Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

He opened the door and looked at her, slowly stepping forward out of the bathroom toward his cross-armed lover. His steely eyes fixed upon her and he spoke, "and if they do? There's no way they would know who did it or where we went. They don't know anything about-"

Damien stopped, his lips pursing for a moment. "The girl. They know her. If they see her with us, they'll know we were the ones that did it. If they stake out the apartment, it would be difficult for us to leave without a fight. Unless you know of a back-exit or something." His hand went up to scratch his neck, the man bringing it back to see purple blood in his nails. He thought to himself briefly that he would have to wash that off later.

She seemed worried about them coming back and he stepped forward, putting his arms around her in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt us."

 

[Drobabes]

She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his comforting scent for a moment. She believed him when he said he wouldn't let anyone hurt them, but the women worried her just a little. If she saw the men and panicked, or if she got angry, something bad could happen. Neither emotion was good to have when you were in a situation where staying calm was absolutely crucial.

She stepped back from him a little ways, but took his hand in hers.

"Well, we wanted to leave anyway right? Would it be a bad idea to leave sooner rather than later, and avoid a fight altogether?"

 

[Poprockz]

He sighed, "I wish we could stay a bit longer. Once we're on the road, things are going to be hard. Perhaps harder than either of us have experienced before; I wanted to preserve a bit of normalcy for a while but..." Damien squeezed her hand a bit and lifted his other hand to caress her cheek.

His eyes looked a bit sad, but he did want to be supportive. "We either need to leave very soon or wait a long time till they lose interest. I lean toward the former option since we have no idea how many zombies will congregate even in a couple weeks' time. We still need to stop by the cabin for more supplies. How much of a supply of medicine do you have left? It might be a long time before we can get more."

 

[Drobabes]

Normalcy. The word made her want laugh. When had life ever been normal outside a few brief flickers of time?

As his fingers brush her cheek, she droops her head a bit and looks down at the ground. Yea, she wanted things to stay normal too. She wanted to have made it to Washington in time, and have had her brother here by their side along with them. She wanted to erase the memory of Sarah's glazed over demonic eyes, and the way her head had splattered the wall as she pumped the last of the shotgun bullets into her face. She wanted a lot of things out of life but everything was just a roll of the dice and the only thing you could ever change was your odds of rolling high or low.

She clears her throat before speaking.

"I have about three and a half months worth, assuming nothing happens. If we can find a good library in that time, I might be able to study. I don't know" she shrugged, not meaning to sound so short.

"Studying medicine takes years, and even then, I don't have anyone to talk to that already has experience. No teachers or colleagues to double check answers with. Anyway", she pulled away from him then.

"Yea, if we're going to get out of here, lets get what ever we need in the car."

 

[Poprockz]

He looked like he was struggling with something for a moment, his face conflicted. "... Let's visit my mansion. My mom had a hysterectomy, and she had a decent hoard of medication put away for her. She doesn't need it anymore, she's probably dead by now anyway." His words were cold and just a hint of venom could be detected in his voice. Damien's eyes darkened for a minute before he turned away from her and started toward the stairs.

Yes... His mother should be dead at this point with no one to tend to her. Released from her state of semi-consciousness to the peace of death. He thought to himself that she didn't deserve to leave so soon, to be released from the suffering of only being half-alive. The last thing he wanted was to go back to the mansion, but he wanted Cora's safety and health more than he wanted not to look at his mother's face again.

Damien wasn't sure if he could ever tell Cora what happened.

Almost as an afterthought, he turned to her and said, "I think we should move to the car and leave in the same trip. If we go back and forth it's more of a risk of both being noticed and attracting more of those things."

 

[Drobabes]

A mansion? He had a goddamn mansion? Had she missed him mentioning that earlier somehow? And his mother was still alive? She thought he had said they were both dead. Then again, he didn't sound very fond of the women. Maybe she was old or in a hospital dieing somewhere and he didn't care to visit.

"...If we go back and forth it's more of a risk of both being noticed and attracting more of those things."

