"And then?"
Lee pondered the question intently. For such a simply worded question the scope was huge and complex. This would require a lot of thought, especially since anything he said could have unforeseen consequences. Unconsciously raising a calloused hand to his chin and stroking the stubble that had appeared there over the past two weeks, Lee thought hard about what he wanted to say. Far better to do that than let just anything tumble out of his mouth. With every stroke of his finger, a soft scraping noise emanated from his goatee. A chuckle followed.
"It's a hard question, I get it. No need to turn into some kind of philosopher though." Carley laughed again, her voice light and bright compared to Lee's own deep, gravelly tone but there was a bitterness behind the ordinarily joyous sound. It had been a question that had been floating around camp for a while causing rifts and arguments day after day. Wrapping the big, purple jacket tighter around her body as another gust of wind burst into camp, Carley's small smile was wiped clean from her frozen face. She shuffled closer on the bench atop the RV.
Night watch duty was probably one of the least fun things about staying at the motel. Every night brought a bitter cold with it; one that would chill you down to the bone. Underneath her jacket, Carley was apparently wearing two t-shirts and three jumpers, one of which was Lily's. Lee hadn't checked of course, he'd just taken her word for it. He relied on his trusty blue shirt and a thick blanket he'd taken from his room, although Carley had quickly claimed half of that too.
It was her turn on watch tonight, but ever since Lee had stumbled from his room being unable to sleep, they'd engaged in chat that had whiled away the past three hours. Strange how that happened sometimes... At first it had been your everyday small talk. "Oh, what're you doing up, Lee?"
"Couldn't sleep. Keep having flashbacks to earlier," he'd replied solemnly. A Walker had grabbed him while he was making a run into Macon for food. Kenny had quickly taken care of it, but close calls like that stayed with you for a while. Eventually the barriers broke down and the formalities were forgotten. Over the past three and a half months, Lee had found himself getting closer and closer to the girl he now shared a bench with. He'd saved her life, way back when, but that wasn't the only reason they got along so well. Something about Carley just clicked with Lee. He'd thought about it for a long time but he'd never been able to put his finger on it, there was just something about her.
"C'mon. We don't have all night." Carley nudged the big guy with her shoulder playfully, rousing him from his thoughts. Again, the question had been simple but it needed to be the right answer. "It'll be Kenny's turn in an hour and I'm not staying out here any longer than I have to."
"We'd have to move, of course. Lily might want to stay here as long as possible, but if there's no food left whatsoever, then what's the point? As long as we stick together and Kenny has the RV running we'll be fine." It had been an opinion he'd kept to himself for a long time. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulder. Confiding in Carley was easy and comforting. She wouldn't judge, she'd tell you if she agreed or disagreed but would understand the reasoning anyway. Lilly and Kenny on the other hand... Those two were the reason he'd kept quiet for so long. They'd been bickering since they first met. But with what happened at the St. John's Dairy two weeks ago, things had really been amping up. Lee had tried to stay impartial, broker the peace whenever he could, but sometimes Lilly was just impossible to deal with. She'd flare up for no reason at all and those dirty looks of hers could almost kill. Holding her back while Kenny smashed her Dad's head in hadn't made things any easier. She really didn't want to leave.
With a sigh, Carley slumped over. "I knew you'd say that. Imagine how she'd react though? Not sure we could deal with that." She was resigned to that course of action, but she wasn't happy about it. Mainly because there would be the Lilly trouble, yes, but the motel had become a home to them. It protected them, kept them safe and warm. Mostly.
Lee cursed as another bitterly cold gust clawed at his bare skin. He hadn't planned on staying out long; a quick walk would have calmed his nerves. Something out here had kept hold of him though. The night was cold, yes, but it was also beautiful. Trees whispered to one another as they shook their branches in the breeze. Stars twinkled above the couple like diamonds spilled on a silk cloth. A full moon watched over every living soul, giving them light in the otherwise impenetrable darkness, almost willing them to carry on living. Taking another look at the woman next to him, Lee realised the surroundings weren't the only beautiful thing out here.
Staring out into the night, Carley looked so calm you would have thought the world hadn't ended already. Delicately brushing her brunette bangs from her tired yet still-sparkling eyes, she sighed and snuggled deeper into the blanket. Other than her looks, Carley was strong and intelligent. On multiple occasions she's proven resourceful and more than knew her way around a firearm. Not the usual qualities Lee looked for in a woman, but recent events had changed his view on a few things slightly.
