep was dreamless. Nick’s body was unmoving. It was not exactly a pleasant sleep, but it was better than nothing. His eyes only opened when the sound of the pill bottle slamming across the floor, bouncing around met his ears. He did not recognize what it was when he woke up, just that there was something happening. The male jumped to his feet, clearly shifty and jumpy right now. His hand immediately reached out for Anna’s shoulder, his body tense until he realized there was no threat. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Anna, but he did jump out of that bed at the speed of light. Funnily enough, his very first reaction was to protect Anna. He was gripping his knife tightly until he realized they were alone and safe for now. Sighing, he exhaled and pulled away slightly. “Sorry… guess I’m a little jumpy now.” That was an overstatement. “Just wanted to make sure everything was alright.” He murmured softly, having to check around everything in the room, just to make sure they were truly safe. Regarding the empty packs, Nick did only take whatever was left over, ensuring that he didn’t take more than just a few like Anna did.

He saw the empty bottle and empty pack of smokes in her hand. “Sorry about that. I thought it was alright since you took half. Thought the other half was for me to use.” Nick explained. “We’ll find some more. We always do.” Nick pointed out. Their hollow ending to the night resounded in his mind, and he instantly felt like a dick. “You okay if we get moving soon? I don’t know where we go next, but we shouldn’t wait long. I guess we can take some time for food first.” The male suggested. He decided to sit down and look into his own bag, finding some pieces of food they could use like protein bars and crackers. “Oh… looks like I have something else you might like.” Nick teased, pulling out a bottle of the same pills that she had. It was only half-full, Nick forgot that he packed it, but it felt like some good fortune. “Go on. Get some food… get some of these… whatever you need.”
 
Nice but skeptical - that accurately explained how Alicia viewed this place too. In some ways it seemed to be a little too good to be true. On the other hand they had little reason to believe that anything was going to go wrong. Alicia figured that as long as they kept their eyes and ears open, and stayed on guard for any sketchy behavior, they likely would be safe to at least stay there for the night. No longer, of course. After they were left alone in the room that would be theirs for the night and Bryce had a chance to speak up, Alicia was in agreement. "I agree. It's nice to have somewhere to stay for the night, but we never know what might happen. Don't worry - I'm not going to let you out of my sight. There's no reason at all for me to, especially when we can't be positive that these guys have good intentions. I'm not ready to put my trust in any place working out so soon after the estate going bad - that place had seemed perfect and it still went up in fire." Literally.

Alicia hoped that she could ease his tension at least a little bit, even if that just meant he knew that they would be together if anything went wrong. She took his face between her hands and looked up at him with a soft, peaceful smile before she raised on to her toes to kiss his forehead. Bryce wasn't the only one capable of being soft - and just as he would comfort her at any moment, Alicia offered the same in return. After the soft kiss she lowered her feet just slightly, leaving her at the perfect level to kiss his lips straight on. A quick second passed where she simply looked him in the eyes, and then she leaned in to still a kiss from him - and then another, because her lips could never meet Bryce's just once. After lowering her heels back to the ground she ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you okay? I'm not going to go anywhere, you don't even have to ask me not to. I won't say a thing about where we're going - we don't even need to talk to anyone except to seem pleasant. Come on, let's go eat. We can see where things go from there."

At that point she stepped backwards away from him as she looked to him, waiting to see if he had anything more to talk about before they went down to the mess hall for something to eat. If not she moved towards the door and opened it, stepping aside so that he could either walk out first or take hold of the door from her, whichever he preferred in the moment (she didn't know which part of his gentlemanly behaviours would win out here - ladies first, or taking the lead just in case).

----

It had made sense that things had ended up finished - it wasn't like they had a lot to start with and after she'd taken her share there really only had been another person's worth left. She wasn't mad that he had finished them, not really - it just fucking sucked to realize that she was out. That was the case even when she'd downed the last pill or smoked the last cigarette herself and realized it an hour later. She pressed her palm to her temple and took a deep breath before turning to Nick with just a general expression of dismay. "No, you're right - there was only enough for you. Just fuckin' sucks - more than usual 'cause we can't just go buy more." When Nick procured another pill bottle Anna's expression changed to relief and after nabbing it from him she downed a couple dry. Maybe they weren't the best call if they were about to go on an adventure but when had she ever cared what the best call was? Besides - they were out of smokes and if she had to pick between feeding the wrong addiction and no addiction she was going to go with the wrong one.

"On the topic of that, where to go." Anna started as she sat down on the ground a couple feet away from Nick, and she chewed at her lip as she grabbed one of the protein bars that Nick had in his bag. The young woman hadn't started thinking about where they were supposed to go until after the tense interaction between them the previous night. One of the many things that ended up on her mind was what she was supposed to do if things didn't work out between them. In the end her mind had come back to her best friend and she realized that as long as nothing had gone wrong up there, finding the base and her best friend wouldn't be terribly hard. Before Molly had met her now husband Josh, he had been stationed at a military base on the American side of the border near Tijuana (Anna only knew that because Tijuana was in big letters beneath the spot Josh had pointed out on a map). Because she had seen a sign along the highway on the way to where they were now, she knew what way to go. Whether Nick and her could figure their shit out or not she could really use a friend again, not to mention that Molly was really good at talking some sense in to her when she was the one being unreasonable.

"We're still close to the border, yeah? I'm going back to the States, just gotta get to Tijuana and I guess figure things out from there. I want to find Molly." Just from the way she spoke it was obvious that she wasn't suggesting an idea or asking for an opinion. Anna had decided what she wanted to do, and while she was hopeful that Nick would come with her she had low (no) expectations of that happening. After finishing her snack bar she shrugged her shoulders. Her next sentence gave him an out, and Anna hated the hope she had that he wouldn't take it. "I'd like the company, but you don't have to. I'd understand if you would rather go somewhere else.."
 
The kiss had EXACTLY the effect Alicia had intended for it to have. Their lips touched, and like magic, all worries disappeared. Bryce’s lips tingled when she pulled away, missing her touch even though it had only been a literal second since their lips collided last. Bryce was not exaggerating when he told Alicia that he would kiss her all day if he could. “I love you too, babe. It puts me at ease knowing you feel the same way I do.” Even though Bryce knew Alicia would not leave his side without a damn good reason, he still felt like telling her. After all, when you loved someone, it was impossible to not worry over them. Besides, even if the world was not ending, he doubted the brunette would leave his side anyways. Hopefully, nobody would try to make conversation with the couple. If they did, Bryce would ensure they learned nothing more than they needed. Since there was nothing else to add, Bryce was ready to get moving. As anticipated, Bryce did something gentlemanly in the moment. He decided to take the lead first. If anything was wrong, he could see it first and fight or distract the threat while Alicia found an escape route.

Thankfully, there was absolutely nothing outside in their little hallway. It also appeared like they were the only people on this side of the building. The privacy was nice, but it was also unsettling. After they closed the door and Bryce locked it (and triple checked that it was locked), he reached down for Alicia’s hand again. Before moving, he brought it towards his lips, kissing the back of her hand. “Let’s go, Princess.” He whispered softly, walking with Alicia by his side. They passed a couple people towards the mess hall. A couple soldiers and another older man that looked to reside here. Even though seeing a family and an older individual did not mean that everything was secure, it made Bryce feel better. At the mess hall, it was mostly empty at this time of night. There was one worker in charge of handing out the food. Each individual was given a small, brown bag. It was a MRE. There was spaghetti with meat sauce, a couple apples in each bag, a piece of bread, some crackers, and a peanut butter cookie. They were also each given two bottles of water to use during the meal and any time after.

Bryce thanked the worker who did not say much. The couple sat down at the table, Bryce ensuring they were right beside each other. He poured his contents onto the plate, grabbing one of the plastic forks and digging in. “If you want anything from my plate, just take it, Princess.” Bryce whispered, meaning it. He wanted to ensure Alicia got everything she needed. Hell, if he could have survived on nothing, Bryce would have given his MRE to Alicia as well, but he did recognize to keep Alicia safe, he needed to be alive, well, and full of energy, so he did eat his food as well, just keeping himself silent as his eyes scanned the room.

--
Well, shit. Nick had originally hoped to remedy things with Anna. Completely remedying might have been a stretch, but Nick had wanted to begin this morning. It did not help his plan when he saw that Anna was already pissed off. He knew how she got when they were out of something. It was good Nick still had a few pills left in his bottle. Perhaps it would increase her mood. Nick would take that and run with it, however he got it. The male did not even ask for the bottle back once she took a few pills. Nick did not need anything right now. Anna clearly did. When Anna mentioned something about where they were going, Nick saw her sit down. Instead of sitting down right beside her, he sat in front of her so they could see each other face-to-face. It sounded like a conversation they needed to look at each other for. It dealt with the future of their lives and survival. If they chose the wrong direction, they could walk into one hell of a shitstorm. Nick also decided to grab one of the bars from his bag to use for breakfast this morning.

Anna started talking, giving Nick some uncomfortable sensation. She talked about finding Molly and going back to America. That did not bother him – maybe it was not a big deal, but the way she spoke, saying that “she” was going to the states made Nick wonder if that was a hint for him to fuck off. Damn it. He really fucked up now. Nick chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek. He did not want that. Nick wanted to figure something out so they could work again. Nick wanted to have another opportunity with Anna and he wanted to give her another opportunity with him. They just were not making much progress. The words barely finished coming from her lips before Nick responded. He suddenly reached out to touch her shoulder. “No, I’m going with you. I want to.” Realizing she might not have wanted him touching her again, he did pull his hand away, but not in a hurry. “That is… if you don’t mind me being with you. I really, really, don’t want to lose you again. I don’t want to be away from you. The only way I won’t go with you is if I’m dead or you tell me to leave.”

Nick also wanted to make it seem like he was not giving her a choice, either. If Anna truly wanted him to leave, then he would, but not without a fight. After all, she had the right to not deal with his shit if that was what she wanted. It would have been wrong for Nick if he did not at least acknowledge that, but it seemed like he made his own desires crystal clear. “I know we’ve gotten off to a rough start, that’s because I’m a shitty person and I’m sorry. But, we’ve only been back in the same location for a couple weeks or so. It’ll take time and I don’t want to give up on that yet. I know I’ve pissed you off a few times already and that’s my fault. I’m really sorry. I want to see this through. I still want you to be around in my life. I want to go with you.” Nick further explained, offering her an apology as well. It seemed like a good starting point.
 
Alicia was grateful to see a positive change in Bryce's attitude, even if it was only slightly. The pair walked out of "their" room for the night together, with Bryce taking the lead. Alicia was quickly at his side as she closed the door behind her and then, after making sure it was locked and sparing one more kiss, this time to her hand, it was time to head towards the mess hall. As soon as they had turned away from the door, Alicia had locked her hand in to Bryce's - she had said she wouldn't be moving from his side, and she hoped that the simple touch would assure him that was true. The last thing that the young woman wanted was to be split from him, lest something go wrong and they needed to get out. Just as Bryce was keeping an eye on things, Alicia was as well. Even though she was still careful and cautious, the brunette was at least a touch more trusting of the encampment than her future husband was.

She thanked the worker that handed them their meals. She'd never heard a MRE before but she had heard they weren't the greatest. Either way, she was not complaining - a meal was a meal, and it was likely better than anything they would be able to get their hands on outside the fences. She sat down with Bryce and set her meal out already. When he offered her anything from his plate that she would enjoy, she leaned sideways toward him to press a soft kiss to her temple. They were already close, so much so that the sides of their thighs pressed together and Alicia could link her central arm with Bryce's. At the same time she linked their hands together even just to eat. "You eat your food," she said while still leaned against him. "I have plenty and you need to keep your strength up as well."

