LOGINShare
Chapter Twelve
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Kendra walked past Rex with her head held so high that she didn’t notice the look of amused anticipation on his strong, handsome face. He waited for her to get a few yards ahead of him before he stepped off of the porch to follow her. He was startled to see the look of approval on Olga’s face as she watched from the window as he disappeared behind the house. Was that look because of her pride in Kendra’s prowess with a bow? Or, was there something more behind it?
He’d grown close to Olga and considered her a friend. Even so, he’d shied away from discussing his feelings for her niece. After all, Olga was more like a mother than an aunt and, therefore, was protective of Kendra like a mother would be. He wasn’t worried about her rejecting him because of the nuclear exposure that he’d experienced as a youth. He didn’t consider the bit of damage that it did to his digestive and neurological system enough
Related chapters
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirteen
Olga brooded over Rex’s obvious foul mood as she watched him walk with aggressive deliberation to where the zombie lay. He grabbed it by its feet and dragged it into the trees before heading back to the fence to continue pounding the post into the ground. Things clearly didn’t go as she’d hoped between him and Kendra. Did the foolish girl refuse him? She’d watched the way he looked at her as well as the way she looked at him. She could have sworn that they were equally attracted to each other. What happened.As she headed out the door to assist Rex with the fencing, she made a mental note to have a talk with Kendra. She needed to understand that men like Rex wouldn’t be coming about one after the other. They were lucky that he came along at all. Rejecting him was a foolish move even if she didn’t have feelings for him; which she was sure that the girl did.“I have to say that I’m impres
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Fourteen
The alluring aroma of rosemary and roasting meat pulled Kendra from the deep and fitful sleep that centered on dreams of Rex and his rejection of her. Even though she could have easily done without the self-torturing dreams, she would have appreciated a bit more slumber for her tired body. Unfortunately, her empty stomach was on the alert and there’d be no more rest until it was satiated.She’d gone into her room right after they’d finished working on the fence, taken a quick shower, and then crawled onto her bed for what she thought would be a short rest. By the depth of darkness outside of her window, it was clear that she’d slept for hours instead of napping for minutes.Her stomach rumbled as she slowly crawled out of bed. She massaged her shoulder as best as she could while rotating it. The demands that she’d placed on her body while helping with the construction of the barrier around the camp had required the use of
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Fifteen
Even though she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, it didn’t last long. Fear of getting caught in Rex’s bed by her aunt or Felix robbed her of her sleep. She was of an age where having sex was expected of her, in fact, it would be mandated if the regime was aware of her. Even so, she wasn’t ready to share with her family what had occurred between her and Rex. She wasn’t confident in where they stood as far as their relationship was concerned. Was it strictly sex? Or, was he expecting more from her? They had no condoms so their sex was unprotected, but he’d pulled out of her every time he released his seed. What did that mean? Did it mean that he didn’t want to impregnate her because he didn’t want to start a new family? Did it mean that he wanted to enjoy her body without a commitment? If so, what would her aunt and cousin think? Would they approve? She doubted it.Until she knew exact
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Sixteen
Baelil wiped the sweat off of his forehead and the back of his neck as he stopped to rest his horse. Reaching into his saddle bag, he pulled out a fresh shirt. Stripping the sweat soaked polo from his muscle defined torso, he rolled it up and put it in a small sack that was designated for such a purpose and donned a clean one that had been rinsed in lavender water to help retain its brightness and, therefore, gave off a light and refreshing lavender scent. They’d combed the area for weeks without any sign of the girl and her companions. How could they just up and disappear?“She has to be here somewhere,” Ari groaned as she pulled her horse up next to his and released the reins so that it could graze on the thick blades of grass that not only managed to survive the nuclear holocaust, but they’d grown back stronger than ever.It never ceased to amaze Baelil about how flexible and adaptable nature could be when it came to survival.&nbs
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Seventeen
“You’ve missed a lot,” Felix said as he set a steaming cup of pine needle tea on the bedside table next to Kendra’s head. “Wake up, Kendra. Auntie wants you to go looking for Rex.”Kendra sat up with a start. “He’s missing?”“He went out hunting early this morning and hasn’t come back yet.”Kendra peered out of the window and into the dusky light. “What time is it?”“It’s late. You slept all day.” Felix had a teasing remark about how sex with Rex had worn her out on the tip of his tongue, but he kept it to himself. He’d not only received a killer lecture from his aunt about his teasing her that morning to the point of such embarrassment that she refused to leave her room, but he inherently knew that her exhaustion was from more than that. She’d basically been the backbone of their family unit for so long tha
