Kick at the Darkness (16 page)

“You did not!”

“I did.” Adam chuckled. “In high school I had the biggest crush on the entire swim team.” He ran his finger over Parker’s lips. “And your mouth is perfect.”

“But don’t you think my lips could be more—”

“Nope. Perfect.”

For once, Parker couldn’t find any words, so he kissed Adam instead. Their mouths opened, and their tongues stroked lazily. He ran his hand through Adam’s hair, and down over his shoulder and arm, enjoying the sensation of just touching. He’d never actually done anything in a bed. At school, it had usually been in the bathroom, or against a dorm room door, since they didn’t lock.

As Adam nuzzled his neck, Parker mumbled, “I can’t believe you were gay the whole time. I might have died without experiencing that blowjob.”

When Adam laughed, his whole face brightened and his eyes twinkled. “Glad to be of service.”

“So how long is a while?”

“Huh?”

“You said it had been a while. Since you’d…” Parker shrugged. “Just curious. Not to mention nosy as hell.”

Adam’s gaze skittered away. “More than a year, I guess.”

“Seriously? Wow.” Although he knew circumstance had played a huge role, Parker couldn’t help but be flattered.

“Why is that so surprising?”

“Again, have you
seen you
? Cheekbones, abs, etc. Ass that won’t quit. Not that it’s
big
, but it’s just…damn.” He swore Adam was blushing. “And that meaty cock I want to make a meal of daily. Eat your hearts out, vegans. Because I have some prime beef in my bed.”

Adam burst out laughing. “Vegans?”

“It’s a long story. Probably won’t make much sense outside of my head.”

“I’ll take your word for it. And thank you.” Adam leaned in almost shyly and kissed Parker. When he sat back, he exhaled slowly. “I’ve hooked up with guys over the years. Just sex, pretty much. There was never anyone special. I’m not…I dunno. Sometimes I felt like I was looking for something different than everyone else.”

“What were you looking for?”

He ran his finger over Parker’s lips. “I’m not really sure.”

Parker wanted so badly to say something unbearably cheesy, like,
Maybe you finally found it with me
. For once he managed to bite his tongue. He kissed Adam instead, and for a minute they just nuzzled each other. Parker knew they had to get moving again, but…just a little while longer.

Adam rolled onto his hip and propped his head on his hand. He ran his foot over Parker’s shin. “What you said about straight guys…why have you been with them? I assume you have, at least.”

Parker shrugged. “Boarding school. I was the resident queer. I wanted to suck cock, and guys knew I would do it no questions asked. Oh, but don’t worry. I’m clean.”

“I’m not worried. I am too. For the record.” Adam frowned. “There were no other gay kids there?”

“A few, but they weren’t keen on admitting it. It wasn’t a big school. There were two guys who were into each other. They were roommates, and happy as clams. There was no one else that would admit it, except for one guy who’ll probably end up marrying some lucky girl and making her miserable while he cruises the public bathrooms.” Parker’s smile faded as he thought about where Greg might be right now. His stomach clenched.

Adam flattened his palm against Parker’s chest. “What is it?”

“Just wondering if Greg’s still alive. Or if he’s infected.” He shuddered. “It’s weird to think about.”

“I’m sure he’s okay.” Adam rubbed soothing circles with his hand.

“Yeah. It’s not…I mean, the guy was a douche. Super closeted, but somehow I couldn’t stay away from him. We’d fool around, but he wouldn’t kiss me. Not ever. He always thought I did things wrong. Then he beat me for valedictorian for the final humiliation. I don’t know why I put up with his shit. I never even liked him.” He blew out a long breath. “But I still hope he’s okay. I’m pathetic, huh?”

“What’s pathetic about caring for people? Even when they’re jerks? That’s not pathetic in my book.”

“I guess when you put it like that. Thanks.” Parker was smiling, and he kissed Adam briefly. Being able to just kiss him when he wanted made him stupidly happy. He did it again, a press of lips, and Adam caressed his chest before pulling back with a sigh.

“We should get moving, I guess.” Adam ran a hand over his face. “There’s shaving gear in there, so I’m going to clean up.”

“Okay. I’ll get our stuff ready.” Parker had never been able to grow much of a beard, which he supposed would come in handy now that he wouldn’t be able to shave regularly.

