Page 12 of Demon Shock

I hesitated but caved under the weight of her expectant gaze.

“They were stupid and easy to kill in the beginning. But after a few weeks, they got smarter. They started working with the hounds. They wanted to kill all the humans that were left. Andie, another female who survived, brought scientists who helped us discover how the infected and hounds were linked. Once we destroyed the link, the hounds and the smart infected died. Now, only the stupid infected are left.

“They’re still very dangerous. You shouldn’t let one bite you.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a smart idea.” A pinkish hue slowly tinted her cheeks. “So, you and your brothers live with otherhuman survivors in Missouri? And it’s safe there? None of those infected are around?”

“Some are still drawn to us by sound, but the community has high walls, so the infected can’t get in.”

She wiped her hands on her pants again.

“Are you too warm? Would you like to take off your coat?” I asked.

“I don’t think I’m ready to do that yet.”

I didn’t understand why. Her cheeks were growing redder, and she was sitting next to the fire. I knew humans preferred their living spaces warmer, but Ava’s home was even warmer than Mary and James’ house, which they kept warmer than the others because they were older.

Perhaps Ava had a human sickness called a cold.

“Would you like to lie down?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Why are you looking for survivors?”

I considered how to answer. Angel’s warning not to sound desperate rang in my head.

“You said that you and your brothers came to the surface and that your brother, Drav, discovered Mya, a woman. Are you collecting women?”

My mind went blank. I knew I couldn’t admit we were looking for women and children. Eden said that made us sound like men who only wanted sex. I did want to have sex, though. Eventually. Hopefully with Ava. I wanted to inhale her scent again and feel her arms around me.

“You just blinked like you're trying to send Morse code,” Ava said.

“I don’t want to say anything that will scare you.”

“Too late for that, I think. You just told me I’m living in the aftermath of a worldwide zombie apocalypse. I’d rather know the truth about what’s going on. Are you collecting women?”

Rather than answering the direct question, I told her my group’s purpose.

“I’m with three other humans. We’re looking for survivors. Males and females. We’ve found a few groups. Most of them were males. The good ones, who didn’t try to hurt us or take our supplies, we offered to let them join us. They chose not to. We marked the bad ones on a map so we can come back and check on them later. Will says it’s a way to police them and ensure they won’t hurt others.”

“So you’re offering anyone who’s nice a place in your community?”

“Yes.”

“What about me? Do you consider me nice?”

My cock twitched at how nice I considered her.

“Yes.”

“You gave me a lot to think about. How soon do you need an answer?”

Hope lit inside of me.

“How long would you like to think about it?”

“Can you give me until the morning?”

I nodded and stood, eager to return to the others and share the news with them. When I stood, so did she. She walked me to the door and didn’t close it as soon as I was outside.

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