Is This the End?

Chapter Nine

Nate

The sun is shining bright and almost directly overhead. The heat beats down on my head, and I can feel as the sweat on my brow sweeps down to my jaw. I grip the thighs wrapped around my waist and hoist them further up. I keep my hands there in hopes that it'll help the urge I have to squeeze the throat that is laying on my shoulder.

"Can I walk now?" Vanessa's voice rings out, as though she hasn't asked the same question for the last three hours.

"No."

"Why not?" This girl has the nerve to pout. She should just relax and enjoy the ride.

"'Cause you walk slow."

"I do not."

"Yeah, you do, and your stamina is awful."

"Yeah, well, we can't all go on forever."

"I don't go forever."

"But, I'm good now, so put me down." She tries to swing her legs around and wiggles her torso along my back, but my hold doesn't loosen in the slightest.

"Now, if I drop you on your head, you'd be cryin' up a storm."

"Nate put me down." She brings her head up, and I get a whiff of her scent. It's all citrusy with the hint of a campfire. I feel the saliva pooling up along my gums, and I can't help myself as I lick my lips. Goddess, this girl doesn't understand. I've been five seconds away from chomping a bite out of her ass for several weeks now. If I have to look at her anymore, there might not be a Nessa to worry about.

And despite the trouble we had along the way, I enjoy her company and don't want that to end too soon. But my control isn't what it should be. I know if I don't have a meal in the next day or so, we'll have to go our separate ways. At least until I can find some other poor helpless soul to chow down on. Just the thought of tearing into some flesh has my heart racing.

"Nate," Vanessa breaks me out of my reverie as she gently calls my name and pulls on my locs. I turn my head, and she continues, "don't react, but I'm pretty sure we're being followed." I take a deep breath, and sure enough, there are at least ten bodies slowly surrounding us. They had escaped my notice as I was trying not to smell anything at the moment.

"Dammit."

"Yep, what do we do?"

"Is that really a question?" I flash her my fangs, and I briefly glimpse the cold tint in her eyes. No mercy it is. Nessa can be sweet as sugar when she wants, but often she's the one who starts the whole no asking questions until everyone's down. Can't say I blame her; the only other bodies we've run into have been Rot crazed Bobbies and the NTSCU.

"Not really. Just double-checking." She swings her legs from around my hips, and I loosen my grip around her thighs. Not soon enough, it would seem as a knife swishes through the air and just barely misses my face. I let out a low growl and charge forward as five of them come out from the trees. No guns and their clothes are made mostly of dark reds and greens.

Not the sturdy cloth of the NTSCU, though so just some wannabes trying to protect their territory. As if we care about that. Though we could take them out, we'd never do something like that. Unless pushed, of course. I fake a punch to a guy's face and then jab him in the throat. He bends over coughing and hacking.

Another one comes over and kicks me in the abdomen knocking me off balance for a moment. They follow with a knife, trying to swipe at me. I jump back several paces and end up in front of Nessa.