Page 17 of Bitten By Zombie

His heart had known it, but it wasn’t until Sherry’s voice interrupted them that his brain caught up. Someone tried to kill her, of course she was vulnerable. Thank god his head got the memo before she felt taken advantage of.

If he wanted something good to come from the shitshow they’d gotten pulled into, doing anything to make her feel exploited even more than she already had been, was the exact wrong way to go about it.

Zombie shoved those thoughts from his head. All of them. Thoughts of whatever the hell it was she’d gone through because it made him angry. And thoughts that Outlaw had seen what he couldn’t, which also made him angry and focused on a moment of pleasure.

His hand was rough and determined. An image of her in his tight-as-fuck white tee entered his mind. The thought of coating those tits in something else of his that was white did the trick. He stifled the groan as he shot his load on the shower floor.

It took him more than a minute to catch his breath. Once he did, he finished up his shower and reached for the towel draped over his compact knee scooter. Using the scooter, he finished all his necessary bathroom activities and headed to the room to put on a pair of shorts or something. He didn’t think Heidi would appreciate it if he slept the way he always did.

Once he was decent, he went to the couch instead of the bed and pulled the throw over as much of his body as he could cover. From where his head was propped on a throw pillow, he could see her shape huddled under the covers but couldn’t make out more than that in the dark. She must’ve hit the lights while he showered.

She’d said no touching or funny business, indicating she was inviting him to her, er, his bed, but he didn’t want to assume. Instinctively, he knew she’d be more comfortable with him on the couch rather than in the same bed, so that’s where he planted himself for the night.

Bonus, he only had one foot to dangle off the end, so winning? Sleep evaded him for the better part of an hour. The couch was not ideal, but it was what he had.

Heidi stirred and sat up. “Zombie?”

“Yeah, Rabbit.”

“Oh. I thought you left.”

He didn’t miss the relief in her voice. Even if it was just because he was there and not because he was him, he didn’t care. Although it did wound a little if he were being honest with himself.

“Nope. Right here.”

Heidi stood. “You can sleep in the bed.” She shuffled to the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door or turn on the light. “I trust you.”

Her sleepy proclamation did something inside in his chest. She wasn’t fully awake, but in her limbo state, she trusted him. That was enough to get him moving.

Zombie was settled under the covers before she came back and crawled in beside him, facing away. “Tell me something about yourself?” she asked softly.

The smile that took over his face was the biggest he’d smiled in a really long time.

“Well, there’s not much to tell, my parents got busy some thirty-eight years ago. I was born, we lived a pretty damn normal life until Mom went off the rails and took it out on me. By the time I’d recovered, Dad let his heartbreak and guilt over the whole situation take over. That’s when I became the parent and him the child.”

Zombie droned on, not sure if she was listening or anything, but it felt good to talk about it. “It took a lot of years for him to pull his shit together and trust another woman. He’s spent every second since trying to make it up to me. But I never blamed him, or even Mom, still don’t. Mental illness is unpredictable.”

A chuckle bubbled up from deep inside him. He was aware that it wasn’t typical when talking about how one’s own mother mangled his foot to laugh. But it was everything that came after that mattered to him. He held on to the before memories with fondness too.

“Dad got me my first bike. He had it customed and modified so I could ride. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d probably still be caught in thewhyloop. And there is nowhythat can ever explain it, so I left the whys behind the first time I straddled that bike.”

That bike was still in the garage of his dad’s place collecting dust, but neither were willing to part with the piece of shit.

He let the story of him end there and closed his eyes. Ever so softly, Heidi spoke. “What’s your real first name?”

“Wayne. Wayne Slater.” She asked for first, but he volunteered his last for whatever reason.

Without turning his way, she introduced herself. “Nice to meet you, Wayne, Wayne Slater. I’m Heidi, Heidi Müller.”

Her breathing stayed the same, or if anything, it became more even. She was slipping back into sleep, so was he. The name struck a chord, but as soon as it did, sleep claimed him, and it left his mind.

Zombie was pulled back from sleep by Heidi’s voice. He could only understand every third or fourth word she mumbled, but he one hundred percent comprehended her fear.

Without her invitation, as he’d agreed upon, he rolled over and hauled her back against his chest. Not giving two shits if she was mad at him later, he refused to let her suffer her nightmares alone.

After his mom mangled his foot beyond repair, he had nightmares. Nightmares he’d suffered alone. At the time, he would’ve given his other foot just to have someone hold him and say “everything will be okay in the morning”even if it was a lie.

“Shhhh, Rabbit. I’ve got you, and nothing bad will happen tonight, I promise. Everything will be okay.” He left off the qualifier because he didn’t want things to be okay for her only in the light of day. He wanted things to be good for her forever, even if she had no desire to start something with him that may lead to a crash and burn or a happily ever after.

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