Chapter 8 Kole
eight
Kole
Morning check-ins have become routine—Old Pines, Black Peak, Riverwatch, and two other settlements all touch base daily. We share information about zombie movements, weather patterns, supply needs. Nothing formal, nothing binding, just neighbors helping neighbors.
Sierra's in her element, coordinating it all from our upgraded radio station. Tom made good on his promise of supplies. We've got better equipment now, more reliable power from the expanded solar array, even a backup generator.
"Morning, Mountain Station," A voice crackles over the radio. "All quiet in Old Pines. How's the weather looking up there?"
"Clear skies," Sierra reports. "Should hold for the next few days. Good window for travel if anyone needs it."
"Copy that. We've got a supply run planned for Black Peak. You two need anything?"
Sierra glances at me, eyebrows raised in question. I check our inventory mentally and nod.
"Could use some medical supplies if you've got them to spare," she says. "And coffee. Always coffee."
After sign-off, Sierra spins in her chair to face me. "See? This is working."
"I never said it wasn't."
"You were thinking it."
"I was thinking it's working better than expected. That's different."
She grins. "Admit it. You like being part of something again."
"I like being part of something with you," I correct. "The rest is... acceptable."
"High praise from the Mountain Man."
"Don't call me that."
"Too late. Tom's been calling you that in his reports. It's caught on. Code name Tracker has been replaced."
I groan and then laugh. The truth is, she's right. Having the network, being connected to other settlements, it does feel good. Safer. Like we're building something that might actually last.
There's a knock at the door—the signal we established with Tom's group. I check the window before opening it, old habits dying hard.
It's Tom himself, grinning like he's got a secret.
"Little early for a supply run," I observe.
"Not a supply run. A request." He steps inside, nods to Sierra. "Janet from Riverwatch is expecting her first child. Dr. Kim wants to be there for the delivery, but she needs someone to cover her radio shift for a few days."
"And you want Sierra," I finish.
"If she's willing. It's only about twenty miles. She'd be gone for maybe three, four days tops."
Every protective instinct I have rebels at the idea. Sierra, away from our mountain, away from me, vulnerable in another settlement.
But then I look at her, and I can see the excitement in her eyes. She wants to do this. Wants to help, wants to be part of the community we're building.
"I'll go with her," I hear myself say.
Tom's grin widens. "Was hoping you'd say that. Janet's been asking to meet the Mountain Man."
"Stop calling me that."
"Never."
Sierra laughs, and the sound of it makes my chest feel tight.
Three months ago, I was alone on this mountain, convinced isolation was the only way to survive.
Now I'm planning a trip to a neighboring settlement with the woman I love, part of a network of people trying to rebuild something worth having.
"We'll leave tomorrow," Sierra decides. "Give me time to prep someone to cover our station."
"Jim volunteered," Tom says. "He's been learning from you on the check-ins. Should be fine for a few days."
After Tom leaves, Sierra immediately starts preparing. I watch her organize supplies, plan the route, make notes for Jim. She's in her element, confident and capable.
"You're worried," she observes without looking up from her maps.
"I'm cautious."
"Same thing."
"Not even close."
She sets down her pencil and walks over to me, slides her arms around my waist. "It's going to be fine. It's twenty miles. We've handled worse."
"I know."
"Then what?"
"Just thinking about how much has changed. How much you've changed me."
She tilts her head back to look at me. "Changed you how?"
"Three months ago, I would have said no. Wouldn't have even considered it. Too risky, too much exposure, too many people I don't know." I run my hands up her back. "But you were right. Isolation wasn't keeping me safe. It was just keeping me alone."
"And now?"
"Now I think maybe building something with you—with all of them—is worth the risk."
"That's very profound, Mountain Man."
"I told you not to call me that."
"Make me stop."
The challenge in her eyes ignites something in me. I kiss her hard, backing her toward the radio table. When the back of her thighs hit the edge, I lift her up and set her on it.
"Here?" she asks, breathless.
"Here." I drag her jeans and panties down in one motion, dropping them on the floor. "Spread your legs."
She does, leaning back on her hands, watching me with dark eyes as I step between her thighs. I run my hands up her legs, pushing them wider.
"You're soaked," I say, sliding two fingers through her wetness.
"Your fault."
"Yeah?" I push my fingers inside her, watching her face as she gasps. "What got you wet, Sierra? Me saying I'd go to Riverwatch with you? Thinking about fucking in the truck on the way there?"
"Thinking about you," she admits, rocking against my hand. "Always thinking about you."
I work her with my fingers, thumb circling her clit, building her up. When I feel her getting close, I withdraw, ignoring her sound of protest.
"Kole."
"Patience." I free my cock, already hard and leaking. "I want to feel you come on my cock, not my fingers."
I position myself and push inside, both of us groaning at the sensation. The table's the perfect height, so I can drive in deep from this angle.
"Fuck, you're tight," I growl, gripping her hips. I pull almost all the way out and slam back in, setting a hard, fast rhythm.
Sierra braces one hand on the table, the other clutching my shoulder as I fuck her. "That's it," she gasps. "Harder."
I give her what she wants, pounding into her while the table creaks beneath us. Her tits bounce with each thrust, and I lean down to catch one nipple in my mouth, sucking hard.
"Oh god, Kole. Right there. Don't stop."
"Not stopping. Gonna make you come all over my cock."
I slide my hand between us, finding her clit. The added sensation makes her cry out, her pussy clenching around me.
"That's it. Come for me, baby."
"So close," she pants.
"What do you need?"
"More. Harder. Make me come."
I fuck her harder, faster, working her clit while she writhes beneath me. When she comes, she screams my name, her whole body shaking as her orgasm hits.
The feel of her pulsing around me is too much. I thrust a few more times, then bury myself deep as I come, filling her.
We stay like that for a moment, both breathing hard. Then Sierra laughs.
"We just fucked on the radio equipment."
"Table. We fucked on the table."
"Close enough." She pulls me down for a kiss. "Think Jim will notice?"
"We're cleaning it first."
"Romantic."
"Practical."
After, we clean up and finish preparations for tomorrow's trip. But that night, wrapped around each other in bed, I can't help thinking about the future.
"Sierra?" I murmur into the darkness.
"Mm?"
"Marry me."
She gasps, a tiny sound. "What?"
"Marry me. Nothing fancy, no big ceremony. Just make this official. Make you officially mine."
She rolls over to face me, and in the moonlight I can see her smile. "Yes," she says simply. "Yes, I'll marry you."
I kiss her, and it tastes like everything I never thought I'd have again.
"When?" she asks.
"Whenever you want."
"Soon," she decides. "Before winter. Maybe at Old Pines, with Tom and the others there."
"Whatever you want."
"I want you. Everything else is just details."