9. River
9
RIVER
R iver woke to the soft light of dawn seeping through the dirty windows. The cold air nipped at her exposed skin, but the warmth of Eliza’s body beside her meant she hardly felt it. Her arm was draped around Eliza’s voluptuous waist. She wished life was normal outside. She wished she’d met Eliza on a dating app and they were about to get coffee and lunch at a cool spot in the city.
What a way to wake up.
For a moment, River lay there, her eyes tracing the curve of Eliza’s back and the way her hair fanned out across her plump breasts. Their sex played on a loop in her mind—the raw passion and the depth of the connection they’d shared surprised River with its intensity. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt, and all she could think of in that moment was her desire to do it all over again.
River wasn’t usually the type to second-guess herself, but as she lay there, a voice in the back of her mind whispered to her incessantly. What did this mean? Had she forgotten all about her father? Why add a new layer of complexity to what was already a huge challenge?
She watched as Eliza began to stir, her movements slow and careful as she extricated herself from River’s embrace. River’s hand slipped from Eliza’s waist, and she felt the loss of contact acutely, though she didn’t move to close the gap. Eliza sat up on the edge of the couch, her back to River, the blanket wrapped tightly around her.
“Morning,” Eliza said in a raspy voice.
River could sense the conflict in Eliza before even seeing her face. It was there in the tense slope of her shoulders, in the way she seemed unsure of what to do next.
With a soft sigh, River sat up and reached out to place a hand on Eliza’s back. She felt the tension beneath her fingers, and she longed to smooth it away and reassure Eliza.
“Lize,” River murmured, her voice heavy with sleep but laced with concern. “What’s up, sweetie?”
Eliza shook her head slowly, her shoulders lifting into a shrug. “Sweetie? Really? I’m just…I’m trying to make sense of what we did last night. I don’t know if this whole zombie apocalypse situation is making me crazy or something.”
River’s eyes twitched. She didn’t like how this sounded, but she could understand that a sudden gay awakening in the midst of a zombie outbreak was hard to comprehend. “There’s nothing that says we have to figure all this out right here and now. Why can’t we take it one step at a time? That’s what we’ve been doing so far, right?”
Eliza nodded, though River could see that her doubts still lingered. “I know. It’s just that I didn’t ask for any of this. It’s not my thing, and now…”
“And now you’re wondering if it might be your ‘thing?’” River interrupted softly, squeezing Eliza’s hand. “Well, I think it is. I think we could really have something worth exploring here. And yeah, the timing sucks. I’m worried to death about my father. You don’t know where your family is and it’s the goddamn apocalypse. But Eliza...I want you around, and I think you might feel the same way. Plus, what have we got to lose?”
Her words seemed to be sinking in, and River watched as Eliza’s posture eased slightly. She leaned in, turning Eliza’s face toward her and capturing her lips in a kiss that was meant to be reassuring. The kiss was soft and tender, but it quickly deepened as their mutual need for each other surged back to the surface.
River could feel Eliza falling into her, her hesitation giving way to the same hunger that had driven them the night before. Every last ounce of fear seemed to dissolve in the heat of the moment, replaced by a raw, undeniable desire that neither of them could ignore.
Eliza’s breath became fast and loud as River’s hands roamed all over her body, exploring every inch of her skin with relish. She pulled Eliza closer, invading her mouth with her soft, wet tongue until their need for each other became desperate. Eliza responded, her fingers growing bolder as River gently pushed her onto her back on the couch.
They moved together with a rhythm that felt both familiar and thrillingly new. River’s lips traveled down Eliza’s neck, tasting the warm saltiness of her skin as Eliza arched into her touch, her body reacting instinctively to the pleasure River was so delighted to be giving her.
Every problem that had been weighing down on River ceased to exist. There was only Eliza—the way she felt beneath her hands, the sound of her breathless gasps, the way their bodies seemed to move together so perfectly. Eliza was all that was good in the world.
“I want to taste you and touch myself. Is that okay? I’m so hungry for you,” River whispered.
“I want that a lot,” Eliza moaned.
With a newfound confidence, River made her way between Eliza’s thighs, removing her panties before sinking her tongue and lips into Eliza’s swollen vulva. Eliza’s reaction was immediate, her body tensing as she gasped. Wetness dripped down her thighs as River deeply licked and kissed her.
“Oh, River! That feels so good. So fucking good,” Eliza moaned.
River tightened her grip on Eliza’s legs and held her steady as she felt the other woman start to buck against her. River’s spare hand slid down between her own thighs, massaging her pulsing clit as her body edged toward a huge climax.
Suddenly, a loud bang caused River to jolt upright.
“Fuck. What was that?” River gasped as she wiped her lips and grabbed the crowbar she kept by their side.
Eliza could barely get herself together, her body still tingling from River’s touch.
River quickly got up and checked the windows. A couple of infected were wandering around the yard.
“Fuck, they’re outside. Stay quiet and let them pass. Your moaning must’ve caught their attention.” River couldn’t help but smirk.
Eliza sat up, quickly dressing herself and regaining her sex-addled mind.
“We should get on the road. We can’t lose more time,” she said softly, remembering the need to help River’s dad.
