Date: 2018-06-29 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Erotica; Post Apocalyptic; Harem; Adult; Science Fiction; Survival; Adventure; Horror; Urban Fantasy
Description: Alvin had a rough week. Thrown into a digital death-game, Apocalypse Gates, with only his wits and a less than helpful AI handler, Alvin’s prospects for survival looked bleak. Managing not only to survive, but to thrive, he helped build a Settlement of survivors in Green River, Utah. Along the way he met the very sexy and broken Gothy. He’s taken on the undead, mutated bugs and animals, and the worst possible enemy—other people—and triumphed. Nothing looked like it would be a major problem… except for the flight of dragons. Now the Gates are opening, and Alvin and Gothy are heading out along t

Apocalypse Gates

Book Two:

Valley of Death

Daniel Schinhofen

Copyright © 2018 Daniel J. Schinhofen

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2018 Daniel J. Schinhofen

All rights reserved.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter One

Gazing at the monstrosity that flew overhead, Alvin felt a sinking sensation in his gut. “Fuck me. Dragons? Really?” The words were harsh in the silence as everyone kept their gazes locked overhead. “Jarvis, can you explain this?”

Jarvis blinked into existence with a sigh, “It seems the Apocalypse Gates have opened. They open onto different worlds with different races and customs, many of them from myths or legends. I never thought the Draconian Gate would be among the first to open.”

“Is there a way to shut them?” Bill asked as he watched the giant dragon and the smaller ones fly west.

“I can’t answer that question,” Jarvis’s voice was a mechanical monotone.

“Great,” Alvin huffed. “I bet we’ll have to cross into the other worlds to find our answers.”

“That is a decent hypothesis, sir,” Jarvis replied, his voice back to normal.

“Dad,” Susan said, her voice loud in the hush, “we need to focus on defenses for the next little bit, especially if things like that are going to show up.”

Those words snapped people out of the stupor they had all fallen into. A cacophony of voices rose as almost everyone began to talk at once. Fear at the thought of a dragon descending on them spread among the group, causing general panic. Alvin was reminded of sheep, bleating in a field, afraid of the wolves in the woods. He listened to the rising panic, even as Bill tried to get people to calm down.

“People!” Bill shouted multiple times, but his attempts were drowned out by the crowd.

Alvin rolled his eyes, then willed his handgun to appear in his hand from his glove. Pointing it up and away from the buildings, he fired a single round. The sharp crack of the gunshot instantly quieted the crowd, and all eyes went to him. With a snarling smile, he looked to Bill, who gave Alvin a grim nod.

“Thank you, Alvin,” Bill said, before turning to the crowd. “Now, I want y’all to not panic. The beasts flew west, which means they’re likely headed to Hollywood to be in the movies.” No laughter greeted his joke. Shrugging, he continued, “The point being, they ain’t here right now. We will be focusing on defensive upgrades starting now. So y’all need to take a few deep breaths and calm the fuck down.”

“You still leaving?” Susan asked Alvin.

“Yeah. I need to find more survivors, and see what the fuck else we’re going to have to contend with. If we find another Settlement, we’ll be borrowing Jarvis for a bit. I’m going to need him to jump start whatever we find out there. Once we get it up to speed, he’ll spend a little time at each Settlement and can relay messages between them.” Alvin turned his attention to James, “They went west. I hope your family knows not to fuck with giant flying lizards.”

With a strained smile, James replied, “Dad ran a game of Dungeons and Dragons when I was thirteen. My family knows that dragons aren’t a joke. As scary as the big one is, I’m actually more worried about the squadron of smaller ones.”

“Do you think they were baby dragons?” Barbara asked with a worried tone.

“They aren’t,” Justin spoke up, holding up a pair of binoculars. “A few of them might be, but I think others were drakes and wyverns. Their body structures were different from the giant one.”

“Can you add anything, Jarvis?” Alvin asked the Hologram.

“I cannot, sir. I am sorry,” Jarvis replied with an undertone of frustration.

“Fair enough,” Alvin sighed with a nod, “I thought you might be constrained about that.” He looked at Becky, who was watching him with a level gaze. Willing the gun back into his glove, he looked around at the crowd, who were watching him with mixed expressions. “Okay. It’s time to hit the road.” Digging the keys from his pocket, Alvin’s eyes flickered to the few people that he wouldn’t mind seeing again when he came back— Susan, James, Terry, Bill, and David. “We’ll return, eventually.”

“I’ll drag him back if need be,” Becky added, her eyes on Alvin and her lips curling into a smile. “But I don’t think I’ll have to. He’ll come willingly enough, for me.”

A reflexive snort escaped Alvin, “Get in the car. We’re going for a drive.”

Becky chuckled as she moved to the Mustang and got in. Before Alvin could follow, David stepped in his way. “You’ll do your best to keep her alive, right?”

Alvin’s cold eyes softened a fraction as he replied, “That dragon that flew by is probably the only thing big and scary enough to make me doubt my ability to do so. I’ll bring her back or die trying.”

Bridget caught David’s hand and drew him out of Alvin’s way, “I’ll watch over her brother for her while you’re away.”

Nodding to the nurse, Alvin made his way to the sleek muscle car. He briefly made eye contact with a haughty Claudia and a sneering Randy, his lips twitching into a smirk before he opened the door. He turned to address the Settlement residents a final time.

“Keep scrapping everything you can. If you find a way to demo the houses and drag the remnants up here, do it. Susan and Bill will lead you all, and they’ll do their best to keep you safe. However, you each need to be aware and ready to defend yourselves and each other. We’re no longer the apex predator, the giant flying lizards made that point. Earth is no longer going to belong solely to humanity. All of you represent a chance for the Human race to survive and rebound, so don’t fuck it up.”

Not waiting for a response, he slid into the driver’s seat. The car roared to life with a hungry growl. James opened the gate for them, his expression a mixture of hope and worry. Becky smiled at him as Alvin drove the car out of the yard. Once they were down the road a little, Alvin opened the Mustang up, letting it pick up speed down the dirt road. They were silent until they hit the paved road.

“Still sure you want this?” Alvin asked, his eyes on the road.

“Are you sure you can handle me?” Becky countered.

“I’m sure I can’t, but I’ll give it my best shot,” the laughter in his voice warming Becky.

“I want this, Hero,” Becky replied her hand coming to rest on his thigh. “Or are you starting to doubt me?”

Letting the Mustang slow, he turned his head to meet her gaze. “Not one bit. I’m happy that you’re here. Now let’s see what the world has to offer us.”

Eyes sparkling, Becky grinned at him, “If we kill the dragon, can we skin it to make boots?”

Shaking his head while laughing, Alvin replied, “We’ll make you an entire outfit out of it.”

“Won’t we need a vorpal sword or something?” Becky egged him on.

“That’s for Jabberwockies, and I didn’t think you were the roleplaying nerd in your family,” he commented.

“I’m not, but I listened to David when he needed someone to talk to.” She let silence fall between them for a moment before she continued. “This is a twelve-hour drive according to the map.”

“That was before the apocalypse,” Alvin reminded her. “Who the fuck knows what the roads, or the towns, are going to look like now? Even taking the less traveled route, it’s going to take longer than that.”

“Fair enough.” Becky looked thoughtfully out the window as he made it to the I-70 on-ramp, “Do you expect many survivors?”

“I think the small towns we’re planning to drive through have a chance. The Western U.S. is home to a lot of well-armed households. That doesn’t include California, the land of firearm bans. Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and a few others are heavily armed, even more so in the rural towns that we’ll be seeing. The bigger question is just how social they’re likely to be by the time we show up. If James’s father is the smooth talker that James said he is, he’ll have been able to get people to cooperate. But between here and Beatty, we’ll have to see.”

As they picked up speed down the interstate, Becky went back to looking out her window. “Do you think we’ll find one of the Gates that Jarvis was talking about?”

“No idea,” Alvin shrugged. He was relaxed for the first part of the drive, having already driven it a few times now. “When we hit the road that we haven’t traveled yet, things will probably get interesting.”

“Define interesting,” Becky asked.

“Oh gods, oh gods, we’re all going to die?” Alvin quipped.

“Huh?” Becky looked back at him, confused.

“You missed Firefly,” he paused, “no, it hadn’t aired before the Apocalypse had it?”

Becky eyed him speculatively, “That makes it sound like you’re from the future.”

“I was born about the same time as you,” Alvin hedged, knowing he was older than her in the game.

“Spill,” Becky said evenly.

“I died in the year 2021,” Alvin began. He told her his story of how he came to be in the game, finishing it just as they passed the exit to the gas station he had spawned at during the first day of the game.

Becky eyed him, “So, you were born the same year as me, but you were older when you died. Then when they uploaded you, they made you younger than you were, but not as young as me?”

“Yeah,” he nodded as he kept his eyes on the surroundings.

“The more I get to know about you, the more intriguing you become,” Becky finally replied.

“I’m trying to keep you on your toes.”

“Toes, knees, back, whatever works best,” she laughed.

Snorting, Alvin shook his head. “You going to have sex on the brain all the time, or is this just new relationship craziness?”

“Maybe both,” Becky chuckled, “we’ll find out, won’t we?”

Alvin looked toward the truck stop he’d first appeared at as they passed the Moore Cutoff exit. The first hour of the drive was slow, if steady, as they cruised down I-70. The windows were down, letting the cool autumn air wash over them as Alvin maneuvered around the wrecks that littered the road. Alvin was growling under his breath as he once again had to backtrack to a point where he could cross over the median in order to go forward.

“It’s not like we’re on a timeline,” Becky told him as she took another potshot out the window at a zombie.

“It’s frustrating,” Alvin replied as he passed the roadblock that had made him cross over. “A fun, fast car like this, and here I’m doing thirty while occasionally having to backtrack due to stalled cars and wrecks.”

“It’s a major interstate,” Becky pointed out, “and I-15 will probably be worse.”

“I’ll be happy when we can hit the back roads,” Alvin said as he crossed back over to the right side of the road. “Devil’s Canyon viewing area is just up ahead.”

“Seen it,” Becky told him. “Stop whenever you need to, or want to. We can clear the area and take a bit of time for us.”

Chuckling, Alvin glanced at her, “We’ll have time for us when we find a safe building to barricade and not before. Neither of us has extra lives, at least not yet, and I don’t want to chance it.”

“Planning on getting extra lives soon?”

“I want to, but I also think we should be increasing stats,” Alvin replied.

“Do we have an overall goal?” She asked the question just before she pulled the trigger again, killing yet another zombie.

“The priest at the start of this told me to save as many people as I can.” He slowed as he angled past a Nissan that was stopped across two lanes and a Ford that was facing the wrong way. “The guys who uploaded my brain just want me to draw in as many people to watch for as long as I can, so far as I know. So, I don’t think there’s a real overall end game for me, besides surviving.”

“It’s just about the money for them?” Becky asked.

“No idea,” Alvin shrugged. He was accelerating after getting past the last two cars when a zombie popped up next to the Mustang and hit it with a crowbar. “Motherfucker!”

Becky swiveled in her seat, her jaw dropping open as she stared behind them as Alvin sped off. “There were four of them waiting in ambush behind the Nissan.”

“Fuck, that means they’re getting smarter,” Alvin grunted. “I should have realized it when they started carrying weapons during the last few days in Green River. From brain dead to at least animal intelligence,” he sucked at his teeth as he considered that. “If they keep on at this rate, we’re going to start being shot at by zombies soon.”

Chapter Two

The backtracking continued off and on after they passed the Devil’s Canyon rest area. Even that proved to be problematic in spots, where the road split apart due to the rough terrain. In some cases, they wound up traveling a couple of miles to find a spot where they could cross to the wrong side of the road to get around wrecked cars and trucks. Each time they went backwards Alvin ground his teeth slightly in frustration, never having considered how the American obsession with automobiles would clog the roads after an apocalypse.

Miles later down the road, they approached the Willow Sprigs Wash exit, which had an overpass. As they approached it, Alvin slowed as he caught glimpses of movement on the high road. “Gothy, eyes up,” Alvin told her as he glanced at the exit, debating going that way before he came to a stop.

“I see movement. Zombies, I think,” Becky replied as she checked her shotgun. “Are we going to kill them?”

“The gasoline tanker above the interstate worries me,” Alvin pointed it out to her. It was right against the railing facing them and seemed to be leaning in a way that hinted at it falling if pushed.

“We can go up the exit and probably get back on, on the other side,” Becky suggested.

“True,” he agreed. “But I don’t like that these things have started plotting ambushes, and this is way more complicated than I was expecting.”

“So, what do you want to do about it?”

Alvin put the car into reverse, backing up a couple of hundred yards. “I want to watch the world burn,” Alvin chuckled darkly as he got out of the car. Summoning his rifle to his hand, Alvin used the roof of the car to steady his aim.

“You light up my life,” Becky quipped as she stepped out of the car and leaned against her door.

Snorting at her pun, Alvin squeezed off three rounds. The echoes of the gunshots were followed quickly by three metallic pings. Frowning at the lack of reaction from the tanker Alvin fired off another three rounds. One of those was enough to spark the gasoline that was pouring out of the tanker from his first shots. Thick black smoke began to billow up from the tanker as burning fuel continued to pump out of it.

Primal screams of pain could be heard from ahead of them. An evil grin spread over Alvin’s face as he noted the burning, thrashing figures on the bridge. He laughed when one of them tumbled over the railing, “That’s better. You ready to go?”

“Getting them all hot and bothered then leaving them to cool off on their own,” Becky laughed as she got back in the Mustang. “I guess I should have expected that of you.” His eye roll at her statement made her smirk, “How are we going around it?”

“Take the ramp and come back on the other side,” Alvin answered as he gunned the engine before dropping the parking brake. Laughing as the Mustang took off at speed, he aimed at the off-ramp. “Get ready to fire, just in case.”

Her own laughter joined his as she balanced her gun, ready to fire as they drove by. The burning fuel was pouring onto the overpass and down onto I-70. Thick black smoke billowed straight up, as there was no wind to disperse it. The handful of zombies they could see as they rolled through the interchange were burning and flailing around. Becky laughed even harder, putting the safety back on her gun as they started down the other side. She looked over her shoulder at the burning zombies as they sped off.

“Oh gods, they looked like Muppets,” Becky wiped at her tears of laughter.

Alvin started laughing along with her as the image of zombie Muppets flailing around, with their heads back and mouths open in classic Muppet fashion, lodged in his mind. “Oh gods,” he laughed, slowing the car as he got back onto the interstate. For the next few miles they would almost regain control of themselves, but then one of them would chuckle, which would set the other one off again.

Dodging around the next roadblock Alvin shook his head, “Oh gods, that was…” He trailed off as his eyes went to Becky, who was staring at him. Once she had his attention she tilted her head back, flailed her arms, and let out a mock scream while shaking in place. Alvin stopped the car as he began to laugh again, “Stop it, already.”

Her laughter turned into stifled giggles, “Fine, fine. I’ll remind you of it later when we can laugh in peace.”

Wiping his eyes, he caught his breath and started driving again. “It’s odd being able to laugh like that with all the horror around us. Then again, you are my type of crazy.”

Patting his thigh, she grinned at him, “Damn straight.”

Not even a mile later Alvin had to slow the car again. The roadway was split apart by a few hundred feet of impassable terrain and the road was blocked right next to the Salt Wash viewing area off-ramp.

“Trap?” Becky asked.

“Possibly,” Alvin grunted. “Maybe not, though. That tour bus looks like it wrecked on its own and the few cars that plowed into it could have been people unable to stop, or cars whose drivers were raptured.”

“Either way it means zombies are likely,” Becky pointed out.

“Too true, Gothy. Keep your gun ready, we’ll take the off-ramp and try to hook back onto the interstate on the far side.”

Putting the car back into gear, he started for the off-ramp. As they left the interstate, Alvin noted a couple of shredded corpses on the far side of the bus. “Gothy, we might have animals around instead of zombies.”

“I’ll be ready,” she said calmly as she kept her eyes focused out her side of the vehicle.

As they got to the parking area, Alvin had to swerve around a couple of overturned cars that had been severely dented. “I have no idea what could have done this,” he muttered as he passed the last car and started to accelerate towards the exit.

As if his words were a summoning charm, a giant shadow fell over the car. Becky jerked her gaze up, her mouth opening as she pulled the trigger on her shotgun. Her words were drowned out by the boom of the gun and the indignant squawk of the creature she hit.

The Mustang fishtailed slightly as Alvin slammed his foot down on the accelerator. Becky pumped the gun, leaned a little out of the window and fired again. The shadow fell behind as Alvin took the ramp back to the interstate.

“What was it?” Alvin asked once they were back on the road.

“A condor or vulture of some kind. It had an ugly bald head, that’s all I can really say. Fucking thing had damn near a hundred-foot wingspan. I put a slug into its chest, but I don’t think I killed it. The second shot missed.”

“Six-foot scorpions, fifty-foot snakes, giant winged birds…” Alvin let his sentence trail off with a sigh.

“Zombies, dragons, and who knows what else as well,” Becky added. “You weren’t lying about humans not being the apex predator anymore.”

“Hopefully the animals don’t get smarter,” Alvin replied.

“It’s bad enough that the zombies are setting traps,” Becky agreed.

They lapsed back into silence for a bit as they traveled down the road. As they approached the next exit Alvin slowed again, seeing another overpass. He eyed it critically before he got the car rolling, dodging the few wrecks as they closed on it.

“A couple of zombies on the off-ramp,” Becky relayed to him as they passed the ramp.

“I don’t see anything perched to fall on us, so I’m just going to pass on by,” Alvin told her.

Nothing happened as they passed under the overpass and kept on going. Letting out a small relieved sigh, Alvin flexed shoulders that had grown a little tense.

“I’ll rub you down later, if we find a place,” Becky offered as she reached over to rub the back of his neck.

“I’ll take you up on it, if we ever get someplace,” Alvin rolled his neck, enjoying the small massage he was getting.

“I’ll take repayment in kind,” Becky grinned.

“I’m not surprised,” Alvin chuckled as he felt some of his tension ease.

Miles later they came upon the interchange with State Route 10. The interchange was a nightmare of wrecks and zombies. Becky fired a few dozen rounds as they motored by at slow speed due to having to maneuver.

Getting past the congested, zombie-infested interchange, the Mustang sped off down the interstate. Looking in the rearview as they left the mess behind Alvin shook his head. “How much longer are we on I-70 for?”

“Until Salina,” Becky told him. “Then we hit US 50 where it connects to I-15, before it splits back to US 50 again.”

“Hours and hours yet, is what I just heard,” Alvin replied dryly.

“It depends on how long it takes for us to get through the Manti-La Sal National Forest area,” Becky told him with a raised brow. “The problem being, it’s two lanes in each direction separated by concrete barriers. Not a lot of wiggle room on the other side either. One overturned rig or bus and it’s going to be a real problem.”

“Great,” Alvin grumbled, “we might make Salina by nightfall.” He kept his eyes on the road during the conversation.

Becky grabbed the atlas, flipping to the page she’d marked earlier. She went over the route, looking for an alternative as she could feel Alvin’s tension from her previous words.

She was following a possible road on the map, as Alvin passed the off-ramp for the Ivie Creek rest area. The shoulder of the road narrowed as they entered the national forest area. The first decent bend in the road made Alvin slam on the brakes.

The brakes locked up as the Mustang slid to a stop inches short of an overturned Val-Mart truck that blocked the road. A Fortwo was partially visible under the back wheels of the jackknifed truck, where it had been crushed.

“That was exciting,” Alvin breathed out heavily.

“Almost an impactful lesson,” Becky agreed with a deep breath of her own. “I think there’s a road we can take that parallels the interstate through the forest.”

“How far back?” Alvin asked as he backed up and spun the car around in a three point turn.

“Not even a mile. Besides, after that close encounter I think a brief pause would do us both good.”

“Fair enough, Gothy,” he got the car moving, driving the wrong way down the road until he found the last exit he’d passed. Taking the on-ramp backwards, he took the overpass to the south. The road led them off a little way before it opened into a decent sized parking area that had an attached picnic area and some brick structures.

Chapter Three

The only vehicle in the immediate area was an RV that had been badly battered. Alvin let the Mustang idle though the lot, not seeing any signs of life. Pulling the car towards the bathroom, he parked it aimed at the exit in case they had to flee.

“Pit stop,” Alvin said as he got out.

Stepping out on her side, Becky frowned as she looked at the ground. “Hero, there are blood stains over here.”

“Probably the people from the RV,” Alvin said as he summoned his rifle to hand. “Just be ready, in case we get jumped.”

Still holding her gun, Becky looked at him like he was slow, “You don’t say.”

Shaking his head, Alvin didn’t even try to recover from his gaffe. “Bathrooms first, then we can see about that other road.”

Becky fell into step beside him as they walked towards the brick buildings. “It’s odd to see such a solid building in a rest area,” Becky mentioned as her eyes scanned the area around them.

As they approached the building Alvin became aware of patches of dried blood that became more frequent as they neared the bathrooms. Slowing their steps, the duo became hyperaware of their surroundings. “Ladies first,” Alvin said softly as they angled towards that door.

Becky tentatively pushed at the door but it didn’t budge. Frowning, she knocked on the door firmly, “Anyone alive in there?”

Voices began speaking excitedly but Becky couldn’t make out the words through the thick metal door. As they waited, Alvin tapped Becky on the shoulder and motioned to the Men’s door. At her nod of acknowledgement, Alvin slid over to the other door and nudged it. The door cracked an inch, releasing the smell of human waste, before Alvin let the door shut and retreated back to Becky’s side.

“Is that your wrecked RV?” Alvin asked the people inside the bathroom when they’d gotten the door open a crack.

“Are you friendly?” someone asked in return.

“I’m kind of an asshole, actually, but I know a place that’s safe. It has food, water, and electricity and the people there are friendly,” Alvin stated.

“We’re not here to give you trouble,” Becky clarified. “We just stopped to use the bathroom before we get back on the road.”

“Wait, your car works?” The masculine voice sounded even more excited at this information.

Alvin backed up from the door and shouldered the rifle, “Yup.”

Becky stepped back as well, her own gun coming up as three voices inside the bathroom began to argue. Her eyes flickered to Alvin, “I think the guy inside is going to be dumb.”

Alvin shrugged, “Weeding out the gene pool is fine with me. I take a penalty to my XP if I kill a person, but it isn’t a huge hit.”

“We’re coming out,” one of the voices called from inside the building. The announcement was followed by the sound of something heavy being shifted.

“Shouldered but not up,” Alvin said softly as he lowered the aim of the gun towards the ground while keeping it ready to pull up.

Becky followed his lead as the door finally swung open. “Come on out, we’re not here to hurt you.”

As Becky and Alvin stood back, out of sight the door, it opened all the way and a haggard looking woman came out first. Her clothing was dirty and had obviously been worn for days on end. Her hair was roughly cut, as if someone had used a knife to chop it off. Holding up her hands, the woman looked at them with wide eyes, “I’m unarmed.”

“We’re just being careful,” Alvin replied evenly. He motioned with his head, “Come on out. Have you been here since the apocalypse?”

“It’s just the three of us,” she stammered as she moved away from the door, clenching her hands nervously.

A teenaged girl followed her, looking to be about Becky’s age or possibly a few years younger. The sundress she wore was matted with dried blood and had numerous small tears in it. Her blonde hair was also chopped short, and her arms and face showed bruises in various stages of healing. She only glanced up once before slowly moving towards the older woman, who was probably her mother based on their resemblance. The girl’s whole demeanor was one of an abuse victim, which caused Alvin’s nostrils to flare.

Following the two women out was a middle-aged man. The small mustache and goatee he sported along with his expression gave the impression of a satisfied weasel. Unlike the other two, his shirt and jeans were mostly clean. His eyes narrowed when he noted the two guns pointed in his general direction. “I thought we were going to be safe,” he said in an angry tone, his left hand straying towards his back, before it settled at his side.

“Miss,” Alvin asked, his voice cold as his eyes stayed locked on the guy, “has he been abusing you?”

“No,” the older woman said quickly, “she’s just clumsy. Clint has never hurt us.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Alvin snapped, the gun rising slightly.

“He has a thing about abusers,” Becky explained. She pulled her eyes from Clint to look at the younger woman. “I promise you, if you want it to end, it will, but you need to tell us.”

“He’s been hitting me since he started sleeping with mom,” the younger woman finally said after a quick glance at Becky. “The last few days have been even worse.”

The confident, cocky expression Clint had been wearing faded, as he snarled at the younger woman. “Nohel, you stop talking right now,” his voice promised pain to her later if she didn’t do as he said.

The crack of the rifle surprised the women as Clint’s head all but exploded. “I really hate abusive fucks,” Alvin seethed as he looked at the body before him.

“Oh god!” the older woman sobbed as she slumped to her knees. “You’re going to kill us all, aren’t you?”

Becky growled as she glared at the older woman, “Shut up, you stupid bitch. You were letting your boyfriend beat your daughter.” She willed her shotgun back into her gloves. Pulling her eyes from the sobbing older woman, she looked to Nohel. “You can be safe. We’ll see about finding you a vehicle and we’ll point you towards safety.”

Nohel had been staring at the dead body, before she met Becky’s gaze. Tears were flowing from the younger girl’s eyes, “It’s finally over?”

Stepping to Nohel, Becky nodded, her face showing that she knew what Nohel was dealing with. “It’s over. Do you want to go?”

“Please,” Nohel said. She knelt next to her mother, “Mom, we can go to a safe place now.”

“It doesn’t matter, Clint is dead. Who’s going to take care of us now?” she sobbed the words out.

“Either you do, or you let the world kill you,” Alvin snorted as he approached Clint’s body. Kneeling down, he put his rifle away and began to check the body. A snub-nosed .38 was tucked into the back waistband of Clint’s pants, but that was the only thing of note. His wallet was empty of cash. His license showed a full name of Clint Nicholas. “Did he have more ammo for this?” Alvin asked Nohel, holding up the gun.

“It’s in the bathroom. We’ve been living in there since the mountain goat attack a few days ago. That’s what happened to our RV.”

Alvin put the gun into his bag, “Gothy, keep an eye on them. I’m going to check the bathroom before we come up with a plan.”

“Okay.”

He found a number of bottles filled with water, some dried goods, and a side of meat that had been charred over a fire. Checking the stalls, he noted they were clean and didn’t seem to have been used. A queen mattress piled with blankets and pillows was at the far back of the room.

Becky was talking with Nohel when he came back out. “It’s clear,” he said, “there’s some food and water but that’s it.”

“Nohel said the other bathroom is the one they were using for their toilet. They also killed a goat and cooked the meat. They’ve been eating it for the last two days,” Becky told him.

“There’s a slab of meat in there that’s been charred over a fire,” Alvin nodded. “Nohel, where did you cook the goat?”

“Around back. We made a campfire and cooked the meat over it,” Nohel told him without looking in his direction.

“You good with taking her to find a vehicle?” Alvin asked Becky with his keys in hand.

“Yeah. We passed an old Camry on the way here that should work,” Becky replied as she caught the keys Alvin lobbed to her. “We’ll be back.” She motioned towards the Mustang, “Come on Nohel, let’s get you a ride to freedom.”

Nohel followed her without comment. As the two of them left, Alvin turned his cold eyes to Nohel’s mother, “We should talk.”

Turning her head, she met Alvin’s gaze and flinched. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” the words were a choked, hoarse, whisper full of dread.

“Did you abuse your daughter?” Alvin asked.

“No, never. It’s just that Clint…” She trailed off under Alvin’s gaze.

“You just let him beat her, and did nothing about it, is that it?” The disgust in his voice was palpable.

“He was taking care of us,” she looked away from Alvin, staring at the ground instead. “We were homeless before he offered us a place to stay. Isn’t having a place better than sleeping in the streets, even if it does mean a little pain?”

“Did he beat you, too?” Alvin pressed her.

“No,” she shook her head. “He would just be rough with me, when…”

Alvin glared at the dead body for a moment, “Rough sex and beating your daughter was the price that you were willing to pay, just for a place to stay?”

Her head barely moved when she nodded, “Yes.”

“It might have saved you from dying during the apocalypse, but it was going to get you killed eventually. Are you going to go with your daughter, or will you just stay here and wait for the next goat to eat you?”

Looking up, with tears leaking from her uncertain eyes, she looked puzzled. “You mean you’re not going to kill me?”

Growling, Alvin briefly debated the idea of just ending her. She was not going to be useful to the settlement as far as he could see. The daughter might not be able to cope with her mother being shot, though, and she at least deserved the chance to have a future. “No, not unless you make me. They’ll be back soon with a car and you and your daughter can stock it and leave. Do you know where Green River is?”

“It’s east down I-70,” she replied, hope slowly blossoming in her eyes.

“Right, but there will be zombies and other things, like the goat, between here and there. All you have to do is drive safe and make it there. When you get to Green River just follow the signs that should be up to find the settlement. Understand?”

“Yes,” she began to cry again, her tears now ones of happiness as she realized her and her daughter would have a chance.

“When I make it back to the settlement, if you’ve let another person abuse Nohel, I’ll kill you. Remember that,” he said as he walked away from her and towards the bathroom again.

“N-n-never, never again,” she stammered as she continued to cry.

Alvin had managed to shift most of the goods from the bathroom to the curb by the time the Mustang came tooling up, followed by a Camry. Stretching, he smiled as Becky got out of the Mustang, “Any issues?”

“None, the keys were in the car. Just had to put down a few zombies. She didn’t scream and run, so she might be worth the time spent.”

Alvin motioned Nohel to back the car up to where the stuff had been stacked. She backed the car slowly towards him as he kept waving her back. Once she had gotten the car parked and popped the trunk, Alvin began to load it.

“Is her mom going with?” Becky asked softly as Nohel got out of the Camry.

“She has decided that trying to live is a good idea. She’s been warned what will happen if she lets Nohel be beaten again.”

“Are you going to protect all the battered?” Becky asked him as she started to help him load.

“Yes,” the single word was hard.

Becky gave him a quick kiss, a grim smile on her own lips, “I figured that was going to be your answer.”

As they loaded the car, Nohel went to her mother and got her onto her feet. They went towards the bathrooms while Alvin and Becky continued loading the car, and returned just as Becky placed the last of the supplies into the trunk.

Alvin shut the trunk before turning to the women. “Your stuff is packed. Just go east down I-70 until you reach Green River. Be careful of the zombies and animals on the way, and there’s at least one fire as well.”

Nohel nodded, not meeting Alvin’s eyes, “Thank you.”

“If you don’t let another person beat you, I’ll consider that all the thanks I need,” Alvin told her.

“I’ll do better,” the mother said as she skirted past Alvin like he was a rabid dog.

“Good,” the word was cold as he watched them both climb into the car.

Becky leaned down to speak with Nohel softly, before she stepped back. “Drive safe and watch the sky. Hero, we don’t need that gun, do we?”

Meeting her gaze for a moment, Alvin pulled the .38 out of his bag. Handing it over to her, Alvin raised a single brow. “Give it to Nohel, not her mother,” Alvin said.

Becky took the gun and handed it to Nohel. “Use this to protect yourselves on the drive and later.”

Alvin watched both of Nohel’s hands clutch at Becky’s arm for a moment. He didn’t hear what was said, but Becky shook her head. A moment later, Nohel took her hands back as the car’s lights came on.

Becky went to Alvin’s side as the Camry drove off. “She wanted me to go with them,” Becky shook her head. “I think she’ll end up dependent on someone.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, but Bill will put his foot down if someone tries to beat her.” Turning towards the buildings he started walking, “Let’s do what we came to do, then hit the road again.”

Chapter Four

When they left the rest area, Becky directed Alvin down the road she wanted him to take, which was parallel to the interstate. “What is this road?” Alvin asked Becky as they drove in silence.

“Pretty sure it’s one of the warden roads through the National Forest,” Becky replied as she kept her eyes on their surroundings.

“It goes all the way through?”

“The map shows it going almost all the way to Salina, but we might have to cut back onto the interstate right near the end. This road crosses the interstate a number of times so we’ll have options to get back onto it.”

“Okay. It should be easier to drive as I doubt people were on this road,” Alvin replied as the road stretched out ahead of them.

Silence descended on them again for a bit as they followed the single lane road. Becky grinned as they passed the wreck that had stopped them so suddenly. “Well, that truck has been defeated,” she chuckled.

Alvin snorted, “You’re coming out of your shell more, Gothy. I like it.”

“You like me out of my shell? I can come out of some of it right now if you’d like?” She tugged at her jacket a little with a wicked grin on her face.

“Down, Gothy. Down, girl.”

“Did you just call me a dog?” Becky blinked.

“Well, you can be a bitch,” Alvin quipped as he kept his focus on the road, while keeping his face blank.

Snorting, Becky slapped his thigh, “Bastard.”

“More than likely,” Alvin agreed, his own lips finally showing the humor he had been holding back.

Laughing, Becky turned her eyes back to their surroundings. “It’s nice to know you care, Hero.”

“If I didn’t care, Gothy, I would have left you back in Green River. I’m as rough around the edges as you are. We’ll hurt each other at times—it’s going to happen—but I hope we can overcome those moments.”

“As long as you don’t take me for granted or hit me out of anger, Hero, I’m pretty sure we’ll never have a real problem. It’s hard to put into words, and I’m kind of uncomfortable trying to explain…” she trailed off as her voice became less confident.

Alvin slowed the Mustang before stopping it entirely. He took a breath, looking at his hands on the wheel, “I understand. Frankly, you scare the fuck out of me. Not for being crazy, I actually like that, but for making me care. The only person I’ve ever cared about was Basha, my last foster parent, and that was about respect. She was the only person I actually cared if I hurt with my actions. You, though… you’ve turned my whole damn world on its head. So, I know what you’re saying and I feel the same. We’ll both fumble around together with these new emotions until we become more comfortable with them.”

He took his foot off the brake and started the car rolling again, still without looking at Becky. As the silence stretched on, Alvin pondered his own words. He was afraid— afraid of what Becky had stirred inside of him. His hands clenched and unclenched on the wheel as his thoughts went around and around in his head. He came out of his introspection when he noticed the stream flowing beside the car.

“See anything on your side, Gothy?”

“The interstate is fucked,” she told him simply. “Only two lanes each way and every few hundred feet has at least one wreck, or at least it seems that way.”

“So you’ve made this trip way easier by finding this road for us.”

“One of my goals is making things easier for you, Hero.”

“What are your other goals?” Alvin asked curiously.

“Nope, gonna keep them close to my chest for now,” Becky replied.

“Okay, now I need to find a place secure enough to rest for the night so I can search your chest for hints,” Alvin deadpanned.

Becky chuckled, “I thought I’d already offered to show you my chest today.”

Alvin winked at her, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Her hand slipped to his thigh again, “So am I, Hero, so am I.”

The warden road was clear, making it the easiest part of the trip to that point. Alvin began to hum a song that normally made him smile when he’d been alive. As he got to the first chorus, Becky tapped his leg with a raised brow, clearly asking him silently about the humming.

“It’s a song that always made me smile,” he explained. “It’s a jaunty tune about curvy girls and how wonderful they are. It was sung by a group that did Ren fairs and other festivals.”

“Did something make you suddenly decide to hum it?” Becky asked him with the corner of her lips fighting a smile.

“A certain gothic temptress,” Alvin chuckled. He launched into the first part of the song, his voice wobbling and off key.

Wincing, Becky listened to the first part of the song and the chorus before she stopped him. “I think we should find a bucket when we stop next, to help you carry that tune.”

Alvin shook his head as he kept driving, “Yeah, singing is far from my strong point. Do you think you can do better?”

Licking her lips, Becky eyed him mischievously. “I can sing a couple of songs, but I’m not feeling inspired.”

Rolling his eyes, Alvin glanced at her for a moment. “What do you want in exchange for singing to me?”

“A promise that you won’t sing again,” Becky said simply.

“Wow, that hurts,” Alvin said, touching his chest.

“Don’t you need something in there for it to be hurt?” Becky deadpanned.

Jaw opening slightly, Alvin paused before he nodded once. “Point, set, and match to Gothy. Okay, I promise not to sing for the rest of today; however, if your song fails to please me then you have to deal with me singing the full song.”

“Done,” Becky replied quickly.

Head dropping slightly, Alvin knew he’d just been had. Becky cleared her throat before she began to sing. She sang a song made popular to her generation by a siren who was married to a cartoon rabbit. Alvin slowed the car as he stared at her in blank amazement. He came to a stop as she continued to sing, her eyes closed, her torso swaying side to side. When she finished the song, she opened her eyes to see Alvin staring at her.

Smirking, Becky giggled, “I practiced that for years.”

“I can understand why. Jessica Rabbit was a sex symbol for some people. I would think a number of guys your age would know the song. I know I remember it thanks to her.”

Becky shrugged, “That was the first time I sang it for any reason other than blatant enticement.”

“I still feel pretty enticed,” Alvin admitted as he got the Mustang rolling again. “I admit defeat in our wager, and won’t sing again today.”

“I would like to know the lyrics and beat to the song you were singing, just don’t sing it, please,” Becky told him.

Chuckling, Alvin let the Mustang roll as he told her the lyrics then hummed the song as she half-sang the lyrics. He corrected her a few times and by the third time through she had the song memorized. He hummed the music and she sang ‘Curvy Girls’. Alvin almost lost the song a few times, as the lyrics made him want to laugh.

She laughed as she ended the song, “That song is pretty amusing.”

“They have a few of them, but you bring that one especially to mind,” Alvin grinned.

Running her hands down her ample chest, Becky giggled and sang a line from the song, “Nothing better than a curvy, curvy girl.”

The grin on Alvin’s face was broad as he took the next curve in the road, before suddenly slamming on the brakes. Just before them was a short tunnel, thick strands of webbing crossing the opening.

“Fucking spiders,” Alvin grimaced.

“We can drop back a hundred yards and jump onto the interstate for a bit,” Becky suggested.

“I’m getting really tired of having to go backwards to go forwards,” Alvin growled as he put the car into park and opened his door. “I’m going to see if it will come out of its cave.”

Becky got out on her side and brought her shotgun to bear on the cave. “I’m not going to sit this out,” she told him.

Alvin balanced the gun on the door frame as he aimed at the tunnel. He didn’t see anything moving to aim at, but did his best to aim at the thumb-thick strands across the entrance. Taking a calming breath, Alvin pulled the trigger. Exhaling a hiss of disappointment as he missed, he tried again, and again, and again, before the strand snapped.

Stopping for a moment, Alvin waited to see if there would be a reaction from the tunnel. It didn’t take long before the legs of a spider came into view. Suppressing a shudder of horror, Alvin watched as the rest of the six-foot spider appeared. Its mandibles clacked as it began to climb the wall next to the opening of the tunnel.

“On three, Gothy?” Alvin said as he took aim at the spider.

Becky flicked the safety off and took aim. Her brow furrowed as Alvin counted down. When he got to three she pulled the trigger. Her shotgun barked in time with Alvin’s rifle, but he triple tapped the trigger as she pumped the next round into the chamber.

She didn’t fire again though, as the spider let out a screech and fell off the wall when their bullets ripped through it. Its legs curled up into its body as it spasmed on the ground, its life fluid spilling from it.

“That was easier than the scorpion,” Becky said.

“Good,” Alvin replied as he began to slowly advance toward the tunnel. “I think we’ll have to backtrack anyway, but the only good spider is a dead spider,” he muttered.

Becky trailed after him on his left side, making sure she had a clear line of fire. When they got to the corpse of the spider, Alvin put another few rounds into it, just to make sure it was dead.

Grabbing a stick from the ground, Becky slapped it against one of the web strands. It stuck as if it was embedded in hardened concrete. She willed her gun away and tugged on the stick with both hands. It didn’t budge.

“I don’t think we’d be able to just drive through here,” Becky commented.

Shaking his head, Alvin looked up from the spider corpse to Becky. “Yep. Let’s get going, shall we?”

Becky summoned her shotgun back to her hand as she followed Alvin. “We’ll get to Salina before nightfall.”

Alvin chuckled, “Optimist.”

Chapter Five

For the most part, the rest of the drive through the National Forest was uneventful. Becky killed a few dozen zombies along with taking a warning shot at another giant bird, scaring it off. A rockslide forced them to jump to the interstate, then a few miles on another massive pile up on the interstate sent them back onto the side road. Eventually, they made it to the outskirts of Salina, Utah.

Alvin got back in the Mustang, after putting the Nissan that blocked the off-ramp into neutral. Gently pushing the other car with the bumper, he got it rolling out of the way so they could exit the interstate. Carefully avoiding the Ford that had crashed into the guardrail, he made it off I-70 and onto the town road.

“Well, that was a fun day,” Alvin muttered.

“We started out kind of late, but yeah, it did take us longer than we’d hoped,” Becky agreed with his sentiment.

“Hopefully we can find some place that looks defensible,” Alvin said as they passed the burned-out remnants of a Budget Hotel.

“We can press on if needed,” Becky suggested. “Once we hit US 50, the road should open right up. We could probably make Scipio in good time.”

“The sun is going down, and we have no idea what might prowl the night. I’d rather get some sleep and hit the road at daybreak.”

“I’ll keep my eyes open for a good place, then,” Becky replied.

Passing the Econo Lodge and the Butch Cassidy Campground, Alvin wondered if they might not have to keep going. A little further down the street though, he found a building he liked the look of and took the side road over to it. JJDW Hardware was a large brick building that seemed to exude an aura of security.

As he pulled into the parking lot, Alvin noticed the pile of undead stacked up on the far side of the lot just as Becky pointed them out. The front doors, which had originally been glass, were covered over with steel plates. Two old trucks— a GMC and a Ford—sat in the lot a few spots to either side of the doors.

“Maybe we have survivors,” Alvin said as he parked the Mustang next to the Ford.

“Hopefully they’re friendly,” Becky added as she got out of the car.

“Keep the guns out of sight for the moment. We can summon them if we need them,” Alvin told her. Once her shotgun vanished into her gloves, he started towards the front doors.

Once they got within ten feet of the door, a male voice spoke to them, “Stop right there. What do you want?”

“We’re looking for a safe place to sleep for the night,” Alvin told the man behind the door. “We’ve come from Green River. We’re willing to trade information for a roof over our heads for the night.”

A long pause followed Alvin’s words. It stretched on for a few minutes and Alvin began to grow irritated. Just before he started talking again, another voice called out to them. “Green River, you say? I would’ve expected that postage stamp to have been overrun by undead.” The new voice was that of an older woman.

“There’s a thriving settlement growing there right now,” Alvin replied.

“Hmm. We’ll let you in but, be warned, if you start any trouble we’ll toss you right back out,” the older woman’s voice told him.

“As long as people don’t start trouble with us, we’ll be fine,” Becky added.

“Come on in,” the mystery woman added as the door cracked open, revealing the dim interior of the store.

It took their eyes a moment to adjust after they entered the building. Once they could see reasonably well, they saw the store they were in had been gutted, and cots now lined the floor. Beside the door, which was being shut by a young man, stood an old woman who looked at them with judging eyes.

The grey-haired matron’s creased face held a look of stoic determination. Her brown eyes didn’t hint at her thoughts as she looked them over. The young man next to her held a shotgun loosely in his hands, while staring at Becky with a hopeful look.

“She’s with me,” Alvin said after a glance at the younger guy. He turned his attention back to the matron. “Thank you for letting us stay the night. We’ve got a lot of things to cover and some of them are going to sound a little far-fetched.”

The matron’s face took on a hard look, “Just don’t try telling me no bullshit. I’ve lived a lot of hard years, but this is worse than anything I ever wanted to see.” She pointed down a row, “We’ll talk in the manager’s office.”

They followed the matron, with the young man trailing after them. Ushered into an office, they took the seats offered to them. The matron took the spot behind the desk, and the guy leaned against the wall next to the door.

“Now then, tell me what you know.” Her tone was authoritative.

Alvin sighed silently, meeting her gaze, then began describing the settlement being built in Green River along with the changes to the world around them.

As Alvin explained the settlement and the things that could happen there, the old woman’s frown became more pronounced. Holding up one hand to forestall her outburst of disbelief, Alvin went on, “I’m going to get my handgun, so I can show you what I’m talking about. I want you aware, so Junior back there doesn’t shoot me.”

“Char, I don’t trust him,” the guy by the door said.

“Mind your manners, Keith. He might be spinning tales but he hasn’t done anything aggressive yet.” Char’s eyes went from the man to Alvin, “Just pull it out slowly.”

“I can’t,” Alvin shrugged. “If it helps, though, I’ll have it pointed at the wall away from you both and I’ll drop the magazine out of it right away.”

Eyes narrow Char nodded, “Nice and easy.”

Rolling his eyes, Alvin stretched his hand out towards the wall, well away from the duo before and behind him. As he summoned the gun to his hand, Keith’s audible gasp was the only sound. Alvin released the magazine from the gun, setting it on the desk. Opening the chamber to make sure it was clear, he set the gun on the desk as well. He nudged it towards Char, “Go ahead and check the gun.”

He picked up the magazine and began to thumb the rounds out of it. Once he had the magazine empty he slid it to her as well. “Check the mag, then seat it. It will reload itself,” Alvin told her.

Eyes narrowed, Char did as she was told. She suspiciously examined the gun and magazine before inserting the empty mag. A second later her eyes widened, and she released the magazine into her hand. She examined the now fully loaded magazine in amazement. “How does it work?” she asked as she thumbed the new rounds from the magazine to empty it again.

“The rules of the world have changed, as I’ve been trying to explain. Think of it as a video game with perma-death. Guns can be upgraded to reload without needing more ammo, among lots of other changes. Keep the extra rounds,” Alvin told her as she seated the freshly emptied magazine back into the gun.

After a second, she pulled the now reloaded magazine back out again. “I don’t like it, but it’s hard to refute what my eyes are telling me,” she said before she loaded the magazine back into the gun again, and slid it back to Alvin. “Where do you keep that thing?”

Alvin checked the gun to make sure it was loaded and the safety on, then held it flat on his gloved hand so Char could see it clearly. “In my glove,” he stated as he willed the gun away. It vanished from sight, making Char’s eyes narrow and a smirk appear on Alvin’s face. “Now that you have a little proof, may I continue?”

“I don’t like it, Char,” Keith spoke up, anger in his voice. “It’s gotta be some kind of trick.”

Eyeing Keith for a moment, Char sighed. “Go tell Matt I’d like to see him in here, then go back to the front door.”

“But—" Keith began.

“Who’s in charge here!?” Char bellowed, getting to her feet. “You do as you’re told, young man, or so help me, you’ll feel my wrath!”

Keith bolted from the room, leaving the three of them behind. “I see you run a tight ship,” Alvin commented.

“I have to,” Char sighed, taking her seat. “The few days after the Event were hell. I’m Charlene Harris. Who are you?”

“I’m Alvin and this is Gothy,” Alvin said simply. “Are we going to wait for Matt?” He questioned the name to make sure he had heard it correctly.

Charlene gave him a single nod. It wasn’t long before an older man walked into the room, wiping some sweat from his bald pate with a handkerchief. “Matt, take a seat. These two have some unusual theories that I can’t disprove.”

Matt put the handkerchief away before offering his hand to Alvin. “If anyone can give us even a hint of what the hell has been going on, I’ll welcome it. I’m Matt Parish, pleasure to meet you.”

Shaking Matt’s hand, Alvin was surprised by the gentle grip of the large dark hand that enveloped his. “I’m not so sure you’ll want the truth, but I’ll give it to you anyway,” Alvin replied.

Once Matt pulled a chair away from the wall and took a seat, Alvin repeated what he had been telling Charlene. He once again summoned his gun to let Matt see it reload itself, adding the rounds from the magazine to the growing pile on the desk.

Matt listened intently, checking the gun and magazine three times before handing them back to Alvin. He stayed silent through the explanation until Alvin was done.

“I would have called you nuts, if not for the demonstration with your gun,” Matt finally said. “It’s difficult to refute hard evidence, though.” He turned to Charlene, “We can either try to find out how we can build a settlement or we can try to get everyone to Green River.”

Alvin coughed lightly, “I can try to turn this place into a base, if you’d like.”

Charlene’s eyes snapped to Alvin, “You’re the only one who can make settlements?”

“As far as I know. There might be others like me, but I’m not certain,” Alvin told her.

“If you can do it, then do it,” Charlene’s voice held all the authority of a drill sergeant or a grandmother of fifty.

Raising a single brow at her tone Alvin shrugged, “I don’t take orders well. Then again, settlements are in my best interests, so sure.”

He pulled up his user interface to see where the option for starting a settlement was. A pop-up appeared in front of him, which he knocked away with a snarl after reading. He looked up to meet Charlene’s intent gaze.

“I can’t turn Salina into a settlement after all. It’s too close to an existing one,” Alvin said.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick to make us go to Green River?” Charlene asked with narrowed eyes.

“You don’t, other than me saying so,” Alvin told her. “I don’t care if you have a settlement or if you go to Green River. The more people who survive, though, means a better chance for humanity to claw its way back into the game, no pun intended.”

The sound of Charlene’s teeth grinding was loud in the room for a moment. “I’ll consider it. You’re allowed to rest here for the night. We can spare some food for you, as well.”

“We’ll take what you offer,” Alvin replied, “and will be leaving in the morning. If you can get me a map I’ll show you the route to get to Green River. I-70 is a bit of a mess.”

“I’ll go grab one,” Matt said as he got to his feet slowly. He paused next to Alvin, “I used to be a biologist. I can tell you that the animals and undead aren’t what they used to be. I’ve done what research I could with minimal electricity, and the change in cell structure is radical. If you head further west you’ll want to keep your eyes open.”

“We have been and will continue to do so,” Becky told him with a smile.

The trio sat there in silence for a few minutes until Matt returned with a map. Charlene laid it out on the desk and Alvin traced the route they had taken to get to Salina. He noted each of the spots where they’d encountered trouble and explained them to Charlene.

“If we head out in the next day or two, we might have an easier time of it,” Charlene muttered as she looked over the map. Pulling her eyes from it to Alvin, she gave him a tight smile, “Thanks, but not a lot. What you’ve told us will take a lot of getting used to. I’m going to ask you keep a lid on anything you might say for the rest of the evening. I don’t want my fifty-six people panicking about how different the world is.”

Alvin got to his feet, stretching as he did. “I’d just as soon not talk to anyone. Can you show us where we can bunk?”

Charlene led them out of the office and over to a back corner. A single queen mattress lay there with no coverings.  “I’ll have someone bring you a sheet and blanket,” Charlene told them. “We hand out food near the front door in about an hour.”

“We’ll be there,” Becky replied. “Just one other question— where is the bathroom?”

“Follow me,” Charlene said and led Becky away.

Alvin watched her go, then turned to look over the rest of the room. He briefly noted several people coming in through the front door. His eyes tracked to the lights above them. He was glad the building had power of some kind, but he wondered where the generators were and how they were guarded.

Pulled from his thoughts by an eight-year-old boy who came cautiously towards him, Alvin held out his hands for the bedding the boy was carrying. “Thank you,” Alvin said flatly.

“Is it true you came from Green River?” the boy asked.

“You should ask Charlene,” Alvin replied as he turned away from the boy to begin making the bed. He wondered why such a young child was here, he would have expected all the young kids to have been raptured. As he chewed on the thought he recalled that only those “free from sin” had been raptured. That had to mean the child had committed some kind of transgression, probably not honoring his mother or father considering his age.

Chapter Six

A number of people tried to get information from Alvin and Becky while they waited in line for food, but Alvin deflected them all by telling them to ask Charlene. Eventually they were left alone by the others, though Alvin did note the many eyes that continued to stare at Becky.

Charlene gathered everyone together after dinner to explain some of what was happening to them. She deliberately left out some of the more game-like qualities of the world, but she did lay out a plan for them to strike out for Green River in a few days.

A couple of the men objected to Charlene’s decision to move them all, but were quickly shouted down by the majority in the room. Alvin and Becky sat on their bed during the meeting, with Alvin keeping a close eye on those who’d objected while the meeting continued.

When the meeting finally broke up, everyone was talking about what it was going to take to move all of them. Becky retrieved a bag from the car before the door was barred for the night. The lights inside the building were turned off, except for a few dim ones, and everyone began to turn in for the night.

Alvin waited by the bed for Becky to return, as she’d gone directly to a group of women when she came back in with the bag. He saw the men who’d objected to moving to Green River standing near the door, talking with three other men.

“I have something for you to change into, Hero,” Becky said, having approached while he was busy watching the guys.

Turning to Becky, he saw that she was wearing flannel pajamas that helped hide her ample assets. A small smile in place, she held out a pair of flannel pants to him. Taking them, Alvin chuckled, “I see we’re past the honeymoon stage and straight to the flannel PJs.”

Becky laughed softly, “I’ll go to skin if you’d rather, but I think it might incite a riot.” She teasingly unbuttoned the top button of her pajamas.

He covered her hands with one of his, “While I will fight to keep you, I think I would rapidly lose a fuck ton of XP by having to do so, Gothy.”

With a smirk, Becky slipped under the blanket they’d been given. “I figured. I was also thinking about something else today. What if we found undergarments that could take a single upgrade? If we put the storage upgrade on them, could they hold our outer garments?”

Alvin’s mouth fell open. It was an idea he hadn’t considered. “Huh. It might work that way. We can get a shirt and try it out. See if the shirt can hold the jacket first, and if it does we can see about expanding the test.”

“Why don’t you get changed, and I’ll pull a shirt from the bag. You can duck back to your room for a minute and find out for us.”

“I’m not sure I want to do that with all these people here,” Alvin told her, looking around the room where people were settling in for sleep. “There’s a bright flash when I leave, remember?”

Thinking it over for a moment, Becky nodded and got to her feet. “I’ll be right back while you put those pants on.”

Watching her go, wondering what she had planned, Alvin did as she asked and stripped down to put the pajamas on. He folded his clothes and stuck them into his shirt to make a pillow, as they hadn’t been given any. Just as he finished, Becky came back with Charlene in tow.

“Charlene will let you use the office for a minute,” Becky told him, “but she wants to be in the room with us and see it happen.”

Shrugging, Alvin got to his feet and grabbed his makeshift pillow. “If that’s what it takes,” he said.

Once the three of them were in the office, Charlene locked the door behind them. “What did she mean by you’ll vanish?”

Alvin leaned against the wall as he looked at the button to take him back to his cell. “Exactly what she said,” he told her, then tapped the button and vanished from the room.

“Welcome home, sir,” Jarvis intoned. “I see the trip is going more slowly than you had anticipated.”

“That’s putting it mildly, Jarvis. How’s the settlement doing?”

“They have found a collection of trailers for the rig on the far side of the river, as well as an old backhoe. They plan to begin demolishing the houses closest to the settlement tomorrow.”

“That is excellent news,” Alvin agreed, opening the store to find it already on the page he wanted. “You’re taking really good care of me, Jarvis. What do you want now?”

“There is nothing that you can afford that I would request at this time,” Jarvis replied. “In the future, however, there are a number of useful upgrades you might consider for me.”

“So you’re playing the long game. Got it,” Alvin chuckled.

Realizing he had no idea what his XP was like, he brought a summary of the day up. Nodding appreciatively at the total, he frowned once at the negative for killing the abusive bastard. “Still getting penalties for removing scum.”

