"Carmen and The Law"

"Carmen and The Law"

(CLOSED TO AUSSIE_WOLF)​

12 December 2020
~8 weeks after the beginning of the end

Carmen Ridge:
18 years old
5' 1" (1.55 m)
105# (47.60 kg)
30B-23-30

Carmen couldn't remember a more horrific time in her life. And her life had had its share of scary moments. At 12, the buggy in which she'd been a passenger rolled end over end down 200 feet of sand dune. At 14, her uncle's boat died and slammed against the jetty, nearly drowning them all before they were rescued by the Coast Guard. At 16, during a buddy jump with her father, the main parachute tangled and the backup opened only in time to keep them from slamming to the earth. And then, less than a month later, one of two colliding planes filled with acrobatic skydivers fell to the earth in a terrifying fire ball, killing both her father and older brother who had tried but failed to get out in time.

You would have thought that all of that would have prepared her for that through which she was now living, but even these dangers and horrors hadn't prepared her for what the Press was calling the "Rabies 2.0" and "The Crazies".

Early in October, the world began to fall victim to a deadly virus that the Press had also dubbed "The Big Bug". It had infected tens of millions across the planet before even the first cases were discovered. Its lethality was incredible at more than 90%, with the victims dying a horrible, slow, hemorrhagic like fever.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, some of the survivors...

Carmen shivered just thinking about the Crazies. They were survivors, but at the same time not. They reminded Carmen of those creatures from the Will Smith movie "I, Legend". They ran around attacking, killing, and eating other people. And when they couldn't find people, they ate dogs, cats, horses, cows, even squirrels and opossums if they could catch them.

An online Blogger had called what was affecting these Crazies as "Rabies 2.0", giving it a modern tech-like name to the disease that was turning them into cannibalistic maniacs. All Carmen knew was that the horrors she'd seen in the past two months made her life's previous ones seem light scraped knees and cut fingers.

Since The Big Bug flared across Eugene and the wider State of Oregon in early November, leading to the collapse of civilized society, Carmen had seen her mother and sister suffer gruesome deaths from the fever; she'd seen home invaders rape and then beat to death her cousin; and she'd seen four family members including her Gpa and Gma killed, ripped apart, and eaten by the Crazies.

Since then, she and her only remaining friends and family had taken refuge in the basement of her deceased grandparents' McMansion near the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium Comples. They hadn't seen another living soul in weeks; and the Crazies -- which had never seemed tired of rushing through the unsecured home above them -- hadn't been heard upstairs for a handful of days.

Carmen was the only survivor in the basement who either wasn't very young or mobility restricted. They had been out of food for days and were down to less than a gallon of bottled water. They had to do something soon. Carmen stood and whispered to her great aunt, now the matriarch of the family, "I'm going upstairs ... get some food ... water'n'such."

"You can't!" her Aunt begged.

Others began to quietly object, while still others donned expressions of approval, their stomachs growling, their limbs and little digits aching and trembling from the dropping temperatures.

"I'll be okay," she promised. "There's no one up there."

She clicked open the lock of her now deceased Gpa's century old shotgun, finding their last shell sitting in the left hand chamber. She clicked it shut, smiled to the others, and made her way up the basement stairs. At the top, she cracked open the door and peaked out. Her field of vision was small but hopeful. She opened the door quietly -- No squeak, she thought thankful for one thing -- and rose slowly up into the mayhem of the pillaged kitchen.

There was still a lot of food in the home. Unfortunately, most of it -- cereals, flour, sugar, and such -- had been spilled about wastefully by pillagers, likely out of spite for not having found anything more useful to haul away with them.

Carmen had never understood why the humans who had entered the home hadn't come down into the basement to search, either for food or more people to use and abuse. Now, as she discovered one, then two, then three mutilated and mostly devoured bodies in or near the kitchen, she understood. He stomach turned over at the sight, but since there was nothing in it, she didn't puke.

Stash! she reminded herself.

Quietly, checking each corner as she went, Carmen made her way to her still-alive cousin's bedroom at the far end of the house, dodging the mayhem of the torn up home. In the closet, hidden behind a stack of blankets, she found little Becky's Barbie Dream House, and inside it she found the now-12 year old's secret stash of sugary goodies.

Gma was a health nut and had never allowed such foods as candy and sugary, store bought snack cakes in the house. When Becky visited for weekends, it was a snacking nightmare. Or, it would have been except for Barbie.

