Erin M. Leaf (8 page)

“
Hell, no,” he said, panting. “Please. Suck me.”

She leaned in again and this time she slipped him further in. When his hips jerked, his cock hit the back of her throat and she drew back, coughing.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Sorry,” Ben was saying, but she already had him back in her mouth. This time she slid her hand around Dillon’s, controlling how much she took in.

“
Yeah, just like that, sweetheart,” Dillon murmured, moving his hand away.

When she glanced up, both of them
were looking at her mouth. “You like watching?” Her fingers moved over her clit faster.

“
God,” Ben groaned. His hips were making little circling motions now. “Yeah.”

She smiled and took him back in, licking and sucking. She was surprised he tasted so good. She was surprised that sucking him
aroused her even more.

“
Yeah, just like that,” Dillon said, fingers wandering back down to Ben’s balls.

“
Gonna come,” Ben said, breathless.

Dillon immediately cupped Lark
’s face and lifted her away. Ben moaned, head thrown back.

“
We don’t want him coming yet, do we?” Dillon asked her.

Lark nodded, not sure why she was agreeing, but when Dillon stood up and began to take off his clo
thes, she knew. She wanted him. She wanted Ben. She wanted them both the same time. Somehow. She lay back down, fingers on her clit. So close…

“
Stop,” Ben said, hand on hers. He’d managed to kick off his jeans the rest of the way and now he lay down between her legs. “Let me,” he said, dipping his head down. The moment his mouth touched her pussy she cried out. He licked her lightly, never giving her enough stimulation to climax.

“
Oh God, you’re killing me,” she said, sinking her hands into his hair.

“
Just hang on,” he murmured against her clit.

She shuddered, and then Dillon was there, fingers sinking in
her cunt, beside Ben’s mouth. “You want us both, don’t you?”

Lark bit her li
p. “I don’t know how that would work.”

Dillon kissed her as his fingers drew her wetness down and began to tease at her anus.
“I can come inside you here.”

She froze as he dipped a finger inside.
“That’s impossible.” She knew it wasn’t, but she’d never considered it before, not for herself.

“
It’s not,” he said, teasing and teasing until she wanted to scream. When had his finger stopped feeling weird and begun to feel so good? She moved so that more of him slipped into her tiny hole.

“
Yeah, that’s it. Take me in,” Dillon said.

Ben licked up her pussy, bumping her clit again. She went rigid, and then Dillon added another finger. It burned, but it also felt good.

“Oh God, what’s happening?” she asked, head going back and forth.

Ben moved up and suckled her breast.
“We’re making love, pretty Lark.”

She grabbed onto him and dragged him up, kissing him deeply. She could taste herself on his lips. Dillon added another finger and she gasped.
“I’ve never done anything like this.” Her hips moved, almost out of her control.

Ben mouthed down her jaw and kissed under her ear.
“Neither have I.”

She drew his face back up.
“You haven’t?”

He shook his head.
“And neither has Dillon.”

Dillon kissed her inner thigh, still teasing her anus.
“You don’t know that.”

Ben rolled his eyes, making Lark giggle.
“I
do
know,” Ben said, sliding down her body again. He cupped Dillon’s face and kissed him. Dillon groaned and his fingers went still as Ben ravaged his mouth. “Just like I’ve never kissed another man. Or made love in a tent.”

Dillon finally looked as shaken as Lark felt.
“I’ve kissed other men,” he said, almost apologetically.

Ben nodded.
“But you’ve never kissed
me.
” Dillon groaned as Ben took his mouth again and his fingers twitched, sliding out. Lark shuddered as sparks of pleasure shot through her. She twisted her fingers in their hair, feeling like she was the link that completed the circuit. When Ben let Dillon go, he kissed her again, and then Dillon took over. She was so distracted that she hardly noticed the crinkle of foil, but then Ben sucked in a harsh breath and pulled away.

Lark panted, confused,
and looked down to see Dillon putting a condom on Ben, who shivered. She knew, somehow, that he was fighting for control. After a moment, he grabbed the other condom from where Dillon had tossed it on the sleeping bag and ripped it open. Dillon raised his eyebrows.