She played with her food for a few seconds, stirring up some of the spaghetti with a plastic fork before silently making a trade - her bread piece for his crackers. Then, they ate their meal together in relative peace. Given how late it was very few people were wandering in and out, but the ones who did stopped to introduce themselves. Nothing moved past small talk, however. Everything seemed to be going good so far, though that would change after they made their way back to their room.

----

"You say all the right things, Nick." Even last night he hadn't actually said anything wrong, all of Anna's troubles had been in her perception of things. While she was significantly more likely to interpret neutrality as anger than the average person, she had little to no doubt that she had accurately placed how he felt about things. This also wasn't the first time in the last week even that he had told her that things could be okay. Anna wasn't perfect - she was far from it and she knew it. She also knew that a lot of the time she fucked up anything good that ever happened to her. For once in her life she was trying to fight that urge to self-destruct and all she was getting in return was... well, nothing. Nick sitting in front of her with those puppy dog eyes that she had never been able to say no to. It almost made Anna want to be hopeful but what would the point of that even be? "How long will that last though? Two more days before I'm the devil again because I dared to say something you don't agree with? Fight, rinse, repeat?"

"You know that I can still tell, right? When you're not being straight with me, when you're sitting there being all judgy and stubborn and unmovable?" He was sitting in front of her and Anna finally made eye contact, wondering if he'd even clued in to what had upset her the night before. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't and just thought she was being an irrational, angry bitch. She was the kind of person who spoke with her hands and this was no different; when there was an appropriate action she mimicked her own words and when there wasn't they hovered near her temple and face, unable to stay completely still. "I can see it in your eyes, the way your lips tighten together just slightly. It's like I can see everything I say going in one ear and out the other. Used to do that all the time, still do. I hate it - pisses me off more than anything you actually say out loud."

"Look, I never said I didn't want you around. I do. Kinda hate that I do, but..." She faded off, turned her gaze towards a curtained window in the distance. Anna shook her head, scowled with a pouted lower lip for a second, and then the emotion faded from her face. "I'll believe you actually want this to work when you actually seem like you're trying instead of fighting against it every damn second. I know I'm no angel but at least I've been trying instead of shutting down everything you do or think or say. Do you have any idea how fucking demotivating that is?"
 
Bryce certainly did not mind sacrificing one hand for Alicia to hold while they consumed their meal together. When she assured Bryce that she had everything she needed, that he should just eat his own food, Bryce nodded his head. “Okay, Princess. If you change your mind, just take whatever you want.” Bryce offered again before digging into his food. The food was more than enough to keep them going, so that was a good sign. It had been a couple days since they had a real meal at the estate. Therefore, Bryce needed to keep himself from just slicing through every bite of food and finishing in a few minutes. Bryce wanted to make the taste last and savor in his mouth. Plus, he needed that full feeling, to have his energy replenished. That would not happen if he just tore through the meal like a rabid animal. As Alicia traded the crackers and bread, Bryce did not make a fuss about anything. After all, he was not the biggest fan of those type of crackers anyways. The spaghetti tasted better than he expected. It was the first time he had ever eaten a MRE, obviously, but his expectations were low.

When other guests introduced themselves, Bryce did not try to seem like an asshole, so he did talk. Even when they were asked where the couple was from, Bryce simply responded that they were from the States, on the west coast. Even though knowing that they were from Los Angeles could not have possibly doomed them, Bryce just kept all the information private. The meal did pass without any major issues. Bryce kept on high alert, but he did feel himself relaxing. He was used to seeing the soldiers pacing back and forth, keeping a close watch on the exterior.

Finally, Bryce’s plate was emptied and one bottle of water was finished. He decided to keep the second bottle for later. After it was finished, he simply sat beside Alicia and waited until she had finished. When they had both cleaned their plates, Bryce stood with Alicia. They placed their plates and silverware onto a certain table where a worker would collect them to wash. The empty water bottles and used napkins were tossed into a nearby, large trash can. Their work here was done, so Bryce decided they should get moving. “Come on, Princess.” Bryce whispered, gently tugging at her hand, leading her out towards the door.

--

Nick found it odd that Anna believed he said all the right things. Nick still believed there were things he should have stated differently, but she was right, he had not outright said anything too disparaging. She was just so damn good at reading people and perceiving the way someone really feels. At times, it bothered Nick to no end. Around Anna, there was no hiding anything. If she truly wanted to figure something out, she would. She questioned how long it would last, and she had a fair point. “I just think I needed to understand how you feel, to really listen. It’s not your fault that I didn’t see things from your point of view. That’s my own fault for fucking up and not listening to you, but I get how serious it is now. We’re in this shitty situation with the dead walking around us. I don’t want to fight with you and I don’t want to say the wrong thing or feel the wrong way. There’s not much good left in this world, not much other than you, from what I can see so far.” Nick spoke, being truthful with her this time, not holding back any sour feelings, because he had none right now.

He frowned when she called him out on what really was going on. “I know you can tell. You could always tell. That’s something I really liked about you.” He did actually like it about Anna. It made him feel loved and care for. Yeah, it was annoying at times, but in a good way. If he wanted to not talk because something outside of their relationship was plaguing him, Anna always knew something was up and tried to make him feel better. “I don’t have any idea. I’m so sorry, Anna. I truly am. I promise you it won’t happen again. I guess I’ve just been trying to fight the way I feel. But I know how I feel, so how can it be wrong? I know that I need you in my life, Anna. I promise things are different now. It took me a long fucking time, but I feel like I’m more clearheaded than ever now.” Nick responded, still being genuine.

He was actually starting to come around. Everything she had said before that he ignored was coming back to him. He even finally understood that the ending of their relationship was not all on her. He should not have walked out on her like that. “I walked out on you once and that was the biggest mistake of my life. By shutting you out and ignoring you like I have, I’m basically doing it again. I don’t want it to happen a second time. I don’t want to lose you a second time. Like I said, even if we can’t ever have something like we used to, I just want you in my life, period. I realize now that, life is shitty without you.”
 
Bryce finished first but Alicia had always been a slow eater - she didn't rush, especially when there was no reason to. Given that they were safe (ish) within walls, savouring their meal was an option. She didn't take that much longer though, and she stashed the second pack of crackers in to her pocket for a snack later. Like Bryce she had only drank one bottle of water, as she figured that would be the best call. Alicia had feeling that they couldn't just get up and grab more in the middle of night and if they finished their stock up now then they would be waiting until morning. While that wasn't the end of the world, the young woman appreciated knowing that the option was at least available. The pair got up together, hands parted for what might have been the first time since they had fled the vineyard - but only for as long as it took for them to clean up after themselves.

"Lead the way, my prince," came Alicia's soft response as Bryce pulled her head gently and took the lead towards the door. They made their way back to their room side by side, and given that it was getting late and that they had no reason to mingle (they weren't staying beyond the night, after all) they elected to spend the rest of the night there. The room wasn't large but it would do. Pushed in to the corner was a twin bed, not large but definitely big enough for the pair of them to sleep comfortably on - or perhaps more than sleep. The previous day had been the first that they had gone without making love since they had started - and maybe that didn't seem like much but Alicia had grown pretty damn happy with getting a regular dose of her husband-to-be. There was also a plain shaded lamp sitting on a night stand beside the table, as well as a window with sheer curtains over it peeking out. Had there not been another building, another set of housing for residents, nearby they likely would have had a good view of the camp.

Alicia kicked her shoes off after she made her way towards the back of the room, flicking the lamp on as Bryce behind her was left to close the door - and she did so just in time that the hallway's dim illumination was lost just as the light flicked on. After that she fell back against the bed, her loose locks forming a semi-circle around her head while her legs hung off of the edge. It wasn't quite comfortable, not to her firm preference, and the blankets seemed a little thin but Alicia had never been too picky. Especially nowadays she would sleep anywhere as long as Bryce was there with her.

At first her hands were up over her head, and then the young woman lips turned up in to a smile as she looked towards the man she loved. As their eyes met she held her hand out in his direction as a silent beckoning. They had made it through a walk-through and a meal and given that they had the key for their room she couldn't see why anything would go sour now. After he joined her the pair cuddled up in bed and spent a short while simply laying their together. Eventually they passed out within minutes of each other, locked in each other's arms.

----

Anna didn't really know how to reply. She knew that she appreciated everything he had to say, but Nick wasn't the only person here who had issues. His mattered, of course, and she knew that he had been right to be upset. Had the situation been reversed she would have likely done the same thing - walked away without a question, and been unsure and angry and maybe even a little bit petty. He had taken things one step farther than she ever would have though. Maybe she shouldn't have basically taunted him, but that didn't excuse his reaction to finding out about her history. She may have played a role in why he'd responded as he did, but Anna still couldn't shake the fact that he had acted like her abuse didn't matter. Obviously it did - Anna had no qualms with keeping that information from him, and had it not been relevant she would never had said anything. Maybe going for shock value to get him to close his mouth for a minute wasn't the right call, but the worst she had expected was for him to start giving her that look afterwards - the one like she was victim who needed pity and coddling. Instead he had thrown it back in her face, said that because she had never told him that it was even more her fault.

She wasn't sure how to get past that. As much as she wanted to, Anna couldn't just forget that he dismissed her like that. That one interaction stuck with her more than anything else. The anger and judgement were at least things she had expected, and she could handle that. Anna didn't even know how to tell him that she was still bothered by that encounter because it had just left her feeling like she was wrong to even say anything in the first place.

"I appreciate all that, I really do." Anna let her gaze meet his for just a moment before it moved to the floor between them, and she stretched out one of her legs so that it extended along his side. "I get it, why you're having trouble getting past everything. I would have done the same shit as you. It means a lot, though - that you haven't walked away any of the times you've had a chance. Everything's a little bit better when I have you around. I'm here, I'm trying, and for now that will have to be enough - for both of us. You said some shit you can't just apologize away. Just like I've done some shit that nothing can excuse."

She eyed the curtains like they were interesting again, and then looked back at Nick as she changed the subject once again. "Look - let's just go, best to start moving early to make the most of the day. We have the rest of eternity to figure shit out. It'll be easier once Mol's around again." Did it make sense that she would feel better about her and Nick once an outsider was involved? To Anna, absolutely. Her best friend had talked her down from many a meltdown or fight and there were many situations in which she had been a mediator between her and Nick or an important part of Anna's thought process. Whether Nick realized it or not, Molly knew everything - and she would likely get the up to date sitch as soon as they located her (if they did - but Anna refused to think that anything could go wrong in getting her person back).
 
Just like Alicia, Bryce decided to only remove his shoes. The tennis shoes were kept close by the bed, too. If he needed to react quickly, run, or fight, his shoes were nearby. It was tough to fall asleep at first. Even with Alicia’s body nuzzled into his own, Bryce’s mind would not rest. He would give just about anything to have his gun back. It was the first time during the apocalypse it had been somewhere different. It was special to him as well – his father’s gun. Bryce lost his father way too early in life, unable to formulate new memories with him. It was the only material piece that he had left. Other than sentimental value, it was used for safety and protection. Bryce would have felt a whole hell of a lot better if there was a pistol underneath his pillow. The second someone stepped in the room, he could drop them. If the same scenario happened now, Bryce had no idea what could happen. He felt naked, exposed, and vulnerable. If that was how he felt, then it was tough to protect the girl he loved. After all, it was the important matter in the first place.