Carmen laid the shotgun upon the bed, struggled to move the overturned dresser from the closet door, and found the plastic bag right where the younger girl had said it would be. She opened it to find it filled with fat and carbs, then smiled as she turned to return--

Only to find she wasn't alone! A Crazy was standing at the far end of the hall, fortunately looking away from Carmen. She froze in place, absolutely still except for the organ pounding fiercely inside her chest as the Crazy . The internet, radio, and television reports had claimed that the Crazies hunted by sight only; and there were additional theories that they only responded to movement.

She held perfectly still, watching as the Crazy crossed by the open doorway heading one way up the hallway, then crossing again to head the other. Carmen peeked out of the corner of her eye to the bed where the shotgun lay. She could probably get to it before the Crazy was upon her. There was only one shell left. But then, there was only one Crazy ... wasn't there? No! It hasn't seen you. It WON'T see you! Just ... hold ... still!

Carmen drew a sudden, shocked breath as the Crazy stepped into the doorway and began sweeping its gaze all about the room. It looked right at her for just an instant, then away again. Then, looking back at her and cocking its head like a curious puppy, it stared directly at her. The exchange of glances seemed to last forever, but in reality only three seconds passed before the Crazy began to take an attack posture.

It sees you! her brain screamed at her. At the very instant that she dropped the bag of treats and leapt for the shotgun, the Crazy dropped into a frog-like leaping stance and threw itself toward where Carmen had been standing. It slammed against the wall, quickly spun to find her again, and was about to leap again when Carmen leveled the shotgun at the creature and pulled the trigger...

And nothing happened.

Sgnt Travis Mulhearn
33 years old
5'10" (177cm)
187# (85kg)

Member of the Oregon State Troopers Tactical Squad.


Travis had been patrolling the now devastated streets and highways of the state of Oregon for the past 5 weeks. It had not been pleasant. He had started off with a crew of four in the Tactical response vehicle he was driving, and there had been six more just like it patrolling other stretches of the state looking for survivors. Gradually though their numbers had began to be whittled down not just by the crazies, but by roaming gangs and by guys refusing to risk their lives anymore.

Now there were only three vehicles, the other two were manned by two man squads. He had Anubis as his back up. For some reason His squads bomb sniffer/Attack dog seemed immune to whatever this disease was. He had bitten his first crazy four weeks ago and had gotten a little sick but within two days he had been ready to go again. Travis was damn glad of that, the dog was turning out to have a sixth sense of knowing where people were. So far they had saved over twenty people and today he was hoping to add to that Tally.

He had decided to check on a gated community he had not been near before. Hopefully with all the security there could be some survivors, however as he turned into the drive leading to the entrance his hopes began to diminish. The large gates had been smashed through and numerous crazies were wandering around. Sighing he gunned the big diesel engine and plowed inside easily knocking down any crazy stupid enough to get in his way.

He made his way down the roads and saw high walls and large gates, but most were smashed through and front doors were open. He could see corpses in the streets that had been eaten and bikes and cars that did not belong in a neighborhood like this. It basically told him the whole story. Looters had smashed their way in letting in the crazies. Maybe the first lot of looters had got away and maybe no one had noticed barricaded behind their own walls. However once enough crazies had arrived and the next lot of looters started arriving and breaking down doors it would have been a massacre.

No these crazies were basically trapped in here. Some of them would wander out the front gates, but most of them would just wander between the houses, forever searching for food until who knew what happened. Well guess he had to make a house by house search then and that meant blocking the gates or if he was lucky the front door.

He had searched three houses and killed about eleven crazies when he made it to the fourth house. So far no signs of life but plenty of signs that there had been. He was lucky with this one. The gates had been completely ripped off and he was able to back up his truck right to the front door and climb out through the back. Picking up his weapons he started his sweep.

There was nothing in the front of the house and no signs of life, but again definite signs that crazies had feasted here and that looters had been through. He moved and came to a kitchen area and sighed at the waste of food everywhere. This was probably done early he thought. No one wasted food like this any more, even looters, it was becoming just too precious.

Again he found more bodies and sighed. It looked like he was going to be out of luck again finding any survivors but he proceeded, he could at least clear the building.