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Eighteen
Rex pulled his leg from the clear, cool water of the stream that he’d been fortunate to stumble upon hours earlier. The wound on his leg looked cleaner, and the bleeding had slowed considerably. He’d never been bitten by a rattler before so he had no idea how deep to cut to get the poison out. Since he could see his bone, he suspected that he’d gone further than was necessary. At least he’d managed to get enough of the poison out before it spread through his system. The little that did eke into his blood stream had made him nauseous, tired, and slightly disoriented to the point that he was forced to rest in a small grove of trees at the far end of the canyon where he’d made his kill.It was in this grove that he found the running water. After testing it to make sure that it was potable, he immersed his face in hopes of flushing the fog from his head. It didn’t completely bring the world back into clear view, but he w
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Nineteen
Kendra packed up the makeshift tent that she’d assembled for the night and doused the fire with the remnants of the pine tea she’d made. It never tasted right when she made it, but, since she was on her own, it had to suffice.She took a moment to look around her for something that would clue her in on where to look for Rex. She was worried. She’d taken the route that he’d clearly gone when he left the camp, but it was so late in the day by the time she’d gotten herself packed up and out the door that she’d had to make camp less than thirty minutes out. She’d hoped that he’d see her campfire and join her on his way back to the compound. The thought of making love to him beneath the night sky was erotically appealing. In fact, it occupied the little bit of dreaming she did for the few times that she’d drifted into a light sleep. Sleeping was dangerous when on your own at night, so she was caref
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Twenty
Ari paced the interior of the small spa house. “I know that was her leaving the grounds late yesterday. I’d recognize her anywhere.”“This isn’t working like we thought it would,” Baelil complained. “Did you see her come back?”“Not before dark,” Ari grumbled. “We need to get out of here. I don’t trust that old woman. She looks at me funny.”“I get creeped out when she looks at me. It’s like she wants to eat me or something,” Baelil said with a shudder. “Do you think they’re cannibals?”“I didn’t get that impression from Kendra, but the old woman gives me pause to wonder. What’s with the long stares?”“Beats me,” Baelil said. “We dirtied up enough. I’m sure of that.” After a moment of silence, he added, “Why do they have a mutant living with them?&
Latest chapter
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kendra moved amongst the fallen zombies and men, salvaging what arrows that she could from their corpses. When she came upon Baelil’s lifeless body, she was amazed at how accurate her aim had been in such poor lighting. It just showed what a driving force hate could be. Determining that the arrow was too damaged by the bone that it had shattered on its way to his heart to be of any further use, she moved away from him without a backward glance.The movement of a zombie that was felled but not killed caught her eye. She walked over to it, pulled out her knife, and drove it deep into the creature’s skull. Memories of looking into the human-like eyes of the zombies that had surrounded the tree that she’d used for safety floated through her mind as she wiped her knife clean and returned it to its holder.Making her way back to the house, she could see Rex and Olga casually leaning against the railing on the porch. Had t
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Six
An eerie silence greeted Felix as he rushed into the house. “Auntie, he’s invisible. Get Eugene! Hurry! He’s after Eugene!”As he raced across the great room with his eyes focused on the nursery door, he tripped over something and tumbled to the floor. Picking himself up with an urgency, he scowled as he looked in the direction of the object that had caused such havoc. The words of frustration and anger toward the object that were on the tip of his tongue were quickly replaced by gasps of shock and worry when he realized that it was Olga’s arm that he’d tripped over.He lifted his torso from the floor and was just getting to his knees when he saw Eugene being carried out of the back door. Baelil was still invisible, so it looked like the baby was floating, but he knew better.Blood oozed out of Olga’s temple as she groaned out the words, “Go after him.”“I’ll be back,” he
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Five
Denai cocked her head and scowled. “They have someone who is psychic with them.”“Truly?” Baelil said in an off-handed manner. He’d allowed Kendra’s taunting to get under his skin and was struggling to keep from charging the house and putting her in her place.“I think it’s a male, but I can’t be sure,” Denai continued with a worried whisper. “Whoever it is has strong energy. My magic is being blocked too.”Denai considered herself an average psychic with a few magical tricks up her sleeve. She’d let them believe that she was far more powerful than she was. She didn’t actually say it in so many words, but she also didn’t deny it when they praised her for her powers and skills. It had been good fortune that since she joined the populous of Center Land Village there had been no one to challenge or put her abilities to a serious test. Everyt
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Four