"Right."

She followed him out quickly, then went to her room and knocked on the door. After a small pause, she gently opened it and stepped inside.

"We're leaving. We're going to grab our supplies and go. I think I have enough cloths on me for both of us, but I'm going to pack lightly, so only grab two pairs of everything. What size shoe do you wear? Will a nine in womens fit you?"

Cora made herself busy, grabbing a fresh clean towel and rolling it, then sitting two pairs of clothes for herself next to it, which she also rolled up. She grabbed her medication, and the swiss army knife because they were small and it wouldn't hurt to have an extra. She then took Bowie and gently placed him in his travelling bin, latching the lid shut.

 

[Poprockz]

Daphne looked up in shock as Cora took her new reptilian friend from her lap and put him into his carrier. It was obvious that she expected to be able to rest a bit before moving on to wherever it was they were going. Though after a few moments she realized the urgency of Cora's words and got up. She unraveled her towel and tossed it on the bed, exposing her attractive body as she went over to the dresser.

Not a second later, Damien opened the door and started saying, "Cora, do you want me to-" He stared in shock as Daphne turned, naked. Her own eyes widened like saucers as she covered herself and turned around, dashing into the closet.

He stood there frozen for a moment before looking at Cora with an "Oh god, I'm so sorry look" and pulling out and quickly, closing the door behind him. He hadn't meant to walk in on the other girl changing, having assumed that she would have already done so by now. The man rubbed his face with his hand, letting out a stressed breath before turning to start packing some more food in the kitchen.

 

[Drobabes]

She stood still for about two seconds after watching the little scene, and then she snorted a small laugh.

"He's gone, hun, you can come out of the closet."

She was actually a little surprised by his reaction. Not a week ago he had forcefully swept her off her feet and cut her shirt off, but accidentally walking in on a beautiful naked women embarrassed him?

"I think you embarrassed him more than he embarrassed you."

Cora couldn't wipe the smirk off her lips as she made her way to the bathroom and grabbed the rest of what she needed. She was done and ready to go in less than five minutes, grabbing the pack and adjusting it on her back to get a feel for how heavy it was. Then she bent over and picked up Bowie.

All in all, she guessed she had about sixty pounds of extra weight on her body, her clothes included. Her and her brother regularly hiked with at least thirty, so even though it was heavier than she would have liked, she didn't imagine it would take her too long to adjust. If they were strict with working out, she might even be able to carry quite a bit more.

She took the pack off and sat it by the door, thanking her mother and fathers genetics for not leaving her a short women. She then turned to Daphne, the snake still in her arms.

"Are you ready? We aren't coming back."

 

[Poprockz]

Daphne poked her head out of the closet and walked back over to the dresser. Digging inside, she came out with a sport's bra that was a bit older and stretched, a T-shirt, and a pair of jeans. She took a pair of underwear and gestured at them with an awkward expression.

"Do you mind if I wear these? I mean, I feel weird wearing your underwear, but I'm not sure there's much we can do about it." She set her clothes down on the bed and started putting them on. The bra strained from the size of her breasts, but it was at least a workable fit. The T-shirt also strained, but the underwear and jeans were fine.

Once some socks were put on, she accepted the shoes from Cora. Her own feet were actually size 7 1/2, but she simply would simply have to tie the laces tight and bear with the looseness for now. She looked at Bowie and then up at Cora and nodded with a resolute look. "I'm ready when you are."

------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Damien was down in the kitchen, loading another bag with all the food he could. Though it would be a bit heavy, especially with the duffel bag of papers and additional food, he wanted some fresh stuff for their car ride as well. Might as well eat as fresh as they could until that wasn't an option anymore.

The sight of Daphne's body was seared into his mind, and he would be lying if it didn't turn him on a little. The thing about it was that Cora had seen him looking. What if she thought that he was a danger to the other girl and decided to leave with her, ditching him as he slept? She had said that she trusted him more than anyone right now, but trust was easily broken. He desperately wanted her to stay with him, and in his mind he was afraid that her love would be withheld due to his mistake.