He started towards the rear of the house when Anubis started growling. Immediately he became more alert and his gun was now firmly fixed ahead. Anubis now only growled at crazies or looters. Whichever one it was he was taking no chances. He rounded a corner and looking down the hall saw a crazy looking into a room. It did not seem aggressive so he began to sneak upon it. Although these things did not seem to hunt by sound he always tried to take them out stealthily just to be on the safe side. Halfway down though it's posture changed and it darted into the room. He was after it in a second and as he cleared the door saw it about to leap onto a young girl who was holding an ancient shotgun and pointing it at it. Travis didn't know if it was going to fire or not and he wasn't going to take the chance. His laser targeting system lit up the things face and he pumped three bullets into it, throwing it backwards a little and destroying most of it's head in the process.

Then turning he checked both ways down the corridor to make sure there was no more sneaking up on him before putting Anubis on guard and then approaching the girl. "Hi, My names Travis and I am a policeman. Are you okay honey? Can you tell me your name and if there is any one else here?"

Carmen actually thought she had blown the Crazy's head apart with the shot. She'd pulled the trigger, then a second time, then a third. She'd never actually shot Gpa's old double barrel before, so she didn't realize that each of the two triggers worked for one and only one barrel, unlike the double set triggers of her grandfather's equally old Sharps buffalo rifle.

After a moment, though, the panic of nearly being killed and eaten began to wane, and Carmen realized there was a third person in the room as well. The man was nearly as terrifying at the Crazy that had attacked her, with a heavy helmet, goggles, and a black ski-type mask concealing his face and all manner of gear and weapons covering the rest of his form.

"Hi, my names Travis," the man said, reaching a hand out to her, "and I am a policeman."

Carmen stared at the offered hand, and a different emotion began to swell within her: great relief! Since the virus had exploded across the city, state, country and world, it had seemed to the teen as if no one wanted to help anyone else, that everyone was only out for themselves.

"Are you okay honey?" he continued, his hand still out before him. "Can you tell me your name and if there is any one else here?"

Carmen just stared for a long moment, listening to but not truly hearing his continuing questions. Cop ... it's a cop ... he's a cop. Suddenly, Carmen burst out in sobs, letting the shotgun drop to the carpeted floor as she took the man's hand and practically crawled into his arms.

It had been so long since she had had someone to protect her, and it only took an instant for her to realize that this stranger was her savior in blue. As she held tightly to him, listening to his reassuring voice, the questions he was asking finally began to make it into the portion of her brain that was still on duty.

"My family," she told him, finally releasing her bear hug. She pulled back -- but not so far to allow him to sneak away -- and told him quickly, "Aunt Ruth! Becky! Um, Kit! And Petey! They're all downstairs ... basement! I came up for food! We're so hungry, haven't eaten in days!"

Carmen sobbed again, then saw the dog and laughed with glee. She had heard stories about how the Crazies were killing all the dogs, cats, even guinea pigs and alpacas and chickens ... anything warm blooded or quick moving. She hadn't heard that these animals could live through bites better than humans, so she assumed that this Shepherd had simply avoided the Crazies until now. She had heard, though, that some desperate people had taken to eating their dogs and even their neighbor's dogs and strays. Carmen would rather starve than eat such a beautiful animal, though she wasn't sure she could watch her family starve to death while a dog or cat or rabbit sat nearby.

She looked back to the cop, asking with a desperate tone, "Are you with the army...? Do you have food?"

Travis had been surprised when the girl had practically jumped into his arms. No easy feat when he was dressed in his S.W.A.T. gear, but she had managed it and managed to wrap her arms around his neck and cry in his arms.

He had managed to swing his rifle across his back just before she had climbed into his lap and so he was able to wrap his arms around the girl and hold her as she sobbed. He wondered how long she had been here and if she was all alone. She looked far too skinny and to young to be out here on her own, but she was still a pretty girl and he estimated her age to be somewhere between Sixteen to nineteen, he couldn't really tell because she was filthy and pretty skinny.

Finally she stopped crying and let him go a little backing out of his arms but keeping in contact with him and looked into his eyes telling him about her family in the basement. He nodded at her and smiled. "Don't worry honey, I will get you all out of here safely. I may not be with the army, I am only a highway police officer, but my car is big enough to hold all of you and I have some emergency rations in it. There not much but at least they will fill your belly."

He saw how she laughed at the sight of Anubis and how her eyes lit up with glee. If just the sight of a dog could do that for her then maybe getting her back to base and in with the other survivors would do wonders for her.