Finally, Alicia’s cute, sleeping face and warmth combined with fatigue won out. Bryce slipped into a slumber for about three straight hours. It was the dead of night when he woke again. Unfortunately, it was not natural. Shit was about to get serious. In the building directly across from their room for the night, the soldiers had said it was used for “storage”. They did not go into detail, but it had not bothered Bryce at the time. From the small structure, there was a piercing scream, a female scream. It was not something that Bryce heard. He slept through it, but it must have woken Alicia. After a second scream, Bryce felt his shoulders being jostled. For anyone, that was not a pleasant way to wake up. It was no surprise when the male basically shot up to the edge of the bed, just missing Alicia. He was worried that there was an immediate threat to Alicia’s or his own life. His blue eyes quickly scanned the dark room, seeing nothing that had cause for concern. This all happened within seconds of each other. Before Bryce could ask Alicia what happened, he heard another scream – a third scream combined with rustling and two other male voices.

Bryce was sure Alicia knew to stay quiet, but he pressed his fingers to his lips anyways. He walked towards the small window, ducked down and peered out from underneath the blinds. He saw a half-nude female attempting to escape the clutches of two of the soldiers. That did not look good. Even if this was a dangerous person that they were keeping under arrest, why was she dressed like that? It was ominous, Bryce wanted to leave immediately. On the other hand, Bryce did not just want to leave someone in distress. After all, he wanted to be a police officer like his father – protect and serve, ALWAYS doing the right thing, helping out others. “Get your shoes.” He murmured quickly sprinting towards the bed to grab his shoes as well, unsure of which action to take.

--

Honestly, Nick realized the dumb shit he said. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out when you fucked up somewhere. However, truthfully, Nick had no idea he upset Anna with his reaction to finding out her abuse. He did tell her that he was sorry it happened, that he wished he could have done something to stop the abuse from happening. That was the cold, hard truth. Nick would die a thousand times if it meant Anna would have been safe. He never dismissed it, he realized it was tough on Anna, and seeing her abuser again could not have been a pretty sight. However, Nick was unsure if he was expected to simply forgive her because of that, or he honestly did not even know what she expected. Nick responded to her with love and care when she told him this information. At least, Nick felt like he did. Clearly, they had not been on the same page in the moment. Nick was not sure what else he could have done different in that moment. Perhaps he should have just held her and not said a word. That might have been the best call, but thinking clearly was not exactly easy.

When Anna told him that he said some shit that he could not just apologize away, Nick nodded his head. Again, he truly had no idea which interaction she was referencing. Nick thought she was simply referring to him walking out, to him saying that he blamed her for everything. Had he known what really bothered her, he could have possibly explained his own reaction. It was just a matter of perception, once again. In Nick’s mind, he responded the best way he could. He had good intent, not dismissing her. Even when Nick tried to say the right thing, it appeared he was unable to do that, either. Nick was not quite finished with the topic, especially since they were gaining ground. However, when Anna decided to cut things off and change the subject, he did not push. Like she said, they could talk later. They did have forever to figure shit out. Sighing to himself, replaying some of their conversations in his head, Nick was trying to figure out what hurt her the most, trying to think how he could make things up to her. In the end, he just realized that actions spoke louder than words.

From this point forward, he would be careful of what he did, what he said. Eventually, he hoped it would work to gain some of Anna’s trust back. “You’re right. I’m fine with that. Let’s get moving.” Standing up from the ground, Nick walked over to the small bag he took with him from the estate. After slinging it around his shoulders, the male took the lead towards the door. The street was mostly clear, but he knew not every block was going to be as empty as this. Once Anna reached the exit, Nick gave her a silent nod, signaling they were going to start moving. Just like that, Nick slowly waddled out into the streets, walking at a slow pace since any of the infected could show at a time. He figured later, they would need to replenish the guts and blood covering their bodies. For now, this should work just fine as the stench was still putrid and real. Nick felt confident they were safe for now, but he knew Anna was always hesitant about this idea of his, so he made sure to keep somewhat close to Anna in case anything did go wrong.
 
The first scream was what awoke Alicia from her slumber just several hours after she had first passed out. Being a light sleeper, it was no surprise that the shrill, ear-piercing yell woke her up from her slumber. For a moment she thought that she might have been imagining things and was waking up from a nightmare, but when a second scream rang out moments later she nudged Bryce. He didn't wake up immediately so she shrugged her way out of his arms and then shook his shoulders hard as she stretched her torso to try and glance out the window. Unfortunately she just was not long enough to do that - or maybe fortunately. As soon as Bryce was awake, he was pulling her closer to him for safety and pressing a finger to her lips. He was right about thinking that she didn't need to be told to be quiet, but something as simple as his finger against her was enough to quell at least a little bit of the worry that was consuming her.

They peered out the window together, creeping one of the blinds open only just enough to catch sight of the scene outside. Alicia was startled - just like Bryce, the young woman was acutely aware that there was at least one thing not okay with what was happening. Even if the woman had done something wrong, there was no reason for her to be half-naked.

"Oh God." Alicia's heart sank in her chest. Whether she meant to or not she realized what the woman was fleeing from - and she wanted to puke just thinking about what happened to or could happen to that woman. Even though her instinct was to leave the camp behind now she was struggling with her own desire to try and get the woman to safety. There was likely no chance to, though, and she nodded as Bryce dashed towards his shoes; as he prepared to move she did as well, and after their shoes were on she was left wondering what step was best to take next.

They couldn't just leave that woman behind to get hurt - but there was also their own safety to consider. Who was there to say that Bryce wouldn't end up injured, or that Alicia wouldn't end up taking her place?

When she spoke next it was in a hushed whisper, green eyes wide and fearful as she looked to Bryce from several feet away. "We should leave now." After speaking she cleared the distance between the bed and the door, and she looked to him rather than opening it immediately - no one was going anywhere without being on the same page. Luckily, the pair were good at moving in sync as that bond would be needed if they were left unable to speak out to each other.

----

There was an obvious appreciation in Anna's multi-hued eyes when Nick agreed that the conversation could end there and that they could get moving. They would likely need a few days to get where they were going, so the sooner that they started the better. She gathered her own bag, still containing half a bag of chips and some water, from its spot where the pair had settled the previous night before passing out, grabbed her lighter from next to it, and then quickly dashed back towards the bedroom to grab the top that she had taken off for sleeping. Maybe wearing a pitch black long-sleeved top wasn't the greatest idea, but it would be better than getting her arms covered in sunburns - on top of that, the shirt was what had been gunked the previous night when they had left the estate. If she didn't grab it then she'd have to gunk her skin up and Anna hoped to minimize the amount that of guts that her skin got in contact with. Though she was coming around to the fact that it worked, that didn't make it pleasant.

She almost considered taking his hand when they walked out the door, but she elected not to - casual touch was not yet a part of their regime and still felt out of place. While they stayed close to each other it was rarely too close - shoulders brushed and elbows bumped, but there was no regular contact. They shared glances and some words here and there, but for the most part Anna was content walking in silence. She'd never been one to force conversation and given that they could come across one of the infected at any moment there was a genuine outside reason to keep things quiet. Anna may not have appreciated the slow, ambling pace and huffed about here and there as she fought the urge to speed up and get a move on. Their pace and covering came in handy though - while the pair didn't encounter any large groups of the dead, they were able to stay unnoticed by individual and small groups of infected for several hours as they walked along, still following the city's limits rather than cutting deep in to the thick of it.

Eventually, they had walked in to a small shopping district close to the edge of town - a strip-mall type thing where only half the stores were occupied: a local restaurant, small book store, what looked like it might have been a sex shop and one that was labelled as a pharmacy. Though Anna's attention was pulled in one direction (how many people could be thinking about getting in to a sex shop nowadays? she had to check it out - only to get her hands on some extra undies, if not to tease Nick that she could make good use of whatever vibe was biggest as well) that thought would have to matter less - drug stores often had crucial supplies. Though she imagined that it was likely at least partially raided, they may be able to get their hands on something good (read: she was really, really hoping that a box of oxy or vicodin or pretty much anything had been conveniently left behind even though those likely were the first things taken). She stilled Nick with a bump of her elbow against his stomach as she eyed the strip of stores, and then gestured towards the drug store with a tilt of her chin. "We should check it out, yeah?"
 
In the end, Alicia was more important to Bryce than anyone in the world. It might have sounded morbid and cruel, but it was true – Bryce would sacrifice a stranger to save Alicia. After all, a man needed to do whatever it took to protect his own. Bryce could live with the guilt. However, he could not live with the guilt of something happening to Alicia. Face it, she was in more danger if they decided to help the woman. It put Alicia in harm’s way, especially since they were going TOWARDS the armed men with evil intentions, not away from them. It also made Bryce wonder how many soldiers were like this. They could be grotesquesly outnumbered and outgunned. It was an easier solution than Bryce thought.

Finally, once the girl had slipped on her shoes, Bryce nodded his head. “Yes, Princess. We’ll run. I don’t know where. Hell, we just have to get out of this fucking place.” Before they moved, Bryce decided to look out the window. He did not see the two men anymore. He did not see the woman. He thought they had taken her back to the other building. It was despicable to think about what they might have been doing, but it was fortunate for Bryce and Alicia. Approaching the door, the male peeked out of the door into the hallway. It was clear, so he motioned Alicia to follow him. He reached back to take Alicia’s hand as they stayed low down, using the cover of the dark hallway and night to cover their escape. It seemed like everything was perfect, but they had no idea what was going to happen.

They reached the front door. Bryce peeked out again, seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary. They looked clear. Bryce stepped out first into the darkness. Sadly, it was a mistake. The men were behind corners. The soldiers were waiting on their prey. The second that the brunette girl exited the door, the two soldiers popped out. One was in front of Bryce, one was behind Alicia. Before the poor man could even react or respond, a taser dart was sent into his chest. Bryce was strong, powerful, but he was no match for the electric shock in his body. It took him onto the ground. The man behind Alicia pointed a gun at the back of Alicia’s head, pressing the barrel into her hair.

The man dropped the taser and removed a handgun, aiming it at Bryce before speaking to Alicia. “You’re coming with us, right across the yard. I wouldn’t do anything stupid if I were you. I’ll shoot him right here. I’ll splatter his brains all over your shirt if you give us any trouble. Do you understand?”

--

The current situation felt strange. Typically, Nick was leading the way. He started leading Anna away from the estate, now into the small city. The roles were being reversed now. Since Anna wanted to lead the way to reach Molly’s location or the military camp or whatever Josh was stationed at, Nick would grow silent and allow Anna to lead the way. She clearly knew where she was going, so Nick decided he would follow the way. She was not the only one between the pair that thought about taking the other’s hand. Nick enjoyed it, when he thought about one of the first time’s they waded through a sea of infected. Their hands did touch, it made Nick feel safe. HE truly regretted not having the opportunity right now. Her hand was never far away from his own. It was strange, because Nick never particularly cared for those gentle, sweet touches. Despite that, it was a nice thing to have. It was one of those things that someone did not know how much he or she liked it until it was no longer there. God, Nick would do just about anything for it, but it felt like that was far away from happening again.