What if she thought that he was attracted to the other girl and wanted her instead? Or if he ever talked to Daphne alone and Cora started to think he was cheating on her. It had only taken him a couple days to fall in love with her, so it stood to reason that his mind might be easily swayed. He worked quietly, deep in thought as he went through scenario after scenario, getting more and more worried by the second.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora took one last look around the room that had been her home for the last five years. She hadn't planned on staying in it for the rest of her life, but she hadn't expected to leave it so soon either. With a sigh, she turned and picked the pack up.

She came down the stairs and sat her pack and Bowie by the door, then she went into the kitchen and put her hand on Damien's back.

"You ready? Do you want us to carry anything?"

She was looking at the bags, and wondering if she shouldn't grab that pillowcase with all the Tylenol in it. It only took her about two seconds to make up her mind, and she went over to where she had shoved it next to the microwave. She grabbed the whole pillowcase and opened the backpack, pausing briefly when she saw the white dress still folded up in the bottom. She quickly stuffed the Tylenol in to cover it up, suddenly feeling a little bit embarrassed that she had kept it. Her reasons at the time had made sense, but now it just felt a little obsessive. Oh well, she would return it to him later when they weren't literally trying to run from a dangerous situation.

"Do you think we should take my car or yours?"

She put her arms through the pack as she turned around to face him, and she finally noticed that he seemed stressed. She came to him then and put her hand on his arm gently, looking up into his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

 

[Poprockz]

Damien was so deep in thought that he barely registered what she had said until after her question. "Um, well I'll carry my pack and the duffel bag. I think we should put the papers into my bag since it'll be more secure there. Daphne can carry the extra bag of food, and you can carry your pack and Bowie."

While she went to put the pillowcase in her bag, he finished up what he was doing, putting their sandwiches he made earlier in little plastic baggies before grabbing a roll of trash bags and shoving it into the bag also.

"What did you-oh! The cars... um, let's take mine for now since it almost has a full tank right now. If we had more time, we might have siphoned what was left of your gas, but I don't think that's a good idea with our situation and with all the infected people wandering around." He didn't look up until he felt that gentle hand on his arm, his eyes going to hers as though drawn by some force.

Dammit, she had noticed. He didn't want to come out and voice his concerns, as that only ever resulted in digging himself further into bad situations. Staying silent was what he was taught to do, but he suspected that wouldn't work with her. His mouth opened just as Daphne came down the stairs. He glanced at her and then quickly looked away and shook his head. "No, I'm good. I just... I love you very much, you know that, right?" His steely eyes looked to her as if seeking something before looking away once more with a short clearing of his throat.

God, he sounded like a broken record. He had said that same sentence to her before, and he probably seemed like a needy child rather than a grown man. Damien put the sandwiches in the bag and pulled away from her, picking up his pack and putting it on, adjusting the straps for himself in the process.

 

[Drobabes]

She didn't quite understand why he was so nervous when just minutes ago he had been calm and confident. Perhaps it was just the weight of the situation finally dawning on him, and the fact he now had two people to protect, not just one.

"I know, I love your too..." she said quietly.

She wished she could calm him somehow. As he put his own pack on, she looked over briefly to see if Daphne was close by. Seeing that was she was still in her living room, Cora quickly went up and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. If he was just nervous or scared, she didn't know if anything she could say would really help him in that moment, but she hoped that maybe a physical touch at least, might help calm him. She knew at least for her it always did, but she was still treading water on trying to understand him and she wouldn't know what helped or what didn't until she just tried.

Almost as an afterthought, she said, "I have your back too, you know..."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien nodded, wondering to himself whether she was just saying so to placate him. In the moments of passion between them, he could look into her eyes and know that she was telling him the truth, but in the quiet in-between moments the doubt slipped into his mind. He soon felt a pair of gentle, warm arms moving around him above his hips, and part of him relaxed a little. While it wasn't enough to drive away the fear and doubt, it at least comforted him to feel her touch.