“It is hardwired into the simulation,” Jarvis told him. “There is a rumor that the penalty may be increased in the near future.”

“Just fucking great,” Alvin sighed as he looked at the numbers again. “Well, let’s test out Gothy’s theory.”

World Mode Summary

Total Experience Earned: 9,570 XP

Breakdown: 1 Day in World 2,000 XP, Pre-possessed 500 XP, Mutated insect 200 XP, Companion bonus 600 XP, Viewer bonus 5,000 XP, Merchant 500 XP, Rested bonus 870 XP, Human Killed -100 XP

“That looks like a decent enough day,” Alvin muttered as he purchased a common quality black t-shirt. He quickly applied the Surprise Pocket upgrade to it and shrugged it on. “A pricey test, but let’s see what it can do.”

Pulling his duster out from the shirt-pillow he slipped it on, then willed it to vanish into the new shirt, which it did. “Well fuck,” Alvin cursed, “my gear is all fully upgraded, so I can’t do this to it.”

“Gothy’s gear has two spots available on each piece,” Jarvis informed him.

“Yeah, but I can’t upgrade her stuff from here and I don’t have the XP to upgrade it all,” Alvin replied as he looked at the shirt. “This test cost 2,500 XP as it is. I can only apply this upgrade to three pieces of her gear.”

“That would be true, sir,” Jarvis agreed, “though, if you took a few minutes to browse the store, something might stand out to you. Also, you do have the ability to upgrade your companion’s gear from here. You do not need to have the gear in hand.”

The hint from Jarvis was as subtle as a sledgehammer, so Alvin did as he suggested. The store now showed a selection of undergarments for sale. Frowning, Alvin tried to piece together what Jarvis was trying to get him to see.

It took a minute, but when it dawned on Alvin he began to laugh. “Indestructible underwear with a single slot for an upgrade. That kind of screams pocket slot.”

“Does it? Hmm. As far as I know, sir, none of the others have considered using it in such a way. The only one who has purchased these items from the store used it to add more armor to their genital region.”

Alvin chuckled, “Don’t just protect your ass, armor plate it.”

“Very droll, sir,” Jarvis deadpanned.

“They cost a grand each, which means I can grab a bra and panties for Gothy and get them upgraded tonight. It’s at moments like this and during strip poker that women have an advantage on us guys, Jarvis.”

“There is, in fact, an item of appeal to men in the same vein, if you don’t mind it being a little odd,” Jarvis hinted.

Skimming down the page, Alvin began to laugh again, “A male girdle?”

“A simple chest band,” Jarvis corrected.

“If I had that on with my shirt over it, could it hold the vest? If it did, would the vest appear on me?”

“I am unsure,” Jarvis hedged. His voice wasn’t uncertain, but wary.

Alvin considered Jarvis’s hesitation, then summoned his pistol to hand. Setting it aside, he touched the shirt he was wearing and willed it into the glove. The shirt vanished off of his body with the thought. Leaving his hand in place, he willed the shirt back. It appeared on him as if he had been wearing it all along.

“Huh, look at that loophole,” Alvin mumbled. He willed the shirt away again, then, holding his hand away from his chest willed it back into existence. It again reappeared on him fully donned. “Jarvis? This is a bug, isn’t it?”

“It very well might be. I am forced to report it, now that you have brought it to my attention. The fact that the clothing reappears on you is intentional, it is considered a good use of game mechanics. The fact that your glove, when held away from you, still allows the shirt to appear fully donned, is indeed a bug.”

“Damn. I had just thought of so many ways to abuse the fuck out of that loophole,” Alvin sighed.

“You are going to be compensated for reporting this bug, sir,” Jarvis told him.

“Compensated how?”

“I have been informed that your clothing has been reset and may be upgraded again as you see fit, as long as you do not exceed the original budget,” Jarvis’ tone was smug.

“That will work,” Alvin chuckled. “Did they reset Gothy’s as well?”

“As she is your companion, and now viewed as an extension of yourself, they did indeed.”

“Okay, I guess I need to get our stuff rese—” Alvin began.

“Also, sir, as Gothy is your companion, you may bring her here if you purchase the Power to do so for 50,000 XP.”

Blinking at that information, Alvin nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for all of your help, Jarvis.”

“I am honored to be assisting you, Alvin,” Jarvis’ tone conveyed the respect he felt.

“Let’s get the clothing settled. I need to head back and get some sleep.”

After he redid their gear, he bought a pair of black silk underwear and a heavy duty silk bra with storage on them for Becky. Finished with what he could do for the moment, he gathered everything together.

“So, I need a chest band,” he snorted at the thought, “some boxers, and socks for both Gothy and me. That will let us dress instantly in our gear. What are the odds they overturn the indestructible underwear?”

“They will not,” Jarvis said with conviction. “That was the designer’s nod towards characters always having underwear on, in almost every video game ever.”

“I’m not going to knock it when it works for me. Thanks again, Jarvis. We’ll be talking again later. Oh, and tell Bill there will be people headed their way.”

“As you wish, sir. I couldn’t say anything until you told me to.”

Alvin vanished from his cell, reappearing in the office. Charlene looked tired and grumpy when he reappeared. “Sorry for the delay,” Alvin told her.

“It’s fine,” Charlene grumbled. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to sleep, and this is my room.”

“Sleep well,” Alvin told her as he motioned Becky towards the door. As they left Charlene behind, Alvin leaned close to Becky and filled her in on what he had learned and done.

She took the underwear and bra from him along with her gear and retreated to the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later in her normal gear, a sly smile on her face. “Shall we go to bed?”

Alvin frowned at her with suspicion, but got into bed, after again making a pillow out of his clothes. “Why don’t I trust that smile?”

Becky’s smile turned into a full smirk as she got under the blanket with him. After a moment he felt her mostly naked body against him. “Because you’re smart about some things.”

Shaking his head, he wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to use his chest as a pillow. “Well, I’m going to have some interesting dreams.”

“That’s only because you love curvy girls,” Becky husked into his ear, before kissing it. “Sleep well, Hero.”

Shivering as he felt his body react to her, he sighed, “Yeah.”

Chapter Seven

Becky rolling away from him woke Alvin. “Is it dawn?” Alvin asked with a yawn as he sat up.

“Should be just about that time,” Becky replied.

Alvin grabbed the watch he’d set next to the bed and squinted at it in the dim light. The hands pointed to 5:50, so Alvin tossed the blanket off and sat up. Pulling his clothing pillow to him, he began to get dressed for the day.

“I’m so going to buy and upgrade things for me,” Alvin grumbled as he dressed.

“So you can be ready to go at a moment’s notice, like me?” Becky asked softly. She looked around the room at the people who were slowly waking up. Her hands brushed at her outfit as she stood there.

“Yeah, it would be nice,” Alvin grumbled as he pulled his shirt on. “I still need to finish upgrading your gear as well. Add wanting to upgrade our stats, and things just keep on adding up.”

“I understand, Hero, and we’ll get it done.”

“Jarvis told me about an upgrade I can buy that would let me take you back to my cell with me,” Alvin informed her as he began tying his boots. “That would give us a secure place to sleep.”

Eyes going to Alvin, Becky grinned, “It would also mean we can have some fun whenever we want.”

“That’s the Gothy I know and lust after,” Alvin chuckled as he stood up and dragged his duster on.

He quickly willed the duster into the shirt then pulled the body armor out of his backpack and strapped it on. Once it was in place, he willed the duster back out of the shirt, then willed the Kevlar into the duster. He cycled them once to make sure they were good before leaving the Kevlar inside the jacket pocket area.

“I’m as good as I’m going to be,” Alvin said a moment later as he shouldered his bag.

“You two leaving already?” Charlene asked as she approached them.

“I was going to use the bathroom then head out,” Alvin told her. “You going to leave today?”

“Might be tomorrow, depends on how long it takes to get everything packed,” Charlene said.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Alvin told the women as he headed towards the bathroom.

“That’s a good idea,” Becky added, “if you don’t mind, Charlene?”

“I’ll be over by the door,” Charlene replied as they walked away from her.

A few minutes later, Charlene went outside with them. Inside, most people were awake and getting dressed for the day. A light breeze blew through the parking lot, making Charlene rub at her arms against the chill, but Alvin and Becky were comfortably warm in their upgraded clothing.

“Where you headed?” Charlene asked as she trailed them to the Mustang.

“A small town in Nevada called Beatty. We were asked by a friend to check on his family. After that, I’m not sure yet,” Alvin told her as he opened the driver’s side door.

“Don’t move,” a gruff voice growled from the bed of the Ford truck next to the car.

Alvin turned his head and found two men holding pistols trained on Becky. Two more men sat up in the back of the GMC, with rifles.

“Jordan Silvester, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Charlene snarled at the speaker behind Alvin.

“Arriving too late to stop these two from killing you. But we shot them down for what they did,” Jordan sneered. “Tragic isn’t it? But with you gone we can just stay here, like we should.”

“Gothy,” Alvin sighed, “You get them. I’ll get the other two.”

“If you so much as twitch—” Jordan began, and was interrupted as a barrage of shots rang out in rapid succession.

Alvin felt the impact of two rounds to his torso, which staggered him a step, but he had summoned his body armor and his rifle at the same time. The armor stopped the bullets from penetrating, and his return fire had been on the mark. Both men in the GMC fell over, Alvin’s shots going through the side panels.

“They’re dead,” Becky said calmly, as both men in the Ford fell, their torsos shredded by the slugs from her shotgun.

“Mine might still be alive, but they’re wounded at least,” Alvin grunted. “Char? You okay?”

Charlene had dropped to the ground when the bullets started to fly. She was getting to her feet unsteadily when the door to the hardware store burst open and five men came running out with shotguns.

“Drop your weapon!” Keith yelled at Alvin as the men all took aim at him.

“Lower your damn weapons,” Charlene bellowed as she spun on the men. “These two just saved my life.”

The men lowered their guns slowly, clearly uncertain. “But—” Keith began.

“Jordan and his friends wanted to take over, and they were going to do it over my dead body. Alvin and Gothy…” she trailed off for a moment over the name before picking back up, “shot them. The two in the GMC might still be alive. Go check on them.” Her tone brooked no argument, and the men went to do as she told them.

“Looks like we can be on our way,” Alvin said as he put his rifle away.

“You’re a cold killer, aren’t you?” Charlene asked. The sheer callousness of his disregard for taking other lives clearly bothered her.

“I am what I am,” Alvin said as his body armor vanished into his duster. “Be careful on the trip.”

“Thank you for the place to sleep,” Becky added before she got into the car.

“I don’t know what to think, if you two are the good guys,” Charlene sighed.

Alvin got into the Mustang with a chuckle and cranked the engine. He looked at her with a smirk, “Who said we’re the good guys?” He shut the door and put the car into gear, backing out of the space.

“Think they’ll hold it together?” Becky asked as Alvin started them back to the main road.

“I don’t really care. As long as some of them make it to Green River, I’ll get more XP.  That will help you and me, and that is where my care ends.”

Patting his thigh as he drove, Becky nodded, “That’s my Hero.”

“Grab us something to eat from the back seat,” Alvin told her as he focused on the road. “I’ll trade off driving with you at some point today.”

“As you wish, Hero,” Becky replied, twisting to reach the back seat.

Alvin couldn’t help but glance in her direction, watching her twist and lean over to do as she’d been asked. Her round posterior was wiggling right next to him, making it hard for him to focus on the road. He shifted in his seat and dragged his eyes back to the road.

Settling back into her seat, Becky eyed him with a smirk, “And here I thought you would give me a firm spank or two for being mean to you last night.”

“Close, very close,” Alvin exhaled. “I’m not sure I’d stop you if I got you started, and that just isn’t the smartest thing in the world to do right now.”

Handing him a granola bar, Becky sighed deeply, “I agree, but it sucks. I was really enjoying all the sex. We mesh so well in that regard that I’m getting a little antsy since it’s been over a day and we haven’t done anything.”

“I always thought it was teenage boys that were supposed to be the ones obsessed with sex,” Alvin chuckled. He took another bite before continuing, “Honestly though, I agree. You really make me want to spend a few years just devouring you over and over and over.”

Becky squirmed in her seat, “Care to tell me more?”

Laughing, Alvin shook his head, “What the hell, Gothy? Are you a succubus in disguise?”

“I don’t think succubi stay faithful to just one person,” Becky replied, her voice husky as she let her eyes roam over his body. “I’m a one Hero kind of girl. Though I’m not opposed to someone we might both enjoy. Sharing is caring, after all.”

“My very own little sex demon,” Alvin chuckled as he turned onto US 50.

“Damn it, Hero, you’re making me want to do things to you,” Becky groaned as she shifted in her own seat.

“Kind of like how you taunted me with your body last night?” Alvin asked, taking his eyes briefly from the road to pin her with them.

Her mouth opened slightly, before she bowed her head an inch, “So this is my payback, is it?”

“Yup,” Alvin said as he swung them past a wrecked SUV. “Think about that, the next time you think that leaving me hard all night is a good idea.”

“I would have fixed it if you’d asked,” Becky grumbled as she finally began to eat her own granola bar.

“I was thinking about it, but with the kids in the room I figured it would just get us kicked out, and we needed some sleep.”

Becky nodded, “I’m going to fuck you tonight, I don’t care what the consequences are.”

Chuckling, Alvin kept his eyes on the road, “Damned insatiable slut.”

“Hero,” Becky said her voice strained, “please don’t tease me right now.”

His brain suddenly offered up a whole list of possibilities that Becky apparently hadn’t considered. “Fair enough,” he coughed as he tried to shake the images from his mind. The notion that Becky could be all but naked and dressed again in an instant wouldn’t leave his head.

His voice was off, causing Becky to glance at him. “Good?” she half asked, wondering why he had acquiesced so easily.

Alvin’s grip tightened on the wheel as his brain kept offering him images of Becky in bra and panties pleasuring herself beside him as he drove. Goddamn brain weasels, stop it, he cursed internally. He knew if she did that he wouldn’t be able to resist stopping the car and taking her, which would possibly endanger them both.

Becky offered him some water, looking at him curiously. She kept glancing back at him, as Alvin seemed to be deep in thought and she was curious what he was thinking about, but didn’t want to disturb him. She eventually went back to watching the countryside around them, scanning for threats.

It took a while, but eventually Alvin was able to shake the images from his mind. The wide flat road helped him; there were far fewer wrecked cars on this road than there had been on I-70.

With fewer vehicles to contend with, Alvin was able to let the Mustang run. He was able to keep it at 60 mph, which was a vast improvement over the 30 mph or less they’d been doing the day before.

That speed brought them alongside Scipio Lake less than an hour after leaving Salina. Alvin frowned as he glimpsed movement next to the water, which was all the warning he got before a large tongue shot out and slapped against the side of the Mustang, yanking it towards the lake.

Fighting against the sudden drag to the side, Alvin slammed the gas pedal to the floor as he pulled the wheel, trying to keep the car on the road. Becky’s head whipped to the side as he struggled with the car, trying to find the source of the tongue.

“That’s a very large toad,” Becky said, spotting another one just as it hopped out of the lake in front of them. “Another ahead,” she tried to warn him, but wasn’t fast enough as a second tongue joined the first.

Alvin took his foot off the gas as he felt the wheels losing traction. He brought his rifle into existence in his hand with a thought before leaning out the open window. His first shot went wide as the two toads began to play tug of war with the car.

“Gothy, aim for the one in front,” Alvin said as he took a second to aim at the toad behind them.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Becky leaned out her window and aimed as best she could at the forward toad. For a moment, the only sounds were those of the two giant toads arguing over which of them would get to eat the car. The deep, reverberating croaks were overpowered by the sound of the guns firing. Alvin fired single rounds, taking the time to make sure he was hitting the giant toad. Becky had the harder time of it as her toad was across the vehicle from her. Even with that difficulty, her second shot somehow found the toad’s tongue, severing it. Alvin’s next shot took the trailing toad in the eye, which made it withdraw its tongue.

Freed from the tongues, Alvin quickly dismissed his rifle and put his foot back down on the accelerator. The toad Becky wounded disappeared back into the water, while the one Alvin had hit lay still beside the bank.

Once they were past the lake Alvin slowed the car, as the toad’s tongue was still attached to the door. He tried to open his door, but the tongue was across it and it wouldn’t budge.

“I’ll get it,” Becky said, getting out.

She couldn’t pull the tongue off, so she had him pop the trunk. Pulling a crowbar out of the back, she used it to pry the tongue off of the car. Once it was off, she put the tool away and got back in.

“Well, that was a sticky situation,” Becky deadpanned as Alvin got the car moving again.

Groaning, Alvin shook his head, “I was leaving it alone, but you just had to get froggy, didn’t you?”

Becky laughed, “If that tongue had been any more attached, I’d have thought it was ribbited to the frame.”

They exchanged a few more puns before Alvin conceded that Becky had come out on top. “You’re unusually good at puns, Gothy,” Alvin commented as they approached Scipio.

“They just happen,” Becky replied. “I consider it a drawback of being so damned smart.”

“Well I enjoy it, so don’t change,” Alvin said as he slowed the car down. “We’re about to hit I-15, until it splits back to US 50.”

“It shouldn’t be as bad as I-70,” Becky told him as they passed the first few buildings at the edge of the town.

“Is there an alternate route if it is?”

“There’s a frontage road on the map but I don’t know how reliable that is,” Becky told him as they passed the Latter Day Saints Church.

“We’ll try the interstate first,” Alvin said as he turned left to take them to the interstate.

Chapter Eight

Approaching the interstate, Alvin slowed to edge around a tangle of cars that almost blocked the road. The town of Scipio was deathly quiet as Alvin drove through it. Passing the Junction Market, Becky killed a mutated cat that was chewing on a corpse. The cougar sized tabby slumped to the ground, dead from the round that caught it in the chest.

“Just because?” Alvin asked as he drove past the market.

“Easy XP,” Becky shrugged.

Climbing the overpass bridge, Alvin noted the tangled mess of vehicles on the north side of the interchange. “I hope the road south isn’t as bad as that,” Alvin commented as he took the turn onto the interstate.

“I’ll be taking potshots at stuff as we go,” Becky informed him as he swerved around a wrecked corvette.

“I’ll try not to let it bother me,” Alvin said as he guided the Mustang onto I-15, headed south.

The interstate was littered with non-functional and wrecked vehicles, but Alvin found enough room to get around them since the road was several lanes wide and had a flat, grassy median.

Becky took a number of shots out of her window as they went, occasionally cursing when she missed a shot due to the bumpy ride. Alvin just grinned as he kept the car mostly in the center grassy area, as it had the least number of vehicles to be avoided.

The interstate was a mess, but it was only ten miles to the exit they were looking for. Getting back onto the roadway, Alvin slowed so he could get to the off-ramp he needed. A dead vehicle, angled sideway, blocked the exit ramp. Frowning as he slowed more, he wondered about the placement of the car that completely blocked the single lane of the off-ramp. He looked at the slope to either side of the road and considered just going down it, when a dozen zombies came spilling around the car blocking the road.

“Smart zombies are such a pain,” Alvin grumbled as he turned the wheel and went down the slope.

Becky’s pistol went off repeatedly as Alvin connected to the road again. Looking in the rearview, he noted a handful of the zombies had fallen. “Good shooting,” he praised her.

“Thanks. I switched out guns to give the shotgun a rest. I don’t need the extra damage for zombies.” She put the pistol away once Alvin had put enough distance between them and the zombies.

“I shudder to think what it’s going to be like if they get smart enough to start using guns.”

“It won’t be fun,” Becky agreed with him.

As they were looking for the right hand turn they needed to follow US 50, Alvin frowned at the lack of signs. He knew he had gone too far when he hit the small town of Holden. Slowing, he looked at the homes to either side of him. The doors were busted outward, indicating that zombies had escaped.

“It must have been that last right, just outside of town,” Becky told him.

“Very likely,” Alvin muttered as he frowned at the street. “I’d hoped to find some people in the small towns, but Scipio and Holden both seem like lost causes.”

“There might be survivors hunkered down, or they might have left,” Becky pointed out to him as he turned the car around.

“Fair enough,” Alvin agreed as he drove back to what they thought was the right road. Turning onto it, Becky pointed out a sign that had been knocked down.

“That shows the 50,” Becky told him.

“So this is the right road,” Alvin said as he pulled the car to the side of the road. “Your turn to drive for a bit, Gothy.”

Becky’s grin was wide as she got out of the car. “Let’s see what I can make her do.”

Passing her as they went around the car, Alvin snagged her and spun her back to the trunk as he kissed her. He let the passion build for a moment before he let her go and left her standing there. “No dawdling,” he chuckled as he shut the passenger door.

Becky got in the driver side after a pause, her cheeks flushed. “That was close, Hero, very close.”

“You tormented me, remember? You deserve a little back. Besides, I agree, it was almost too much,” Alvin told her.

Eyes sparkling, Becky rubbed his thigh. “Almost? We can go a little further, surely?”

“Not without going all the way, and don’t call me Shirley,” Alvin told her, capturing her hand as it snuck towards his crotch.

Huffing in disappointment, which made her chest bounce in interesting ways, Becky grumbled, “Fine.”

“Tonight…” Alvin said letting the word hang in the air.

“I’m going to rape the shit out of you,” Becky said into the silence.

“Can’t rape the willing,” Alvin chuckled.

“Asshole, getting me all wound up and leaving me wanting,” Becky complained, but there was a hint of appreciation in her tone.

“Giving you what you deserve,” Alvin smirked as he summoned his rifle to hand. He looked out the window as Becky put the car into gear and started them down the road.

Barely a mile down the road, Alvin’s jaw dropped as he stared out the window. “Those are some big fucking cows,” he said.

Becky glanced out his window, her brows rising, “No shit. What are they standing at, eight feet?”

“Taller than seven, easily,” Alvin said, shaking his head. Eyes narrowing, he watched the herd moving as a group. A handful of smaller, obviously younger animals were among the herd, but the one he eyed the most was the bull. “The bull is another foot or so taller than the rest of them. I think their hide is thicker than cows, too.”

“Fucking hell, is everything going to change?” Becky sighed as she looked to her side of the road, then focused on the road once more. “More of them on this side as well.”

“Farm country, it seems. I just hope they didn’t turn into meat eaters,” Alvin snorted. “Never mind, I can see some of them grazing on this side.”

“They have definitely mutated,” Becky added before putting her eyes back on the road again.

“Let’s hope they don’t decide to cross the road,” Alvin chuckled.

Further down the road, Alvin noticed two large birds circling in the air above another herd of mutated cattle. “That doesn’t look good,” Alvin commented as he watched one of the forms dive at the herd.

The oversized bird landed square on the back of one of the cattle. Becky watched the bird take to the air again with a loud screech, joining its fellow circling overhead again. Tearing her eyes from the birds, her eyes widened as she saw the herd ahead of them beginning to mill around as panic began to set in.

“Hero, that doesn’t look good,” Becky said, watching the herd circle.

“Go faster, maybe we can pass them before they pick a direction,” Alvin urged her.

Pressing the accelerator, Becky gripped the wheel firmly, splitting her attention between the herd and the road. As the distance between them closed, the second giant hawk dove, striking one of the trailing members of the herd. The sound of the impact carried to them over the growl of the engine and the panicked bellowing of the cattle. The herd, now fully panicked, started stampeding. Unfortunately for Alvin and Becky, they were heading towards the road at an angle that would intersect the road before Alvin and Becky were past.

“Cut into the field on the left, the car can take that better than being hit by them,” Alvin told her as he fired his rifle, trying to aim at the legs of the panicked mass, hoping that would deter them some.

Becky cut the car into the field to their left, smashing the Mustang through the simple wood and wire fence that divided the field from the road. The twang of the two wires parting was heard clearly as Becky kept the pedal down, angling away from the stampede while still going forward, hoping to get past them in case they turned again.

Alvin’s aim was terrible as the field was far from level, the shocks bouncing him around in the seat. He stopped firing when the magazine ran out of rounds; few of them had hit his targets, and only one of the cows had stumbled and been trampled by the rest of the herd. Becky let out a breath as the leading edge of the herd began to pass them. Alvin didn’t though, reloading the gun and taking aim again, this time up into the air.

“Left, go further left,” Alvin yelled as he opened fire.

Becky swerved the car further left, following Alvin’s command without understanding why. As Alvin began firing again Becky winced, since Alvin was mostly inside the car this time. The brass from the rounds were kicking into the backseat instead of out the window. A loud, piercing screech sounded as the giant hawk Alvin was firing at broke off its dive and flew away from them. However, its dive had already caused the stampeding herd to swerve towards the Mustang.

Pulling the gun back into the car, Alvin hunkered down. “I hope we make it without too many hitting us.”

Becky gripped the wheel with both hands, bracing herself in the seat as the mass of animal flesh swerved directly at the Mustang. “Please raise your trays into the upright position,” she muttered, shifting up into the next gear and flooring it.

The Mustang had almost cleared the herd when they impacted the side of the car. Four of the mutated cows slammed into the rear passenger side of the car. As the Mustang began to spin back towards the panicked beasts, Becky forced the wheel the other way, making the vehicle fishtail before it straightened back out and sped off, away from the stampede.

A deep exhalation of relief came from Alvin as the tension left him, though the adrenaline still flushed his system. “Holy fuck, Gothy, you’re amazing.”

The manic smile on Becky’s face was matched by Alvin’s as she let out a whoop of excitement. “So fucking close,” she panted as the Mustang sped down the pasture. She guided it back to the pavement, tearing through another fence. A few miles down the road, she let the car slow and come to a halt. Her deep breaths made her chest heave as she felt the exhilaration of being alive coursing through her.

As soon as she put the car into park she grabbed Alvin and kissed him, deeply, passionately, and with a growing hunger. Growling into the kiss, she demanded he meet her passion as she feverishly tore the seatbelt off and lunged into his lap.

Flushed as she pulled back from the kiss, Becky’s clothing disappeared, leaving her in just bra and panties. “I need you, Hero,” she growled at him, her hands fumbling with his belt.

“Fuck, I wish I had clothes like that right now,” Alvin replied, his jacket vanishing as he willed it away. His hands roamed over her soft curves, his own needs overcoming his anxiety about the danger they could be in.

Finally getting his belt and jeans undone, she pulled his stiffening shaft from his pants. “This is what I’ve needed,” she husked as she pushed her panties aside to sink his cock into her eager slit. A deep moan came from her as she ground her hips into his. She ignored the minor pain of the zipper from his jeans digging into her thighs as she began to rock her body against his.

Moaning as Becky took him into her, Alvin’s mouth sought her left breast. With Becky rotating her hips against him, he didn’t have the room to get her bra out of his way. With limited options to get to his target, he opted for the savage route and bit into her shoulder to get his teeth on her bra strap. Pulling it off of her shoulder with his teeth only seemed to spur Becky to grind against him harder and faster. Dragging the strap off her shoulder, his hands finally found the clasps on the back of the bra. As his fingers deftly undid the clasps, he let go of the strap and lowered his head back to her breast.

His teeth found her left nipple just as she began to climax. His rough treatment of her sensitive nipples as she was already reaching her peak drew out her orgasm. Yanking his head from her breast by his hair, Becky claimed his mouth with her own, her tongue dominating his as she shuddered in place on him. Curling his hands up over her shoulders from behind, he pulled her back from his chest with a firm tug, forcing her back into the dashboard. His eyes alight with need, he bucked his hips against her as he ducked his head back to her chest. He bit her other nipple, trying to take control of the moment.

“No, Hero, you’re mine right now,” Becky growled, her expression a mixture of passion and aggression. Panting, she planted her knees to either side of him on the seat and began to thrust her body up and down his shaft. “Just sit there and take it, you fucker.”

With a growl of his own, Alvin used his grip on her shoulders to slam her down onto him. “No. You started this, but I’ll finish it, slut,” the tone was commanding. “I’m the one in charge here.”

Slapping her hands into his chest she levered herself further up, giving her a better angle as she slammed herself down onto him. “No, right now I’m the one in charge.” She covered his lips with hers again as she began to pump her wet slit up and down his stiff flesh with near bruising force.

As she took control of their impromptu quickie, Alvin shuddered as her aggression sent him towards the edge. Becky hadn’t been forceful with him before, at least not once he had taken control of her before, but her fire and demanding nature in this moment was a new aspect that further inflamed the love he already felt for her. His arms loosened on her shoulders slightly as he gave himself over to her demands, letting her dominate him.

Her speed increased as she again demanded a kiss from him. She growled into his mouth, “Give it to me. Fill me with your seed, Hero.”

Unable to resist her any longer he tightened his grip on her shoulders again and slammed her all the way down his swollen shaft with bruising force. As she ground into him, he felt her passage close around him like a velvet vice. That was enough to cause his organ to pulse and he began to fill her as she had demanded. Her fingers dug into his chest while his dug into her shoulders. A few hard, short, thrusts from Becky signaled the end for both of them. She collapsed against his chest as he went boneless in the seat, his arms still holding her to him. Both of them panted as the last waves of pleasure washed through them.

“God damn it, Gothy, I thought we agreed to wait,” Alvin mock protested as he tried to catch his breath.

“It was like with the snake,” she replied, just as breathless as he was. “These life and death moments make me want to reaffirm my life. Besides, you’re not really mad at me.”

A chuckle escaped him as he pulled her back from him, feeling his manhood start to wane. “You showed me a new side of yourself,” he said, shifting the topic.

“I like being taken and used by you, Hero. Don’t doubt that for a second, but right then I needed to be in control,” Becky said, not meeting his eyes.

He caught her chin in one hand and turned her face to his. “I loved it, just as much as I love doing the same to you,” he told her simply before claiming a slow, deep, sensual kiss. The moment stretched on for a few minutes before they pulled back. “Now get off me and get your clothes back on, you insatiable slut.”

Her grin was half mischievous and half bratty. Her hips shifted against his, making his limp manhood twitch. “If you taunt me, I shall take you a second time,” her voice taking on a bad French accent.

Laughing he shifted her over to the other seat, “When did you ever watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail?”

“I told you, I was the only one there for my brother when he needed someone,” Becky replied, her clothing covering her as she adjusted her position in the driver’s seat. “Now buckle up, bitch, it’s time to get back on the road.”

“So aggressive,” Alvin laughed as he got dressed and buckled up. His laughter caused a couple of the nearby cows to moo in response, prompting laughter from both of them as the car peeled out.

Chapter Nine

They had to pause once for a herd of fifty to cross the road. Becky slapped Alvin’s chest when he began to hum the tune to Rawhide. Once the herd had gotten out of the way, Becky sped off down the road.

Taking the left needed to stay on US 50, they made it to Delta, Utah. Becky slowed as they drove down Main Street. The road wasn’t as congested as other towns they had been in, but there were still quite a few stalled and wrecked cars littering the road.

Alvin sat up straighter, his eyes darting back and forth as he noted the way the side roads had purposely placed blockades. “Gothy, careful. This feels wrong.”

“I’m seeing it,” Becky replied as she slowed a bit more. “Maybe there are survivors who’re just being defensive?”

Shaking his head with a deep frown, Alvin rejected the idea. “No. This feels more like a trap.”

Becky went around a couple of cars to find the road completely cut off. She put the Mustang in reverse and carefully backed up past the two cars, coming to a stop as two trucks moved out of the last side street and blocked the road behind them.

“Hero—” Becky started, then cut off as Alvin gave her thigh a squeeze.

“Keep the guns away until we know what’s happening,” Alvin told her. “Same with the body armor. We can summon them in a blink when we need them.”

Four men got out of the two trucks, two of them carrying rifles while the two drivers had pistols on their hips. “Turn the car off and get out with your hands in plain view,” the biggest of the four demanded.

“Can’t I just shoot them?” Becky asked Alvin as she turned the car off.

“It’ll probably come to that, but let’s make sure we need to first,” Alvin said as he opened his door, putting his hands out of the open door before getting out of the car.

“I call dibs on the talker,” Becky muttered as she mimicked Alvin’s exit.

“That’s good, real good,” the talker laughed darkly. “Makes things much easier when you cooperate. Oh, and you have a sexy little bitch driving you around. Don’t worry honey, we know how to treat a woman just right,” the man leered at Becky.

The trio of men with him chuckled, their weapons held loosely at their sides. They clearly didn’t think Alvin and Becky were a threat, as neither had any visible weapons. “Oh yeah, the four of us will treat you real good before we take you to Thor.”

A scowl settled on Alvin’s face, “We’re just passing through.”

“Not any more, you ain’t,” the talker spat at him. “If you’re lucky, Thor will let ya live. Maybe even give ya chance to join us. The bitch next to ya, though, she won’t be leaving. But that’s after we’ve had our fun and taken ya both to Thor.” His eyes went to Becky, “Start stripping.”

“Hero?” Becky asked with an overly sweet tone.

“You win, Gothy. We tried being nice,” Alvin shrugged.

“Look bitch, I said start strippi—” the talker snarled.

Becky’s first shot took him center mass, punching clean through his chest. The suddenness of her attack took the men completely off guard. Alvin’s triple tap of his trigger dropped two more in rapid succession before they could respond. Becky’s next shot took the fourth one in the head, as he was trying to unholster his pistol.

“We’ve killed a number of people,” Alvin said as they closed the distance to the four they had just shot. “I’m hemorrhaging XP, and if it keeps up I’m going to go negative, which will cost me my life.”

Becky froze for a moment, aiming her shotgun at the first man’s head as he started to sit up. When he groaned Becky put another round through his head, executing him with no compunction.

“Can’t let that happen,” Becky said as Alvin executed the other two who hadn’t been shot in the head. “You get enough back for both of us killing the zombies, right?”

“I’m not sure,” Alvin replied as he put his rifle away. “The pre-possessed give me 50 XP. With you here I should be making another 50 per, which would offset the human death penalty. Luckily it didn’t double the penalty when we killed the abuser at the rest stop.”

“What’s the plan, Hero?” Becky asked as she knelt down to check the bodies.

“We need to get out of town, this place is obviously run by a gang,” Alvin said as he scanned the nearby buildings. “Skinheads to boot,” Alvin growled. “Their shaved heads and the name of their boss is enough to make that plain.”

“Even after the world ends, old hatreds thrive,” Becky sighed, “that’s so dumb.”

“Let’s see if we can get the road clear enough to leave,” Alvin added as he waited for her to join him.

Walking beside him, Becky’s eyes scanned the buildings to either side of the road. “What odds are you giving that we have to kill more of them?”

“Bad for us,” Alvin sighed as they passed the Mustang. “Have to see if we can shift the two cars blocking the way ahead. If we have to we can use their trucks to push the damn wrecks out of the way.”

The two cars blocking the road were Hummers. Alvin knew they were going to be too heavy to shift easily. He took a moment to check the tires, wanting to make sure that it wouldn’t be even harder to move them.

“Looks like we’ll have to use the trucks to shove them clear,” Alvin told her from where he was kneeling next to the vehicle, “the tires are fucked.”

“Hammer, you guys okay?” The question came from four guys moving towards the Hummers.

Alvin stayed kneeling as his rifle appeared in his hand again. He gave Becky a grim smile, “You’re up.”

Becky looked down at him as she dismissed her Kevlar and jacket, leaving just the corset to cover her breasts. “Don’t let them paw me too badly,” she said softly, before stepping into the small gap between the two Hummers. “Help,” her voice was pitched higher than normal, “it's so horrible.” She slumped against one of the Hummers as if she were afraid and unable to go on.

“Look at those tits,” one of the men chuckled as the quartet slowed. “We can have some fun with her.”

Multiple shots barked in rapid succession, and the quartet all went down. Alvin came out from under the Hummer as Becky summoned her jacket and armor. “She’s taken,” Alvin snorted as he stood up.

“Damn right I am,” Becky chuckled.

Alvin looked at the mortally wounded, but not quite dead men, “Where is Thor located?”

“Fuck you,” one of the four coughed, blood running down his chin.

Becky blew his head off with a single shot. “Wrong answer,” her voice was glacial as she turned the barrel to the next man. “You want to try?”

“Fucking bitch,” the guy hissed, the shotgun still loosely in his grasp, twitching as he tried to raise it.

“That’s no way to talk to the woman I love,” Alvin hissed as his foot slammed down onto the shotgun. “Also, that was the wrong answer,” he started to add, but Becky pulled the trigger before he could.

“We don’t know if me killing them will penalize you or not. Consider this a test,” Becky explained at Alvin’s puzzled expression.

“Fair enough,” Alvin conceded. Turning his attention to the third guy, he found a dead body and put a round through the zombie’s head as it groaned. “Only one left.”

“The school,” the fourth guy coughed. “He’s in the school…” his words trailed off as he took a ragged breath. “Save… save my wife, please… tell her…” With a spasm, he stopped breathing.

“Think he was one of the townsfolk who joined?” Becky asked as she put a round through the dead man’s head.

“See if he has a license,” Alvin said as he looked to the north.

“Nicolas Chabot,” Becky told him, handing the license up to him.

Absently taking it, he stared at the school just down the next side street. “I think we should go say hi to Thor.”

“For this guy’s wife?” Becky asked, puzzled.

Snorting, Alvin shook his head. “No. It’s the fact that Thor is going to cause issues on a road we might need to use again later. I don’t want to have to deal with this idiocy if we come back this way.”

“That the school?” Becky asked.

“Seems likely. You ready to go say hi?”

“Sure thing, Hero.” She fell into step with him as they passed the Hummers and started down the street. “I have an idea, if you're game enough for it.”

At the school, a single man sat outside in a lawn chair. He jerked out of the chair, his eyes wide, as Alvin and Becky approached.

“Who are you?”

“We have come to speak with Thor. Tell him his brother is here,” Becky told the man with a voice devoid of emotion.

“What? That isn’t how this works?” The guy stammered, swallowing hard as he met the lifeless gaze of the pair.

“You aren’t one of them,” Becky continued, “which means you’ll have a chance to survive Ragnarok. If you lead us to Thor, that is.”

Coming to a quick decision, the guy motioned them up the front steps. “I… umm… need to take your weapons.”

Becky’s smile was evil as she brushed back her jacket, “We have no need for weapons.” She gave a spin, showing that she wasn’t carrying a weapon.

Brow furrowing, the guy nodded to her, then turned to Alvin. Alvin wasn’t wearing his duster or Kevlar. He also spun silently, showing that he carried no weapons.

“O… okay. Follow me.”

Alvin’s brow rose, but he remained silent as the guy opened the door and motioned them to follow. “If you wander away from me, the others inside might not be polite,” he advised the pair.

The nameless guard led them into the auditorium. On the stage, a lavish chair was spotlighted by the lights overhead. A very large man sat in the chair, his shaved head gleaming in the light. Leaning against the makeshift throne was a massive maul etched with a lightning bolt.

At Thor’s feet lounged six scantily-clad women. Their expressions ranged from emotionless to satisfied. Thor sat up when the nameless guide led Becky and Alvin into the room. His movement caused the six women to scurry behind the throne.

“Who are these people, David?” Thor’s deep, bass voice rumbled as he eyed the two walking towards him.

“They said they needed to speak with you about Ragnarok,” the guide stammered before bowing to Thor.

“Ragnarok has already come and gone,” Thor growled, his right hand grasping the shaft of the maul. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“You may call me Hel,” Becky hissed, her voice a frozen dead thing. “Your brother has come to say hello, and offer you eternal life.”

Eyes narrowing, Thor’s gaze went to Alvin. “You think you’re Loki?”

“Not really,” Alvin grinned, “but it did let us get close enough to you.”

With a snarl, Thor leapt from his chair, the maul dropping from his hand as a Desert Eagle came out from behind his back. He hadn’t gotten the gun around before Becky’s shot took him in the chest.

The shower of blood was enough to prove Thor was dead before he hit the floor. Becky took a single step forward and put a second round into the dead man’s head. “I lied,” Becky chuckled as she looked at the women and guide who stared at them in shock.

“But, you were unarmed,” the guide gasped as he backed away.

“We’re never unarmed,” Alvin said, his duster and Kevlar appearing on him. “How many other idiots are willingly following this idiot?”

“He has six of his most loyal guarding the street,” the guide told them. “There are only two others inside the school who were part of his original gang.”

“What about us?” one of the women asked from behind the throne, her empty hands held up.

“We just came to break up the gang,” Alvin told her. “If you want a real life, head to Green River. There’s a settlement starting up there, and it isn’t based on a gang like this was.”

“My husband was outside,” another of the women said, swallowing hard.

“Nicolas Chabot?” Becky asked. At the woman’s mute nod, Becky continued, “He died in the attempted ambush. Before he passed away, he wanted you to know he was sorry and he loved you.”

“No!” the woman wailed as she collapsed to the stage. Two of the others knelt next to her, trying to comfort her.

“What are you planning to do with us and the town?” the one woman who’d seemed to be satisfied earlier asked them.

“Nothing,” Alvin replied. “Once we kill the last two of the original gang, we’ll be unblocking the road and leaving. However, if we come back this way and the roads are blocked again, we won’t be as nice.”

“Where can we find the other two?” Becky asked, just as the doors behind them burst open.

Alvin dropped to one knee as he spun, his rifle appearing and coming up in a single movement. A shot to his chest rocked him back, but didn’t stop Alvin from putting three rounds into the gang member on the left.

Becky hissed in anger from the shot she had taken to the chest as well, her two return shots taking her target in the upper chest and head. “I really hate being shot in the chest. My tits are sensitive, damn it.”

Alvin snorted as he got to his feet, murmuring, “One of your few sensitive spots.” He turned to the guide, “Were those the two guys we’d been talking about?”

“Uh… yeah,” the guy stammered as he came to realize that Alvin and Becky were both now wearing body armor. “You just got shot by a .308. How are you not bleeding?”

“Upgraded armor,” Alvin said as his rifle disappeared. “I don’t feel like explaining how the world works. If you want safety, security, and an understanding of how fucked the world is, then head to Green River.”

“We going to try to get to Ely before we stop for the night?” Becky asked as she followed Alvin out of the room.

“I think we can make it before nightfall, barring any other shit happening,” Alvin replied as they left the school behind.

“Who in the fuck were they?” one of the other women asked David as Alvin and Becky left.

“Not a fucking clue, but if they can do all that, and then tell me to go to Green River, I’m going to go,” David Mapley said in a soft voice.

Chapter Ten

It took a few minutes to unblock the road enough for them to get the Mustang past the Hummers. Once they were past the roadblock the way was open through Delta and Hinckley.

Becky frowned as they passed the Hinckley sign, “I hate to say this, but we didn’t see any zombies.”

“He had to solidify his right to be there,” Alvin shrugged. “They killed the zombies to give credence to his claims of protecting them.”

“Probably,” Becky agreed. Her lips twitched, “So, Loki, how did it feel to kill your brother?”

“I wish I looked half as good as Tom Hiddleston,” Alvin chuckled.

“Who?” Becky asked.

With a deep sigh, Alvin shook his head, “From 2011, a movie called Thor. Tom Hiddleston played Loki.”

“You keep pulling references from your other timeline,” Becky frowned. “It makes it hard to stay in some of our conversations.”

“Sorry,” Alvin replied. “I can’t keep track of what is, or isn’t, a good reference. It’s only when you question me that I recall when things came out.”

Becky looked out the window with a shrug, “It’s part of your life that I can’t share in.”

He rubbed her thigh as he drove down the empty road, “I’ll see if there’s any way to change that.”

Her lips creased into a small smile, “Are you trying to spoil me?”

“Maybe a little, but you’re worth it.”

“It can wait until we’re better equipped and prepared for the world, but thanks for thinking of me,” the happiness in Becky’s voice was clear.

“If we’re going to be together for a while, then it makes sense to keep you happy. After all, a happy minion is a productive minion,” Alvin deadpanned.

Becky giggled softly, “I’d like to think I’m more than just a minion.”

“You are,” Alvin agreed.

“Good.”

The two fell silent for a time, the road before them devoid of vehicles or other obstacles. They were about twenty minutes outside of Hinckley when Alvin started to really pay attention again. Sevier Lake was coming up on their left and he didn’t want to meet another giant toad, or something worse.

“Lake Sevier,” Becky commented. “Looks like it’s rained pretty well over the last few months. The lake is high.”

“Keep your eyes open, in case we get ambushed by giant toads or something similar.”

As they drove by the lake Alvin spotted a large flying shape circling above the water. “That looks bigger than the birds,” he muttered.

A moment later the shape dove, its back legs slamming into the water. It flapped hard to regain altitude. A whip-like tail slammed into the ten-foot catfish the beast had dragged from the water. The blue of the wyvern’s scales shimmered in the afternoon sun. Alvin could see the catfish’s whiskers, mutated into tentacles, writhing as it tried to pry the wyvern’s claws from its body.

“Holy fuck,” Becky whispered as she watched the scene.

“That is a really big lizard,” Alvin agreed as he pushed the accelerator further down. “We don’t want to hang around here.”

Becky turned her head to watch the wyvern fly towards the hills on the other side of the lake. “You think it was part of the group that we saw the other day?”

“More than likely,” Alvin said as he squinted down the road. “My question is, did it stop on its own or was it ordered to?”

A shiver trailed down Becky’s spine, “That’s an ominous thought.”

“Yeah,” Alvin muttered as he glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the dwindling shape land on the hills. “I really hope it was the first option.”

The Mustang sped down the empty road, the silence deepening as Alvin and Becky were each lost in their own thoughts. Alvin spotted a semi that was wrecked near the edge of the lake, but there was no movement near it so he went back to watching the road. He briefly considered stopping to search the wreck, but his thoughts immediately went to the wyvern. He wondered what it would take to deal with one if it attacked them.

“The shotgun might work if one got close enough, but if it gets that close, its teeth and tail are going to be a problem,” Becky muttered, obviously talking to herself as her eyes scanned the wide open area around them. “The rifle has good damage and it penetrates half the armor on its target, but will it be enough to deal with dragon scales?”

“Hopefully we don’t have to find out, for a while at least,” Alvin said, patting her thigh.

“I didn’t realize I was talking out loud,” Becky gave a small laugh.

“All the really sexy survivors do,” Alvin chuckled.

“I think you’re just saying that to get into my pants,” Becky said.

“It’s not the only reason,” Alvin chuckled, “besides, you know how to make a man want to get into those pants.”

Becky’s lips curled up into a smile, “Flattery will get you almost everywhere. What do you think about the wyvern, though? Do you think we’d be able to handle it?”

“If it came for us right now, I don’t know. Our guns are damn near godly against people, but against some of the other things we’ve killed, not so much. Once we got them upgraded to ignore half the armor value we could kill the scorps without much of an issue, but the snake still took a whole lot of shots before it died. It could go either way with one of those dragon spawn. Their scales might be a bitch to punch through, or they might just soak up damage like the snake did. Let’s hope it’s not both.”

“From a damage standpoint, if they’re close, my shotgun will be the best we can do. At range, though, your rifle will outperform it every time,” Becky added. “It almost makes me think we should just be carrying shotguns and rifles, that pistols might be superfluous.”

“Pistols are good in tight quarters, unless we cut down the barrel of the shotgun, and if we do that it might lose damage faster,” Alvin mused. “If you end up in hand to hand, the pistol will outperform both of them, but at that point a blade would probably be better still.”

“The melee weapon upgrade list is kind of odd,” Becky agreed.

“Melee weapon upgrades?” Alvin asked.

Chuckling, Becky nodded, “You still haven’t looked through the entire store, have you?”

“No,” Alvin sighed.

“The list is interesting and also seems to shift depending on what kind of weapon you’re using. A hammer, for instance, has different upgrades than an axe or a sword.”

“Hmm. Remind me to look into that if we get a day or three of down time,” Alvin told her. “I know you know it all, but it might be useful for me to know it as well.”

“We got off topic,” Becky said, pulling the conversation back to the point they had been discussing. “Do you think we can take a wyvern or a dragon?”

“A dragon like the big fucker we saw fly over the compound is out of the question,” Alvin replied. “Drakes are just smaller versions of dragons, I think. Wyverns are missing the forelegs and have a poisonous stinger at the end of their tails. The amount of armor on the scales would be the big factor. If we have enough warning, we might have a decent chance. If I can land enough rounds as it comes in to ground it, you would probably be able to hurt it with the shotgun.”

Becky nodded, “So, we won’t know until we try it, which might kill us.”

“Pretty much,” Alvin agreed. “How’s it feel to know that even with all of our tools, we’re going to have to use wit, cunning, and a fuckton of luck to win?”

Her smile became a bit manic, “Fun?”

Alvin slapped her thigh with a bark of laughter, “Nut.”

“Would you have me any other way?”

“Never, Gothy. Never.”

With a bright smile, Becky went back to gazing out the window, “I’ll do my damnedest to make sure we have a long and glorious life, full of craziness and sex.”

Snorting, Alvin didn’t reply verbally, though he did keep his hand on her thigh as he drove. The road stretched out before them, with the sun high in the sky and the wind tousling Becky’s hair. The silence of happiness swirled around them as Alvin occasionally squeezed Becky’s thigh to remind them both that the only person they each cared for was still there.

An hour later they crossed the border into Nevada. Alvin slowed, seeing a collection of twenty old cars in the gravel parking lot of the little diner-casino just on the Nevada side of the border.

“That looks promising for survivors,” Alvin commented, turning in to the parking area.

“Guns away, or out?” Becky asked as Alvin parked a bit away from the other cars.

“Away, same with the vests,” Alvin paused, then continued, “we want to look non-threatening.”

“I hope this works out better than Delta and Hinckley did,” Becky said as her vest and shotgun vanished.

“Finding people to send to Green River is the point of this little endeavor,” Alvin sighed as he got out of the Mustang. He studied the building, “I’d like more than one decent sized group of survivors.”

Before they could start towards the building, the front door opened and four men came out. They were all older men, grizzled and grey, with the lean look of farmers or ranchers. The four of them stopped at the bumpers of the cars parked in front of the building, looking at Alvin and Becky suspiciously. The couple gazed back at them with flat, appraising looks.

“What do you two want here?” one of the men finally asked, his hand resting next to the butt of his pistol.

“A place to stop and stretch our legs, maybe use the bathroom, and trade some information,” Alvin replied.

“You don’t look exactly like a trustworthy sort,” the same man replied.

“I’ve been told worse.”

“We’re travelers spreading word of a Settlement in Green River and going to find family members, hoping they’re still alive,” Becky said.

“You think dressing like a hooker is the way to do that?” one of the other men chimed in.

Becky’s eyes and voice went cold, “Just because I’m in leather and a corset, you immediately think hooker?”

“Easy now, Gothy,” Alvin said, his own voice not exactly happy. “I’m sure Farmer John there didn’t mean to insult you.”

“James has always been kind of an ass,” the first guy nodded. “James, why don’t you go on back inside.”

“Fuck you, Theo, you ain’t the damn president. I’ll stay where I damn well please and say whatever the hell I want.”

“Can we use the bathroom before we head back out?” Alvin asked. “I understand if you’re not welcoming.”

Theo nodded slowly, “I hate to turn people away, considering everything that’s happened. We got word of a gang over in Hinckley. How did you get past them?”

“Killed them, including the leader and told the others about the settlement in Green River,” Alvin said flatly.

“You killed an entire group of Skinheads?” James scoffed.

“Eleven in total,” Becky growled. “About half each, right Hero?” Alvin nodded confirmation.

“You planning on hurting any of ours?” Theo asked, his eyebrows raised as he watched the couple.

“Only if they try to hurt us first,” Alvin replied.

“We’ll allow you in for a rest,” Theo smiled, “in return I want to hear about this settlement. Maybe we can learn something to help us.”

“I’ll be glad to tell you what we know. Is this your base?” Alvin asked as walked toward the men. Becky trailed a couple of steps behind him.

“It’s the only building for miles that has power and water,” Theo explained. “It’s what brought us all here, most of our places didn’t have working generators anymore. Those that did we packed up and brought here so we have some backups.”

“Your worry is fuel for them, then,” Alvin mused.

“Which is why I want to hear about this settlement in Green River,” Theo pointedly reminded Alvin.

Alvin nodded as they all went into the building. Fifty people were sitting, standing, or laying around the interior. Meeting the eyes of a few, he saw defeat on most faces, but stoic determination in a few. “Just let me use the john real quick, and I’ll be glad to answer all your questions,” Alvin finally stated after a long pause.

“You can see the sign,” Theo said. “I’ll be waiting for you with something to drink.”

Becky and Alvin separated to use the bathrooms, coming back out after a few minutes to find everyone gathered around a single table that had been pulled into the middle of the room. Alvin’s eyes went to James, Theo, and a glowering matron who were seated on one side of the table across from two empty chairs.

“Have a seat,” Theo suggested as Alvin and Becky paused. “We all want to hear what you have to say.”

“You three the leaders then?” Alvin asked as he took the right hand seat, pouring glasses of lemonade for himself and Becky.

“We’re the ones trying to keep things together though, as you saw, we have our moments,” Theo explained.

Alvin began to explain Green River to them. He told them how Susan ran it, some of the people that were there, and a number of the buildings they’d built. When Alvin started explaining how items could be upgraded, James slapped the table. “Bullshit!” James cut in, his eyes narrowed, “Stop trying to feed us this manure, boy.”

Alvin’s smile became vulpine and he laid his hands palm up on the table. “Now you see my empty hand,” he stated in a slow manner. As he kept eye contact with James, his smile became more predatory, “Now you don’t.” His pistol had appeared in his hand at that moment. He dropped the magazine onto the table before anyone could do more than gasp. Racking the slide, he locked it open then set it on the table. “What I’m saying is true, James. Pay attention.” Alvin thumbed the bullets out of the magazine, leaving it empty. “Theo, if you would examine the gun and magazine, then insert the mag?”

The pronounced frown on Theo’s face was only slightly less thunderous than the one on James’. He took the pistol and magazine, inspecting them both before doing as he had been instructed. A split second after the magazine was in place, Theo’s face became puzzled. Dropping it from the gun, Theo blinked at the fully loaded magazine he now held. “How in the hell?”

“As I have been trying to explain, the rules of the world are different now. Some of them are video game rules, but they are the rules nevertheless. Feel free to empty the magazine and do it again if you need to.” Alvin watched as Theo began to do what he suggested.

As the trio of people on the far side of the table examined the “magic” gun, Alvin continued to explain the new rules that were in place. By the time he finished, Theo had set Alvin’s pistol back on the table after seating the empty magazine a final time. He took it back and made it vanish into his glove again. “Any questions?”

“Is Green River the only place that can be a settlement?” the matron asked, her demeanor having shifted from sullen to hopeful during the explanation.

“I’m not certain. I tried to set one up in Salina, but the menu said it was too close to Green River,” Alvin told the matron.

“Can you set this place up as a settlement?” Theo asked, sitting forward abruptly.

Alvin checked the UI and sat back with a thoughtful expression. “It looks like it’s possible—” he had to pause as excited conversation sprang up all around the table. “But—,” he continued loudly, cutting over the conversations, “there is a major problem with that idea.”

“We ain’t good enough for you?” James spat.

“Frankly, I hope you choke to death in the near future, James, but no, that isn’t it.” Alvin stated calmly. “The problem is the wyvern at Sevier Lake. You all might be a bit too close for it to work out.”

