Page 30 of The Black Rider
I always did like a challenge. I would make the Horseman of Pestilence blush just as soon as we disposed of all these bodies.
Chapter 23
W
e didn’t get back to San Quintin until almost dinner time the next day. We were all caked in blood and brains. I don’t think I’d ever smelled that bad in my entire life, and I certainly had some stinky moments on the way to Mexico. None of us had eaten except for some jerky that seemed to be in never-ending supply. I ate a lot of it because I was starving and it was good, but I didn’t want to ask what animal they made it from. It could be anything during the apocalypse and being locked in San Quintin with Maria cooking for me, there were things I wasn’t desperate enough to eat yet. Maybe while we were back on the road, but not with Maria’s salsa waiting for me. So, I just didn’t think about it and chowed down.
I marched straight for the showers as soon as they zapped me back to that white building. I don’t know how I missed the prominent ass symbol on the door the first time that I went into the men’s shower before, but I gave zero fucks what people thought as I marched through the door covered in guts tonight. It was the apocalypse. Why were people still worried about labeled bathrooms and who saw you naked in a safe city like San Quintin?
Aeron might have wanted to salvage his clothes when he showed up covered in guts, but when I peeled mine off, and they were so soaked they stuck to my skin, I dumped them in the trash. I sacrificed one of the few pairs of panties I had to the trash gods because I didn’t think there was any way to wash them enough that I wouldn’t always think about having gut stains near my girly bits when I wore them again.
Leif felt the same as I did. It was pretty fucking sexy watching him cut his clothes off with that massive sword. Aeron took his off carefully and set them on a bench so that someone could wash them. At the rate he was grossing up his clothes, he’d better do something really fucking lovely for whoever was cleaning them. I didn’t care if he was an angel; no one should be expected to wash that much yuck out his clothes that often. It was needed this time, but I think he enjoyed killing Rage Heads just a little too much, and he got more on him in Mexico than we did on the road.
I didn’t take a peek at a single bit of sexy angel until I got under the scalding water and started washing zombie brains out my hair. I think I had exploded Nazi in there too, but there was so much, who could tell? They didn’t really have shampoo and conditioner anymore, but someone here was making some damned good soap. This was the kind of soap soccer moms in California spent a shit ton of money on in specialty shops.
It felt like silk, and they scented it with lavender that probably grew here. Not only did it feel and smell fantastic, but it was also pretty fucking useful for getting brains and Nazis out of your hair. I stopped playing in the water for a minute, and a light bulb went off over my head. Even the Nazis had friends and family.
“This isn’t over,” I said. “Eventually, their people will realize they haven’t come home, and they will raise another army.”
Leif flung his wet hair back like he was pretending to be some hot girl in a bathing suit in some beach movie. Okay, that wasn’t fair. I was trying to talk about war, and he was showing off. He was straight up smirking at me.
“It’s not just the three of us against the world, Speedy. Dice is the Horseman of War. He’s got his own toys and trained soldiers. He’s dealing with things. He’s making sure no more hate groups get riled up enough into coming here,” Leif said.
“How does he plan on doing that? It’s not like you can reason with them.”
Aeron started flexing and making his pectoral muscles dance. Great, they were both showing off. Were they taking any of this seriously? Sure, they were sexy as fuck, but today could have been much worse.
“Dice is a little crazy, and he’s a whiz at whipping up gadgets with what he has on hand. We already talked to Dice and heard his plan. Dice’s big thing is music. He’s amassed a collection when they scavenge. He thinks too many people are listening to Isaiah’s hateful words because they have nothing better to listen to. He’s already placed a homemade device on top of the White House so he can listen to all his radio conversations. He’s building another. Isaiah can broadcast all day, but no one will receive it. Everyone will be listening to one of Dice’s fucked up playlists.”
“And when those Nazis don’t come home? Everyone close to them will know where they went. More will come to avenge them.”
Leif just laughed.
“You haven’t met Dice yet. He’ll be doing his own radio show. The Horseman of War doesn’t exist to start wars. Dice was created to deescalate and end them. He’s the reason World War III didn’t last as long as it could have. Isaiah would have preferred it last until everyone was dead. It was a victory for us the war ended. Dice will manage to weave it into his radio show that no one attacks Mexico ever again, and people stop herding Rage Heads here, and everyone will think it’s just entertainment.”
“The Horseman of War sounds interesting.”
“Enough about Dice. I thought you wanted to check out my ass?” Leif said. “I’m not feeling objectified, Speedy.”
“You hardly checked me out either, Ariel,” Aeron said.
I threw up my hands.
“Something worse than Nazis could come, andthat’swhat you’re worried about?”
“We are sensitive angels with real man feelings. It hurts our feelings you aren’t looking. You promised.”
“Dice has it handled, Ariel,” Aeron said. “Now, can you check out his ass so we can go eat? I’m starving.”
I turned all my attention to Leif. I knew he was some kind of special angel, but he looked like pure sin naked and soaking wet. He just winked at me.
“Okay, it’s not fair the two of you are so hot. Every inch of you is so perfect it almost makes up for the fact that Aeron is an asshole sometimes and Leif jokes about everything.”
Aeron and Leif moved in, so they were both naked, wet, and pressed up against me.
Aeron nipped at my nose.
“That’s the entire reason you started dating us in that chatroom. Can we eat now?”