Just under nine months had passed since he caught his wife in bed with another man. Disabling grief at being betrayed was the one emotion that came to mind whenever he thought of that moment. Even now, when past lives felt like they happened to someone else, the thought still burned him up inside. Grimacing at the old memories, he tried to push the thoughts from his mind and enjoy the now while he could.
"Yeah, I think that expression pretty much sums it up exactly!" Laughing again, Carley gave Lee another playful shove. Momentarily confused, Lee scowled before regaining the thread of the conversation. He hadn't been grimacing because of what Lilly would do if they decided to leave the motel, but it seemed accurate enough and he played along with a laugh of his own. It wasn't something he did much nowadays. Only two people ever really brought out positive emotions in him recently. He was sat next to one and the other was a little girl asleep in their room.
Clementine would spend all day with him and when it came time to allocate rooms she wouldn't be separated from him then either. Lee loved her, so much. She was so smart for her age, almost too smart, and her sense of humour was out of the park. However, it was nice to have adult company every once in awhile.
"Yeah, I just wish she'd calm the hell down sometimes. Ah well." The conversation devolved back into nothing more than jokes and impossible musings. Another half an hour passed before Lee was caught stifling a yawn. Tiredness had caught up to him finally.
"Oh, am I boring you, Mr. Everett?" Carley joked as Lee covered his mouth with the back of his hand and began to laugh once more. Carley could never bore him. She always had something to say that would catch him off guard. It was that sort of unpredictability that kept Lee coming back to her, that meant she was always a part of his thoughts. "Maybe you should get back to bed, hm? I've only got a little longer left on watch and then I can join you."
Initially, Lee was taken aback. Was she putting the moves on him? Only when he caught sight of Carley yawning too did he realise it was just a slip of the tongue. Well, he might aswell have a bit of fun before heading back to sleep, right? "Carley, we barely know each other! At least buy me dinner first."
Spluttering slightly, Carley opening her eyes in shock. "I-I totally didn't mean it like that! I meant I could go back to my bed too! N-not that, y-you're not att-attractive or anything I just, I..." With a groan, she placed her head in her palms. "I really need some sleep, don't I?" The muffled mock-sob was the final thing needed to set Lee off laughing once again, unable to stop himself laughing at his friend's fumbled attempt at an explanation.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks." Standing, Lee placed his half of the woollen blanket around Carley's shoulders, who rubbed her eyes vigorously to wake herself up a little and smirked at her late night companion.
"No problem. Consider it payment for the company." Carley's sarcasm never stopped coming, but somehow Lee felt warmed by her words. Did she find him attractive? Was there something more than friendship here? Sighing, Lee paused and took one last look at the night sky. When the dead started eating the living, the last thing on his mind had been finding romance. But sometimes it just snuck up on you.
"Any time..." Swinging his body easily over the edge of the RV's roof, Lee slowly made his way down the thin, rickety ladder. His dull footsteps rang out into the night, bouncing off the dank, motel walls as they took him closer to his room. The doors were all a deep brown, but not from the natural colour of the wood used to make them. Instead, the peeling paint probably hid a flimsy, soft wood beneath. In the dark, it was hard to tell where the doors actually were and Lee had forgotten his torch but this path was so well trodden it didn't matter.
Hand stopping at the chilling touch of the door handle, Lee turned back to look at what he expected to be the back of Carley's head. Instead, even in the dim light of the moon, they locked eyes. She'd watched him all the way back. Both parties quickly turned their heads in embarrassment. There was something there, Lee could tell. And if they both reacted like he had, Carley's cheeks would be flushed a bright red right about now. At least it might warm up the poor girl a bit. Smiling and shaking his head in disbelief at the feelings within him, Lee gently turned the golden door knob and walked back into the comfort of his warm room.
"Lee? Is that you?" The sweet, quiet voice greeted him instantly. Clementine must've woken up at the sound of the creaking door. "Are you okay?" Torch in hand, she shone it around the room until the beam found Lee's face. Such a bright light was torture to eyes so accustomed to the darkness.
"Hey sweetpea." Protecting his sensitive eyes to with the back of his palms, he spoke softly and with a genuine happiness that had been missing for a while now. Lee always tried to stay positive when it came to Clem, but sometimes it just wore thin. "You mind not blinding me with that thing?" Clem mumbled an apology and turned the torch off, leaving a rainbow of twinkling stars in his vision despite not being outside any more.