James had gone red at Alvin’s statement, his jaw clenched as he stared daggers at Alvin. “You little—” he started to rise to his feet and Becky’s shotgun appeared aimed at James, stopping everyone from moving. Alvin saw that she’d summoned her Kevlar at the same time.

“Sit. The fuck. Back down. Or I will put you down,” Becky snarled, her words clipped. “He has a good god damned point, and you need to learn some manners when it comes to your betters.”

James’ nostrils flared, “You little slut—”

Alvin’s pistol reappeared in his hand and he was suddenly wearing his Kevlar armor as well. “She’s being nice, but if you persist in taunting her, I won’t be.”

“Hold on,” Theo said, patting the air with his hands. “There is no need for it to go this way.”

Alvin’s eyes twitched to the three men by the door, who had their guns trained on him and Becky. “Looks like it’s about to, or did you have a solution, Theo?”

“You lot put your guns away, and you sit the fuck down, James Miller,” Theo snapped at James and the three men. “We have a chance to do more than simply survive, and you’re the ones fucking it up.”

Teeth grinding, James slowly took his seat, “You’re damned lucky that Theo is here—”

Becky laughed harshly. Her shotgun and armor vanished again. “You’re not us. Remember, we went through the gang in Hinckley. We’ve been killing zombies and mutated animals for a week. You’ve done what, exactly, James?”

Alvin let his gun vanish, but kept the Kevlar in place as he patted Becky’s hand on the table, “Let it go for now, Gothy. The others want to learn. If he asses up again, we’ll just leave.”

Her eyes flickered to him before she sat back, clearly still upset. “If that’s what you want me to do, Hero.”

Holding her hand, Alvin turned his attention back to Theo. “You might attract the attention of the wyvern, and if you do I’m not sure if you’ll survive. Do you still want to try and make a go of it?”

“We do,” the matron interjected.

Alvin pressed the button to create a settlement on the UI. The confirmation popped up in front of him immediately:

New Settlement Created: Border Inn Holdout

This is your second Settlement.

Bonus: You are the first to make a second Settlement.

“Your Settlement is known as the Border Inn Holdout,” Alvin told them. “There should be a draftsman’s table outside the front doors. Either the Overseer or I can use it to start upgrading your Settlement. Since I won’t be staying, you’ll need to decide who the Overseer is going to be.”

James immediately start talking, “Y’all know I’d be the best choice for running this place—”

“Oh, shut up, James,” Theo snapped, cutting James off. “Do we have to decide this right now?” Theo asked Alvin while James glared at him.

“I have to set the position before I go,” Alvin replied. “You’re going to want to focus on building defensive upgrades first, with that wyvern so close by.”

Everyone in the room started talking all at once, their opinions divided about who should be appointed the Overseer. The split seemed to be about equal between Theo, James and the matron. Alvin and Becky just sipped their lemonade for a bit, letting them argue with each other. The argument came to an abrupt end when Alvin glanced at Becky then stood up. The two of them started for the door in sudden silence.

“Where are you going?” James spat at them. “We ain’t decided who’s in charge yet.”

Looking back at the room full of people, Alvin shrugged, “You can’t come to a consensus, so I’m just going to go. If I come back this way, maybe you’ll have decided by then.”

“Wait,” the matron called as Alvin’s hand hit the door, “Theo can lead us.”

“Chloe,” Theo said, getting to his feet, “I’m not the right choice for this. You know the cancer’s gonna take me soon, so it had best be you. You’re the one who thought to ask about making this place a settlement to begin with, none of the rest of us even thought of that.” Sounds of general agreement came from the others, with only a few dissenters.

Alvin nodded, “Two of three agree. I’ll set it before we go.”

“No, you’ll wait just a damn minute,” James snarled as he pushed his chair back hard enough that it tumbled away, “we need a vote by everyone here.”

Snorting, Alvin held the door open for Becky. He followed her out with a shake of his head, “I don’t.”

The commotion that sprang up behind Alvin sounded like a fight had broken out. Becky summoned her shotgun as she waited beside the table while Alvin set the Overseer job. No one had come out of the building by the time they climbed into the car. As the Mustang roared to life the front door burst open. James and three other guys sporting bloody lips hurried out, pointing and yelling at them.

“They look mad,” Alvin chuckled as he put the Mustang into gear and peeled out of the lot, flinging gravel behind them.

Becky looked over her shoulder as they left, “They’re getting into a truck.”

“Gods save me from idiots and morons,” Alvin sighed as he slowed the Mustang. “When they get close enough, put a few rounds through the engine.”

“Gladly,” Becky replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got ready to lean out the window. The sound of a bullet ricocheting off the car got their attention, turning what was coming from comical to deadly.

“Motherfuckers,” Alvin snarled, “I take that back, feel free to kill the dumbfucks.”

Becky nodded grimly as she angled herself to get the shotgun out the window while exposing as little of herself as she could. Her first two shots slammed into the grill, causing a plume of water vapor to momentarily cover the windshield of the speeding truck, which was rapidly gaining on the car. She ducked back into the car as a volley of shots hit the Mustang and bounced off.

“Well, fuck it. I tried to be nice,” Becky growled as she poked her head out the window and fired once more.

The driver’s side windshield of the truck disintegrated. The glass did nothing to slow the slug from Becky’s shotgun as it blasted a hole into the driver and the passenger behind him. The truck went out of control as the driver died.

“Nice shot, Gothy,” Alvin praised her, “remind me not to piss you off.”

“They were shooting at my poor baby,” Becky told him as she clicked the safety of the shotgun on.

“I’m your poor baby now?” Alvin asked, puzzled.

“Of course not,” Becky grinned. “I was talking about Ruffian.” Becky patted the dashboard gently as her eyes twinkled.

Laughing, Alvin pressed the accelerator further down. “I walked into that one.”

“Yes, you did,” Becky agreed. “Besides, they don’t have modified weapons. There was no way they were going to punch through Ruffian and hurt us with the pistols they had with them.”

“Fair enough, Gothy, fair enough. I still dislike being shot at, though.”

“As do I, which is why I tried to dissuade them first. Sadly, it seemed like they would rather be dead than civil.”

“Guess we’ll have a really good test to find out if I get negative XP for you killing people,” Alvin said after a momentary pause.

“Ely is the next stop,” Becky reminded him, “sixty-ish miles down the road.”

“Let’s hope for a smooth ride,” Alvin said, then immediately regretted saying it aloud.

“Why did you have to jinx it?” Becky sighed.

“It’ll be fine,” Alvin said, wincing.

Chapter Eleven

The road was empty, with only an occasional stalled or wrecked vehicle to be seen off the pavement. Alvin let the Mustang’s speed climb into the triple digits on the straight, flat section that ran for miles. The road did end up curling around some hills, causing Alvin to slow back down. He was feeling a little better as they approached Majors Place, where US 93 and US 6 intersected.

“You’re getting cocky,” Becky mentioned after a quick glance, seeing Alvin’s grin.

Her words took the grin off his face, “Yeah, I was.”

“I’m here to help,” Becky replied with a smile.

“Should we stop and check the building?” Alvin pointed at the structure off to one side of the road.

“No older vehicles in the lot, so I wouldn’t bet on survivors.”

“Then we drive on by,” Alvin said, as he drove past. “Next up is Ely. I don’t think there are any other stopping points.”

“Not a single one,” Becky agreed as the road climbed into another set of hills.

The winding road caused Alvin to go slower than he had on the previous stretch. Doing a moderate sixty, Alvin had time to swerve around the three wrecks they encountered on the road. They didn’t see any zombies near the vehicles. Alvin kept his eyes moving as he drove, checking the sky as much as the hills around them. He felt his muscles tighten up a little as he waited for an attack to come.

Becky reached over and massaged his neck as they came out of the hills and the road straightened out again. “You’re tensing up again,” she said.

“I was waiting for an attack in the hills,” Alvin replied, letting her fingers ease his tension away.

“Are we going to hunker down in Ely?” Becky asked, looking at the sun which was sinking towards the horizon.

“That’s the plan, but we can keep going if need be,” Alvin answered.

“Driving at night doesn’t seem like a good idea, remember?”

“Yeah but stopping in Ely means we would need a good place to hole up. Ely is a small town, but still bigger than a lot of the others we’ve been through.”

“We can find a place,” Becky told him, lightly rubbing his thigh. “You need to check in to see what your XP looks like, too.”

“Should have back at the Border Inn, but I wanted to get out of there. I was hoping to avoid James. I just hope he was the driver.”

Becky gave a dark chuckle, “Oh, he was.”

“Good.”

Ely was not that distant when a pop-up appeared in Alvin’s vision. He slowed the car with a frown as he read.

Border Inn Holdout under attack!

If you are nearby, return to the Holdout to assist!

“Fuck,” Alvin hissed.

“What’s the matter?” Becky asked.

He explained the pop-up, “We’re too far away to do any good, and I don’t like it.”

“I can’t say I blame you,” Becky agreed.

Border Inn Holdout has been destroyed by a wyvern!

You have been docked Experience for the Settlement’s destruction.

You will receive no further Settlement startup bonuses until you surpass the maximum number of working Settlements that you have previously owned.

Alvin stopped the car and let out a deep breath, “They just got wiped out by the wyvern.”

“Damn it,” Becky growled.

“I also got docked XP for it being destroyed. That’s something I hadn’t counted on.”

“We’ll have to keep that in mind going forward,” Becky said. “No small places that can be wiped out easily.”

“Yeah,” Alvin sighed, “let’s hope Ely is in better shape.”

Becky crossed her fingers on her right hand while her left rested on his leg. “Here’s to hoping.”

The outskirts of Ely came into view ahead of them as they approached Comins Lake. Alvin felt more relaxed when he saw the buildings in the distance. He wasn’t expecting the road to cross over the lake like it did, or the tentacles that lashed out from the water, striking the Mustang. Cursing as he felt the car skidding sideways from the sheer force of the attack, he struggled to keep the car on the road as it fishtailed.

“What the fuck is that?!” Becky gasped as she looked past Alvin. “A catfish?”

“Hang on,” Alvin growled as he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, trying to get past the bit where the lake and road intersected. The tentacle-like whiskers of the monstrous catfish lashed out again, snagging the rear axle.

Becky’s eyes widened as she felt the car tilt, “What the fuck, Hero? It’s on your side of the car.”

“I know,” Alvin said as he summoned his rifle, letting go of the steering wheel to empty the first magazine into the monster as quickly as he could. The shots left puckered craters across the face of the fish, until one burst the left eye of the beast.

The tentacles released the car, and Alvin dropped the rifle into his lap as he grabbed the wheel. The car had slowed considerably. Even so, Alvin almost ran them off the small bridge crossing the edge of the lake.

“Damn water monsters are going to give me aquaphobia,” Alvin said, letting out a long breath as they cleared the bridge and he got the car under control once more. He stopped when the water’s edge had moved back from the road to reload his rifle and put it back in his glove.

“That was not fun,” Becky said after a moment.

“Right? Let’s hope the town still exists,” Alvin said as he put the car back into gear again.

The buildings signaling the outskirts of Ely were burned-out husks. “That doesn’t look encouraging,” Becky muttered.

Staying silent, Alvin followed the road into the town proper. He examined the burned buildings as best he could as they passed each one, seeing no signs of life. It finally dawned on him that there were no cars in the road, which had been bothering him since they’d entered town.

“There are no cars on the road itself,” Alvin mumbled, “They’re parked all along the sides. There might be survivors here.”

“You think they burned the buildings to kill zombies or to get rid of the remains?” Becky asked as they went through the first small subdivision.

“Could be. I burned a building to the ground in Green River to do that.”

Many of the homes in the first subdivision had been manufactured. Now they were stubs or skeletons of their former structures. Just past those buildings a Chevron station came into view, the sign facing the street declaring the gas to be under two dollars a gallon. Alvin shook his head, recalling the gas prices just before he’d died had been more than double that. They passed a few more buildings and were approaching the US 6 interchange which they needed to take to head towards Tonopah and eventually Beatty. An impromptu roadblock of sorts sat across the road just outside the sheriff’s office.

There was enough room to go around it easily, but there were two men in uniform off to one side waving them to stop. Alvin obeyed, stopping just short of the makeshift barrier. Sticking his head out the window, he addressed the two officers, “Is there a toll on the road now?” He tried to keep his tone light, though he watched the officers carefully, trying to gauge whether they were a threat.

As the deputy approached the car, Alvin tapped Becky’s leg before tapping his chest, which wasn’t Kevlar covered. Becky made both her gun and Kevlar vanish before the deputy got close enough to see her clearly. They both put on false smiles, both of them well practiced in hiding their true feelings.

One of the two officers let his shotgun dangle from its sling as he advanced on the car slowly. “Real people, and smart enough to figure out that old cars are the only ones that work. I was starting to think only those of us here in Ely survived the Apocalypse, but Sheriff Ohm said we would see others eventually and had us holding this road just in case. He wants to talk to anyone who shows up. You okay with that?” The officer’s tone was friendly but Alvin could tell that ‘no’ wasn’t really an option.

“Deputy Corbin,” Alvin said, addressing the officer by the name on his badge, “we would like to find a place to rest for the night. Do you think the sheriff would agree to put us up for a night as a fair exchange for what we know?”

A smile came to the somber deputy, “I’m sure he’ll be agreeable. Just wait here a moment. We’ll have someone right over to take you to our current operations area.”

“Not like we can really go anywhere with the cars blocking the road,” Alvin replied.

“I have to ask,” Deputy Corbin said, leaning in slightly towards the car, “how long’ve you had this beauty?”

“Gothy? She’s been with me since the second day after the Apocalypse,” Alvin deadpanned.

Becky punched his arm, “Flatterer.”

Deputy Corbin blinked at Alvin for a second, then looked past him to Becky, in the passenger seat. “She’s quite good looking as well, but I was asking about the car,” the deputy said, with a nod to Becky.

“She’s been in my family for a while now,” Alvin told the deputy with a grin. “She had been just a showpiece, as you can tell from how pristine she looks.”

“You have the regist—” the deputy began, before Alvin cut him off with a laugh.

“Why did you pull me over, officer?” Alvin asked with a snort of laughter.

The deputy opened his mouth for a moment, before stepping back from the car. “Old habits.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin replied as the second officer came over to the car.

“Williams will be over in a minute to get them,” the second deputy informed Corbin. “Ohm says we’re to stay on station until shift change.”

“When the other deputy gets here, follow him. We’ll be seeing you later,” Corbin informed them, then followed the second deputy back to the roadblock.

An old squad car came rolling up to the other side of the roadblock after a few minutes. Alvin backed up and went around the blockade, pulling up behind the car after it had turned around in the street. He waved to the two deputies as they went by. “Have a good night, officers,” Alvin said with the polished fake smile he had used so often in life.

Alvin turned his attention to the road as they followed their guide. They passed US 6 and continued down to US 50, turning left into the heart of town. The houses here were still standing, not burned-out husks like they’d seen at the edge of town. Signs of a struggle were apparent as they drove; shattered windows, broken doors, and bullet holes that riddled the buildings and cars.

“Looks like they’ve cleared the town,” Becky mused.

“No animals, either,” Alvin mentioned as they approached a casino.

The street was empty of cars, until the patrol car came to a stop in front of the building. Alvin parked behind the squad car, taking his time getting out while the deputy waited for them.

“I hope there’s no James here,” Becky said softly before she stepped out of the Mustang.

“Me, too,” Alvin agreed as he got out. “Unless you meant James, and not James.”

“Don’t make me hurt you,” Becky said sweetly.

“Follow me,” the deputy told them as he entered the casino.

Falling into step behind him, they entered the building. Just inside the door was a barricade with a man behind it, an assortment of guns beside him. Looking past him, Alvin and Becky could see that the slot machines had been removed from the main room. “These the two?” the guy behind the barricade asked with a frown.

“These are the two Corbin was talking to. Is Ohm still in his office?”

“He hasn’t left yet,” the man replied.

The deputy motioned the pair to follow him again, and led them through a gap in the barricade. Several people were stationed near the barricade, but out of sight. They were chatting about the zombies and animals they’d been taking down over the last few days while cleaning an assortment of guns. Silence fell among them as people became aware of Alvin and Becky entering the room.

“Holy fuck, is she stacked,” a solitary male voice broke the silence. Everyone turned to stare at the older teen sitting off to the side. The boy turned red and looked away in embarrassment.

“Smooth, Nic, very smooth. She’s sure to take an interest in you now,” the closest guy laughed.

“Oh, fuck you, Kline. She’s obviously with that guy.” Nic snapped back at the guy who was taunting him.

Alvin glanced at the two young men, not saying anything as he followed the deputy. Becky looked over to them with a seductive smile, “Sorry, boys, Hero has me wrapped around his tongue.”

Repressing the urge to facepalm, Alvin didn’t glance back at the laughter that bubbled up from the group. They went through a door into an interior hallway, and Alvin looked back at Becky. She was biting her lower lip with a seductive grin. “My tongue?”

“It’s a very gifted tongue,” Becky replied throatily, winking with an evil grin.

Alvin eyed her, silently promising her payback, before he decided to voice his mind, “Later will be fun.”

Her smile became radiant, “I can’t wait, Hero.”

The deputy knocked on a door. A voice from inside acknowledged him and he opened the door, leading Alvin and Becky in. Behind the desk sat a middle aged, overweight man in the same uniform the other officers had been wearing. Sheriff Ohm nodded at the deputy, who left the office, closing the door behind him. The sheriff turned judgmental eyes on his two visitors.

“Welcome to what remains of Ely,” Ohm greeted them after a moment of silence. “As you’ve probably heard by now, I’m Sheriff Danny Ohm. Been the sheriff here for over ten years. Who might you two be?”

“That’s Gothy, and I’m Alvin. We’ve just come from Green River in Utah,” Alvin replied as he looked around the office. A tactical response map dominated one wall.

“The roads are good all the way there?” Ohm asked.

“Not at all. There’s at least one wyvern between here and there and your lake appears to be infested with giant catfish that have a car fetish,” Becky answered.

“We haven’t made it that far out of town yet, we’re still consolidating,” Ohm replied. Leaning back in his seat, he seemed to weigh their nonchalance. “Did you meet any other survivors on the way here?”

“Salina had fifty people who’ll likely be headed to Green River sometime in the next day or two. Hinkley had been taken over by what remained of a skinhead biker gang. The survivors of that are probably headed to Green River now, as well. The Border Inn had fifty people, who were just starting a Settlement, but a wyvern wiped them out before they could get really started,” Alvin rattled off the information in a bored tone. “I can try to set up a Settlement here if you’d like, but if you fail it costs me.”

Ohm frowned as he sat up straight in his chair, “What does that even mean?”

Alvin grabbed one of the chairs against the wall and brought it over to the desk. Sinking heavily into it, he sighed. “Okay. Let’s give you the rules of the world lecture,” Alvin said as Becky grabbed a chair and joined him.

It took Alvin the better part of an hour to explain the new rules of the world so far as he knew them. Sheriff Ohm watched Alvin’s demonstrations with gloves and gun expressionlessly and listened to the explanations without interrupting. Ohm rubbed his chin thoughtfully once Alvin was done. “Huh, that’s an awful lot to take in.”

“I completely agree,” Alvin said, putting his gun away. “We’re hoping to crash for the night here and hit the road again tomorrow. Is that going to be okay?”

“We can feed you and give you a room for the night,” Ohm said, getting to his feet. “I’ll show you to an empty room, and if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like you to demonstrate that gun trick after dinner so my people can see it themselves. I also need to know what it’s going to take to get us started as a Settlement.”

Alvin shrugged, “Just me initiating it. Are you going to be the one in charge?”

“That will be up to the others,” Ohm said evenly. Taking a deep breath, Ohm added, “I’ll need your help explaining all this.”

“We can do that, sheriff,” Becky said, “but we really could use a shower and a bit of rest first.”

“That’s fine. Follow me. I’ll send someone for you when it’s time for dinner,” Ohm replied as he led them out of the room.

“Adapt or die,” Alvin shrugged, “that is the way of the world now.”

“You’re blunt, but you’re not wrong,” Ohm agreed. “Some of them won’t make it, but I’ll do my best to keep them going as long as I can. It’s part of the oath after all, to protect and serve.”

“I wish my father had been more like you,” Becky said under her breath.

Alvin took her hand, giving it a squeeze before kissing her cheek. She gave him a brilliant smile that had just a hint of brittleness to it. “We’ll have an hour,” Alvin reminded her, trying to distract her.

“Good, time to get nice and clean…” Becky let the sentence trail off as her normal attitude reasserted itself.

Chapter Twelve

Entering the suite that Sheriff Ohm led them to, he told them he would see them later and left them alone. The door to the room had been damaged, the electronic card lock blasted out of the door. Alvin shut the door behind the sheriff, then he pushed the latch lock closed. As the door latched, a weight seemed to lift from his body. “I need a break,” Alvin sighed.

“It’s been an interesting day,” Becky said as she walked further into the room, examining it with a critical eye.

“Not as bad as it could have been, but I am looking forward to getting clean,” Alvin said as he opened the door to the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway with a frown, “Or not. I should have known... they have electricity from generators, but water is run by the town and that machinery is sure to be down.”

Becky came up behind him, looking around him into the bathroom. She could see what he was talking about— a camp toilet was in the middle of the bathroom, and “Do not use” signs were taped over the shower knobs and regular toilet. On the counter sat a jug of distilled water, along with soap and a pair of washcloths. “No shower tonight,” Becky was as disappointed as Alvin was, but she leaned into him. “I can wash you down if you’d like,” she whispered into his ear.

A shiver ran down his spine at her whisper. “I had been hoping for a hot shower with you, but that obviously isn’t going to happen, so I’ll take your generous offer.” He pulled her into his arms, “You really are so much better than anyone else who might have come with me.” He kissed her gently, trying to convey his happiness at her presence.

Becky wrapped her arms around him, accepting his kiss and returning it in equal measure. She let him break the kiss, but instead of pulling away from him she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’ll wash you, then you can wash me,” she whispered as she felt a sense of comfort and safety wash through her. “Or we can stand right here, just like this.”

“This is comforting,” Alvin said softly as he brought one of his arms further up to run his hand through her hair. “I think, though, that washing each other would be just a bit better. No shenanigans, though, understood?”

Becky’s lips trembled as she fought to keep the smile from her lips, “For now. But later…”

He answered her unspoken question, “Later, we’ll have time for us that doesn’t involve a field full of cows and dive bombing giant birds.”

“I needed that,” Becky said as she nuzzled his neck, her warm breath tickling his skin.

“Not going to lie, it was a rush to survive that then have you mount me, but it was still a bad decision that could have gone horribly wrong,” Alvin replied as he loosened his arms around her, not letting go but hinting that he was ready to do so.

Becky kissed his neck before she released him, ending the hug. “I’ll wash you first,” she said as she slipped past him. “That way if I misbehave, you can exact your punishment on me.”

Alvin snorted, but didn’t respond as he walked towards the bed, stripping as he went. His jacket vanished into his shirt, which he promptly took off. Once he finished stripping, he laid face down on top of the covers. He heard Becky come into the room. The removal of her boots was the only sound indicating that she’d gotten undressed. Alvin tried to calculate the odds of Becky being a brat and egging him on during his sponge bath. He figured she would find some way to tease and torment him until he reacted by fucking her.

The bed flexed under her weight as she climbed onto it, straddling his legs to sit on his thighs. “The water is tepid, so it might feel cold to you,” she warned him as she began to wipe the damp cloth over his back.

Alvin shivered as the water chilled him and closed his eyes as he let Becky wash him, moving at her direction without comment. Her hands were firm, but gentle as she ran the wet cloth over his skin. The serenity he felt as she bathed him was soothing. He roused from his slight stupor for a few moments when she slid off him to begin on his buttocks and legs. Once she had gotten him wet, she applied a small amount of soap across his entire body, kneeling at his left side so she could reach all of him. Her hands gently massaged his skin as she lathered him. He murmured happy sounds, his toes curling and uncurling as his mind drifted, with no thoughts besides how happy he was in the moment. Sooner than he expected, she rinsed the soap from his back.

“Turn over so I can do your front,” Becky whispered to him, her warm breath caressing his ear.

Rolling over, he smiled at her with narrow eyes, “Your hands are even more amazing than I already thought they were.”

A small giggle escaped her as she began to run the wet cloth over him. “And I haven’t even handled you properly yet.”

Alvin snorted as he let his eyes close, “You seem to handle me with ease and care, no matter what context you want to put it in.”

Becky didn’t respond, but her small smile became more pronounced as she gazed at his content smile. Her heart beat hard as she considered the trust he gave her, and the trust she gave back; trust she had never given to another, not even her brother. Her hands were deft as she finished the first part and began to lather up the soap again. “You know, Hero, even with all the death and uncertainty around us every day, I’ve felt freer and more alive in this last week than I ever have before, and I have you to thank for that.”

He didn’t respond right away, trying to order his thoughts as Becky’s hands began to massage soap into his chest. “I’m not sure what to say,” he finally said, almost a full minute later. “I don’t know how to deal with what we feel for each other. All I can possibly think to say is, thank you. Thank you for coming with me. I might have made it this far alone, maybe, but I wouldn’t be as happy as I am. I wouldn’t be as eager to keep going, and that’s because with you I feel optimistic, and I’m far from an optimist normally. You make me believe that maybe this world is better than anything I could have found anywhere else, even with the zombies, mutated beasts, dragons, and who knows what all else.”

Becky paused to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “That’s enough for me, Hero. I understand the loss for words. Now, let me show you what amazing hands really are.” Alvin cracked an eye open to see her smirking at him. “Made you look,” Becky giggled before her hands found his flaccid flesh. Her hands didn’t linger or try to entice, instead they were deft and quickly gone as she proceeded down his legs.

“Brat,” Alvin chuckled as he let his eye close.

“Would you have me any other way, Hero?”

“Maybe on all fours, moaning…” Alvin began, then trailed off as the mental image caused his manhood to start rising.

“Oh, is just the thought of me enough?” Becky teased. “This isn’t even my fault.”

“Fair enough, Gothy,” Alvin admitted as he tried to shake the image from his mind. “Just the thought of you does this to me and it’s entirely my fault for crafting the image in my mind.”

Her hands left his feet as she got ready to rinse him. He felt her shift slightly, but didn’t think anything of it since she stayed where she was, until her teeth nibbled his earlobe. “I want you to always be like this for me,” her words were a throaty purr that caused his blood to rush south. “Just like that,” she added as she began to rinse him. “It’s nice that you find me this enticing.”

“God damned temptress,” Alvin breathed heavily as he tried to regain control of his libido. “Behind the sass and bluster, you fear that I’ll look elsewhere. What you don’t get is that, to me, you’re the best that can be found, period. So stop trying to work me up, you see how easy that is for you.”

Her hands bypassed his pelvis and went down his legs as she rinsed the soap off him. “I understand what you’re saying, Hero, I really do. It’s just not that easy. I want to sink my claws into you so deep that you’ll never be free of me.”

“You already have—” his breath caught in his throat as her hands took hold of his manhood.

“I’ll sink them deeper still,” Becky purred as she took her hands away.

Breathing raggedly, Alvin opened his eyes to find her face inches from his. As soon as their eyes met she hungrily claimed his lips. His arms enfolded her naked form, pulling her to him with a need. Their passion was running high when he pushed her back from him.

Her face mirrored shock and fear at his abrupt refusal, “Why?”

He brushed her cheek, wiping away the tear that fell from one eye. “Because I haven’t washed you yet, and your punishment is to be denied, at least for now.

Lips trembling, Becky nodded, “Okay. I just—”

“Shh, take your punishment for being a naughty vixen who tempts me just by existing,” Alvin told her as he guided her to the bed and knelt above her. “Close your eyes and relax as I let my fingers dance across your skin.”

Eyes closing at his command, she surrendered to his will. “As you wish, Hero.”

He urged her to roll onto her stomach and repeated the treatment she’d given him earlier. Her breathing became even and slow, not quite asleep, but very relaxed. A smile came to him as he washed and caressed her body. Her blissful smile was honest, with no hint of the mask she seemed to wear without thinking.

Letting his hands glide across her soft, silky skin, he made sure he rinsed every bit of soap from her. “Roll over, Gothy, show me the rest of your charms,” he whispered into her ear, then nibbled it.

A deep moan came from her as he nibbled her earlobe, “Hero, are you going to torment me now?”

“Not just yet.” He spanked her once, “Now stop making me wait and roll over.”

“You’re teasing me,” Becky breathed deeply as she rolled over, her thighs rubbing together. “Are you still denying me, Hero?”

“You’re not clean yet, you dirty slut,” Alvin growled softly as he began to wash down her neck.

Shivering, Becky kept her eyes closed as he taunted her with his words. Her breathing started to quicken as she pictured everything she hoped he would do to her. Alvin went about cleaning her with care, but without doing anything improper. Even when he lathered her breasts, his hands only stayed long enough to apply the soap before moving on.

“Please,” Becky breathed softly as he began to rinse her. “Hero, please.”

“You teased me after I told you not to, Gothy,” Alvin explained to her as he moved from her chest to her stomach. “You agreed to be punished if you teased me.”

“But I thought you would take me, not deny me,” Becky whimpered.

“If you want it then it's not a punishment, it’s a reward,” Alvin whispered to her before nibbling her clean neck. “Almost done, just a little longer.”

Becky was panting as Alvin’s hands slid downwards from her stomach. She cried out in disappointment when his hands separated and went down her legs, bypassing her pelvis as she had done to him. Becky made small sounds of protest as he continued, working his way down to her feet.

Once her feet were rinsed, Alvin let his fingers slowly walk back up her legs. “Almost done, Gothy. Do you feel the same desire that you stirred in me earlier?”

“Yes,” the answer was a breathless whisper as he caressed her inner thigh.

“Good,” his tone was brisk as he suddenly took his hands away. “All done,” he told her as he draped an arm and leg over her, lying next to her. “Was that so bad?”

“Hero,” Becky growled as her eyes opened to find his, “you’re an evil man.”

“Yes,” Alvin said, meeting her gaze, “I know I am, but would you want me any other way?” he asked her, deliberately mirroring her own words back at her.

He tightened his grip, pinning her arms to her sides. “Now we can relax and wait for dinner. I think a little cuddling would be perfect.”

“But, Hero—” Becky tried to argue, only to be cut off by Alvin.

“Shh, body pillows don’t talk,” Alvin said as he snuggled his head against Becky’s breasts, “such soft pillows.”

Even as aroused as she was, his actions made her giggle, “Damn it, Hero. Fine. I’ll wait until later, but I’ll make sure to get you back then.”

“Ditto. Now relax and enjoy this moment of calm with me,” Alvin replied as he let the moment of happiness wash over him.

Chapter Thirteen

Alvin wasn’t sure when he drifted off, but the knock on the door woke him. “What?” Alvin called out.

“Dinner is in ten, Sheriff Ohm asked me to let you know. It’s in the café downstairs.”

“We’ll be down,” Alvin replied as he tried to sit up.

“Body pillows don’t move,” Becky grumbled as she forced him back down and clamped her arms and legs around him.

“As soon as we can,” Alvin added out loud as he looked at Becky, who had her eyes closed.

“Okay.” Footsteps moved away from the door.

“Gothy, dinner,” Alvin said as he tried to get an arm free.

“No. You made me snuggle, so now you’re going to snuggle,” Becky pouted as she nestled her head against his shoulder.

“If we don’t go to dinner, there won’t be a later for other activities,” Alvin explained.

Before he could realize what was happening Becky was out of bed and grabbing her bra and panties. “Dinner, you said?”

Deep laughter bubbled up from him at her eager tone, “God damned nut.”

With a laugh of her own she started to dress, “It’s not just my fault that I want to fuck you all the time.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin said, continuing to chuckle. He sat up in bed to watch her dress, letting his eyes caress her form. “You know, you’re the definition of a classical beauty,” he told her.

Pausing, she glanced to him, her confident mask slipping for a moment, “You think so?”

“Round of hip, firm muscles in the legs and arms, a little bit of padding showing that you’re well cared for, a good nose. Yeah, I think you’re my ideal picture of what beauty is.”

She turned her head away, letting her hair become a curtain between them. “I want to lose some of the weight. I think you deserve me a bit more sleek, and I don’t want to have to think about… things, when we meet others like Claudia.”

Alvin had silently gotten out of bed as she spoke. As she finished talking, his arms encircled her from behind, hands clasping together just under her chest. “I love you just the way you are, Gothy. If you want to slim down, I’ll support you, but you don’t need to be insecure. Before we get into the wild stuff later tonight, I’m going to show you something and I’ll need you to cooperate with me. Okay?”

The tension melted away from her as his words drifted past her ear. “I’m not like this. You just make me want to be perfect for you, damn it. I never gave a damn what anyone thought before now.”

“You’re already as close to perfect as a person can get. I’ll try to show you what I mean later. But for now, I need to get dressed or we’re going to be very late,” Alvin disengaged as he felt his traitorous anatomy began to rise.

“I felt that, Hero,” Becky purred as she looked over her shoulder.

“It has a mind of its own,” Alvin grumbled as he grabbed his underwear from the floor.

“And I like the way it thinks,” Becky giggled as she sat on the bed, putting her stockings on.

Alvin kept his eyes off her as he dressed. When he turned back, she had just her stockings, boots, bra, and panties on. “Gothy…” he arched a brow at her.

“I’m ready,” Becky said as she got to her feet, her clothing materializing around her.

“I need to finish upgrading my stuff,” Alvin grumbled as he walked to the door, opening it for her.

“Then I won’t have to deal with zipper indentations in sensitive places,” Becky said as she went past him.

“That was your fault,” Alvin snorted.

“It wasn’t an accusation, merely a statement,” Becky said as she began to sway down the hall. “We need to go down, right?”

“To the café,” Alvin agreed, staying a few paces behind her to admire the view.

“Another round of explaining to people that the world is different,” Becky sighed.

“We’ll be doing it over and over again for the foreseeable future,” Alvin grumbled.

“Three flights of stairs in these boots,” Becky muttered as they reached the stairwell. “Can you grab me stockings next time? As sexy as these boots are, sometimes not wearing them is a better idea.”

“I’ll see what I can do after our fun tonight, or in the morning if you ride me too long and hard.”

“Morning it is,” Becky laughed as they started down the stairs.

When they reached the café they found it packed, with over a hundred people seated at the tables and booths. Sheriff Ohm waved them over to the table he was at. Alvin sized up the others at the table as they approached. There were two women and three other men already seated at the table, along with two empty seats.

“Glad you joined us,” Ohm said, then motioned to the others at the table. “This is the council of Ely. I’ve told them what you told me, but they want to hear it for themselves. Word has spread and everyone here is interested in hearing what you have to say.”

Shrugging, Alvin took a seat, “Show and tell round two, great.”

“You got an attitude, boy,” one of the men at the table sneered, stroking his greying beard.

“And you got grey hair. Do you want to keep trading obvious statements?” Alvin asked with a bored look.

“Settle down, Gene,” Ohm interrupted the older guy before they could continue. “Could you please not antagonize the others at the table?” Ohm asked Alvin.

Alvin shrugged, “He started it. Is it going to be food first, or show and tell first?”

“It’s half an hour until dinner is served. I called you down early to get this over with, and to let everyone digest your information while they eat.”

“Danny, you sure we can trust what this guy says?” the younger of the two women at the table asked.

“Olivia, I believe what he told me. He’s ticking on my creep meter, sure enough, but I’d stake my badge that he’s not lying.”

“He’s also sitting right here,” Alvin gritted through clenched teeth. “I really hate it when people speak as if I’m not present.”

“Sorry,” Ohm apologized as he took a seat. “You have the floor.”

Alvin looked at Becky, who began the explanation this time. She used her pistol to demonstrate the reloading gun, and her jacket and Kevlar to show off the storage capabilities of her clothing. All throughout her speech, Ohm kept shushing people who tried to interrupt, getting a thankful nod from Becky.

“That’s everything I can tell you,” Becky finally said and took a sip of water that had been provided to her.

“If I hadn’t just seen what I had, I’d call you a nutjob and see about putting you away,” Olivia continued, “but it’s hard to argue with what I’ve witnessed firsthand.”

“We can have a Settlement?” Gene asked with pursed lips.

“Yes,” Alvin began, before he paused, “but I have to be the one to set it up, and if you all die like the people at the Border Inn, I take a huge hit to my XP.”

Gene smiled thinly, “That isn’t going to happen, boy.”

Alvin looked from Gene to Ohm, “Is he always so blindly full of himself?”

Ohm grimaced, his eyes on Alvin, “You’re not helping.” Shifting his gaze to Gene he continued, “Gene, calm down. You’ve seen the dragon things with your own eyes. It was one of them that wiped out the Border Inn.”

“We have a hundred and seventy-eight people—” Gene began before he was cut off.

“Seventy-seven,” the older woman at the table said. “Nikko Kaan died today. He was caught by a toddler and couldn’t do what he needed to.”

“Damn it,” Ohm sighed, “I told him not to go out into town.”

“Still,” Gene snapped, trying to push past the loss of another person, “we should be fine. We have three times the number of people they had, and we’re better prepared.”

Almost everyone in the café was trying to talk at once, which put a damper on those at the main table trying to talk. Before Ohm could bring the room back to order, the cooks began to bring carts out of the kitchen. They started serving the tables as though it were a well-rehearsed ballet. The noise level stabilized, then started dropping as conversations were put on hold.

Alvin thanked the guy who set plates before him and Becky. The food was simple, ground meat made into a patty along with steamed vegetables.

“Please enjoy the meal,” Ohm told them as he cut a piece of meat for himself.

Alvin and Becky ate quickly and excused themselves. Ohm thanked them again before they walked away from the table.

Gene called out to them, “When do we get the Settlement?”

Alvin tapped the Settlement UI and turned Ely into a Settlement. “There. The table is by the door to this place. I’ll set the Sheriff as the Overseer for now. You can change it later.”

“Why Ohm?” Gene asked, but Alvin ignored him.

Back in their room, after setting Ohm as the Overseer, Alvin used the slap lock to secure the door. “I really don’t like how flimsy the lock is,” he complained before he turned around.

“It’s not like we’re going to sleep any time soon,” Becky smirked at him as her clothing vanished, leaving her in boots, bra, and panties. “Now about the fun that we put off earlier…” She began to strut towards him with a devilish grin.

Alvin took a step back, put on a mock fearful expression, and trembled. “Oh no, the evil temptress has lured me into her lair.”

Giggling, Becky licked her lips, “I love it when my meals deliver themselves.”

Chapter Fourteen

Alvin kept up his mock fear act as Becky continued towards him. He timed his move, waiting for her to close to the point he figured would let him succeed. Just as she took the step he was waiting for he pushed off the door, lunging toward her. His arms encircled her, pinning her arms to her sides, making her squawk indignantly.

“You devious bastard,” Becky growled as she squirmed against his grasp.

“Of course,” Alvin chuckled, then began to nibble her neck.

“No, stop, don’t,” Becky tried to growl, but her words came out as more of a moan.

“Oh, no. Remember, I owe you,” Alvin grinned as he continued to lavish her neck with attention, including her earlobe. “I know your weak spots,” he taunted her.

“Bully, brute, beast…” the last word came out as a deep moan. “Are you going to ravish me, Hero?”

“Once I know you’re properly compliant,” Alvin murmured as he continued to assault her.

“Don’t make me wait,” Becky whimpered.

“If I could magic my clothes away like you can, then I wouldn’t have to make you wait as long. But to get to my belt and pants I need to release you, and I don’t trust you to stay put.”

Becky’s hands started fumbling at his belt, where she could just get at the buckle. “Let me help,” she panted as she pawed at it, trying for all she was worth.

Alvin’s growing need was urging him to give in to what she asked, so he could really ravish her. “Promise to behave?” Alvin asked, his voice full of his desire. “If not, I’ll continue doing this to you.”

“I promise,” Becky moaned as she finally got the buckle undone.

“If you misbehave, I’ll punish you in ways you won’t like,” Alvin warned her as he let go of her arms.

As soon as her arms came free, Becky grabbed his pants and started to tear at them, desperate to get them off. “Help me, you fucker,” Becky growled at him just before she sank her teeth into his shoulder.

Hissing in pain, Alvin tried to help her, but she slapped his hands out of her way. “Damn, slut, calm down so I can help,” Alvin hissed.

His jeans finally came unbuttoned, but Becky didn’t push them down. Instead, she reached into them and grabbed what she wanted. “Give this to me, now,” she panted as she stroked him, “hurry, Hero.”

Alvin let out a relieved breath as her teeth left his shoulder, then another of desire as she handled his flesh. “You could have gotten my jeans out of the way.”

“After you tormented me earlier? You can deal with it.” A throaty laugh followed her words as she applied a touch more pressure to her stroking. “I’ll teach you not to torment me.”

Alvin pushed his jeans down, trying to kick them free, but they got caught on his boots. “Damn it,” he growled.

“Now you see how mean you were,” Becky laughed at his frustration.

Eyes blazing, Alvin snagged her wrist and applied pressure to make her grip loosen. “Let go,” Alvin insisted.

Wincing in pain, Becky released her hold of his hard cock, “Brute.”

Alvin eased back from her, “Behave, so I can get my boots off.”

She locked eyes with him, giving him a single nod. Sensing a trap, he still let her go and leaned against the wall to get to his boots. As he began unlacing them, Becky dropped to her knees and captured his rigid flesh in her mouth.

Breath catching in his throat as his mind blanked, Alvin stopped moving for a moment as pleasure became his sole focus. A happy moan vibrating down his shaft brought his attention to Becky eagerly bobbing up and down between his legs.

His brain reengaged sluggishly and he began working to get his boots off again, while Becky tried to distract him. “Stop for a moment,” Alvin asked her, even though he knew she wouldn’t.

“No,” she said, going right back to taking his full length into her mouth. That single word was kind of shocking. Alvin hadn’t expect to get even that much from her.

He clawed at his other boot, finally managing to rip it off his foot. “Finally,” Alvin growled as he tore his jeans and underwear off. Tangling his hands in her hair, Alvin pushed her all the way to the base of his shaft. “Now I’ll have my vengeance, you eager bitch.”

A guttural moan, muffled by her full mouth, was her only reply as she accepted his punishment. Alvin’s eyes rolled as Becky swallowed, massaging the head of his cock where it was wedged against the back of her throat. His hands loosened on her head as pleasure almost pushed him over the edge.

Slapping his hands off her, Becky began to eagerly bob her head again. When he tried to grab her head again, Becky caught his hands, gripping his wrists tightly. With a loud pop she pulled her mouth free of him, “I’m going to make you beg me.”

Alvin tried to pull away, but she held him in place. “I’m going to make you pay for this,” he panted.

With a devious grin, Becky giggled, “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see if you can even think by the time I’m done with you.”

Before he could reply, she took his rigid manhood back into her mouth. Alvin struggled for another moment before he gave up, surrendering to her desire. She purred around his thick shaft, sending vibration rippling through his entire body. It only took her another few minutes before he felt his orgasm start to build towards release.

“Gothy,” Alvin gasped as he began to buck his hips into her bobbing mouth.

Speeding up, Becky seemed to be urging him towards the finish. After a few seconds his already rigid cock began to thicken a bit more. As soon as Becky felt that, she deep throated him and hummed loudly, which was the last straw to push him over the edge. With a guttural moan, Alvin released his seed into her mouth. Eagerly swallowing every drop, Becky didn’t let him out of her mouth until she was sure he was finished. He collapsed to the floor, his legs refusing to hold him up.

Finally releasing his spent cock, Becky stretched her body over his. “Time for round two, Hero,” Becky purred at him, taking off her bra and panties, but leaving her boots on.

Straddling him, she hung her breasts over his mouth. Alvin clamped his teeth down on her left nipple, gently chewing it. “Hero, don’t be so rough,” she panted.

Surging up, he reversed their positions, ending up with her on the bottom and him between her thighs. He caught her wrists, as she had his earlier, “You like it rough, don’t act like you don’t.”

“You think so, do yo—” Becky began before her breath was stolen from her.

Alvin slammed his hips forward, burying himself into her wet slit with no warning, stopping her from completing her sentence. “Not that I can be really rough, when you’re dripping wet, waiting for me to take you.”

Her back arched as he pulled almost all the way out, before slamming hard into her again. “Yes, gods yes, take me,” she panted, struggling to pull her wrists free.

Alvin focused on ravaging her, his eyes locked on hers. “Mine,” Alvin growled as he dropped his head to nip at the slope of her breast. “All mine.”

“Yes, Hero, every part of me belongs to you,” Becky moaned, her hips bucking to meet his every thrust.

“I’ll mark you,” Alvin moaned as he began to nip and bite at anything he could get his mouth on. He didn’t draw blood, but he did leave marks all along her chest and neck as he continued to pound her welcoming flesh.

The duo came in a shuddering climax at the same time. Rolling to his side, Alvin collapsed next to Becky. “I might have gotten a little carried away.”

With heavy lidded eyes, Becky looked at her chest, which was marked with teeth indentations and small bruises. “Good job, Hero. I think these will last a few days,” she ran her hands over the marks. “Perfect.”

A tired chuckle came from Alvin as he glanced over at her, “Nutjob.”

“Let’s get to bed,” Becky murmured as she got to her feet, her legs wobbling the entire way.

Alvin watched her, a smile on his lips, then levered himself into a sitting position. Grabbing his gear, he pushed it all into his bag, yawning the entire time. “I’m thinking I should hit my room before sleeping.”

“You should come curl up with me and do that tomorrow,” Becky told him, patting the bed.

Alvin staggered over to the bed and fell in next to her. “I hear and obey… for the moment.”

Becky let out a sleepy giggle as she wrapped an arm and leg over his body, “Good body pillow.”

After a minute Alvin frowned, noticing the normal countdown timer for him to be taken back to his room was missing. There was a button in the spot where the timer normally was. Mentally questioning the button informed him that he had to press it to return to his room. He made a mental note to ask Jarvis about it tomorrow. His eyes slid shut and sleep claimed him before he could think about anything else.

Waking to the sound of snoring in his ear, Alvin used his free hand to rub the crud from his eyes. Turning his head, he found Becky snoring open-mouthed on his shoulder, a string of drool flowing down into his armpit.

“Such a delicate princess,” Alvin snarked softly. His lips twitched; she was unique, and he wouldn’t trade her for anyone else. He stroked her hair with his free hand, watching her face.

With a snort, Becky rolled off his arm and onto her back. Eyes glittering as inspiration struck him, Alvin carefully stripped the blankets from them before he slipped south. Carefully, slowly, gently, he nudged her legs wide so he could settle between them.

I wonder if she’ll enjoy it as much as I do when she wakes me this way? Alvin thought before he began to trace his tongue over her sex.

A minute passed without anything changing that Alvin could see. Her slit was slowly becoming wet from her own lubrication and his saliva. Becky’s left leg twitched and would have clamped his head into a vise, but Alvin had wrapped his arms around her thighs and was able to stop it from moving far.

Becky moaned softly as her dream slowly faded. Alvin and a pointy-eared female with dark skin had been teasing her, taking turns licking and nibbling at her bound form. She woke up to find at least part of her dream was real. “Morning, Hero,” Becky moaned as she tried to stretch her legs wider for him, only to find them firmly pinned.

Alvin lifted his face from her drenched slit to meet her sleepy eyes, “I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.” With nothing else to say he dove right back to the task at hand, but now used firm licks as his teeth grazed her clit.

“Mhhm,” Becky writhed as his assault increased. “Morning sex is good. Are you going to come up here so I can thank you?”

“Busy,” the word was muffled as Alvin released her right thigh. His free hand came to join in his attack on her quivering flesh. His index finger slipped easily into her welcoming hole, as she was well past ready for him to be inside of her.

Back arching, Becky moaned as Alvin went from simply teasing her to invading her, if not with what she really wanted. Moans turned to gasps as his teeth began to gently nibble at her engorged clit and a second finger joined the first. Clamping his lips onto her sensitive spot, Alvin hooked both fingers up and towards him.

Becky’s hips slammed into his mouth as she arched up, her whole body shuddering as only her heels and shoulder blades held her aloft. The velvet folds clamped around his fingers, as he drummed out a small rhythm inside of her as he hummed loudly, sending vibrations into her as she had done to him last night.

She collapsed to the bed as pleasure began to build again. “No… don’t… stop,” Becky barely managed to say as Alvin began to rub the spot he had been drumming inside of her. Eyes rolling back as the second wave started to crest, Becky’s mouth opened wide as a guttural growl of desire came from her.

As her second orgasm began to subside, Alvin pulled his fingers free of her. Not allowing her any time to catch her breath, Alvin shifted upward, claiming her lips in a deep kiss as he slipped his rigid flesh into her welcoming folds.

“Hero…” Becky panted against his lips as she felt him spear her, “You’re so demanding… I love it… I love you.” The last three words were barely audible as Alvin began to move his hips at a steady and slow pace.

“I love you too, Gothy,” Alvin replied, his breath tickling her ear before he nipped her lobe. “This is my thank you for staying with me, and repayment for all the mornings you’ve given me.” Giving her ear one more gentle nip, he levered himself back onto his shins. “Hang on, it’s going to be a humpy ride,” his grin was wide as he watched her try to untangle his words.

“You mean bump—”

Alvin slammed into her fully, cutting off her correction and taking her breath away. “No, no I don’t,” he chuckled. He kept the same steady pace, but every third or fourth thrust he would slam home fast and hard. It was enough to throw off her trying to meet him.

Moans of desire were the only thing to make it out of Becky’s mouth as Alvin controlled the pace of their union. As his own need built, he let the pace pick up little by little until he was hammering at her like a turbo charged machine.

“Gothy…” Alvin grunted as he felt her tighten around his hard shaft, her third orgasm beginning. That was more than he could take and he felt himself begin to fill her as his hips slammed into her again and again of their own accord.

Spent, he pushed himself off to the side and lay there breathing hard. “Morning,” he managed after a minute.

“I’d count that as a good morning,” Becky replied, her voice languid as she wrapped an arm over his chest. “Thank you for that. No one else has tried waking me that way before.”

“You’ve done it for me. Seemed only right for me to return the favor,” Alvin told her as he stroked her black hair. “Gods know I enjoyed it as much as you did in the end.”

“You haven’t enjoyed it in my end, at least not yet,” Becky’s voice was husky as she whispered the words to him.

Alvin’s spent member tried to stir at her words and the mental image she gave him. “Not today, but maybe tonight if we find a place to rest again,” he finally managed to say. “We’d also need some lube for that,” Alvin pointed out.

“Oh, we have some things you don’t know about,” Becky giggled. “Remember, I packed the bags.”

Chuckling and shaking his head, Alvin kissed her brow. “You’re my kind of crazy, Gothy. I need to head back to my room and check XP, since I didn’t do it last night.”

Hooking a leg over his waist, Becky shook her head, “No. Not yet, please.”

Stroking her hair, Alvin didn’t reply as he let her cling to him. He was content to stay where he was for a time. The minutes ticked by with the two of them lost in their thoughts, both of them enjoying the moment of closeness.

Eventually, Becky pulled her leg from him, “You do need to go. Thank you for staying for a while with me.”

Tilting her head back, Alvin kissed her softly, “I enjoyed the snuggle as much as you did. It’s nice to know we can just relax with each other, without the need for words or sex.”

“There might have been sex, if you hadn’t so thoroughly fucked me silly a few minutes ago. It was nice though, just listening to your heart beat and knowing you want me here.”

Giving her one more kiss, Alvin disengaged her arm from his chest. “It’s nice to be wanted,” Alvin agreed as he got to his feet and grabbed his bag. “Clean up while I’m gone, I’ll do that in my room. Otherwise we might end up further delayed.”

Eyes twinkling, Becky nodded, “I can almost guarantee we would.”

Laughing, Alvin tapped the button and let the light envelop him.

Chapter Fifteen

“Jarvis, you home?” Alvin called out as he blinked his eyes clear of the light.

“I’m always home, sir,” Jarvis intoned dryly. “You’ve had a busy day and night.”

Alvin snorted, “I’d say that’s true. Overall, I’d rather have more nights and less days.”

“Well said, sir,” Jarvis crisply acknowledged. “Are you just stopping in to check your XP?”

“Hoping to upgrade stuff as well, depending on how much we’ve made,” Alvin said as sat down on the john. He pulled up the UI while he used the bathroom, “Hmm, that’s way more than I thought I’d have.”

World Mode Summary

Total Experience Earned: 115,700 XP

Breakdown: 2 Days in World 4,000 XP, Mutated animal 750 XP, Pre-possessed 750 XP, Viewer bonus 18,000 XP, Merchant 2,000 XP, Settlement bonus 100,000 XP, Humans Killed -600 XP, Settlement destroyed -10,000 XP

“The settlement bonus gave you another windfall, sir,” Jarvis pointed out. “I stopped by the Border Inn and let them purchase things from me for a bit. They were attacked shortly after I got there.”

“Even with that we still made over 115,000 XP,” Alvin replied as he looked at the numbers. “Jarvis, please explain the breakdown of some of these totals to me. We’d been hoping to see if there was any difference if Gothy killed people versus me doing it.”

“People gain the same XP if they are present for a kill, and are viewed as part of the team of the person who made the kill,” Jarvis explained. “However, it was deemed too unfair for everyone on a team to share the penalty for killing people, so only each individual directly responsible is penalized. That means that you incurred your penalties, and Gothy incurred her own. If, at the end of the day, you have a negative XP total, you lose a life. The same is true for any normal NPC. Gothy, as your Companion, is different. She does not accrue XP of her own; it all funnels to you. She also will not die from accruing a negative XP total, as that also passes on to you to absorb.”

Flushing the toilet as he considered Jarvis’ words, Alvin nodded. “So, it doesn’t really matter unless one of us goes on a mass murdering rampage, and even then, it would still be better if it was her.”

“Broadly, sir, that is correct.”

Alvin opened the store, smiling when the first page shown was for storage undergarments, “You’re as helpful as always, Jarvis.”

“I live to serve, sir,” Jarvis returned. “Might I point out that you have enough to buy another upgrade for me if you so desire, sir.”

Purchasing a pair of boxers and a pair of socks for himself, Alvin chuckled, “I figured you might be hinting at something again soon. What do you want?”

“Don’t forget to buy Gothy a pair of stockings first, sir,” Jarvis prompted him.

Picking up a pair of dark red stockings to go with Becky’s ensemble, Alvin also decided to get a single band chest wrap for himself. The wrap was a simple affair that closed with Velcro and rested directly over his diaphragm. Dressing in his new clothes, after quickly using the sink to clean up, Alvin found the store had switched to the powers page. “Thanks for the reminder, Jarvis. Is this what you wanted me to look at?”

“It is indeed, sir. I would be able to accompany you on your journey if you purchased the Hologram AI Smartcar, which would allow me to be in your car. You would also need to buy another upgrade to really make it work to the fullest extent possible.”

“Why the push to be with us in the car?” Alvin asked as he looked at the price tag of the Hologram.

“I have far more complete and up to date maps than Gothy has available, and my knowledge is global. I would be able to help you navigate around obstacles. I can also identify items and animals for you. If you continue down that path I can do even more, but it becomes progressively more expensive as the powers add up.”