He reached down and softly placed his arms on top of hers, holding her against him almost. Her comment caused him to cock his head to the side in confusion, wondering what she meant by that. His mind tried to put the pieces together for a few moments before he guessed that she might be worried about the dangerousness of their next outing. It made sense, seeing as they would be steeling away into his car, never to return and with no way of knowing whether they would be able to get out of the city safely. His mansion was on the outskirts of the city, somewhat near the cabin, so it would be just a bit of a drive there.

Turning around in her arms, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, lingering before pulling back. "Don't worry, we'll make it through somehow."

Over by the door, Daphne silently crouched near Bowie's bag, simply looking at the snake as she eavesdropped on them. It wasn't as though she had any insidious intention, but the girl was curious about their relationship.

 

[Drobabes]

She melted into his kiss, pulling him just a little closer than was necessary. When he pulled away, she tried to hide the little pout on her face, quickly going back to business mode. She let out a little sigh and then started grabbing supplies, bringing a few bags out for Daphne to carry seeing as she had her two packs and Bowie to juggle. It wasn't a lot, especially since they were just going to the car, but seeing as the women didn't have anything else to carry Cora would leave her to handle a majority of the bags.

A few moments later she stood ready by the not, the metal bat in the hand where she was holding Bowie's container in her arm. She assumed Damien would want to go first, so we waited for him to lead.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien gave her a little smile before heading toward the door, looking back at them to make sure they were ready to leave. He looked at Cora, then Daphne, the raven-haired woman nodding with a resolute expression. Turning to the door, the man then opened it slowly, finding that the hall was empty once again. That was a relief, but they had three floors down to go.

He made his way to the stairs, shovel in hand and duffel in the other. He would drop the shovel if he needed the pistol, but he would rather not waste ammo if at all possible. They moved carefully and quietly, every creak and rattle of the floor or building sending goosebumps down his arms.

Daphne clutched the food bag nervously, looking over her shoulder every few moments as though she was worried that someone would get the jump on them, though for the moment everything seemed to be going as planned as they reached the next floor, and then the next. There was one more to go, the one through which they would exit and leave via his car.

He paused by the stairs and looked at Daphne, whispering his next words, “stay close. My car is silver and looks expensive. I don’t think you’ll have to recognize it, but just in case we have to run, you should know where we’re headed. I’m parked right out front.” He looked at Cora. “Are we ready to run?”

 

[Drobabes]

The walk down the stairs was absolutely nerve-racking, and she quickly realized that she was going to have to make some adjustments to her packs if they were going to have to get out and hike.

She took the time to stuff the smaller backpack into her larger full body pack as they paused by the door. Seeing that there was a small amount of space on top, Cora stuffed Bowie's small container on top and zipped it halfway shut. She didn't want him falling out if they had to run like Damien was suggesting, but she needed to be able to get him out of the pack before they threw their luggage in the trunk. He was a tough animal, but she doubted he could withstand the summer heat in a car trunk.

Once she had her hands free and the gear was adjusted so it wouldn't slip around on her back, she gripped the bat with both hands.

"Daphne, you should probably stay between me and Damien since you don't have a weapon yet. Let Damien lead, and I'll follow, but like he said, if we have to run just run."

She glanced over her shoulder, getting a bit of the creeps, then looked to Damien and nodded. This was the last stretch, but they had no idea what was out there.

 

[Poprockz]

Daphne nodded at Cora and situated herself between them, her knuckles white as her hands clenched around the bag. It was obvious that this was nerve-wracking for her as well, not really knowing what to expect.

He took the nod from Cora to mean that they were all set, carefully descending that last flight of steps. Upon reaching the bottom, he held his hand up for a pause. There were three zombies in the lobby, but he estimated they could get out the front door before they started coming. Damien held up three fingers and gestured at the lobby before pointing at the door and nodding. With that, he started quickly but quietly heading for the door with them in tow.

The other woman stuck to his heels like a lost kitten, shaking as she heard the zombie's groans. She refused to look at them though, not wanting to psych herself out.