He moved her behind him a little and turned to look at her. "I need you to stay behind me for a little bit. Anubis, that's my dog, and I are going to check out the rest of the house for any more crazies and then we will go and check on your family okay."

He made sure she understood then began to move from room to room with Anubis leading the way. Luckily there were no more and the girl was never more than 2 paces behind him. Finally he made it back to the kitchen and she pointed out the basement door. He clicked the safety on his rifle and slipped it onto his back and pulled off his helmet and ski mask. No use frightening anyone down there now. He opened the door and walked down and found an old lady Sitting in a chair with a walker beside her, a boy with his leg in a cast that looked very ill and was covered in sweat, and several other youngsters.

Travis first walked over to the boy and checked him over for signs of the infection, however he saw immediately that it was not that. He knew the look on the boys face having seen it on a lot of men's faces over the years. Obviously his leg was hurting him something fierce but he doubted the family had any painkillers. They would not have been a high priority when they had been fleeing for their lives. "Don't worry Son," he said patting the boys shoulder," I have some medicine that should help ease the pain."

Looking around Travis realized that he might not be able to move everyone right away. He would definitely have to give this boy enough painkillers so he would be able to carry him up the stairs and into his truck, and then enough to survive the journey back to base. He would also probably have to carry the old woman up although that was probably not going to be too difficult. She didn't look all that heavy especially after not eating for days. Still it might be best if he stayed here for at least the day and the night to at least stabilize the boy.

Turning back to the girl he motioned her over. "Okay now. We are safe for now and we are going to stay here until tomorrow morning. I need to make sure your brother here is okay to travel. Now I am going to go upstairs and grab some medicine and food but I will be right back. I will leave Anubis here to guard you so you know I will not be leaving okay?"

He smiled and began to make his way to the stairs and then up and towards the front door and his truck.

Carmen followed close behind Travis as he descended the stairs, gesturing to the others with a comforting wave. The Trooper, with his mask and helmet on, were going to be a shocking surprise for the others. She called ahead as the others saw and heard movement down the steps, "This is Travis, everyone! He's here to help."

When Travis removed his head wear, Carmen couldn't help but take a double take. He was younger than she'd expected ... and good looking! She watched as he made his rounds, quickly checking everyone before giving some additional attention to her brother Peter. "Don't worry Son, I have some medicine that should help ease the pain."

Carmen was pleased with the cop's gentleness. And while some others might have been, she was not at all surprised by it. Seemingly weekly for nearly a decade, police officers around the country had been embroiled in one controversial case after another, most concerning undue violence, often against people of color. But the 18 year old knew that many if not most of the stories were hyped, misconstrued, or taken out of context by the media to increase the drama and attract more advertising dollars. Carmen liked cops -- always had, always would -- and to see him now helping her sibling made her smile from ear to ear.

When Travis began explaining that they would have to stay here until tomorrow before they could travel to another location, it caught Carmen off guard. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to her that she and the others would ever leave here. This was their home. Well, at least compared to any other place it was. The property had been in the Ridge family for 150 years, since the early days of Eugene's settlement.

But Travis was right. It wasn't safe here. It had been when Law and Order were the rules of society, when good people respected the wrought iron fences surrounding the house, and bad people respected the guns carried by the community's private security force, the local police, and even Carmen's Gpa and Uncle, who each had died protecting the family from looters or Crazies, respectively. But that world was gone. Even if that security was still in place to keep the criminals away, there were still the Crazies.

Travis reassured Carmen, "I will leave Anubis here to guard you so you know I will not be leaving okay?"

Okay," Carmen said, smiling broadly at him. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and after he returned to the first floor, Carmen's Aunt Ruth would make eye contact with her and wink. A year or two back, when she began spending more time at the Ridge home, Aunt Ruth had revealed some very intimate details of her own pubescent years, including the fact that she had been a bit of a floozy during the war.

"Soldiers deserve a little rest and relaxation," her aunt had told her, smiling in reminiscence. "So, I let them rest and relax below me a few times. I considered it my patriotic duty."

Carmen had been shocked by the matriarch's candid admissions, and ever since then, Ruth had been very open with the teen about pointing out good looking boys or talking about what to look for in a lover. It was embarrassing sometimes and hilarious on others. Now, however, with their current situation, Carmen only cocked her head and said to her Aunt, "Really...? Now, here?"