Even as they approached large crowds of the infected, none of the undead even turned their head towards the two living people. Nick felt relieved that they were doing well without being bothered. It would have sucked to deal with fighting the infected as they tried to also maneuver out of the city. Things would hopefully become better when they exited the city, but until then, Nick tried to keep himself steady and quiet. So much was running through his mind, though. It made Nick be unable to focus again since most of it was thinking about Anna, and how the hell he could fix this. Well, he clearly needed to survive – she needed to survive, before anything in their friendship occurred. They finally reached what Nick felt like was near the end of the city when the strip mall looked to appealing to pass. So, like he had decided earlier, Nick followed her lead when they walked inside. Once they reached the mall, he could see the sex shop. Damn it. If only things would have been different between himself and his ex-girlfriend, they could have had some fun in that place. Instead, Nick quietly walked behind her and tried to ignore thinking about how fucking hot she would look in some of the underwear she picked up.

After they left the sex shop, Nick decided to enter the pharmacy after she prompted that it was a good place they should check out. However, he realized they ran into a tough situation. There were at least four infected inside, wandering around. “Shit… what do we do? If we still want to check it out, we’ll have to take them out first. We can be covered all we want, but the second we start scavenging the shelves, that will change. We won’t be safe.” It would be dangerous to take these infected out, especially without any major weapon other than a knife. However, if Anna really wanted to go, then he would oblige and help her take them out. Besides, Nick was hoping for finding a similar stash as well. Then again, it was a pharmacy store in the middle of the apocalypse. Nick felt certain that it was cleaned out by now. It even looked quite desolate from just outside.
 
Alicia's heart was racing before the pair even started moving. As usual she let Bryce take the lead, but she didn't hesitate to take his side as soon as the coast appeared to be clear and they were out of their room. The pair moved quick - they had to. The longer they waited or the slower they went, the more chances someone would have time to get in their way. They took the staircase quickly, dropping two stairs with each step, and then they were out. Just making it out of the building seemed like they were half way to freedom, especially when there was nothing in sight. Alicia's hopes were high and she was starting to move in the direction of the encampment's entrance when the signature clicking sound of a taser gun caught her attention, followed immediately by Bryce groaning in pain. A second later there was a gun pressed firm to the back of her head, and then another aimed at her fiance.

"No!" She lurched forward towards Bryce only to be grabbed roughly by the fabric of her shirt and yanked back. The solder behind her pushed the barrel of his gun harder against her skull and all she could do was panic. She looked to Bryce, incapacitated and in pain, and then to the gun that was aimed on him. The dark, twisted expression on the soldier's cold face said that he was serious about shooting him if she didn't listen. "Okay! Okay, I'll go - I'll go. Please just don't hurt him!"

Her expression pleased to Bryce - I'm sorry, but I can't let them hurt you. Alicia knew that Bryce would likely end up thinking that this was his fault but Alicia didn't think that was the case at all - she just wanted him to come out the other side alive. While the one handgun stayed aimed straight at Bryce's head, prepared to fire if either of the pair started any funyn business, the solder who was honed in on Alicia kicked her shin to get her moving in the right direction. All the while she looked back to Bryce, nearly tripping on her feet as she did so. "I'm so sorry," she mouthed.

In the end, Alicia was brought in to one of the buildings that she had been told was "for storage". Obviously that had a different, much more sinister meaning to these people. She was pushed in to a windowless, concrete-walled room in the basement and then told to strip. When she visibly objected, the soldier aimed the gun back to her head before she could even make a peep. She would strip to her underwear, or he would give the order to shoot her man in the skull. There was nothing Alicia could do but give in and tears welled in her eyes, threatening to break free the entire time. Once her to and pants had been removed, leaving her in some plain black panties and the fancy black bra she had grabbed for Bryce's enjoyment back when they were at the plane wreck. She was ordered to sit in wooden chair, the only thing in the room, and once she had done that the soldier grabbed a roll of duct tape from a shelf that would be much too high for her to reach when tied down. After her hands and legs were secured to the chair, he put the duct tape back on the high shelf and walked away with a threatening reminder: "I will be back."

----

Anna was pretty proud of herself as she walked out of the adult store, her backpack now holding a few new pairs of soft cotton panties and a couple that were more risque (even in the apocalypse girls wanted to feel hot once in a while, after all). When Nick hadn't been looking she had also snuck a lacy black number and some thigh-highs in to her bag - they didn't take up much space so she didn't feel bad about grabbing something sexy. There were also a couple more fun items that she had grabbed - those Nick was more aware of (though perhaps he would have been better off not knowing what she'd grabbed). Maybe they hadn't had any real fun while in there, being covered in guts wasn't conductive to feeling sexy, but not being on perfect terms meant very little to her - they would likely end up naked and fucking again as soon as they were able to clean the grime off of their skin. If anything Anna liked it when they were a little bit angry at each other - something about having him be aggressive with her in a socially acceptable manner got her going.

"Never know what could be left behind. Maybe it's not the safest but we also don't know when we'll need shit." Yes - they were clearly outnumbered and under-armed. One of the dead was only feet away on the other side of the closed glass door, two farther in and one was visible behind the counter at the back, where the medications themselves would be kept. However, they could see very little of the back room through the window-like counter and there could easily have been more bodies back there. While the place looked pretty looted now that they were up close and able to see inside, the young woman could see some things left here and there. Even if there was no ample drug supply (as much as she hoped there would be, Anna knew that likely wouldn't happen) they could get... something. Hopefully. Until then she had kept her knife in her pocket but as they stood outside the door to the drug store she pulled the black blade from her pocket and flicked it open.

"One of us takes the close one, split up to take the two farther back at the same time, then check the back room together?" Anna looked to him, raising an eyebrow as she stepped in closer to his form. She wasn't going to make any move without Nick's approval but she was itching to see if there would be anything usable. The fact that it made sense to try and get their hands on first aid stuff was only a secondary thought in her brain, as was doing the safe thing.
 
Indeed, Bryce was already feeling a great deal of guilt and self-loathing. If only he had told Alicia that they should keep moving past the compound, if only he had waited another couple minutes before they attempted to escape, if only he had told Alicia they should escape as soon as they had eaten – it ran through his mind, seeing his precious Alicia dragged away. Obviously, if it were up to him, he would let the soldiers kill him if it meant she could go free. Unfortunately, that was probably not an option. These evil men seemed to have their ideas. As Alicia was being forced into the building, Bryce’s vision was still fading out. He could not move, could not talk – that did not feel like your average taser (granted, Bryce did not know what one was like, but his father was an officer and he could never recall him saying they were this powerful). A second soldier emerged, passing the building used for “storage”. The way he looked at Alicia made Bryce want to snap his neck. This soldier and the one that had taken Bryce out grabbed an arm, literally dragging him into the building. He saw the soldiers lead Alicia into one of the first rooms while he was taken downstairs.

They were saying these vile things, talking about taking turns with Alicia, how sexy she looked, and that Bryce was lucky they didn’t make him watch. They had no idea what they were awakening within Bryce. They tossed him into some cellar room, much like the one Alicia was in. However, there were already a couple dead bodies with bullets in their heads. One was the woman from earlier. It did not take a genius to figure something out – they killed people when they were done. However, the woman looked like she had been through prolonged abuse and torture. The other male looked like he was killed immediately. It only made sense considering the sexual nature these men flaunted and talked about. The plan was obvious, making it even more important for Bryce to get moving. A few minutes passed with Bryce being alone. He struggled to his feet, but as he did, one of the soldiers entered followed by the second he had just seen. They continued degrading Alicia, talking about that she was already half-naked and waiting for someone to have fun with her.

Bryce decided to feign defeat, collapsing to his knees. The men let their guards down, one pressing the barrel of a gun to his head. It had a silencer as well. The man decided to spend too long yapping, just taunting Bryce verbally. At one point, the solider turned to look at the other. In that split second, Bryce grappled the gun away from the soldier and shot the one near the door before turning it onto the closest one to him. It all happened within a few seconds, catching both captors by surprise. Then, Bryce slowly made his way upstairs, checking the hallway. He caught sight of the other captor that forced Alicia to strip. He seemed to be in a room away from the others, deciding to prepare himself by grabbing a camera for photographs. Without a word, Bryce peeked into the open door and put another bullet into his head. All three soldiers were dead without Bryce raising an alert. Everything was clear now, so Bryce finally rushed to Alicia’s side. He burst through the door, seeing Alicia bound to the chair in her bra and panties. Typically, it would have turned him on, but he was not thinking about that at the moment. “Princess…” he whispered, “It’s okay. I got you. You’re going to be safe, now.”

--

Even though Nick knew he should not have watched Anna grab the sexy clothing, the man could not help himself. The way things were heading – it was not likely he could ever see the woman wearing these items. It was depressing to know what was there if he somehow earned her trust again. Whereas Anna was already thinking about fucking him again, Nick was afraid this was a warning sign – these sexy items might be revealed to another man. The thought hurt his heart, leave it to Nick to over-catastrophize the situation. When she did not stop at lingerie or clothing, his eyes widened. He was aware of the other items she had grabbed. It was something Nick had often thought about, but not something they had necessarily done often. Again, was she teasing him for good or bad reasons? Was she showing him that he would never get that close to her again?

Nick tried to shake the thought out of his mind. However, it was evident in his mind that Anna was through with him. It looked like he fucked up big time. Was there any chance of recovering? It was not the best thing to have on his mind, especially when he was about to attack this pharmacy store with Anna. It also did not help that she created quite a level of arousal from her actions. Nick was unsure of how to feel – it was like an overload of his senses right now – good and bad. However, these thoughts vanished when she approached him with the rope. They shared an intense, passionate moment leaving Nick breathless, wanting. It made him rethink things. Maybe they would be okay to just have a fuck or two. Of course, Nick wanted more, but if that is all she would give him, then he would be more than okay with taking it. Only time would tell. It would have been impossible for him to not feel turned on, long after they had exited the store. Even if they did not have sex yet, she riled him up to the point of no return.

When the brunette revealed the knife from her pocket, Nick did the same. The blade was flicked open. She was right – there was a chance they would not find anything, but it was important to search. It could provide them something useful. Even then, they would be set up for some success from the search. She had a great plan, something they could use to attack the pharmacy. Since they were close to the interest, he only nodded his head, keeping silent. Afterwards, he watched Anna to see if she wanted to take out the closest infected, or if she wanted him to. After it was dispatched, Nick hugged the left side of the wall.

Walking through the aisle, he reached the infected on his side, quickly taking it down. He could hear rustling and movement in the back room. There were at least two more inside with the one they had seen before. Nick readied himself at the door, deciding to give Anna another nod. “That room is small. We’re vulnerable. Open the door, draw them out. Take them out as they exit. That sound like a plan?” Now, Nick was the one making the suggestion for their plan.
 
When the door first creaked to open, Alicia was filled with dread. She was very sure that the only people who would be coming through door would be soldiers, men who wished to abuse her in vile ways. Even though the young woman was desperately hoping that Bryce would come find her, she hadn't gotten her hopes up. After all, only a few minutes had passed and he likely had his own trouble to find his way out of first. Regardless, Alicia refused to believe that he wouldn't be coming for her - which came with mixed feelings. She absolutely did not want him to end up hurt just for the sake of her - but she knew that Bryce would risk his life to keep her safe and happy. At times like this she truly appreciated his devotion and wished he would look after himself for once.

It was Bryce, though - and her terrified cries stopped as soon as his lean, muscular form, tanned skin and curly mop appeared through the door. Instead, her system was flooded with relief. She yanked her arm against the tape that secured it to the chair, desperately trying to free herself as the door closed behind her fiance. For a moment she was unsure of how he had got to her, but as soon as she caught sight of the pistol he held and the suppressor attached to it Alicia clued in quick - Bryce had put a bullet in their heads. Alicia had never been thankful for someone's death until that moment - a few more minutes and she likely would have ended up meeting a terrible fate at the hands of the rogues. If Bryce hadn't realized their intentions before, then seeing the way she was secured and half-naked would make their plans obvious.

