Chapter 53
After walking in the direction of the military base, Nick and Kate stopped to rest. The sun had only been awake a few hours. The morning air chilled their faces. Kate clutched her stomach in pain and sat down against a tree. Nick kneeled beside her.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Nick asked, leaning a hand against the tree.
“I’ve been having these stomach pains for a few weeks now. This time, it’s really bad,” Kate explained and squeezed her eyes shut as searing pain ripped through her midsection.
“Why didn’t you say something? The doctors at the infirmary could have looked you over.”
“I just kept assuming it was something simple. It always goes away. And the thought of someone ‘looking me over’...”
Nick nodded and took in their surroundings. A never-ending sea of trees encircled them. Nick hoisted Kate from the ground, cradling her in his arms.
“What are you doing?” Kate protested.
“We gotta keep moving. You’re in pain. So, I’ll carry you.”
“Nick, put me down. You’ll wear yourself out.”
“Little, weak, uninfected Nick would have gotten worn out. But superhuman, diseased Nick? Not a chance.”
Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. Being jostled and carried through the woods made the pain in her stomach surge. However, Nick was right.
Keep moving. Don’t die.
Finally, they came upon a mechanic shop. The place looked to be rundown long before the rest of the world. Nick laid Kate against the side of the building to soak up some sunshine.
“I’m gonna check in here, see if there’s meds or anything that might help. I’ll be right back.”
Nick slid the hunting knife out of its holster, preparing it in his hand as he disappeared into the shop. With her eyes shut, she focused on taking deep breaths as the agony within gripped her insides.
The sun shone warm on Kate’s face, a brilliant veil of red behind her eyelids. The absence of movement quieted the torment in her stomach, and exhaustion washed over her.
The shuffling of footsteps in the grass nearby roused Kate, and she assumed Nick was finished with his search of the shop. Her body was not ready to move from the only comfortable position she had found, so she kept her eyes shut, hoping he would let her rest a while longer.
Fingertips grazed her arm, running their soft points along her flesh. The hand clasped around her waist and dry lips pressed against her neck. Kate’s face scrunched in annoyance. Though she loved Nick’s touch, she was not in the mood for it now.
“Nick,” she said with a warning, her eyes still closed. The only response she received was her body being straddled by firm legs that pinned her to the ground. When an unfamiliar scent reached her nostrils, Kate’s eyes shot open to find a man she had never seen before atop her.
The man’s eyes widened at her panic, yet he continued roaming her body with his hungry hands.
“Nick!” Kate screamed and pushed frantically against the man.
When her efforts produced no results, Kate threw her fist into his jaw.
The man’s head knocked backwards, and he shut his eyes in irritation.
When he opened them, the man launched a punch into the side of Kate’s head.
The pain jolted through her skull, sending a curtain of black over her eyes.
Her vision returned at once, and she continued struggling against his hold.
Boots thudded against the ground, and the man was ripped away from Kate. She scurried away from the entanglement and backed against the building. What she saw was quite the reversal—Nick’s knees were on either side of the man’s body as he thrust vicious knuckles into his jaw, his nose, and eyes.
“Woah, woah! Stop! Hold up, man!” The man covered his face with his arms, and Nick paused before sending another fist into his head. Surely, there was no good explanation for why this piece of shit had his disgusting body on his woman, but Nick was curious what he would come up with.
“Listen, I got weapons, ammunition, food, medical supplies. I got whatever you need!” The man pleaded.
“What the fuck does that have to do with you on top of my girl?” Nick uttered, low and deadly.
“I’ll give you anything you want, man. Whatever you need.
All I need is twenty minutes.” The man was no longer a threat, crying and pleading for his life.
Nick stood and pulled him to his feet by the arm.
With his forearm against his throat, Nick shoved the man against a tree, pushing hard against his trachea.
The man coughed and choked as he struggled for air.
“Twenty minutes of what?” Nick asked, though he knew. He wanted to hear him admit it. He wanted the man to vocalize his depraved idea of what Kate’s body was worth. Nick relented just enough pressure from the man’s throat so that he could answer.
“Just a little time with her, man. I’ll bring her back in one piece—” before the man could continue speaking, Nick yanked his pistol from behind his back and cracked the man’s skull with the butt of it. The stranger yelped and held his head in pain as blood trickled from his hairline.
Nick pulled the man by his shirt and shoved him away from him and Kate, aiming the gun at his head.
“She’s not a fucking piece of meat for sale. Go. Run. Far away. If I ever see you again, I will put a bullet in your head,” Nick threatened.
The man backed away with his hands in the air.
“Sorry, man. You won’t see me again.” And with that, he turned and ran into the woods.
Nick watched the trees for a long time, waiting and listening to see if the man would return.
When Nick felt confident that he would not be coming back, he knelt in front of Kate, inspecting the red patch of skin where she had been hit.
“I’m fine,” Kate reassured, pushing away his hands. Her body was shivering, fear pulsing through her with vehement force. A pool of tears clung to the corners of her eyes.
“Kate, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you out here,” Nick said, reaching a hand to touch Kate’s face. She pulled away, a dazed, fearful look in her eyes. “Kate?”
“What if you had?” Kate said. She was unable to meet Nick’s gaze, and her lips quivered as a barrage of thoughts flooded her mind. “What if, down the road, things get desperate? What if we run out of supplies? What if—”
“Then, we will starve. Or die to the elements. Or let sickness take us away.” Nick sat back on the heels of his boots, assessing Kate’s reaction to his words.
With her eyes fixed to the ground, she nodded, hearing Nick but not believing.
“And before you start apologizing or feeling sorry, these have been the best months of my life and I would relive them over and over again, even knowing every shitty, terrifying event to come.”
Kate sighed and patted the ground next to her. Nick sat back against the cement, his shoulder meeting Kate’s. He placed a hand on her knee, and Kate placed her own on top, leaning her head into the crook of his neck. Her dirty, scraped fingers squeezed his.
“Thank you,” Kate whispered, her heart swelling at his words.
An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled her soul for finding a person committed to protecting and loving her no matter the cost. The euphoric feelings were swiftly overtaken by a pang in her stomach, and she winced in immeasurable pain.