A few days passed by with nothing major occurring.

  “Today was a great day! We covered so much ground!” I whispered to him.

  We were both at a close distance as we had to whisper. I could nearly feel his breath.

  “There were not many zombies along the way today.”

  He and the others continued to be on bad terms. I was the only one he could have a friendly conversation with, but the others' dissatisfaction with him seemed to lessen over time.

  During the days, Lily was often around me in case he did try to attack me, which was unnecessary.

  By now, I was confident he was an ally of ours. For the time being, at least.

  “From tomorrow onwards, for a few kilometres, the next part of the journey will be around a big fallen city – a potential radioactive zone. Unlike the other small ruined settlements we passed, I am uncertain if this one is safe. I think you should know that we have to stay away from such places,” he advised me.

  “I had no intention to go there in the first place.”

  “That is good. If we had seen it during the day, I would have been able to tell with certainty whether the place was radioactive or not. But during the night…”

  “How could you tell?”

  “If you have the right equipment, just do some testing.”

  “And if we don’t?”

  “Strong radioactivity harms zombies and can kill them. Their instincts force them to stay away from such environments. It is like ants never go near poisonous mushrooms. If the city were filled with undead on the streets, then it would also be safe for us. From the radiation part at least. Note that a ruin that lacks zombies is not always radioactive.”

  Do ants do so? The more you know…

  “In our journey thus far, we had to deal with only zombies in low numbers or evade them entirely. I will tell you now to be wary of other humans while we have the time. Doubt if we would meet any, but still,” he continued with another subject.

  “Why should we be wary of other groups of Mercenaries? I know that people could fight one another, but shouldn’t they be united against the undead threat? For the greater good?”

  “Wow, such a noble view. When would you grow up and discard it?” he mocked me and I rolled my eyes.

  He continued talking.

  “In theory, they should, but in fact, they do not. We can encounter four main types of Mercenaries outside the safe zones. The first type specialises in killing zombies. The normies, you may say. The second type seeks treasures, such as functioning technologies before the infection. They can also be seen looting fallen Mercenaries. The scavengers or treasure hunters. Then there is the “raider” type. They hunt other Mercenaries and survive by killing humans. The last type – Mercenaries affiliated with a certain organisation. Their actions depend on the organisation's doctrines. This more or less describes the kinds of people we might meet. I would prefer not to encounter any.”

  “What type of Mercenary are you?” I asked him while getting slightly closer to him, my chest “involuntarily” and “accidentally” leaning on him.

  Now that I knew he liked my breasts, I might as well use them when no one was watching! I think he likes them!

  He continued talking as if I had done nothing. How boring. I expected a slight reaction.

  “I would rather not tell you. But if you insist, I would have to classify myself as having “personal business” as of right now.”

  “Meaning?”

  “That I am currently doing my own thing. What exactly I will not tell you, no matter how much closer you get your chest to me.”

  He didn’t like my flirting.

  “I would also feel better if you were to distance yourself from me a little.”

  Shock!

  “I could feel some murderous gazes when I am close to you.”

  Was that the reason? I would talk to Lily about it. She was the only one who would do so, wasn’t she?

  “And what would happen if I wanted to know which of the four types you described you were?”

  “I will tell you to mind your own business. The less you know, the better. For all there is, I might be part of the zombie-worshipping cult. If I told you, I would have to kill you.”

  The cult he was talking about had fanatic members who thought the undead were actually a step further in human evolution.

  The weak and unworthy ones would turn into mindless husks – most of the undead – whereas the few superior, worthy ones would ascend into the humans of the future.

  They are a threat to humanity and are persecuted everywhere. They are like cancer.

  “If you were one, I don’t have a knack for people.”

  “You got me. I am not one of them. But that is all I will say about this matter. The next time you ask me something about my past, I might not answer you.”

  “What if I were to bribe you?”

  “With what?”

  “Hmm… What would you want? What do you need?”

  “Let’s see... For a starter, a healthy and strong host for my children.”

  “This… is something hard to find,” I replied with a helpless smile, expecting him to make a move on me.

  “Right? I have yet to find one,” but he didn’t.

  “Do you want to have children?” I asked such an obvious question.

  Why would he ask for someone to bear his children if he didn’t want to?

  “No, not really.”

  The heck.

  “Why ask for it then?”

  “Is that not a part of our primal instincts? To reproduce? All living creatures have one goal – to make their copies.”

  “I think there are more important things than that.”

  I think giving my all to better the society is far greater, nobler and harder.

  “Remember my words when you have a life in your womb. See if anything else would matter more to you. I have the feeling I would be a bad parent.”

  I involuntarily touched my stomach. I wonder how my mother felt with me in her womb for nine months? How would I feel while I’m pregnant? How would I feel knowing a new life is in me? I wonder who the father would be and why I picked him to be the one… I even wonder if I ever wanted the child or if I had it to keep the man supporting me?

  I think I’ll be the bad parent…

  “Why do you think so?”

  “… I were yet to have a woman giving birth from me for one.”

  “You are still young, there is no need to rush with these things. I also have yet to give birth.”

  “If you are desperate, get drunk in a guild's hall. At least five men would help you in one night.”

  I’ll take this as a compliment on my beauty.

  “Thanks, I guess. Say, if you were drunk, would you…?”

  “Yes, I’ll break the bed with you.”

  I became flushed and couldn’t speak from embarrassment.

  I had him! Hurrah! I have no intentions of permitting him to… “break the bed” with me, but it was good to know in advance.

  My looks took another victim. What am I supposed to do with such an irresistible body?

  He finally admitted he liked me. I felt like singing and dancing!

  The next day.

  Our travel continued near the ruined large city – a potential radioactive zone. It wasn’t on our path, but it was nearby and we could see it from afar.

  The radioactive zones were ruins of big cities where nuclear weapons were used in the early years of the infection.

  HQ strictly ordered us to stay away from them unless we had a good reason. It wouldn’t kill us outright if we were to enter. However, it was better to evade or go through them as fast as possible, as the more we stayed in, the worse the side effects would be.

  I wanted to look at the place from afar for a long time, but there was no time – we detected a horde nearby this morning and we did our best to remain unnoticed.

  Still, I managed to glance at it a few times. I wanted to see if it was really radioactive or not.