“
It’s only fair,” Ben said in answer, expertly unrolling it down Dillon’s erection.

“
Yeah, okay,” Dillon replied, face going taut when Ben tentatively brushed over Dillon’s balls. Dillon bit his lip, face flushing.

Lark watched, fascinated, as Ben explored.
This is the first time he’s done that,
she thought, the idea of it making her hotter. She squirmed, sliding her hand back down to touch herself, but Ben noticed and gently stopped her arm. He slid down next to her.

“
Come on, get on top, honey,” he said, tugging her onto his lap.

She did, knees trembling. When his cock brushed against her core, she finally figured out what he wanted.

“Oh,” she said faintly as he sank inside. It didn’t hurt at all this time, though he was still very thick and she had to go slow.

“
Okay?” he asked, hands on her hips.

She nodded, concentrating.
“You feel good,” she said, shocked when he hit the end of her body, inside.

“
It’s going to feel even better,” he said.

She licked her lips, not sure what he meant, and then Dillon moved up behind her. His erection was hot against her ass. When he kissed her spine, she shivered.

“This will probably feel a little weird,” he said, fingers sliding down between her cheeks.

She shook, dropping to all fours when he found her hole. She was still wet and loose from before, so he was able to sink two fingers in at once.

“Oh God,” she moaned, hanging onto Ben’s shoulders. “This isn’t going to work.”

“
It will,” he said calmly.

She could see the strain
on his face. His cock pulsed inside her, hot and thick.

“
If you say so,” she panted as Dillon slid another finger in.

“
Just hang onto me,” he said.

She nodded, and then the blunt tip of Dillon
’s cock was at her entrance. “Breathe out,” he instructed.

She gripped Ben
’s biceps and rested her forehead on his. He held her steady, soothing his hands up her waist as Dillon pressed forward. The burn increased, until she wasn’t sure she could take it, and then abruptly, the crown of his cock popped inside.

Ben moaned. She lifted her face in surprise as Dillon rested his
forehead on the nape of her neck. His warm breath sent shivers through her.

“
I can feel him, through your body,” Ben explained shakily.

“
God, I can feel you, too,” Dillon groaned, moving his hips slightly.

Lark caught her breath.
It all felt so overwhelming she didn’t know if she was feeling pleasure or pain, or a combination of both.

“
You okay?” Dillon asked, murmuring near her ear.

“
I don’t know,” she said, swallowing hard.

Ben smiled at her and slid a hand between them. When he touched her clit, she cried out, body going rigid. All the sensations she was feeling: Dillon
’s cock, his hands on her hips, the soft touches Ben was using on her clit, his thighs beneath her—all of it instantly turned to burning hot pleasure. She shuddered, right at the edge.

“
Oh, yeah, that’s it,” Dillon said, beginning to move.

She keened when his began to slide out of her, grabbing at him to keep him inside.

“Shh, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured in her ear. His hips thrust and he sank back in, rocking her on top of Ben.

Ben threw his head back even as his fingers continued to dance over her clit. Dillon thrust again, and again, the movement
pushing her into Ben. She knew they could feel each other’s cocks sliding past each other inside her, and that thought only made her more frantic, more desperate. Dillon grabbed her hips and pressed his face into her back, then fucked her hard, trusting Ben to keep them all in place. Ben lifted his legs, holding Dillon steady. He kept Lark from falling. When Dillon lost it, body straining and cock pulsing as he climaxed, Ben pinched her clit. She gasped and went over the edge, unable to hold back any longer. It all felt too incredible, then Ben groaned, cock jerking in her pussy as he climaxed.

Lark
shuddered, holding on for dear life as the aftershocks ran through her body. Dillon’s arms slid around her waist when she finally collapsed on top of Ben. He held them both, steady and sure, as they relaxed into each other.

A long moment later, Dillon carefully slid out. Lark winced, but the small ache was gone soon
enough. He discarded the condom, then snuggled up against them.

