Page 16 of Creepy
He replied anyway, “Really, if you’re immune, even if they bite, you’re okay.Clean the wound though.”Arlo yanked up his t-shirt to reveal a beautiful set of abs, an eight-pack I didn’t know was possible.“Here.”He took my hand, having me feel a scar.
Impressive, but more impressive, I brushed my fingers along the muscles, feeling heat rise in me.It’d been a while since I’d had any contact with flesh that hadn’t been Dillon’s.Snapping out of it, I remembered we were talking about zombies.I asked him with a laugh, “What do you do with them then?Just let them eat you?”
“I fight them off.I leave...”
“What if you decide to stay somewhere?”
It took him a moment.“I guess I’ve been moving from place to place.I’ve kept moving.Just got here last night.Arlo Fernsby, from California originally, settled in Seattle later.Been on the road for a while.”
Figures, he wasn’t from around here.“What brings you to Creepy of all places?”
He sat up into a full-blown lotus position.His blue eyes met mine.“I heard about this place on the road.”
“You wouldn’t happen to drive an Amazon truck, would you?”
“You saw it out front?”
I smiled.I hadn’t.As usual, I’d used the side entrance.I started to ask him how he got in the gate.
“Yeah, I’m partial to the Prime trucks.There are so many.Keep picking up another when one runs out of gas.And bonus, they’re full of packages.”
“Who told you about this town?”
“Real cool dude gave me the scoop.Figured it’d be a great place to hide out until all this blows over.”
“Blows over?Impossible.”Where’d he been?
He took my hand.“Anything is possible when you have inner peace.”
Party on, dude.Retrieving my hand, I got to my feet.Dusting off my leggings, I wondered what dumb fuck told him about Creepy.
Standing, he joined me.“I rode on ahead, but I’m expecting the others any day now.”
“More people coming,” I huffed.
“Hey, if this is your pad, I can tell the others we have to move along.Or we could coexist here.The more the merrier.”When I didn’t answer right away, thinking of what to say, he continued, “It didn’t look like anyone lived here.But that house down the road...”
Figuring I couldn’t keep the secret long, I said, “I live down the road.That’s my house.”I didn’t plan to give it up.My voice conveyed as much.
“So, what’s the problem?”
“I’m storing some of my belongings here.This used to be a dear friend’s house.”I’d call Mr.Jules a friend, I guess.
“Am I understanding, you don’t mind having neighbors?”
“I’ll want to get my stuff out, you see.”
“There’s no rush.”
My ass there was no rush.Fuck.I’d been collecting and storing for so long, planning to move in here this winter.Mr.Pacifist here may not steal my supplies, but I did not know who else was on their way to Creepy.
“I better be going.It’s getting dark.”
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“No, it’s okay, truly, I’ll walk.”
“I’ll walk you.”He placed his hand on the small of my back, urging me along.
