Jesse emerged next, glancing at each of us before turning toward the trail. “Found tracks. The camp is near.”
By nightfall, we united with the only survivors of the North Dakota reservation Jesse grew up on. The Lakota elder, Akicita, and the brothers Naalnish and Badger, all three of them were there. When they tackled me in hearty hugs and wide smiles, the knots in my shoulders began to loosen.
I received the same warm welcome from Tallis and Georges. The three duffel bags they’d filled with medical supplies energized all of us. I felt the excitement in the air, despite the long day of hiking.
As roasted rabbit wafted from the campfire, Elaine retired to one of the nearby tents. I stood by the warm blaze, my clothes soaked with sweat, and itchy grit crept into crevices I didn’t want to think about.
Two years ago, my hair had been a shimmery blonde. The clumpy strands that now clung to my chest… Ugh. Still shiny, in a greasy, brown-with-dirt way. But there were no rivers or ponds to scrub in.
Jesse squatted over his maps, his reddish-brown hair just as filthy as mine. But man, he pulled it off like a rugged savage warrior. I bet he smelled manly, too.
The others walked the perimeter. Except Tallis. He perched beside Jesse, as if waiting for whatever orders a hired gun waited for. His short hair spiked in tufts on his head, bronze, like his complexion. I wanted to touch his face to see if I could feel the Australian sun there, evidence of his life on the reef. Instead, I plucked the leaf-wrapped cigarillo from his lips and took a drag. He lit another.
I waved the smoky treat at the map. “So, where we headed?”
Tallis’ eyes glinted. Then he screwed them shut, cocked his head and belted the chorus from U2’s “Where The Streets Have No Name.”
I grabbed his imaginary microphone and switched the song to “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Thankfully, he joined in because...good God, I was tone-deaf.
We stumbled through some verses until we were choking on laughter and smoke.
I cleared my throat. “Think Bono survived?”
Tallis shook his head. “Nah. I heard the mate led an aphid relief campaign. Bet the bities got him.” A quirk pulled his lips. “Think he can sing ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ with mutated vocal cords?”
Jesse closed his eyes and swiped a hand over his face. Then he looked at me. “We’re going south. Gives us the most coastline and a milder winter.”
Made sense. Water repelled aphids. Since the August heat didn’t grant us much rain, we could stick close to the gulf shores and run for the water if we were ambushed.
“Okay, what’s left to do?” We still had to find transport, fuel, say our good-byes. I puffed on the cigarillo, paced, puffed again.
A hand on my shoulder stilled my movements, as did the soft baritone of Jesse’s voice. “Get some sleep.”
He quickly pulled away, as if the contact had burned him, and shoved stiff fingers through his brown hair. But his eyes stayed on me, rich and coppery, flickering in the firelight. “Doc and Father Molony are due in from patrol. We’re heading out before sunrise.”
“I’ll take a shift tonight.”
“We’re covered, and you’ll need your strength.” The fullness of his pouty mouth didn’t soften the tension there. “With any luck, you’ll be donating blood soon.”
Yeah, with luck indeed. The amount of blood needed to cure a nymph was nominal. A blood-tipped arrow would do, but injuring them defeated the purpose. So Michio used a tranquilizer gun filled with my blood.
Movement rustled behind me. I turned to find Elaine standing at the entrance of her tent, wearing only an overlarge shirt. The hem hit her thighs, and the neckline hung off her slender shoulder. Evidently, she’d rifled through Michio’s backpack again.
Tallis and Jesse stood, both facing her, and Jesse asked, “What’s wrong?”
The peaks of her nipples pebbled beneath the thin cotton. She laced her fingers in front of her chest. “I don’t have to sleep alone tonight. If you guys want to…umm…” She gestured at her tent.
My vision clouded in red, and my hand twitched to punch her face. But the sudden and unequivocal attention she’d wrangled from Tallis and Jesse gave me pause. They stood side-by-side, bodies frozen, jaws rigid, and eyes bright and firmly fixed on her.
Neither man had been with a woman since before the outbreak. Two years without sex. And we were leaving in the morning to travel however many weeks, months—years?—before encountering another woman.
If Tallis’ cock wanted at her, he should jump on the opportunity. But Jesse—
A tremor took hold of my legs, and my stomach caved in. I walked to the far-side of the campfire, grabbing a stick along the way, and sat beside the hearth. The position would require me to turn around to see Jesse’s face, which I would not do.