“
Hang on,” Ben said, gently passing her to Dillon. He took off his condom, tying both of them together and throwing them into a garbage bag in the corner of the tent. He settled back down next to her. “Time to sleep,” he said, smoothing down her hair.

She sighed deeply, settling in. She was so comfortable, but she felt weird sleeping without her t-shirt.
“Can you pass me my shirt?”

Dillon
huffed. “You’re ruining the afterglow.”

She snickered, then Ben rolled over and hunted for her clothes.
“Here,” he said, tossing her the t-shirt and her pants.

She slipped it on and settled back down. Dillon and Ben pulled their clothes back on too, so she didn
’t know why they were acting so grumpy. When the three of them finally got settled, she was so sleepy she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
I’m too tired to worry about what the hell just happened,
she thought as she drifted off.
I’ll figure it out in the morning.

Chapter Seven

Lark stirred, toes curling in the nest of sleeping bags
. It was still dark. Why was she awake? She rolled over, bumping into the warm lump that was Dillon. He mumbled something, but didn’t wake up. On his other side, Ben lay quiet, breathing deeply. She yawned and closed her eyes.
Must’ve been a bad dream,
she thought. Just as she was dropping back to sleep, she heard a crackling noise from the woods. She sat straight up, heart pounding.

“
Lark? What’s wrong?” Ben asked, coming immediately awake.

“
I thought I heard something,” she said, hands twisting in the sleeping bags. “I’m not sure. Maybe it was just the wind?”

“
Dillon.” Ben poked him. “Wake up.” He was already shoving his feet into his boots.

Lark rubbed her face, ears straining. It was quiet again, but she wasn
’t feeling reassured. “Maybe it was just a bad dream.”

“It’s better to be safe,” Ben said, shaking Dillon’s shoulder. “Come on man, wake up.”

Dillon rolled over and sighed. “I’m trying to sleep here.”

“
Lark heard something,” Ben said, crouching near the tent’s flap. He buckled on one of the machetes while he listened.

“It’s probably nothing,” she muttered, feeling bad about waking them.

Dillon grunted and shoved down the covers. “No, it’s okay. Hang on,” he said, hunting for his boots. He put them on, not bothering to tie them, then grabbed his shotgun.

Lark rolled over and
shoved her toes into her flip-flops. She wished she’d put on her sneakers after her shower, but it was too late now. She’d left them in the car. She grabbed the other machete and buckled it on over her leg. Dillon looked at her, eyes gleaming in the dark. “What?”

He smiled.
“Nothing.”

She rolled her eyes and checked that she could draw the blade easily.

“Careful with that, Lark. I need all my limbs,” he said.

She could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Oh, ha ha.” She raised a hand, pantomiming using the blade. He pretended to flinch, making her smile.

“
Shh,” Ben said urgently, hand raised.

Lark went still.
“Do you hear something?” Her heart knocked against her ribs.

He
held his hand up in the dark for a moment, then abruptly, he fell back, hand pulling out his blade. He stabbed it up and then down through the tent fabric. The smell of ozone trickled through the tear.

So much for the tent,
Lark thought as she scrambled out of the way, wishing she could see what was happening. Suddenly, Dillon moved too, firing his shotgun. The
boom
made her ears ring. Before she could decide which direction to go, he’d yanked her up and out of the tent. They ran down the campground’s gravel road. “What’s happening?”

He dragged her faster.
“Zombies. What else?” He sounded angry.

“
I didn’t see them,” she said, running on her own now. Ben ran up beside them, machete dripping black ichor that vaporized as she watched. “Shit!” She sped up.

Dillon yanked on her arm, dragging her to the side. She went with him, trying to keep her feet
on the uneven ground. A zombie dropped down out of the trees right where she’d been running. Ben put his machete through its eye, then yanked it out and beheaded it. Lark grabbed Dillon’s gun and pointed it past Ben. Three zombies were running from the woods.

“
Ben!” she yelled.

He glanced over his shoulder and ducked. She squeezed the trigger, and then Dillon pulled on her again and they were running.
“Where the hell are we going?”