"Oh, thank God." Alicia had never been a very religious person, but in that moment she found herself truly thanking a higher power for bringing Bryce to her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she nodded towards the shelf that the soldier had put the tape on after he had finished tying her up - she'd also caught sight of a knife on it before she was pushed in to the chair. As much as they would work slowly, undo the tape piece by piece, they could also just slide that knife in to the gaps that formed where her skin met the wooden handles of the chair. Accompanying her vague gesture, Alicia said her thoughts out loud: "Up on the shelf there's a knife. Help me out please."

Little did she know that just touching Bryce with this level of adrenaline in her system would have an unintended, visceral affect on her. As soon as her limbs were freed she would be putty in his hands, kissing him hard and with absolutely no desire to stop. It wouldn't be the first time that she had acted with such a sudden change in desire Alicia seemed to have a thing for danger, or maybe for Bryce saving the day. Back when they were on the yacht and had been taken captive by Jack and the others, she had found herself nothing but aroused as soon as the immediate danger was gone.

----

Adult stores - Anna had been in one more than a handful of times. Generally she would prefer La Senza for undies because she could get flashy and cute stuff for much cheaper - but sometimes it was unavoidable. She would need to replace her vibe (a rare occurance given the fact that she rarely even used it), replace something that had gone missing or broken, or just wanted to see if there was anything she wanted to try out. This time, however? It was just practical. Given that the only clothes she had were the ones currently on her body, she was going to want new undies sooner rather than later. That's what she told herself, at least - and she shrugged off Nick's questioning when he asked why she was going in there. Luckily there was not a body in sight and, as expected, it seemed like not many people had thought about their orgasm needs as society had come to its end. Vibrators, dildos, fleshlights, lingerie and every other kind of adult material anyone could have wanted lined the walls and filled the shelves, and given that she didn't have to actually pay for any of the fun stuff in here Anna felt like she was in heaven

She wanted to explore - Nick said that he would take the door. He didn't need anything that was in here anyways, and the last thing he wanted to do was start thinking about Anna in nothing but her panties, or using one of the many items the store displayed on her writhing, moaning body. It wasn't like he could bend her over there and then; not only were they not quite getting along, which was okay and kind of expected, there was the grime. Therefore, the goal was to focus and not look - or maybe just for a second, peek at what she was picking out.

... Welp, there went his conviction. It only took a few seconds of watching her dig around in a pile of women's underwear for his heart to start racing thanks to his thoughts veering in to inappropriate territory. Fuck - intent on not ending up with an erection that couldn't be handled, Nick turned back towards the door and focused on... well, anything. The fact that the table in the middle of the wide pathway of the mini-mall had what could either be ketchup or blood spattered on it. The broken down metal security fencing outside of one of the empty stores - someone must have thought there was something worth hiding in there for some reason. Any benign, unarousing thing that he could pay attention to he did.

That worked for a moment - until suddenly there was something around his neck, a grating texture that dug just slightly in to his flesh as it yanked back and Nick's instinct was to try and turn and see what was going on. There wasn't room to, though - it was Anna's lean figure right behind him, holding a rope taut against his skin. She had the majority of the length bundled up in to one hand and there was a wicked grin on her face. Nick didn't know where she found it, he hadn't seen it lining the walls, but it was now it was impossible to not think about using it on her.

Anna, on the other hand, was pretty damn pleased with herself. She had showed up and got what she wanted, and had walked away from the bin of panties with probably ten or so stuffed in to the bottom of her bag as well as a lacier, sexier piece that likely wouldn't get too much use - but even just once was enough. It was on her way back towards the front of the store that she noticed a small length of bondage rope rolled under one of the shelves. When she had seen Nick looking away - well, it was hard to not sneak up on him with it. He liked to tie her up once in a while - nothing major, just some bound hands and maybe a gag here and there. While it had been hard for her to give him that kind of control over her at first, Anna had eventually grown to enjoy it nearly as much as he did. The moment had to be right, and she'd never love it as much as the way his hand felt around her neck, but she knew exactly what affect seeing her with something to tie her up with would have.

Was it wrong to want to tease him? Even if it was, Anna wouldn't be stopped. The fact that they had been less than pleased with each other lately wasn't even a thought on her mind. Somehow she had been able to get behind Nick without alerting him of her presence and then wham - she nearly laughed at the way his body jolted, but luckily he seemed to realize his assault was benign. She couldn't help but smile, a wicked whim in her eyes, as he craned his neck to notice her. She pulled him closer to her until their bodies were taut against each other, her chest pressed hard enough against his back that he would be able to subtly feel the metal balls of her nearly-uncovered piercings (she could be surrounded by a million bras and would still not put one on), and she leaned in nice and close to whisper in his ear: "Look what I found."

"I see, are you going to let me go?" Nick wasn't arguing, but he wasn't exactly accepting of the situation either. He didn't mind having the tables turned once in a while and Anna coming on to him like that definitely wasn't a problem, but there was still the pressing matter of the fact that he couldn't touch her right then. He could try as hard as he wanted but even covered in blood and guts the little minx had her intended affect on him.

"Mm, why should I?" Anna's breath hot against his ear made Nick shiver and she loved the way that he reacted to her. She was going to pull the rope a little bit tighter but he turned around before she could and grabbed her hard by her hips. Anna relaxed her grip enough that the rope in her hands fell to rest just above Nick's ass. Anna expected him to reply but he didn't - not in words at least. He used his hold on her hips to push her backwards about a dozen steps until her ass hit the edge of a counter and then he moved in closer until there was no space between them. There was a fire in his eyes that drove Anna crazy and the obvious bulge of his erection pressed against her thigh. She hadn't intended to have that much of an affect on Nick, but fuck - now she was going to end up hot and bothered.

"Well if you don't," Nick's voice was low and laced with lust. He grabbed her ass and squeezed, pulled towards himself like there was any space left for her to fill. As he leaned his body in to hers she leaned back, inciting him to only move in further until Anna was leaned over the counter. Her elbows were on the edge, supporting her back, and both of the pair had smirks on their faces. He got in close, until his lips hovered just inches from hers, before he finished what he was going to say. "I'm gonna have to bend you over this counter, tie those pretty hands of yours up, and show you what happens when you don't do as your told."

Anna laughed - not a childish one as if he had just said something funny but a simple chuckle over his words. She raised her eyebrows and called his bluff, not relenting because she knew he wouldn't anything of the sort without her say-so. Two could play at that game and maybe it was wrong to encourage getting bothered but how was she supposed to get out of his face when Nick made it oh so easy to rile him up? She leaned in, narrowed the distance between them even further, and taunted him. "Oh, you are now?"

"Yeah really."

Anna could see in his eyes that he had about a hair's breadth of self control keeping him from kissing her as a response - she wasn't doing much better herself either. However sex while they were covered in crap like they were was not happening and it was best to shut this down before they actually crossed a line that they couldn't come back from.

She released the short end of the rope and then pushed Nick's lean figure off of her with both hands to his chest. Her smirk didn't fade from her face as she stepped sideways and then around him, grabbing his hand to get him to move with her, only to release as soon as he started following. "Come on, let's go. You can come on to me when we're not covered in guts."

Easy enough to do when the extent of her arousal just involved some dampness in her panties - which she'd be able to switch out for a clean pair. Nick, however, was left unsure as to how he was supposed to get the mental image of her all tied up or (and) in those panties out of his head.


Anna had intended to get a rise out of him - but not literally. In the end he wasn't the only one with residual arousal thanks to the way he had turned the tables on them. Had they not been covered in guts she likely would have let him take her right there, whether that was a smart call or not. If he had clued in on what exactly bothered her he would have realized that they'd fucked a lot more than once since he'd said it. She may not have trusted him to not pull that kind of shit again or not to change his mind about wanting to stay, but Anna knew pretty damn well that he was never going to push her in to doing something sexual that she didn't want to and that alone was enough for her to consider Nick a viable sexual partner (on top of the fact that he was really good at working her body). Hopefully that wouldn't be all that happened between them but neither of them could know what the future would bring.

She took the closer one - Nick would take the left side and it would make more sense for her to down the closer infected as it was more in her direction. Its skull was weakened and softened, and there was little struggle as the several-inch blade of one of her favourite knives drove though its ear canal and in to its brain. He, it, fell towards her and she wasn't used to that level of dead weight against her but she was able to push it away. The infected slumped at her feet and she looked to Nick in case he wanted to know that she was okay, and then took up the far side of the store. Until she'd huffed trying to push the weight of the first corpse off of her, she had stayed unnoticed - and luckily the infected on Nick's side wasn't paying mind to her. It wasn't as easy to down one of the dead when they were trying to get you, but in the end she was able to shove her knife so far in through the underside of its chin that her hand pushed in to the rotting, putrid flesh.

"Sounds good to me." Nick was right - three versus two in a cramped room would not be the best call. If they wanted the best chance of not getting injured, they would have to try to find a way to take them out in to a more open area and one by one. That couldn't be too hard but this was no time to let their guard down. Together the pair worked out how they wanted to go about this, and eventually one of them held the door open while the other urged the closest of the dead out the door, attempting not to catch any of the other's attention. One, two and then three bodies ended up on the floor and then they were able to take a peek in to the back room. Anna didn't know Nick's intentions, but she wanted to make sure that everything was for-sure clear before they lowered their guard. There was a thick-glassed door between them and the main hall now, as well as a rear entrance that Anna wasn't interested in testing at the moment - but there were no more dead inside and that was good.

It was after they had returned towards the front that the pair could get a good view of the store and what was left in it. While much had been taken, there was still a lot more left than Anna had expected there to be. The infected inside had likely warded others off - and Anna had a theory that the group of infected had likely been a small group holding up for a bit. The other stores in the strip seemed to be clear but then there were these six behind a outward-opening door? It wasn't like they had accidentally pushed their way in - one way or another they had been in there on purpose, and she had caught sight of a couple bags in the back which only backed her thoughts. They would never know, of course, but whatever had happened that small group had likely been why there was anything left in the store. "You wanna start from the front and see if there's anything on the shelves while I see if there's anything left out back?"
 
Turning slightly to the right, Bryce’s brown eyes caught sight of the lone shelf in the room. It was at eye level height, allowing him to easily find the knife beside the roll of duct tape that was used to bind his fiancée to the chair. After grabbing the small knife, Bryce took three, long strides before arriving to Alicia’s side. Again, it was time for him reassure Alicia that she was safe. “Everything’s going to be fine, Princess. I took out all the soldiers. They didn’t get a chance to call for backup. They didn’t know what hit them.” It was perfect, considering the way this situation was likely to head. While it was important that they escape, nobody else in the compound knew the truth about their situation. No soldiers were arriving for backup. The three enemies were dead. Bryce never wanted to kill anyone, but when those people threatened Alicia, his focus became singular. Killing those men actually let the soldiers off easy. Bryce was not an easy person to piss off, but when he got angry – the offender better watch out. In summary, Bryce would not lose any sleep over his actions today – he would do literally anything to rescue Alicia.