  There were tall buildings, most of which were damaged, cars on the ruined roads, the green nature taking over parts of the place, but I couldn’t see a living thing moving there, be it a human or undead.

  It was as Raven said. We must stay away from that radioactive place.

  In the past, the few overrun settlements we passed by were crawling with the undead. We often went around them. If the undead were low in number and it was getting late, we took shelter in the most stable-looking structure.

  I knew from books what those ruins were before the infection: big cities with thousands to millions of citizens! The larger the city’s ruins, the bigger the population and the harder the infection had hit it.

  Nowadays, they were places neither the undead nor any sane humans dared to enter.

  Only a few dared to go in with the right equipment to look for something valuable. I myself wished to have such equipment. I didn’t know when again I’d be in such a place before.

  Since my childhood, I have possessed an adventurous spirit. I’d better control it! The mission comes first!

  “Do you have any idea what could be hiding in there?” I asked Raven while looking at the radioactive place.

  “Death.”

  “Anything else?” I insisted.

  “Memories from the time before the outbreak. Most of them are either damaged beyond repair or radioactive. The best you could retrieve from them is the knowledge of old times that some organisations keep hidden for their advantage. Yet, the price to search such a place can be too high.”

  “Have you been to such a place before?”

  “No. It was named The Wasted Continent for a reason. Where else were there so many wasted radioactive lands?”

  He had a point. The other Continents hardly had anything like this. The worst was a random nuclear power plant, but the affected countries united to stop its harm.

  When my country faced problems with its nuclear power plants, resolving them was a top priority for the government. Nowadays, such power plants are used, but at a much lower scale.

  We continued walking on and time flew.

  We had already travelled for about five weeks. We were at four-tenths of our journey.

  I was so glad he made us bring more food. Even if the dirt tasted better than the rations we had to eat, I hated being hungry even more. After having nothing but them for… two weeks, they are not that disgusting, yet if the possibility of safely foraging for food occurred, I’d take it.

  Tonight, we were camping in a small cave-like place.

  It had a good vantage point and we had the high ground. It was one of the best places we have been.

  Today, we were all tired. We had to evade five hordes! The number of “patrol hordes”, as Raven called them, would be getting higher and higher as we went deeper.

  We made a small fire as we feared something might spot it.

  An unexpected proposal came from Raven.

  “Did any of you bring any games?” he asked and we all looked at him.

  We were all gobsmacked.

  I never thought he’d ask such a question.

  “Why would we? Did you forget scolding us at the beginning? How dare we have games with us after that?” Leo mocked him.

  The relationship between Raven and the other was simple. Neither of my teammates liked him, but some hated him more than others.

  Leo and Rich were unhappy with him, whereas Lily and Roosevelt had shifted to neutral attitudes towards him after he showed his worth. I was the only one who had a cordial relationship with him.

  On the other hand, he didn’t care much about us. He might have been a bit more friendly with me, but that was all. As long as no one annoyed him, they didn’t exist for him.

  “Why are you asking for that?” Lily was puzzled.

  “You might not have realised it, but being so far from society takes a toll on humans. Even if we are in a group, we rarely even speak.”

  More precisely, you rarely spoke with anyone, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

  “I could see some of that fatigue in most of you. After considering for a while, playing a game or two might help you relax, but as you have none, I would like to think of other ideas.”

  He went into deep thinking. He even closed his eyes and tilted his head while crossing his arms.

  I was also considering options. His advice was always helpful in one way or another. I saw no reason not to comply this time. It was an unexpected proposal, but the reasoning behind it was solid and he had only good intentions.

  I hope his idea wouldn’t backfire…

  What could we play that requires no materials…

  Hide and seek, tag and many more must be excluded as they were either childish or made too much noise and forced us to move around. The scarce visibility was also a factor. Therefore, one game could barely be played, but it would also require conduct from the participants.

  “I have an idea!”

  “I know!”

  Raven and I both said at the same time.

  “Go on.”

  “Thanks!”

  I went first.

  “How about we play Truth or Dare?”

  “I’m in!” Leo agreed.

  I had the feeling that he’d agree to whatever I said. He wasn’t much of a thinker and preferred to follow rather than be the one leading. His loyalty is undeniable.

  “I also would like to join in,” Rich followed suit.

  Most of the time, he would prefer my idea over Raven’s, unless I spoke utter nonsense or he and Raven thought likewise. He’s one to think before acting.

  “If you want to,” Lily was on board.

  She didn’t care much, but would follow whatever I wished to do. She wanted to be a part of it, be it to have some fun herself or just to keep me safe.

  “No objections,” Roosevelt replied.

  He was good with everything if it helped us. He was one to go with the flow and avoid unnecessary confrontations, but if they were inevitable, he wouldn’t shy away from a fight, be it a physical or verbal one.

  “Well, it is better than my idea,” even Raven agreed.

  This one was the strangest. On the surface, he’s often rude and uncaring, but inside, he’s doing his best to help unnoticed. All his actions are led by gain, but he’s not evil at heart. He doesn’t need to interact with people, but I got the feeling that he dislikes getting close to anyone, fearing the emptiness he’ll experience if he were to lose them. Yet, he’s filled with bloodlust and his short temper makes him dangerous. I don’t understand everything about him, but I hope to get to know him better with time.

  We circled the campfire and started playing.

  I won’t go into details, but only on the highlights.

  “What do you think of us all?” I asked Raven.

  Some of us tried to acquire personal information from him, but he somehow managed to evade giving anything valuable. The ones asking him didn’t go too far for fear of his retaliation.

  I tried to make him break the ice between him and my friends by asking this question. It was also a way to see how he thought about us.

  “Leo is a musclehead.”

  Since our days in school, he hasn’t been very smart, but there are also good sides to him. Couldn’t you have said at least one of them? Like his superior physical might?

  “Rich is always looking for the pros and cons and tries to get the best of all situations as if he were a cunning viper.”

  Was he that obvious or were you that attentive? It took me years before I got the tip of the iceberg of his way of thinking.

  “Roosevelt seems like a murderer.”

  He must have killed people before. He was “educated” to kill and follow orders, but can think for himself.

  “As for Lily, the way she is looking at me at times is as if I were a disgusting bug. I have done nothing to you as of yet.”