Ruth laughed, answering, "The world still turns."

After Travis headed back upstairs, Carmen made her way around to the others just as the cop had, checking on each. She could already see the relief in their faces. The uniform made all the difference in the world. It told them that not all was lost in this new, mad world.

After ensuring that everyone was good for now, Carmen slowly made her way back up the stairs. She wanted to help somehow, but she was also aware that the home's most recent visitor -- and its only welcomed one for quite a while -- was also tensed and carrying a gun. She stood at the top of the stairs, silent and still, waiting for Travis to see her and make eye contact with her.

As she waited, Carmen suddenly found herself feeling very subconscious -- embarrassed even -- about her physical appearance, namely the stench that she knew had to be rising from her. She lifted one arm, then the other, sniffing at her pits. She grimaced, thinking Do I have to smell like an outhouse the day I meet a handsome boy-- MAN! She looked down to her legs and was thankful she was wearing jeans. She hadn't shaved her legs in weeks. She hadn't trimmed her bikini area in even longer than that, but then it was December and not exactly swim wear season, so ... it wasn't like Travis or anyone else was going to be looking there anytime soon.

Finally, the cop came into view at the end of the hall, quickly turning to face Carmen, his headgear again in place. She scooted quietly across the Italian tile floors to him with a hopeful smile. She had embarrassed humor in her face as she reminded and asked, "We haven't eaten in some time ... and ... we, um ... we all kind of stink! Is it safe for us to come upstairs to clean up ... maybe change?" She tugged at the collar of her shirt in her fingers and made a gesture, as if to emphasize her own current state of odor.

Carmen was embarrassed. She wasn't one of those prissy girls who always had on the perfect makeup and the perfect clothes. She was actually a bit of a tom boy, often dressing her still-rounding, slim figure in simple tee shirts and unflattering, loose jeans. Although Carmen's parents and Gma had always told her she was such a beautiful, young woman, Carmen knew she was cute at best.

She was perfectly fine with that. She had never been into boys, had never had an interest in dating, and had never wasted a single afternoon prancing about the mall with BFFs -- not that she'd had any -- showing off her curves (which were, for the most part, still absent) in an effort to tease the young men who, of course, only wanted one thing from a girl anyway: stories to tell their friends.

She was perfectly fine with that ... or ... had been. Now however, after meeting this handsome cop standing before her now, suddenly, Carmen was very interested in boys ... men ... THIS man!

And while she was self conscious of her current hygienic low point and needed to bathe, she could also see in Travis's eyes that that was not one of his chief concerns at the moment. Now she felt even more embarrassed. She said tentatively, "I'll, um ... just ... go back down to the basement. You ... you tell me when its safe, and we'll ... well, you tell us."

Travis had been making a final sweep of the house to make sure that nothing had got in since he had gone down to the basement. He knew he had made the right call by leaving Anubis downstairs with them, but he felt half naked without him. He had donned his ski mask and helmet again and had been all through the back of the house and made sure it was very secure, even moving heavy things in front of windows and exterior doors.

As he started to make his way back towards the kitchen his mind wandered a little. He thought about the situation he now found himself in and what he was going to do about it. Sure he was doing his job by saving these people and he was glad to have found them, but it was not going to be an easy rescue. With the young ones and the older couple being hard to move and having to give painkillers that were going to keep the boy a little dopey it was going to be hard if they had to move quickly. It was just lucky that the older girl was there to help.

His mind then wandered to her and he thought of how she would look once she was cleaned up. He was pretty sure she wouldn't look too bad and he started to fantasize a little before he pulled himself back to the real world. One he still wasn't sure of her age and right now wasn't really the time to be thinking of things like that. Sure it had been awhile but that still didn't excuse it.
He started to make his way back to his truck and the front of the house when he ran into the girl again. Although she had introduced everyone else she had still not told him her name yet. He had not really noticed until now when he had started to call out to her then realized he just didn't know what to call her. He pointed his gun to the roof and gestured her over to him and crouched down so he could hear what she had to say.

Her request was sort of trivial and for a moment he was angry that she had interrupted his patrol for something like that. However as she started to turn away and almost slink back to the basement he looked at it from her point of view. They had been basically stuck in a hole in the ground for at least a week and it sure didn't look like a lot of them down there was up to moving all that much. He hadn't seen a toilet as such so they probably had gone primitive on that and used a bucket and sand or something.