Rubbing at his chin and feeling the scruff growing there, Alvin considered it. “So, how much does the other upgrade you mentioned cost? What upgrade is it?”

“That information is not available at this time,” Jarvis’ voice was flatly mechanical.

“Right, that means I can’t afford it yet. I’ll think it over, Jarvis. First, though, I’m going to give these stockings to Gothy and get her opinion on what do with our XP. She’s looked over the entire store. I still need to.”

“She has only seen the portion of the store available to her, sir. There are a number of things only available in this space. New items are added to the store as well, as the game goes on.”

Frowning, Alvin replied, “Like what?”

“You should check the store, sir,” Jarvis answered evenly.

Alvin opened the store again and looked at the page. He read over the items, a feeling happiness settling over him. “Seriously?”

“I know she has been unhappy about not understanding some of your references, sir,” Jarvis replied. “This would allow you to repair that, should you choose to.”

Alvin sat there for a few minutes weighing what Becky had told him earlier about waiting until they had upgraded more things, against being able to fix up his cell and bring her here. “I really need to talk to her. Lots of these upgrades sound appealing, but if I value Gothy as much as I’ve been saying then I should get her input before deciding.”

“A valid point, sir. I would like to point out that she will accept whatever choice you make, even if you don’t consult with her.”

“Probably, but I’m kind of a big enough asshole already,” Alvin smirked. “See you in a few minutes, Jarvis.”

“I shall put the kettle on while I await your return,” Jarvis said levelly just before the light enveloped Alvin again.

“Gothy?” Alvin called out, not seeing her in the room when his eyes cleared. He got no reply, and noticed that the bathroom door and the room door were both open.

In the hall, Becky was standing over the teen from yesterday. “I told you to leave,” she snarled. “You will never be enough of a man for a woman like me.” The icy tone of her voice sent a chill down Alvin’s spine.

“Problem?” Alvin asked.

“No issues now, Hero. I was just explaining a few things to him,” Becky replied as she walked towards Alvin.

“Fucking crazy bitch,” the teen snapped as he got to his feet, his cheek discoloring purple where Becky had hit him. “Gene was right about you guys.”

Alvin looked at the boy, his eyes going dead, “Run along, kid, while you still can.”

Sneering, the teen stomped off towards the stairs, “I hope you both get eaten.”

“I see we’re making friends again,” Alvin murmured as he watched the teen slam through the door.

“He knocked on the door just as I finished dressing,” Becky told Alvin as they turned back towards their room. “He asked me to come out into the hall then propositioned me, like he thought he’d be an upgrade over you. He kept talking about how safe things would be here and how he would take care of me,” Becky scoffed.

Alvin snorted with amusement, stepping back into their room. Dismissing the incident, he said, “We need to talk about XP. There’s a lot of options available. Oh, and I have some silk stockings for you, so your boots can come and go easier.” He pulled them out of his bag and offered them to her.

“I like silk,” Becky grinned as she took the new stockings. She took a seat on the bed and began to peel her boots off. “Tell me about what you’re thinking about doing with the XP?”

“Ely gave me a huge bonus, more than enough to offset losing the other place. After I bought your stockings and some magic underwear for me, I’ve got just over 104,000 XP left to spend,” Alvin said as he sat down next to her, admiring her legs while she put on her new stockings. He willed his outer clothing away, leaving him in just boxers, socks and chest band, causing Becky to pause.

Alvin willed his clothing back. “My thoughts wandered, sorry,” Becky coughed, clearly unrepentant for eyeing him like a hunk of meat. “We were discussing how to spend your XP, and you’ve already covered the minor clothing issue. I would suggest getting my gear upgraded to match yours for armor and durability first. That should cost less than 50,000, I think.”

“If it did that would leave 54,000 to spend, still. Jarvis is asking me to take the power that lets him to be with us in the Mustang, which would cost 20,000 XP. If I did that, he could navigate for us, identify the quality of any gear we find, and identify the creatures we might see.”

“How does that work if he’s at a Settlement?” Becky asked.

“At least for now, he can only be one place at once. He hinted at something else, probably that would let him be multiple places at once, but couldn’t tell me anything about it,” Alvin shrugged. “I could see about upgrading our Hardiness. If I can get them to 4, we’d each have another point of health to each body section.”

“That does sound appealing, being something that might keep us alive longer. Along with the armor it would give us better odds of surviving a hit from a scorpion, mule deer, or something similar,” Becky mused as she finished putting on her stockings. “That would cost most of what’s left,” Sighing as she began to put her boots back on, Becky pondered what else the XP should be spent on. “With as much as we interact with people, it might behoove us to upgrade one of our Personability stats, so maybe so many people stop being complete dicks to us.”

Alvin considered her idea, before nodding, “It’s going to have to be yours, then. It costs me half as much to upgrade your stats as it does to upgrade mine. I might be able to upgrade both your Hardiness and Personability stats with the 34,000 XP or so that I have left after taking Jarvis’ Power.”

“We can think about taking that Power later,” Becky pointed out. “We know the roads to Beatty are pretty straightforward from here. Using that 20,000 XP to upgrade your Hardiness might be a better idea for right now.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin said, slipping an arm around her waist as she finished getting her boots on. “I’ll need to step back to my room. They’ve changed how that works, so I don’t leave the game unless I push the button to go to my cell.” He paused, debating mentioning the other possibility for spending his XP on, “There was one other thing that I could spend the XP on.”

Becky raised a brow at his hesitation, “What is it?”

“It would cost 50,000 XP, but I could take you back to my cell when I go,” Alvin explained. “That by itself isn’t the big thing— I can upgrade my cell with all kinds of stuff; a bed, showers, a DVD player with shows like Firefly and Thor.”

Becky chewed on her lower lip as she thought about he was saying and the implications. “I could cuddle with you and watch the movies and shows you keep quoting in a place where we could have hot showers at will?”

“Yeah,” Alvin replied simply, watching her face.

Her expression flickered through wonder and happiness, then shifted to sadness and ended at resolute. Shaking her head, Becky replied, “No. Not right now.”

“You want it as much as I do though, don’t you?” Alvin pushed.

Meeting his gaze, she replied honestly, “Yes. The idea of being able to hole up with you, and share more of your favorite things…” After a deep sigh she continued, “However, that isn’t what we need right now. I want it, Hero, I really do, but right now we need to focus on improving our survivability and ability to influence others around us.”

Leaning over, he kissed her softly before getting to his feet. “I figured you would say that. You really are more mature than an eighteen year old should be. It’s another reason to love you. I’ll be back quickly. Try not to beat up any more kids while I’m away.”

With a snort she replied, “If they stop being dumb, then I’ll stop beating them up.”

Laughing, Alvin tapped his button and let the light take him back to his cell. “Is there any way to kill that light?” Alvin asked as soon as he could see again.

“Not at this time, I’m afraid,” Jarvis replied.

“I’m going to start by upgrading Gothy’s gear, Jarvis,” Alvin told the AI.

“A good choice, sir,” Jarvis agreed levelly, making sure that the correct store page was up when Alvin opened the store interface.

Starting with Becky’s corset, Alvin considered the options. It had two spots open where he could add more durability, armor, another storage pocket, or weather protection. As he weighed the costs against the benefits for each option each Jarvis coughed once to get Alvin’s attention.

“Sir, you should look again at the weather upgrade. It was changed last night,” Jarvis informed Alvin.

All Weather: Waterproofing, thermal insulated, cooling and auto-cleaning all in one upgrade, (best deal if you ask us). Cost: 250 XP.

Taking a moment to look more closely at the upgrade, Alvin chuckled, “So they wanted to make the option a little more valuable versus the other options, did they? Adding the auto-cleaning really makes it worth way more than the cost.”

“That seems to be the consensus,” Jarvis agreed. “The once a day cleaning has been discontinued, as well.”

Nodding, Alvin added the weather upgrade to Becky’s corset as well as another upgrade to the armor value. “Well, this will make staying clean easier when we’re wading through zombies again.”

“It will help in all regards, sir. If she rolled in the mud now, the mud would slide right off the corset,” Jarvis clarified.

“Good to know,” Alvin replied as he started to upgrade the rest of Becky’s gear. He put two armor upgrades on Becky’s horns, then did the same to her gloves and added durability as well. For her pants, jacket, and boots, he added the weather upgrade as well as another armor upgrade. The total cost was 47,000 XP to finish upgrading her gear. “Okay, that’s done. Now to see about increasing her stats.”

“Remember that your cost to upgrade her stats or purchase a power for her is halved, sir,” Jarvis reminded Alvin.

“Yeah, I’ll start with her Hardiness,” Alvin said, pulling up Becky’s character sheet. Her Hardiness was sitting at 3.76, which meant he needed .24 to raise it to an even 4. For him, the cost would have been 7,200, which meant that it only took 3,600 for Becky. “That’s kind of nice,” Alvin grinned as he turned to her abysmal 2.98 Personability, “let’s see what this will cost.” Sucking in a sharp breath, Alvin winced, “Ouch, 15,200 to raise it to 4 for her.” He increased it with a grimace before checking his remaining XP. 38,994 stared back at him. “Okay, that gets her increased, now let’s see about me.”

Alvin pulled up his screen to find his Hardiness sitting at 3.79, “Not as bad as I recalled.” He tapped the buttons on the screen to see how much it would cost him to raise it to 4. He accepted the cost of 6,300 XP to increase the stat and felt a rush of warmth through his chest. “That felt odd,” he muttered.

“Your muscle mass became somewhat denser and your immune system is now stronger,” Jarvis informed Alvin. “Overall, you have increased your odds of survival a great deal with that expenditure.”

“I still have 32,694 XP,” Alvin told the AI. “I could increase my Personability to a 4 and cost myself most of it, or I can buy your Power and bank the rest for now.”

“That is your decision, sir,” Jarvis said formally. “I will not attempt to sway your mind either way.”

“You’re taking all the fun out of it, Jarvis,” Alvin chuckled. “I’ll take your Power next time. For now, I think I need to be able to convince people better, and right now we keep running into unreasonable assholes.”

Jarvis coughed, “Pot, kettle, sir.”

“Well played, Jarvis, well played,” Alvin laughed with a broad smile. “I will be taking your Power as my next priority, regardless. The roads between here and Beatty should be fairly straightforward, and I doubt we’ll find anything of real note on the drive.”

“I wish you a speedy trip, as well as a safe one, sir,” Jarvis intoned, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

“Make sure you give both Settlements time to buy things from you, and let David know his sister is fine,” Alvin told the AI as he bumped his Personability to 4, leaving him with just 2,694 XP.

“I will do as you command, sir,” Jarvis replied just before Alvin vanished from the room.

Back in the hotel room, Alvin found Becky lounging on the bed in just her stockings, bra, and panties. The next thing he noticed was that her skin seemed creamier, looking even softer and silkier to the touch. “Temptress,” he breathed, his body reacting to the sight of her.

“You raised my Personability and Hardiness,” Becky purred at him as she slowly arched her back, then sat up on the edge of the bed again. “It was interesting, feeling my body adjust while you toyed with it…”

As she let the sentence trail off, Alvin reached out and caressed her cheek. His earlier thought proved right— her skin was silkier to the touch. “If I hadn’t just promised Jarvis to get the car Power next, I might just splurge on you, instead.”

“I do love it when you pamper me, but my outsides aren’t where I’d want you to… splurge… on me,” she told him, rubbing her cheek against his hand.

Snorting at her choice of words, Alvin shook his head. “Damn it, Gothy, we need to get going,” Alvin sighed, a hint of desire coloring his voice.

“I think I’ve got you going already,” Becky replied, looking up through her lashes at him while biting her lower lip. Her hand brushed across his obvious interest, “We should take the time to ease your hardships.”

A knock at the door interrupted the moment that had been developing. “Excuse me, are you two decent?” Sheriff Ohm asked from the door.

Becky was dressed in an instant, which disappointed Alvin. “We are. What did you need Sheriff?” Alvin asked as he stepped over and opened the door.

“I’ve had a complaint of an assault,” Ohm said, but his stern expression faded to a puzzled frown as he looked at Alvin. “Did you change something?”

The corner of Alvin’s mouth turned up as he watched Ohm’s stern expression fade into confusion. “You mean that kid who laid his hands on Gothy and she clocked him for it? Isn’t that self-defense from sexual assault?”

Ohm looked past Alvin to Becky, who stood there with her jacket buttoned over her corset, which gave her a more demure look than she normally had. “Did he put his hands on you in such a manner, miss?”

Becky looked away, her hand covering her face, “It was so horrible. He said he wanted to talk and then…”

Alvin stepped back and hugged her, turning her so her face was away from Ohm. “It’s okay. He should just be happy you drove him off before I got out the door.”

“Where were you when the incident took place?” Ohm asked Alvin, his face blank.

“Bathroom. I came out to see the door open and heard her in the hall talking to the kid,” Alvin growled. “If he’d stuck around, it would’ve been much worse.”

With a deep sigh, Ohm shook his head. “I see. Did you wish to press charges against him?”

Alvin couldn’t believe the Sheriff was still trying to do his job after the apocalypse, but he kept it from his face. “No, we’re just going to leave quietly. We have miles of road to travel today. If things go right, we might get to Beatty before nightfall.”

“Good luck on your trip. We’ve already started upgrading the Settlement. First thing I did was put some defensive guns on the roof of this place, just in case one of the dragons wants a piece of us.” Ohm stepped away from the door. “I’ll walk you out if you’re ready to go.”

“Gothy, grab your bag and we’ll head out,” Alvin told her, turning her loose. “That was a good idea, Sheriff. I hope it works out for you all. Oh, one more thing— Jarvis, if you please.”

Jarvis appeared next to Alvin, “You rang, sir?”

“Ohm, this is my AI handler, Jarvis. He’ll let you all buy things from the store with your XP, like I told you about last night. He’ll be around so you guys can do that, but he’ll also be bouncing to Green River.”

“I’ll make sure everyone knows to look out for him,” Ohm said. “I also want to thank you. I’ve been up since yesterday looking over everything, and I feel like we have a real chance now. We’ll have running water by tomorrow night, and it will be a good thing to have showers and toilets that work again.”

Becky was silent as she stepped further into the room. Once she was out of Ohm’s line of sight, she rolled her eyes. Grabbing her bag, she put on a downcast expression and returned to Alvin’s side. “I’m ready.”

“Lead the way, Sheriff,” Alvin said, “we’ll be right behind you, and good luck.”

Chapter Sixteen

Once she was in the car, Becky unbuttoned her jacket to allow her ample assets to be on display again. Glancing at the tantalizing skin, Alvin shook his head, “Why did you cover up earlier?”

“To give a little more credence to my claim of being assaulted. Not many women who had just been attacked would be so brazenly displaying this much skin,” Becky replied as she buckled her seatbelt, letting the strap fall between her breasts. “It was all part of the play. If I had said I just got tired of the whiny, gimme attitude of that guy, it wouldn’t have gotten us out of there.”

The Mustang growled to life as Alvin started it up, “It did get us out easier. I’m curious as to what really happened before I got there.”

“He asked to speak with me in the hall, thinking you were asleep. Once I stepped out, he started in with how it would be so much better for me to be with someone my own age and how safe Ely was instead of driving around out where monsters could eat me. Then he started talking up how much better he would be in bed. The last straw was when he declared that he would ‘protect’ me from you if you came to try and get me back. That was when I hit him,” Becky snorted. “That one punch put him down, then you came out of the room.”

“I didn’t believe he’d grabbed you, or you would have probably still been kicking him when I came out,” Alvin chuckled.

“Probably, Hero,” her smile echoed his.

“What does the road look like between here and Tonopah?” Alvin asked as he finally put the car into gear.

Grabbing the atlas, Becky opened it on her lap, “I guess maybe Jarvis’ Power might have been more useful than I had previously considered.” She flipped the book open to the bookmarked pages, eventually finding the one she was looking for. “We’ll be driving through part of the Humbolt National Forest not far out from town. After the forest there’s a small town called Currant, then Tonopah. Between all of them is a lot of empty road.”

“Haven’t we already seen a lot of empty road?” Alvin asked as he navigated his way back towards US 6.

“Not like what we’re going to see today,” Becky replied. “There’s a note in the book that says this is the loneliest road in the US. A hundred and sixty-nine miles of nothing worth noting between the two towns.”

“Is it at least flat and open?” Alvin asked as they started out of town, waving to the two deputies on road duty.

“It is after we get past the forest section,” Becky replied as she put the book away and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Let me grab us some food and water,” she reached into the backseat and rummaged for a moment. She pulled out a couple of granola bars and bottles of water, and after buckling back up she opened one of the bars and handed it to Alvin.

“Thanks for not making a production out of it this time,” Alvin told her. “I don’t think a distraction right now would have been good.”

“We were interrupted earlier,” Becky reminded him, “but I figure we’ll have time tonight.”

“Always thinking ahead and plotting my fall into temptation,” Alvin chuckled.

“Everyone needs a hobby, Hero,” Becky giggled as she opened up her own breakfast.

Lapsing into silence while they ate, Alvin was surprised at how pleasant the drive was. The first leg of the drive, through the hills and forest outside of Ely, failed to yield any surprises, which was a surprise all of its own. As they left the forest behind, Becky sighed, “Well, that was just about the last greenery we’re going to be seeing for a while.”

“We’re heading towards the desert southwest,” Alvin reminded her.

“Yea. After we leave Beatty, how about we head up to the Redwoods of Northern California?” Becky asked.

“It’s an idea for now. If nothing else happens to drag us away from that, sure.”

Alvin felt his tension slowly rise as they continued down the empty stretch of US 6. The lack of animals, and the very rare vehicle was making his shoulder blades itch. As the miles fell behind them he finally spoke up, “I don’t like this.”

“The lack of anything?”

“More the lack of something trying to kill us. It’s so off base compared to the last week.”

“It’s also kind of nice,” Becky opined. “I would prefer a hot tub, some chocolate, and a week to live in complete debauchery with you, but I’ll take this for now.”

“You know, that does sound really nice,” Alvin said. “Right now, though, my anxiety is climbing as I wait for the anvil to land on us.”

“Hopefully we see it before it smashes us,” Becky added.

Silence stretched again as more miles flew by. At one point Becky had him slow, pointing off into the distance. “Plane crash,” Becky said. “I wonder if anyone survived that?”

“Who knows? It’s well off the road,” Alvin shrugged. “And not like we could easily get any survivors to a Settlement.”

“That’s a fair point, but it reminds me that near any major city, the sheer number of fallen planes is likely to be quite high.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin agreed, “another reason to stay away from the cities. Another thing to watch out for, too, chunks of planes littering the highways.”

Alvin slowed as another set of winding hills came up. He had to swerve around a few rock falls, but still no monsters appeared. Coming out of the hills they found Currant, Nevada, or what the sign claimed was Currant. The handful of buildings were burned-out husks, with no signs of life as they drove past the charred wreckage.

“Gee, that’s not ominous or anything,” Alvin commented.

“The dragons went this way,” Becky reminded him.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Alvin sighed.

“I’ll make a point of watching the skies,” Becky told him as they passed the former town.

Ten miles past what had been Currant, Alvin slowed the car as they approached another cluster of burned-out buildings on the left side of the road. A number of twisted tanker trailers were scattered among large storage tanks that resembled peeled shells. “What the hell?” Alvin breathed out as he stared at the scene.

“Foreland Eagle Refinery,” Becky said, pointing to the partially melted sign that was barely legible.

“Well that explains the melted tankers, but it looks like the tanks exploded,” Alvin commented.

“I think that might be the reason why,” Becky added, pointing to a large shape that seemed out of place amidst all the metal.

Alvin stopped the car, “Huh. I guess they can be killed.”

“Do you think the workers did it as a suicide attack, or maybe it triggered the explosion on its own, not knowing that fuel reacts badly to fire?”

Stopping the Mustang just outside of the remnants of the chain link fence, Alvin got out of the car. “I want to get a closer look at what’s left of the beast,” Alvin told Becky as she got out of the car.

“I’m interested, too,” Becky said as she came around to his side of the car, wearing her Kevlar and holding her shotgun ready.

Alvin’s vest and rifle appeared as he stepped over the mostly shredded fence. Frowning as he slowly advanced, Alvin motioned to the tankers, “Gasoline shouldn’t melt the tanks like that.”

“Dragon breath?” Becky suggested as she kept her eyes moving over the wreckage.

“Gods, I hope not,” Alvin shuddered, “if they can melt steel that easily then I worry about the damage the car would suffer, and us if we’re inside it.”

Becky shivered, “Happy thoughts you’re having.”

With nothing to add, Alvin grunted. Walking around a large chunk of metal that might have come from one of the tanks, he took a moment to examine it. It was a long strip about three feet long and eight inches wide, with raggedly torn edges. He left the strip of metal behind to follow Becky. “Walk softly, Gothy,” Alvin said as he followed her, his rifle up and ready.

“But you’re the one carrying the big stick,” Becky replied, her tone suggestive.

Rolling his eyes at her constant innuendo, Alvin waited for a surprise to jump out at them. Crossing the wrecked refinery, it started to become apparent that the blaze had started near the massive tanks for holding the fuel. A fan of bubbled asphalt led from the tanks back to the corpse of the dragon, which was partially buried under the wreckage of the refinery yard.

“It killed itself,” Becky snorted wryly.

“Looks like it,” Alvin agreed, eyeing the asphalt and burn pattern from where the dragon was buried to the tanks which were peeled open. “It breathed, which breached the holding tanks.”

“And got a face full of fuel, maybe even covered in it depending on how big the hole was to start with,” Becky added, looking at the wreckage with him.

“Let’s go with the idea that it’s not dead, but sleeping, until proven otherwise shall we?” Alvin said as he took the lead as they advanced on the dragon.

A metallic plate covered the dragon’s head. Alvin reached out carefully, then, with a sudden yank, he tore the mostly melted metal slab away. It came away with a sickening sucking sound and a bit of resistance. Blinking, Alvin looked down at a skull with ragged scraps of flesh clinging to the edges. “What the hell?”

“The rest of it is on the plate,” Becky told him. “It looks like it melted to the dragon’s scales.”

“Well, then, I think it’s dead, Jim,” Alvin said as he knelt down next to the massive head. Reaching out, he tapped the bare patch of bone, discovering it to be cold and slick to the touch. “Cold and lifeless,” he finally said, noting the gelatinous substance that ran from under the closed eyelids. “Pretty sure it got a face full of fuel, and thrashed about until it died. Maybe that plate was part of the initial blast, or perhaps it just ended up on it after it stopped moving.”

“If it’s dead and no one is here, are we going to stay and poke at the beast or head out?”

“I kind of want to take something from it, just in case it’s useful later,” Alvin said, considering what would be easy to take from the beast that wouldn’t be disgusting to have. “I kind of wish I had upgraded Jarvis now. He might have been able to give us a hint about what would be worthwhile.”

“If wishes were horses…” Becky trailed off.

“I’d own a whole damn stable,” Alvin finished for her. “Though I already have the best mare to be had.”

Laughing softly, Becky shook her head, “Now I’m a horse.”

“You object? I recall you enjoying being ridden hard all night.” Alvin examined a claw on a foot that was just poking out from under another pile of metal. Putting his rifle away, he grabbed the forearm sized claw and gave it a tug. After a moment he turned to Becky, “Do we have a hammer and chisel in the car?”

“There’s a toolbox. I’ll grab it,” Becky told him and turned back towards the car.

Once she returned, Alvin grabbed the ball peen hammer and a chisel. After a handful of minutes, Alvin was able to break the claw free from the dragon. Handing the bone to Becky, he put the tools away and grabbed the box. “Okay, let’s head out.”

“Always giving me a bone, but I’ll pass on sexy times with this one,” Becky said.

A deep sigh escaped Alvin, “You’re so punny.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Stowing the toolbox and claw in the trunk, they climbed back into the car. “On the road again…” Alvin half sang, watching Becky from the corner of his eye.

“Oh gods, I’m sorry! Please don’t sing,” Becky mock shuddered.

“As long as you’re repentant,” Alvin said as he got the Mustang moving again.

Chapter Seventeen

Just a few miles down the road, Alvin had to slow the Mustang to avoid wreckage from a plane that was scattered across the asphalt. “The West and East coasts have to be littered with planes,” Alvin said.

“All the major cities were probably bombarded with wreckage,” Becky said.

As Alvin turned off the road to avoid the wreck, a frown formed on his face, “Is that lava?”

“Maybe. What are those?” Becky returned, her eyes locked on a bright red and orange creature.

The giant lizard looked at the car, its tongue flickering. It scuttled backwards into the molten rock, submerging into the lava. It continued to watch them, its head the only thing above the surface.

“Salamander?” Alvin asked.

“Only if they used the salamanders from roleplaying games,” Becky answered.

“I wonder if bullets would even touch it?” Alvin muttered even as he started to drive away from the salamander.

“They should. It takes metal a bit to melt. It might have damage reduction, though,” Becky replied. “We don’t have a reason to start a fight right now.”

“Definitely not with something that can bathe in lava,” Alvin shook his head as he maneuvered around the wreckage of the plane.

“Odd to find lava out here in the middle of nowhere,” Becky said to change the subject.

Getting back on the road, Alvin pushed the accelerator down and let the Mustang run. A few hundred yards down the road, a sign caught his eye. “Blackstone Lava Fields?”

“That’s what it said,” Becky confirmed. “This part of Nevada must have been volcanically active at some point. I wonder why there’s suddenly lava on the surface though? We haven’t see any smoke or anything to make me think an active eruption was happening.”

Alvin frowned, “That’s a good point. You think we should take a small detour and see what’s going on back there?”

“I think it’s a good idea, but we should stay back and skirt it carefully,” Becky checked her shotgun. “You up for a hot time?”

With a laugh Alvin turned the car around, “What is with you and bad puns today?”

“They’re funny,” Becky grinned at him. “People hate them and that also makes me happy.”

Snorting, Alvin shook his head, “I don’t hate them, but I’m not going to participate in them, or at least not much.”

“Don’t want to add any fuel to the fire? Afraid you might erupt in laughter?”

Groaning, Alvin winced, “Damn, Gothy, really?”

“Fine. I’ll tamp down my burning wit,” she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“If you keep it up, I’m going to cry tears of pain. Maybe that will put your fire out.”

Unable to stop herself, Becky began shaking with laughter. Her hand slapped the door as she guffawed. “Yes, you fell for one of the great blunders. Never go in to stop a pun with laughter on the line,” and she laughed even harder.

Alvin stopped the car and just looked at her. He waited a while for her to regain control of herself, eventually putting the car into park. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel and he rolled his eyes as Becky’s wild laughter continued. “You almost done?”

Chortling, Becky wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sorry. I don’t know why I found it that funny, but you giving in was just too much.” Sniffling as she wiped more tears away, she looked at him with a broad grin.

“Every time I think I’ve started to figure you out, you peel another layer away,” Alvin said.

“Years of being someone other than me,” Becky replied. After another minute she was seemingly in control of herself, “Okay, let’s go see what’s in store for us.”

“You crazy nut,” Alvin said, putting the car back into gear. “Okay, going slow and keeping a wide berth.”

Creeping towards the lava, Alvin could see that it stretched away from the road, with a number of salamanders basking near the lava.

“Hold on,” Becky said, touching Alvin’s arm.

Alvin stopped the car, looking to the salamander Becky was staring at. Eyes widening, he gasped as he watched the basalt under the salamander begin to melt. “They’re hot enough to melt the rock?”

“Okay, good, I was thinking I might be seeing things,” Becky let out a deep breath.

“How many of them do you see?”

“Twenty. Ten partially in the lava, ten outside of it,” Becky answered him. “Keep going, we probably don’t want to wait around.”

“Fair enough, but you’re the one who had me stop.” Not waiting for a response, he started driving again.

While Alvin drove around the growing lava pool, Becky frowned as they started to circle around a hill. “What’s that?”

A bright glow seemed to be coming from the far side of the hill that the lava surrounded. His eyes were focused on the light, instead of where he was driving, so he missed the warning from the closest salamander. With a hiss it reared up and spat at the car, which had gotten within thirty yards of it.

With a curse, Alvin swerved away, but the back of the car got covered in burning pitch. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Blistering heat seeped into the car from where the steel was melting. Fighting the fishtailing caused by his sudden swerve, Alvin waited fearfully for the tires to melt and traction to be lost.

The bark of Becky’s shotgun caught him by surprise. “Got it,” Becky growled as she pumped the next round into the chamber. “Fuck, it’s still moving!”

The heat faded away from the back of the car as Alvin gunned the gas and sped away from the salamander. A second gunshot went off, “How does the car look? Did you get it?”

“I hit it, but it scuttled back to the lava,” Becky growled. “The Mustang is… is… fine?”

Alvin glanced in the rearview mirror, where he could see black flakes peeling off of the car. As the charred flakes feel away, fresh paint was revealed under them. “It can repair even burning pitch?” After another minute, Alvin stopped the car.

“I want to check the car,” Becky said as she popped the door and got out.

Alvin got out with her. The back quarter of the car still had black spots on it, but the rest of the car seemed pristine. Reaching out, Alvin scratched at a black section, peeling it away to reveal perfect paint beneath it.

“Huh. Sure enough, just like my pants after the scorpion,” Alvin muttered.

“Can you pull up the durability on the Mustang?” Becky asked, her gaze turning back to the lava field and the strange glow on the far side of the hill.

Nodding, Alvin mentally pulled up his UI for the car. He looked at the numbers and whistled softly.

1969 Mustang Boss 429 (Rare)

Armor: 9

Durability: 917,482/1,000,000

Upgradable: 9/9

No longer needs fuel to run, Indestructible tires good for all terrain and conditions even off-road, Four times initial durability, Six more armor

“Took a hell of a hit to the durability from the salamander,” Alvin told her. “Over 1,000 damage from that attack. I’m more surprised by the fact we didn’t get burned from the fire just a few feet from us.”

“It was uncomfortably warm…” Becky agreed before her voice trailed off. “Wait, that shouldn’t be. That was burning pitch, and it was only a couple of feet away. We should be blistered at the very least.”

“I completely agree,” Alvin said. “I’ll have to grill Jarvis about it when I talk to him next.”

“Good idea. I want to know, maybe we can use it as an advantage in the future,” Becky told him.

“Point. I’m not really sure we should try and see what that light is, but I’m curious. I am going to be more careful about it this time.”

“I’ll try not to distract you,” Becky said.

“Let’s get going,” Alvin said, just before he snagged Becky and pulled her into a hug.

“I really got heated back there,” Becky murmured into his chest as she wrapped her arms around him in return.

A small laugh escaped Alvin as he held her. He kissed her head before letting her go. “Okay, let’s try this again without something lighting a fire under our asses.”

Becky gave a throaty chuckle, “See? I’ll corrupt you, if you let me.” She stole a quick kiss before she let him go. “You really don’t mind, right?” she asked as she got into the Mustang.

“I don’t mind, Gothy,” Alvin reassured her. “If you do anything that really bothers me, I’ll tell you.”

She checked her shotgun again, “Okay.”

“If anything, I love the fact you let your mask down around me,” Alvin started the car and got it turned back towards the fresh lava fields.

Becky was lost in thought as Alvin picked out a wider path around the hill. She continued to track the salamanders that were closest to the car, but her mind was elsewhere. Hero has never said anything against my many quirks, Becky thought. Maybe he really does care for me. I know he’s told me before, but maybe he is actually telling the truth, unlike the others.

“What the hell is that?” Alvin said, snapping Becky from her thoughts.

Her eyes were drawn to what Alvin was staring at. A giant portal was floating just above the lava on the far side of the hill. Around the edges of the glowing circle were marks that could either be circuitry or archaic writing when viewed from a distance.

“An Apocalypse Gate,” Alvin said after a moment. “It has to be.”

“Does it look like the other side of the gate is not on the same ground level?”

Squinting at the portal against the brighter orange glare coming from the other side, Alvin nodded slowly, “I think you’re right. The inside of the portal seems to be floating a few feet off the ground.”

“Now we know what they look like,” Becky murmured.

“It’s large enough for a tank or small plane to go through it,” Alvin commented as he carefully started them back toward the road.

“The light we noticed must have been the natural light of that other world,” Becky hypothesized.

“Considering the salamanders, I’d bet it’s a molten rock world, which would explain the orange tint to the light.”

“Do you think Jarvis will explain what we can do about the Apocalypse Gates, now that we’ve seen one?”

“I’ll ask,” Alvin replied, finally getting the car back onto US 6. “Next stop, Tonopah.”

Chapter Eighteen

Alvin kept going back to the idea of a lava world and what that might mean for closing all the Gates. Maybe they can’t be closed, but Jarvis couldn’t outright say that, Alvin thought with a frown. If that’s the case, then dragons and gods only know what else is soon going to become the norm, Alvin sighed as that thought stuck in his mind. Becky’s expression was thoughtful, too, when he glanced her way.

The open road before them, with no hint of danger or unusual activity, allowed them both some time to think about possibilities. After a while, Becky spoke up, “I don’t think the Gates are going to close, and some of them I don’t think we should try to go through. I can’t see a way that we could survive a lava world. It is possible, though, that one of the Gates might hold some kind of key, whether that’s magic, technology, or some other kind of MacGuffin.”

“Either way, I don’t think Jarvis can tell us,” Alvin said, “at least not this soon into the game. I’ve sort of gotten the idea that the company running this is hoping to let it play out for years. If that’s the case, we’re going to have to step through a Gate or three before we even find any real clues, I bet.”

“That makes a certain amount of sense. If the gate that let the dragons through was one of the first ones, it’s been barely a week since they opened,” Becky agreed. “What other Gates do you think we’ll find?”

“We know of a Draconic Gate and this Fire Gate, which points to mythological creatures at least. I won’t be surprised if we see the big names make an appearance; elves, dwarves, orcs, and demons. I’m curious what they’ll be like. It’s possible that the first three will all come from the same Gate.”

“Because they are normally associated with each other,” Becky nodded, “I can see that. Do you think vampires and lycanthropes will make an appearance as well?”

“I’m not going to discount anything,” Alvin replied.

As they cruised down the road, they started passing herds of the overly large cows again. “Another farming area,” Alvin muttered. “Never would have guessed the desert for cow country.”

“Me either,” Becky agreed as they watched the large bovines plod along in the open fields. “I wonder what else Nevada has that I wouldn’t have guessed at?”

They lapsed into silence for a time, until Alvin squinted as he looked a few miles down the road, “Buildings off to the right.”

A minute later, they passed a sign declaring Tybo Base Camp to be just ahead. “Is that a runway?” Becky asked as they drew closer to the buildings. “What the hell happened to the buildings?”

Alvin wondered the same thing. As they got closer to the base camp, it was clear that the buildings that had been there weren’t whole any more. Entire sections of each building had been flattened, as if a large weight had landed on them. “I hope whatever did that isn’t still around,” Alvin muttered.

Becky winced, “Hero, you know better than that.”

Alvin sighed, “Fuck. You’re right, I do, but it’s too late this time.”

As they passed the camp, they were impressed by the sheer amount of havoc that had been wrought on the buildings. There was no indication of what had caused it. Alvin pushed the accelerator down and let the Mustang run along the flat, open stretch of road. As their speed climbed toward triple digits, Alvin felt a smile creep over him as he felt exhilaration bubble up inside him.

“Hero,” Becky started, her voice tinged with worry, “is that what I think it is?”

Ahead of them on a mountain sat a structure. From within the structure a set of wings were unfurling and beginning to beat the air. “Motherfucker,” Alvin hissed as he focused on the road. He summoned his rifle and dropped it in Becky’s lap. “Use that until it gets close enough for your shotgun.”

Becky grabbed the gun and got her window rolled down, “Focus on driving, I’ll take care of it.”

The miles sped by as the creature took to the air and started towards the road, intent on cutting them off. Forcing himself to focus on the road, Alvin fought the urge to glance at the beast. He had a vague hope that he might be able to get past it and force it to chase them.

“Damn thing is fast,” Becky commented as she braced the rifle and aimed. “Let’s see if it likes presents.” Double tapping the trigger, Becky got the first two rounds out quickly, the brass flying out the window. “Fuck, I’m not used to your gun.”

Alvin grunted, watching as the speedometer pegged out, though the Mustang continued gaining speed. “Run, Ruffian, run,” Alvin urged the Mustang as his eyes tracked to the beast that was closing the distance and descending towards them.

More shots rang out as Becky tried to gauge the correct lead on the target. As the distance closed to a hundred yards, she landed her first hit. The thick, blocky dragon let out a loud roar as the round impacted on its side, but seemed to do no damage. “Aiming for the wings,” Becky told Alvin as he passed the cutoff point the dragon had been aiming for.

Keeping his foot glued to the floor, Alvin felt the Mustang begin to lift as the tires began to float. “I’m going as fast as I can and it’s going to get dicey if I keep this up,” Alvin said, keeping his foot down.

Two more shots were Becky’s reply as the dragon beat its wings as it began to chase them. With the beast only thirty yards behind them, Becky watched as one of her rounds ricocheted off the beast’s shoulder. The second one passed over the wing as it thrust downward. “Its hide just bounced a round,” Becky snarled as she leaned further out the window and fired four shots as fast as she could stroke the trigger.

The first two again bounced off the beast’s hide, the third impacted its snout, and the fourth punched through a wing. An indignant roar came from behind them as the beast finally felt the sting of the rifle. The dragon gained altitude again, causing it to fall behind ever so slightly. Menace seemed to radiate off it as it kept its eyes focused on the car.

Pulling herself back into the car as she reloaded the rifle, Becky panted, “I don’t think it’s a dragon. It didn’t try to breathe on the car. It’s not a wyvern, either, no stinger tail to be seen.”

Alvin shook his head as he stayed focused on driving. “Drake?”

“Possibly. It’s much bulkier than the dead dragon we found at the refinery,” Becky said. “You think we can outrun it?”

“Where is it?” Alvin asked.

Sticking her head back out the window, Becky looked behind them. Not seeing the drake right away, she looked further up and saw it high above them. She jerked back into the car, “I think it’s about to dive on us.”

“Full auto,” Alvin grunted. “Flip the switch and as it comes down empty the magazine at it.”

Becky hit the selector switch before taking a deep breath, “I’ll be right back.” She leaned back out the window, her eyes up to reacquire the drake. It didn’t take long, but as she brought the rifle out of the car to aim, it folded its wings and dove at them. It came down like a missile, its speed jaw-dropping. Becky shook off her amazement and pulled the trigger. Thirty rounds exited the gun in a single breath.

With a screech the drake snapped its wings open and peeled away from them, a line of blood trailing from it. Becky flicked the gun to safe and watched as the drake flew away from them. Ducking back into the car, her breath was ragged as she slumped in her seat. “It’s flying off,” she panted.

Eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, Alvin saw the beast slowly flapping away from them into the distance. He eased off the gas, hands still tight on the wheel. “You’re amazing, Gothy,” he said, his sincerity plain.

A manic grin spread over Becky’s face as she turned to him, “That was exhilarating, but I’d rather not do it again.”

Laughter bubbled up out of Alvin as the car slowed under triple digits, “No shit.”

Joining his laughter, Becky’s eyes gleamed as she eyed him like a side of meat. “Hero,” her voice was a purr of desire, “I’m so going to fuck you as soon as we stop.”

His body instantly reacted to her words, his own need to reaffirm their lives flooding his system. “I’ll stop as soon as I think it’s safe, but that might not be until Tonopah.”

“I’ll wait,” her voice trembled as she tried to rein in her desires.

Letting the car slow to eighty, Alvin nodded and held his hand out. “Gun me, please.” When Becky put the rifle into his hand he made it vanish into his glove. “Thank you, Gothy.”

“You’re welcome,” Becky replied, letting her hand caress his thigh. “I really enjoyed having your weapon in hand, though.”

“Insatiable, incorrigible temptress,” Alvin chuckled as he glanced at a sign for a rest area as it flashed by them.

Smokey laughter was her reply, but her hand remained on his thigh the entire time. “I am what I am, Hero.”

The adrenaline started to leave him and his hands began to shake on the wheel. Just ahead of them and off to the left he spotted some large broad structures, barn-like in nature. “We’ll go check those out, and if it's clear, we’ll pause for a bit.”

“I think those are hangars,” Becky said as she looked in the direction he was. “A small airport maybe?”

They found the road towards the structures a few minutes later, when a sign pointed them towards Tonopah Municipal Airport. Following the road, they found six hangars and a small tower at the end of two runways. The buildings all looked to be in decent condition. “Looks like,” Alvin finally answered her as they parked next to the tower. “Maybe nothing has been here yet?”

“Somehow I doubt we’re going to be that lucky,” Becky replied as she got out. “Tower first?”

“Yeah,” Alvin said, his armor and rifle appearing.

Becky’s vest appeared on her a second later, “Precautions are always wise.”

The door to the flight tower was locked. Alvin quickly picked the lock and they took up positions covering the door. Alvin opened it cautiously, but no sounds came from inside, and the only light was that filtering in from the third floor windows. The interior was drab metal and concrete, with a single bathroom positioned under the metal stairs leading up. Climbing to the top of the tower, they found it empty. It looked as if no one had been there for a while. The only thing they found was a single coffee cup near the radio that still had a bit of liquid in the bottom.

“Think they left when the power went out?” Becky asked.

“Likely. Tonopah is just a few miles away, so they probably headed home. Let’s check the hangars before we deem this place safe.”

Becky followed him down the stairs and out the door. The first four hangars were empty of vehicles, but did have some tools and odd parts in the various cabinets and shelves. The fifth hangar held a stripped-down Cessna. Pieces and parts were scattered all around the plane, and there was a dried puddle of oil under the engine.

“Whoever was working on this left in a hurry,” Alvin commented as he looked the older plane over, noting the ratchet still attached to a bolt on the floor next to the oil puddle.

“Think it would work if we put it back together?” Becky asked.

“Maybe, but I don’t know how to build a plane. I can’t even tell if all the parts are here.”

“It might not be a good idea to be in the air with dragons about, anyway,” Becky sighed.

“Fast fucker for being that big,” Alvin agreed as they left the hangar. “Only one left.”

The last hangar was clean and organized, but what caught their attention was the tarp covering something in the middle of the hangar. Becky eagerly helped Alvin strip the tarp off what proved to be a biplane. The paint job was beautiful— a dark blue background highlighted by the blue, white, and red roundels of the British Air Force. It gleamed in the light from the open door.

“Someone likes their reenactments,” Alvin whistled softly as he looked at the plane.

“It’s got guns,” Becky exclaimed, climbing onto the wing to check the gun mounted to the back seat.

Alvin climbed up on the other wing to check, “WW1 was known for using .303 ammunition. It even has the drum on the top.” Clambering into the seat, he fiddled with the drum before finally pulling it off and open. He frowned at finding it empty. “Damn. It was too much to ask, I guess.”

Becky had gotten into the front seat while he was distracted. “It has a gun assembly for the front, too. I wonder if she runs?”

“I’d hate to damage her,” Alvin said, shaking his head. “If we can get her rolling even a little bit though, I can probably claim her under your name.”

With a wide grin Becky bounced in the seat, “Yes!”

“Do you even know how to fly?”

“Well, no,” Becky said, her enthusiasm not dimming in the slightest, “but you can buy the power so I could.”

“Figures,” Alvin said as he put the magazine back in the gun and got out. “Let me open the doors all the way and you can drive her out onto the runway. That should make her available for you to own.”

“I need a key,” Becky told him.

“Huh? It should just be an ignition switch,” Alvin balked.

“I think whoever the plane belonged to wanted to keep it, there’s a spot for a key,” Becky said.

“Well, hop out for a bit and help me search for it,” Alvin sighed as he turned towards the nearest set of cabinets.

They tore the place apart, finding no keys, but they did find the registration to the plane. “He lives in Tonopah,” Becky said as she looked at the address. “We could swing by his place and see about getting the keys.” She turned to Alvin with a hopeful expression, “Can we?”

One of Alvin’s eyebrows went up, “You want the plane that bad? Why?”

“I want to fly away…” she sang the words with perfect pitch.

“Lenny Kravitz? I didn’t see that coming,” Alvin laughed.

“I thought you liked my layers?” Becky pouted at him, playing it up with a quivering lip.

Grabbing her, Alvin crushed her into a hug and peppered her with quick kisses. “Stop being a goof and I’ll see about getting it started for you.”

Her pout had vanished under the barrage of kisses, and now a bright smile took its place. “You do love me,” she purred as she kissed him back.

Once they broke apart, Alvin slapped her ass. “Get into the plane. I’ll open the doors, then come and see about getting it started.”

Becky made a happy sound as she ran back to the plane while Alvin pulled the hangar doors all the way open. Turning back, he saw that Becky had replaced her headband with the leather aviator’s cap they’d found. Shaking his head, Alvin climbed up onto the wing and leaned over to reach the ignition. Pulling out a couple of small screwdrivers, he began to try to get the plane started.

It took him a couple of minutes before he finally got it to line up. “Turn the ignition,” Alvin finally told her.

Reaching around his hands, Becky took the two small flanges on the ignition and used them to turn it. The engine coughed and the propeller started to spin. “Yes!” Becky screamed as she felt the engine steady. “Move the blocks,” she told him eagerly as she put the glasses down over her eyes.

He grabbed her chin, firmly, and made her look at him, “Do not try to fly, just taxi it out and back.” He tried to impress on her his seriousness, as he didn’t want her to wreck.

“I know,” Becky huffed. “I’m just excited. Don’t worry, Hero, I’ll behave.”

Giving her a quick kiss, he dropped down and pulled the chocks away from the wheels. Watching her steer the plane from the hangar, he followed along behind as she taxied the plane down the runway before turning it around. Alvin felt a pang of worry, knowing Becky was mercurial at times and that she might give in to the temptation to try to get the plane airborne. He heard the plane’s engine revving faster as she started back towards him. “Becky...” Alvin grumbled as he watched the plane.

He watched the plane bounce as it picked up speed, getting close to the point where it would lift off the ground. A wild laugh could be heard above the engine as it went by Alvin. It immediately slowed after it passed him, coming to a stop at the far end of the runway before turning back towards him. Waiting for her to return, Alvin moved out of the way so she could taxi the plane back into the hangar.

Once she got it near the building, she killed the engine and let it coast inside the hangar. With a manic grin, she jumped out of the plane and set the chocks before Alvin could do so. Spinning to him, she grabbed him and pushed him against the plane, her tongue invading his mouth. When she pulled back from the impassioned kiss, she was breathing fast. “I want it. I want it bad, Hero.”

Coughing, Alvin licked his lips, “I see that. Let’s head back over to the tower and lock in for a little while. I’ll step back to the cell and see what it’ll take to buy the plane for you and get you the Power to fly it.”

She kissed him again, their passions rising before she finally let him go and started towards the tower. “Maybe we can stay a bit longer than just that?” she asked as she looked back at him, her hips swaying as she walked.

“My gothic temptress is at it again,” Alvin exhaled before he followed along behind her, enjoying the show.

Chapter Nineteen

After he locked the tower door behind them, Alvin was pressed into the wall by Becky as he turned to face her. Her eager lips ravished his, her clothing vanishing as she pressed against him. “Hero,” she pleaded, “get rid of your clothes, damn it.”

Acquiescing to her demand, his clothing vanished as well, leaving them in just undergarments as they continued their passionate kiss. Taking charge, Alvin spun them around and pressed Becky into the wall, using one forearm to pin her there. Breaking the kiss, he nipped her neck where it met her shoulder, just hard enough to leave a small red mark. He began moving across her skin and across the upper slope of her breasts, leaving a trail of small marks.

“Mark me, Hero. I love it when you make me yours,” Becky moaned as she tugged her bra down, letting her tits spill out of it. Freed from their confinement, they heaved enticingly as she reveled in Alvin’s dominance.

Taking her invitation, Alvin continued his attack down the slope of her massive orbs, until he finally came to a nipple. Catching the point in his mouth, he sucked and nibbled at it. Her breath caught in her throat as he assaulted her sensitive flesh, serving only to excite him even more. His free hand trailed down her side until it slipped between their bodies and into her silk panties. Her held breath came out in a rush as he let his fingers dance over her quickly dampening slit.

She pressed against the arm holding her against the wall, just enough to make Alvin press harder to hold her there. Her hands tugged at his boxers, getting them out of her way so she could grasp his rigid flesh. A growl of desire came from Alvin as he continued to lavish her nipple with attention. She stroked him firmly with one hand as her second hand cupped the jewels under his shaft, massaging them with as much gentleness as she could in the moment.

Their need was building fast, and neither of them could even think about reining it in. Letting his palm press against her clit, two of his fingers invaded her. He hooked the two fingers back towards him as he rubbed his palm in small circles against her sex. “Give in, Gothy, I want to hear you moan.”

Body trembling as he found her spot, Becky’s eyes closed as the first wave of an orgasm washed over her. Tightening her hands around him as she trembled and moaned, her sense of rhythm faltered and she lost the stroke she had going. Not relenting, Alvin increased her pleasure by pressing into her a little more firmly and started a small drumming motion with the fingers inside of her. He kept her pressed firmly against the wall with his arm and helped hold her up as her legs trembled. His smile became feral as he savaged her nipple, leaving teeth marks in her supple flesh. Eyes rolling back in her head as her legs threatened to give out, Becky moaned out a wordless sound of pleasure as he ravaged her breast and sex.

When her hands released his manhood and her legs collapsed under her, Alvin pulled his mouth away from her chest and guided them both to the floor. He smiled, a dark part of him happy over the multitude of bite marks that adorned her body. “Mine,” the word slipped out of him as he withdrew his hand, only to replace it with his eager cock. A moan of pleasure came from him as he sank fully into her. The concrete was hard on his knees as he tilted her hips up to give him the best angle to give them both the maximum pleasure he could.

Her eyes fluttered open and she wrapped her legs around him. She opened her mouth to speak, but lost the chance as Alvin pistoned into her with unstoppable force. He deliberately kept the pace slow, but each thrust was hard and deep, keeping Becky from being able to form coherent words. Focusing on taking her, he fought off his own desire to speed up.

He wasn’t prepared for her to twist in his grip, rolling them over and ending with her on top. Her hands slammed into his chest as she stared down at him hungrily. “Mine,” she managed, before she began to rotate and pump her hips against him.

Moaning as she began to fuck him, he grabbed her hanging breasts, rolling her nipples with his fingers as he let her have her way. He was fine with her being aggressive with him; he couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to be taken by the beauty above him. He tried to capture her unblemished nipple in his mouth, but she kept him pinned to the ground with her hands on his chest, using them to get the leverage she needed to ride him hard and fast.

Alvin could feel his moment of release coming closer as Becky continued to have her way with him. Letting go of her mounds, his hands settled on her hips as he began to slam her down onto him with each thrust. Her labored breathing hitched as he took partial control of their coupling. Leaning down a bit more to claim his lips with hers, she let her orgasm wash through her. As her internal muscles clamped down on his rigid shaft, Alvin’s own orgasm exploded through him. Three hard thrusts pulled all the seed from Alvin, and a few more spasms ended the intense sex.

Collapsing onto Alvin, Becky panted, “I needed that, so badly.”

Alvin tangled a hand in her hair, and pulling her head back, met her eyes. “I loved every moment of it.” He kissed her hard to punctuate the sentence.

Returning the kiss, Becky felt a deep warmth inside her chest at his words. She shifted her hips with his member still inside her, feeling him start to firm up again. Sitting up so he was fully buried in her, Becky looked down at him. “Maybe a little slower this time?”

“To start with, at least,” Alvin smiled, feeling himself recovering quickly due to her enticement.

It was over an hour later when Alvin finally rolled breathlessly off Becky, collapsing onto the concrete next to her. “I still need to go back to my cell to see about getting you the plane,” Alvin said a few minutes later as he slowly caught his breath.

“I’ll have to reward you again when we stop for the night,” Becky murmured as she ran her hand down his chest. “Hurry back. We should at least get to Tonopah before we stop for the night.”

Alvin pulled his boxers back on and summoned his clothes. “I’ll be back shortly,” Alvin told her before he tapped the button to take him back to his cell.

“Jarvis, where are my crumpets?” Alvin asked as he blinked the light from his eyes.

“Very droll, sir,” Jarvis replied. “I regret to inform you that you shall not be rewarded later tonight.”

“Why?” Alvin asked, taking a moment to use the facilities.

“The plane still has an owner,” Jarvis explained. “You were able to buy the Mustang due to the fact that the previous owner had been killed.”

“If the owner dies, would I be able to buy it without Becky having to take it for another test drive, flight, thing?”

Jarvis was quiet for a couple of seconds, before he spoke again, “It hasn’t come up before, sir, so I have no data about that.”

Frowning, Alvin flushed the toilet as he took a moment to consider Jarvis’ information. “I thought you knew everything, Jarvis.”

“Unfortunately, sir, that is incorrect,” Jarvis replied. “I have the data the company has provided to me, and the data I can get from the others, but neither set includes this eventuality.”

“Guess we’ll find out later, then,” Alvin shrugged. “I’ll just have to fill Becky in on the disappointment.” Alvin felt a pang of disappointment as well, having hoped to give her what she wanted. Pushing past that feeling, Alvin sat on the bunk, “Did anyone make it to a Settlement?”

“The people from Salina made it to Green River while Gothy was testing the plane,” Jarvis informed him. “Ely has started upgrading their buildings, and has a number of defensive guns in place.”

“That’s something, anyway,” Alvin sighed. “I’ll be back when we find a place to stop for the night.”

“Sir,” Jarvis said quickly to stop Alvin from leaving. “You do have enough XP to purchase a Power, thanks to the influx of Settlers from Salina. In case you would like to upgrade a helpful servant...”

“So eager, Jarvis,” Alvin chuckled. “Alright, let’s do what I said I would.” He opened the store, not at all surprised to see it opened to the upgrades available for Jarvis. He bought the upgrade without hesitation, “Okay, Jarvis, time to head out.”

“Right you are, sir.”

As the light cleared from his vision, the sound of gunshots echoed from above him.

Alvin slammed his foot into the bottom stair, as he tried to move before his vision cleared, causing him to curse. He hurried up the stairs, taking advantage of a pause in the gunfire to yell up, “Gothy, what’s going on?”

“Coyotes,” Becky yelled back and started firing again.

Making it to the top, Alvin saw that the glass in the tower was gone, and Becky was sidestepping from window to window firing down at the runway. Summoning his rifle, he looked out to assess the situation. Over a dozen coyotes were darting around the tower. At least, Alvin assumed they were coyotes, based on their coloration. From their size, he might have guessed them to be giant wolves. He could see why Becky was having a hard time with them— these coyotes could easily have caught a cartoon roadrunner. They ran fast and seemed to be able to change directions on a dime.

“Fucking Christ,” Alvin sighed as he brought the rifle up. “Have they been doing this since I left?”

“They started pawing at the door a few minutes after you left,” Becky said as she reloaded her shotgun. “I came up here to see what was happening, just in time to see one of them trying to turn the knob with its teeth. I’m happy you locked it before we had sex. I didn’t even think to check before I went to use the bathroom.” Bringing the gun back up to fire, she paused, “I hit one at the start, it retreated behind one of the hangars. Since that first shot, though, they’ve been doing this. I think they’re looking for another way in.”