Crouching beside the chair, he started by slicing through the silver tape that bound each ankle to the leg of the chair. Now, even though he was not consciously thinking about it, seeing those cute feet of hers in bondage was incredibly arousing. In fact, as strange as it sounded, watching her strain and struggle for those few seconds when he entered the room caused an erection to grow without Bryce even realizing it. Once both ankles were freed, Bryce stood tall. Within seconds, the blade sliced and cut through the tape around her wrists, freeing all four limbs from the chair. Once she was cut free, Bryce quickly pocketed the knife. It might not have been a hunting knife like he carried, but it was better than no weapon. Unable to think about any strategy, he suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Alicia’s back. His hands rested just beneath the straps of her bra, pulling the girl to her feet. The desire to hug and kiss her was strong, causing the male to pull his head back slightly from the hug, searching for her mouth. When their lips connected, Bryce already felt his body shifting.

Her lips were so desirable, so full, and always tasted sweet. As they kissed, Bryce could not help himself sliding his tongue into her mouth. She was still only clad in her bra and panties (something quite sexy, Bryce might add), but he was not moving to grab her clothes just yet. “Are you okay, Princess?” Bryce finally asked, knowing that his initial observation and search did not make him feel too worried that she was hurt. So, to conclude how she felt, Bryce asked, but did not stop kissing her. He caught sight of her other clothing items and shoes pooled in the floor, near the corner closest to the door. Deciding they should probably get moving, Bryce forced himself to pull away from the kiss. “I love you so much, Princess. I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking you in the first place. We’re going to get out of here. I’ll get your clothes.” Bryce whispered softly, deciding to pull away completely. However, when he tried, it seemed like Alicia’s grip around him became tighter.

--

Getting a rise out of Nick was easily accomplished through Anna’s actions. Despite being covered in guts, he was almost willing to forget the smell and ignore the stench long enough for a quick fuck. Fortunately, Anna could think logical long enough before either member of the party did something irrational. Nick and Anna probably would have regretted getting down and dirty with each other while covered in infected guts and blood. It was not arousing, it would have totally killed the mood. For that split second, though, Nick almost did not care at all. It should speak volumes to the way she affected him. Nick could not think clearly around Anna. It was not always a bad thing. He recalled times of severe sadness and borderline depression before the world ended. Anna helped him forget the sadness or trails in his life by gaining his focus and never letting it leave. In a time like this, it was not the greatest thing. Every person needed to be alert. It was another clue that a rational person would have thought meant to stay away, that she was too polarizing and toxic at times. Not Nick, though. He was addicted to the danger and fire, addicted to the way she made him feel.

Usually, Nick was much better at reading Anna than this. At one point in time, Molly secretly admitted to Nick that she was jealous of how well Nick could read her best friend. Often, Molly was the one person that figured out when Anna was secretly upset or feeling some negative way. However, on more than one occasion, Molly had thought Anna was fine, only to learn later that it was not, but Nick managed to figure it out himself. If Nick could take a few minutes to think back about everything that was said, he could have possibly pinpointed the one time where he fucked up mightily. Instead, he figured it was a buildup of things, but he could not be for certain. Nick also figured there was some residual hatred for him just leaving her like he did. When those things were combined, Nick felt like he was helpless to change their future. Again, if he could only be sexual partners with Anna, then he would take what he could get. Like her, he wanted much more, although it was impossible to tell if that was going to happen or not.

Before garnering the attention of the backroom infected, Nick did quickly scan over Anna’s skin. It was tough to tell if she would have been hurt considering she was already covered in blood, but she seemed fine. When the plan was pushed into action, Nick lead the first infected out of the room. When they were about ten feet away, Nick took down the infected. It left the second creature wandering near the doorway while the third was still in the far corner. It was easy enough for Anna to take the second infected down near the door. At this point, the last enemy’s attention was drawn, but Nick had circled back around, stabbing his knife through the decayed skull. In the end, all infected were taken down without any major difficulty. Nick tried to drag the bodies away from the doorway, to not cause a bottleneck if they needed to escape. Once the pathways from room to another room and to the exit was clear, Nick decided to search the contents with Anna. “That sounds like a good plan. Just let me know if you need any help. Just don’t get too far away from each other, though.”

He agreed with her plan before walking to the front of the store. Nick slowly scoured each aisle from the front of the store. He did not find an overload of supplies, but like Anna realized, there were more items here than he expected. From antibiotics, antivirals, medical gauze, rubbing alcohol, painkillers, hydrogen peroxide, and a few prescription drugs, Nick felt like they cleared out the store entirely. Once Nick had covered his little quadrant of the drug store, he approached the back to search for Anna and check her progress, to see if she was alright and close to being finished.
 
Alicia kicked her ankles out to stretch her limbs even though she had only been tied up a few minutes, and the moment that he had released her arms she burst on to her feet. As soon as she could she had her arms tight around him and her head against his chest, finding comfort in his muscular form. They hugged tight, almost impossibly so, but Bryce was not the only one who desired more. They moved in sync, from their tight embrace in to a passionate kiss that put any other time they had touched each other to shame. She may have still been partially nude but that didn't stop her - in that moment getting dressed was in the back of her head. Bryce had just told her that no one else even knew anything was wrong, so there was no one on their tail. They had time to stop, to reunite, and to breathe. However, the longer that their passionate embrace persisted the more aware of Bryce's form the young brunette became. More specifically, the way his body had reacted to hers or even just the sight of her.

Though her own hormones were pumping thanks to the adrenaline in her system, it took feeling Bryce's hardening erection pressed to her bared skin for Alicia to realize just how appealing what he walked in to must have been. After all even if the situation hadn't been sexual she still was half-naked and tied up - the only thing that could have hit more interests of his would have been if she had been left gagged. Alicia had been fighting it, stuck in a struggle with herself as to if she was being reasonable or not for the warmth between her thighs. Kidnapping was, generally, not considered an arousing event - but something about having Bryce back with her made all the fear leak out of her body only to be replaced with a need. Knowing that he, on some degree, felt the same way about what was going on gave her the confidence to act on her urges.

"No." She spoke softly but sure of herself and she looked him in the eyes as she did so. Her pulse quickened as she gave him a quick shake of her head. For a moment nerves hit her (what if she had gotten the wrong idea or this was even more ludicrous than she already knew it to be?) but Alicia didn't let that stop her from following through. Her feeling was a mix of arousal as well as a genuine need. There was a part of her that didn't know how she could walk away at that moment as feelings were still too high. She hadn't completely processed what was going on, and in the end that came through as a desperate need to have the love of her life as close as possible.

"You just said it - no one's coming. I need you, Bryce. I can't explain it and it's kind of crazy I just... I need you, as much of you as possible." She fell to her knees in front of him and looked up with her head now at about crotch level. "I need to feel you, and I can tell that at least part of you wants the same. Can we stay for a few minutes my love?"

----

It probably would have been smart to consider Anna toxic or at least keep her at a distance. While originally their relationship had been fun and happy and completely enjoyable, somewhere along the line things had changed. The pair had been struggling, or at least she had, long before they had split up. To this day Anna couldn't quite pinpoint when, but she wished she could - if she knew what had gone wrong, she stood a better change at being able to do it right this time. She would never be able to change things, never be able to change the fact hat she had betrayed him, but just as Nick needed to learn how to listen (oddly enough once upon a time the main thing that had made her fall for him was how he could focus on her, unadulterated and nonjudgmental even when he might not have liked what she had to say) she had to learn how to properly take the blame for her own problems and truly accept that his trust would have to be properly earned again.

The back room had most of the prescription drugs, as well as a couple bags that likely belonged to the dead that they had just put down. As she had suspected, anything good (read: anything high-worthy) was gone and there was an obvious disappointment in the scowl on her lips as she moved from shelf to shelf. She nearly passed up oral contraceptives until she realized that one day she was going to need them - within a couple months. That alone was enough for her to prep some of the blister packs and toss them in to her bag. Obviously she didn't pass up anything more useful - she'd also got her hands on a bottle of broad-spectrum antibiotics. After the shelves she went for the over-the-counter drugs kept in easy reach of where the pharmacist would have stood - a bottle of advil, some heartburn pills, Benadryl. If she hadn't known that she hated Benedryl trips she would have likely grabbed that but neither of them had allergies so there was no point. The bags had some food in them - not much but anything was good.

She also got down on the floor after sweeping everything else - knowing her luck something would have rolled under it a table or shelf. As soon as she did her heart raced, because Anna could not be near drug paraphernalia without having an instinct reaction. One syringe, still kept in its sterile packaging, had been hiding under one of the shelves and she had to grab it even though she had no use for it - for now. As soon as she had secured it in her palm she started mentally checking off a list of other things she would need and in the end it came down to one thing - some kind of cooker. This place had to have something usable. When Anna was unable to find anything back there she pushed aside the security grating over the counter and then hopped up on to it just in time to see Nick wandering back her direction. While the majority of what she had grabbed got shoved in to her bag, she had a small collection of items in hand as she popped over the ledge and back in to the main area of the store.

"You find any tin foil out there?" And maybe some of those thick rubber bands?" The items she asked about were inconspicuous enough, but not things that most people would pick up in a time like this. If he noticed what she held in her hand (said still-wrapped syringe, a couple alcohol swabs and her lighter, as well as a couple cotton balls that were held invisible against her palm) then Nick would likely realize where she was going with those questions. Was it a bad idea to have a junkie kit together? Most definitely. Would the fact that it's a bad idea be enough to stop Anna from getting one together? Not at all.
 
Bryce recalled the first time his sweet Alicia was taken captive. They were on the Abigail when Connor’s crew rushed aboard. Since the brunette was so feisty, she was forced to be bound tighter than everyone else. When they were safe, Bryce could never forget the way she looked at him – the same way she was looking at him now. The male saw the need in her green eyes, glowing up at his face. It would have been a lie if he did not think about the same thing. Again, Bryce felt the same fear that Alicia did. What if he suggested it, but she was not on the same page? After all, what “normal” person would want to have sex seconds after their fiancée had been kidnapped? It was not normal by most standards, but for Bryce, there was a certain appeal to saving her. After all, it was quite symbolic – her knight in shining armor, the prince saving the Princess. It was hot. Combine that concept with her being half-naked and tied up? Who could blame Bryce for getting hot and bothered? It was not like he could exactly control that urge. It felt like she knew exactly where this was going, though.

After she finished talking, Bryce gently cupped her face with the side of his hand. “I would love nothing more than that, Princess. I need you, too. After all, I don’t know how it can be expected of me to walk away without touching you after seeing you bound and clothed like this.” There was also something quite arousing about this position, too. It was no secret Bryce was turned on with the whole dominant-submissive dynamic they shared in the bedroom. Here was Alicia, onto her knees like a good submissive, looking up at him. Perhaps it should not have impacted him so strongly, but it did. Finally, Bryce reached down to grab both of her hands, pulling the brunette to her feet again. “Sit back down, Princess. I think you already know that you’re going to be tied up again.” After all, he did not want her to have a bad memory of being bound. When she thought about feeling helpless and without control, he wanted her to think about the times he ravished her body, making love to her while she was bound and gagged. Recalling the duct tape on the wooden shelf, Bryce decided to reach for it, bringing it back to Alicia’s side.

Dropping down into a crouched position in front of her, the first thing he did was hook his fingers inside of her underwear. Slowly, the material was pulled down her legs and off around her ankles, pooling onto the floor beside the chair. While there, Bryce began kissing down her leg, on her inner thigh, and closer to her core. Pulling back, he flashed her a smile from this position and placed both of her feet in his lap. He wanted her ankles bound again, but he decided to take a different route than her captors. With the ankles side-by-side, Bryce wrapped the tape around both ankles three times, pulling it taut against her skin. Once it was secured, he places the soles of her feet against his erection so she could feel him again (and undoubtedly turn him on even more if she chose to utilize the position to her advantage). “You said that you wanted to perform oral on me, right? What if we do it now? The chair makes you perfect height. I can tie your hands again, behind the chair, then you can do it. After I finish, I can reposition you and we can make love?”