  She had a traumatic experience with the opposite gender. She often had a menacing look when men approached me. When she started working for my household, the sight of men, excluding my father and the other personnel, disgusted her. Only with my closest childhood friends was she milder.

  Okay, I might have just made things worse by asking you…

  “And you, Mary, you are too kind for this place. You should have stayed home.”

  You said something sweet to me? Oh, you… But before I could appreciate it or even blush…

  “Also, in my eyes, you are boobs.”

  I was left speechless. Pervert. You had to ruin even this! How dense are you?!

  Leo, Rich and Lily gave him the deadliest expressions I've ever seen from them.

  After those words of his, Leo and Rich tried to pick on him. That backfired soon.

  “Mary,” Raven had his turn to ask me, “are you a virgin?”

  The hell you asking that?

  Rich and Leo were all ears after he spoke his vulgar question.

  That was something personal I didn’t want everyone to know about.

  “I’ll refrain from saying,” I said while turning my head away to show that such a question was insulting to a maiden like myself.

  I hope you wouldn’t pursue this matter further regarding the “dare” part. I wouldn’t mind if you picked on them within the permitted, but why bully me? I have done nothing!

  “In that case… Mate with one or more of the people in here.”

  My brain stopped for a bit.

  Why were you so insistent on proving I wasn’t pure?!

  Lily gave him a death glare, her hand almost at her gun. One more misbehaviour and she would shoot him! Leo and Rich were furious, whereas Roosevelt only made a long sigh.

  “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!” Leo and Rich exclaimed with fury.

  “Don’t scream, for God’s sake. What if they discover us because of you?” Roosevelt reprimanded and went to look outside.

  The ones who screamed felt embarrassed after realising their grave mistake, but were still mad, Leo clenching his fists.

  “I had my question evaded. So, I went for the “dare” by asking her the same thing in another way. You should be happy instead of angry. For all you know, you could be picked.”

  No, no, no! I’m not picking any of you lot!

  And what the hell was with your reasoning?

  What had I done to you to target me?!

  “Is the difficulty that high? I will allow you then to pick between answering and doing then.”

  “I’m currently a virgin, okay?! Pervert!” I said while sulking.

  It was, in a sense, true.

  If Lily went for your head tonight, I’d have let her do so!

  Eventually, it was Lily’s turn to ask Raven. By now, she had calmed down slightly.

  “How would you like to die?” she asked as if ready to help him with his wish.

  It was her way to warn him. If there were a next time, she wouldn’t be this lenient.

  After some deliberation, he said the perviest line I’ve ever heard. His ability to make any and all situations worse was impressive! Not in a good way!

  “I would like to die from exhaustion from mating with a beautiful girl.”

  Lily’s expression became as if she were looking at the most disgusting being in the world. It was the first time she looked like that. Even the worst reply she expected wasn’t something like this.

  When it was time for our night shift, I asked him what the heck he was doing.

  “If you wanted to “do” me, you should’ve said so instead of asking so indirectly! I’d have rejected you, but still!”

  “Not interested,” he rejected me flatly.

  Then why?!

  “They annoyed me, so I did a prank on them. I had no ill feelings. Not ill enough, I mean.”

  But now they do towards you! Even more than before!

  “Do I even want to know what you would have done if you had ill intentions?”

  “They wouldn’t be alive.”

  I was unable to ask him anything more during the shift. We stayed in the darkness, neither uttering a word.

  After a while, the rage he had accumulated went down.

  Even the slight cold shoulder I was giving him melted after I saw he didn’t care at all.

  We had some close calls with hordes. Travelling in a straight line was becoming impossible.

  We had been travelling for about a month and a half.

  Tonight, we had to rest in a ruined building in a fallen city crawling with the undead. We barely managed to sneak in undetected.

  The only reason why we entered was that there was no better place to hide from a horde.

  Stolen story; please report.

  We had to search the building for the undead and take them down silently before picking a spot for the night.

  After scouting the area and eliminating all threats we encountered for an hour, we picked a spot to rest.

  The fire was lit and the sleeping bags were readied. Raven was cleaning his knife.

  It looked like a normal night after a few skirmishes.

  “Who is there? Come out!” Lily said, startling all of us.

  A group of four came out from the shadows. They were all beefy-looking men wearing casual clothing and one had a backpack. They had a few pouches on their waist, a weapon holster or two and two held assault rifles.

  Most of my team had already pointed their guns at them. The strangers dropped their firearms and had their arms high in the air. Both sides looked at one another in silence.

  “We came in peace. No need to be so wary,” someone from them spoke.

  “Why were you sneaking around then?” Roosevelt asked while keeping the barrel pointed at them, his fingers on the trigger.

  One wrong move from them and a fight would have broken out. No – an execution.

  “We were checking if this building had any zombies. It’s already late and travelling is dangerous. Staying in the streets was also risky. We split into two teams of three and one with four members,” the plumpest one spoke with confidence and sincerity.

  Their reasoning seemed legit. Who would want to be outside at this hour in such a place?

  “You would better find another place for the night,” Raven said without looking much at them.

  He continued to clean his knife as if nothing had happened, but I got the feeling he was ready to grab the pistol and open fire at any moment. Did he consider them harmless? He was turning his head and eyes left and right for some reason.

  “I see no problem with them staying. The ruin is big, after all. Won’t having more people make us safer?” I said.

  “The more, the merrier?” Raven replied and giggled ironically.

  “You’re right, missy. All that you said is indeed the truth,” the same man from the other group replied.

  The others only nodded fervently at his words. He must be the leader.

  “We’ll get our brothers back and stay the night here if you allow us to. The more hands, the better, right?”

  All of my teammates’ gazes were on me. Even Raven looked at me with one eye.

  “You may stay,” I confirmed to the strangers and my people.

  “Thank you very much!” the boss replied.

  “Thank you very much!” the others thanked us in unison.

  They soon went somewhere, Raven keeping his piercing gaze on them. He was like a hunter stalking prey.

  “Are you sure?” Raven asked me after the strangers left, but he was on guard.

  Everyone looked at me, expecting a reply.

  “I think they won’t harm us. Do you suspect they will?” I asked.

  “Yes!” Lily and Roosevelt were the first to answer.