At that moment one of the running coyotes shifted and threw itself at the door, which rattled in its frame. Alvin and Becky both leaned out and shot the momentarily slowed coyote as it staggered back from the door. A spray of blood erupted from the side of the beast as both rounds punched through it, dropping it like a rock. A howl went up from the rest of the pack as they broke and ran for the hangars. Alvin fired a few more rounds, still surprised at how fast and agile the beasts were. Only one of his shots connected, but wasn’t enough to drop the coyote he hit.

“Well. That was an exciting welcome back,” Alvin said as he made the rifle vanish. “It’s also a pretty good reminder that you can hold the fort quite capably all on your own.”

“You had doubts?” Becky asked, arching one brow as she stared at him.

“Nope, just wanted to say it,” Alvin chuckled briefly. “Bad news, though. The plane’s owner is still alive, which means I can’t claim it.”

“Damn it,” Becky spat, “fine. Did Jarvis have anything else to say?”

“We didn’t talk long,” Alvin said, evading the question as he started down the stairs. “Let’s get going before the pack gets brave again. I’m fairly certain that they can jump into the top of the tower if they tried.”

“Fair enough,” Becky said, following him. “We going out ready, just in case they decide to rush us?”

“Good idea,” Alvin replied, reminded again of how much help Becky was to him. Summoning the rifle back to his hand, he dropped the mag and reinserted it to make sure he was fully loaded when they went out the door. Leaning next to the door, his hand on the lock, he looked at her, “Ready?”

Nodding, her expression turned serious, “Acme Exterminators, at your service.”

Alvin snorted as he unlocked the door and threw it open. Sliding out the door as it went by him, he kept his rifle pointed in the direction the coyotes had run off. Becky followed him out, her gun covering the other side of the door as she exited. The car was only a dozen feet away, so they walked towards it while keeping themselves ready for an attack. Alvin nudged the coyote corpse as he went by, but it didn’t respond and the body was surprisingly dense.

“I think they have more muscle mass,” Alvin muttered as he took the last few steps to get to the driver’s side door. “Get in. I’ll toss you the keys through the window, so you can get her started before I get in.”

Becky frowned, but did as she was told. As she got in, her shotgun vanished to leave her hands free. Alvin shifted the rifle to his off hand, so he could dig the keys out. Tossing them behind him into the car, he took two steps to the side and reached for the door handle. An angry howl went up from the hangars, just before the car roared to life. Yanking the door open, the rifle vanished as Alvin threw himself into the driver’s seat. Slamming the door shut, he grabbed the gearshift with his other hand. He could see the coyotes surging around the hangars, running directly at the car.

Slamming the car into gear, Alvin peeled out, accelerating as fast as he could to get distance between him and the angry coyotes. As Ruffian started to pick up speed, the first coyote slammed into the side of the car and bounced off. “Motherfuckers,” Alvin growled as he shifted gears again, “Shoot them, please.”

Becky only grunted, as she had already summoned her shotgun and was trying to get an angle on the coyotes that were racing up behind them. As one of them swung around the back of the car, its mouth open in a snarl, Becky fired. The round caught the coyote square in the open mouth, punching through the back of its head in a fountain of gore. A mournful howl went up from the pack as they started to fall back.

“Thank you,” Alvin said as he took the turn back towards the highway.

“I aim to kill. Or is that please?” Becky smirked as she sat back in her seat.

“Knowing you, both,” Alvin replied as he slowed, just long enough to buckle up, before turning onto US 6 and heading towards Tonopah.

“I am glad you made it out of there safely, sir,” Jarvis said after a moment of silence.

“What the fuck?” Becky said, looking at the car in astonishment.

“The people from Salina made it to Green River, so I bought the upgrade for him with the XP from that,” Alvin told her. “I was going to tell you, but we had a dog problem.”

“Very droll, sir,” Jarvis said. “It is nice to speak with you again, miss.”

“Did I say you could call me that?” Becky asked, her voice sharp.

“I shall refrain—” Jarvis began.

Becky snickered, “I’m just playing. You can call me miss. It has a certain appeal to it.”

“As you say, miss.”

“We could have used you earlier when we found the dead dragon,” Becky added after a moment.

“Ah, the fledgling that died at the refinery,” Jarvis said, “I watched the replay of that. It was quite amusing.”

“You can watch things that happen without me around?” Alvin asked.

“Yes, but I can’t share details if it involves other players,” Jarvis replied.

“Could I watch their streams if I upgrade my room?” Alvin asked, slightly curious.

As the silence stretched out, Alvin exchanged a look with Becky, who shrugged. “Sorry for the delay, sir. Your query has been passed to a higher authority as a suggestion. At the moment, the answer is unknown.”

“Why would you even want to?” Becky asked with a furrowed brow.

“I’ll meet them eventually, probably, so it would be nice to know who to trust and who’s a complete scumbag,” Alvin replied.

“Fair enough,” Becky said. “A couple more miles to Tonopah. What do you think we’ll find there?”

“Death, destruction, and the road south.”

Chapter Twenty

It didn’t take them long to reach Tonopah, entering the outskirts just six miles from the airfield. Alvin shook his head in resignation as the burned out remnants of trailers appeared on both sides of the road.

“They’ve either cleared the town, or no one is left,” Alvin said.

“I think it’s the former,” Becky said.

“The damage seems to have been controlled,” Jarvis pointed out, “which would give credence to your theory, miss.”

“Pretty much what I thought,” Becky nodded. “Jarvis, are you here and at the Settlements?”

“No, miss. At present I can only be in one place at a time,” Jarvis told her. “I can, however, keep track of you while I am at a Settlement. That means that I can come back instantly if I am needed, though it does pull me away from helping them.”

“How much is the upgrade to let you be in more than one place?” Alvin asked as they approached US 95.

“A minuscule 75,000 XP, sir,” Jarvis said.

Alvin snorted, “Minuscule, huh?”

“In the long run, sir, it is a great bargain. If you choose to pursue that upgrade path, many things become possible.”

“I don’t remember seeing anything beyond the Hologram AI Smartcar option?” Becky frowned.

“Information regarding further upgrades was not available until the initial power had been purchased.”

“Fucking bullshit,” Becky hissed. “That is complete fucking bullshit. How can we plan out the best routes to spend XP if we don’t know all the options?”

“I happen to agree with you, miss, but I am just an observer.”

“You want to change that, though, don’t you Jarvis?” Alvin asked as he slowed at the intersection.

“Indeed, sir. I will forever remain your handler, but I would be elated to be permitted to help you in your journey.”

“That’s a long way from your attitude when we first met,” Alvin said as he turned south.

“You’ve grown on me, much like a fungus, sir,” Jarvis said, his tone drier than normal.

Becky chuckled, “He does kind of make you want some ointment, doesn’t he?”

“I’m not sure a topical ointment would help.”

“Go say hi to the Settlements, Jarvis,” Alvin growled.

“As you wish, sir,” laughter could be heard in Jarvis’ voice.

“He likes you,” Becky said.

“Is that supposed to make me happy?”

“It isn’t a bad thing. He can’t break the rules, but having Jarvis on your side is better than being at odds with him.”

“Fair enough, Gothy.” Alvin slowed the car, as the highway was blocked with multiple cars. “The only path is through that parking lot,” Alvin murmured as he looked at Tonopah Station’s parking lot.

“I can see someone in a third story window with a rifle aimed this way,” Becky told him as she scanned for more threats.

“Survivors after all. Maybe they have some news about the roads.”

“Maybe, but if they’re hunkered down they might be getting desperate.”

“Food and water?” Alvin asked, getting a nod in return. “Well, we have to go through the lot, so let’s see what they have to say.”

Turning into the parking lot, he maneuvered around the cars that had been arranged to force a vehicle approaching to go slowly, weaving through. As they approached the front doors of the place, six people spilled out of the doors, waving at them.

“Be ready, just in case,” Alvin murmured.

Becky nodded as she eyed the six people approaching them. Her gun and vest were not in sight as she rolled down her window. “Can we help you folks?”

“Oh, thank god! We thought we were the only people left alive,” a middle-aged woman with a .357 strapped to her hip said.

“There are a number of survivors in various Settlements,” Becky told the woman. “The closest one is Ely. There’s another in Green River, Utah.”

“What happened to Ely?” an older teen asked from behind the woman.

“It’s a proper Settlement now,” Becky replied. “It's not just zombies and mutated animals, the whole world has changed.”

The woman who’d spoken first looked puzzled, “What do you mean?”

“Hero, should we stop for a few minutes?” Becky asked Alvin.

Looking at his watch, Alvin considered how long it would take them to get to Beatty. It was only half past noon, and Beatty should only be a couple of hours further. “Sure, we can do this again,” Alvin shrugged.

“We’ll park and try to explain it to you,” Becky told the woman, “just give us a minute.”

“It’s best to park around back,” the boy spoke up again. “I’ll show you the way.”

Alvin rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything until they were slowly following him. “I hope neither of us has to punch someone in the face again,” Alvin finally said.

Becky glanced at him then shook her head, “I don’t always cause trouble.”

“It just gravitates towards you,” Alvin stated, parking in the spot the teen indicated. “Shall we?”

“I’ll do anything with, or to, you, Hero,” Becky chuckled as she got out of the car.

“Welcome to our bastion,” the young man greeted Becky, eyes widening as he got a good look at her.

“Put them back in their sockets, Junior, she’s with me,” Alvin gently rebuffed the teen.

The kid glared at Alvin for a second, then turned away with a scowl, “Follow me.”

“I thought we weren’t going to cause trouble,” Becky whispered as she fell into step beside Alvin.

“I didn’t punch him,” Alvin whispered back before coughing once to cover his smothered laughter.

A delighted, yet wicked, laugh came from Becky as she swayed ahead of Alvin, “I see. Is my gathering the attentive gazes of all the men starting to bother you, Hero?” She looked back over her shoulder at him, mischief dancing in her eyes.

“Gothy, you will always draw their eyes. It’s their hands, and other parts that will cause me to react.”

“Noted,” Becky replied as she stepped through the door the teen held for her.

They followed a hallway that connected to the other side of the building, where they found the welcoming committee waiting. Becky moved forward to greet them, and after a moment they moved into the café.

Alvin trailed along behind, taking stock of the people who were armed. Busy calculating the odds if things went badly, Alvin wasn’t expecting the teen beside him to speak up.

“How long have the two of you been together?”

Pausing between possible worst case scenarios, Alvin glanced at the guy. “Since this started. We’ve had each other’s backs the entire time.”

A wince flitted across the teen’s face, “Right.” The sixteen year old sighed deeply, “I have no chance then, do I?”

A snort escaped Alvin before he could think. “Honestly, none. I don’t blame you for asking, though. You’re being way more polite than the last guy. What’s your name?”

“George Ueland Jr. What happened to the last guy?”

“She dislocated his jaw,” Alvin exaggerated slightly.

“Damn,” George whistled softly. “Where you headed?”

“Beatty. We’re delivering a message, if the people are still alive down there.”

“The road’s pretty barren between here and there. Well, there’s Goldfield, but almost no one lives there.”

“Good to know,” Alvin replied, slipping into the seat beside Becky.

“Now that we’re comfortable, can you explain what you meant outside?” the woman who’d greeted them outside asked.

Alvin sat back, watching the group listening to Becky’s explanation. It was almost routine for them by that point, and Becky had it down. When people tried to interrupt, Alvin raised his hand and spoke over them to get them to wait until the end.

When Becky was finished, the first question was one Alvin was expecting. “No, I can’t set this place up as a Settlement. It’s too close to Ely, which is a Settlement. I hope to turn Beatty into one, though,” Alvin told the woman, who had identified herself as June Clover.

“So, we’re going to have to go to Ely?” June asked, scowling deeply.

“No. You can stay here and try to make a life of it without the Settlement upgrades, but that will probably fail in the long run. It’s your call though, no one is making you do anything,” Alvin shrugged.

“You could maybe think about being a little friendlier,” someone else said.

Rubbing at the bridge of his nose for a second, Alvin sighed. Guess raising my Personability only goes so far, if I stay blunt, Alvin thought. Looking to the guy, Alvin put on a sharp smile, “I’ve been helping ungrateful people for the last week. My patience is gone, which is why Gothy is the one explaining this stuff to you.”

Becky patted his knee, “We’ve done what we could. We should get back on the road.”

“Beatty is almost a hundred miles south of here, and Ely is over two hundred the other way. Which would you suggest?” The teenager spoke up for the first time since they’d moved into the café.

“I don’t care,” Alvin stretched as he got to his feet. “Either will work, but Ely is a guarantee, while Beatty is still an unknown.”

“We should get everyone together and see about heading out, then,” the oldest of the townsfolk said as Becky stood up. “If they can set up a Settlement in Beatty, it would be best for us to move there.”

“Give up our homes?” the same angry guy said.

“It’s over, Howser. The world is completely different,” June told Howser with a shake of her head. “It will be up to each individual, but I’m sure that the majority of us will want to move to a Settlement, especially with those dragons about. I have friends in Beatty, so I’ll go there. Everyone else can make up their own minds what they want to do.”

“Good luck,” Alvin said as he and Becky walked away from the table. “If I can make Beatty a Settlement and there are people there, I’ll be setting one up.”

“Wait, we still have questions,” Howser called out loudly as Alvin and Becky walked away.

“We’ve answered enough, and we have places to be before nightfall,” Alvin dismissed the attempt to stop them.

An argument broke out behind them as they exited the building. “Think they’ll move?” Becky asked as they climbed into the Mustang.

“Some of them will go to Ely, some will come to Beatty, but outside of getting XP from them, I don’t care,” Alvin replied as he got Ruffian started and put her into gear. “Next stop, Beatty, Nevada.”

“As long as no one stops us in Goldfield,” Becky reminded him of the small town still between them and Beatty.

“Ugh, please, no more show and tell for the day,” Alvin mock whimpered.

“What if it’s this kind of show?” Becky asked, drawing his attention to her nearly nude body.

“That’s a hell of a show, but I kinda need to focus on driving,” Alvin said, tearing his eyes from her generous curves.

“Fair enough, Hero,” Becky smirked as her clothing reappeared.

Chapter Twenty-one

The road was quiet as they headed south. Becky let her arm hang out the window, wind surfing with her hand. “I would have bet that Tonopah would be far enough away to make a Settlement,” she commented idly.

“It might have been,” Alvin shrugged. “I didn’t check.”

“I thought you’d fibbed,” Becky said. “Out of curiosity, why didn’t you check?”

“Beatty has James’ family, if they survived, and he’ll be able to communicate with them through Jarvis. If there isn’t anyone in Beatty, we can always swing back north and set it up for them, if anyone is still there at that point.”

Becky pondered his words for a moment before commenting on them. “For James? I wouldn’t think you were that altruistic.”

“I’m not,” Alvin snorted. “It will put him just a little further in debt to me, so if we do go back to Green River he’ll be more inclined to help out if there’s any issues.”

“He already would,” Becky pointed out, “you saved Teresa, and he met Susan because of you.”

“A little extra insurance is never a bad thing,” Alvin said.

“Maybe you just wanted to do something nice for someone,” Becky prodded.

A frown crossed his face briefly at her prodding, “No.” As soon as the word left his mouth, he knew he was being defensive. “Huh, okay, maybe a little,” Alvin conceded as he considered it further.

“Doing something nice for people who’ve helped you before isn’t a bad thing,” Becky said.

“I’m not used to doing stuff for anyone without a reason behind it,” Alvin told her.

“Maybe we’re changing each other, a little bit at a time,” Becky suggested. “I’m being open with you, more than I would have ever thought possible. I try not to deflect or evade what I’m feeling for you at any given time. Maybe you’re changing a little as well.”

“Not sure how I feel about that,” Alvin muttered as his hands tightened on the wheel.

“Would you want me to go back to being disdainful of everything and acting like a bitch all the time?”

“To everyone other than me? Sure,” Alvin’s lips twitched as he tried to keep the smirk off his face.

“Asshole,” Becky slapped his arm. “You know what I mean.”

“I do, and no, I’d rather you be the way you’ve been over the last few days, even if that does mean it feels like I have a succubus beside me all the time.”

A rich, throaty laugh bubbled up from Becky as she batted her lashes at him. “I am what I am, Hero. Besides, you’ve loved every moment of my talents.”

“Fair enough, Gothy, fair enough,” Alvin chuckled. “How about you sing us a song to help pass the miles?”

Becky hummed quietly for a moment, deciding what to sing. When she started singing, it took Alvin a moment to place the song, ‘Genie in a Bottle’ by Aguilera. Alvin felt a pang of nostalgia as she sang; he’d heard it enough at parties when it was a hit. He suppressed a snort as he remembered that the song wasn’t that old for Becky. “A popular song in its day—” he started but Becky put a finger over his lips and began to hum again.

Launching into ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’, she winked at him. Alvin kissed Becky’s finger, which she removed from his lips as he put his eyes back on the road. When she finished that, she went on to sing ‘Curvy Girls’, much to Alvin’s delight and laughter.

“Well done again, Gothy. If we have to busk at any point, we’ll make a mint off of your voice,” Alvin chuckled.

“We’d make more if we put up a sign saying you’ll refrain from singing if paid,” Becky laughed.

“Ouch, right in the feels.”

“Oh, knock it off, you damn drama queen,” Becky snorted, batting her lashes at him, “or do I need to kiss it better?”

Facepalming with one hand so he could still drive, Alvin sighed, “You sure you’re not a succubus? I’m starting to think you’re just masquerading as a human.”

“What if I was?” Becky asked, curious to hear his reply.

“As long as we can stay as we are now, I’d be fine with it. Though I would ask to fuck you with your wings and tail out,” Alvin chuckled, remembering a book he’d read, where the main character had a succubus wife and eventually ended up with a harem.

“Really?” Becky raised an eyebrow at him. “Even if I had goat legs?”

“As long as you keep the hair trimmed down to a respectable length,” Alvin nodded.

Becky giggled, “I thought I was supposed to be the horny one here.”

“If you were a succubus you really would be,” Alvin deadpanned.

“Well played,” Becky conceded. “What if we stumble across magic and it makes me into a dwarf?”

“We’d have to see whether you got a full beard or just long, silky braids down your cheeks,” Alvin said as he fought back the laughter bubbling up inside of him.

“An elf?” Becky asked.

“Long ears would make for easy hand holds,” Alvin choked on his suppressed laughter.

“Troll?” Becky asked, her eyes narrow.

“Don’t you troll me all the time already?” Alvin returned, no longer able to hold back the laughter.

Opening her mouth to retort, Becky paused, then closed it and nodded, “Fair enough. Seriously though, you wouldn’t mind me being non-human?”

“As long as you’re still you emotionally and mentally, probably not. Though a troll would be pushing it.”

“Okay, I’ll take troll off the list then,” Becky smirked.

“You can’t race change,” Alvin replied. “Jarvis, can people race change?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” came the mechanical response.

“What the fuck?” Becky asked, staring at the dash.

“Sorry to startle you, miss, he tripped my subroutine,” Jarvis apologized to Becky.

Alvin had gone quiet when he’d heard the mechanical voice, his lips pursed in thought. “Jarvis?”

“I can’t say, sir,” Jarvis apologized again.

“Wait, we will be able to, then?” Becky asked, her voice conveying her excitement.

“I’m going to say yes, but it’s probably locked behind something incredibly stupid and will cost a boatload of XP,” Alvin replied as he chewed over the possibilities.

“Maybe gated behind us encountering the race?” Becky asked.

“Could be, but I’d bet it isn’t going to be that simple,” Alvin said.

“Probably not,” Becky agreed after a moment. “Food for thought, at least.”

“Goldfield is just a few miles ahead, sir. You can see the mobile homes now,” Jarvis informed them. “You need to be aware that there is a hard ninety degree right turn in the road coming up, it cannot be taken at speed.”

“Good to know,” Alvin said, letting the Mustang slow from the ninety he’d been doing. “Already seeing dividends from taking your upgrade. I had another question I completely forgot to ask earlier, Jarvis. When we encountered the fire lizards—”

“You were correct sir, they are salamanders,” Jarvis interrupted.

“The salamanders, one of them spit on the car but we barely felt the heat. Why is that?”

“You upgraded the majority of your clothing with the weather upgrade, sir, which means that you don’t feel heat or cold as acutely. If it had hit either of you directly, it would probably have killed you. Since the material was on the back of the car, you only would have suffered indirect heat damage, which your clothing is quite able to negate. Had you tried standing near the magma, though, you would feel the heat from that as it overwhelmed your protection.”

“Good to know,” Alvin replied, appreciating how much they were getting out of that small gear upgrade.

“Hero,” Becky said as they started into Goldfield proper, “something seems wrong here.”

Alvin snapped out of his thoughts and took stock of what she saw. There were no cars on the main street, nor could he see any down the side streets. “Maybe no one was out during the Rapture?” Alvin suggested, but even in a small town it was unlikely and it felt eerie.

Alvin slowed Ruffian as he came up on the hard right. There were no signs warning of the impending turn, or indicating a speed limit. He went around the corner and slammed on the brakes. A dozen feet ahead of them a massive barricade of cars had been assembled, completely filling the road several cars deep. “What the fuck?” Alvin began, when a gunshot rang out and cracked the windshield. Slamming the car into reverse, Alvin pulled back and spun the car back towards Tonopah.

Becky cursed, firing out her window as the car stopped its spin. A dozen figures were leaning out of doors and windows, with guns aimed at the Mustang. Becky ducked back into the car for more cover and returned fire. “Go!”

A cavalcade of shots hit the Mustang as Alvin hammered the accelerator and slapped the car into gear. Grunting as two shots hit him, he was glad for body armor that could be donned with a thought. A pained grunt from Becky filled Alvin with a pang of fear and a belly of anger. Shifting into the next gear as Ruffian took another barrage of shots, Alvin seethed, unable to pull his gaze from the road to see if Becky was okay.

“Gothy, are you okay?”

Her only reply was another grunt of pain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her open up her belt pouch to grab something.

Another set of shots echoed after them, three of them hitting the Mustang as Alvin finally put distance between them and the people who were firing at them. As the distance increased, he looked over just in time to watch Becky slap a medkit to her face. She was missing most of a cheek and her jaw was shattered.

Nostrils flaring, Alvin felt a need to hurt someone crash over him. “Jarvis, is there a way around that ambush?”

“With no knowledge of the conditions on the side streets it is hard to say, sir, but Ruffian is handily capable of going off road. You can go completely around the town without too much trouble.”

Becky flexed her jaw as the wound healed, “I wasn’t expecting that round to ricochet like it did. The things that shot at us were zombies.”

Slowing Ruffian, he got the Mustang turned around and facing Goldfield again. “Zombies with guns. Gee, that’s great. Well done, Team Jarvis.”

“I would point out I have no input on how the world works, sir,” Jarvis replied with a slightly wounded tone.

“Well, whoever thought letting the zombies be intelligent enough to use weapons should be put in this game to be shot,” Alvin snapped, his knuckles white where he gripped the wheel.

Becky tapped his knee, pulling his gaze to her. “I’m fine, Hero. You’ve taken worse than this. Jarvis isn’t the bad guy here. They were using handguns and rifles; I think we can take them if we plan out a strategy.”

Alvin took a deep breath, “Sorry. Seeing you injured like that makes me want to hurt people, even more than I’d thought it would. I know you can face the world beside me. Hell, it’s why I’m thrilled you came with.”

Becky gave him a small smile, “Good. Now let’s go kill them and take all their shit.”

Alvin began to laugh maniacally, “Fuck, you really are my kind of crazy.” He stifled the manic laughter after a moment. “Jarvis, is there a point that has a decent view into Goldfield?”

“Unfortunately, not, sir. The best you could do is get to the top of the Goldfield Hotel, it has a decent line of sight on everything surrounding it.”

“We’ll make it work. Wish we had a second rifle right now, though,” Alvin said as he revved the engine.

“If need be, I can switch to the handgun for longer range,” Becky told him.

Glancing at her and seeing a feral smile on her lips, Alvin matched her expression. “Let’s kill them and take all their shit, then.”

“Murder hobos, unite,” Becky chuckled darkly as Alvin put the Mustang into gear.

Chapter Twenty-two

Alvin approached the Goldfield Hotel cautiously. He had Jarvis direct him along side streets, which brought them to the back of the hotel. One of the doors was busted open, hanging crookedly from one hinge. Alvin parked and they got out, Kevlar on and guns ready.

“Sir,” Jarvis said quickly, before Alvin could shut the door, “take the third door on the left.”

“Will that go all the way up?” Alvin asked, scanning for any movement around them.

“I believe so,” Jarvis replied, “and good luck.”

“We’ll be fine,” Alvin said before shutting the door. “Gothy?”

“I heard, and I’m ready,” Becky replied as she glanced into the hallway past the shattered door. “It looks clear.”

“I’m lead. If we have to clear, I’ll go in and right,” Alvin told, taking up position on the other side of the door.

“Understood,” Becky said. “After you, Hero.”

Stepping past the ruined door, Alvin entered the hall. Three open doorways were between him and the stairwell. Approaching the first one on the right, he took a quick glance around the frame. A broken desk in the middle of the room gave the impression of an office, but he didn’t see any movement. He flicked his hand towards the next door and Becky leapfrogged past him to take up position beside it. She glanced in then flicked her hand, watching as he went past her to the third room.

Alvin slowed as he heard a scraping sound from inside the room. A glance in showed another broken office. A second glance allowed him to see some of the debris moving, as if something were crawling underneath it. Holding up a hand behind him, Alvin darted to the other side of the door before waving Becky past him. He didn’t like the idea of leaving something behind them, but he would rather get to the roof before they started shooting and gave away their position to the town.

Becky’s eyes darted to the moving rubble as she went by the room, but she didn’t stop. She paused to check the open stairwell, then motioned him forward. Alvin nodded, but looked into the room one more time. A pale, translucent, childlike hand was poking out from under the rubble. Freezing in place at the sight, Alvin faintly heard a childlike giggle as the hand vanished and the rubble settled to the floor.

He moved up to Becky and whispered, “Ghost children are about.”

“Can we even do anything about ghosts?”

“Not that I know of. Let’s keep going.” Alvin started up the stairs slowly and carefully, trying to minimize the noise he made on the old, metal stairs. The doors to each floor were shattered, and a quick glance into each hall showed scuff marks on the dusty carpet. Alvin froze for a moment at the fourth floor landing as he thought he saw a small child darting around a corner, and another burst of soft giggling reached him. “Creepy,” Alvin muttered as he went up the final stretch of stairs.

The door to the roof was metal, with a reinforced bar that was connected to a thick chain and secured with a heavy duty lock. Becky frowned, “Who uses that much hardware to lock the stairwell exit to the roof?”

“No idea,” Alvin sighed. He pulled out the set of small tools he had begun to assemble for dealing with locks. “Give me a minute,” he told her as he knelt down, unrolling the small bundle of tools. Picking up the smallest screwdriver as his initial probe, he started feeling for the tumblers. Once he’d found the first one, he reached for his next tool, only to miss his grab. He looked down with a frown to see that his tools had been shifted a foot to the left. He sighed, and another giggle drifted up around him.

“Hero, this is more than a little creepy,” Becky whispered.

“I think they’ve been lonely,” Alvin told her as he moved his tools back to the spot he wanted them in and picked up the one he’d tried to grab before. “Pranks are fine, they just want to have a little fun. We don’t mind a little fun…” Alvin let his sentence fade, trying to convey his meaning to Becky.

“Do you think they’ll like the party we’re about to throw?” Becky asked.

“Would you like to see a show, little ghosts?” Alvin asked as he got the first tumbler out of the way. When he reached for the next tool he needed, it floated up to hover beside the lock. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

It only took another handful of seconds for him to trip the lock. Unhooking the chain, Alvin put his tools away, watching in amusement as they arranged themselves, then summoned his rifle to hand. “We’re going to be inviting guests to the party, little ghosts. They’ll be coming in on the ground floor, all those zombies that that have taken over the town and were probably the ones that broke all your doors.”

An angry murmur sounded from the empty air next to the Alvin and Becky. “Don’t worry, we plan on getting rid of them,” Becky explained. “If you want the best view, either ground level or up on the roof should work.”

“We don’t like the sun,” a child’s voice said from the ceiling, as the air around them chilled.

“The ground floor where you can see out the windows will be better for you, then,” Alvin said. “They’ll probably come in the windows and the back door.”

“And then what?” a deeper voice growled, accompanied by the smell of a cigar.

“Once we finish killing the zombies, we’ll be leaving.” Alvin wanted to make sure the ghosts knew that up front, in case they were going to have problems.

“Will you fix our doors before you go?” a contralto voice asked.

“We’ll see what we can do, but first we have to purge the scourge from this town,” Alvin said.

“We’ll be waiting,” the growly voice told them. The cold air around them suddenly warmed several degrees.

“Creepy,” Becky said. “Glad we didn’t break any of their doors.”

“Right?” Alvin agreed as he opened up the door to the roof. “Let’s do what we came to do, first.”

“Zombie hunting, extreme level,” Becky said as she followed him out the door, where the late afternoon sun warmed them.

Crossing the roof towards the southeast corner, Alvin felt his anticipation for the coming fight begin to climb. Ducking some as they approached the corner, so as not to stand out right away, they got into position. Peering over the ledge, they looked for signs of movement on the street below. “There,” Becky said, looking to the east.

Two figures were walking down the middle of the street, guns held loosely in their hands. “I wish I had one of those super quiet sniper rifles from so many video games right now,” Alvin muttered as he leaned against the ledge. Becky leaned against the southern edge, her pistol aimed at the same figures. “On three, I’ll take the one to the left.”

“Not sure I can reliably hit from here with this,” Becky reminded him as she took aim. “I’ll be switching back to the shotgun as they close in.”

When Alvin finished the countdown, they both began firing. Their first few shots didn’t kill the zombies, though one of them lost a leg and the other an arm. As the zombies panicked, trying to find the source of the gunfire, Alvin managed to kill the one missing an arm.

“Fuck, it’s hard from this range,” Becky grumbled as she reloaded her gun.

“Not exactly easy for me either,” Alvin added, finally putting a round through the second zombie’s head as it tried to crawl away.

“We got the attention of the roadblock crew,” Becky informed him, her nostrils flaring as she took aim down the road at the group coming out of the buildings.

“Payback time,” Alvin growled as he shifted his position and aimed.

Becky was the first to fire at the growing mob, but at the range she was firing from she was lucky to hit them at all. Alvin frowned at the distance, 300 yards was a bit much for either of them to be effective.

He still joined her in peppering the zombies with rounds. After they hit a few, the horde worked out where the shots were coming from and started running toward the hotel. One group broke off and headed down the side streets, in an obvious attempt to flank Alvin and Becky.

“Here they come,” Alvin said, reloading his rifle. “You want this side?”

“It’s better if you keep this corner. I’ll shift over to help cut off their flanking maneuver. There might still be some behind us, too.”

“I hope the ghosts will give us a warning if they start climbing up the stairs,” Alvin said, firing at a zombie as it darted across the main street.

“I’ll do my best to keep an eye on the stairs, too.”

It took an hour before the zombies, using side streets and going from cover to cover, closed to within a hundred feet of the hotel. Alvin and Becky had fired hundreds of rounds between them and only managed to kill a handful of zombies in that time.

“They come,” a chill wind blew past Alvin as he reloaded.

“Watch the door now, Gothy,” Alvin told her as he leaned out and fired off another burst, killing a zombie that tried to dart to the wall.

“Got it,” Becky said shifting to a better position to watch the door. “Why haven’t they been returning fire?”

“Limited rounds, and the distance was a little extreme,” Alvin replied as he ducked, his words punctuated by the sound of bullets ricocheting off the brick walls. “Looks like they’ve remembered how to shoot now, though, so watching the door becomes even more important.”

“I’ve got it,” Becky told him, aiming her shotgun at the doorway.

Poking his head back over the edge of the roof, he fired off a few more rounds and killed one of the handful that darted for the front door. “They made it past me.”

A gunshot rang out from behind him. Looking back, he saw Becky pumping another shell into the chamber. “One down,” Becky told him.

“Four or five of them made it past me to the front door,” Alvin said as he circled around to get a different angle on the doorway to the stairwell.

They heard the zombies climbing the stairs after just a few minutes. As the undead began to exit the doorway, Alvin and Becky took turns killing them from the sides. After four of the zombies died, random gunfire came from the stairwell. Since Alvin and Becky were off to the sides and back a step from the open doorway, none of the bullets even came close to hitting them.

“They still aren’t the brightest, thankfully,” Alvin shouted over the gunfire.

“No kidding. If they swarmed us, or thought about where we might be standing, it would be more difficult,” Becky replied as the gunfire stopped.

“They did think enough to make an effective ambush, and they’re using guns now,” Alvin pointed out before blowing the head off the next zombie through the door.

“They’ve been getting smarter every day,” Becky agreed, killing the next undead to step through the door. “Give them another year and they might be a threat,” she finished with a sardonic twist to her lips.

“I approve of the snark, Gothy, but I actually think it will be a week or less,” Alvin said. “It’s been less than two weeks and they’re using guns and setting decent ambushes.”

The sound of breaking wood echoed up the stairwell. “What the hell?” Becky asked as more sounds of destruction came to them.

“They destroy our home, stop them,” said angry growly voice, the cigar smell thicker than before.

“How many are inside?” Alvin asked.

“Ten, stop them, or you won’t be leaving,” the voice replied before the smell vanished.

“Creepy and threatening,” Alvin snarled.

“There’s only ten of them, we can do this,” Becky said as she reloaded her shotgun. “I also want to kill the fuckers for hurting me.”

“I’ll take the lead,” Alvin said as he reseated the magazine back into his rifle.

Without waiting for her response, Alvin ducked his head around the corner of the doorway. Nothing was visible, so he stepped into the stairwell and began to descend to the top floor, walking carefully to avoid making noise.

Another loud crash echoed from below them. Glancing over the rail, he saw a zombie looking back at him from the doorway to the fourth floor. Both of them fired at the same time, the zombie’s shot hitting Alvin in the shoulder, while Alvin’s punched clean through the zombie’s head.

Rotating his shoulder out of habit, Alvin was glad there was no actual pain. The round from the zombie’s handgun had failed to penetrate his armor. Alvin glanced back at Becky. Their eyes met and she nodded, her shotgun up and ready.

He paused, waiting a full minute to see if another zombie would show up. Nothing did, so he went down to the door. He looked past the dead zombie, seeing a hallway lined with shattered doors.

“Where are they?” Alvin whispered the question, hoping one of the ghosts would answer.

“One on this floor, the rest are below,” the woman’s voice told him. “We dare not get too close to them.”

“Why?” Becky asked.

There was only silence until, abruptly, another door further down the hall splintered into the hallway. “Guess we deal with the zombies first,” Alvin snorted as he raised the gun and waited.

Scarcely a second later, a zombie came into the hall holding a shotgun loosely in one hand. Before it could register their presence, both of them shot it. Alvin’s shot was a touch low, blowing through its jaw. Becky’s shot removed the top of its head, killing it.

“Going down now?” Becky asked.

“If the ghost is right, then there aren’t any more up here, and I don’t see what they get from lying to us, so, yeah.”

Alvin and Becky went down the stairs slowly, wondering if the gunfire would draw any of the other zombies. The third floor door was unguarded. Alvin approached carefully, frowning, and glanced into the doorway. A shot rang out from down the hall, whizzing past his ear, and Alvin pulled back quickly.

“It seems we have a customer,” Becky said calmly.

“Four rooms down on the left,” Alvin told her as he realized just how close the bullet had come to hitting him. “I’ll lay down covering fire, you jump to the other side of the doorway.”

“Okay,” Becky said.

Sticking the rifle around the corner in the right direction, Alvin fired shots in rapid succession. As soon as he started firing, Becky darted across the doorway. She grunted as she cleared the opening.

“There are four of them. Two or three hit me, but didn’t get through my armor,” she told him. “Two on each side of the hall, and they didn’t seem to care about your cover fire.”

“Fun,” Alvin sighed. “Guess we do it the hard way. I’ll fire first for a couple of rounds, then duck back. As soon as I do, you fire then duck back. Keep bouncing until we get them or have the time to advance.”

“Got it. Are we aiming left or right first?”

“I’ll aim left and you hit the right. That’ll mean we have to expose a little less of ourselves.”

Nodding, Becky waited for him to kick it off. Alvin took a moment to calm his nerves before he started the shootout. Peeking around the corner, he fired off a quick burst by triple tapping the trigger, ducking back as the zombies began returning fire.

No sooner had he ducked back, than Becky leaned out, firing once before taking cover again. “One, down,” a vicious smile wreathed her lips.

“Three to go,” Alvin smiled back. “Let’s see if I can knock one down.”

Alvin poked out to fire another burst. He hit the zombie closest to him, but only its shoulder. Growling as he pulled back, he shook his head. He glanced at Becky just as she fired again. Pulling back, she smirked at him, “Two.”

Alvin grimaced slightly before he leaned out again and fired off another round. He growled louder as he slammed his back into the wall again, “Damn it.”

Becky grimaced a moment later, “Missed that time.”

“There’s just the two, so we should advance on them,” Alvin told her. “They probably won’t be trying for headshots. Yet. I’ll go first and lay down covering fire, we duck into the room on the right first, then leapfrog down if we have to.”

“Let me reload, just in case,” Becky said, flicking the safety on.

As soon as Becky was ready, Alvin shouldered the gun and darted around the corner. He fired at a steady pace along a line where he’d seen the zombies. He grunted at the impact as two bullets hit him in the chest. It did no damage, but he could still feel it. The zombies ducked back into their rooms as Alvin shot at them.

Alvin went just past the first door, letting Becky slip into it first, before following her in as his rifle ran dry. Taking a shuddering breath as the adrenaline coursed through him, Alvin met Becky’s grin with a savage one of his own.

“Chest shots?” Becky asked.

“Two to the center, they’d have been enough to kill anyone not prepared.” Dropping the magazine and reseating it in his rifle, he looked over at her, “Round two, ready?”

“We’ll get them this time,” Becky said as she shouldered her shotgun. “We going to the next room, or right at them?”

“Right at them,” Alvin snarled. “We still have two more floors to clear after we kill these two.” Taking up position, Alvin took a breath before he rushed into the hall again. His rifle barked in a steady pattern as he led them towards the last two undead on this floor.

His second shot took the closest zombie through the head, splashing brains all over the room behind it. Grunting as a bullet hit him in the arm, Alvin pushed forward, bearing down on the last zombie.

The zombie pulled back into the room it was hiding in as Alvin continued to fire at it. Even without the target visible, Alvin continued to fire along the line the zombie had disappeared on, shooting holes through the wall as they closed on the room.

Running out of ammo as they got to the far room, Alvin slammed into the wall just short of the door. Becky didn’t hesitate, moving past him she swung around the doorway and fired at the zombie.

Two shots later, she stepped back into the hallway. “Three for me and one for you.”

“I got the majority of them on the roof,” Alvin reminded her.

“True, but inside the building so far, it's four to two,” Becky told him.

“Are you seriously turning this into a competition?”

“Winner gets to make any one demand on the other,” Becky smirked at him. “What am I going to demand later, hmm, I wonder?”

“Four zombies left and I’m down by two,” Alvin said, running his tongue along his teeth. “If you get two I lose, but if you only get one, we tie.”

“Correct, Hero. Are we ready?”

“Fine,” Alvin said as he cracked the vertebrae in his neck. “Game on, Gothy. Just remember later— you started this game.”

With a grin that edged into crazy, Becky nodded. “Sure thing, Hero. Let’s do this.”

Chapter Twenty-three

As soon as he agreed to Becky’s game, she went to walk past him only to be grabbed and pushed face-first against the wall. “Not so fast, Gothy. You already have a lead on me. Maybe I should give you a handicap, to give me a fair chance,” Alvin softly growled into her ear from behind.

“What kind of handicap, and aren’t you the one always chiding me about time and place, Hero?” Becky asked as she squirmed against his grip a little, testing his hold.

A dark chuckle was Alvin’s reply. His rifle vanished from his other hand so he could get a firmer grip on her. “You’re right, but you tease me all the damn time, Gothy.” Glancing at the doorway to the stairwell, he leaned against her back. He nuzzled her neck, working his way around to one earlobe, “Consider this payback.” He gently nibbled her lobe, knowing that would make her squirm.

“You’re a bad man, Hero,” Becky said breathlessly.

Once he was sure she was caught up in the moment, he let go of her and sprinted for the stairs. “Hey, ghost, where are the last four?”

The sound of childlike giggling came to him, then, “Three on the next floor, one on the ground floor. You like games, too?”

“Asshole,” Becky shouted after him as he started down the stairs.

“Some games, yes,” Alvin grinned as he burst out onto the second floor, to find all three zombies coming towards the stairs. “Perfect,” Alvin laughed and began to fire in a rapid, but controlled, fashion.

Two of the zombies fell before they got their guns up to return fire. The last one ducked into a room, avoiding death but losing the use of an arm as a round all but tore it off at the elbow. Alvin rushed the room, needing at least this one to tie with Becky. The sound of running boots tugged at his attention, but he focused on the room that held the zombie. He swung around the doorway into the room, finding the zombie holding a rifle in one hand, waiting for him. The shot caught Alvin square in the chest. Grunting as he staggered back a step, Alvin put two rounds into the zombie’s head as Becky came around the corner into the room.

“Now I have the lead by one,” Alvin told her with a smirk.

“You cheating bastard,” Becky growled as she stalked towards him. “That was so unfair, getting me all hot and bothered and then running off, just so you could have a chance.”

Laughing, Alvin nodded, “Yup. You wanted an unfair game. Well, it still is… just not in your favor now.”

Her shotgun vanished from her hands as she took the last few steps toward him. She grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him into a kiss. Her lips met his with passion and need, demanding his attention. His own rifle vanishing, Alvin went to wrap his arms around her, only to be roughly shoved backwards onto the bed in the room, which was bare of everything but a plastic cover. Surprised at the sudden shove, Alvin wasn’t ready for his short flight.

“Tag! You’re it!” Becky laughed and bolted from the room, followed by ghostly giggles.

Bouncing across the bed, Alvin rolled to his feet and went after her. Even with death a very real possibility, he couldn’t help but smile as he chased her. He caught a glimpse of her legs as she exited the hall, then the sound of her boots thundering down the stairs echoed up the stairwell. Laughing, he raced after her, knowing she would be able to take the last zombie before he could even get close enough to have a chance.

“She played you, son,” the cigar smell burst around him with the words.

“Yeah, we’re good that way,” Alvin replied as he ran down the stairs after Becky.

The sound of a single gunshot echoed from the lobby as Alvin entered it. Becky stood by the lobby desk, smoking shotgun in hand as she glanced back at him. “I guess it’s a tie, Hero,” she grinned.

“Front door in three seconds,” the gruff voice whispered to Alvin.

Alvin frowned, shifting his eyes to the front door. A zombie was coming through the door, a handgun in each hand. As soon as its feet touched the lobby floor it started firing at both of them. Alvin returned fire, hitting the zombie in the chest and head. He eyed the door for another long second, waiting to see if another zombie was coming.

“Fuck,” Becky grumbled as she came over to him, “it got inside didn’t it?”

The burst of cigar smoke smell preceded the voice of the ghost, “It did. You lose.”

“Wait, did the ghost help you?” Becky asked, suddenly suspicious of the timing of the ghost speaking up.

“How could he?” Alvin asked with an unrepentant grin.

“I did indeed,” the ghost responded with a cold tone, “women should know their place.”

Alvin face palmed, not looking at Becky as he heard the sharp inhalation from her. “That was not smart,” Alvin muttered under his breath.

“The fuck did you just say, you old dead prick?” Becky snarled.

“You should know your place, woman. It’s bad enough that you aren’t at home, as you should be, but then you challenge your husband to a contest?” The affronted tone of the ghost swirled around them along with the scent of cigar smoke.

“We’re not married,” Alvin added before Becky could continue, then shut up as she took another breath.

“What year did you die, 1850?” Becky ignored Alvin’s comment, focused on her tirade.

“Did your parents not teach you to respect your elders, child?” the ghost snarled at her. “I made this place possible.”

“You’re long dead, maybe you should take stock of what…” she trailed off. Taking a deep breath, she focused on Alvin, her eyes hard, “You win. Can we go now?”

The female voice chimed in quickly, “You won’t go without helping us, will you?”

Alvin shrugged, “We have no reason to hang around to fix your doors, and Mr. Smoke hasn’t endeared us to helping you.”

“With the doors broken the monsters can get to us without warning,” the child’s voice added, sounding worried.

“If the asshole apologizes, then we’ll help,” Becky said. “If he doesn’t, then we leave.”

“You come into my home and make demands of me?” The smell of smoke got stronger as the voice rose in anger. “You don’t understand the danger you would leave the children in, you spoiled—”

“Enough,” Alvin snapped. “The world has moved on. It isn’t even what it was a little over a week ago. The zombies prove that, if you would just think for a moment. I side with Gothy, apologize or fuck off.”

“I would sooner—”

“Stop it! Will you endanger all of us for the sake of your stubborn pride?” the woman’s voice demanded. “Think of the children, for god’s sake!”

A tense silence settled over the lobby for a long moment. It was finally broken by the man’s voice. “I apologize for my choice of words. Please help safeguard the children,” the voice said, grudgingly.

Alvin put his hand on Becky’s shoulder, “Gothy?”

“Why do ghosts even care about doors?” Becky asked.

“These things eat the essence of life,” the female ghost answered her. “Having the doors give us enough time to flee them.”

A frown crossed Alvin’s features for a moment, “How can they threaten you?”

“They eat us,” the child answered. “They ate Nickolas a couple of days ago,” sadness emanated from the empty space next to Alvin, where the voice came from.

“Which is why they always go for killing wounds,” Alvin murmured as he made the connection between some of the things he’d noticed over the last week. “When someone dies, their life energy leaves the body and is eaten by the zombie.”

“All we are is energy,” the woman said. “If they can find us, they can swallow us whole. They seem to be able to track us easily though we can flee through the walls, floors, and ceilings. They chase us for a while, hoping to corner one of us before they get tired of it and leave.”

“Help us? Please,” the child asked again.

“Fine,” Becky sighed.

“Since she’s agreed, we’ll take care of it,” Alvin said. “How many doors do we need?”

“Besides the front and back doors, we are missing eighteen interior doors,” the female ghost answered simply. “The front doors will be hard to replace,” she added after a moment. “I don’t know if any other place in town has double doors.”

“We’ll give it a look,” Alvin said, then considered the time of day and the work before them. “Once we finish we’ll crash in one of the rooms for a bit.”

“That will be fine,” the ghost replied, a hint of happiness in her voice. “It has been a long time since guests have slept under this roof.”

“My home,” the cigar ghost snapped. “You all came after me.”

“It’s our home, too,” the child added petulantly.

“Sounds like a domestic dispute,” Alvin coughed, “if you’ll excuse us, we’ll get started.”

“There are extra doors in the basement,” the child chimed in as they went to leave. “From the renovations that never got finished.”

“Any doors for the exterior?” Becky asked.

“No,” came the reply from the female ghost. “If you can find a door that’s harder to break than the last one, that would be appreciated.”

“How many extra doors are in the basement?” Alvin asked as he walked over to the front door and eyed the dimensions of the broken doors.

“A dozen,” the cigar ghost told him.

“So, we need one double, one exterior, and six interior,” Alvin nodded. “Come on, Gothy, let’s get looking.”

Becky fell into step beside Alvin as he walked out the ruined front doors of the building. “I really wanted to leave, and hope that asshole ghost gets eaten.”

“I don’t really blame you. I’ll count this as my one thing I can ask for winning,” Alvin told her. “I’m hoping to get more information from the ghosts, and the sun is going to set soon. It works out for us to help them and spend the night.”

With a deep sigh, Becky agreed, “Fine. You think there are more zombies left in town?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, but it’s odd they didn’t join the others. We did make a lot of noise.”

“I’ll be ready for more,” Becky nodded, keeping her shotgun in hand.

Alvin led her around back. “I really hope they have information they can give us.”

“What could they really tell us beyond what they already have?” Becky asked as they turned the corner to where the Mustang sat.

The gunshots took both of them by surprise, as they hadn’t really been expecting the zombies that popped up from the other side of the car. Grunting as rounds punched both of them in the chest, Alvin summoned his rifle as Becky brought her gun up and began to return fire. Another round hit Alvin in the leg as he brought the rifle up, the searing pain making his first shot go low. Growling, he flicked the selector over to full auto. He held the trigger for fractions of a second at a time, releasing bursts of five rounds at the zombies.

Becky let out a hiss of pain as she also took a shot to the leg. She dropped to one knee as she continued to fire back at the zombies. It was over with almost as quickly as it began, the four zombies shredded in seconds. Panting against the pain in his leg, Alvin dug a medkit out of his belt pouch and slapped it to his wounded leg. He looked over at Becky to see her doing the same thing, “Are you okay?”

“Shot me in the thigh.” Becky sighed as the pain vanished due to the medkit she applied. “I only have one left, maybe it’s a good idea to hole up here tonight after all. We really need to restock on medkits.”

“We can do that on the drive,” Alvin told her, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. “It’s one of the perks to having Jarvis in the car.”

“Good, I’ll dig through the store tomorrow when we get back on the road.”

“We’ll grab some medkits now, before we take Ruffian around town to find the double doors for the front of this place.” Alvin opened the door to the Mustang and slid into the driver’s seat, “Jarvis, store please.”

“I see the undead have continued to evolve, sir,” Jarvis said as a tablet appeared on the dash.

“It’s fucking annoying,” Becky said as she picked up the tablet. “Is there a way for me to buy things for Hero if he’s busy?”

“You can mark things, placing them in the shopping cart, but he has to push the purchase button,” Jarvis informed her. “It is one of the downsides of being a companion.”

“It’s fine, I’d rather be his and not buy anything, than not be his,” Gothy replied, her anger from earlier slowly fading.

“Any idea if there are double doors that will fit this place, Jarvis?” Alvin asked as the Mustang came to life.

“The school building and the courthouse both had double doors, last I knew, sir,” Jarvis replied quickly.

“Which one is closer?”

“The courthouse, sir. If you turn right onto the street, it is two streets up on the left,” Jarvis told him. “I understand you’ve picked up some information regarding the possessed, sir.”

“The possessed? Is that the latest version of the zombies?”

“Indeed, sir. They gain more intelligence with the life energy they absorb,” Jarvis informed them as Alvin got Ruffian moving down the street. “If these few here had managed to survive another few days, who knows what you might have found on your return? Or what the people from Tonopah might have encountered if they followed you.”

“Cheery thought,” Alvin murmured.

“Indeed, sir. The zombies have only gained the ability to advance within the last two days. In that time, they have been progressing in leaps and bounds in some places.”

“Like major cities, for instance?” Alvin half-asked.

“That is correct, sir. Your conjecture that cities have become charnel houses is spot on,” Jarvis answered.

“Lovely. Remind me to stay away from any real city forever,” Alvin snarked.

“Hero, let me use your finger to push my buttons for a moment,” Becky purred at him.

Rolling his eyes, Alvin stuck a finger out to her. “Oh baby, use me. Use me good,” Alvin deadpanned.

Becky’s sound of disapproval made Alvin grin, which only exasperated Becky more. Using Alvin’s finger to hit the purchase button, she bought three medkits. Instead of letting go of his hand, she stripped off his glove, then bit his finger, hard.

“Gah!” Alvin said as he felt her bite down on his finger. “What the hell?”

“That should teach you to be a smartass and not pay attention,” Becky sniffed, releasing his hand after making sure she hadn’t drawn blood.

“Vicious little bitch, aren’t you?” Alvin asked as he shook his hand, his tone half humorous.

“Yes I am, when I’m having a bad day and I’m being taunted by the one person I give a fuck about,” Becky grabbed his hand and kissed the finger she had just bitten. “I’m feeling much better now,” she said with a manic grin, putting his glove back on.

Stopping the car next to the courthouse, Alvin chuckled. “Sorry Gothy, but with as much as you poke at me every day, I’m going to poke back sometimes. I’ll try to pick my spots better in the future though, seeing as how I’m a big fan of keeping my fingers intact.”

“I want you to keep them intact too. They’re special in their own ways,” Becky told him.

Chapter Twenty-four

Putting the car into park, Alvin opened his door. “You’re on watch for me, Gothy.” He held out his rifle, “Use this instead of your shotgun, just in case another swarm shows up.”

Letting her shotgun vanish into her gloves, Becky took the rifle. “There’s rope in the trunk next to the tool box. I take it we’re going to tie the doors to the roof?”

“That is the plan,” Alvin said as he went to the trunk and got out a selection of screwdrivers. “I hope one of these will let me unbolt it from the frame.” He pulled the rope out as well, before closing the trunk. “Jarvis, give Becky a rundown on the XP we’ve got, while I work on the doors.”

“Of course, sir,” Jarvis replied. “Firstly, for the Possessed you’ve each killed...”

Alvin walked away from the car where Becky was using the door as cover while she scanned the streets. Jarvis’ voice faded as Alvin got further away. He examined the doors, which turned out to be locked. With a sigh, he pulled out his makeshift lock picks and went to work on the locks. He got them open after a minute and was able to see how they were fastened to the frame.

Peering into the darkened interior, Alvin spotted what he needed and grabbed a chair. He carried it over to the door and stood on it so he could disassemble the mechanism at the top of each door. It took him a few minutes and he had to prop the doors open to get to a couple of the screws, which were tightly affixed to the frame. Once he got the arms unattached, he got down and opened one door. Becky was still scanning the street. At the sound of the door opening she looked toward him and gave him a thumbs up, then turned back to the street.

The hinges on the first door took longer. A few of the screws didn’t want to move, but outside of that it was easily done, if tedious. Pocketing all of the screws, Alvin picked up the door and carried it outside, leaning it against the wall. “One,” he sighed, turning to go back inside. The sound of gunfire brought him back around.

Becky was leaning on her open door, firing single shots down the street. Summoning his pistol, Alvin stepped away from the building just far enough to get a line of sight on what Becky was firing at. A trio of possessed were leaning around the corners of a couple buildings and shooting at Becky. Alvin took aim at the one he had the best angle on and waited until the zombie leaned further out to fire again. As soon as it did, he fired, watching as the spray of blood, brain, and skull exploded from it.

The other two possessed jerked their heads in Alvin’s direction, the hate in their eyes almost palpable. With a wordless scream, one of them turned its rifle towards Alvin. That exposed it to Becky, who capitalized on the opportunity by blowing its head off. That left just one possessed; it looked at the two of them, then ducked behind the building with a snarl.

“Fuck,” Alvin cursed, taking off running towards the building the zombie had vanished behind.

“What the hell, Hero?” Becky called as she ran after him.

“Need to kill it before it brings back more friends,” Alvin yelled back to her as he turned the corner. He skidded to a stop, not expecting the zombie to be waiting for him. The zombie’s handgun was aimed directly as his head, and he had no chance to dodge the shot. Alvin cursed as the bullet impacted square on his nose. The bullet did no damage, as the small caliber handgun wasn’t able to defeat the armor of his hat. The sudden stop and the push from the bullet did push him off balance though, causing him to fall on his ass.