The days that followed saw a significant improvement in both Felix and Kendra’s physical and emotional health. Since Kendra looked upon Felix as a brother and she trusted him explicitly, she asked him to help her with the baby so that she could resume the duties that she’d performed for the family over the years, which included hunting. He was nervous and hesitant at first, but quickly took to the new role to the extent that Kendra was hard pressed to have time with her son. She’d often joke that if it wasn’t for the fact that she was the one with the breast milk, she’d never get to hold him.Seeing how much the new role of pseudo father perked up Felix’s spirits, she gave him the honor of naming the baby. It took several days of extreme consideration on Felix’s part before he settled on the name Eugene. Although, not a name that would have made it onto her baby naming list, Kendra smiled and thanked him
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Three
Other than the fact that pulling the cart was physically demanding and taxing, the journey home was uneventful. Although still weak, Felix was feeling more like himself and was able to get out and walk short distances, as did Kendra; giving Rex and Olga brief intervals of reprieve. By the time they reached the compound, they were ready for a hot bath, a good meal, and a long sleep. In that order.Olga insisted that Felix meet her in her special room so that she could better tend to his wound with herbs and sutures that she just didn’t have with her on the trip. He resisted, but was glad that he eventually gave in to her insistence when he almost immediately felt a reprieve from the throbbing pain that he’d experienced in his groin since Baelil and his men had attacked it with what he was certain was a dull knife. He smiled his thanks and promised to just do a sink wash before heading to bed so that he didn’t jeopardize the stability of the soothing her
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-Two
“I can’t believe you let me sleep through it all,” Rex grumbled as he ran his powerful fingers through his long dark hair before pulling its thick strands up into a man bun. “I could have helped you.”“You were exhausted,” Kendra said in a soft voice as she cuddled her newborn son close to her breast while it nursed. Since she had nothing to swaddle the baby in, she’d removed her tee shirt and was using that. This left her hoodie to cover herself with, but, at the moment, both of her breasts were bare, with her long, silken hair covering the breast that the baby wasn’t feeding on. “We need to head back and one of you had to be rested to pull the cart.”“So, I’m the family workhorse, eh?” he said in a mildly teasing tone that made it difficult to tell if he was serious or truly teasing.“I shouldn’t have sent that horse back to Ari,” Kendra lamented.&ldqu
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty-One
Rex said nothing to Kendra about the fact that Olga had shared her story with him. He thought it best to wait and see how much she wanted to tell him and at what intervals. He knew that she dreaded telling him anything, but he trusted that she would eventually share all. He held her close through the night and whispered his undying love to her, but made no move to touch her intimately. It wasn’t because he didn’t want her. After all of those months of searching, to finally be behind closed doors with her was extremely tempting. His need to touch every inch of her loveliness and assure himself that she was still his was almost overwhelming. But, the last thing that he wanted to do was to make her feel like she was forced into making love. She’d had enough of being forced into doing things; both sexually and non-sexually. When she was ready, she’d make the initiative. Until then, he’d do his best to be patie
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Thirty
Rex paced the porch as he processed the story that Olga had just shared with him. A myriad of emotions surged through him like angry ocean waves slamming against a rocky shore. The thought of that snake, Baelil, forcing himself on his poor Kendra ripped him up inside. Thinking of her being forced to parade around the room naked for his months of pleasure was torturous. He slammed his powerful fist into the palm of his hand as he visualized punching Baelil’s head right off of his body.He could understand why Kendra would agree to the marriage in order to avoid being placed into a breeding rotation. Even though it was a made up reality for those in Center Land Village, such a set up was very, very real within the alien governed part of the world. It made sense that Kendra would believe it without question.He closed his eyes as he struggled to maintain control of his faculties. In the months that he’d been a member of this
Where Zombies Walk (Book 1 Kendra's Journey) Chapter Twenty-Nine
The trip back to the compound took longer than they would have liked, but neither Rex nor Olga wanted to push the very pregnant Kendra. Realizing how close she was to the end of her gestation time, Olga feared that excessive stress could bring on an early birth. She actually expressed her concern to her niece about the fact that she’d run away from her captors so close to the delivery date, but Kendra was adamant that she had to seize the opportunity when it arose. Olga couldn’t argue with that logic. Not one bit.They encountered a few stray zombies on the two day walk home, but Rex handled things quickly and without mishap. It was as if dealing with walking corpses had become second nature to him. Kendra thought about mentioning the look in the eyes of the zombies who had surrounded the tree that she’d climbed into for safety, but then thought better of it. That conversation could wait for another day.The compound had