  “I’m fine with them.”

  “I doubt they would do anything.”

  Leo and Rich had no problem as they were used to travelling with bigger groups of people.

  As for Raven… He gave me a look from my legs to my neck.

  “Can you give me a side view of your body?”

  “Wha…”

  “Just do it while they are away.”

  I did and he gave me another look. Lily also joined him.

  “What do you think?” Lily asked him.

  “I am uncertain. What do you think?”

  “I fear she’s irresistible.”

  “Hmm… Your view is noted.”

  “What are the two of you discussing?” I wondered.

  “The probability of them harming you.”

  “What did you conclude?”

  “Probably not, but I cannot be certain. Will tell you if I find them dangerous,” Raven replied.

  “Almost certainly. I’ll keep a constant eye on them,” Lily concluded.

  Was this why you looked at my body from different angles? Did the two of you think they might assault me?

  After the sexual harassment you, Raven, did with your eyes on me, Leo and Rich were the most dangerous looking among all of us!

  “You could tell me any time if you are certain they are bad news.”

  “I will do so and act according to my intuition if I determine them as a threat.”

  The full team from the other group came after some time. All of them were men.

  “Thank you for having us,” they all said in unison.

  They didn’t seem that bad. Unlike someone I knew, they were well-mannered and well-behaved, even if they looked crude and unprofessional.

  Their group made a campfire at the other end of the hall and started chatting about something around it, while on our side, we were mostly spying on them.

  I didn’t know why, but I felt like we were the bad ones here.

  Time passed. We had our dinner and soon it would be time to go to bed. Raven hadn’t said anything about them yet. No news is good news.

  The supposed leader of the other group came to us. He was tall and calling him plump would have been a compliment, but he had more of an impression compared to the rest of his mates.

  He wore ripped jeans and a sweater with a few holes, scratch marks and had dry blood on his clothing.

  Having him and his bulging stomach this close in front of me was intimidating. His smile with his crooked teeth didn’t help me relax one bit.

  “Since we have more people, how about we decide on our night shifts? We don’t mind taking all of them, but since you came here first, we’d let you decide on that.”

  My companions looked at me.

  Having all of us take a full rest would be good without a doubt. If they were willing to guard us and if they were friendly, then letting them do so was more than ideal.

  Before I was able to say anything, Raven bit my ear gently. I was about to hit him reflexively with my elbow, but when I heard him whispering, I froze.

  “Stranger. Danger. Play. Dumb. Follow. Lead.”

  You believed they were dangerous; I shouldn’t reveal that we suspect them; you want me to act with you.

  He whispered all that and his right hand grabbed my breast, while his left was harassing my left cheek.

  “We’ll be taking the first shift for about half an hour. You will take the others. Now, excuse me. My girl and I would like to have some “fun”, so you should go to sleep fast. She is not used to being seen by many guys. Right, babe?” he said as his left hand grabbed my butt!

  You were putting too much effort into it! Leo even had his jaw open the entire time!

  That was hard to follow! At least my face was red from embarrassment, which made it believable. I needed a second to recover my composure.

  Now, what to say? Should I play a lustful woman? Or a naughty one?

  “Meanie, we already did it this morning! How can you be so energetic? At least be gentler!” I said, imitating excitement.

  I sat on his lap and gave him a smooch on the neck while my right arm was touching his chest and was going downwards to his groin area slowly, while with my left I stroked his shoulder a few times and wrapped it around his neck. He held me by the waist with both arms.

  I could feel his warmth and a few dirty thoughts came to mind.

  I stopped kissing him and pressed my chest onto his and rested my head on his left shoulder.

  I gave my teammates a stern expression to signal that this wasn’t out of nowhere and to minimise their unexpected reactions. Lily and Roosevelt made fast eye contact with me and an inconspicuous nod, while Rich pretended to have seen nothing. Only Leo continued to be agape.

  I hugged him around his waist with my right arm and held him tightly while also pressing closer with my body.

  He was forceful at the beginning to show his desire, but now he was showing a gentler side, proving he knew how to be compassionate with his partner, me.

  This should do the trick. If I saw two people doing something similar, I’d take them for an intimate couple that was about to have intercourse.

  Even Raven had similar thoughts and his erect thing down there I felt was the only proof I needed.

  The only way to make this more believable was if we kissed with tongues.

  “Excuse me for interrupting you then. Have a good night and “fun” while you can,” the other party said and he left.

  I was relaxing my grip on him and was about to let go, but his hold on me became firmer.

  Did you want to hug me? Well, if it was only a hug, I suppose it was fine, but couldn’t you have picked a better moment? I daresay the hug felt quite erotic and the moment wasn’t the right one.

  I was having such thoughts before I saw his eyes. They were watching the man going back to his gang with murderous intent. I got shivers just seeing him.

  I’ve seen him wanting to kill, but this was the first time I saw him this focused. The gaze froze me in place and our embrace continued.

  After a bit, he saw me looking at him, lessened his hostility and removed his arms from my waist. After remembering how to move my body, I removed my arms and tried to get up, but decided to be in his lap as I was, just a bit away from his groin area.

  Who knew? They might also be keeping an eye on us. No, they would watch our movements if they had bad intentions.

  Raven looked me in the eyes, his expression nonchalant and cold, while my cheeks were burning from the fervent emotions I experienced.

  I was expecting our faces to close and to kiss. If he made such a move right now, I would have allowed it. The interaction between us seconds ago didn’t excite only him…

  “THE…” Leo was about to explode when Roosevelt stopped him by covering his mouth.

  He made me regain my composure with the sound he was about to make and I threw all my naughty ideas out of my head. We had a pressing matter to discuss.

  “That was quite the show you put on. Almost thought you were about to tie the knot,” Rich whispered.

  “You also think they will try to kill us in our sleep? Or even worse?” Lily asked Raven, her expression calmer than what I expected, but she was serious, understanding why we did what we did.

  “The lust he showed when he saw what Mary and I were doing could have been seen in his eyes. And the words he used: “while you can”. That made me almost certain they would try something. And if they succeed, I fear that you would prefer death to what they would do to you.”

  “Fucking pigs! I’ll castrate them for thinking like that!” Lily barely held her bloodlust within herself.