"Where did you go? Is something wrong?" She sure did ask a lot of questions sometimes, but Lee couldn't blame her for being inquisitive. As his eyes recovered, he maneuvered over to Clementine's bed. Originally, the bed in this room had just been a double but Lee thought Clem deserved a bed of her own and shifted a single one in here too. It fit in just right with a bit of rearranging of the other furniture. However, it did mean movement space was a bit tight for him. Clem, with her small, petite frame, managed to get around with ease.
Sitting upright in her bed, Clem's hair was a ruffled mess. Her eyes were half closed and every time she spoke she stifled a yawn. Eventually, Lee crouched next to her and tucked her back into bed. "No, everything's fine. Just went for a little walk is all." She was halfway through a reply before sleep caught back up to her. Smiling at such delicacy, Lee stripped off his shirt and crept back into his own bed.
Cold sheets greeted him, but anything was better than the temperature was outside. Before even closing his eyes Lee had joined Clementine in the land of slumber, wrapped in a chilly, yet comfortable, embrace. Instead of a nightmare, this time he was taunted with dreams of a brighter future. Everything was hazy, as most dreams are. Colours blurred into one another; time flowed in mysterious ways.
It was a dream about normal life, which right now could be nothing more than a dream. Lee was driving. He wasn't alone, either. In the back seat sat a young teenage girl with long, curly, brown hair and a blue and white hat. A bold, blue 'D' was emblazoned on the front. Next to her was a small child, no older than five. The girl leant over and wiped some food from around its mouth, smiling as she did so. Lee continued to drive along an ever changing road. Past fields of flourishing flowers and bustling cities, along winding country lanes and speeding down endless highways. Lee reached to his right to change gear. As he did so, a warm hand was placed atop his. A loving touch. Even in the glorious sun, the hands owner wore a puffy, purple winter coat; the one she always wore. She leant over and kissed his cheek, sending a wave of happiness through his body.
"Lee," she cooed, her voice distant and muffled, "Lee..." Lee had imagined similar scenes long ago with his wife, back when they were happy. A family together on a road trip to anywhere, but this felt all the more perfect. The woman next to him felt so real, so close. He could almost feel her warmth himself.
"Lee, wake up." With a jolt, Lee opened his eyes only to be greeted with the dank roof and broken fan of the motel room as the husky voice whispered into his ear. His heart sunk as he realised the dream was just that, a dream. The world would never be like that again. As the voice spoke again, Lee recognised the voice instantly, except now it had taken on a much more sultry tone than he'd ever heard before. "C'mon sleepy head, wake up."
"Carley?" he whispered back into the darkness. Warming the bed with her very presence, Lee found it far more comfortable at this temperature. Unfortunately, that was outweighed by the confusion and awkwardness of her being here in the first place. Her hand snaked it's way across his chest as she shuffled closer and snuggled into his shoulder. "What are yo-?"
"You ever just let something happen? You always think too much," She stumbled over the words with a slight slur, stifling a hick-up to boot. Was she drunk? "Every time there's a problem, everyone just thinks. No one ever just... do's." A smirk on her face, Carley kissed his shoulder. They were light pecks that sent a shiver down Lee's spine. She worked her way up his neck; slowly, delicately. Continuing to caress his chest, Carley brushed her fingertips through the light coating of hair, twirling them in circles playfully.
It had been many, many months since Lee been like this with anyone. Either he'd not been in the right frame of mind or there were more pressing matters at hand, like surviving. Right now a mixture of emotions rattled around his head. Tiredness, confusion, arousal. Moving her kisses onto his ear, giving a light nibble on the lobe as she did so, Carley slid her hands down towards the bulge that now resided within Lee's jeans. This was too much for him to bear as he felt himself grow more and more aroused by the situation.
"We can't do this, Carley," he muttered while pushing her away, smelling the alcohol on Carley's breath. "I can't take... advantage of you. It's not right." Lee's mind told him this was the right thing to do. He had no idea where she'd gotten the alcohol, maybe she'd been storing it for a special occasion, but that must have been one of the key factors in Carley coming here. Two other organs disagreed, slowly stripping away at his willpower to do the right thing.
Not taking no for an answer, Carley swung her leg over his waist. Straddling him, she pinned his arms to the bed in a surprisingly vice-like grip. Lee's objections were silenced with an exasperated,"Shut up," and a deep kiss on the mouth. Lips tainted with the taste of cheap wine forced themselves onto his. At first, Lee resisted. It wasn't right, Carley wouldn't want him to... fuck it. Succumbing to the whims of the drunk woman atop him, Lee kissed her back. Quickly, it changed from a kiss reminiscent of those a teenager would give for the first time to something far more passionate. Tongues found one another and began to dance as the kiss escalated to another level of intimacy. Just as Lee finally found his pace and accepted the consequences, Carley stopped suddenly and sat up, relinquishing his arms.