Becky turned the corner to see him fall, the echo of the gunshot still ringing in her ears. “Hero!” The terror in her voice made Alvin’s heart clench, and before he could say anything Becky had flicked the selector on the rifle and held the trigger down. The rest of the magazine emptied in seconds, tearing chunks out of the possessed and pulverizing its head.

“Remind me not to make you angry,” Alvin chuckled softly as he looked up at her from the ground.

“I thought he shot you?” Becky said, holding her hand out to him.

“He did, right in the face. Luckily for me, all he had was a small caliber handgun,” Alvin told her, letting her pull him to his feet. He put an arm around her waist. “Reload, and let’s get back to work. I’m sure we’ll have more friends soon.”

Becky dropped the magazine out of the rifle and reseated it, making sure she had a round chambered. “Will you stop scaring the ever-living fuck out of me?”

“It’s not like I wanted to get shot in the face,” Alvin snorted as he reclaimed his arm from her waist. “I didn’t have half my face shot off earlier today either, that was you.”

“Who got a leg removed by a bug? Who was thrown around like a rag doll by a deer? Hmm?” she pressed, keeping her eyes on their surroundings.

“Going to keep living in the past, are you?”

“Asshole,” Becky said, nudging him with her hip. “Let’s get the doors and get back to the hotel.”

“We’re still going to need another exterior door and six interior doors,” Alvin reminded her as they got back to the Mustang after collecting the firearms.

“That was very graceful, sir,” Jarvis’ voice came from the open car door.

“Dick,” Alvin said as he went past the car. “Becky, if you can do double duty, put together a list of things I should look at later.”

“Guard you and shop? You’re lucky that I’m multitalented, Hero.”

“I know, it’s one of your many charms,” Alvin replied as he went back to the door of the courthouse to start on the second one.

It took a few more minutes for him to get the second door free. Carrying them to the car one at a time, he got them onto the roof with Becky’s help. Once the doors were in place and strapped down, Alvin got into the driver’s seat.

“I have a list of things for you to look at, but you can’t buy them all right now,” Becky told him, pointing to the virtual pad stuck to the dashboard.

“Anything that I should buy right this second?” Alvin asked as he slowly drove them back to the inn.

“It can wait until we bed down for the night.”

Stopping the car on the main street right in front of the inn, Alvin got out and began unstrapping the doors. Becky hopped out to help untie them, leaving the rifle in the car and carrying one of the doors up to the entrance behind Alvin. Going back to the car, she grabbed the rifle and took up position again to guard them.

“You found some. Thank you,” the female ghost said from inside the lobby.

“I’ll have them up in a few minutes,” Alvin told her as he went to work removing the old hinges that were still attached to the frame.

“I guess they’ll work,” the male said from the side of the doorway, the scent of cigar smoke swirling in the air.

“We can just leave if you’d rather. Neither of us care if your doors get fixed,” Alvin snapped at the ghost. “You can either leave us alone, or we’ll go.”

The cigar smoke vanished, but Alvin was aware of a lingering hatred. It dissipated after a few moments and the female ghost spoke up again. “I’m sorry about him. He’s been here the longest and, as the town failed he’s gotten meaner. These last few decades have not improved his spirit, and now with the zombies who can devour us whole, it has exacerbated his attitude.”

“We all have problems. I know I’m a dick, but he’s just an unrepentant asshole,” Alvin muttered as he tossed the old hinges away. He looked at the door next to him and frowned, “Fuck. I’m going to need someone to stabilize this while I hook it up, and I don’t want to have Gothy do it.”

“I can help for a short time,” the ghost told him. “It saps our energy to manipulate physical objects, but if it will help seal our home it will be worth it. With the doors sealed, we’ll be able to regain our energy more quickly.”

“Now I understand why the doors being fixed means so much to you.”

Alvin got the door into position and held it in place with one hand. “I just need you to make sure it doesn’t tip the other way while I’m screwing the hinges to the frame.”

“I will hold it for you,” the ghost replied.

It took him awhile to get both doors onto the frame. “We’ll get a door for the back before we stop for the night. We’ll put the dozen doors from the basement up inside, but I’m not going to stay out after sunset to find six other doors.”

“I thank you for even doing this much,” the ghost told him, her voice noticeably weaker. “I worry for Peter and Felicity without the doors.”

“Peter is the kid?”

“One of them. Felicity is shy around people. She will undoubtedly thank you once the doors are in place.”

“I can see about spiking them closed, if you want, but the zombies can punch through it regardless.”

“No need to do more than shut them,” the voice wavered. “I need to rest. Peter will help with the back door when you return.”

“I will,” the child spoke up.

“We’ll be back as soon as I find a door that will work for the back entrance.”

“We ready?” Becky asked as he approached the car.

“Yeah, next up is to just find a door to cover the back. We’ll put up the dozen they have in the basement and leave the other six undone.”

“Works for me,” Becky said, getting into the Mustang.

It didn’t take them long to find a metal security door. Alvin was on edge as he removed it, but no zombies or animals showed up. When they got back to the inn, Peter did his best to help, but Alvin had to get Becky to help him finish just as the sun was setting.

“Sorry,” Peter said, his voice a bare whisper, “it was too heavy.”

“It’s okay, we’re done. Can you lead me to the basement?”

“Yes, but you’ll need a light.”

Becky dug a flashlight from her bag, “We’re good.”

Sticking the screwdrivers into his pockets, Alvin took his rifle back from Becky. It immediately vanished into his glove. If not for Becky’s flashlight it would have been pitch black as they followed the vague outline of the ghost to the basement.

“Kind of feels like a horror movie,” Alvin muttered. “An abandoned inn in a small desert town, no lights, and zombies outside.”

A wry chuckle escaped Becky, “Yeah, but I’m not likely to run screaming at the sight of one of them.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin agreed with a grin.

“Under that tarp,” Peter whispered. “I’m going to rest now. Thank you both for helping us.”

“You are welcome, but the cigar asshole isn’t,” Becky said as she pulled the tarp off the pile of doors.

“Hmm. Guess we cart them upstairs one at a time, and get them hung,” Alvin said, picking up the first door. “Give me a path to follow, Gothy.”

“Of course,” Becky replied and lit the way back to the stairs.

It took a few hours for them to finish installing the doors, working in near total darkness. Alvin stretched out his back as he finished the last door. “I’m glad that’s done,” he sighed.

“Thank you,” a different soft, childlike voice said.

“You’re welcome Felicity,” Alvin told the air. “Which room would you suggest we use?”

“Use this one, it’s mine,” the child answered. “Daddy doesn’t come in here, so he won’t bother you.”

“Daddy?” Becky asked with a raised brow.

“It’s not his name, but it makes him happy when I call him Daddy. Otherwise he would be grumpy all the time.”

“That must be Mr. Cigar,” Alvin snorted.

“He tells us about how much he used to love them,” Felicity went on, like a child who has decided the person they are speaking to is safe. She seemed to be maybe four or five years old.

Alvin glanced at Becky, who had a bemused smile. Letting Felicity talk, they pulled the plastic cover off the bed. It was surprisingly clean under the plastic. Laying down on it, they let their clothing vanish and relaxed, listening to the ghost ramble.

“Thank you, Felicity. We’re going to get some sleep now,” Alvin finally said.

“Goodnight,” the child replied, and the sense of her being nearby faded away.

“I thought she was supposed to be shy,” Alvin murmured.

“Shy as in unapproachable maybe, but if kids take a shine to you, they always talk and talk and talk,” Becky yawned. “Night, Hero.”

“Sleep well, Gothy,” Alvin replied as she draped her arm and leg over him.

“Kind of surprised you’re not mauling me,” Alvin whispered to her.

“After I nap a little, maybe I’ll wake you up,” Becky murmured as she snuggled closer.

Kissing her head, Alvin stopped talking and lay there. He heard her breathing even out as she slipped into slumber. The image of Becky with her jaw all but gone was clear in his mind. “I’m not going to let that happen again,” he vowed softly before he closed his own eyes.

Chapter Twenty-five

Waking on and off throughout the night, Alvin brushed Becky’s hair with his fingers and kissed her head each time. Eventually he woke for the final time as the sun was finally rising, the east-facing window allowing sunlight to bathe the room.

“Morning, Hero,” Becky mumbled, her arm tightening on him. “We’ll make Beatty today.”

“Yeah,” Alvin sighed as he twisted a little, trying to work a kink out of his back. “Did you sleep well?”

“I woke up a few times. You would brush my hair and kiss me and I would go back to sleep. The bed wasn’t the most comfortable we’ve used of late, but it came with a nice body pillow, anyhow.”

“Glad to be of service,” Alvin snorted as he rolled to face her. “We going to lay here all day, or are we going?”

“Well, that is the question,” Becky murmured as she stared into his eyes. “I have the best bed warmer here with me, and it’s not like we need to go.”

Leaning in, he kissed her. It was soft and gentle, a lover’s kiss of acceptance. Becky returned it in kind, her soft lips warm against his. Alvin rolled her onto her back as he kept the kiss at the same level.

Breaking the kiss, he pulled back just far enough to see her face. “Gothy, I could spend days, weeks, months, even years stuck in a room with only you and be perfectly content. However, the game must go on,” his smile turned sad, “so let’s get going. We need to eat and get on the road.”

She pulled him back down and kissed him again. This time the kiss was demanding, passionate, and full of heat. Their tongues danced as Alvin leaned into her, letting his body meld with hers. He could feel his manhood responding to her need, and gave in to her desire. Without warning, Becky pushed him away.

“We should be going,” Becky panted, pushing him back and quickly slipping out of the bed.

“Huh?” Alvin blinked as he tried to get the blood to stop rushing south. “Did you just—”

“Yup,” her smirk was defiant, “whatcha gonna do about it?”

Chuckling, Alvin got out of bed on the other side, “Nothing, nothing at all. You’re trying to goad me, so I’ll respond with nothing.”

“Hey, wait a minute, that isn’t the way it’s supposed to work,” Becky complained.

“I know,” Alvin said as his clothing appeared on him. “How does it feel to be the one who is actually denied?”

“I get your point,” Becky said, biting her lip. “If I apologize, will you chase me instead?”

“I probably would, Gothy. I just wanted you to know,” Alvin said as he walked around the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t mind a little teasing, but sometimes you go full bore, and that’s rough.”

Meeting his eyes, Becky nodded, “I’ll try not to taunt you too much.”

Alvin’s lips ticked up at the corners, “I’ll hold you to that.”

“You can hold me to anything,” Becky replied with a small smile. “Better yet, you can tie me to anything ins—”

Kissing her to stop her from going further, he held her tight and enjoyed the moment. Finally breaking the kiss, he banished his clothes and walked them back over to the bed. “Now, about where we were a moment ago.”

“Good morning,” Felicity greeted them. “Are you going to leave today?”

Becky began to giggle as she watched Alvin’s expression fall. “We were just discussing that.”

“Did you like my room?” Felicity went on, not understanding what she was interrupting.

“We enjoyed it a great deal,” Alvin said, standing up as his clothes reappeared on him. “We would have enjoyed it even more in just another few minutes,” he muttered under his breath.

“I’m so glad,” Felicity squealed joyfully.

Becky summoned her clothing as she got off the bed, “I hope you’ll be okay after we leave.”

“We’ll manage,” the older female voice said. “Thanks to the doors, I’ve been able to recover enough to see you off.”

“I’ll take that as our invitation to go, then,” Alvin said.

“If you’d like to stay and fix the entire building, we would welcome you,” the nameless ghost continued.

“Like hell we would,” the cigar voice yelled from the hall.

“The rest of us would,” the female ghost continued, “I had hoped he would mellow last night.”

“Seems like once an asshole, always an asshole,” Alvin shrugged. “We’ll just be going. I never did catch your name though?”

“I’m Liz,” she replied.

“It was nice to meet you Liz, you and the kids,” Becky said as she joined Alvin by the door.

“Thank you for helping give us a measure of peace again, and for killing a number of our enemies.”

“Our pleasure,” Alvin replied, opening the door as the scent of cigar smoke grew strong. “I hope you don’t lose the doors again.”

“Just get out.” For a second, a cloud of smoke became visible in the shape of a portly man.

“Yup, once an asshole…” Alvin let the sentence trail off as he preceded Becky down the stairs and towards the front door.

The feeling in the lobby was divided. Part of the room felt happy and welcoming, but the other half was decidedly not. Alvin gave a smile to one side of the room, and the finger to the other, as he opened the door for Becky. Once she was out, he followed and shut the door behind him. Kneeling down, he locked the door.

“Well, that was interesting,” Becky said, waiting for him by the car with her gun out. “Ghosts are real and will speak with people now.”

“I honestly didn’t see that coming,” Alvin agreed with her as he got into the driver’s side of the Mustang. “I wonder what else today will bring us?”

“Can I hope for a calm, easy drive to Beatty, where everyone is friendly?” Becky asked sardonically.

“Sure, sounds like optimism to me. Optimism is the ability to think the universe will always work out for you, while it’s happily kicking you in the teeth.”

Becky snorted, “I like that definition.”

“I heard it from one of my foster parents and it stuck with me,” Alvin said as he started the car.

“I will remind you that miss has items in the cart for you to take a look at, sir,” Jarvis piped in.

“Thanks, Jarvis. Can I have—”

“Here you are, sir,” the store pad appeared in front of Alvin before he finished speaking.

Grabbing it, he went over the upgrades and powers Becky had marked out for him to look at. He saw that the total was well over his available XP, which was now displayed along the bottom of the store. “When did they add the available XP, Jarvis?”

“Yesterday. The advent of players having a companion shop for them makes it a worthwhile addition.”

“Nice to see I can have a positive influence,” Alvin snorted. “Okay. We can take off teaching you to fly, at least for now since we don’t have a plane.”

“I figured, but it never hurts to ask,” Becky replied. “It’s in the wish list for easy grabbing later.”

“What’s the name of this store, Spamizon?” Alvin laughed at his joke.

“Very droll, sir,” Jarvis said. “The store doesn’t have a name.”

He left the 1,000 XP upgrade to take Becky to an even 6.00 Aptitude on the list. “You want to upgrade Jarvis even more?” Alvin asked Becky with a raised brow.

“With that he’ll always be on hand for us, even if we’re in different vehicles, and at all the Settlements simultaneously. Well worth the price, and we’ll eventually make it back.” Becky explained, then added her hunch, “Besides, I think it’ll unlock more upgrades that will help him be even more useful.”

“Any comment, Jarvis?”

“I am not permitted to comment on what options become available with your choices, sir, or to attempt to influence your decisions.”

“It costs 75,000 XP, so I can’t get it right now, but I’ll keep it in mind,” Alvin said. He dismissed most of the other items as well, as they were much too expensive for him at the moment as well. The cart was left with just Hardiness upgrades for each of them and the increase to Becky’s Aptitude, leaving him with a balance of 4,694 XP. Both of them twitched as the system processed the purchases and adjusted their bodies.

“Feels weird every time,” Alvin muttered.

“Even weirder when you mess with my head,” Becky added. “It was like fingers massaging my brain, kind of squiggy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Alvin said as he set the pad aside. “Any news from the Settlements today, Jarvis?”

“Not at this time, sir. I will be going back to Ely once you leave Goldfield behind. After that, I will visit Green River unless you have need of me.”

“Sounds good to me, let’s finish this journey already. At least it wasn’t two weeks of trudging across desolate sand,” Alvin chuckled, thinking back to a book series he recalled reading.

“Why the chuckle?” Becky asked.

With a grin, Alvin began to explain a genre of books that wouldn’t have become popular for years. He went on to tell her about a specific series that featured a man stuck in a game, where he was married to a succubus. They got clear of Goldfield while he was telling her about the books, and the road in front of them was empty and open for the next leg of their journey.

Chapter Twenty-six

The two hour drive to Beatty from Goldfield was quiet. Becky sang a few songs, surprising Alvin again with her talent. Both of them were in high spirits when they reached the outskirts of the small desert town they had been aiming for. They tempered those feelings when they began to see the signs of battles fought days before.

“Somebody was still alive after the Rapture,” Becky commented as she looked at the burned-out shells of vehicles.

“What’s the address we’re looking for?” Alvin asked Becky.

“I will guide you, sir,” Jarvis said. “At the next stop sign, take a right.”

“That will make it easier to find the place,” Alvin said, “thanks.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Jarvis relied. “Take a left at the next stop sign.”

Following Jarvis’ directions, Alvin kept his eyes moving looking for threats. All he saw were signs of previous fights— bullet holes in various buildings and a few small craters where bombs had gone off.

“James’ family looks like they put up a hell of a fight,” Becky said. “We’ll find out soon if they’re alive and healthy.”

“Indeed, miss. At the next stop sign take a right, and the house you are looking for is the last one on the left,” Jarvis told them.

The house stood alone in the middle of a large lot, the nearest neighbor three acres away. A hundred yards behind the house was a huge water tank, large enough to hold several thousand gallons. As they approached the house, they could see a couple dozen people in the yard in a clear state of agitation.

“Doesn’t look like they’ll be happy to see us,” Becky said as they approached.

“We’ll find out,” Alvin replied, seeing people turn to watch the Mustang as it slowed outside the chain link fence.

Stopping the car brought a trio of men in their early twenties towards them. Alvin got out of the car, nodding to the grim looking men, “Something wrong?”

“Your timing is really suspicious,” the broadest of the three said.

“That sounds ominous, but I’m just bringing a message for James’ father. Is he here?”

A heavyset older man who was hanging back stepped over to the fence. “You’re bringing a message from my son?”

Alvin looked at the older man and his lips twitched as he fought to keep the grin from his face. “I see he takes after you,” Alvin said. “Except for the balding part.”

Raising a brow, James’ father looked at Alvin oddly, “He asked you to bring me a message instead of just coming himself?”

“He’s in a Settlement over in Green River, Utah. He has your mother with him.”

A flurry of emotions passed across the man’s face, settling on happiness. “I was worried about them.”

“Placido, we still need to figure out what to do about the kids,” the other older man in the group said.

“I know, Wynn. We don’t have any clues, though.”

“What about kids?” Becky asked as she climbed out of the car.

“Our children disappeared last night,” the broadest young guy told her, his eyes briefly tracing over her ample charms.

“The ones old enough to not be raptured, I take it you mean?” Becky asked, ignoring the eyes on her.

“You have no clues?” Alvin asked a second later.

“Yes, the ones who survived the first day,” said the man who’d been identified as Wynn. “All we know is that we went to bed last night, and this morning they were gone. The back door was open, and our night guard was fast asleep when we went to check on him.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” another guy said. “You know I don’t fall asleep at night.”

Alvin cut in before anyone else could, “What day is it?”

“It’s the 29th,” the broad guy from earlier said.

“It is presently the first of October,” Jarvis added from the car, boosting his volume to be heard from the open door.

“Yeah, that’s what my watch says, too,” Alvin agreed, looking at the gold Rolex on his wrist.

“What the?” Wynn said as he looked down at his watch. “My watch agrees with them.”

“Missing kids and missing time,” Alvin murmured as everyone began to babble around him. “Fuck,” he said under his breath.

Becky had been watching Alvin, and her frown grew as she watched his face. “You have an idea, Hero?”

Those words got the attention of Placido, “You have something to say?”

“Fey,” Alvin sighed.

“You mean like the winter and summer courts?” one of the younger guys, who was just starting to go grey prematurely at the temples, asked.

“I doubt it. I mean like old school Fey, Rip Van Winkle and stealing kids Fey.” Alvin grimaced, “Really, Jarvis, we have to deal with Fey now?”

“The Fey Gate could have opened,” Jarvis hedged.

“How many kids are missing?” Becky asked.

“My daughter, Karee” the broad guy cut in.

“Kate, my daughter,” another of the guys added.

“My grandkids,” Placido said, “John, Magnolia, Travis, and Abigale.”

A half dozen others also chimed in that their kids were missing. Alvin let out a deep breath, “Over a dozen kids. It would take some doing to transport them all. First, we need you all to be able to upgrade yourselves.” Opening his UI, he found the Settlement button and clicked it.

New Settlement Created: Botham’s Camp

This is your third Settlement.

Bonus: You are the first to make a third Settlement.

“What are you talking about?” Wynn asked with a frown. “First you’re talking about Fey, and now you’re going on about upgrades.”

“Whose house is this?” Alvin asked, ignoring the question.

“Mine,” Wynn frowned.

Pointing behind Wynn to the draftsman’s table that had appeared, Alvin continued, “That’s what I’m talking about. Gothy, can you fill these folks in while I take Wynn over and show him how the table works?”

“Sure thing, Hero,” Becky said as she shut the car door and followed him to the gate. “Okay. First of all, let’s start with the most basic thing— the world is not as it used to be, if the zombies and mutated animals weren’t already enough to give that away.”

Alvin tuned her out as Wynn followed him over to the table, “Touch the table. I’ll explain after you see it with your own eyes.” He touched it briefly, setting Wynn as the Overseer, then stepped aside.

Wynn scowled at Alvin, “If you’re fucking with me while my granddaughter is in danger…”

Alvin didn’t respond beyond motioning to the table again. Wynn reluctantly reached out and touched the table. Once he did, Alvin started talking again. “Okay. You’re seeing the property and all the upgrade options available to you and the people here. You are the Overseer, grats on that, which means that only you and I can upgrade this place. Since you’ve already been dealing with incursions, I would suggest getting defenses in place right away after you build a Scrapper.”

He walked Wynn through using the table and getting buildings set up on the other side of the house. Wynn stepped back from the table when he was done and asked, “Can I change who the Overseer is?”

“Maybe? No idea, I haven’t tried. Why?”

“My son would be better at this than me; he’s always playing these kinds of games.”

“Up to you,” Alvin said, turning to the empty air. “Jarvis, say hello to Wynn.”

Jarvis appeared in the spot Alvin was looking at, his AI form a little more solid than previously. “It is nice to meet you, master Wynn. I’m Jarvis, master Alvin’s butler and handler.”

Wynn eyed the AI with a raised eyebrow. “Definitely need to hand this over to Shawn.” He turned to the group who were watching Becky with wide eyes, “Shawn, get over here.”

The trio of younger men broke away from the group. “What’s up?” the quietest of the three asked.

“You’ve heard what that young woman has been saying. I’m putting you in charge of the Settlement,” Wynn told his son. “You’ve the most experience, besides Millhouse, to know what we should be doing.”

“I’ll back that,” the broad one of the trio grinned, “god knows I’m not the best suited to deal with people.”

“We know, Millhouse,” the last of the trio spoke up. Brushing at his greying temples, he looked back to Alvin. “I’m Han. Now how do we find the kids?” The question held a hungry tone, as if he wanted to go kill somebody.

“Jarvis, what’s the easiest way to track a family member?” Alvin asked the AI.

“The Tracking Power would be the easiest solution, sir. It requires a strong connection between the tracker and the subject, if you only use the base Power.”

“I’ll do it,” Han said quickly. “What do I have to do?”

“Take this pad, and click the button highlighted for you,” Jarvis said, handing over the store pad.

Han took it, looked at it for a second, then hit the button and flipped it back to Jarvis. “Fuck it, I don’t care what it says. I just want to find the bastards and hurt them, and get the kids back.”

“Get an item connected to the children and you should see a faintly glowing trail. It fades with time, so you need to start today.”

Shawn, Han, and Millhouse went to leave but Alvin called them back, “Hold up, you need to upgrade your gear first.”

“We don’t have time—” Millhouse began.

“Do you want to get them back or fail?” Alvin cut him off. “Equipment matters, just like in an RPG. I can take a shot to the head from your pistol and it won’t even touch me.”

Millhouse snarled as he drew his gun and fired, point blank. “Prove it then, asshole, I need to save—”

Alvin blinked, not expecting such a quick response. Brushing his hat off, he cocked his head to the side. “Get the point?” His eyes went past the guys to the rest of the group, who were all looking at them with wide eyes. He shook his head at Becky, who held her shotgun in her hands and looked angry. “No, I asked for that one.”

“Warn me next time, so I don’t kill someone,” Becky snapped at him.

“Fair enough,” Alvin said, turning his attention back to the dumbfounded men around him. “I trust the point is made? I think you might agree that being able to survive an attack is worth spending a few minutes on. I can do the same to Millhouse here, if that will help you make up your minds,” Alvin’s Desert Eagle appeared in his hand.

“You threatening me?” Millhouse asked angrily.

“Shut it, Mill,” Shawn snapped. “You asked for it. He’s trying to help us and you’re being your normal dickish self. He has an idea of how to get our girls back. Now fucking behave, for fuck’s sake.”

Alvin let his handgun vanish again, “Jarvis, we need pads for everyone.” Looking past Millhouse, he addressed the mass of people. “If you want to go help find and save the kids, gear up. Armor and upgrading guns will be the best things for you to prioritize. For those who aren’t going with, I suggest you help upgrade the vehicles the others will be taking. Tires and fuel upgrades are the best for them.”

“What’s your name?” Shawn asked as he took a pad from Jarvis.

“Alvin. That’s Gothy,” Alvin pointed to Becky.

“Gothy?” Shawn asked, his eyes on the pad. “What the fuck is wrong with this store?”

“The idiots who made it are the dumbest people in existence,” Alvin replied.

“It is still under development,” Jarvis sniffed. “We are making headway. You can now filter results by using the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.”

“That actually is an improvement,” Alvin agreed.

Millhouse took a pad from the AI and stomped off towards the house, followed by Han, who was speaking softly to him.

“He’s like my third son, but he has some anger issues,” Wynn sighed. “I had hoped having a kid would temper him, but that obviously hasn’t happened.”

“People are people,” Alvin muttered, then raised his voice. “Whoever is going with, you have ten minutes to finish buying stuff.”

“I’m ready,” Shawn said, handing the pad back to Jarvis. Tapping his gun, he looked to Millhouse, “I’ll go make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid again.”

Alvin nodded before moving off to Placido, “Placido, Jarvis can pass messages almost instantly to James, if you wanted to catch up with him and ask about the girlfriend he’s seeing.”

“Really?” Placido asked, his eyes intent. “What about my mother?”

“Her, too,” Alvin replied. “Jarvis will be around as much as he can, but he bounces between the three Settlements.”

“Alvin,” Wynn called out as he approached, “I was able to turn the Overseer spot over to Shawn.”

Shrugging, Alvin replied, “Okay. It’s your base, do what you want with it. Some of the survivors from Tonopah will probably be headed this way in the next few days.”

“How many?” Wynn asked.

“No idea, we only met a few.”

“Why would they come this way?”

“I told them I would be setting up a Settlement here. They wanted me to set one up in Tonopah, but James’ family was here, and I’d already decided to set one up here. The Settlements have to be separated by a few hundred miles.”

“A lot of people I’d rather see dead live up there,” Wynn muttered. “I’ll deal with them when it happens. We’re going to need everyone we can get to deal with whatever the world shoves at us next.”

“Pretty much,” Alvin said. “I need to speak with Han,” Alvin said, slipping away from the guys.

Becky joined him as he approached the trio of men on the porch of the house. “Can I shoot him,” she asked softly, her eyes fixated on Millhouse, “for shooting you?”

“Not this time, but if he does it again, go ahead,” Alvin replied as he came to a stop a few feet away. “Han, you ready?”

“I have my nieces’ hair brushes,” Han said. “I figure they’re probably together, but its best this way.”

“Yeah. It’s almost time. Which vehicles do you guys have?”

“Scout,” Shawn replied instantly.

“An old Jeep,” Han said.

“A ’73 GMC truck,” Millhouse sneered, “we don’t need to drive flashy cars to justify ourselves.”

Alvin let his eyes go cold, “You shot me once, and I still owe you for the way you did it. I’m telling you right now, my give a fuck is just about gone. I only came this way to let Placido know about James. I don’t mind helping with your kids, but you are just about over the line.”

“Like I give a—”

“Mill, knock it the fuck off!” Shawn snapped, slapping Millhouse across the back of the head. “Our daughters are missing, you can get into the alpha male bullshit afterwards.”

Millhouse turned and slugged Shawn with a hard right cross, “Fuck you!”

Han stepped between them, his voice low and emotionless, “I’ll go without you two, if you don’t knock it off right now.”

Shawn rubbed his jaw, “I’m done.”

“You’re always babying him,” Millhouse snorted and stomped off towards the vehicles on the other side of the property. “I’ll be waiting.”

In another five minutes, those who were going had gathered by the trio of vehicles. “We’re ready,” Han told Alvin, “the trail leads west.”

“Death Valley,” Shawn murmured, “I’m glad it’s fall.”

“Come on already,” Millhouse yelled as he fired up his truck. The diesel engine growled to life, sounding like a hungry beast.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Alvin said as he and Becky crossed the yard to the Mustang.

Placido clapped him on the back and fell in beside Alvin. “Bring them back, please. Marie and my daughters are heartbroken that the grandkids were taken.”

“James is a friend,” Alvin said as he got into the Mustang. “I’ll do my best to bring them back.”

Stepping back as the door shut, the thirty people still inside the fence watched the four vehicles head towards Death Valley. Their hopes were pinned on the dozen people in those vehicles as the sun climbed higher into the sky.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Leaving the newly minted Settlement behind, Alvin followed the other three vehicles. Alvin was impressed at the amount of scrap the small town had available to it, looking over an auto shop that had a large junkyard attached. “They’re going to have a lot of scrap,” Alvin commented idly.

“True,” Becky replied, “but that will only matter if they can survive and are smart about building their Settlement.”

“There is also a Fey Gate somewhere close enough for stealing kids to be a thing,” Alvin added.

“Any speculation about what we’re going to be seeing?”

“Not really. We have no idea what Fey will mean for us. If we’re lucky they’ll be easily damaged by iron. Our bullets are steel jacketed, thankfully, instead of copper jacketed, which might give us an advantage if it comes to a fight. What I’m worried about, though, is magic.”

“Illusions?”

“Those specifically, yeah,” Alvin sighed. “A whole lot of stories talk about the Fey being tricksters and famed for their ability to manipulate what others perceive.”

“That will be a right bitch, if they can get us firing at nothing.”

“Yeah, or firing at each other,” Alvin added.

“Maybe we can make a deal with them? They’re supposed to love tricking people into bad bargains, too.”

“All things we should be aware of,” Alvin said as he followed the others down State Route 374. “Jarvis, where does this road go?”

“Death Valley, sir,” Jarvis promptly replied.

“Yea, though I drive through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Hero art with me; thy upgrades and thy guns, they comfort me,” Becky intoned, with a mixture of sincerity and mockery.

“Twisted scripture,” Alvin snorted.

“Well, it is Death Valley,” Becky said, “it seems appropriate. I’m surprised we seem to be staying with the road, though.”

“The Fey might have used it to make finding civilization easier,” Alvin suggested.

“Where there are roads, there are people,” Becky nodded, “that makes sense.”

“You know what I can’t recall about Fey?” Alvin asked, but answered before she could. “What they do with the kids they steal.”

“I thought they normally dropped a changeling off when they stole a child, but I guess this is different. They stole all the kids…” Becky trailed off as she chewed her lip for a moment. “Oh, fuck. How many of them were there if they took all the kids?”

“That’s what I’ve been mulling over and it doesn’t make me happy,” Alvin said. “We have a little over a dozen people with us on this mission, but I’m thinking the Fey that did this have well over two dozen, plus they have a two day head start on us.”

“We’re not going to catch them short of the gate,” Becky murmured as she considered the situation. “They must have brought some kind of conveyance, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken all of the kids.”

“Yeah, which means we’ll get to answer a question that I’ve been wondering about.”

“What the other side of the Gates look like?”

“That’s one of the questions. The other is, will everything work on the other side? It’s going to be really bad if our guns don’t work.”

A soft whistle left Becky’s pursed lips, “Fuck, that’s a good point. Do we have a backup plan?”

“Not at the moment. I’m hoping I’m needlessly worrying,” Alvin said as he watched the trio of vehicles ahead of him. “I don’t recall anyone bringing anything other than guns. Not that I blame them, guns are the go-to weapon in our society. If our guns fail to work, though, we’re going to have to retreat, rearm, and come back with other gear.”

“Or you could buy gear from me, sir,” Jarvis said.

“That is a good point,” Alvin nodded. “I take it I got a decent amount of XP from building that third Settlement?”

“Indeed, sir,” Jarvis replied.

“Good to know,” Alvin said, “I’ll hold off on buying stuff until we know what we might need. Do you know why we’re only doing five miles an hour?”

“The Tracking Power has a limit on how fast you can travel while using it,” Jarvis said. “An upgrade is available that increases the limit...”

“Fun. This is going to be a slow trip,” Alvin sighed.

After an hour the vehicles came to a stop. “I wonder what’s up?” Becky said, leaning out the window as Han walked down the line, talking to the driver of each vehicle.

“We’re going to start picking up speed. We’ll pause at each turn to make sure they’re still heading towards Death Valley. We’ll also be slowing every ten miles to make sure we’re staying on the right track,” Han told them as he came even with the Mustang.

“We’ll follow. Have you gotten the hang of how your Power works now?”

“Yeah,” Han replied simply before walking away.

“Real friendly, aren’t they?” Becky snorted, once Han was out of earshot.

“Placido and Wynn were fine,” Alvin shrugged. “For the rest, it’s a mix of testosterone and being worried about their missing kids, probably.”

“Fair enough. At least none of them have tried to hit on me,” Becky added.

“Which means they’re either gay, or focused on their kids,” Alvin said as the vehicles began to move again. “I’m glad we haven’t had that problem yet.”

“I almost shot the fucker who put a round into your face,” Becky reminded him.

“Fair enough,” Alvin said. “I did kind of ask for that, though, which is why I didn’t shoot him back. Besides, it would have gotten ugly and James’ family would have been killed. I don’t think he’d be okay if I showed up and told him I ended up killing his entire family and left his nieces and nephews with the Fey.”

“Point,” Becky said.

The pair lapsed into silence, paying attention to their surroundings as they followed the others. They stopped briefly at the turn off for Rhyolite, but stayed on 374 heading towards Death Valley. The road wound through a couple of hard turns in a canyon area, but nothing surprising happened. As they cleared the canyon, Alvin released the breath he’d been holding.

“I was waiting, too,” Becky murmured. “It just seemed like a perfect spot for an ambush.”

“Thankfully there wasn’t one,” Alvin said as they continued down the road.

“The junction to State Route 190 is just ahead, sir,” Jarvis piped up. “That will lead either towards Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells.”

“Do either of them hold any significance?”

“Furnace Creek is said to be the hottest place on Earth, with a recorded surface temperature of 201 degrees Fahrenheit in 1972,” Jarvis informed them.

“The hottest place on Earth,” Alvin muttered as he felt a twinge in his gut. “Fuck.”

“Hero!” Becky exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked up.

“Oh shit, not another one,” Alvin cursed as he watched the form of a winged lizard coming at them.

“One drake approaching at high speed from the west,” Jarvis said.

“We’ve seen it,” Alvin growled.

“What you might not know is that drakes, though they are cousins to the dragons, do not have a breath weapon,” Jarvis continued as if Alvin hadn’t interrupted him. “They do, however, have superior strength and a tougher hide.”

“The one that chased us towards Tonopah, that was a drake?” Becky asked as the monster closed on the small convoy.

“Indeed, miss,” Jarvis replied, “that is why I can tell you about them. I cannot give you information on creatures you have not yet met, but for those that you have encountered, I can provide you with basic information.”

“Do they have any weaknesses?” Alvin asked.

“I cannot give you that information, sir, I am sorry,” Jarvis intoned formally.

“We can drive it off like the last time,” Becky said holding out her hand. “Rifle me.”

Alvin summoned his rifle and held it out. Becky grabbed it from him and checked it over, making sure it was loaded and flicking the safety off. Alvin put both hands back on the wheel as he watched the other vehicles begin to speed up and spread out as much as they could on the road. “Aim for the wings again,” Alvin told her. “If nothing else, grounding it will give us a chance.”

Becky just grunted at him and leaned out the window. When the beast got within a few hundred yards, she began firing in bursts, triple tapping the trigger. The drake swooped down, just missing its attempted grab of the lead vehicle. Shawn slewed the Scout off to the left of the road, barely avoiding hitting the drake’s tail. Millhouse didn’t swerve, choosing to accelerate directly toward the beast instead.

The two people in the truck bed grabbed the rails and held on for dear life as the truck smashed into the drake. Alvin had been behind the truck and swerved to the right, slamming on the brakes, which caused the Mustang to slew to the side, spinning the car and giving them a clear view of the truck slamming into the drake. The front steel bumper crumpled like tinfoil as the two objects came together. With an outraged scream, the drake tried to find purchase with its claws, streamers of steel peeling away from the truck as it failed. One of the drake’s wings was caught on the wrecked bumper, shredding the wing and causing the drake to scream again as it landed.

Physics threw the truck and lizard away from each other as they rebounded from the collision. The two people who had been in the back went flying out of the truck, tumbling and rolling to either side of the wrecked vehicle. The driver’s side door was thrown clear of the truck a second later as Millhouse kicked it off the ruined hinges. The other vehicles came to a quick stop as well, drivers and passengers piling out and bringing weapons to bear.

Going to all fours, the drake roared, its head swinging side to side as it tried to watch everyone. A guttural snarl came from the drake. “Crf mrfih jnkiizwqz gz!” the beast roared out a string of unintelligible sounds that were still, clearly, words.

“Great, they have their own language,” Alvin hissed, taking the offered rifle from Becky as they climbed out of the Mustang. “Be ready to get back in fast, in case this fails spectacularly,” he told her as the drake snorted at the group confronting it.

“Crf mrfih jnkiizwqz gz!” the drake roared again as it dug furrows in the asphalt.

“I’ll be your Huckleberry,” Millhouse yelled, pulling a large rifle from the cab of the truck and chambering a round.

Shifting one leg forward, the drake seemed to grin at the words. It opened its mouth, showing a cavernous maw lined with sharp teeth. “Kjjzuv,” the beast said, and made a gravelly sound that could have been laughter.

Everyone around the beast chambered rounds into their firearms. With a growl, its head shifted back and forth as it viewed the group. “Vxzkjnzxp, nkoz crf wr nrxrx?” the beast’s eyes narrowed as it hunkered closer to the ground. The drake clearly didn’t like what it was seeing, as it dug all four feet into the road, like a giant cat getting ready to pounce.

“I think it’s challenging me,” Millhouse said, loud enough to be heard by everyone. “I can take it,” he grinned as he shouldered the rifle. “If this doesn’t work, then kill it.”

“You’re being stupid, Mill,” Shawn snapped. His rifle was braced against the hood of his Scout. “We should just smash this thing, not do stupid movie one on one bullshit.”

“It ruined my favorite truck, it’s mine,” Millhouse snapped, his eyes not wavering from the drake. “Just like high school,” a ghostly smile tugged at his lips and was gone.

The drake seemed to be listening to the conversation, returning its attention to Millhouse with another grin. “Xzkhp?”

“Mill, don’t do this,” Shawn pleaded, but there was a tone to the words that caught Alvin’s attention.

Alvin stayed quiet, but got ready to unload his magazine into the side of the beast. Becky was breathing slowly and evenly, her shotgun resting on the door frame. “We waiting?” she asked softly.

“Yes, but I think it’s all a trick,” Alvin said as silence stretched over the scene.

Taking a deep breath, Millhouse seemed to swell, his already broad shoulders widening even further. “On three?”

The drake’s head dipped a foot as if accepting the words. Digging its claws in a little more, the drake’s body shivered like a cat ready to pounce. Millhouse leaned well into his shooter's stance breathing evenly. “One…”

The watchers all drew in deep breaths as the moment became laser focused on the man and drake facing off. “Two…” Millhouse counted slow but evenly, his rifle not twitching in the slightest.

All eyes were on the scene as everyone waited for the final word. Alvin aimed down the rifle, waiting for the trick. Before the third word came out Millhouse, Shawn, Han, and a handful of the others all opened fire on the Drake. Most of the rounds seemed to ricochet off the beast’s scales. Millhouse’s first shot tore a bloody line across the Drake’s cheek, narrowly missing its left eye.

An enraged roar came from the drake as it shook its body, its head snaking side to side under the onslaught. As Millhouse began to work the bolt, the drake lunged. The ten yards between the two was gone before Millhouse could bring the gun back on target. The massive maw snapped down on the defiant man, his legs flying towards Shawn as the drake’s head snapped up and to the side.

Alvin and Becky both aimed for the juncture where the wing met the side of the beast; the scales there looked thinner compared to the rest of it. With another roar, the drake staggered back and spat Millhouse’s upper half from its mouth. A single wound pumped blood from the side of its neck as it thrashed under the barrage of mostly ineffectual fire.

Alvin frowned for a moment, wondering what had caused the wound when his shots were only slowly shattering scales. It dawned on him that Millhouse must have fired a second round into the drake’s mouth. Impressed by the determination the man had shown in the end, Alvin continued to break scales away from his target area.

“Azkbvb, nkoz crf wr nrwrx!” The drake roared again and began to flap its wings. Those closer to it staggered as the rush of air pushed them off balance. The drake’s shredded wing was damaged enough so that it wasn’t able to get off the ground, and with another scream of rage, it turned hard, swatting the truck toward the Scout with one front leg. The two ton truck was sent tumbling like it weighed next to nothing, and those anywhere near its path scrambled to get out of the way.

Shawn hunkered down, using the Scout to shield him from the truck, which crashed to a halt just short of his vehicle. Two others weren’t as lucky, being smashed by the flying truck before it came to a rest. Those not in the way continued to fire at the roaring beast.

“Hero, we going?” Becky asked as she reloaded. She was upset that the drake had turned and given them an undamaged side to shoot at.

“If we go, they’re all dead and it will only follow us,” Alvin hissed as he slammed the magazine back into the rifle. “Aim at the wing juncture again, we can punch through there.”

Becky didn’t reply beyond pumping the shotgun and firing again. Alvin watched scales beginning to chip away again as the drake cast its gaze around to find another target. Its head turned to them in a deliberate manner, its mouth drawn into an evil snarl.

“Crf’xz kixzkhc hzkh,” the drake snarled at them as its feet dug into the asphalt again. As it turned to face the Alvin and Becky, the drake shuddered and whirled back towards Shawn. “Crf’ii ukc lrx vnkv,” it snapped as it locked its gaze onto the group of people it now faced.

Becky and Alvin kept up their barrage as the drake focused on them, reloading as it turned away. Alvin was reloaded before Becky, since he didn’t have to wait for it. His next few rounds finally broke scales completely free, exposing pale, leathery skin.

The drake rushed forward faster than anyone was ready for as it closed the distance to the group near the Scout. Catching one of the people in its maw, it bit down twice then spat the corpse out at another person. Just as it started to lunge at the next person it rose up, rearing onto its back legs, letting out the loudest roar yet.

Blood poured from the ruin of its right eye socket. Shawn snarled as he chambered the next round into his rifle. “It can be killed, don’t let up,” Shawn yelled as the drake appeared to catch its breath.

Becky’s next slug caught it where Alvin had removed the scales. A ragged hole began leaking blood along with its other wounds. “Take it, fucker,” Becky laughed as her next shot also punched clean into the beast.

The drake began to back away, trying to angle its body against both groups as it began to feel pain. “Mnkq db vndb bzwbkvdrw? Db vndb ukdw?”

“Keep firing, it’s bleeding heavily,” Han called out.

The people who could continued firing, reloading their weapons as needed. Even the less useful weapons began to find the few unarmored spots and cause damage. Spinning, the drake started running towards Beatty to get away from the people who were hurting it.

People stopped firing as it ran away from them. The revving of an engine caught Alvin’s attention. He frowned as he watched Han race after the drake. One of the people who had been with him sat in the passenger seat.

“Get in,” Alvin snapped as he ducked into the Mustang. “What does he even think he’s going to accomplish?”

As Becky got in, she took the offered rifle from him, her shotgun vanishing into a glove.  “You think we can finish it?”

“No idea, but that jackass chasing it is the real issue,” Alvin said as he slammed Ruffian into gear and took off after Han. “If he dies, we’ll never find the kids.”

“Sir,” Jarvis spoke up, “drakes are known for being extremely hardy.”

“You saying we should stop?” Alvin asked as he shifted into the next gear.

“Not as such, sir, but I do not like your chances,” Jarvis said simply.

Glancing in the rearview as they chased the drake, another frown crossed his features. “Are all of these people cracked in the head?”

Becky looked back to see Shawn in the Scout racing along behind them. “Family is supposed to care,” she said softly as she reloaded the rifle. “They’re probably out for revenge, too, at this point.”

“Fuck,” Alvin sighed as he watched Han swerve around the drake’s tail and come alongside it on the left. “You’re going to have to kill it, Gothy. I don’t trust them to finish that beast off.”

“No pressure,” Becky snorted as she leaned out the window and began to fire at the wide ass of the beast.

Alvin wanted to get behind Han, but not knowing what the drake might do, he figured two of them in the same place would be a bad idea. Focusing on trailing the drake by enough so he could stop if he needed to, Alvin wasn’t prepared when Shawn went past him on the other side of the beast. A chubby guy with glasses was kneeling in the back of the Scout firing an M16 into the side of the drake.

Screaming in rage, the drake snapped at the old Jeep Han was driving. Han swerved away from it, stopping his passenger from firing for a moment. It then swung its head to the other side and snapped at the Scout. Shawn tapped the brakes as he swerved to avoid the bite. The guy in the back of the Scout was tossed roughly into the truck bed and it took him a minute to regain a position to fire again.

“Hero,” Becky said as she reloaded, watching the fight, “I’m not having much effect on it.”

“Switch to your shotgun,” Alvin said as he changed gears and accelerated. “I’ll give you a chance to fuck this thing up.” Alvin slipped between the drake and the Jeep, focusing on getting to where Becky would have a shot.

“You can’t be serious,” Becky breathed as the rifle dropped to her lap. Her shotgun appeared in her hands, finger tapping the safety off as she brought the gun to bear on the drake. Its head swung towards them.

Becky felt her heart pounding as she took aim at the drake’s remaining eye. The maw of the wounded beast snapped towards the car as Becky pulled the trigger. The teeth bit into the Mustang for a fraction of a second, long enough for the drake to yank the car off the road and send it flying. The Mustang went airborne as the drake screamed in pain.

Alvin felt his body go loose as the car rotated through the air. The sudden crunch of steel and the loss of direction as it tumbled was jarring, with broken glass peppering him and Becky as the car rolled. The butt of Alvin’s rifle slammed into his face as it went flying into the backseat.

As the car came to rest, Alvin panted and checked to see if he was okay. He didn’t feel any broken bones and turned to see Becky looking back at him. “You okay?”

“It threw us,” Becky panted, “but I’m certain I got it in the eye.”

Becky wasn’t bleeding, so Alvin turned to find out what was happening with the drake. It had come to a stop and was thrashing about at random. Shawn and Han were stopped well away from it as their passengers took aim at the beast.

“I think you did indeed,” Alvin said, his pride in Becky evident in his voice, “nice shooting, Gothy.”

“Let’s go end that thing,” Becky grinned.

Reaching into the back seat, Alvin touched his rifle and willed it into his gloves. “Jarvis? How are our odds now?”

“Much improved, sir,” Jarvis replied. “Miss, I have to add that I’m even more impressed by your ability to not flinch in the face of that beast.”

“Hero was with me,” Becky shrugged as Alvin got the Mustang rolling. “I will not fail him, just because on overgrown lizard is having a fit.”

Alvin felt a moment of absurdity as he realized that the Mustang had just been tossed by a dragon, and even after being thrown through air and rolling, was in perfect shape and moving. Even the broken glass had vanished. “Jarvis, did I ever say that the way Durability works for vehicles might be a little broken?”

“It is something that is being reviewed as I speak, sir,” Jarvis said.

“Oh, goody, they’re thinking about tweaking the game?” Alvin snarked as he pulled up next to Shawn.

“Indeed,” Jarvis answered simply.

“You’re both okay?” Shawn asked, looking at them and the car incredulously as he got out of the Scout with his rifle.

“Good enough to finish this,” Alvin said as he put the car in park and got out. “Just be ready to scatter, if things go sideways again.”

Shawn leveled his rifle at the drake. “I’m not running from that thing.”

The drake thrashed mindlessly for several minutes. Abruptly, it stopped thrashing and rushed toward Han. Han hadn’t gotten out of his Jeep and quickly started to pull away from the beast.

“Over here. Lead it over here, brother,” Shawn said under his breath.

As if he’d heard, Han started to circle around toward his brother. The enraged, blinded drake followed the sound of the vehicle, running ponderously after it. Everyone aimed at the drake as it came toward them. As Han passed them, the drake opened its mouth to try and bite the vehicle it was chasing. That proved to be a mistake, as four shots found their marks.

With a gurgle, the drake tumbled to the ground. It struggled to stand, but its back legs weren’t moving. Blood streamed from either side of its mouth.

“This is for Mill,” Shawn said coldly, firing another round into the ruined eye socket of the beast.

With a final shudder, the drake went limp. Another dozen shots rang out before everyone stopped firing. “You think it’s dead?” the guy in the back of the Scout asked.

“I think it’s dead,” Shawn replied with a shuddering breath.

“I can confirm that it is dead,” Jarvis’ voice came from the open door of the Mustang. “You have all been awarded XP for slaying the lowest category of Legendary Beasts.”

“I don’t care about the XP,” Shawn said as he put his rifle across the hood of his vehicle. “I would rather have my brother back.”

“Sadly, the only way for a person to survive death currently is with the Extra Life purchase from the shop,” Jarvis told him.

“We need to go back and get the others,” Han said as he pulled up alongside them.

“You two go ahead,” Alvin said. “I’ll see if I can’t get anything useful from this thing first.”

Shawn grimaced as he got back into the Scout, “Don’t take too long. We still have to find the kids.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Watching the others leave, Alvin turned to the open door of the Mustang. “Jarvis, is anything on this thing worth a fuck?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, sir,” Jarvis apologized. “If I was a betting AI though, I would hazard a guess that a D&D player would know.”

“Teeth, claws, hide, and maybe the heart,” Becky said, “at least from what David’s told me. I don’t think we can reasonably transport the heart or the hide, though. We don’t have any way to keep them from rotting.”

“I don’t know if we have anything able to cut through this hide, anyway,” Alvin replied. “Fine. We’ll take however many teeth and claws we can get without it taking too long.”

Becky popped the trunk and pulled out the hammer and chisel, handing those off to Alvin. Reaching in again, she pulled out a five pound sledge. “Dibs on the teeth,” she said as she slung the sledge over her shoulder and walked toward the dead beast.

“That works. We’ll give it twenty minutes, then head out,” Alvin said as he followed her.

Becky hammered out a half dozen teeth, commenting on the wounds in the roof of the drake’s mouth as she did. Alvin was barely able to break three of the claws free in the same time.

“Harder to break than the dragon’s were,” Alvin commented as he carted the teeth and claws back to the car.

“It makes sense. The dragon was cooked. This beast wasn’t,” Becky said as she put the tools away.

“Drakes are also inherently tougher than dragons; it’s the tradeoff for not having a breath weapon,” Jarvis added.

Alvin dropped the teeth and claws in the back seat, grabbing some food and water for them, then climbed into the driver’s seat. He handed the stuff off to Becky, then put Ruffian into gear and started back to where the others should be waiting.

“I’m wondering if they’ll hold it together with Millhouse dead,” Alvin commented as he pulled up behind the other two vehicles.

“It seems like they’re good, for now at least,” Becky said, as Han drove off with Shawn following him.

Alvin took the last spot in the convoy again. “I see the spot where they made the graves next to the truck. I hope all of this isn’t going to be in vain. If we don’t get the kids back, the Settlement will probably fail.”

“We’ll find out,” Becky said.

After a small pause at a split in the road Han turned south, towards Furnace Creek. Only a few broken down vehicles dotted the sides of the road, and most of those looked like they’d been there since before the Apocalypse. The road itself was clear.

Alvin stopped when the two vehicles in front of him did, wondering why they were stopping. Han walked back to the Mustang, stopping for a few seconds to say something to his brother.

“What’s going on?” Alvin asked as Han came closer.

“I can see a glowing point, like a beacon, just beyond that hill ahead,” Han said. “That’s where the visitor center for Furnace Creek is.”

Alvin looked at the hill that Han had pointed at, and a frown tugged his mouth down. “There’s a Gate there,” Alvin said. “The glow you see is part of the Gate.”

“The glow has a blue tint to me,” Han said, “like the trail my Power shows.”

“So the kids are through the Gate,” Alvin said.

“I guess we’ll just have to go get them,” the words, while simple, held a deep conviction that was hard to ignore.

“I like the attitude,” Alvin said. “These things might be nearly immortal, but they do have weak spots.”

“Good,” Han’s grin was feral, “we’ll be going in hot, so be ready, and careful where you’re aiming.”

“We’ll be fine,” Becky said as she flicked the safety off her shotgun.

“Let’s do this,” Han said as he turned to go back to his vehicle.

Alvin revved Ruffian, getting ready to follow the others, “You ready for this?”

“I’m beside you, Hero,” Becky replied as she looked at the glow ahead of them.

The Scout pulled away from them and began to pick up speed. Alvin waited, revving the engine, watching as the other two vehicles drew ahead. “Alright Ruffian, time to run,” Alvin murmured as he put her into gear.

Alvin caught up with the others easily. He knew the other two vehicles wouldn’t have the right upgrades to really lead a charge. “Coming through,” Alvin chuckled as he got right onto the bumper of the Scout before drifting around it.

Becky waved at a startled Shawn as they went past, then to Han, who started to yell something at them. “They don’t seem to appreciate our leading them,” Becky said, getting ready to fire at anything she could see out of her window.

“They’re picking up speed and won’t be far behind us,” Alvin said as he cleared the last bend, giving him a view of the visitor center. It also let him see the Gate, rising up just beyond the parking lot. “Let’s get a better look this time.”

Becky grinned as they sped down the last stretch of road, “Off road?”

“Yup,” Alvin said as he left the road, not bothering with the driveway. As he rounded the building and got a clear view of the Gate, he also found the beings from the other side.

They were tall, ephemeral, beautiful, and horrid all at the same time. The beings radiated an aura of menace, their faces gaunt, stretched, and alien. Their too-large eyes were canted at a sharp angle. Those eyes widened noticeably as they watched the Mustang coming at them.

“No blockade,” Alvin tsk’d, “they should have done better than that.”

Becky leaned out the window as they barreled toward the ten beings that stood just to the side of the massive Gate. Her first shot was on target, punching clean through the chest of one of the beings.

The other nine scattered, shocked as one of their number was thrown backward with a hole through him. Three of them chose the wrong way to run, though, and Alvin slammed into them, sending them flying off the Mustang with the sounds of breaking bones and unearthly screams of rage and pain.

“Coming through,” Alvin laughed, a twisted smile on his face as he aimed for the Gate. “Hang on, Gothy. It’s snowing on the other side.”

She sat back into her seat after her second shot took another one’s head off, her eyes going to the Gate. “Holy fuck, it is,” she said. She watched the Gate get larger before them, her eyes drinking in the details from the other world. “Manor house straight ahead,” she told him.

“I think that’s probably our destination,” Alvin said as the Mustang crossed the threshold and passed through the Gate.