--

Nick was clueless, too. He had no idea when their relationship took a turn for the worst. It was strange when one considered it. How did two people in a relationship not understand when they started falling apart? Clearly, the events of one night did not destroy an entire relationship. Before he caught Anna in bed with another man, something else happened. Perhaps it was not a specific, largescale event. Perhaps it was a buildup of small things over a long time. Nick would have done anything to find out. For himself, he could not quite answer the question – when did it go wrong? If they wanted a legitimate shot at something with one another, it would have been wise to talk it out. The way they felt that fateful night was clear. However, the way the couple felt leading up to that night was not talked about. It was something that should have been deemed important. Then again, the pair never excelled at talking about their feelings. Shit just simmered and grew old until one of them reached a boiling point. Finally, that boiling point seemed to peak at a temperature where things could never be the same again.

The poor listening skills Nick represented recently were quite uncharacteristic. When they were laying around, resting, Nick often used the quiet time to reflect. Just as Anna had felt, Nick was once a great listener, making him a great partner in a relationship. Unfortunately, that all changed significantly. Undoubtedly, he did not listen to Anna now because he did not care what she had to say (when they first reunited, that changed, of course). It was funny, though – Nick did not want to listen to her, Nick did not care what she wanted to say, yet he rescued her from that cell in the outpost. It was always like this – Nick would convince himself he felt a certain way, but his actions spoke differently. Since they had reunited, Nick was finally accepting the truth: Anna could probably slaughter everyone he loved, but the chances of him hating her were illogically low. Again, that was not a positive thing to feel. How could he look at this girl through such perfect lenses when she had done him so wrong? Any rational being would not take her back, right? She displayed the ultimate betrayal. Sure, Nick had done some stupid shit in his time, but he was never unfaithful to Anna.

When he was alone in the front of the store, it was easy to let his mind wander again. Things used to be different. Nick did not always feel like his mind was racing. With Anna, however, he was constantly trying to rationalize shit and strategize to correct his perceived fuckups. It was quite frustrating to deal with, but it was next to impossible to quiet his mind. When the woman asked whether he found any rubber bands or tin foil, Nick paused for a moment. Did she actually find something useful? Nick looked in her hand, the syringe being enough evidence. Immediately, Nick was furious because he did not see any tin foil or rubber bands. “No, I did not. I wish I did, though.” To be fair, he was not exactly looking for those to begin with, but if he had seen it, even out of the corner of his eye, Nick would have likely grabbed it ‘just in case’ they needed it. “Should we do another sweep through the store if we can find it? If that’s all we need… there has to be some tin foil and rubber bands somewhere. It’s not like it is a hot commodity for the apocalypse.” Finally, Nick revealed everything in his bag as well. Most of the items were useful for injuries or pain or wounds. They could probably find some use for the painkillers, but he could not find any of their favorites. It made Nick incredibly disappointed, but it was also somewhat expected. Anything bringing them a high was likely long gone from this pharmacy store. It was not a total loss, though.
 
Not only did her positioning on her knees before him appear submissive and pleasing, it was also indicative of the way that she wanted to touch Bryce. It seemed that he had picked that up when he suggested how they go about this, and ever agreeable Alicia nodded her head. After instructing her to sit back down she did so, watching him with a watering mouth and needy eyes as he made his way towards the tape. Her arousal only picked up as Bryce walked back with the roll of tape. Him tying her up was much, much more appealing than being taken captive and just knowing what was coming seemed to ease all the tension in her body. She could trust Bryce completely, infinitely - that was likely how she was able to find so much comfort in the way that she let him lead. The adrenaline in her system mixed with arousal left her sensitive, and each touch felt like fire beneath her flesh. He kissed down her leg as he removed her panties and she almost shivered in anticipation.

"I would love that." Her tone was low, sultry - filled with desire as well as the urge to please him however she could. Alicia had imagined having her hands free the first time that her mouth met his cock, but that wasn't a problem for the young woman - any way that she could touch the love of her life was a good one. Bryce spoke up tying her hands behind her so she moved for him, placing her hands behind her back and crossing them so that she held them together. The stretch of her shoulders pushed her breasts out - and it was a crime that her breasts were still covered by that lacy bra with how alluring they would be front and center. It would be Bryce's call - did he want his mouth to water and cock to twitch at how eager she was to please, or did he want to pull the fabric from her flesh first? Alicia's gaze hadn't left Bryce's face since he had moved back to her, she didn't need to see where her feet were to know what awaited her beneath the cloth of his clothes, and as she waited to observe his reaction she rubbed her feet against his length.

----

"Yeah. Or like, one of those tealight bases. Or anything." A quick scan of the store once more showed no results, but Anna was able to shrug it off with a slight residual frustration. Sure, the rubber band would have been a nice tourniquet/holder combo, but she snatched up what would have been a makeup bag at the end of an aisle and dropped her fistful of contents in to it. There - holder secured. It wasn't the end of the world - she had a belt that could be used as a tourniquet if needed and the nearest house would have a spoon... and was it really a bad thing if she didn't get her shit together? Just because she wanted something didn't mean that it was in her best interests, and with a couple weeks behind her since she had last had an opiate in her system she had the better chance of kicking it than she ever had. Old habits died hard though, and though she was in a bit of a fight with herself to just drop what she held, Anna simply did not have the self control or true desire to do so.

After they had finished looking through everything again, they settled down inside of the store and went over what they found - Nick had a bunch of general first aid supplies and some low-grade painkillers, while she had... not much better. Birth control, antibiotics, a can of mixed nuts and a bag of beef jerky - which she then promptly tore open as soon as he'd seen it. Anna offered him a strip before getting one for herself, and figured that would be enough for a decent snack - but maybe that was just because she barely ate anything ever. If he wanted more then he could ask. She had also nabbed a map - not like she would actually use it however.

"Wanna check out the other stores?" What was left looked like a small mom and pop restaurant and a book store - any food in the first was likely taken or rotted, and a book store wasn't going to be of much use. Though Anna didn't see much a point in sticking around now given that the other shops in the strip probably wouldn't be useful, she would at least leave the option to stick around a bit longer in the air.
 
A moan left Bryce’s lips when Alicia’s cute, bound feet began touching his length. Even though it was covered by his jeans and boxers, it was still so sensitive. After a few seconds of this, he finally pulled away from the pleasurable touch. As much as he would enjoy a foot job, Bryce was significantly excited for a blow job. Standing upright, Bryce realized how much injustice was served with the lacy bra covering her breasts. Before making a move to bind her wrists, Bryce unclasped the material, watching it clatter onto the ground. “For the record, what you’re wearing now – that’s what I like you in the most.” Flirtatiously, Bryce winked at his fiancée, but he assumed she already knew he preferred her naked than anything else. Approaching the chair from behind, Bryce began wrapping the duct tape around her wrists. As the roll of tape made rotations, Bryce did squeeze and grab Alicia’s hands when possible. After three or four rotations, he finished his work by trailing the roll of tape in between her hands, crossing the opposite way of the initial wrapping. Bryce was pleased with his work, given a perfect view of his helpless fiancée.

Since he needed the duct tape again soon, Bryce simply placed the roll onto the floor beside the chair. Walking in front of Alicia again, before undressing, he reached down to grab her perky tits. “I love you in this position. It makes your breasts just stick out for me to touch and kiss.” A smile spread on his face while talking about her body like this, leaning down so he could touch her nipples and the entire flesh of her breasts with his mouth. Bryce would do this for about two minutes with each one of Alicia’s tits. Once he was certain Alicia had quite the arousal brewing, he pulled away. Even though she was starting out with oral sex, Bryce wanted to get comfortable. For that reason, he slowly stripped off his shirt, revealing his hard abdomen and chest. Then, he attacked his jeans, slowly pulling at the buttons and zippers. More or less, it was a little striptease for Alicia to watch. Since she was getting a show right now, Bryce wondered if she would return the favor. “Maybe you can struggle a little while I get undressed…” Bryce suggested – not expecting her to fully act out that she wanted to get away from him like they did once before. Instead, he just simply wanted her to test the duct tape, to see if she could free her hands or ankles. Although Bryce knew she could not, it was no secret that he was turned on watching her. Plus, he still kept the little stripping show moving along. “I wonder how hard you can get me without even touching me.”

--

It appeared Nick was more frustrated by the situation than Anna. Nick correlated past happiness in their relationship with being high together. He thought the inclusion of drugs or SOMETHING in their systems would help make things better. It was a good start, he thought. Unfortunately, they did not find anything too helpful, but they could make it work if they really wanted to get high. Nick had no intention of kicking his habit. Fairly enough, he never did intend to kick his habit. Even when his mother kept putting him into rehab center after rehab center, the Nick that was always telling his mother that “this was the last time” he ever used rugs, well, that Nick was lying. It felt too damn good. Could it really be that bad if it made him feel so wonderful? It did not help that most of his positive, fond memories, especially with Anna, occurred when he was high and around other people like him. It was probably going to take something spectacular for Nick to kick that habit. Again, he could never see it happening, no matter how much shit they were in. It was a nice escape from the real world.

Sitting down beside Anna, Nick graciously accepted the beef jerky and thanked Anna for her for the food. He helped look through everything between the two of them, not spotting anything particularly hopeful. Thinking about the other stores, Nick decided it was best they look for more shit. “yeah, I think we could. We don’t know what we’ll find. Maybe we’ll find something useful in either place. While we’re here, I think it is best we use the chance to search everything we can. We don’t know how long we’ll have the opportunity, how long before we need to move.” Nick responded mid chew, finally swallowing the piece of jerky.

“This fucking sucks, though. Just think about it – we haven’t been dealing with all this infection and shit long. Look at this place, look at the stores around it. Almost everyone is dead. All stores are basically empty. This won’t last forever. As time goes by, stores and houses will have less shit we can use or eat or drink. There’s gotta be something more than to just roaming around. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if we’ll find it. I hope that’s something we’ll see at Josh and Molly’s when we get there.”
 
"Well it seems we agree on that, but I've seen better on you." Alicia quipped with a little grin on her face; she figured that Bryce would realize what she meant by that and it would only encourage him to get naked faster. Being the only nude one left her feeling vulnerable but in the best way, though with every moment that passed the brunette needed her lover more and more. He seemed to be purposely making her wait, going slow - she growled as he pulled his shirt off in a tantalizingly slow manner. The longer he took the more desperate she grew, and she licked her lips as he finally freed his abdomen and then started to strip his pants from his body. Just because her feet fell away from his body so that he could tie her hands didn't mean that she couldn't try to reach for him. She leaned in towards him, never breaking eye contact.

He didn't even have to ask for her to struggle - and Alicia wasn't faking as she attempted to yank her hands free. Though she wasn't feigning fear or a need to escape, she genuinely had an increasing need to feel his touch once more. Every inch of her skin ached for him and so she pulled against the tape that tied her hands, both to appease Bryce and his desire for her to struggle, as well as in hopes of being able to reach out for him. Her attempt was feeble, however - the man knew how to secure someone's wrists and that was obvious. Alicia wasn't even able to get any give out of the tape no matter how much she pulled against it, and she could only imagine the affect that watching her try would have on her lover's mind and body. His last remark sounded like a dare, and that just made Alicia struggle harder, pull both her ankles and wrists against the tape, and arch her back to leave her breasts front and center.

