Page 32 of Burning Love

Alex glanced at Sophia, her smile fading slightly as reality crept back in. “Come on. I saw a coat back there behind the counter. I think you should put it on. You need to keep clean-ish clothes on. And then, we should keep moving.”

Sophia nodded, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “Yes, ma’am. One step at a time.”

Alex stretched her arms above her head and let out a breath. “Alright, princess, that’s enough cheek from you.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Princess? I don’t recall being called that before. Is that another American thing?”

Alex smirked. “I just assumed that you, kind of… You enjoy being told what to do.”

Sophia tilted her head, considering. “Well, sometimes. Yes, I suppose I do, sometimes. Miss Walking Wounded here is definitely pleased to be following your lead.”

Alex chuckled. “Not always, though. Definitely not between the sheets, right?”

Sophia scoffed, but her cheeks darkened slightly. “You have a selective memory. I think we both enjoy everything we’ve done so far.”

“Mmm,” Alex mused, feeling the muscles in her vagina tighten a little at the thought of the two of them together. But then she grew serious, her expression hardening as she glanced toward the door. “Listen. We need to get north of the city. We might have a real shot once we get out of here. We can’t stay here forever. It stinks. We can’t sleep. It’s full of them… shuffling around. And we can’t go back. We need to find people. Different people.”

Sophia frowned. “What’s up north, though? What makes you think it’ll be any better up there?”

“A place,” Alex said, hesitating slightly. “I’ve heard about it. I believe in it. Trust me. It’s hidden in the forest. It’s not military. No soldiers. No patrols. Just people who keep to themselves. If we can get there, they might let us stay with them. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve burnt most of my other bridges, but at least I have you.”

Sophia chewed on her lip. “Might let us stay?”

“Look, they might not, okay? But they won’t be the only people out there. Some of us made it. Some of us are still fighting to exist. Look at us! Look how far we’ve come. It’s better odds than anything else we’ve got right now,” Alex said firmly. “We can’t keep on like this. We need somewhere safe, even if it’s just for a little while. We need to change up your appearance. A haircut, new clothes, maybe a piercing? Maybe that’s too far. But we need to make you unrecognizable, and me too.”

Sophia met Alex’s gaze, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s go find it. Let’s do it all. What else have we got to lose?”

Alex gave a slight nod in return, determination settling over her like armor. “Then we head north, get a haircut, and hide our true selves?”

“I’m in. We’ve got this, right? One step at a time.”

“One step at a time,” Alex echoed, and together, they walked back into the wasteland, their footprints the only proof they had ever been there at all.

* * *

“How much further?” Sophia’s voice cracked, hoarse from the strain of constant movement. It was a question Alex knew all too well, but one she didn’t have an answer for.

Alex scanned their surroundings—yet another city with the same desolate cityscape that had surrounded them for days. Derelict buildings, streets littered with remnants of lives once lived. Everything felt trapped in time, stuck in a moment of irreversible decay. She couldn’t tell how much more they had to go. They weren’t as far north as she believed they needed to be. She knew they had some way to go. At the same time, she couldn’t see the point in discussing the finer details with Sophia. The distance was no longer measured in miles. Not really. There was uncertainty in every turn. Shadows seemed to follow them. Talking in miles, yards, kilometers… all those measurements belonged to the old world.

“Not much,” Alex lied. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore, but she couldn’t bear to voice the doubt that lingered like an unwelcome companion in the pit of her stomach. “Just a little more.”

Sophia didn’t seem convinced. She glanced at the empty buildings, her eyes darting nervously from side to side. The wind howled, rustling old papers and dried leaves, but the noise wasn’t enough to mask the fear that seemed to escape from their weakened bodies with every exhale. They were exposed, vulnerable, and still, the soldiers from their past—those faceless captors, the ones who had marked Sophia—remained a constant threat. Alex felt like they were never far behind.

“I can’t help but feel like they’re still out there,” Sophia moaned, her voice thin with the kind of exhaustion that made everything feel heavier. She hesitated as if speaking it aloud might make it real.

“I know. I guess they’re always out there,” Alex murmured back, her voice low but firm, steady. “They won’t stop until you’re back in their custody. And they know how to hunt. They won’t give up. I think this is all about outsmarting them. We’ll find a way.”

Sophia’s shoulders sagged under the weight of that truth. She didn’t speak, but the tension in her body said everything. The question wasn’t if they would be found—it was when. The thought of it gnawed at Alex, too, gnawing like the gnashing of teeth at the back of her mind. It was a relentless reminder that, no matter how fast they ran or how far they pushed themselves, there was no real escape. They were being hunted, and time was running out.

Alex hesitated before speaking again, her voice softer this time. “How are your injuries?”

Sophia blinked, as if she had been pulled from her thoughts. She flexed her fingers slightly, then touched the area near her ribs. “Better,” she admitted, though there was something guarded in her voice. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

Alex studied her closely, noting the way Sophia avoided her gaze. “You never really told me what happened in that place,” she pressed gently. “What do you remember? What did they do to you?”

Sophia gulped. She licked her lips, her eyes scanning the area around them as if searching for something unseen. “I thought I was done for,” she said finally. “The way they swarmed me—first the undead… then those scientist guys… I should be dead, Alex.”

Alex tensed. “And yet, here you are.”

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