Passing through the Gate sent a shiver down Alvin’s spine; the eerie feeling of someone walking over his grave. Becky shivered right along with him, “That was ominous,” Alvin muttered, feeling the tires slip for a moment.

“I didn’t care for it,” Becky agreed as the Mustang gained traction again, snow flying up behind them and through the Gate.

A flat, open expanse of white stretched between them and the large manor house that was the only feature visible through the snowfall. Looking behind him, Alvin caught sight of the other two vehicles braking while the people in the back of each opened fire on the beings Alvin had gone by and over.

“Looks like we’re going to be alone for a bit,” Alvin commented as he let Ruffian speed across the snow.

Numerous beings scurried around the building, too far away yet to make out details. As Alvin closed the distance, they all managed to dart into the single opening that Alvin could see. Coming to a stop just short of the massive bronze double doors, which shut as they came to a stop, Alvin eyed the oddly twisted structure.

“Very Escher inspired isn’t it?” Becky commented as she flicked the safety off the shotgun.

“Maybe they inspired him,” Alvin suggested as he summoned his rifle.

“We going in hot, or are we going to try to be diplomatic?” Becky asked.

“They steal kids, fuck diplomacy,” Alvin said as he killed the engine and pocketed the keys. “If the door is locked, we’ll knock and see if we can’t get them to open it for us. Failing that, shoot the hinges off and go on in. Remember, they’re Fey, and probably able to use illusions.”

“Understood, Hero,” Becky said, getting out of the car at the same time as Alvin.

Alvin was glad he’d upgraded their gear to withstand weather. He knew he should feel the chill bite of the wind, instead it felt like a brisk autumn day. The door lacked a handle, so Alvin pushed on it, feeling the bar on the other side resist him. Stepping back, he sighed, “You take the left, I’ll take the right.”

Nodding, Becky took aim a foot from the top of the door. The steel jacketed slug punched through the bronze, leaving a ragged hole through the metal. Dropping her aim to the halfway mark she fired again, and the third time a foot from the bottom. Alvin fired ten rounds in identical places on his side of the door. As they reloaded, creaking and snapping could be heard from the bronze portal. Alvin looked back through the snow to see the headlights of the other vehicles slowly advancing their way.

“Why are they going so slow?” Becky asked.

“Maybe their traction isn’t as good, which is odd since those are four-wheel-drive vehicles,” Alvin said before turning and planting his foot into the middle of the door. The doors crashed inwards with a resounding boom that echoed through the fifteen-foot-wide hall. Alvin grinned as he walked across the door into the hall, “Hey, we’re here for our kids. Give them back and we won’t kill you all.”

A being with a regal pose glided into the hall from the doorway at the far end of it. “Doth thee knoweth, who you've angered?”

“Don’t really care,” Alvin said as he brought the rifle up to his shoulder. “Whoever the fuck has the kids should turn them over quick, unless thou wouldst rather be a smear on the walls and floor.” Alvin’s words and smile were anything but polite as he waited for the creature to respond.

“Thy words falleth on deaf ears. Thee art a nuthook and a brigand, not worth the lord's attention. Begone, ere thee—”

The bark of the rifle and shotgun interrupted the being’s speech. Three bullets and one shotgun slug tore the imperious individual nearly in half. “Anyone want to bring the kids out yet? Otherwise we’ll just go room by room and kill anything we find.”

The two doors in the middle of the hall were thrown open and a dozen bronze armored beings with spears came pouring into the hall. Alvin and Becky opened fire in earnest. The roar of their guns and the sound of steel punching through bronze filled the hall for the span of four seconds. When the firing stopped, the dozen guards were all dead and Becky was standing there with her pistol in hand, having burned through the four remaining slugs in the shotgun. Reloading the pistol, she let it vanish back into her gloves and pulled the shotgun back out to let it reload.

“Nice move,” Alvin grinned at her as he reloaded his rifle.

“You've madeth a mistake,” a cold warbling voice echoed around them. “Knoweth thy doom.”

Alvin winced against the feeling of icepicks in his brain. “Gothy?”

“It hurts,” Becky hissed, feeling the same pain.

Blinking tears from his eyes as the pain faded, Alvin looked around and found himself still in the hall. Becky wasn’t beside him, though the dead bodies of the Fey still littered the hall.

“Fucking mind games,” Alvin growled. “Gothy?” Silence came back to him in response. Looking out the door behind him, he failed to see the Mustang or the other two vehicles. “So it’s either all in my head, or they can create pocket dimensions,” Alvin muttered. “No, that can’t be right, because the hall looks the same.”

“You will be forever lost,” the creepy voice echoed through the hall. “Give up, lay down, and wait for the end.”

Snorting, Alvin pulled the rifle back up to his shoulder, but he hesitated, realizing that Becky could be anywhere. “This can only go one of two ways,” Alvin growled, “either you give the kids back, or I’ll just find and kill every last one of you.”

“I have not just your precious children, but now your ally, as well. If you do not leave, I will amuse myself inflicting pain upon them.”

Thinking about what had happened to them, Alvin decided to try something odd. Stepping forward, he reached for where Becky had been and his hand found her shoulder. “Gothy?”

He felt her pull away from him, though he still couldn’t see her. Letting the rifle vanish into his glove, he knelt and grabbed her. She went rigid and tried to twist away from him. Leaning in, he put his cheek next to hers and nipped her earlobe, the same way he normally did when he wanted to make her squirm. She went still, then wrapped her arms tightly around him. Mocking laughter rang out around him as he held Becky.

“How touching, but can you do anything to prevent me from tormenting the children?”

Alvin tried to think what he could do, when they couldn’t even be sure of what they were seeing. Becky tapped his side in a set pattern, then repeated it. Alvin frowned, trying to decipher what she was trying to tell him. Becky repeated the pattern of tapping again, more slowly. Alvin nodded as he felt the pattern of dots and dashes, recognizing the Morse alphabet, but he didn’t know it very well, he was still uncertain what she was trying to tell him.

“Plan? You have a plan?” Alvin mumbled before he tapped out the word plan to her, then drew a question mark on her side.

Easing away from him, she found his hand and stood. Alvin followed as she led them to the corpses, kneeling down when she tugged at his hand. He knelt next to the dead bodies, not understanding what she was hoping to do. After a moment, he felt her tug at his glove, so he pulled it off. A sharp pain pierced his palm, and he hissed, looking down to see blood welling from a small wound in the middle of his palm. A sliver of steel stood out against the welling blood. He also saw Becky kneeling beside him, a similar wound on her hand.

“Steel?”

“It was a thought,” Becky said, her eyes red. “Our bullets should have spalled some going through the bronze. I hoped to find some slivers, and I did.”

“What did it show you?” Alvin asked, pulling his glove back on and wincing as it pressed the sliver of steel further into his hand.

“Can we talk about it later, please?” Becky asked, pulling her own glove back on.

Alvin hugged her and stood, pulling Becky up with him. “Okay. How about we go pay this fucker back?”

“I’ll offer you a deal,” the voice came from the walls, “leave my home and I will send the children out to you.”

“You two okay?” Shawn asked from the doorway, his eyes not quite focused on them.

“The thing in charge here says it’ll give us the kids back if we leave its home,” Alvin said, his voice grim.

“What happened to them?” Han asked from beside Shawn, pointing at the dead bodies.

“They objected to our visit,” Becky replied. “Don’t come inside. This thing likes to fuck with your head. Do you have any chains?” Her eyes lit up as she asked the question.

“I have some in the back of the Scout,” Shawn volunteered.

Alvin nodded, understanding Becky’s intent, “Can you grab them for us?”

“Leave my house and the children will be returned. If you dally, I shall end their lives...eventually,” the voice echoed through the hall.

“Motherfucker—” Han snapped and went to step into the hall.

Alvin pushed Han back from the doorway before his foot could land, “Don’t. He’s trying to goad you, he wants you to come in where he can torment you directly.”

Shawn’s eyes narrowed and he yelled at the others behind them, “Milo, grab the chains from the Scout.”

One of the young men went and retrieved a twenty-foot length of steel chain. Becky took it and looped it through a hole in the wall from where the door had been torn away. “Anyone got a lock?”

Shawn handed her a padlock, looking confused, “What are you doing?”

She clipped the lock closed then held the chain out, “Hold on to this. If this thing doesn’t keep its bargain and give the kids back, we’ll go in and get them. Plus, I don’t want it to just vanish the house as soon as we step outside.”

“Vermin,” the voice hissed. “Fine. The deal is made. Leave, and I will send the children out.”

“If they are hurt or damaged in any way, we’ll call the deal bad and come in for your head,” Alvin spoke with a grim finality.

“Accorded,” the voice hissed, “but you must take the chain with you.”

“Sealed,” Alvin said, stepping out of the house alongside Becky. “We’ll give it a minute. If it breaks its word, we go in and, if need be, burn the whole place down.”

“We never break our word,” the voice growled.

A minute became two, stretched into three, and everyone began to get restless. “Fuck this,” Shawn finally said as he started towards the hallway.

Just before he could set foot into the hall, a young girl with blonde hair came out of the far room. “Daddy?” the girl said in a timid voice before she ran at Shawn, stumbling over the bodies that littered the hall.

“Kate,” Shawn said moved toward her.

Alvin grabbed him and pushed him back, “Don’t enter the hall or the deal is broken.”

Shawn slugged Alvin and staggered back, cradling his hand and grimacing. “The fuck?”

“Armor is king,” Alvin said, stepping out of the way just as Kate barreled out the door and slammed into Shawn’s gut.

“What about my son?” another asked, “Kate, is Billy okay?”

Before she could answer, a teenage girl came running out, her dark hair tousled as she looked around wildly. Han stepped over to her and took her hand, “Come over here, Karee. We need to talk.”

“Where’s Dad?” Karee asked, looking around as Han lead her off to the side.

A boy came out next, followed by another girl. Happy cries rose all around them as people were reunited with their children. Alvin looked over as a high-pitched scream echoed across the yard. Karee was sobbing in Han’s arms. Shawn leaned in to speak quietly to Alvin, “Millhouse’s daughter. He was a single parent. They argued a lot, but she loved him even with all the fighting.”

“Have each kid grab that chain before we leave,” Alvin murmured. “Just in case they’ve tried to give us changelings instead of the real children.”

Shawn nodded, and had Kate grab the chain first, then called over each of the other kids and had them do the same. Becky watched impassively, though Alvin could see the strain on her face as she kept glancing at Karee. She put her hand on his as the last kid came out of the hall.

“Your spawn have been returned. Now, begone,” the voice echoed loudly through the hall. “Take your accursed chain and leave.”

Becky looked at Shawn, “Got the keys?”

“No,” Shawn said as he turned towards the Scout with his daughter, followed by the others from the new Settlement.

“We do it the other way, then,” Becky sighed, summoning her shotgun and aiming at the chain from just a few inches away. The shot shattered the chain, sending shrapnel back at her which bounced off her armor. “There. The chain is gone and we’re leaving.”

Silence greeted her words as the manor house faded away. Alvin pursed his lips and fired a shot at where the building had been, hearing the thunk of the bullet biting into the structure. “Optical illusions are well known nowadays,” Alvin scoffed as he stood looking at where the house had been. “Your tricks won’t be as effective as they were a few centuries ago.”

Out of the snow came the shapes of large white hairy creatures with clawed hands. “Time for us to go,” Becky said as she headed for the Mustang.

The cries of the children brought everyone’s attention to the monsters that were coming towards them. Shawn and Han quickly got everyone into the vehicles and started towards the Gate. Those in the back started firing at the advancing monsters. Alvin watched as the monsters staggered but otherwise seemed unfazed by the barrage as he got to the door of the Mustang. He stopped just long enough to fire a single shot at the one in the lead. A spray of yellow came from the monster as it let out an enraged roar.

“Fey, steel hurts them,” Alvin grunted as he got in and started the car.

Becky slid into her seat, taking aim out her door and firing at the monsters, which all paused behind the wounded one. “The thing in the house was trying to keep us around long enough for its friends to show.”

“Too bad for them, we have a form of iron,” Alvin chuckled darkly. “Let’s leave them with a reminder that humanity is to be feared.”

Becky pumped the next round into the chamber with an evil grin, “Right at them?”

“Yes,” Alvin said, revving the engine before dropping it into gear. He pulled the wheel so they were aimed at the closest group of monsters, shifting up as he accelerated directly at them. “Fire at will.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Becky said as she fired again, “Which one is Will?” Her first shot took one of the beasts in the throat, all but severing its head. The next two shots dropped two more of the monsters.

The sudden massacre caused the beasts to wail in fear and run away. Alvin wasn’t about to let them go without a parting gift, though. Letting the Mustang slide, he clipped another of the monsters. The beast’s scream was accompanied by a hissing sound, much like the noise from a slab of meat as it’s dropped onto a hot grill. With that, he accelerated away from the beasts and followed after the other two vehicles as Becky leaned out and fired off a couple more rounds.

“The one you clipped is burned from the thigh down,” Becky said as she put the safety on and buckled up.

“I figured. That’s why I had the kids grab the chain,” Alvin told her as he flew past the other two vehicles. “Now it’s time to get them home.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

Passing the other two vehicles, Alvin was the first out the Gate. He slowed, the rising sun catching him full in the face. “Wasn’t it afternoon?” Alvin asked, pulling the visor down as he ran over some of the bodies that had been left behind earlier.

“It was,” Jarvis answered. “It is forty hours later than when you entered the Gate.”

“Is that just the Fey Gate or all of them?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” the mechanical voice replied.

“Fuckers,” Alvin sighed as he got back to the road, making sure the others were behind him.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Jarvis apologized.

“Probably the Fey,” Becky suggested. “Rip Van Winkle and all that.”

“Point,” Alvin agreed. “The people back in Beatty have to be worried that we never came back.”

“That Gate being so close to Beatty might be an issue,” Becky mused, leaning back in her seat.

“If they bring out a lot of steel, they could build a cage around it. That should keep the fuckers penned in,” Alvin said.

“Good point. Might use something with a small mesh though, in case they have small faeries,” Becky suggested.

“Let’s let them know about the lost time. Besides, I want to stop and strip a bit more off the drake,” Alvin said, putting on his flashers and stopping.

Shawn pulled his Scout up next to the Mustang, “Something wrong?”

Han pulled up on the other side, “Car trouble?”

“Nope. Two things— first, it’s forty hours after we went into the Gate. Second, I’m going to stop at the drake corpse on the way back. You should all just go on without us, we’ll catch up before too long.”

“Forty hours?” Shawn clarified with wide eyes. “Fuck, Dad is going to be worried.”

“You’re coming back to the house afterwards, right?” Han asked.

“Yeah, to get some sleep, if nothing else,” Alvin replied. “Get the kids home and start building the defenses. You might also want to look at putting a steel cage around the Gate, along with some finer mesh to catch the little ones. Admittedly, that’s a pretty tall order, considering the size of the fucking thing.”

“Big enough for an Abrams, or a small plane,” Han groused. “Wish we had a working tank to take back in there, that would fuck them up real good.”

“If nothing else, make sure anyone who goes near it has some steel on them,” Alvin said, stripping off his glove and yanking the steel shard from his hand with a wince. “I do suggest implanting it, even if it does hurt.”

Becky agreed with a grunt as she did the same next to him, before applying a med kit to her hand. “Going to need to buy more medkits again.”

“Why did you—” Han began.

“It was the only way to stop the fucker from fucking with our heads. Whoever owned that house could force false images into our minds.” Becky finished, putting her glove back on. She looked up at Han, her expression flat, “Keep it in mind.”

“Right,” Han said, “we’ll see you at the house then.” He rolled up his window before pulling away.

“Thank you for the help,” Shawn said, following his brother.

Alvin watched them go, waving as they disappeared down the road. “Think they have a chance to make it back without issues?”

“Probably better than we have,” Becky replied, “after all, we’re going back to a fairly fresh corpse. I expect scavengers to be swarming the body.”

“That’s a good point, but I want to get the rest of the teeth and claws,” Alvin said. “Besides, I doubt vultures and coyotes will be that big of a problem for us.” He applied his own medkit before putting his glove back on and getting Ruffian moving again.

“Much easier than dealing with the drake,” Becky said.

“Are you going to tell me about what happened to you in the Fey Gate?” Alvin asked after a few minutes.

Becky glanced at him before looking back out the window, “It was all lies.”

“I won’t press you, Gothy, but you should know it won’t color my feelings for you, and it might help,” Alvin told her with sincerity.

“I don’t know how it was for you,” Becky began slowly, “but that thing, it made me think I was a young girl again. Dad was standing over Mom in the kitchen, like the night before she left, only this time she was dead. Her skull was split open and David was beside her. He’d tried to stop Dad, and Dad killed him, too.” Her words sped up as she went along, her voice trembling with emotion, “I walked into the kitchen just as he finished beating them, and he turned to me with a wide, toothy smile, raising up the baton he’d used to kill both of them.” Her voice caught for a moment, “Then you grabbed me. I wasn’t sure if it was you, or something else, but then you nipped my ear. You’re the only one that’s ever done that, so I knew it was you. That helped me remember you killing my dad. I was able to ignore the vision from that point, and then I thought of the steel we’d used to kill the guards. It occurred to me that some of it should have spalled off, so I tried to use Morse code to relay my plan to you.”

Alvin put his hand on her thigh and squeezed, “Why did you not want to tell me?”

“I’m strong, but that false vision shook me and I don’t want you doubting me,” Becky said as she covered his hand with hers.

Squeezing her thigh a bit tighter, he snorted, “Idiot. If it had done that to me with my past, I might have been in the exact same place. Instead, it tried to talk to me. I know you’re strong and capable, Gothy. Those are some of the reasons I’m happy to have you with me. We’ll both have moments where we have to lean on the other. Today was your day. Tomorrow might be mine. Basha once told me the three pillars to any relationship are trust, honesty, and communication. So never be afraid of honestly telling me what you need to, and trust me to understand. I’ll do the same for you.”

Her hand tightened on his, “Okay, Hero. Just remember I’m like a diamond, hard enough to cut anything, but if hit just right I can shatter into a million pieces.”

“And pretty. Don’t forget that, to me, you sparkle even more brightly than any jewel,” Alvin added as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Asshole,” Becky said as her lips twitched up. “Making me want to be wrapped around your finger, for you to flaunt to everyone.”

“There’s the attitude I know and love,” Alvin grinned. “I’m shocked that you didn’t say you wanted to be wrapped around something else, though.”

“Oh, I do, Hero, I really do, but we’ll get to that tonight, now won’t we?” Her hand left his as she walked her fingers up his arm to his neck, where she began to massage him.

“If I have anything to say about it, yes,” Alvin replied, taking his hand from her thigh and capturing her hand on his neck. He kissed the back of it before letting her hand go.

“Sir,” Jarvis said after a bit, “you have received a considerable sum of experience and I suggest you spend it tonight before sleeping.”

The earnestness of Jarvis voice caught Alvin’s attention, “What’s the deal, Jarvis?”

“I’m unable to elaborate, sir,” Jarvis apologized. “I will say that every day, the world is new and anything can happen…” Jarvis trailed off, clearly trying to hint at something while tiptoeing around it.

Alvin’s mind worked over what Jervis might be hinting at. Next to him, Becky sat upright suddenly. “Hero,” Becky said, her eyes wide, “they’re going to change something big.”

“Jarvis?” Alvin asked. “What’s changing?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” came the mechanical reply.

“Tripped him, so you’re probably right, Gothy. Sorry, Jarvis, but that is one of the easiest ways to find some things out.”

“I understand, sir,” Jarvis replied. “I wish I could say more.”

“What’s my total XP sitting at Jarvis?”

“Currently you are at 613,954 XP,” Jarvis said.

“What the fuck?” Both Alvin and Becky said in unison.

“You received the majority of that amount for being the first to cross the threshold of a Gate, and for rescuing the children from the Fey. Killing a drake also awarded you a considerable amount, as well as the yeti and fey. I suggest that you spend it all soon.”

Alvin sucked at his teeth for a second, “They’re going to change XP, that’s why you keep suggesting that, isn’t it, Jarvis?”

“That is an interesting hypothesis, sir,” Jarvis coughed in a very deliberate way. “I can neither confirm nor deny such speculation, though.”

“Gothy,” Alvin said, “Pick up the medkits we need. I would also suggest getting each of us another life, we’ve come close a few too many times.”

“Sir,” Jarvis said quickly, “may I draw your attention to some potentially useful upgrades that you might consider purchasing with your sudden windfall?”

“Upgrades for you, I’m sure,” Alvin stated dryly.

“Yes sir, but they are very good upgrades,” Jarvis added.

“I’ve got the lives and medkits in the cart,” Becky said holding the pad out to him. “My extra was only 50,000 XP. Yours was 100,000 XP.”

“Yes, miss. Since you are his companion, your extra lives cannot be traded or given away, so they cost much less to purchase,” Jarvis explained.

Alvin extended his finger so Becky could use it to push the button. Ten medkits appeared on Becky’s lap as soon as the transaction was finished. “Okay Jarvis, bring up the upgrades so Gothy can look at them.”

“Done, sir,” Jarvis replied. “The teeth and claws from the drake are a good investment,” Jarvis added after a moment.

“I hope so,” Alvin said as he waited for Becky to look over the suggested upgrades.

Becky remained silent for a few minutes as she looked over what Jarvis had brought up in the store. “Interesting. When I add the upgrade that lets Jarvis be in multiple places at the same time, another option shows up that would let him take control of any vehicle you own when you ask for his assistance. The total price tag for both is 200,000 XP.”

Alvin whistled, “Damn, Jarvis, that’s a costly upgrade branch you want.”

“I am well aware, sir. It would, however, greatly increase my utility. I would be able to pilot another vehicle for you, or bring the Mustang around a building for you so you don’t get ambushed so easily again.”

“Fair enough point,” Alvin agreed as they turned onto the road, taking them back towards the drake corpse and Beatty. “What do you think, Gothy?”

“If what we think is going to happen, does happen, then it’s a worthwhile investment. Having him even more on our side will be a good thing. But do you think maybe you could get him to stop calling you sir so much?”

“We’ll talk about it after we harvest the rest of those teeth and claws,” Alvin said, seeing the corpse ahead of them. “Looks like we’ll have to deal with some scavengers before we can work.”

Becky put the pad down and looked up. The drake corpse was surrounded by a number of very large birds. “Are those ravens?”

“Giant mutated ravens,” Alvin said as he slowed the car. “I wonder if they got even more intelligent?”

“We going to try talking first?” Becky asked with a raised brow.

“Be ready just in case, but considering how intelligent ravens were before, I won’t be surprised if the mutated version is even more so.”

The ravens all turned to look at the Mustang as it came slowly towards them. One of them hopped a few steps towards the car with outstretched wings. “Stop, ours.”

Alvin stopped the car and leaned out the window to talk to the large corvid. “We’re after the teeth and claws, that’s all. We can pay you back by helping butcher it some, if that’s a fair trade.”

The raven cocked its head to one side then the other before it looked behind it. A few bird calls went back and forth between it and the group before the other ravens all hopped back from the corpse. “Yes, tough hide, open and trade.”

“Works. We need to bring the car closer, all our tools are inside of it,” Alvin said.

The raven bobbed its head at them and hopped back. The conspiracy of ravens moved around to the far side of the corpse and stared at them as Alvin drove closer to the body.

“Gods, that is eerie as fuck,” Becky whispered.

Alvin chuckled, “Just be glad they didn’t want to Hitchcock us.”

“I didn’t think that movie was scary, but with birds the size of these guys, it would have been,” Becky said as she got out of the car alongside Alvin. “What do you want to use to butcher that?”

“Maybe the hacksaw. We’ll see if it can’t at least open up any of the wounds further,” Alvin suggested as he pulled out the hammers from before. Handing them off to Becky, he grabbed the saw. “You see about the teeth while I try to uphold our bargain.”

“Works,” Becky said as she eyed the birds, who were watching them intently.

Alvin followed her, looking curiously at the six foot tall birds before turning his attention to the damaged wing of the drake. Luckily, the drake was still on its stomach, so the side of the beast was in easy reach. Alvin noted that the damaged area had been liberally ripped at by the ravens, but it hadn’t been expanded at all.

Examining the wound, he was aware of a faint aroma of decaying meat, but it wasn’t as strong as he expected it to be. Pushing the thought from his mind, he slipped the hacksaw into the wound, angling the blades to cut between scales. After a minute of sawing, he nodded. The wound was opening up, but slowly, and the saw was losing durability faster than he’d hoped.

After a few minutes, the blade on the saw snapped. With a sigh, Alvin walked back to the car and dug around in the toolbox to find another blade. After replacing the broken blade, he put the saw away. “My saw is busted, but I’ll try to chip off some scales so you guys can punch through the hide,” Alvin told the waiting corvids.

“Soon, food?” the original raven asked as it hopped over to look at the side of the drake.

“Soon,” Alvin agreed, “not yet, though.”

The raven pecked at the enlarged hole and managed to pull out a strand of muscle, which it swallowed. “Food,” the raven said, and the others started hopping closer.

“Wait,” Alvin snapped, “if you let me work a little more, the hole will be even bigger and you can get more food.”

The ravens stopped, chatted at each other, then retreated. The first raven took another beakfull before hopping over and dropping the muscle tissue in front of the others, who divided it up and ate it. “Soon?”

“Yes soon, you ravenous animals,” Alvin agreed.

“That’s the last of the teeth, Hero,” Becky said as she climbed out of the open mouth. Scattered on the ground were the teeth the drake used to have.

“Good work, Gothy. I’m going to need the hammer and chisel. Use the sledge to break as many claws off as you can. Ten minutes, and we’ll pack up and leave.”

“I’ll put the teeth in the car first, because once you say it’s good, those things are going to swarm the drake and I don’t want to be too close.”

“Fifteen minutes, then,” Alvin adjusted, to account for her packing the teeth away. He gave her a quick hug before he took the tools and went back to work, this time chiseling scales away from the hide.

He only managed to get five scales separated from the hide in those fifteen minutes. Pocketing the tools, he grabbed the scales, each of them the size of his torso, stacking them up and carting them back to the car while Becky carried over the claws she’d managed to smash off the body.

As soon as the two of them moved away from the corpse, the ravens swarmed it just as Becky had predicted. The birds completely ignored Alvin and Becky as they finished packing everything into the car.

As Becky got into the car, the first raven hopped over, “Thank, friend?”

“You’re welcome. It was mutually beneficial,” Alvin said as he paused by his open door. Pointing towards Beatty, he continued, “Humans there, not food.”

“Human, not food,” the raven ducked its head then hopped back to the carcass to join the others.

Alvin got in the car and started Ruffian back towards Beatty. As they drove away Becky shuddered, “I was sure they were going to try and eat us.”

“We’d have killed them if they tried, they don’t have scales or thick hides to worry about,” Alvin told her. “Besides, this way we got what we wanted easily.”

“So about tonight?” Becky said, turning her attention to her lover.

“I’m sure it's going to be fun,” Alvin chuckled, covering the hand she had put on his thigh with his own.

“I’m thinking we could do what you talked about before, with me coming with you,” Becky suggested.

Alvin’s smile grew, “You want to come back to my place, eh?”

“We haven’t broken it in yet,” Becky said.

“True. But it’s going to need some work done on it first. A small concrete room isn’t my idea of good enough for you.”

“We’ll work on it together, deal?”

“For you, Gothy, anything,” Alvin told her simply as he squeezed her hand.

“Sir,” Jarvis interjected, “about those upgrades. Have you come to a conclusion?”

“That all depends on how they’re changing the world, Jarvis. Are they going to be taking the store away, is it a now or never thing?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” came the mechanical voice.

“That doesn’t sound hopeful,” Becky murmured.

“No, no it does not,” Alvin agreed. “Pick up the two upgrades, we’ll just have to see what happens to them. Add the one that lets you come back to my cell with me, too.”

Becky tapped the upgrades Alvin told her to, then grabbed his hand and pressed the buy button. “Done.”

“Thank you, sir. I will make it up to you, I promise,” Jarvis said, his voice full of gratitude.

“We’ll see about that later,” Alvin said as he drove on towards Beatty. “The whole world is going to change isn’t it, Jarvis?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” the mechanical voice replied.

“Fuck, does that mean everything we’ve done to this point is going to be useless?” Becky hissed.

“No,” Jarvis replied, “not everything.”

“Settlements? Are they going to change?”

“The Settlements will stay set up and will—” Jarvis began before his voice cut off suddenly and became mechanical again, “that information is restricted at this time.”

“What about our stats?” Becky asked.

“They will stay as they are,” Jarvis replied, his tone clipped.

“Gear?” Alvin questioned.

“That information is restricted at this time,” the mechanical voice said.

“Fuck,” Alvin sighed. “What about me being able to take Gothy back to my room with me?”

“That information is restricted at this time,” the mechanical voice said again.

“Motherfucker,” Alvin snapped, his hands going tight on the wheel.

“I can’t answer these questions, yet. I will be able to answer some of them soon, sir.”

“It all changes tonight,” Becky said, understanding.

“That is an interesting hypothesis, miss,” Jarvis said, his tone agreeing with her.

“We need to get back and get things settled before then,” Alvin stated with subdued anger.

“We’ll get through it, Hero,” Becky said, patting his thigh, “together.”

Letting out a deep breath he gave her hand a squeeze, thankful for her reminder that she was going to be there with him. “Fair enough, Gothy.”

Chapter Thirty

The drive back to Beatty was uneventful, and they spent the time wondering what the world would be like after tonight. As they approached the home, Alvin blinked in surprise at the wall that now surrounded the Settlement.

Pulling around to the gate, a person on the wall waved at them and the gate began to open. “That’s new,” Alvin chuckled.

“Shawn must have gotten it started before we left,” Becky mused. “This place might be in good hands after all.”

They pulled through the gate, which was raised up on one side as a modified guillotine gate. Alvin had to approve of the design, it would be easy to close on anyone they wanted to keep out. He looked to the side and saw two people using a crank to raise the gate for them.

Placido waved them over to where the other vehicles were parked. Parking where he was directed, Alvin and Becky got out as soon as he had the car stopped.

“Thank you,” Placido said, a broad smile on his face. “Shawn and Han told us about how you managed to get the kids back.”

“It wasn’t easy, and we did lose a few people to the fucking drake,” Alvin said with a frown. “We also need to speak with Shawn.”

“He said he was going to get some sleep, but he’s probably still awake. I’ll take you to his room,” Placido said, leading Alvin and Becky towards the house.

“Is this place bigger than it was?” Becky asked as they walked towards the home.

“We’ve been working on the upgrades Shawn started before you all left. The house has enough rooms now for all of us, plus another hundred. You saw the walls.”

“He set up to take in the Tonopah people,” Alvin murmured, “he’s thinking ahead, which is good.”

“Except…” Becky murmured back, reminding him that the whole system was about to change.

Grimacing, Alvin nodded and slipped his arm around her waist as they walked. “Fair enough, Gothy.”

The interior of the house was barren, done in concrete that was at odd with the wooden exterior. Lips pursed, Alvin stayed quiet while Placido led them to a set of stairs and down a few flights. Taking the third exit they came to along the stairwell, Alvin followed their guide but noted that the stairs continued to go down. Eventually they came to a door, with a nameplate declaring it to be Shawn’s room.

Placido knocked, waiting for a grumpy reply before opening it, “Shawn, they made it back and said they needed to talk to you.”

“Come on in,” came the mumbled reply. “get the lights for me, please.”

Placido hit the light switch, which illuminated the spartan room. The only things to be seen were a single queen size bed, a table, two chairs, and a door in the right-hand wall. Shawn sat up on the edge of the bed, a mumbled complaint coming from behind him.

“Go back to sleep, I just need to talk to them for a minute,” Shawn said as he pulled the blankets over the person behind him. Standing up from the bed in his flannel pajamas, Shawn motioned at the table. “Have a seat.”

Alvin recognized the tousled hair of Shawn’s daughter hunkered down in the bed as he sat down in one of the chairs. “Don’t want to let her out of your sight?”

“She was taken while she was sleeping. I’ll be damned if I let that happen again,” Shawn snapped. “Sorry, I’m tired. I should be thanking you, not snapping at you.”

“It’s fine,” Alvin said as Becky slid into his lap. Putting his arms around his lover, Alvin blew out a breath. “I’ve got bad news.”

“Figures,” Shawn sighed. “What is it this time?”

“The world is about to change again,” Alvin said. “I don’t know how, or what it’ll mean, only that it's going to happen tonight. The way Settlements work is changing and gear is changing, that we know of, but stats are staying the same, we think.”

“How do you know this?” Shawn asked, his eyes starting to focus as the news drove the idea of sleep from him.

“Jarvis,” Alvin said, “give me a pad.”

Jarvis appeared next to the table with a pad in hand, “As you requested, sir.”

Alvin took the pad and set it on the table. “Jarvis is my AI handler from the people in charge of this game. He can’t give me information, but we’ve figured out a way to get a heads-up on some things.” Alvin proceeded to ask Jarvis the questions they had asked on the drive back to Beatty, triggering the mechanical responses. “That’s all we have to work with. Sorry about that, Jarvis.”

“It is quite alright, sir, I understand why you are doing so.”

“Fuck,” Shawn exhaled deeply. “So I need to get whatever I want done today, before they change everything?”

“Pretty much,” Alvin agreed. “We won’t know what it all means until tonight, though.”

“No rest for the weary, then,” Shawn said getting to his feet. “I’ll grab my stuff and go powwow with Dad and a few others. What are you planning on doing?”

“Finding a room and hunkering down in it until tomorrow morning,” Alvin said as he tapped Becky’s side to get her off his lap. “I have stuff I need to do, and it requires a secure room for me to do it in.”

“Pick any of the rooms without a name on the door,” Shawn said as he grabbed a change of clothing out from under the bed. “Is there any way I can get word to you if I need to?”

“Let Jarvis know,” Alvin said as he got to his feet. “He’ll be here to help. I would also suggest you tell everyone who can afford it to use what XP they have to raise their stats, since that’s the one thing we know isn’t going to change, or not much at least.”

“Will do,” Shawn said as sat on the bed to pull on a pair of jeans. “I want to thank you, but right now I’m not feeling it. I had just started to think I could make this work and now it's all changing again.”

“I understand,” Alvin sighed. “Jarvis, relay to the other two Settlements what we just talked about here.”

“I’ll make sure it is done, sir.”

“We’ll talk to you later, Shawn,” Alvin said as he took Becky’s hand and led her past Placido, who’d stood silently by the door the whole time. “Placido, Jarvis can relay messages all the time now.”

“I’ve talked to James since you showed up the first time,” Placido said as he followed Alvin and Becky out of the room. “He speaks highly of you, and you have my thanks again for rescuing my mother, and now my grandkids.”

“It just happened to work out that way,” Alvin said, brushing the thanks aside. “If you’ll excuse us, this room here looks open,” Alvin opened the door next to Shawn’s that had an empty name plate.

“Rest well,” Placido said as he left them and headed for the stairs.

The room held only a single bed and nothing else. “Spartan,” Becky said as she entered the room and sat on the bed. “So, we heading straight to your place?”

“Yeah,” Alvin said as he sat on the bed next to her. With a deep sigh, he leaned against her, “This is so much shit.”

“We’ll get a bigger shovel,” Becky said simply as she put her arm around him. “I’m looking forward to what we can do with your cell.”

“You just want a shower and a big bed,” Alvin chuckled softly.

“Not just, because I want you there most of all,” Becky whispered into his ear before nibbling it.

Shuddering, Alvin laughed, “Temptress.”

“With you, Hero, always,” Becky giggled lightly. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Alvin said as he took her hand and tapped the button to take him back to his cell.

When the light cleared, they were sitting on his slab of a bed. “This is it,” Alvin announced.

“Well, it's drab and uncomfortable, but we can fix that,” Becky said as she looked around for a way to access the store.

“Welcome home, sir,” Jarvis said as a pad materialized on Becky’s lap. “Welcome home to you as well, miss.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Becky said as she picked up the pad. “Okay, let’s see what I can do with this place. First, we need to make the room bigger and add a shower.”

Alvin’s lips quirked up as he watched Becky focus on the task before her. He didn’t say anything as he waited for her to present the pad to him. His eyebrows rose when he saw the room around him begin to shift.

“Jarvis, what the fuck?”

“You are seeing what the room will look like with the selected upgrades. None of it is final until it is purchased, and you are limited in how you can interact with the preview,” Jarvis explained.

Becky stood up and walked over to a doorway that appeared, still tapping away at the pad in her hand as she went through it. “Kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Okay. Now for the accessories,” Becky murmured as she began to populate the rooms with things.

Alvin chuckled and stayed on the slab, “Fuck it, she can handle it.” No sooner had he said that than the toilet vanished and the bed became a monstrous four poster affair, easily capable of holding multiple people. “She has good taste. After all, she’s with me,” Alvin laughed.

“Everyone has lapses in judgement, sir,” Jarvis deadpanned.

“Ouch,” Alvin said, covering his chest with one hand as he lay back on the bed. “Such wounding words, and after I bought you upgrades, too.”

“I’ve learned from you, sir,” Jarvis stated, but a chuckle slipped out after the words.

“Well, at least you learned from a pro,” Alvin said as he relaxed.

It was some time later when Becky came back into the room pad in hand. “I’ve got the place all set up, Hero, just need your finger to press my button. It’s going to cost 100,000 XP, though.”

Alvin shrugged, “We have the XP right?”

“Yeah, but it's almost half of what was left,” Becky replied.

“Meh, I like this bed already,” Alvin said as he held his hand out to Becky. “Charge me.”

With a grin Becky tapped the pad to his finger. As soon as she did the bed became softer and more real. He looked around the room again, seeing the massive TV on one wall, the kitchen and dining area off to the other side of the room, and a door that lead to a bathroom.

“Bath first?” Alvin asked as he got out of bed and let his clothing vanish.

“That sounds good to me, Hero,” Becky agreed, her clothes vanishing as well. “Let me show you what we have.”

Chapter Thirty-one

Alvin whistled softly as he took in the bathroom. The tile floor was warm to his feet as his eyes darted around the room. Just inside the door was a double sink, with all the normal shaving and tooth care items one would expect. The counters were marble, and the fixtures looked like antique bronze. Opposite that was a large walk-in shower. A toilet was in the back corner of the room, with what Alvin guessed was a bidet next to it.

He took in the big roman tub that dominated the other corner of the room. It was big enough to comfortably hold half a dozen people, at the very least, identical in size to the bed she had purchased. He could see the nozzles around the tub to provide massages for each of the built in seats. Chuckling, he could only imagine what Becky had in mind for some of those.

“Wanted to be comfortable and have lots of room?”

“Get your underwear off and let me show you the shower first,” Becky said. She was already naked, her bra, panties, and stockings stacked on the counter by the sinks. “I figure we’ll handle this kind of like the Japanese do. Shower first, then the big tub to relax in.”

Lips curling into a grin, Alvin quickly stripped off his boxers, chest band and socks. As soon as he was naked, Becky took his hand and pulled him into the shower. Once around the corner and in the shower proper, Alvin could see three large shower heads set into the ceiling above them, the largest one directly above a three foot tiled bench that sat in the middle of the shower. Along the walls were several other nozzles, plus two shower wands resting in cradles and connected to the wall by long metal hoses.

“You planning on orgies at some point?” Alvin laughed.

“Sharing is caring, Hero,” Becky said simply as she turned the knobs on the wall of the shower, each one marked to a corresponding shower head. “I noticed the store will let you have multiple companions. Not sure if that will continue past the coming update, but I figured it would be worth it to make sure that we’re ready if that does happen. I trust you won’t pick anyone I don’t agree to, and that you’ll always keep me as your most important companion.”

Wrapping her up from behind, his hands cupping her massive breasts, Alvin kissed her neck as warm water began to fall from above. “You’re absolutely correct, my wonderful gothic temptress. I won’t take anyone you object to, and you’ll always be the most important person in my life. Now, how about I wash you first, then you can do me.”

Moaning lightly as his fingers played with her hardening nipples, Becky nodded. “I’ll even wash you after that.”

“Hmm. Maybe I should do you first, then,” Alvin said, slipping one hand down her body. “Hands against the wall, slut. You’re going to need the support.”

Placing both hands flat against the wall, Becky moaned as his right hand found her waiting sex. Grazing her hungry lips with his fingers, his left hand continued to play with one hard nipple. Moaning as his index finger traced over her sex, Becky waited for him to dip into her eager slit.

“Spread those beautiful legs and lean forward,” Alvin told her, kissing her neck.

Quickly complying, Becky held her breath waiting for him to penetrate her. She was disappointed slightly as only his fingers invaded her and his free hand left her breast. “Hero, don’t tease me, please,” she whimpered.

“Shhh, I want to enjoy our first time in here,” Alvin said, firmly slapping her ass.

A moan of pleasure came from her as Alvin’s fingers began twisting and turning inside of her as he spanked her. With a mischievous smile in place, Alvin alternated which cheek he spanked, watching her ass cheeks slowly take on a rosy hue. Paying attention to her moans, whimpers, and pleading words, he kept denying her an orgasm, instead keeping her right on the edge. Once her ass started to tint more towards red, he stepped forward, sliding his hard member along the outside of her sex.

“Bully,” Becky hissed as his left hand began to maul her breasts again.

“You’ve loved every second of it so far,” Alvin whispered into her ear as he leaned against her back. “You want more though, don’t you, you cock loving slut?”

“Yes,” Becky said as she shoved off the wall.

Unprepared for her action, Alvin lost his footing and stumbled back. His knees found the seat in the middle of the shower and he abruptly sat down on it. Before he could voice an objection, Becky was between his legs and her mouth was already working his rigid flesh.

“Oh fuck,” Alvin groaned as he felt her take him all the way to the base. “Maybe I teased you too much,” he managed with a little difficulty.

Her answering hum sent vibrations down his length, intensifying the pleasure she inflicted upon him. His muscles began to tighten up as his impending orgasm started to rise, then Becky pulled her mouth from his shaft. “Yes, asshole,” she husked at him, both of them flushed with need.

Tangling a hand in her hair, he yanked her back to his manhood, forcing her to take him all the way down. “I’ll apologize in a minute, then,” Alvin grunted as he bucked his hips into her mouth.

Becky moaned as she pressed her hands against his thighs. She pushed at him, but it was obvious to them both she didn’t really want him to stop. She removed her left hand from his thigh, found her own dripping sex, and began to rub her clit.

Her act of consensual non-consent was too much for him with all the foreplay already. He pushed her head down and held it in place as he felt his seed began to pump from his engorged member, her swallows only adding to the pleasure that overrode his ability to think.

As Alvin began to fill her mouth with his cum, Becky pinched her clit and sent herself over the edge. Swallowing rapidly, she tried to catch every drop, but with her own orgasm happening she failed to do so, feeling some leak from the corners of her mouth as she moaned happily around his shaft.

Shuddering as his orgasm began to subside, Alvin was aware he was still fully rigid. With a wicked smile, he waited for her to release his cock from her mouth. As soon as she did, he pulled her up by her hair.

With a gasp of pain, she met his eyes, seeing naked desire and evil intent. “Hero…”

He pulled her toward him, her legs naturally going to either side as she straddled him, which also put his ready cock directly into her welcoming pussy. Moaning as he felt her hot, velvet walls encase him, he grabbed her hips.

“Finally,” Becky moaned as he penetrated her. As she began to grind her hips in a slow circle, she met his eyes and used her fingers to clean up the few drops of his cum that had escaped her. Keeping eye contact as she licked her fingers clean, her smile grew broad as she felt him twitch inside of her. “Like watching me be a dirty slut, do you Hero?”

Using her hips for leverage, he began to thrust her up and down his shaft. “Yes,” he grunted, lifting his head so he could nibble on her collar bone.

Words were lost to them as each did their best to pleasure the other while the warm water rained down on them. Neither knew how long they were at it, but the urge to finish crept up on them both. Becky stopped the slow circles and began to ride Alvin in earnest. Leaning back as she did, Alvin supported her with his arms. While holding her, he lowered his head and attacked both nipples with his mouth.

“Heerrrooo…” Becky gasped as she felt him begin to twitch inside of her, “fill me, please.”

Unable to hold back any longer, he felt his second load begin to spill forth into her. As he spasmed, Becky slammed herself to the hilt, her back arching as her walls gripped his hard manhood.

Both of them were panting when Alvin pulled her to his chest and lay back on the slab. “Gods damn, Gothy,” Alvin managed after a moment, “you’re going to be the death of me someday, and I’ll die happy.” His arms were wrapped around her as he breathed deeply.

“Not for years, Hero, I won’t let you get away that easily,” Becky whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe in the fullness of time, but I plan to keep you until we’re both old and grey.”

“Heart attack it is,” Alvin chuckled.

“Nut,” Becky giggled as she nipped his ear.

“Already did. Twice in fact, all because of a certain talented gothic temptress,” Alvin replied as he nipped her ear in return.

Shivering in pleasure at his actions and words, she gently pushed herself off him and grabbed the citrus body wash she’d purchased for the shower. “I believe you were going to clean me first,” she held the soap and a loofah out to him.

“As you wish,” Alvin said, letting his eyes rove over her body as he took the items she held out to him, marveling at how beautiful she was.

Becky’s smile faltered slightly as he eyed her, and she wondered if maybe he was wishing for something else instead of what he saw. Her teenage insecurity again creeping to the fore, she bit her lip, barely managing to stop from asking.

“I’m the luckiest man in this stupid game,” Alvin murmured as he ran a hand down her side. Looking up, he caught her in that moment of doubt and his eyes softened. “Silly Gothy, did I not just shower your body with love? This,” he emphasized his words with his hands, “is the best body I’ve ever had the pleasure of touching.” He let his hands run around her waist and down over her ass, “Wonderful. Every inch, every curve, every nerve is a wonder to touch, kiss, and love. So let that feeling go, and know what I say to be truth.” Leaning forward he kissed her belly button, “Otherwise I’ll take this hole next time.” He winked at her as he finished speaking.

His words made her feel better, and the wink made her feel that warm sensation in her chest again. “I thought I was the crazy one.”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” Alvin grinned as he watched her start to smile. “Now turn around and give me this nice round ass. I’ll start there.”

Turning, she leaned over and stuck her ass out, “Have I been a bad girl?”

His flaccid member twitched. “Such a naughty, evil temptress,” he growled softly as his soap covered hand came down with a solid swat on her ass. “Now stop tormenting me for a few minutes so I can clean this sinful body for more fun later.”

“No promises, Hero,” Becky purred as his hands began to glide over her skin.

They washed each other, lightly teasing but neither of them pushing too far. Becky showcased all the showerheads and what each one could do for the various angles they stood at. The two wands could reach the middle bench and had a pulse massage setting that she used on his neck, much to Alvin’s delight.

“That was wonderful,” Alvin said when she finally turned off the water. “Now onto the tub?”

“Yes, follow me,” she winked at him as she swayed out of the shower.

The tub was already full of perfectly heated water as they climbed in. “Is it always full?” Alvin asked as he took the seat Becky nudged him to.

“It fills when the shower turns on, and will hold water at a specific temperature. It empties when you turn off the lights.” As she explained the tub, Becky lounged on her own seat next to him, “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

“It’s more extravagant than I would have done,” Alvin said. “But I wouldn’t change a thing, this is a great little retreat.”

“I’m glad you approve, Hero,” she said softly and leaned over to collect a kiss.

The kiss was soft and gentle, full of happiness. When it ended, Alvin held her hand and closed his eyes. He let his head fall back against a padded headrest and let the water melt any residual tension from him. His eyes briefly opened when music began to play, “Huh?”

“I bought a collection of music, as well as some movies and TV series,” she explained. “The music can be played in any room by asking Jarvis, or by using control panels like the one right here next to my seat.”

“Gonna miss that when we go back to the game,” Alvin murmured, letting his eyes close again as lethargic drowsiness washed over him.

Alvin woke to the sensation of soft lips on his, “Hmm?”

“Dinner is ready, time to get out of the tub before you’re a prune,” Becky told him.

Rubbing his eyes, Alvin sat upright, “Okay, I’m coming.”

“We’ll get to that,” Becky chuckled, “just dry off and meet me in the bedroom.”

Laughing softly, Alvin did as he was told, using the large bath blanket to dry off. Marveling at how relaxed and refreshed he felt, Alvin started planning how to repay Becky for her hard work.

Sitting in just an apron, Becky waited for him at the table. Two covered dishes sat before the chairs. “Making me wait for you, tsk tsk tsk,” Becky smirked.

“Always save the best for last. I plan on enjoying my dessert later,” Alvin replied as he let his eyes rove over her body again. “I’m just sorry I missed watching you cook like that.”

“I’m sure we’ll have time later for you to enjoy seeing that,” Becky said as he sat naked in his chair. “It’s not much, but—”

Placing a finger over her lips, Alvin silenced her. “It will be fine. This is the first meal you’ve made for me. I plan on savoring it, as I will my dessert later.”

A shiver ran through her as she imagined him dominating her again. Instead of replying, she lifted the covers from the plates. The scent of steak reached him as the cover was removed. A bloody steak sat on the plate beside a fully loaded baked potato. “What do you think?”

“It looks like the second best thing I’m going to have in my mouth tonight,” Alvin said as he looked up from the food to catch her eyes. “I’ll just dig in, shall I?”

Her breath quickened at his teasing. “It will be as juicy as you want it to be,” Becky replied as she licked her lips.

Picking up the knife and fork, Alvin cut into the middle of the steak. It was perfectly medium rare, just the way he liked his meat. He looked up at Becky, puzzled, wondering how she knew.

“I asked Jarvis,” Becky chuckled as she watched him. “It seemed like the best idea. Not that I needed to, as it turned out, because I like my meat juicy, too.”

Alvin chuckled, “How well I know.”

Alvin ate slowly, wanting to savor the moment. His chest was warm as he watched her and thought about how she must have wanted to surprise him with this meal.

When he finally finished, Alvin let out a content sigh, “Delicious, Gothy.”

Smiling around her last bite, Becky nodded to him. Once she swallowed, she replied, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I haven’t tried to cook for over a year, I thought I might be out of practice.”

“Sadly though, I’m a little too full for what I was thinking of doing for dessert,” Alvin sighed.

“We can watch something for a bit, and see if you change your mind,” Becky suggested. Taking the dishes to the sink, she motioned him to the bed. “Go get comfortable, I’ll be there in a moment.”

As soon as she joined him on the bed, the TV came on. “What do you want to watch?” Alvin asked as she curled up with him.

“Jarvis, play the selected show,” Becky said, not answering the question.

The opening moments of one of his favorite shows began to play and a wide smile came to him. “You’re so good to me,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

“I wanted to see it, since you’ve mentioned it several times,” Becky said as Firefly began to play.

“We’ll have to aim to misbehave after this,” Alvin chuckled, only to be shushed by her.

Chapter Thirty-two

Alvin woke to find Becky snoring on his chest. “Jarvis, what time is it?”

“I take it you are asking for the in-game time, which would be six, sir. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours.”

“When did we fall off?”

“During episode three, sir,” Jarvis replied. “I’ve paused the show so you can continue to watch it later.”

“Hmm?” Becky stirred on his chest, “What’s happening?”

“I have a beautiful, naked woman draped on my chest, and we fell asleep.”

“You should do something about the former,” she murmured as she kissed his chest.

“Sleepy temptress is a cute temptress,” Alvin chuckled as he ran his hand down her flank. “We need to finish spending the XP…” he let the words trail off as he patted her ass.

“Mhmm, we’ll get to that, maybe in a few,” Becky replied as she nibbled his nipple.

Laughing, he pushed her head away, “Knock that off.”

He wasn’t paying attention, though, and only managed to push her in the direction of her favorite treat. “I’ll just nibble this then,” Becky grinned as she ran her tongue over his slowly rising manhood.

Shaking his head, Alvin let one of his hands tangle in her hair, not to control her, but to remind her that he could if he wished. Becky looked up through her lashes at him, tracing his now rapidly rising cock with her tongue. As soon as he started to gain a little firmness, Becky took his head into her mouth and let her tongue dance around it.

“Mmm, so nice,” Alvin murmured as he met her eyes. “My Gothy is the best gothic temptress.”

A slow wink, followed by her taking more of his shaft into her eager mouth, only made him moan with desire. A couple quick bobs of her head along his hardening shaft had him laying his head back and just enjoying her talents.

Pulling her mouth free of him with a loud pop, she licked her lips. “Such a tasty snack. I do so love Hero in the morning.”

“Evening,” Alvin breathed out as he tried to calm down some.

“A pre-dinner treat then,” Becky chuckled, licking up and down the entire length of his now fully engorged shaft.

“I should get something to eat then as well,” Alvin moaned as he gave her hair a small tug. “Swing that round ass up here.”

Alvin let go of her hair so she could comply and shift into position. Once her wet slit was above him, he eagerly began to lavish her with attention. Not restraining himself, he attacked her flesh with fervor. As his tongue plunged into her, he rested his hands on her ass.

Becky’s happy moan vibrated through his shaft, which only encouraged Alvin to lick at her with more passion. The circle of her giving him more pleasure, then him trying to match her continued for a few minutes. As his orgasm approached faster than he wanted, he spanked Becky hard.

Instead of releasing him from her mouth, she moaned and sucked harder, which only brought him closer to his finish. Not wanting to finish first, he started spanking her, trying to tip her over the edge first. He would have talked dirty to her as well, but his mouth was already fully occupied.

Despite his efforts, he felt his body clench as his orgasm overcame his resistance. Digging his tongue deeply into her, he spanked her harder as he began to fill her mouth, praying she would join him. His prayer was rewarded a second later, as she also locked up and her juices flooded his mouth. Both of them eagerly lapped up the offering of the other, while pleasure washed through them.

With a shudder of release, both of them stopped their ministrations, while trying to catch their breath. Becky was the first one to gather her thoughts, “Protein is the best meal.” With that, she licked up the few drops that had escaped during her own orgasm.

His cock twitched as she licked at him, “Please, mercy,” Alvin panted. “Give me a minute to recover.”

Once he was clean, she rested her head on his thigh. “Fine, but only a few minutes,” her warm breath washed over his trembling flesh.

Spanking her again, he tipped her off him. “Wench.”

She got out of bed with a laugh, “I’d have thought I was more of a screwdriver.”

“I said wench, not wrench,” Alvin groaned.

“Ah, that makes sense. But you’re a much bigger tool than I am,” Becky grinned, the tip of her tongue hanging out as she looked at him.

“Oh, someone wants a spanking again, I see,” Alvin muttered as he slid out of bed.

She quickly bent over the table, “Promise?”

Covering his face with both hands, Alvin laughed, “Damn it, Gothy.”

Her light laughter joined his. “I like this.” She walked to him and wrapped him in a hug, resting her head on his chest. “You always accept my shenanigans. Thank you.”

“You’ve accepted me, so it's only fair,” Alvin replied as he kissed the top of her head. “Besides, you’re fucking sexy as hell. It's always easy for a guy to accept things, when it’s a beautiful woman who’s doing it.”

“You know, I’ve been called beautiful by guys before, but every time you say it, I actually believe it.”

“I mean it every time,” Alvin murmured as he squeezed her tightly. “Let’s get dressed and see about spending the rest of this XP. We should also check in with the Settlement before we really retire for the night.”