He had to admit the basement had smelled funky and most of the people he rescued, wanted the bathroom after a meal, so perhaps it wasn't such a trivial request just an ill timed one.

"Okay honey. Just give me a few more minutes to secure the house and then you can help me carry some food downstairs. Once everyone has eaten we can see if the bathroom still works and then you kids can get clean first and then I can help the Adults if they want to. Is that okay?"

He got a smile and a nod so he left her sitting in the kitchen in sight of the front door and completed his sweep. It didn't take long and then he was finally ready to open the door. There shouldn't be any problems. The door opened inwards and he had parked the truck right up to the walls with the doors open so they would not close and formed a tight seal. However occasionally a crazy crawled between the vehicle and the house for whatever reason and got trapped, or it was a young kid.

He got his rifle ready, quickly opened the door and took three steps back to give himself room and time to react and shoot. Fortunately there was nothing, and after checking underneath he called the girl up and jumped into the back of the truck.

He helped her in and then grabbed one of the large bags labeled 'EM Supplies'. Then he reached up and grabbed a small red bag with the white cross on it as well as a small bag with Anubis written in large white letters. He piled them on the floor between the twin bench seats that ran along the edges of the trucks cabin and then stood up to look out of the upper observation point.

It still didn't look good out there. Random crazies still roamed the streets and yards of the houses he could see. He actually saw several walking into and out of houses as well. Damn he had been hoping to raid a few but he would put that on hold for now. Still he also noticed how they would find something in their way and just turn around. He saw one crazy hit a front door and then look at it and turn around and walk away. Of course he then watched three more do the same but it proved his theory. As long as they couldn't get in they would be okay.

He handed the Anubis bag to the girl and took the other two for himself and then climbed out and helped her out and back inside, shutting and locking the door again. As they moved towards the kitchen he looked at her. "Okay in my big bag is some stuff we can cook up if we still have the means to do so, or some emergency rations if we don't. I have to warn you, these things aren't the most tasty of things but they will help you." Then he looked around and bent down and whispered to her. "Oh and if you can keep a secret I have snuck in some chocolate as a treat, but don't tell anyone okay, it's a surprise and I can get in trouble."

He chuckled and led the way down to the basement, but just as they started down he stopped and looked at her. "Oh you introduced everyone else and you seem to be making sure they are all alright, but you know you have still not told me your name yet. How about it, you going to share it with me or am I just going to have to call you 'hey you' from now on," he smiled at her.

"Carmen," she finally introduced herself, turning red as she did. "Sorry. Guess I forgot."

She chuckled embarrassed as she headed down the stairs into the basement. She didn't know why she was so embarrassed. No. She did know! She'd always felt like a little girl around older men, despite now being 16. Her father's business associates -- male and female alike -- had always made comments about how Carmen was becoming such a beautiful young woman. She'd never known whether they really meant it or was only trying to butter up her father in an attempt to secure business with him. Either way, it had always reddened her face.

And, of course, with this sudden interest in getting to know Travis, she was finding herself very shy and easily embarrassed. She didn't know how to act around men. Boys, like at school, she'd been able to handle. She was smarter than most of them, and quicker with the come backs. There had been more than one occasion when she put one of the hot girls or popular boys down with a quietly spoken jibe. Carmen may have been shy, but she was no push over or dog to be kicked around either.

In the basement, she and Travis set to work feeding and caring for the others. Carmen was impressed with the care the cop showed, as well as with how quickly the others were taking to him. But her delight faded quickly as she began to wonder Will he stay with us? Carmen wondered whether Travis was only doing his job and -- once they'd gotten out of here -- he would dump them off with some other care group, be it the State Police or the Red Cross or ... whomever! Or would he keep them with him forever?

He won't, Carmen told herself with disappointment but not surprise. She didn't know whether he'd arrived at the house looking for survivors to assist or resources to collect. But either way, he was a State Trooper, and as soon as those in the basement were safely away, he would have to go back to his job ... wouldn't he?

And then their was the topic of availability. For all Carmen knew, Travis was married. Or engaged. Or gay! She begged quietly to herself, Oh, please God, don't let him be gay. She thought she had a chance of Travis wanting to get closer to her -- married engaged or free -- if only he liked girls. Men cheated, particularly with younger, naïve, innocent girls. Simple statement, simple fact. But gay men ... well, Carmen had been told she was cute and that she turned the heads of boys and men, but she doubted that she was cute enough to draw the attention of a man in search of another man.