Reluctantly, they went about dressing and cleaning and packing up their gear. As the minutes ticked by, the tranquil haze evaporated, and Parker was on edge again as he zipped up his green rain jacket and shouldered the backpack over his machete holster. Adam strapped the shotgun to his back. They mounted the motorcycle, and Parker gave the ranger station one last look as they drove away. He knew he had to try and find his parents, but part of him wanted to tell Adam to turn around so they could hide away for another day.

They still had the back roads to themselves as they made their way across the scrubby grasslands and flat expanses of the interior. It took longer, but they carefully picked a route that kept them away from major areas or roads, although they had to venture close to a town for gas. They saw only bodies—or what little was left of them—as the hours passed.

Parker’s thighs and butt were sore from a day on the bike by the time they stopped to eat a dinner of cold canned pasta. But the day got a lot better when they kissed for longer than they should have, sitting by a fast-flowing river while the sky darkened.

Even when they got back on the road and cold rain began to fall, Parker couldn’t stop smiling.
Adam likes kissing me
. He knew it was silly, and probably awful to care about it when so many people were dead, but he needed to focus on something positive. Although they’d both shaved that morning, Adam’s five o’clock shadow had left Parker’s skin a little raw. Parker touched his face, reveling in it. Being with Adam was like a little oasis.

As night fell, they were almost at the Sierra National Forest. The back road was twisty, and according to a sign there was a town not far ahead. Parker squinted. “You sure you can see without the headlight? It really clouded over. The moon is barely out.”

“I’m sure,” Adam called back. “But we’ll find a place to stop soon.”

“However will we pass the time tonight?” Parker unzipped Adam’s leather jacket and snuck his hand inside.

Adam laughed. “Don’t distract me.”

“Oh, is this distracting?” With his other hand, Parker squeezed Adam’s crotch through his jeans. “How about this?”

Groaning, Adam shook his head. “Unless you want me to throw you over the bike and fuck you right here, you’d better stop.”

The thought sent all of Parker’s blood rushing to his groin. “Uh, I’m not seeing the downside.” He rubbed Adam, who groaned again.

“We should bypass this town unless—” He eased up on the throttle, suddenly tense.

“What?” But as they came around a bend, Parker saw what.

Creepers.

Dozens of them milled around, and Adam swore as he dodged two who reached out at the last moment. Parker unsheathed his machete, adrenaline zipping through him. While they weren’t drawn to the noise of the engine the way they were lights, it did get their attention, and they zeroed in on the new stimulus, coming at Parker and Adam in a strange shuffling unison. Adam twisted the throttle, and Parker slashed at an outstretched hand.

Ahead, the ranks closed in, and blood rushed in Parker’s ears.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Adam had to slow to twist the Harley to the right, and in an instant, a tug on his backpack threw Parker off balance as he lashed out with the machete. The tires screeched, and Parker was flying back, the impact on the ground pushing the air from his lungs. He desperately raised the machete and hacked into the head of one of the creepers as it leaned over him, bulging eyes wild and its mouth open.

I’m going to die! Help! No! Fuck!
Parker hacked again, grunting.

An inhuman sound reverberated through the air, a roar that set all the hair on Parker’s arms on end. The creeper that he’d cut into suddenly disappeared, tossed into the night like a rag doll. Parker’s mouth opened and closed, and he tried to breathe as his mind screamed.

A hairy animal with golden eyes and sharp fangs tore the head clean off another creeper, using wickedly sharp claws. Parker jerked his head left and right, searching for Adam. But Adam wasn’t there, and Parker choked down a scream. In a horrible instant, his brain caught up with what his eyes were seeing.

Lying there on the blacktop with his machete still in hand and his heart in his throat, Parker could only watch as the leather-clad thing that used to be Adam massacred the infected one by one.

NEED. AIR. FUCK
.

His heart was about to explode, and Parker gripped the machete handle too tightly as the creature—
Adam
?—slashed a creeper’s throat so deeply that the head lolled off, bug eyes rolling until the head was torn free and tossed into the trees. Creeper corpses littered the dirt road. The motorcycle engine still hummed, and the beast turned to Parker, blood and gore dripping from its claws.

Claws
.