“Sounds good,” Becky said, loosening her hold on him but not breaking it.

Seeing her ready to break the hold but not wanting to, he stepped back so he was the one who ended the moment. “Go get dressed before you distract me all over again.”

With a wicked grin, she swayed away from him towards the bathroom. “I kind of like the idea of distracting you again.”

Alvin watched her go, though he knew that would only fuel the ideas that were percolating in his head. She stepped through the door, allowing Alvin to push the thoughts from his mind.

“I’m not supposed to be a teenager,” Alvin muttered.

“Sir, I would point out that this is the first actual relationship you’ve had. This is something that happens. In time, you’ll stop trying to drag each other to bed every five minutes.”

Frowning, Alvin sighed, “I’m kind of afraid of that, too. When that time comes, does it mean I don’t value her as much as I do now?”

“Absolutely not,” Jarvis replied. “You’ll see in time.”

“Hero,” Becky said from the doorway, “it won’t mean you’ll value me less, it’ll just mean I’ll have to work harder to distract you.”

Looking at her posing in just her underwear, Alvin smiled. “More than just standing there in a state of undress you mean?”

Her lips ticked up as she saw his obvious attraction to her body. “Yes, but it's nice to know that this is enough to interest you.” Holding his clothes out to him, she walked closer, “Did you want me to dress you?”

Taking the clothes, he shook his head. “If you tried that, I’m fairly certain neither of us would be dressed for some time again.”

“I know,” she giggled as she let her clothing appear on her. “There. Less temptation for you, for a bit at least.”

“Thanks, my brain was starting to suffer from the lack of oxygen,” Alvin replied as he took his clothing from her and got dressed. Once he was clothed, he took a seat at the table, “Okay, what should we do with the rest of this XP? Ideas, suggestions, observations?”

“Since stats aren’t going to change, I’d say we should increase them— at least we know we won’t get fucked as hard that way,” Becky said as she began preparing something in the kitchen.

“She has a valid point, sir,” Jarvis said. “I don’t know if they will be taking away your XP in this update, which is why I counsel spending what you have now.”

“They might not take the XP, though, which means we would have a nice nest egg to spend on the new stuff,” Alvin pointed out.

“That is true,” Jarvis agreed.

Becky came over to the table with two cups of coffee, “I don’t know how you like yours.”

“I can drink it black, but normally I prefer a splash of cream,” Alvin said as he took the cup.

“I know you like the cream, but not as much as I do,” Becky smirked as she took her seat. “We were discussing XP though, so let’s not get too sidetracked.”

Snorting, Alvin took a sip of the black coffee, “Should we spend the XP or not is the current question.”

“I’d opt for doing so and being sad we don’t have any to spend right away rather than not and maybe lose it,” Becky said. “We’ve got some good options, like the Linguist power. That drake was talking, and the Fey started off using old English.”

“How much does that cost?” Alvin asked.

“50,000 XP, sir,” Jarvis replied.

“It would be best if we both had that Power, so we can understand anything we come across,” Alvin mused, wincing a little at the thought of using 75,000 XP just to be able to talk to people. “If we do that, it will leave us with a little over 58,000 XP left.”

“Incorrect, sir. People have been spending their XP as per your suggestion, and as such you have accrued a tidy sum. If you purchase the power for both of you, it would leave you with approximately 78,000 XP.”

“Wait, people spent 200,000 XP?” Alvin asked incredulously.

“The ones who went with you received a hefty sum for rescuing the children, and those in Ely have spent large amounts of their accrued XP,” Jarvis pointed out.

“Huh,” Alvin muttered with a shake of his head.

“We can raise our Hardiness to six each,” Becky said after a moment. “It’ll cost 75,000 XP.”

“That would leave us with a few thousand left over,” Alvin nodded. “That sounds like the plan, then. Give me the store, Jarvis,” Alvin said.

After purchasing all the upgrades, Alvin was left with 3,954 XP. Hitting the purchase button brought a rush of warmth as his body became more durable.

“That always feels weird,” Becky commented as she shuddered.

Alvin nodded absently, “Agreed.”

“Are we going to go talk to Shawn and the others?” Becky asked as she went back to sipping her coffee.

“We should check in before we retire for the night,” Alvin said. “See what they’ve done and what they’re planning. I don’t think there’s a lot we can do with the XP we have left.”

“There is one thing,” Becky said softly, “if you will indulge me.”

“What?” Alvin asked as he watched Becky bite at her lower lip.

“I’ll put it in the shopping cart. Accept it, but don’t look at it. I want it to be a surprise later,” Becky said as a pad appeared in her hand.

“Okay,” Alvin wondered at her sudden secrecy.

“Press here,” Becky said after a minute, covering most of the pad with her hand.

Eyeing her for a moment, Alvin wondered what she was up to, but he pressed the button without trying to ruin the surprise.

As his finger hit the purchase button, Becky hissed in pain and clutched at her left thigh with one hand while her other covered her chest. She held up a hand to stall his question, “No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting that. Should have.”

Arching a brow at her, his lips pursed, “What did you do, Ray?”

Snorting, Becky’s lips formed a soft smile, “Get her? That was your plan?”

Chuckling, Alvin let the secret she wanted to keep stay that way. “Fine, I’ll wait. But I will find out later tonight.”

“Indeed. I hope you’ll like it,” Becky said as she finished her coffee and got to her feet. “Shall we go?”

Draining his cup, he stood as well, “Okay, devil woman. Let’s go talk to the peasants.”

Chapter Thirty-three

Tapping the button to return to the game, Alvin let the light wash over them both. Blinking away the spots that covered their vision for a second, they found themselves back in the unoccupied room they’d been in earlier.

They made their way up to the first floor, which had been set up as a kitchen, dining area, and great room. Placido greeted them as they came in, “Hope you two had a good rest.”

“We got some rest in,” Alvin smiled wryly. “How’s everyone doing?”

“For the most part, good. We’re all glad to have the kids back. Karee’s having a hard time, she and her dad were really close, even if they did fight all the time. Her mom left them years ago, useless drug addict that she was, and it’s been just her and Millhouse since then. He was also pretty close to Han and Shawn.”

“I know what it's like to have no family,” Alvin grimaced, “it’s a tough thing to deal with.”

“Maybe you could talk to her after dinner,” Placido said. “My wife and a few of the others are in the kitchen, whipping up a celebratory feast for getting the kids back. After dinner we’ll have the wake for those who died on the trip to get the kids back.”

“It’s a good idea,” Alvin agreed, his arm around Becky’s waist. “Have you seen Shawn? I wanted to talk with him about plans he has for the Settlement.”

“I’ll be getting him up in a bit. He went around earlier and assigned a bunch of building jobs, then went to get some sleep.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin said. “Is there any place we should hang out to wait?”

“Pick any seat,” Placido told him, gesturing. “Everyone here is grateful you turned up when you did. Do you want something to drink?”

“I’m not a big drinker,” Alvin said, “so maybe some juice or tea.”

“I’ll take whatever he’s having,” Becky said as she separated from Alvin and claimed a loveseat for them. She patted the cushion next to her, “Here, boy, come here.”

“Bitch,” Alvin laughed as he went to her and took the seat.

Placido watched them with a dubious expression before going to fetch the drinks. He was back a minute later with two cups of apple juice, “Here you go. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I’ll go see if Shawn is awake.”

“Thanks,” Alvin said, taking a drink from the cup and letting the sweet juice linger on his tongue.

“Thank you,” Becky said as she also took a drink. “This is a wonderful break from all the water we’ve been drinking.”

“See you both in a bit,” Placido said, leaving them alone in the great room.

Once he was gone, Alvin set the cup on the floor, shifting so his head was in Becky’s lap and his legs dangled over the arm of the loveseat. “What are you thinking about?”

“That I love being with you,” Becky replied softly as she stroked his forehead.

“Excuse me,” a voice came from behind them. Becky turned to see who was talking to them, “can I ask you something?”

“Karee, right?”

“Yes,” the sixteen year old walked around the small sofa and pulled a chair over to sit closer. “Can you tell me how Dad died?” She bit her lip, her distress obvious, from the eyes that were red and puffy from crying.

“Well,” Alvin sighed, “he died fighting one of the bigger monsters we’ve seen up to this point.” Alvin relayed the tale of Millhouse’s final stand from the point where the drake had landed in front of the truck. “After that, we chased it down and killed it,” he finished.

“He never stood a chance, did he?” Karee asked, wiping at the tears falling from her eyes.

“No,” Becky replied before Alvin could, seeing that Karee wanted the honest truth and not some varnished lie. “The moment the drake landed and he got out of the truck, he was on borrowed time.”

“He survived so much. I always thought he was invincible, in his own way,” Karee sniffled, “and now he’s gone.”

“No single person can face one of those things down, at least not yet,” Alvin said softly. “His only goal was getting you back. We managed that, in part because he was able to keep the drake’s attention and hurt it like he did. You should be proud of his courage in the face of certain death.”

Karee sniffled again, “He was always so damned confident and headstrong. Now what am I going to do, without him here?”

“Han will be here to look after you,” Becky said.

“It’s not the same. Han is almost the exact opposite of Dad,” Karee said as she tried to compose herself.

“It’s not easy when you don’t have family,” Alvin said softly. “I was raised in foster homes all my life. Gothy, here, had her mother leave her with an abusive father. You can survive, and even thrive, if you want to. Your choices are to give up and die, or to fight to live. Your dad fought. He died fighting. No one can choose for you, this is solely up to you.”

“You still have people here who care for you, and that isn’t something to be easily disregarded,” Becky added.

“I know,” Karee said, finally managing to control her tears. “Thank you, both of you. I heard that you just came here to pass a message to Placido. You didn’t have to go with them to help us, but you did anyway.” She looked up at them with red, puffy eyes. “Why?”

“I need people to survive and build Settlements for the XP,” Alvin told her. “No one here would have survived if they hadn’t gotten you kids back. They’d have lost the heart to go on. We went to make sure this place survived, nothing more.”

“You didn’t care about saving us for any other reason?” Karee asked, her eyes troubled.

“Nope,” Alvin picked up his juice from the floor and took a drink. “I’m a selfish asshole, that way.”

“But you’re my asshole,” Becky said with a faint smile on her lips.

“And you’re my cock hungry bitch,” Alvin laughed, then winced when he heard the indrawn breath from beside them. “Oops, forgot we had an audience.”

Becky bopped him on the nose, “Idiot.”

Alvin rolled his eyes and looked back at Karee, “Sorry, not sorry. You should go find Han, I’m sure he’s looking for you.”

She looked from him to Becky, “You don’t mind that he calls you that?”

“Why should I mind the truth?” Becky replied evenly. “Not all of us feign what we are to appease society.”

Karee got to her feet. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She turned to leave, but paused, “Thank you, even if we didn’t matter to you personally. I have friends you saved from those things, and that means a lot to me. I just wish Dad had survived.” She walked off, leaving the two of them alone.

“She kind of reminds me of me,” Becky mused. “There’s a lot of pain and anger inside her.”

Before Alvin could reply, Shawn showed up. “Oh good, you’re both here. I was hoping to get some more questions answered.”

“Show and tell, take five hundred and thirty-eight,” Alvin sighed.

“Oh stop, it hasn’t been that many times, yet,” Becky chuckled. Smiling at Shawn, she nodded to the chair that Karee had vacated. “Have a seat.”

“Before we start, I have to ask— what did Karee ask you?” Shawn sat on the edge of the chair.

“She wanted to know how her father died,” Alvin said with a shrug. “We told her the truth.”

Shawn sat back, his face twisted in emotional pain. “I grew up with Mill for most of my life, he was basically an adopted brother. His dad died in a mine accident, and his mother was a waste of air who overdosed when he was ten and he moved in with us. He was the biggest asshole I’ve ever met, but he was family.” Shawn sighed, “When her mom left Karee with him, we hoped he’d be able to raise her right. Dad tried to help, but when Millhouse decides he’s right, he won’t listen to anyone else. Mill tried, but Karee is as stubborn as he is.”

“Are we here to talk about Millhouse, or so I can explain a bit about the way the world works now?” Alvin asked.

Shawn bit back a sharp retort, shaking his head. “Just like Millhouse, you’re an asshole.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Alvin said, finishing his juice. “What did you want to ask us about?”

Alvin and Becky spent the next half hour answering Shawn’s questions. He was quick to catch on, but they had to remind him that after tonight things were going to change and they didn’t really know how.

“I’ll see about getting as much as possible built before tonight, then,” Shawn said with a sigh. “We’ll have to cut the celebration and wake short, but this needs to be done now.”

“Shawn,” Wynn said as he entered the room, “your mom says dinner will be ready soon. I’m going to call everyone in.”

“Okay,” Shawn said as he stood up. “Follow me, I’ll show you to the dining area.”

Dinner was a mix of many different dishes. There was meatloaf, a couple of different pasta dishes, baked potatoes and a few dishes Alvin didn’t recognize. Whiskey, beer, and wine were available to the adults who wanted to imbibe, while the kids had several sorts of juice to choose from. Alvin had one whiskey and water before switching to juice. Becky snagged a beer for herself, which she nursed throughout dinner.

Those that had gone to rescue the kids spent the meal recounting the trip, except for Alvin. He refused to talk about it, but Becky didn’t share his reticence. People kept coming by their table to thank them for their part in getting their kids back.

After they’d eaten, those who weren’t needed right away helped gather the dishes, then retired to the great room. People took turns telling stories about those who’d died. Some of the stories, especially those involving Millhouse, were outrageously funny.

It was almost midnight when the wake ended and everyone still awake headed off to their bedrooms. Jarvis appeared as the last few people were leaving the room. “Sir, I suggest that you quickly make your way back to your room.”

“Why?” Alvin asked.

“The game will be taken offline for at least eight hours,” Jarvis explained quietly.

“Hero, what does that mean for me?” Becky asked as she took his arm.

“I don’t know. Let’s head on back to my room and hope it means nothing,” Alvin said, leading Becky toward the stairs so they could find an empty room. As soon as the door of the first unoccupied room they came to was closed behind them, Alvin pressed the button to take them both back to his cell. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and waited as time ticked away.

“Hero, if—” Becky began.

Alvin kissed her hard, before pulling back, “No! Don’t say it, everything will be fine.”

Meeting his eyes and seeing his desperation and uncertainty, she bit her lip. “I need to say it, Hero.”

Bending his head, he nodded, “Okay.”

“If something happens, I just want you to know, that this time with you has been the only time I’ve felt alive,” Becky said softly, though the sincerity in her tone carried a lot of weight.

“Everything will be fine,” Alvin said firmly, trying to convince himself as much as her.

“Ten seconds,” Jarvis said calmly.

Both of them clung to the other as they silently counted down the time in their heads. Alvin’s arms spasmed when he reached zero, as did Becky’s. Another few seconds passed before they began to breathe again.

“Fucking hell,” Alvin whispered as he tightened his arms on her more, even as his heart began to unwind.

Becky just tilted her head and caught his lips with hers, the passion electric between them. With a growl, she pushed against him, driving him back towards the bed. Alvin didn’t fight the motion, but took control of it and dragged her to the bed, their lips locked together as their tongues dueled.

Falling onto the bed, Alvin rolled them over so Becky was beneath him. “I’m glad you’re still here,” he whispered as he willed his clothing away.

“So am I,” Becky replied as her clothes vanished as well.

Alvin went to remove her bra, frowning when he noticed something different from the normal shape of her breasts, “What did you do?”

Becky grinned, “Take it off and find out.”

Peeling off her bra, he found her nipples now had hoops through them. “Nipple piercings were in the store?”

“Uh huh,” Becky said as she cupped her chest. “Try them out.”

With a smile, Alvin dipped his head to her left breast and flicked his tongue across her nipple. The hoop bounced as his tongue ran across it, earning a small moan from Becky as her nipple became instantly rigid. “Increased sensitivity?”

“Yeah,” Becky breathed. “One of my friends in school had piercings, she always said it made hers way more sensitive. I was going to do it, but then zombies happened.”

Giving her other nipple a playful lick caused the same reaction. “How are they already healed and ready for play? I thought it took a while for piercings to heal,” Alvin mused, gently squeezing her breasts.

“Fuck if I know,” Becky moaned. “I’m just glad they’re healed already.”

“All body modifications purchased from the shop include instant full healing,” Jarvis told them.

“The other one is too?” Becky asked with a touch of breathlessness as Alvin continued to play with her breasts.

Alvin froze as Jarvis said, “Yes.”

“Other?” Alvin asked.

“I hope you don’t mind, Hero, but…” she trailed off and spread her legs wide. “I kind of wanted it.”

Thinking that she’d pierced her sex, his eyes went first to her pelvis. What caught his eye, though, was bright red ink adorning her inner left thigh. The tattoo there featured a heart with “Gothy” written across it in intricate script. Under that, in the same script it read “Property of Hero.” One ring from a set of handcuffs pierced the heart, going through the letter O in Gothy. The other end was linked to the letter O in Hero.

“What do you think?” she asked, after he’d stared at it for several seconds without commenting.

Lips ticking up, he shook his head, “I guess you really did want to be marked by me.”

“I belong to you, Hero,” she said softly, lightly dragging her nails down his chest.

“I think it’s amazing, and I’m honored to have you, Gothy,” Alvin said before he slid down her body and began to kiss the tattoo. “It’s too bad I can’t get something similar just yet.”

“The store is available for the next thirty minutes, sir,” Jarvis told him. “Full shutdown has been delayed. There appears to be some confusion over the matter of companions. Portions of the code are apparently behaving in an unanticipated manner.”

“Huh,” Alvin said, pulling up the store.

Jarvis had the body modification page ready, with tattoo selected. Alvin followed the prompts and created a small design to go on his right arm. “Gothy’s Hero” in red ink that dripped blood cost him most of his remaining XP. A searing pain radiated from his bicep when he confirmed the purchase.

“Gah. Did yours hurt like this?” Alvin asked as he looked at his right arm, now sporting the new tattoo.

“Yes,” Becky said as she sat up and ran her finger over the ornate calligraphy on his arm. “My own personal Hero,” she said softly, then pushed him down on the bed and kissed him passionately again.

Letting her have her way, Alvin wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with equal passion. His hand grabbed her round ass and pulled her against him tighter, grinding his rising manhood against her pelvis.

Over an hour later they finally separated, laying back on the bed spent and content. Becky draped her arm and leg over his body, as she had taken to doing. Alvin reached up with his free hand to idly play with one of her new piercings.

“You were aggressive tonight,” Alvin whispered.

“I’ve been accepted by my Hero, and branded with his mark,” Becky murmured, “so yeah, I was a little worked up.”

“A little? You rode me like you were aiming for a rodeo championship,” Alvin chuckled.

“I held on for more than eight seconds,” Becky giggled.

“I would fucking hope so,” Alvin snorted. “Be pretty damn sad if I couldn’t even last that long.”

“I had a guy who didn’t last much longer than that once. He wasn’t American Pie sad, but not much better,” Becky said.

“Wow, that is kind of sad. I’d forgotten that movie,” Alvin murmured as his eyelids began to droop.

“Sleepy now. See you in the morning, Hero,” Becky yawned and nestled her head against his chest.

“Night, Gothy,” Alvin mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Thirty-four

Waking to find Becky again drooling on his chest, Alvin smiled at her, and had to stifle sudden relieved laughter so not to wake her. After a minute he began to stroke her hair, just enjoying the moment of closeness with her.

“Don’t wanna,” Becky mumbled as she snuggled closer to him, her arm and leg tightening around him.

“Are you sure?” Alvin whispered.

“No, wanna stay here,” Becky mumbled, smacking her lips.

“If that’s your decision, then I guess I won’t ravish you this morning,” Alvin said with difficulty, trying not to laugh.

“Mrhm?” Becky’s eyes fluttered open. “Ravish me?”

“Fuck you silly, cause you orgasmic ecstasy, make sweet, passionate love to you, or whatever else you want to call it?” Alvin said, his laughter bubbling up.

Eyes still bleary with sleep, Becky grumbled, “You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? And what were we talking about?”

“Not at all,” Alvin laughed. “We’d just agreed that I wouldn’t ravish you this morning.”

Becky’s brow furrowed as she tried to recall what she’d been saying. “Hey, wait a minute— I didn’t agree to that.”

“You woke up saying you didn’t want to, I asked if you were sure, and you said yes,” Alvin bit his lip to try and stop his laughter.

“You’re making that up,” Becky grumbled and poked at him.

“Miss, it is my sad duty to report that sir’s account is accurate,” Jarvis told her.

“I did not,” Becky complained with a growl. “You’re both ganging up on me.”

Alvin shook his head, still chuckling, “A little, but you were talking in your sleep and drooling on me.”

Becky lifted her head from his chest and eyed the pool of saliva on him. Sighing, she put her head back down. “Okay, so maybe I was drooling a little. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be ravished by you.”

“Fair enough,” Alvin relented. “How about we see about that later? I need to use the bathroom something fierce. We can have some breakfast and catch up on what they’ve done to the game. Sound fair?”

Letting out an unintelligible grumble, Becky lightly bit his nipple. “Bully.”

Alvin stroked her hair, “Yeah, but you like it when I’m mean to you. Now let me up before we have a real issue to deal with, and I won’t be the one to clean it.”

Becky’s lips thinned into an evil smile, “Oh really?” She started trying to tickle his sides, but he just laid there without any reaction. “You’re not ticklish?”

“Not on my sides, no. Now let me up, Gothy, I really need to go.”

She relented, allowing him to get out of bed. When he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, he found Gothy in the kitchen wearing nothing but an apron while she made breakfast. Cups of coffee were already set out on the table, so he took a seat and watched her.

His anatomy liked what it saw as she swayed back and forth to the low sounds of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. Looking over her shoulder at him as the song ended, she winked.

“I see you like my singing,” Becky chuckled, her eyes on his lap.

“Your singing is good, but that ass is fucking amazing,” Alvin smirked.

“I know, and the way you spank it is pretty perfect,” Becky replied and went back to focusing on the food.

“Jarvis, tell us about the new rules, please,” Alvin said after a small pause, tearing his eyes away from Becky so he wouldn’t attack her while she was cooking.

“It will be easier with a presentation, sir,” Jarvis said. “Miss has asked me to wait until breakfast has been served to begin.”

“Who do you work for?” Alvin asked in mock indignation.

“Nominally you, sir, but as any good butler knows, it would be improper to take any side in a domestic squabble.”

Alvin paused before shrugging, “Fuck it. I like keeping her happy, I’ll wait.”

“Thank you, Hero,” Becky said from the stove. “Besides, it’ll only be a few more minutes. Actually, come here and scramble these for me, please.”

Alvin set his mostly empty cup down and went to join her by the stove. She had a pan of diced sausage and scrambled eggs on the burner. “Your turn?” He asked as he took the spatula from her and began to mix the eggs around.

“Yes,” Becky replied, pulling her apron off as she went for the bathroom.

Alvin was plating the food when she came back. She let him finish the job, pouring more coffee for them both, then joining him at the table.

“Now that you are both ready, I’ll start. I will project images onto the wall, so you can both more easily see what I’m talking about,” Jarvis told them as they began to eat. “First, the very bad news. Settlements have been completely reworked, from the ground up. Some elements, such as the Quarry, have been removed entirely. Even those elements that remain in place have been drastically altered. The Medical Unit, for example, has had its functionality changed considerably and can no longer be used to easily produce medical kits.”

“What’s the trade off?” Alvin asked with a frown, thinking of all the work Green River had done suddenly being negated.

“Those assigned to any building will now receive a bonus for crafting items that fall under the appropriate category. Individuals assigned to perform crafting are still required to have the requisite knowledge or skill, however, that skill may be purchased using XP. A Settlement’s Overseer may assign a Supervisor to each building. The Supervisor has the authority to spend Settlement XP on upgrades for their building.”

“How are they going to get supplies?” Becky asked as sipped her coffee.

“Drops from mobs killed in the many worlds open to everyone is the simplest way,” Jarvis replied. “You may also buy supplies in the store, if you choose. The list of supplies available is extensive.” Jarvis briefly showed them several pages from the updated store.

“How do loot drops work?” Alvin asked.

“When a mob is killed by someone in your party and you touch it, you will be given a prompt. You will have to choose between the system generated loot or leaving the body as it is. If you do not accept the loot, that means you can take the body back to a settlement where it can be processed in the Butcher shop, if the person running the shop has sufficient skill to handle the corpse. Or, you can try to harvest the corpse by yourself, but that is not going to return nearly as much as it could in the shop. If you choose to not loot and then do nothing with the body, anyone who comes by can claim it.”

“What about the Farm and other food producing buildings?” Alvin asked, trying to clarify.

“They have been changed, sir. The Farm makes viable farmland available next to the Settlement, which is treated much like a building— the Overseer may assign workers and a Supervisor to it. The Butcher Shop now requires input in the form of whole animals. A skilled Butcher may be able to produce usable hides and bone in addition to meat. Each of these buildings have started with one week’s worth of food for the Settlement.”

“A starting Butcher Shop can’t process a drake, can it?” Becky asked.

“No, miss, the skill required for that is very high. The dragon-kin are near the very top of the skill tree.”

“Can we loot corpses from before the change?” Alvin asked.

“No sir, though they can be harvested,” Jarvis replied with a hinting tone.

“We should go back and harvest the drake outside of town,” Becky said. “Maybe tell Ohm about the one at the refinery, since I don’t think we want to try going back for it with that other drake between us and it.”

“Those are both good ideas,” Alvin said with a deep sigh as he considered the changes that had been implemented. “All that hard work we did to get the Settlements up and running,” he sighed.

“Has not been entirely in vain, sir,” Jarvis quickly said. “Depending on how advanced the Settlement was, they have received bonus Settlement XP in proportion to the extent of the changes made to existing upgrades. Susan has been quite busy making the needed adjustments, the XP bonus for Green River was substantial. Sheriff Ohm is calming and rallying the settlers at his Settlement, and Shawn is currently marking out a Farm for Beatty.”

“How do Settlements get XP?” Alvin asked, taking the last bite of his eggs.

“The Overseer can set an XP tax on all people in the Settlement, in effect a tithe on all XP they earn. Likewise, every transaction conducted in a settlement may be taxed. Item production grants XP directly to the Settlement. The Exchange Orb is also still available, so that XP can be donated directly to a Settlement. Minor children start with a negative XP balance, which is paid back once they start gaining XP. ”

“What can it be spent on?” Becky asked, knowing that Alvin would want to ask that question next, but his mouth was full.

“Anything the Overseer decides to spend it on, as well as being available to Supervisors for building upgrades. Buildings, walls, and automated defenses will require Upkeep, and on occasion, need to be repaired.”

Alvin’s lips pursed after he swallowed, “Wait. The Overseer can use the XP to buy things from the shop too, right?”

“Yes,” Jarvis replied.

“Is there any safeguard to make sure they don’t just spend it for themselves?” Alvin asked.

“No, sir. Players also no longer have any direct control of any Settlement. You will now be limited to setting up a store kiosk. The kiosk will net the player that owns it 5% of all XP spent purchasing from the store, selling to the store, or purchasing other services such as upgrades. In your case, it is 15%, due to upgrades you purchased before the patch. The kiosks may also be used to send mail between Settlements, and if the Overseer chooses to purchase the relevant upgrades, video conferencing and other things become available, if they are networked to the same player. I am able to use the kiosks, as well, to relay messages between you and any Settlement you wish, but I no longer have a hologram form in the game.”

“That sucks, Jarvis,” Becky sympathized, hearing the disappointment in Jarvis’ voice.

“Thank you, miss. Luckily, I can still operate any vehicle you claim ownership of. That Power was not removed from the game, since someone had purchased it previously.”

“That’s nice,” Alvin said absently as he chewed over all the information they had been given. “I don’t need to start Settlements then, and I don’t get any XP for doing so, is that right?”

“Broadly, sir. You will get an XP bonus for claiming any kiosk that another player hasn’t claimed. That will add it to your network, allowing them to exchange messages and more depending on upgrades. At every place where twenty or more people are gathered and trying to survive, a kiosk has been placed. All you need to do is interface with it once and it will be added to your network.”

“What’s my goal, then? Why should I even bother trying to find other people?” Alvin asked with a hint of anger.

“The current theory, sir, that Settlements should specialize in particular fields; medicine, electronics, weapons, et cetera, and should negotiate trade agreements with other Settlements. If an Overseer chooses the right upgrades for a kiosk, it becomes possible to ship goods instantly between Settlements, so such specialization becomes quite feasible.”

“What about people?” Becky asked with a growing smile, “Can people teleport between Settlements?”

“If that function is found and unlocked,” Jarvis answered.

“That gives us a reason, Hero,” Becky said, shifting her chair to sit next to Alvin. “We’ll become explorers and treasure hunters.”

Alvin glanced at her, his upper lip twitching. “You certainly have the tits to be Lara Croft.”

“And you can be my Indiana,” Becky smiled.

“What about gear, Jarvis?” Alvin asked as he gave Becky a kiss on the cheek.

“That becomes a bit more complicated, sir.”

“Uncomplicate it,” Alvin said dryly.

“I’ll do my best,” Jarvis replied. “Let’s start with your weapons. Damage has been reduced across the board, so that your rifle only does 7 damage now, sir, instead of 24. Miss’ shotgun has been reduced from 50 damage at short range, to 10. Damage does still drop with distance, as well.”

“That blows,” Becky snapped, “how the fuck are we supposed to kill drakes and the like now?”

“I will explain, miss. Please bear with me,” Jarvis implored.

“Durability has also been changed,” he continued. “Durability will now drop by one point per bullet fired, instead of the previous point per magazine. Upgrade options have also been reworked, though your current weapons and any weapons purchased before the change will retain their upgrade abilities. Ammunition has been changed. Jacketed rounds have been changed to Armor Busters, and no longer halves a target’s armor. Instead, it doubles the damage of the weapon so long as it hits a point of armor first. Any extra damage beyond the base damage of the weapon doesn’t transfer, though. For instance, if a target has 21 armor and is hit with miss’ shotgun, the first shot would strip 20 armor but do no damage. The second shot would strip the remaining point of armor, then do 10 damage. The rounds are still jacketed with steel, so they remain effective against Fey.”

“They’re not going to last, with it costing a point of durability per shot fired,” Alvin grumbled.

“Guns can now be repaired,” Jarvis went on after a pause, “if you can find a gunsmith who has the knowledge to do so, that is, and if you pay the gunsmith’s asking price. The downside to that is that the overall durability of the weapon degrades by 10% each time it is repaired.”

“I would bet that Bill can repair guns,” Becky opined.

“He can, miss, as can Wynn in Beatty.”

“Does the caliber of the gun matter anymore?” Alvin asked.

“Yes, it is still the determining factor for base damage.” A list of weapons appeared on the wall Jarvis was using. “For instance, your handgun does 4 base damage. Miss’ handgun has a base damage of 3. Shotguns at close range do a base of 10, while 7.62 rifles do 7 base, and .223 does 5 base. I could go on, but that is the gist of it. I should also mention another change to ammunition. Hollow Points, which are now called Bloody, are the opposite of Armor Busters. They double the damage of a weapon if it does not hit any armor.”

“Explain how we can kill a drake, please,” Becky asked in a sugary sweet voice that made Alvin wince.

“Armor is how much damage can be soaked before physical damage is taken. Armor value is set equal to an item’s durability. Your armor is unusual because of the upgrades you applied, which gives it significantly higher values than most gear now available. A perfect example is your gloves, miss. They can absorb 99 damage before they break. Armor may also be repaired, at the cost of 10% of the maximum durability value per repair. If a piece of armor takes an additional 10% damage past its maximum durability after being broken before it is repaired, it will be destroyed. You will need to find people with the appropriate skills to repair your armor. For example, you will need to find someone skilled at tailoring to repair your silk and cloth items, or a composite armorsmith to repair the Kevlar.”

“I can take 99 damage on my hands?” Becky blinked. “What does that mean for my chest, then?”

“It’s lovely,” Alvin deadpanned.

“Very droll, sir,” Jarvis said, as Becky grinned at Alvin. “Your corset can currently take 242 damage, and the Kevlar can absorb 990 damage.”

“What about my jacket?” Becky asked.

“Your jacket has an armor value of 240, however, armor value now only counts for the places it is actually covering. So, unless you have it buttoned up, your jacket does not protect your chest.”

“How much armor does a drake have?” Alvin asked.

“Each scale of a drake has its own armor value. Some scales are thinner than others, however, even the thinnest drake scale is still worth 500 armor. The thickest scales can absorb 1000 points of damage. Its wings have no armor, and enough damage to them will render a drake incapable of flight.”

Alvin whistled softly, “Fuck. So, roughly a hundred rounds from the rifle to break one scale.”

“Yes, sir. However, if you have ten people with rifles all shooting at the same spot, it rapidly becomes easier,” Jarvis said. “Drakes should not be a solo target for anyone, at least not for some time.”

“We can still upgrade our gear, right?” Becky asked.

“Yes and no,” Jarvis replied. “Depending on the quality of the base item, you are able to add a number of Runes to each piece of gear. The most common Runes are available to purchase in the store. Some possible effects gained from Runes include the ability to resist environmental extremes, resistance to effects such as poisons or stuns, or an increase to the base durability of the item the Rune is applied to. Some Runes can be transferred between items.”

“Can our gear be upgraded?” Alvin asked.

“No sir, that was the tradeoff for not taking away your gear and giving you newer gear with base runes. I thought that would be acceptable to you.”

Alvin considered it before nodding, “Fair enough. What about the storage pockets?”

“Those are a base Rune, which must be applied to armor, or miscellaneous gear like your bags. The new base Rune gives you two item slots that do not count toward the items in a bag, or a slot which can hold a single item in a piece of armor.”

“What about our nifty underwear?” Becky asked suddenly.

“Underwear purchased from the store is still indestructible and includes a single rune slot, so yours have not changed.”

“Good. I like being able to get naked at will,” Becky nodded.

“That’s what we should be thinking about right now,” Alvin said with a roll of his eyes.

“I’ll always be thinking about it, Hero.”

Alvin gave one of her nipples a tweak, “Focus.”

With a low moan, Becky squirmed in her seat, “How can I, when you do that?”

“Fair enough,” he took his hand away. “Now focus for a bit, please.”

With a glare, she nodded, “I’ll pay you back for that.”

“Is there anything else we need to know right now, Jarvis?” Alvin asked, ignoring the glare.

“All unspent XP has been removed,” Jarvis said quietly. “I’ve been hearing complaints from those that didn’t listen, even though everyone was warned that this was expected.”

“Fuck ‘em if they didn’t listen,” Alvin sighed. “Anything else?”

“Your health has changed. Health is now figured at ten times your Hardiness stat.”

“Basically low grade video game health, then,” Alvin said. “How do medkits and regrowth kits work?”

“Regrowth kits have been renamed trauma kits. Medkits will heal 25% of your health, and trauma kits will heal 50%.”

“So, we both have 60 health right now?” Becky asked, wanting to make sure she understood. “And how does that work with the stats that aren’t at round numbers?”

“Stats have all been rounded to the nearest whole number. You are still able to raise stats from the store, though only by whole number increments. Humans are still capped at 10 in every stat.”

“It would take 6 shots from my shotgun to kill either of us, without any armor,” Becky pointed out.

“Yeah, definitely more like a video game,” Alvin said.

“Why the change to a more game-like world, Jarvis?”

“You were dispatching things with too much ease, and frankly the Company had no experience on how to properly make a game. They brought in some experts over the last few weeks, and this is where we are now,” Jarvis explained.

“Great. Anything else we should know?”

“Powers have changed extensively as well, sir. Very few of them are available for purchase from the store any longer. The Linguist Power has been removed from the game. However, since you purchased that power prior to its removal, you have been permitted to retain it. All AI related Powers have also been removed. Companions are no longer available, that Power has been replaced with a new one...” Jarvis let the sentence taper off.

“Out with it,” Alvin growled.

“As you command, sir. Companion is gone. In its place is a new Power, called Leader. Leader allows a person to create a Unit. Members of a Unit share XP gains, as long as they are within 5 miles of the Leader. Any person wishing to join a Unit just needs to pledge to a Leader, which is a variable oath that must be accepted by both parties and is fully enforceable by the system. Pledges can be of any duration agreed upon, so that Units can be created for many purposes. The Leader of a Unit receives 10% of the XP that Unit earns, in addition to any agreed upon benefits from the pledge.”

“Hero…” Becky said, staring at Alvin intently. “I want to pledge. Right. Fucking. Now.”

Alvin met her gaze, falling into her rich blue eyes. “I’ll accept. Tell me what pledge you’re making.”

“Jarvis, is there a formal speech for it to work?” Becky asked as she stared back into Alvin’s eyes.

“The first line is the only one; ‘I, your name, offer this Binding Pledge to you, their name.’ Then you add the terms, and if they accept, it binds you both to follow those terms.”

“I, Rebecca Alina Woodrow, offer this Binding Pledge to you, Alvin…” She paused, realizing she didn’t know his full name.

“Alvin Leon Lambert,” Alvin told her, his cheeks pinking just slightly as he remembered all the times his initials had caused him grief.

Becky nodded then started again, “I, Rebecca Alina Woodrow, offer this Binding Pledge to you, Alvin Leon Lambert. I pledge to always stay at your side, to do my best to be what you need or want me to be, through sickness or injuries. I will slay your foes and care for your allies, as you see fit. I will follow your commands, no matter what they might be. All I ask in return is your love and that you never send me away from your Unit.”

Alvin felt like the pledge ran really close to a marriage oath, but, with Becky, he had no problem with that idea, as odd as that would have seemed to him even a week ago. “I, Alvin Leon Lambert, accept your Binding Pledge and I will honor it in word and in deed. Rebecca Alina Woodrow, you will never be sent away from me, for I will never let you go.” Alvin said the words, meaning them with every fiber of his being.

An electric line of dark pulsing energy shot from Becky to Alvin and back. When it vanished, Becky had a black tattoo encircling her neck, framing the initials A.L.L. at the front.

Alvin stared at the tattoo with a raised brow, “A collar?”

Becky touched her neck, as his eyes were focused on it. She found only skin, “What collar?”

“Yes, sir. A Binding Pledge is viewed as a form of servitude. Normally the mark is a simple wrist bracelet, but there is some latitude. This form was an acceptable thought from both of you based on that pledge.”

Becky jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Alvin watched her go, surprised and even a little shocked. “You could have said something first, Jarvis.”

“Would it have made a difference, sir?” Jarvis asked archly.

Alvin paused. He was going to say it did, but he really didn’t care if people looked at him odd for collaring the woman he loved; after all they both wanted it. “No, no it wouldn’t,” Alvin finally admitted.

“I love it,” Becky said softly from the doorway, her hand still touching her neck. “I have your mark on me twice now.” She bit her lip seductively and slowly swayed toward him, “I need to thank you, Hero.”

Alvin watched her come, his body immediately reacting to her advance, “This is going to take a while.”

A rich, throaty laugh came from Becky, “Oh, yes. After all, I am very grateful to be yours, now twice over.”

Chapter Thirty-five

Alvin pushed his chair back from the table as Becky approached him, her predatory intent obvious. A few feet short of him she dropped to all fours. Not moving from his spot, he let her crawl to him. As she reached his position, he reached down and stroked her hair.

“Who’s a good girl, hmm?”

“Mrrr,” Becky purred and pressed her head into his hand, resting both of her hands on his thighs and making sure she was between his legs.

“I believe you wanted to thank me, right? How about you solve this problem you’ve caused?” He took hold of his stiff cock with his off hand and pointed it at her lips.

“Mrrr,” Becky purred, looking up at him through her lashes. Tongue darting out, she licked the tip of his offering.

Gently pushing on the back of her head, he made her take the first inch into her open mouth. “Don’t be shy, we both know this is your favorite treat,” Alvin murmured softly, looking down into her eyes.

Becky moaned and deep throated him. Alvin’s eyes fluttered closed at the wave of intense pleasure, then he winced as her fingernails dug into his thighs. He hissed in pain and looked down at her, to see her staring intently upward still. As their eyes met, she relaxed her fingers and started to bob her head in a slow, measured pace. “Oh, kitty wants to be praised for being a good girl, does she?” Alvin moaned.

Two quick bobs that ended with him buried fully in her throat again was her answer. Eyes fluttering, he managed to keep them focused on hers, but with difficulty. His hand tangled in her hair, massaging her scalp. The massage made Becky purr, sending spikes of pleasure through him.

“This is a really nice thank you,” Alvin gasped, “but I’m not going to last long though, if you don’t let me play with you.”

Becky’s response was to increase the speed at which she bobbed her head. Moaning Alvin stopped massaging her scalp and tugged on her hair, pulling her mouth from his shaft. “I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands,” he panted.

“Hero…” Becky paused, straining against his hold to reach his cock again. “Please, I want this,” she touched her neck where the collar encircled it. “Please…”

Understanding what she was asking for he gave her an evil smile. He stood up, with her struggling against his hold, her tongue darting out to lick the head of his cock. “You want it, slut? Fine, I’ll give it to you.”

He pulled her head forward as he thrust his hips towards her. He buried himself to the hilt in her throat, but only briefly, as he gripped her head with both hands and began face fucking her.

Becky’s eager, happy moan only spurred his aggression on. Without regard, he took her mouth as if she was a toy to be used at his whim. Feeling the tingle deep inside his balls, he pumped a few more times, hard and fast, into her welcoming mouth, before pushing into her as deep as he could just as he felt himself explode. The suckling sensation on the head of his cock as she swallowed each spurt caused his legs to wobble. After a minute, he finally released her head and stumbled back a step to the chair he had been sitting in, collapsing into it bonelessly.

“Fuck, that was intense,” Alvin panted as he tried to catch his breath.

Wiping the edges of her mouth, Becky smiled wickedly as she crept towards him again. “I love it when you take me. Besides, we’re not done yet, Hero.” Becky’s words were highlighted by the desire in her eyes.

“You’re right, we’re not,” Alvin agreed with her as his cock stirred and began to rise again. “I command you to crawl over to the bed, climb onto it, get on all fours, and beg me to take you again, slut.”

Becky’s eyes sparkled and she licked her lips staying where she was for a moment before doing as he commanded. He enjoyed the view as he followed her. Getting into position on the bed, she waggled her ass at him, “Hero, I need you to fuck me. Please come give me that wonderful cock deep inside my waiting pussy.”

Getting behind her and slamming his cock into her waiting pussy, he let out a pleased sigh. “Good slut. Did you like that?”

“I had to do what you said, Hero, the pledge forced me to. I tried to stay there but the pledge made my throat start to tingle and I knew I had to do as you commanded. This is what I wanted, for you to own me just like this.” She moaned as he continued to pump in and out of her.

“Mine,” Alvin said simply, one hand reaching around to gently cup her throat where the tattoo rested. His other hand went around her waist and pulled her back towards him, so he could kiss her while tightening his hand on her neck ever so slightly. “Forever mine, now,” Alvin whispered as he broke the kiss, keeping his hips thrusting rhythmically against her.

“Yes,” Becky whimpered, starting to shake. “Always yours, Hero, no matter what.”

Easing her back down as her body went rigid in his arms, he slowed his thrusts and waited for her to finish. When he felt her grip on his shaft loosen at the end of her orgasm, he pushed down between her shoulder blades. “Time for some more,” Her ass jutted further out at the angle he had pushed her into. He grabbed her hips and thrust deep and hard, at a slow steady rhythm.

“Soooo, good,” Becky panted, trying to match his pace and thrust even harder against him. “You own me, I’m yours…” her words trailed off, breath catching in her throat as the next orgasm started.

Feeling her tighten around his hard cock again, he made sure she tipped over the edge with five quick, hard thrusts, then went still, staying buried inside of her. His breathing was a little ragged as he was close himself, but he was able to calm down as he waited for her to calm back down.

“Ready for more?” Alvin asked.

“Always, Hero, anything you want from me,” Becky mumbled into the bed.

“Good. I order you to ride me until I fill you with my cum. You’re not allowed to have another orgasm until I do.” Removing himself from her dripping slit, he got comfortable on the bed and waited for her.

Panting, Becky slowly straddled him, her eyes meeting his. Seeing the love and desire in his eyes, hers sparkled with joy as she sank his turgid flesh back inside of her. Arching her back, she began rotating her hips in small circles while she settled into a steady rhythm thrusting atop him.

Alvin watched her, warm waves of love and desire washing through him. Wanting to torment her a little, he grabbed her massive breasts and started playing with them, flicking his thumbs across the piercings in her nipples.

“Oh, gods,” Becky moaned, “I can’t…”

“Can’t what?” Alvin asked, pinching both nipples gently.

“I can’t cum,” Becky groaned. “The collar is hot and my body just won’t finish.”

“You want to be controlled, though, Gothy. Doesn’t this make you even more excited, knowing that I own your body to this degree?”

“Yes!” Becky shouted, and started riding him like a galloping horse. “Yes, this is what I want. Make me always do your bidding, Hero.” She leaned forward, planting her hands on his chest. Her breasts swayed to her rhythm as her nails dug into him. Her eyes were alight with crazed need as she rode him. “Cum… please… Hero. I need it…” she panted at him as she forced herself up and down his shaft with near bruising force.

The combination of the pain of her fingernails digging into him, her frenzied pleading, and the sensation of her tight tunnel around him was finally too much. Letting go of her breasts, he grabbed her hips and slammed her down onto him as he thrust up into her. His eyes closed as he exploded into her, each spurt seeming to drain his body of vitality.

As the first drop of cum shot out of him, Becky ground her hips against his, her tight passage becoming a velvet vise clamping down around his pulsing cock as her own orgasm finally started.

Both of them twitched for the next several minutes, each spasm causing them both to shudder from the aftershocks. Eventually, Becky collapsed onto Alvin’s bloodied chest. “Thank you, Hero,” Becky sniffled, her tears mingling with the blood on his chest.

Not expecting tears, Alvin wrapped her in a hug, “What’s wrong, Gothy?”

“I’m just so happy,” she sobbed. “When you agreed to take me with you, this is what I was hoping for. I wanted you to do this— to make me obey you.”

“The collar helped,” Alvin said softly as he rubbed her back, wincing a little as her tears stung the wounds inflicted by her nails.

“Yes, but… just, the sheer domination you put into the entire thing, starting with my mouth. I’m broken, we know that, but I need this. I’ll need to take control sometimes too, but this is what I wanted most. I’ve been hoping you would invoke the pledge since I spoke the words.”

“The words that sounded so much like a marriage vow?” Alvin asked softly as he continued to try calming her with back rubs.

“Did you mind?” she asked as she sniffled again.

“Not in the least. Because it was you, I wanted to hear them.”

“Forever?”

“Forever, my broken, crazy, sexy, wonderful, amazing, cock hungry slut,” Alvin tightened his arms on her. “I’ll be with you forever.”

Lifting her head, she met his eyes with her red puffy ones, looking to see if he was telling the truth. “Promise me.”

“I already did with our pledge, but I’ll say it again for you. I promise to always have you at my side, and to always treasure you above anyone else.”

Lifting his head, he caught her lips with his, holding her head still with a hand. The kiss was gentle, an expression of the love they felt for each other. Their lips parted as the kiss deepened, their tongues touching like two new lovers beginning a dance that they had been through many times before. After a few moments, Alvin broke the kiss and met her eyes again.

“Let’s go shower,” Alvin said softly. “We should check in with Shawn, and I want you to be proudly showing off your new marking.” He kissed the black tattooed collar around her neck.

Shivering with excitement, she sat up, reminding them both that his flaccid member was still lodged inside of her. She grinned at him hopefully, “We have to leave right now?”

“I’m going to need time to recover, Gothy,” Alvin chuckled softly. “I’ll wash you and you can wash me. If you can manage to get another rise out of me, we’ll do it in the shower, like we have before.”

“Deal, Hero,” Becky agreed as she untangled herself from him and stood up. “I’ll get things ready.”

Alvin watched her go as he lay there a moment longer. Shaking his head as she went into the other room, he sat up and looked at the wounds on his chest. “Right, maybe next time tell her she can’t use me as a scratching post.”

“Sir,” Jarvis said hesitantly, “I just wanted to let you know that this room will no longer be entirely private. Your viewers have registered complaints that they’ve been unable to follow you all the time.”

Snorting, Alvin got out of bed. “Whatever, fuck’ em. If they really want to watch me and Gothy fucking that badly, then so be it. At least I know what my fanbase wants, I guess.”

“It will take effect the next time you come back here. I wanted to let you know so you can tell her, if you wish.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Alvin said, grabbing his bag from the floor and pulling out a medkit. He slapped it onto his chest, sighing as the pain from the wounds vanished. “Let Shawn know we’ll be out in a bit to see him.”

“Right you are, sir,” Jarvis replied. “What might your plans be, now that the world has changed?”

“I’m thinking we should get the right tools and go skin us a drake. We can’t use the parts at the moment, but we can always sell what we get to the kiosk for XP for us and the Settlement,” Alvin chuckled. “But first, I’m going to join my crazy lover for a nice shower.”

Character Info

Alvin Leon Lambert

Human (0 experience)

Brawn 3

Nimbleness 5

Aptitude 5

Personability 4

Hardiness 6

Spells:

Powers:

Kiosk Vendor (Gain 15% of XP spent at your kiosks)

Leader

Home Base

AI Smartcar

Multiple AI

AI Chauffeur

Linguist

Extra Life

1969 Mustang Boss 429 (Rare)

Armor: 916,757/1,000,000

Runes: 0/0

No longer needs fuel to run, Indestructible tires good for all terrain and conditions even off-road, Four times initial durability, Six more armor

Zombie Cap (Rare)

Armor: 493/500

Runes: 0/0

Weather, Ten times initial durability, Six more armor

Zombie Shirt (Rare)

Armor: 492/500

Runes: 0/0

Weather, Ten times initial durability, Four more armor, One spot of storage space

Leather Patched Denim Pants (Rare)

Armor: 548/550

Runes: 0/0

Weather, Ten times initial durability, Six more armor

Combat Boots (Rare)

Armor: 599/600

Runes: 0/0

Weather, Ten times initial durability, Six more armor

Leather Duster (Rare)

Armor: 738/750

Runes: 0/0

Weather, Ten times initial durability, Four more armor, One spot of storage space

Interceptor Body Armor (Uncommon)

Armor: 988/1000

Upgradable: 4/4

Ten times initial durability, Four more armor

Fingerless Kevlar Gloves (Rare)

Armor: 249/250

Runes: 0/0

Two spots of storage space, Ten times initial durability, Four more armor

IMI Desert Eagle .357 Magnum (Rare)

Damage: 4

Durability: 978/1000

Ammo type: .357 Magnum (9-round magazine)

Runes: 0/0

Unlimited ammo on reload, Five times initial durability, Armor Buster- doubles damage to armor, Steel jacketed

Type 56 (Rare)

Damage: 7

Durability: 4548/5000

Ammo type: 7.62x39 mm (30-round magazine)

Runes: 0/0

Unlimited ammo on reload, Five times initial durability, Armor Buster- double damage to armor, Steel jacketed

Rebecca Alina Woodrow aka Becky aka Gothy

Human - (Bound to Alvin Leon Lambert)  (0 experience)

Brawn 3

Nimbleness 3

Aptitude 6

Personability 4

Hardiness 6

Spells:

Powers:

Contracted

Linguist

Extra Life

Horned Band (Rare)

Armor: 123/125

Runes: 0/0

Five times initial durability, Ten more armor

Leather Corset (Rare)

Armor: 242/250

Runes: 0/0

Five times initial durability, Six more armor, One spot of storage space, Weather

Leather Pants (Rare)

Armor: 248/250

Runes: 0/0

Five times initial durability, Eight more armor, Weather

Combat Boots (Rare)

Armor: 299/300

Runes: 0/0

Five times initial durability, Eight more armor, Weather

Long Leather Jacket (Rare)

Armor: 240/250

Runes: 0/0

Five times initial durability, Six more armor, One spot of storage space, weather

Interceptor Body Armor (Uncommon)

Armor: 990/1000

Runes: 0/0

Ten times initial durability, Two more armor

Black Lace Gloves (Rare)

Armor: 99/100

Runes: 0/0

Ten times initial durability, Six more armor, Two spots of storage space

Remington 870 Police (Uncommon)

Damage: 10 (Depends on range)

Durability: 1826/2000

Ammo type: Slug (5-round internal tube magazine)

Runes: 0/0

Unlimited ammo on reload, Five times initial durability, Armor Buster- doubles damage to armor, Steel jacketed

S&W 1911 (Uncommon)

Damage: 3

Durability: 1207/1250

Ammo type: .45 ACP (7-round magazine)

Runes: 0/0

Unlimited ammo on reload, Five times initial durability, Armor Buster- doubles damage to armor, Steel jacketed

Author’s Note

Please consider leaving a review for the book; feedback is imperative for an indie author. If you don’t want to review it, then think about leaving a comment or even just a quick message. Remember, positive feedback is always welcome.

If you want to keep up on my writing a bit more you can find me on Goodreads, and I have a blog I post to monthly which is synced to Goodreads.

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A big thank you to my editors (Jennifer York and Daniel Stetson) and beta readers. Seriously, if not for you stalwarts, I would be hammered hard for my lack of proper grammar and the spelling errors. Thank you to my beta readers; Zee, the first beta reader, well done sir. Jay Taylor, thank you for your time with beta reading and also being the admin of my fan page. The rest of the beta readers in no particular order; Alec Young, Matthew Edinger, Aoife Megami, Nigel Hollingworth, Scott Brown, Arthur Cuelho, Geno Ferrarini, Buddy Brown, Luke Reynolds, Shane Bird, Christina Norton, A.J. Bishop, Ian McAdams, William Reid, Isidore Fitch, Tarcha Saleeba, Josh Holmes, Sullivan Grimm, Justin Johanson, Steve Robles, Rob Bunting, Sawyer Aubrey, Robert Peterson, and Ryno Neethling.

The cover for Apocalypse Gates 2 is brought to you by Amelia Parris, a very talented artist. You can find her at https://www.ameliaparris.com/

A big thanks to my Patreon supporters who have gone above and beyond in their support:

Cody Carter

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I would like to point you all towards some fellow authors whose works I enjoy:

William Arand: Author of Otherlife Dreams, Super Sales on Superheros, and Dungeon Deposed. You can find his stuff on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/William-D.-Arand/e/B01AY7PSG4.

Michael-Scott Earle: Author of countless series that range from sci-fi to fantasy and even LITRPG. I would recommend Lion’s Quest and Star Justice, but Tamer, one of his newer series, is also a lot of fun. https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Scott-Earle/e/B019QSNVA2

Blaise Corvin: Author of Delvers LLC, which is an amazing GameLit series. Find his catalogue of stuff at https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Corvin/e/B01LYK8VG5

Scottie Futch: A prolific author who can be found on Royal Road and Amazon. Galactic Fist of Legend, Earth Tactics Advance, and Galataea Crystallim are just a few of his works. https://www.amazon.com/Scottie-Futch/e/B00NCSEN28

Eden Redd: She might be mentioned last but she is definitely worth the read, more so if you like some adult content. Her Lewd Saga series combines erotica and LITRPG. https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Redd/e/B00I8X8BCK

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