The agony of not knowing stayed with Carmen for the next three hours as she and Travis got everyone upstairs to bathe. Carmen had been amazed at how easily the strong trooper had gotten those who were less ambulatory up the stairs. It certainly hadn't been that easy getting them into the basement weeks earlier. Everyone had been tickled that there was still water pressure, as was obvious by the laughter coming from the twins in the bathroom at the north end of the hall and Kit at the south end.

They weren't all so tickled when it came to donning a fresh set of clothes, though. Although Gma had always maintained sets of clothes for the younger children, who stayed overnight often, there hadn't been anything appropriate for Richard, the neighbor, or Becky, who had grown three sizes since the last time Gma had taken her shopping. Richard ended up in some of Gpa's very unfashionable and two sizes too large clothing; and Becky ended up in Gma's clothes which -- while they fit her fairly well -- were definitely old lady clothes.

Carmen was last to shower. She was tickled to find there was still hot water.

She stood below the streaming hot water, simply letting her mind relax and wander. Soon, though, it wasn't just Carmen's mind that was wandering. As one hand pressed open palmed against the tile near the shower head, the other began making its way over the teen's body, caressing over her sensitive nipples, down her flat belly, past the soaked mass of curly hair, and finally to...

"Oh..." she murmured, not even worrying about whether her voice could be heard. She was sure no one would be outside the door. Everyone was too busy with regaining some semblance of life as they'd once known it. As her fingers began playing with her lips and then her clit, she continued to murmur, adding in the subject of her current fantasy with, "Oh... oh my god ... oh Travis..."

Although she'd never shown an interest in boys or men and what they could do for her sexually, Carmen hadn't been deprived the pleasure of sex. Okay, so all of her enjoyment came from her own hands, but there was nothing wrong with that, right? After the pleasure began to well quickly within her -- it had been quite a while after all -- Carmen lowered to her knees in the bottom of the tub and put both hands to work, continuing to moan as her body writhed. It didn't take long for her the euphoria to explode within her, and while she did her best to limit the vocal proof of her orgasm, it would have been enough for someone beyond the door to hear her.




When Carmen emerged dressed yet again in a tee, jeans, and Converse tennis shoes, she walked right up to Travis and asked him point blank, "Are you going to leave us?"

Travis had put Ruth and Kit in the large bed and soon they were fast asleep. It was probably the first time they had been in something so comfortable in awhile and they were fed, showered and in clean clothes. He had actually not expected them to last all that long.

He checked up on them and saw that the young girl had cuddled right into the old woman and was sucking on her thumb. He smiled at the sight and half shut the door. He didn't want it shut all the way so he or Anubis would be able to get inside quickly if something happened.

While Carmen was in the Shower he got the twins into what was probably their own room as it had twin beds in it. They had not wanted to go at first wanting to stay with their Gnma, but when he showed them her sleeping on the bed with Kit and that the door would be open on her room and theirs they reluctantly climbed into their beds. He stayed with them until they fell asleep. It took all of two minutes.

As he walked back down the hall he could hear the sound of the shower running and was almost tempted to quietly sneak a quick peek inside at the young woman bathing inside. He even found himself outside of the door leaning on it without him even being aware of his body moving. His hand was on the handle when he finally came back to his senses.

He straightened up and sighed. 'You are old enough to be her father,' he thought to himself, then amended that a little. 'Okay almost old enough, but still what would she want with a guy like you anyway?' He was just turning away when he heard the obvious sounds of pleasure coming from behind the door. Oh god was she...? He blushed a bright red and hurried away from the door and back towards the lounge room, trying to not think about what Carmen was doing inside the bathroom.

He walked out to find Becky, Pete and Richard all sitting on the couch. Becky must have helped Pete get there and helped him dress and shower. Or perhaps it had been Carmen. "Okay you three who's next for bed. There are two more rooms and four more beds. two singles, a double and a trundle. I think Becky and Pete can have the singles, You can have the double Rich and Carmen can have the trundle. I will keep watch out here on the couch."