Ripping her coat off she threw it to the ground with a heavy flump. Metres away, Clementine rolled over, obviously disturbed but not woken by the noise. Lee put his index finger to his lips in a shushing motion while Carley chuckled silently. This was so wrong, but Lee couldn't stop himself. He'd given in to Carley, but if Clem woke up he wouldn't be able to brush this aside. Somehow, that made everything even more taboo, dirtier... more appealing. "Aren't you interested in knowing if I was lying about the layers?" Biting her lip, Carley pulled the first jumper over her head, grasping the hem at the bottom and peeling it upwards to reveal another beneath.
The second jumper followed the first, each item of clothing disregarded and flung across the room until there was only one left; a white t-shirt lightly stained with dirt and blood. No matter how many times you cleaned clothes, the stains only ever seemed to fade as though it was a permanent reminder of the horrors of what now constituted as life. Slowly, Carley began to grind her hips back and forth, grinning at the look on Lee's face. Even through two pairs of jeans, the motion felt amazing after all this time. "Told you you'd enjoy it," she whispered before leaning down again and planting another kiss on Lee's lips. This time there was no resistance from him and nothing holding his hands down. Just as Carley's had explored his chest earlier, now it was Lee's turn.
Starting at her waist, Lee grasped her tightly as Carley continued to rock back and forth, guiding the pace. Slowly, yet eagerly, he moved his hands beneath the thin, white shirt and onto her skin. It was soft, pliable and felt like velvet when compared to his own, rough hands. Months of harsh survival meant Carley had lost a lot of body fat but there was enough for there to be something to grab hold of. Her stomach was flat and toned from the heavy duty work she'd done around camp. As he touched her, she touched him. Dainty hands held tightly to Lee's face, stroking his short hair and face as the pair kissed. Exploring her lower torso was fine, more than fine in fact, but as Lee's fingertips transferred from skin to fabric once more, he hesitated. This would definitely mean there was no going back. Stopping the kiss, Carley encouraged him. "No need to be afraid of 'em, Lee. I've been told they're pretty good." Reaching around her back with one hand, she unhooked the bra expertly.
"Can tell you've done that before..." Lee commented hastily, before their tongues entwined again and his hands continued to roam. Carley's bra wasn't completely removed, but unhooking it had given him easy access to what they contained. Lee gulped nervously mid-kiss. Carley's grinding continued and she whimpered softly as Lee slid his hands under the fabric and took hold. Carley's breasts weren't big, but God they were perfect. Pert, plump and just larger than a handful. First, he started massing the flesh beneath and to the side before encompassing everything in his large hands. As he caressed them, Lee found her nipples already hard with a mixture of excitement and the chill that still hung in the air. Toying with them gently made the whimpers all more intense; a light flick of the finger drove her wild. Eventually she gave up on the kiss, only able to gasp heavily at his touch. It had been a long time since Carley had done anything like this too, it seemed. Regaining control of herself, she sat up and pulled the only remaining barrier between the cold and her skin, slipping off the bra one smooth motion. Lee could only stare dumbfounded at the sight.
Early morning darkness made it hard to see, but the mere silhouette of Carley's figure couldn't stop Lee from letting out a quiet, involuntary, "wow." Carley had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing again.
"I said they were good, didn't I?" The teasing tone to her voice only spurred him on further. Lee sat up with Carley still straddling his lap, placing his mouth at the perfect height. If hands as rough as sandpaper had made her go crazy, Lee couldn't imagine what effect his moist tongue would have. Grasping one breast in his left hand, he began to suckle on the other, circling his tongue around and around the nipple before enveloping it entirely within his mouth and sucking. She grabbed tightly to the back of his head as she moaned; partially for stability and partially to stop him moving away. It was an awkward position for her to try, but Carley couldn't resist grinding against Lee's denim-covered groin. Deep sighs emanated from her mouth as Lee continued the motion. As soon as she got used to it he swapped sides and sent her into another realm of pleasure.
With his free hand, Lee continued to grope the rest of her body. Carley's ass was shapely and round, perfect for squeezing even through clothes. Long legs with firm, thick thighs were a perfect match. The stench of sweat hung in the air, despite the cold night. Lee could feel it all over himself and Carley, her bare chest glistened with it as the setting moon shone for a second or two through a gap in the curtains and illuminated their writhing bodies. A salty taste coated his tongue. In any other circumstance the taste would have been disgusting, but now it only heightened the experience.