----

Anna was barely capable of thinking about how she was going to live through now, let alone how shitty things were going to get. All she could do was think about where she was going to go, and hope that Molly would be doing alright. If things didn't go as planned Anna didn't know what she would do, but that was too far in the future for her to even consider. Nick was right, though - within the last couple weeks the world had fallen to hell. Most people were likely dead - it wasn't like they were running in to communities. The longer this went on the less competition they would have for the dwindling supplies, but the more enemies that they would have both dead and alive. The estate had seemed like it had potential - arable land, nearby waters, the people to support it. What was even left beyond that? How could she be sure that they would even reach the military base, or that it hadn't fallen like the quarantine had?

"I don't really want to think about that - how bad things are," she admitted as she slung her bag back over her shoulders, and then they started to walk towards the next shop over. "The base will be fine, it has to be. There's gotta be something good left in this world. She's the only good thing I've ever had, the only person that's never given up on me - not even when I'd given up on myself. She's okay and she's thriving and the place will be good. It has to be. We'll find them and then we'll be good too." Maybe the only good person was an exaggeration, but Molly was her person and even if she wasn't there needed to be something to hold on to. Anna may not have actually believed anything that she was saying, and she still didn't know if her and Nick would be okay, but finding the military base was the only real goal either of them had thought of for what to do. There needed to be something to look forward to, and Anna wasn't sure what she would do if things did not work out in the end.
 
Finally, Bryce stepped out of his boxers. Thanks to Alicia’s struggling, the erection was already gigantic. “Oh, damn. Look at my cock, Princess. Do you see how hard you’ve made me already? You haven’t even touched me. I’m so hard for you, Alicia. I can’t wait to have your mouth on my cock. This is going to be so much fun.” Everything she did aroused the young male. From the way her feet twisted, the way her toes curled, the way her hands pulled against the tape, that look in her eyes – Bryce was incredibly turned on. “Oh, fuck… your tits, Princess.” Continuing to smirk, his large hands cupped both of Alicia’s breasts, squeezing them firmly, digging his fingertips into her flesh. It was impossible to resist the urge for playing with them. “I love you so fucking much.” While playing with her breasts, Bryce leaned his head down to kiss her on the lips, sliding his tongue in between her lips. The kiss was passionate, but it was brief. He did not waste too much time on anything else. The dark-haired guy finally pulled away from her body. Although she wanted to touch him, that would have to wait.

However, Bryce was going to find a way for Alicia to utilize her mouth, still while receiving pleasure herself. “Are you ready, my love?” Bryce questions softly, giving her a similar look. Deciding to stand in front of her, his legs widening and straddling her bound legs, he leaned forward until the tip of his cock was only a few inches away from her mouth. It would only require the brunette to lean forward slightly before she could touch his cock. “Go ahead, Princess. Take your time. Get right to work. I don’t mind either way. I’m looking forward to this. I hope you can enjoy this as much as I do.” Falling silent, he simply stood still with his hands placed gently onto her shoulders, gently squeezing the skin there as he mused where to place his hands when she began.

--

A backup plan was something every central plan needed. However, Nick did not know what they would do if the military base was a pipe dream. Instead of pressing about it, Nick decided to not bring up such negativity. After all, perhaps negative thinking was not the best course of action. There was plenty to get a man down, though. Everyone they encountered basically felt the same hopelessness. When Anna confirmed Nick’s thoughts, he realized it was not the topic he should bring about ever again. However, the way she talked about Molly being the only person she has ever had that has done this and that for her kind of hurt Nick. Clearly, they did not see things the same way, but that was expected. It did not hurt him enough to make a big deal about it, but he supposed that he deserved some of the animosity she felt. Either way, Nick agreed with her. “You’re right. No matter thinking about all of that negativity. We’ll find Molly. Everything will work out in the end. You have to be right. I don’t’ believe that everything has gone to shit in the world. It can’t be true, no matter how bad things look.”

That was the end of the conversation. Since Anna made it clear how she felt about this topic, Nick would avoid it. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her again. As they moved into the next shop, they were silent. Thankfully, this small food shop was seemingly abandoned of the dead. Stragglers did roam the entire strip, but it appeared nobody attempted to set camp up within here. Of course, most food items were expired by now. Even in the apocalypse, eating rotten food would do more harm than good. It was not an entire tragedy, though. Nick did find a handful of canned beans in the pantry in the back. It was your stereotypical apocalypse food, but Nick had never been happier to see a can of beans. Hoping to find water as well, Nick’s search did not provide any. After he had searched his designated area of the store, the male returned to Anna’s side on the opposite end. “Find anything good?” He questioned, using a low voice.
 
Bryce's arousal was evident - though hearing the muscled male talk about just how appealing she was to him left Alicia soaking. He grabbed her breasts and toyed with the flesh, forcing her breath to hitch as his fingers pressed in to the sensitive flesh. The longer that he held of the more she desired him, and the only thing that Alicia needed in order be pleased was to know that the man of her dreams was feeling good at her hands. He stepped away, stood tall and strong and absolutely gorgeous - Bryce was one of (if not the) most handsome men that Alicia had ever laid eyes on. Though he was obviously excited for what was about to happen he was still allowing her to take things at her own pace and the amount of compassion that he showed and the amount of care he had for her comfort even though he had control over her was one of the most arousing parts. Alicia knew that she could be bound and gagged, unable to truly fight, and everything that she needed would still be respected.

At first she was nervous - in an excited way. He stood so that he was just inches from her and she started slow, leaning in to extend her tongue just slightly out of her mouth and lick the head of Bryce's thick, throbbing cock from bottom to top. Alicia didn't know what she had expected about what was coming but the taste was different than she'd thought it might be - though that wasn't a bad thing. The tip of her tongue flicked away from his length before she leaned in further. This time her full, pink lips (there was a part of her that wished she had made use of the tube of red lipstick in her pants pocket before now just because she had noticed the way it affected Bryce the last time that she had used it) wrapped around the head of his length and she opened wide to accommodate his thickness. She started slow and careful, only taking what she was sure she could handle, but quickly Alicia grew more confident. Her tongue toyed with Bryce's length, both experimenting with her own interests and how it felt to have him in her mouth, as well as figure out what kind of actions that he found most enjoyable. While she was happy to find out on her own, and it would feel like quite the success, Alicia would be glad to take any tips that her fiance had to offer.

-----

Anna had an unwavering attachment to Molly and it was pointless to try to fight any of it because that was her person and even Nick himself had given up on her once upon a time. Maybe he had a right to, but he did and that was the fact of the matter. Molly was the one who had picked her fifteen year old ass up off the ground when she had been left homeless, the one who had kept her in school (as pointless as Anna still thought that was), and nursed her through the after-effects of everything that had happened to her. It was the kind of presence that was impossible to beat, and had extended long past when Nick and her had split in to when her self destruction had started ruining the people around her too. Nick had been important, though - very important. He had a first of hers that she never thought that she would give to anyone, after all.

It was time to move on, though. The restaurant left them with very little, though the extra few minutes that it allowed the pair to still was an appreciated break. She found nothing of use and told Nick as much; the pair then spent another couple minutes on a well-deserved break but then it was time to keep going. They sorted themselves out a bit first, "freshening up" the layer of grime that kept them invisible from the dead, and then they were out. Given that they were already close to the edge of town it did not take long for them to get back to the highway - after that it was mostly a clear shot. In a relatively short period of time they passed a sign showing that Tijuana was quite a way off - but that also meant that they were heading in the right direction. It felt like both a million days and no time at all before the sun started to set on them, quickly threatening to vanish for the night. While they had made good distance so far, they still had quite a ways to go and she paused as they neared an off-ramp.

"It's starting to get late," she mused with her hands in her pockets, glancing towards the turn in the road that would lead in to a town. "Think we should probably find somewhere to crash for the night - what about you?"
 
Bryce watched Alicia curiously. How would she begin? The feeling of her tongue licking the thick flesh from top to bottom was a perfect starting point. It made Bryce moan, intensifying his arousal immediately. At this point, his girth was vividly pulsating, especially around the tip. Bryce had hoped to last a while, but at this rate, he had no clue how long he could go without releasing inside of the brunette’s mouth. This was quite possible one of the hottest things they had done so far. It was probably topped only by her pretending to resist him the first time they used bondage. When her tongue pulled away, Bryce was breathing heavily. Their eyes were locked together, but Bryce could not formulate any words. Just seeing her tied up while giving him the blow job made this experience even better. While it would have provided more physical sensation if she had the use of her hands, but that did not matter. Undoubtedly, Bryce would MUCH prefer that Alicia’s wrists were tied up while she was giving him a blow job (or anything else, for that matter). Just when Bryce wasn’t sure if things could get any better, Alicia proved him wrong. When those pretty, pink lips wrapped around the head of his cock, he moaned twice as loud as he did just seconds ago. Since he needed to hold onto something, one hand wrapped in her long, soft hair.

Despite how slowly she moved, only taking a couple inches into his mouth, Bryce still found the experience enjoyable. It might have been obvious that Bryce liked the way her tongue felt against his cock, from a comment he made. “Oh, fuck… keep doing that Princess. Use a lot of tongue…” That was one of his favorite parts, after all. The way the warm, wet flesh just enveloped and caressed his cock was phenomenal. She was quickly riling him up to points he had never reached before in his life. The best thing about that: it was only their first time. Knowing that she would want pointers, Bryce decided to offer them. “When you pull back, I want you to kiss me – the tip, the base – everywhere. Don’t forget to play with my balls, too. Suck on them. Kiss them. I also love it when you keep eye contact with me. There’s just something so hot -ohhh….” She had just reached a sensitive spot on his cock, making him moan mid-sentence, arching his hips forward before he could continue. “I know it might be hard to multi-task right now, but if you can still struggle some, that would be sexy, too.”

--

During the short break, Nick found himself worried. Looking up, it appeared like a front of dark clouds was moving in. This was not something he ever thought about. They likely would have been screwed if it started to rain. It would wash away the blood and guts on their clothing. It would likely was away the stench, too. Suddenly, Nick’s formula for perfection had a flaw. It was not something he ever considered since it had been sunny for the last couple weeks without any major rainfall when he was covered in blood. It was something to keep an eye out for, something to think about. The clouds looked horrible, signaling it was likely to rain soon. One could only assume that a thunderstorm would rile up the infected. They were obviously attracted to sound. Few natural happenings were louder than thunder. It did not help they were in the heart of this crowded city in Mexico. It was a recipe for disaster, but Nick tried to not think about it. He tried to view it like Anna did – that things would work out because they had to work out. He would not worry about a Plan B or worry about potential dangers. After all, Nick mostly lived his life this way.

Seeing the sign that told them they were going in the right direction on the highway was satisfying. On the other hand, it was somewhat disturbing. This side of the highway was absolutely clear. This was the side of the highway heading towards Tijuana. The opposite side? There had been cars in a log jam for miles, various infected clogging the small gaps in between cars that existed. It might have been valuable to seek supplies from these vehicles, but it was too risky. Nick and Anna were forced to keep walking, but it looked like everyone was trying to escape from the route they were headed towards. That was not promising. As the sun set, Nick felt thankful no rain had fallen. They were still good for the moment. Listening to the woman as they walked down the ramp, Nick agreed. “I think you’re right. There’s no use of trying to gain any ground in the dark. We’ll just pick the first house we find and make it a home for tonight.” Nick felt tired since they had been moving all day. It felt like an oasis when he saw the first house just off the ramp. It was small, a one story house that looked quite abandoned from the outside.
 
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