  Did the man have a lustful gaze? Sorry, I couldn’t feel it as another lust-craving predator had his way with me just now. However, it wasn’t that bad. I felt safe in his embrace.

  “What are you suggesting?” I asked, my face still red.

  “First, we have to continue our act, unless you want to assault them right now. You should start making some noises. If you need help with that, I could give you a hand, but I would rather you do so yourself.”

  I didn’t want us to be the aggressor. Also, one word: PERVERT!

  “It is all to deceive them. You should do your best with that. Though, as an inexperienced virgin, you might need help.”

  Another word: MEANIE!

  I’m a dignified woman… And yet his cold gaze made me believe he was doing all of this with no ill or perverted intentions.

  “No, your moaning would be overboard.”

  Thank you for understanding…

  “Come on top of me already. It won’t be believable otherwise,” I proposed while backing up near the closest wall, my arms stretched for another embrace.

  I was getting prepared for this “believable” story to become “reality”. This wasn’t how I wanted Lily to find out, but it was bound to happen eventually…

  I couldn’t drop my eyes from his groin… Oh, what a naughty girl I have become! I gulped just thinking about what it would do with me…

  “Do I have to? You can just be one of those who prefer to be with more than one male. Try being sluttier. Pick one of the others to be on top of you. Hell, you can even choose Lily. That would be somewhat erotic, I have to admit…”

  I doubt you can get more into the mood than you already are. And why with Lily? Even if I like her skin, I’m not into girls!

  “If I really have to…”

  Unlike me, Lily was on board. Damn girl, never expected you to agree on a threesome. With Raven nonetheless.

  I gazed at Lily with a questioning expression and she diverted her gaze. It seems that her lack of interest in men may have triggered an unhealthy thought process within her.

  No, she was ready to do it to protect me and her inability to look me in the eyes was from her embarrassment. Yes, it must be as such.

  “If you, my dear Lily, insist on joining us, hug Raven like I did and give him a smooch or two. That would prove you’d be able to do well in our play.”

  “That’s…” she looked at Raven and tried to give him a hug.

  The closer her stretched hands drew to Raven, the more they shook and his confused expression made the situation too awkward for her to proceed.

  “If you wanted me to go soft, congrats, you did.”

  “What?” Lily froze in place, her expression cold and questioning.

  “Nothing. Anyway, you failed. Now, who from our young rams would give Mary an intimate hug?”

  This is getting nowhere.

  “Not happening! It was your idea, so you have to stick with it! And make it believable!”

  “Will stick it in you in a bit then.”

  NO, NOT THAT REAL!

  I felt like crying. Didn’t he say I was “shy”? This was my saving grace!

  “You all should pretend to sleep after a while. We’d go somewhere to continue the lie and watch for any movement on their part. I don’t want to kill innocent people. You might have judged incorrectly,” I said while being as red as a ripe tomato.

  “If that is what you wish for. Do not regret it later on. Now, your plan could work, but how should I take you somewhere as if we were really going to mate…”

  If you asked me, our actions were already more than believable enough!

  “Wrap one of your arms around my waist. It should do the trick.”

  “Wrap around… Yes, it will do.”

  We got up and were about to go somewhere. Raven was about to wrap his arm when…

  “Your suspicion better be true or else…” Leo said, his face even redder than mine.

  “I would much rather if I were wrong,” Raven replied with a sigh and grabbed my bottom.

  This time, his hold was strong and I could feel some pain!

  “Could you get a condom? It might be enough proof for them if they are watching us and see you getting one.”

  “I don’t have such balloons. Get yours.”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “Does anyone have?” he asked the others.

  They stayed silent or shook their heads.

  “Well, nothing we could do about it. Let’s go,” I said.

  “Sure.”

  We started moving, but his grip continued to give me pain.

  “Be gentler!” I lamented after we passed a corner.

  “I like it rough. You should get used to it fast,” he said and bit my ear again.

  “More. Shadows,” he whispered.

  Did he notice more lurking in the shadows?

  “Fine, but promise me the first couple of thrusts will be gentle and not here! They’ll hear everything!”

  “I promise to give you the experience of your life. And we will go further in. That is all I can promise you.”

  “Oh?” I licked my lips, “When you put it that way… Hehe… I look forward to it…”

  I wonder what he would have done with his other hand had it not been holding the flashlight? Did I even want to know?

  “I don’t mind you feeling my butt, but could you use less strength? It hurts,” I whispered.

  “You were serious earlier? Sorry. Is this better?” he relaxed his grip.

  “Yes.”

  We walked for a while. I stopped walking when he released his grip from my butt.

  I stretched my arms and leaned on the wall before me.

  “Are we done pretending? Are they still following us?” I asked, slightly panting.

  “No. Yes. Take your position.”

  Are you asking me to make a pose? Sure, give a moment to think of one…

  I bent my back forward, smacked my butt lightly and waved it slightly left and right.

  He stared down at me.

  “Would this suffice?”

  “That pose is not bad, but you could bend slightly lower.”

  “Like this?” I asked after emphasising my bottom more.

  “Yes.”

  From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem that we were really about to do something intimate. His thing down there was also proving it.

  “Mind me feeling you?”

  “Sure, help yourself. Just don’t go overboard.”

  His arms gently caressed my rear.

  My heartbeat went up and I was starting to feel a tiny arousal. My cheeks started to burn again. I bit my lips and was able to hold in any sound resembling a moan.

  We weren’t actually going to do it, were we?

  He wasn’t touching down there, so I think he didn’t have it in mind, but…

  No, I must not give him my body! If he went overboard, I’ll reject him!

  Still, now that we were far away and Lily was nowhere, what could I do if he forced me? Thinking as such, this was the closest thing I felt to being raped.

  No, he wasn’t one to force me. I believe he wasn’t. I trusted him.

  I needed some time to calm down and dispel those negative thoughts. Breathe in, breathe out.

  If there weren’t a good reason for him to do so, I’d not even look at him for a month at least!

  My body wasn’t something I gave nilly-willy to anyone!

  “After you had your “fun”, what now?” I continued, embarrassed with red cheeks, while looking at him shyly and he stopped caressing me, his hands resting on my rear.

  “They seem not to be following too closely, but they are still watching us. Our play is insufficient.”