“As much as I hate to stop touching you, you’re right.” River sorted out her clothes and made sure the walkers had passed. “The walkers have gone now, so let’s get our stuff together and head out. We can continue this later,” she said with a gentle smile on her face.
After gathering up their belongings and scavenging anything they could find in the old farmhouse’s cupboard of medical supplies, they made their way toward the cabin.
“I’ll always remember this place, whatever happens,” said Eliza, taking one last look behind her.
The landscape grew more rugged and the terrain was more challenging, but River felt happy to have found Eliza. Even if the world was fucked right now, something good had come of it. She had one ray of light in the nightmare that was real life.
The day passed in a steady rhythm of walking and resting, the silence between them comfortable and filled with the unspoken understanding that had developed between them. River found herself stealing glances at Eliza, her heart swelling with affection. Eliza was stronger and more capable than she gave herself credit for, but there was a softness to her that River knew only a few had ever really witnessed.
As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, they came across a small clearing where a group of people had set up a makeshift camp. It felt so strange to see other human beings. They’d been walking for hours and only caught a glimpse of the odd hare and a couple of wild ponies.
“Hold up,” River urged, her voice slightly panicked. “We can’t just go barging in. I can see they’re not walkers, but we can’t trust them. Think about it. Everybody is trying to survive and I doubt there are any cops around.”
The group looked weary, their faces drawn with exhaustion. As River and Eliza approached with caution, it became clear that something was terribly wrong—one of the group members was lying on a ragged woolen blanket, her face white and covered in sweat.
Eliza’s instincts kicked in immediately. “River, come on! Hurry! We need to help them,” she said firmly.
River was already moving toward the group. “Okay. Just this once, though. Let’s see what we can do, but we need to keep our wits about us.”
As they reached the camp, a man stepped forward, his eyes filled with desperation. “Hello there. Can you help us? My little sister…she’s sick. Real sick. We don’t know what to do. The world has gone crazy.”
Eliza knelt beside the teenage girl and did her best to assess her condition quickly. Her breathing was labored, and she had a deep gash on her leg that looked infected. Eliza’s heart sank.
“Has she been bitten by one of them?” Eliza asked, her voice calm but authoritative.
No response.
“I can help, but I need water, alcohol, bandages, and you’re going to have to let me see what medicines you have. Do you have anything?”
The man nodded, rushing to gather the supplies as Eliza set to work. River stayed by her side, offering support as Eliza cleaned the wound and applied a makeshift poultice to draw out the infection. The young woman groaned in pain, but Eliza worked quickly, her hands steady as she did everything she could to stabilize her.
“Has she been bitten or scratched? We need to know. In fact, you should have said something before you let her go digging around in an open wound!” shouted River, feeling panicked as she helplessly watched the woman she cared for putting her own life at risk to save a stranger.
“We don’t think so. There haven’t been any of those dead people around here. We’re safe here,” explained an older woman who River assumed was the mother of the wounded girl. “She fell off her horse onto a jagged rock. It was days ago. I tried to keep it clean, but there was no running water. It’s been so hard…”
As Eliza continued to work, the other members of the group watched with their eyes wide with gratitude.
“Okay, I’ve stopped the bleeding and cleaned the wound as best I can. She’s going to need rest and more care, but I think she’ll pull through. You have six days’ worth of antibiotics here. I found them at the bottom of your first aid kit. You see these? They date back a few years, but they’ll do. Give her one in the morning and one in the evening until the whole packet is gone. Even if she starts to feel better, you have to give her all of them, do you understand?” Eliza said finally, wiping the sweat from her brow as she finished bandaging the girl’s leg.
The man who’d spoken earlier grasped her hand, his eyes shining with tears. “Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you. Thank you so much.”
“Erm, Lize?” interjected River, a hint of desperation in her voice. “Those antibiotics…couldn’t we take half? I mean, my dad, he’s going to…”
Eliza shook her head, offering her a small smile. “No, River. We can’t do that. She needs the whole course, or she’ll die from that infection.” She turned back to the older woman. “Just take care of her, and make sure she gets plenty of food if you have it…and rest.”
River placed a hand on Eliza’s shoulder as they stood to leave. The group had already begun tending to the sick girl.
“Why don’t you stay with us?” the man said suddenly, his voice filled with earnestness. “You’ve helped us so much. I can’t tell you how grateful we are. We could use people like you. We’re trying to build something here. Like…a refuge until things get straightened out.”
Eliza exchanged a glance with River, who could see the temptation in Eliza’s eyes. The idea of staying somewhere safe, surrounded by people who appreciated them, was more appealing than River wanted to admit. But she knew they couldn’t stay, not when her father was still out there, waiting for her.
River shook her head, her voice gentle but firm. “We wish we could, but we have to keep moving. There’s someone we need to get to.”
The man gave her an understanding nod, but River saw the disappointment in his eyes. “I see. But listen, if you ever need a place to stay, please know that you can always come back. We’ve got plenty of room. We’re working on a veggie plot and a rota. We want to build a really nice little community out here.”
“Thank you,” Eliza said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. “Best of luck with everything. And remember to take care of each other.”
With that, they turned and continued on their journey, leaving the camp behind. The sun was setting as they walked side by side.
“Maybe we should have stayed the night?” asked Eliza.
“We need to keep moving,” River sighed, her eyes fixed on the path in front of her.