They were successful in getting to the door before the first zombie loudly moaned, starting to shuffle in their direction. Damien held the door open for the ladies and gestured urgently for them to quickly come through before taking the lead by bounding in front again. He wasn't lying in saying his car was right there, and the man jogged to the driver's seat and unlocked the door, clicking the locks off rather than unlocking it with the key fob. A beep was not what he wanted ringing out about now. He opened the back seat and tossed the pack and duffel bag in there as Daphne did the same, Daphne settling into the back as Damien returned to the driver's seat.

There were a couple zombies here and there near them, but they had been quick enough not to attract too much attention yet.

 

[Drobabes]

Her heart rate picked up as she saw Damien signal to them that they're were three. She knew they would be faster than them, but even three was way more than she wanted to deal with. And unlike Daphne, Cora didn't look away. A lifetime of living in a violent home had taught her to keep her eyes on the threat at all times, no matter how much it scared her to look.

When the first zombie noticed them she all but cursed out loud, it's strange alarm sounding almost as if it were in pain. She didn't have to be told to stay close as she all but flat-tired Daphne's feet. When they neared the car, she was already working on getting her arm loosened from her travelling gear, and in two smooth motions she threw her equipment in the backseat and yanked Bowie out of the pack. Then she jumped in the front sit and hit the lock before putting her seatbelt on.

She didn't breath a sigh of relief yet, though. She probably wouldn't be able to do that until they were well on the way to his cabin.

She kept her eyes on the windows as she slid Bowies container down near her feet, and then reached in the back to grab the bat. Honestly, she probably couldn't do much with it from inside the car, but the feeling of strong metal in her hands was assuring.

 

[Poprockz]

He buckled his seatbelt and made sure the doors were locked before putting the key in the ignition, starting the car up. It wasn't loud like a lot of sporty cars, having more of the soft purr of a well-built motor. Still, several zombies looked up at the noise and started toward them; he had no intention of letting them get close. Smoothly, he pulled away from the curb and started driving down the road.

The car was tense for a few minutes of silent driving before Daphne let out a shaky breath. "Jesus, I don't think I'll ever get used to this."

Damien glanced back at her via the rearview mirror and nodded. "It's pretty surreal, that's for sure. But I think that we'll become accustomed to this eventually. As someone once said, you can get used to living with a lot of shit." He gave Cora a little smile and then reached out hesitantly, eventually setting his hand on her thigh. It was something he had seen people do in movies, and it seemed like it might be something she would appreciate right now.

"I think we should head to the mansion first. There are people in the house taking refuge there, so it'll be easier to load up and move out. Plus, I think we could even stay there for a night since it's on the outskirts- there wouldn't be a lot of those things out and about around the grounds."

 

[Drobabes]

It was only when Damien pulled away from the curb and started driving that she was finally able to let out her breath, plopping back against the comfortable seat and closing her eyes for a moment. She let herself rest, even when Daphne started to speak, until she felt that warm hand on her thigh.

She opened her eyes and met his as a small smile touched her lips, having heard what he said. Her own hand sought his out, and she was content to just hold it as long as he would let her.

Her head still rested on the back of the seat as she watched the world go by outside the window, absentmindedly tapping her finger on the bat.

"I think we should head to the mansion first. There are people in the house taking refuge there..."

"Shit" she exclaimed, sitting up suddenly.

"Damien, what if they turned?"

She didn't want to make him feel bad if he was attached to those people personally, but in her observations, she hadn't noticed a bite wound on each zombie. She also believed it wouldn't have spread as quickly as it had, if it wasn't something that was air-born. It just made no sense; the world governments would have done a hard lockdown if it spread by a simple bite, and bite alone.

 

[Poprockz]

"Then we kill them." He replied, not missing a beat as his eyes focused on the road. The servants and workers at his mansion were not loved by him as they shared a mutual indifference. A lot of them were still loyal to his mother and were generally displeased by what he had done. No one could really prove anything or speak it above a hushed whisper, but they knew that the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Finch had been the one to ensure the mistress's demise. Well, near demise.