  They didn’t believe us? How come? I’m wondering if we aren’t going to mate at this point.

  “How can we make it more believable?”

  “How about you make some sounds? After they leave, we will go back slowly and stay unnoticed. If they make a move while the others pretend to sleep, we kill them all.”

  “Is there another solution?”

  “Two are spying on us. I know where they are hiding. I can rush at them and kill them.”

  “… What if they are innocent?”

  “If they are, I will kill the rest of them by myself.”

  “No, don’t do that. What sounds do you want me to make?”

  I had an idea, but still asked.

  “Womanly.”

  Tsk. I’m supposed to be inexperienced and he knew it. I was about to say ‘I’d do them’, but then realised this was a good chance.

  Seemed like he didn’t believe me. Oh well, I’d have to play dumb more then.

  I already gave him a slight taste of my body, allowing him a bit more wouldn’t do much harm, would it?

  “I don’t know what you mean! Give me a helping hand!”

  But nothing else!

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “…Yes?” I replied, showing shyness and uncertainty, as an inexperienced maiden should.

  “Fine, if you insist, I will help you with that! Do not think of lamenting later, though,” he said, slightly annoyed and closed the little distance between us.

  His groin leaned into mine! We were in such a position that a misunderstanding was certain if someone was watching us! He was even grabbing my chest with both his arms!

  He was grabbing them in such a way that no one ever was!

  It hurt! He wasn’t gentle anymore! While the others were doing it for pleasure, he was doing it for my pain and the sounds I’d make!

  I couldn’t hold on for long and started making some noises for a while and his arms occasionally pinched other parts of my body.

  At some point, he even started to move his hips. My only saving grace was our clothes. He’d most certainly be hitting a nice spot if we didn’t have them and I might not have been able to resist the temptation…

  I gave him a glance with teary eyes. His reply? To put his index and middle fingers in my mouth!

  I was speechless. I finally gave up on any dignity I upheld and let the sounds flow. It was as if what we were doing was real.

  He finally stopped his movements…

  My legs gave out and I stumbled on the ground, out of breath, embarrassed, hot and defiled. This was the closest thing I have experienced to being raped.

  I panted and looked at his groin. I expected to see a fresh puddle on it, but only the hard thing under his clothes was there.

  “Next time I’d rather you “put it in” than do this,” I said aloud without realising it while recovering, still sitting on the ground.

  “I hope there is no such next time,” he replied with bloodlust in his eyes while wiping his fingers.

  “What was with you moving your dick so much?” I asked while giving it a look.

  “Sorry, it was on autopilot.”

  “And your fingers?”

  “Thought you wanted them.”

  I couldn’t deny nor agree. I did suck them a bit…. It was in the heat of the moment, nothing else!

  I stretched my arm. He grabbed it and helped me get up.

  “By the way, what would we have done if they were still following us now? If they were watching us?”

  “Let’s say that we would have needed fewer clothes and I would have had to go deeper. Unless you wanted me to finish them off.”

  I’m glad we stopped. I still didn’t know if you were good enough for my cause. I was already in pain and my dignity was hurt! I don’t want to repeat this ever again…

  Would you have taken care of me if no one else wanted me after you were done with me?!

  I was feeling as if I was just raped…

  At least now I was 100 per cent sure he saw me as a woman – a knowledge that might have some use.

  We slowly went back without using the flashlight. Only the scarce moonlight that entered the building partially lit the path before us.

  I needed some space away from him to calm down, but as I was unable to navigate well in the darkness, I had to grab his arm.

  We were lurking in the darkness, neither of us speaking, the silence our only companion.

  When we got near the light from the fires, near my friends and the strangers, we hid in the shadows and waited.

  He put his index finger, the same one I sucked, on my nose to show me to be quiet.

  He acted as if what he had done a while ago never happened. Were his nerves from steel?

  I was still shocked from back then. I couldn’t calm down my heart.

  The two others Raven detected – the ones who were following us. Their existence was more than enough for me to determine this group of people as ones who had bad intentions. The only reason why I didn’t allow him to go wild and kill them was because, depending on the scale of our fight with the main group, the undead might come and join the fray.

  My friends were lying in the sleeping bags, pretending to sleep and I expected them to join the fight immediately if one started.

  Some in the other group were up, while others were snoring.

  I pricked up my ears and listened to their talks. Most boasted about what they had done with a woman and others lamented about their situation. They were low on food supplies.

  Some started to reminisce about the last time their group met with other people, but my attention was diverted.

  I saw how two figures came out of the shadows and went to talk to their leader. They were like the rest of the people.

  I could hardly make out what they were whispering among the numerous chatters.

  “Well? Is he doing it with the gal?” he asked them.

  “We couldn’t see them as the man was turning around when we were getting close. We heard some sounds and we listened for a while. We took them as proof.”

  “Were they nice?”

  “Yes, just hearing her made me hard.”

  “That is good enough. What took you so long to come back?” he continued asking.

  “We… got lost.”

  “Are you morons or what?”

  “It’s not our fault, boss! They were taking so many turns we lost our way!”

  Was that the reason why he made me walk so much – to disorient them?

  Was the one who defiled my body a genius?

  I might have given him a kiss later if he hadn’t already taken a year's worth of them!

  “Wake up the boys. We’d deal with those here first. Make sure you don’t kill them. I’d like to see their faces when we rape their women. You can have a go at the other woman or even the men if you wish, but I’ll touch the blond one first. I hope the lucky bastard has his fill with her. It’ll be his last. Make sure when he comes back to watch everything we do to his girl. When he begs to die, then kill him,” he said as he licked his lips and scratched his groin.

  ‘Disgusting pig’ would have been Lily’s reaction were she to hear him. I’d have to agree with her. These ones had no restraints, did they? All works for them if it had a hole, didn’t it?

  I didn’t expect to meet such rotten… creatures. The undead were better than such individuals.

  “Do you need more time to see if they are “innocent”?” he asked.

  “No. You can kill them all. Their lives are worth nothing,” I replied in a cold voice.

  This scum didn’t deserve my mercy nor goodwill. I felt embarrassed to be the same species as those here. How can humans fall so far? The world was better without them.