“
Bathrooms,” Dillon said, breathing hard. He had the shotgun aimed behind them, stumbling as he tried to keep up.

“
Come on,” Ben said, firing a shot into the woods. Behind them, back at their camp, Lark heard the cans they’d strung along the trees clanking.

“
Why didn’t we hear them?” she asked, still running. She tried to unbuckle the safety strap on the machete tied to her leg, but they were moving too fast.

“
We did,” Ben said, looking around. “Or rather,
you
did. Thank God.” He fired again. More zombies she could barely see vaporized into the night. The trees rustled, from the breeze or from zombies, Lark wasn’t certain. There was no moon to help light their way. Above her, a thin sliver of sky stretched into the night, decorated with the soft, bright fuzz of the Milky Way. The stars seemed way too serene for the carnage happening on the ground.

“
Almost there,” Dillon said.

Lark put on an extra burst of speed.
It was a miracle she hadn’t fallen and broken her neck, running in flip-flops. Just as they got to the building, the dim light above the bathroom door flickered and died. “Shit, shit,” she chanted, slowing. “Now what?

“
Probably the battery went dead,” Dillon said. He was falling behind and Lark slowed down even more to stay with him. “No! Get going,” he yelled, shoving at her.

She made a face at him, but obeyed. When she finally reached the door of the bathroom, she yanked it open.
Dillon held her back from going inside.

“
Stay right there,” he said, gun poised as he entered the bathroom. He flicked on a flashlight, then kicked open the doors of all the stalls, one after the other.

Lark cursed when she realized that she
’d automatically picked the women’s side of the bathroom. If she’d gone to the other side, he wouldn’t have as many stalls to check.

“
Clear the door!” he yelled and she ducked in just as Ben got there. He had two zombies right behind him.

Lark
yelled as she finally got her machete out of the damn sheath. She angled it up and lopped off the hand of a zombie as it reached for Dillon. “Watch out,” she panted, swinging. She could barely see. The unholy growling the zombies made as they came for them had her almost sobbing in desperation, even as the noise helped her figure out where they were.

“
Fuck,” Dillon said, jamming his shotgun against the doorjamb. He squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened. “Fuck!”

Lark ducked under his arm and stabbed the zombie before it could bite him. It was big.
Probably had been a large man,
she thought, frantically trying to get the leverage she needed to slice through its neck. “Motherfucker!” She was just too small to fight effectively, especially in close quarters.

Dillon tossed the shotgun into the bathroom and seized her machete, swinging and taking the zombie
’s head with one stroke.

Lark fell back,
shaky. Adrenaline had her hyper-aware of everything going on around them. She flinched when Dillon took the second zombie’s head, the buzz of their disappearance grating on her nerves.

“
We’re trapped,” she said, quickly realizing that they were totally screwed.

“
Just hang on,” Dillon said, jamming the door shut and shoving the shotgun’s barrel through the handle. He pushed the muzzle into a space between a shelf and the wall. It wasn’t a perfect lock, but it was better than nothing. It might hold for a little while. Zombies scratched at the walls, moaning. From what she could see with their single flashlight, Ben had shut all the windows. It was only a matter of time before they broke in somehow.

Thank God there are bars over all the glass,
she thought swallowing as she looked around. Ben had set the flashlight beam-side up on the sinks, casting spooky shadows along the high windows.

“
We need to get to the car,” Dillon said, leaning hard on the door. Clearly he didn’t trust the makeshift lock.

“
There were zombies all over it,” Lark said, shivering. Ben hugged her and she turned into him, holding tight. “But we can’t stay here, either. Fuck. Dillon’s right,” she muttered into his chest.

“
Maybe they’ll calm down once they realize they can’t get to us,” Dillon said.

Lark snorted, pulling away from Ben.
“Yeah, right. Remember Pittsburgh? It was empty. Why? Because the zombies ate everyone, including each other.”

“
I’m just trying to be optimistic,” Dillon retorted. He grimaced as one of the zombies began to fling itself at the door, over and over. It sounded like a piece of meat banging on a wall. Lark hurried over to help him hold it shut.