"Enough" Carley muttered, stopping the movement of her hips once again. "Let's get these off." Whether she was referring to her jeans or his, Lee didn't know. Perhaps both. As if to answer the unspoken question, Carly quickly unbuttoned him with a satisfying repetition of pops then undid her own with an elongated zip. Rolling off of him, and the bed, surprisingly elegantly for a drunk woman, Carley shuffled the tight jeans off with exaggerated, sexy hip movements to reveal the curvaceous legs and backside that Lee had been fondling moments before, barely covered by skimpy underwear. She turned with eyes wide, an expression of mock horror on her face. "Are you watching me undress?" Lee shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on Carley's pert, bouncing breasts.
With a quick yank, his jeans were removed leaving only a pair of boxers between his engorged penis and the icy air. Clambering back onto the bed, Carley shuffled down on all fours until her face was level with it. "We can't risk having sex without protection," she muttered dejectedly, toying with Lee's cock through the fabric. "But there are other ways to..." Pausing she slowly rolled down the tight underwear, keeping eye contact the entire time. "Enjoy each other." Carley grasping his dick firmly, running the tip of her tongue along the base up towards the head. Mimicking his movements from before, she circled around it once, twice, three times. With each circuit, waves of pleasure ran across Lee's body, tingling at the back of his head.
Suddenly, overwhelming pleasure pulsed through Lee's body as she engulfed him, filling her mouth with Lee's erection. Carley bobbed her head up and down, pushing short, brunette locks of hair behind her ears if they got in the way. Lee could feel the pressure building within him as Carley quickened the pace. Moist saliva coated the top half of his penis, allowing her to move at a tremendously pleasing pace. Placing one hand on the back of her head, Lee guiding Carley's movements to his liking. Quick, repetitive motions like that felt amazing and it was almost torture not to let her carry on, but he'd finish far too soon that way. Instead, long and deep was the way to go. Carley looked up and hummed questioningly, sending vibrations along the member in her warm, moist mouth. "Not so fast," Lee managed, before pushing down on the back of her head.
The fellatio continued, sending tingling waves through each individual nerve. Occasionally, Carley would gag as his cock hit the back of her rough throat but she carried on regardless and Lee found it all the more tempting to go deeper and deeper. It just felt too good not to. Variety was the spice of life, right? The silky smoothness of Carley's tongue and cheeks felt fantastic, but combining that with the slight pain of her teeth catching him ever so slightly or the coarse rub of her throat on the most sensitive part of him took everything to a much higher level.
Eventually, Lee felt himself tensing. It was unintended, involuntary and a sign that he was about to go over the edge. Carley sensed it too and picked up the pace. "Carley..." he moaned, thrusting his hips slightly. It had been so long that Lee barely even remembered what an orgasm felt like. Bright, white stars flickered in Lee's vision as the primal, sexual urges overcame everything else. Forcing himself not to moan any louder, he clamped his jaw together as a powerful pulsating pleasure engulfed every fibre of his being. Thick, gooey white ropes burst from his penis and into Carley's mouth. With each spurt came another wave of bliss; Lee never wanted this feeling to stop and it almost felt like it never would.
Months of frigidity had left Lee with a lot of pent of frustrations that were now being unleashed, surging from him and splattering the back of Carley's throat, each time being met with a visible swallow. Eleven times she gulped down his salty seed before she released his erection, which was now slowly shrinking as it returned to its flaccid state. Lee couldn't focus, dazed as he was from experiencing such euphoria, but he could feel her delicate fingers squeezing the remnants of his cum out into a perfect, opaque globule at the end of his dick.
"Impressive, Lee," she sighed wistfully, "I wasn't expecting so much. I've never swallowed before, but I'd like to experience as much as I can before this damn world gets me." Lee laid back fully on the damp bed and started at the filthy, mold-ridden ceiling. She was right. This wasn't really the time for a philosophical epiphany but he couldn't help but think... Before all this happened, everyone lived for the future. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How many kids do you want? What's for dinner? None of that was relevant any more. Now that time had passed and the new world had become the normal, people longed for old luxuries. I miss TV, I miss soccer, I miss the internet. That wouldn't get you anywhere. It'd be decades before anything like that came back into the world, if at all. All you could live for is the now; the experience you're having at this very second. Carley gobbled up what remained of Lee's jizz with quick lick. Smirking, he decided how to live from here on out. For the now. For the now was very much worth living.