  Raven put a silencer on his pistol, held it firmly with both arms and aimed precisely. It was the only weapon he could get without making us seem peculiar. Why get an assault rifle when mating with a girl?

  I also aimed with my pistol. I have never killed a living person. My arms were trembling, but I had to be firm; I had to get used to having blood on my hands.

  I took a deep breath and resolved myself. I whispered calmly and confidently.

  “When you are ready, start it.”

  “You joining?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, my. How much you have grown since we met. Welcome to the world of adults.”

  ‘Bang’ … ‘Bang’ … ‘Bang’ …

  He started shooting slowly, picking the ones already lying. He tried to reduce their numbers as much as possible before they realised the danger they were in.

  His silenced gun was hard to detect. Only those awake realised something was amiss, but couldn’t understand what was happening.

  “Boss! This one’s dead!” one of the goons screamed.

  “Be on guard! Enemy!” the leader said and shot in random directions.

  “Join me,” Raven said and I opened fire.

  He spoke and I pulled the trigger. I was aiming at the back of one of the goons’ heads. The recoil felt stronger than usual.

  My weapon was far noisier than Ravens and the flash was noticeable, making some of them look in our direction.

  “There!” one screamed and pointed at us.

  I managed to wound two more gravely and grazed one before they pointed their muzzles at us and opened fire. We were forced to hide behind the rubble and pray no stray bullet hit us.

  I didn’t dare to peek again, only Raven dashed around in the darkness to change position and continued fighting.

  “Get those bastards! Kill… AHH!” the leader screamed, but roared from pain.

  “Boss!”

  In the meantime, my friends realised that a fight had broken and prepared to assist us.

  Seconds after they joined, half of the cretins fell to the ground as they were taken in by surprise, both from Raven’s merciless assault and from the others' surprise attack.

  Lily and Roosevelt got up instantly when they heard the shots and contributed greatly. Rich was slow to react, but he did help, whereas Leo, on the other hand, was startled and still in the sleeping bag when the fight was over. By the time he understood what was happening, it was all over.

  Was he actually asleep? What was this moron doing?

  Raven went into the light and I also braved to follow his lead. The others also went closer, keeping their guard.

  “BASTARD!”

  One of the wounded played dead and when Raven went close to him, he assaulted him.

  Raven kicked the gun from the lying man’s arm and stomped on the wrist, breaking it.

  The man groaned in pain, tears filling his eyes.

  “Spare me, I… I didn’t want to be a part of this… that bastard forced me to!” he begged for his life to be spared, but even I wasn’t going to show mercy, let alone him.

  Raven’s actions were more savage than I expected him to do.

  He stabbed the man’s chest with his arm and then ripped his heart. The man’s expressions showed indescribable fear, as if he were watching a monster and soon after he squashed the heart in his arm, the man died, leaving only blood on Raven’s palm.

  They angered him.

  When it was over, the leader was confused. He had his left leg hit and was on the ground, begging for his pathetic life. What Raven did made him lose all boldness.

  “What? Why did you attack us?! Why did you torture my subordinate?! We did nothing to you! You… you mons…”

  Raven had had enough of his nonsense and kicked his lying mouth. A few teeth, saliva and blood flew. He then kicked any weapons near him.

  “Shut it,” I replied with a cold voice, my gaze icy.

  “I managed to hear your talk about how you were going to ‘touch the blond one first’. That’s leaving aside the two more people you kept hidden from us,” I continued while gesturing at the corpses on the ground.

  In the meantime, my friends came and Raven was stabbing the heads of all of the fallen people. A few of them were playing dead, but not for long.

  “Hey, pig,” Lily said with bloodshot eyes, “what were you going to do with my Mary?!”

  She put her handgun to his head.

  “Do not kill him,” Raven stopped her while cleaning his knife on the clothes of one of the corpses.

  Why though?

  “Why?” Lily asked in my stead, her gun at the man’s forehead.

  “Killing him would be a waste. How about we have our ‘fill with him’ first? If he manages to survive, then he deserves to live.”

  If either of you tortured him, he wasn’t going to survive for long.

  “You or me first?” Lily said after deliberation, her lips curving into a slightly menacing smile.

  “Let’s first gag his mouth. I will restrain him. What if he could not bear our “fun” and he bites his tongue?” he said menacingly while ripping the clothes of one of the corpses.

  “No! Don’ht! Mersy! Spar me!” the man spoke, but with less teeth and damaged gums, he uttered barely recognisable gibberish.

  “Beg me for death. Then, I might consider it.”

  “Pleese, ki… ughuGUGHG!!”

  He wasn’t allowed to beg. Raven put a ball of clothes in the man’s mouth, pushing it into his throat, and wrapped it around his neck. The man wasn’t idle. He struggled, roared, but Raven overpowered him.

  After gagging him, Raven tore the clothes the man wore and tied his arms and legs with them.

  After Raven was done, the man was in his underwear, restrained and gagged, tears flowing from his eyes and a liquid was beneath him.

  I didn’t object. He deserved it all.

  “Mary, you want to have a “go” at him too? We’ll let you go first or would you rather finish him?” Raven asked me.

  “Have your fill.”

  “If that is the case, you go first, Lily dear.”

  “Oh, my! What a gentleman. If you insist, then…”

  Lily slowly went before the worm on the ground. She lifted her left leg and smashed his “thing” with her foot. That was her trade mark move, the “nutcracker”.

  The man screamed with all his might, his face describing the agony he experienced. When Lily was done, she cleaned her leg on the nearest clothed corpse, whereas the worm was rolling on the ground, his underwear stained with blood.

  “You sure are evil. I am impressed.”

  For the first time, Raven made an expression resembling fear. No, he was in awe.

  “My turn then!”

  But the next moment, it was replaced with a creepy grind.

  “Before I commence, when would we loot their belongings?” Raven stopped being creepy and asked.

  “Tomorrow. I have had enough for one night. Let’s move our camp to the next room. Their disgusting smell would disrupt our rest. I’ll enjoy the show for a bit and go to sleep.”

  “Mary…” Leo spoke to me, showing me a worried expression.

  “It’s fine, Leo. You didn’t hear his intentions. If you did, you’d also do what I was.”

  “…” he knew he couldn’t change my mind and left.

  “I’ll help with the relocation,” Rich went to help Leo.