“
We can’t stay here,” Ben said, reloading his shotgun. “This is just a breather.”

Lark hugged herself, wondering where the hell he
’d found ammunition. He managed to reload his weapon, then rolled his shoulders and reseated his machete on his thigh, making sure it was easy to pull out.

Lark took a shaky breath.
“We’ll have to run for it.”

Dillon didn
’t look happy at the suggestion. She was about to ask him if he had any better ideas when the sound of glass cracking made her flinch.

“
Shit, it’s definitely time to bail,” Dillon said, staring at the window at the end of the room.

Lark followed his gaze and
tried to back up, forgetting she was already at the door. Two zombies punched through the glass, ignoring the sharp edges. “Shit, they’re coming.” One had his entire arm and right shoulder inside already. “This is bad. Like, really fucking bad.”

“
We gotta go,” Ben said. He put the shotgun to his shoulder. “Dillon, on three.”

Dillon pressed his lips together and Lark knew he wanted to argue, but they were out of options. She unsheathed her machete and clenched her fingers around the handle. The zombie had his head inside now. His rotted teeth flashed as he wriggled through the bars.
“We’re out of time,” she said, raising her blade. Dillon pressed himself behind the door, hand on the shotgun. Lark moved to the wall near him.

“
One, two, three!” Ben yelled and Dillon slid his gun from the handle and swiftly opened the door. As soon as it swung in, he pulled the trigger. The boom reverberated in the small room, but Lark didn’t have time to wince. He shot again, taking out the two zombies right outside, then the three of them ran into the darkness.

****

Ben cursed as he raised his blade, wishing he’d been able to grab more ammunition for the shotgun. They were going to have to take the zombies down without any firepower. He glanced over and saw five heading their way. Lark had given her blade to Dillon and was holding his empty gun like a club. She had one hand tucked in the back of his jeans and moved with him. Ben approved. She’d be safest if she could stick with them and protect Dillon’s back. He began to jog, knowing that there might be more zombies in the woods.

“
Aw, fuck,” Dillon breathed and Ben whipped his head to the left.

Ten, no maybe twenty
, of them came out of nowhere. The only reason he could see them was because there were so many. They moved through the night like worms: white faces, shuffling steps speeding up as they caught the scent. They moved together like a swarm making him dizzy. He forced himself to ignore the feeling, knowing that his life,
all
their lives, depended on him not screwing up.

“
Time to run,” he muttered, moving faster. “The car isn’t far.”

“
I can’t believe we’re running back to where we came from,” Lark said, breathing harshly.

Ben growled as he raised his machete, taking the head of a zombie with a swift cut. Two more came at him and he felt rather than saw Dillon and Lark at his back.
“Can’t be helped,” he said, swinging.
At least the fuckers dissolve into nothing and don’t muck up the blade,
he thought, taking another one down. His stomach twisted at the peculiar rasping sound of the zombies’ spines catching on the metal. Fury swam through him. He would
not
let them have Lark. She would not die if he could help it, not like Olivia. He swung again and again, putting everything he had into it, trying to keep the monsters at bay. He and Dillon and Lark had to stop running. They were surrounded and there was nowhere to go. The car wasn’t far, but there were more zombies closing in, coming out of the trees like locusts.

“
This is bad,” Dillon said, swinging and taking another one down. The zombies had stopped running and were closing in more slowly. He was breathing harshly and Ben knew just how he felt. “What the fuck are they doing?”

Several of the zombies had stopped
to look up at the sky.

“
I don’t give a flying fuck what they’re doing. Come on,” Ben said, tugging on Lark’s sleeve. He moved slowly toward the car. The zombies didn’t like that. They bared their teeth and began to run at a horrible lurching speed that nonetheless ate up a lot of ground.

Lark
flashed him a panicked look. He tugged on her harder, trying to get her to move, and then out of nowhere, the sound of a helicopter filled the clearing. “What the hell?” he said, looking up. It was so dark, and he had no idea what was happening. All he could see were stars.