"We need that medicine, Cora. There's really no way around it. I know that mansion like the back of my hand though, so if you want to wait in the car, it might be safer that way." Part of him hoped she would accept, staying put and out of sight as he snuck in and got the things they needed quickly. What would she think of him if she learned the truth about his mother? She would think he was a monster, and he wouldn't be able to tell her that she was wrong because she wouldn't be.

 

[Drobabes]

She didn't flinch at the first thing he said. She had already assumed that they weren't close, and it only made sense to just put them down if they had already turned. However, as he suggested that she stay put in the car, she got a bit nervous. She didn't know if she could do that.

She lets go of his hand to bring her thumb up to her mouth, chewing on the nail a little as she stares out the window and thinks. He had a point in that he knew the building much better than her and could get in and out quickly...but if he got overrun... It was coming down to that same fear again. If only they had another person with them.

Coras eyes glance in the mirror for just the briefest of seconds. She didn't know Daphne yet, but based off of what she did know so far, she didn't trust her to be able to watch his back. Not that she thought he would have let her, or even that she was making a judge on her character, no. It was just the fact that she hadn't let herself look at that zombie as they were leaving, and even though it had been four men who had overpowered her, she didn't have many marks besides some mild bruising, which led Cora to believe she hadn't tried to fight back. Which was, admittedly, a good thing. If she had fought back she probably would have gotten herself killed. However, this all led to Cora not having any evidence that Daphne could hold herself well under pressure, and while she hoped the women would prove her wrong about that in the near future, she didn't want to gamble on it by risking anyone's safety.

After another minute of staring out the window, she drops her hand to her lap and looks over to him.

"How many do you think are inside?"

 

[Poprockz]

His eyes glanced at her as she withdrew her hand from his, but he kept his hand firmly on her warm thigh.

"Hmm..." He thought for a minute, seemingly calculating it in his head. It wasn't too large of a mansion, their other mansion being across the US. "Currently there are 70 staff members, but some of them fled, some wanted to shelter their families there, and some simply didn't make it back in time based on some of the texts I saw when I left the cabin. I would estimate about 35 people are there currently since most live in the city." Damien realized that this did pose a problem. At first thought, he hadn't thought that there would be a lot of people since 70 or more was what he was used to, but 35 was still a high number if one was talking about zombies.

Daphne seemed to have the same thought, exclaiming, "Thirty-five?! That's going to be dangerous if more than 5 of them corner us in one of the rooms. I... I really don't want to go inside. I'm honestly really scared, but I think I would be more scared to be left out in the car. If we stick together, we should at least be able to take down one zombie each, so as long as it's only 3 at a time, we'll be okay." Her voice didn't sound confident, more like she was seeking confirmation that this was a solid take.

He turned off the main city road and went onto the highway, habitually driving within the lines on the road.

 

[Drobabes]

Her brows furrowed as she listened to them both talk. That was a hell of a high number just for some medicine that wasn't going to kill her if she didn't take it for a while. She wasn't sure if that alone was worth the risk. She was about to voice this concern, when an idea struck her.

"Hey...they bring their own vehicles right? Like, do you have a parking area?"

Her eyes were still on the road, surprised she wasn't seeing more abandoned cars on the highway. Although the ones she did see seemed to have gone off the road, as if they had fallen asleep at the wheel. It made her shiver.

"What if we set one of the alarms off in someone's car? Do you think that would get their attention and make them group towards that?"

 

[Poprockz]

Damien looked at her with wide eyes, his mouth curling into an excited grin. “Yes! That’d be perfect. We could park to the side and set a car off on the other side, the biggest noise wins!” Damien patted her thigh, clearly very pleased with the idea.

Their passenger also piped in excitedly, “plus, if that draws them all outside, or at least gets them pawing at the windows, we won’t be rushed either!”

The car took an exit and started down another road, the vehicle getting closer and closer to their destination.