  “I ask for your permission to take the backpacks they have and their pouches before I go to sleep,” Roosevelt asked for permission.

  “Yes, do that,” I agreed.

  “Also, check their pockets! It may contain something of value!”

  “It’d take too much time,” Roosevelt replied and went looting.

  “I would advise you not to watch. Mostly you, Mary. A good person like you cannot bear to see what I will do,” he said while looking at me.

  “I’ll stay,” I was firm in my decision.

  I wanted to see the one who was thinking of sullying my pure self in agony and I was also curious what Raven would do.

  Or so I thought until I understood why when Raven met with the team the day before we departed from Hogar, he said his expertise was “torture”.

  He grabbed the man’s hand and a nail from the same hand fell on the ground every few seconds. He was taking his time, allowing the pain to get reduced, before making him remember it.

  When all the fingernails were pulled out, he started breaking the fingers one by one while also taking his sweet time.

  The other hand followed soon.

  The man kept screaming, kept struggling, kept crying, but to no avail.

  After that, he stabbed each of his legs and arms a couple of times before he plunged the knife deep into the target’s hand, pinning it to the ground.

  I couldn’t watch anymore and I left. I needed a good rest after today. I had exhausted my mentality and body.

  I went to the room next door. Leo and Rich moved our sleeping bags and made another campfire. The now deceased group’s backpacks were put in one spot in the corner and Roosevelt was already asleep.

  “We have to be on guard more than usual tonight,” Rich told me.

  “Hmm?”

  “The gunfire might have attracted unwanted attention from those creatures. The fight was brief, but it might have been enough.”

  “Will keep it in mind.”

  I went to bed. Despite the constant low howls of the one tortured the next door, I fell asleep instantly.

  In the morning, Leo and Rich were preparing to leave, while Roosevelt and Lily were checking for anything valuable in the belongings of the strangers from the previous night and Raven was nowhere to be seen.

  He must have been in the room where the massacre happened.

  I decided to look at the bandit.

  Raven was there, checking the pockets for anything useful. The ground was a bloody mess, flies started to fly around the corpses and the stench was unpleasant.

  I looked at the bandit and regretted it.

  He had a dozen stab wounds and slash marks on his legs, arms and torso, his fingers were broken, the legs were bent forcefully, with the left one revealing a broken bone. His two eyes were gone. There was a lot of blood around him. I saw that his left side was sliced open and the kidney was visible.

  The face showed the unimaginable terror he experienced before dying.

  “You seem to have had a lot of fun,” I told Raven while trying to keep the food in the confines of my stomach.

  He was casually looting the corpses, the stench of blood unaffecting him. He himself smelled of guts and blood. There were a few drops of blood on him.

  “Yes, I had some, until a few Walkers didn’t crash in.”

  “What happened?”

  “Lily and I killed them and continued. I felt like teaching a student with her by my side.”

  “Figures. How did he die?” I pointed at the most mutilated corpse.

  “The short answer is miserable.”

  Yes, I could tell that much.

  “The long is that he was more resilient than I thought. His desire to live was admirable, but I think he died from the shock.”

  “Can you tell me what I missed? Just the worst of the worst you did.”

  I had to know it. I had to harden myself.

  “I told you not to watch, remember? I still think you are not ready to hear it. Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. I warned you. He was very funny. The part when I had him eat his own eyes was the best, but you were all asleep by then. Even Lily missed it. I gave him a choice between eating the necrosed flesh of one of the zombies or his eyes. What did he choose? His own eyes! What a lunatic!”

  I imagined that. And puked.

  “You should not be wasting valuable food like that,” he scolded me.

  You were the reason why I was!

  “Told you that you were not ready.”

  “Okay, sorry, I won’t hold it against you. Did you find anything valuable?”

  “No, nothing I considered useful. Roosevelt was right – a waste of time.”

  After I calmed down, Leo and Rich came near us.

  “Are we ready to go? Coming!”

  “No, Mary, there is still time,” Leo said.

  “Then?”

  “We’re sorry, but let us hit you once,” Rich asked while looking Raven in the eyes.

  He was resolute to do it and Leo also had a similar flame in him.

  “Why?” Raven was puzzled.

  “If we don’t now, we might kill you later,” Leo said, barely holding in his rage, “Please, grant us this selfish desire of ours.”

  Why were you so mad? It wasn’t like he did me. However, he might as well have done it…

  If it was about what he had done to the man, I did think he might have gone a bit overboard, but that bandit deserved it! Most of it!

  “One hit per person. Make it fast,” he gave his approval.

  I was watching in silence from the sidelines.

  Was this something the boys did to deepen their friendship? Such a strange ritual. The women’s way was better – we just grab the other’s boobs when bathing.

  Rich was first. He hit with all his might. Raven took the hit and staggered two steps. Leo was next – four steps and fell on one knee. The cheek Leo hit was the redder one.

  Raven spat a bit of blood and complimented Leo.

  “Decent hit. You can probably rival a Brute in strength.”

  “You lot seem to have some fun. Mind if I join in? Only one you said, right?” Lily joined.

  What was with her? I thought she wouldn’t be looking for retaliation from yesterday after they spent valuable time punishing a sinner, but I was wrong.

  “Fine, but not where my groin is,” Raven got on both feet, but Leo’s punch damage still lingered.

  “Tch. Fine, I’m not that mad to castrate you.”

  Lily clicked her tongue.

  I suspected a punch or a slap to his face, but I was wrong. She took off her left shoe and hit his chin with a spin kick, throwing him in the air. After her hit, Raven was on the ground.

  Lily, what were you doing? You said you wouldn’t kill him, that you weren’t that mad!

  I was fast next to him to check if he was alive. He was breathing.

  “You should get ready while I make sure he is alive! And you went a bit too far for my sake!”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” Leo and Rich apologised and left.

  Lily went too after putting on her shoe. I put Raven’s head on my lap.

  “This is a nice leg pillow,” he teased me.

  “If you are feeling better, you can get up.”

  “I will! But after I take a nap. Wake me when they are ready. I stayed too late last night.”

  He rested his head on top of my legs for a while. His face was red and swollen from the hits.

  We didn’t find much in their belongings. We took the little food rations they had, some bullets and left the other garbage in there.