Scrambling back, Parker choked on a scream. His heels slipped in something that was probably entrails, and fuck, fuck,
fuck
, he was going to die. “No!” His voice was barely a croak.

The thing moved closer and extended its hairy hand. “It’s okay. It’s me.”

“What?” It was
talking
. It still sounded like Adam, except growlier. But it couldn’t be. “You’re infected. Jesus, something’s wrong with you!” Parker was finally able to make his legs work, and he staggered to his feet. He held out the machete with a trembling arm. “Stay back.”

“I’m not infected.” Somehow, Adam’s calm, rational voice was coming out of the mouth of this thing. A mouth dripping with blood.

How was it—
he?
—talking? “You have to be! Look at you!”

Before Parker’s eyes, the animal in front of him transformed. The claws and fangs retracted, the hair that had covered much of Adam’s face and hands seemed to fade away, and his eyes lost their glow. In only seconds, it was Adam again.

Parker shook his head frantically. “I must be dreaming. You can’t…what is this?” Adam took another step, and Parker jumped back, nearly tripping over the body of a headless creeper. “What just happened?” he shouted.

Adam’s shoulders were hunched in his jacket, and his gaze was on the ground. “I can explain,” he said quietly. “Please give me a chance.” Then his head shot up, and he stared to the right. “But we have to go. There are more coming this way. That town must be infected. We have to get into the woods and away from the road. Now.”

The road curved ahead, and Parker could barely make it out. But over the bike’s still-running engine, he thought he heard the din of that awful chattering. He couldn’t stay out here on his own, and Adam…
what the fuck?
Had Parker hit his head? He couldn’t even form a sentence.

“We have to go.” Adam strode to the motorcycle and straddled it. “I’ll explain it all once we’re safe. Come on, Parker.”

For a long moment, Parker could only stand there. Then as another creeper twitched into his peripheral vision up the road, he took a step toward the bike.

Adam stared back at him. “Please. I promise I can explain.”

With a deep breath, he sheathed his machete and climbed on behind Adam, the pack heavy on his shoulders. If he didn’t want to fall off the back again, he needed to wrap his arms around Adam and hang on, the shotgun between them. He did, breathing in the whiff of leather and faded hint of pine that probably came from some cologne Adam had used before…well, before.

Did monsters wear cologne?

Pressed against him, Adam felt the same as he had earlier, and looked to be completely normal again. Parker wanted to ask a million questions. He wanted to run. He wanted to open his eyes and be back in his dorm room, with only his econ test and that C-minus on his mind.

All he could do was hold on as they bounced along a hiking trail, deeper and deeper into the forest.

He wasn’t sure what time it was when Adam slowed Mariah. Parker squinted at their surroundings. “Is there something here?”

“A cabin. To the left.”

The path was barely big enough for the motorcycle, and Parker had no idea how Adam had spotted it.
Probably something to do with the fact that he’s some kind of shapeshifting demon spawn. Likely has x-ray vision
. As soon as the bike stopped, Parker leaped off and backed away. Adam killed the engine, and the silence was startling.

Parker ran a hand through his hair. “Seriously, what the fuck. What the hell just happened? What’s wrong with you?”

Adam didn’t look at him as he stood. “I’ll explain everything. Let’s just go inside. Get cleaned up.”

“No. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Adam slipped out of the shotgun holster. After a few moments, he met Parker’s gaze and shrugged. “I’m a werewolf.”

Parkers bark of laughter was like a gunshot in the stillness. “A
werewolf
?” He sputtered. “Wh—what the fuck? Is that supposed to be funny?”

Adam sighed. “Nope. It’s what I am. I’m a werewolf.”

“I…what?
What
? That’s ridiculous.”

Adam’s jaw tightened. “I’m telling you the truth. Why would I lie?”

“I don’t know, but ‘I’m a werewolf’ can be filed under insane-comma-batshit.”

“You saw me back there!” Adam tightened his fists, his nostrils flaring. “I know it’s a shock, but what more proof do you need?”

“I don’t know! But what if it’s the virus?”

His voice rose sharply. “I’m not infected! I’ve always been this way.”

Parker battled the urge to back up as his heart thumped. “Okay, fine. Sure. Let’s say I believe you. You’re a werewolf.” Parker waved his hand. “Tell me more, by all means. Tell me all about it.”