Becky looked at him with wide eyes and clutched at Pete and shook her head vigorously. Travis looked at the two men and Richard sighed. "I am sorry Travis. Becky hasn't spoken since we went down into the basement. Her Sister was raped and killed in front of her and let's face it that would traumatize anyone let alone a kid who then has to hide for her life from these Crazies. She doesn't like any adults at the moment and only responds to either Pete or Carmen."

Travis sighed but nodded. It was a problem but he could work around it. "Then you two can have the double bed and I will leave Anubis to guard you, how about that." he got a tentative smile from Becky and considered that a victory. He picked up Pete being especially careful of his leg and moved down to the room. Becky followed right behind him and he whistled for his dog as he got to the room. Placing Pete carefully in bed he turned to Becky and crouched down. "Okay you two sleep here but you be careful of his leg. If he starts to moan in his sleep or tells you it is hurting you come and get me and I will give him something to take away the pain okay," he told her smiling. "Now into bed and get some sleep."

He made no move to touch her but once she was in bed he smiled again and stood up then got Anubis to lay down next to the bed. "Don't worry Becky. With him there nothing will be able to get you."

He walked out and turned when he heard Carmen walking down the hall towards him. He waited and saw the grim look on her face.Even with that look he was now struck by her beauty. His estimate on her age now went up to at least eighteen or nineteen. Now that she was washed up and clean he could see that she was definitely not young and the clothes that she wore showed that she was rather well developed as well. Her hair was now lustrous and bouncy instead of dank and matted and her face now clean had a certain beauty that although not a runway models was more charming.

He caught himself staring and had to shake his head. Yes it had been awhile since he had been with a woman and he could not seem to stop thinking about what he had overheard while he had been outside the bathroom door. He imagined it was him making her moan like that and indeed cry out a lot more things in pleasure as he worked miracles upon her body. He had to stop dreaming and get his head in the game though and put such thoughts out of his mind. They would do him no good as they would never happen and they could get everyone killed. He waited until she stopped in front of him and was about to speak when she got in first."Are you going to leave us?" She asked him.

Travis was floored by the question. It was actually a pretty tough one. He was out here to find survivors and scavenge for food and weapons. He had found a few of each on his travels but never kids before. Oh there were kids back at base but he had never brought any in and he was beginning to think it was not healthy for them. Supplies were starting to run out and he knew in a mad dash kids would be the first casualties.

"Those are my orders but I am starting to rethink them. It may not be such a good idea, but I might still have to go back to base to resupply. Of course that doesn't mean I am going to leave you here. It just means you are coming with me until we get close and then I am finding a safe place to hide you until I resupply and come back to get you."

Carmen listened to Travis's reassurances but all her brain heard was come back to get you, which meant he was leaving them, albeit temporarily. She asked with a touch of desperation in her tone, "Why can't we just stay here?"

She wanted to ask, Why can't you just stay here with me? That was where her puppy love struck mind was now, particularly after driving herself to orgasm imagining Travis's mouth head between her thighs.

It probably sounded like a naïve question to Travis, but to Carmen it seemed like a very suitable option. Her Gpa had always told the kids that the property was one of the safest places on the planet. The property was bordered by water -- the Patterson Slough -- on the west. Beginning where the slough met Leo Harris Parkway in the northwest corner, an 8 foot high wrought iron fence followed the property line along MLK Jr. Blvd for ~100 yards or so, then cut south to the gate and then clockwise along the property line again back to the Slough.

The water and fence would never have kept out someone who really wanted on the estate, of course. One of Gpa's favorite sayings about locks and fences -- learned while he was in the Army -- was that both were intended to keep honest people honest, not stop criminals. But add to the slough and the fence the motion activated lights and cameras, the 24 hour Community Services private security force (which had a reaction time to the estate of less than 3 minutes), and -- of course -- the Eugene Police, who had recently moved their offices to Country Club Road just a few miles away, plus Gpa's love of family and guns, and you had a pretty safe place to raise a family.

Of course, much of that security was disabled or absent right now. The roaming security patrols were no more. The police had been absent until Travis's fortunate arrival. And, of course, the gate was wide open, smashed off its hinges by some looters who apparently had driven a vehicle through it. All of this could be repaired, of course, but to do so meant working out there ... with the Crazies!

And concerning the slough, Carmen didn't know it but Crazies didn't swim. That didn't mean that more invading looters -- or more rapists -- couldn't come across the slough. But all of that might not mean anything if she couldn't convince Travis to stay here with her and the others.

"I mean ... can't we just fix what's broken...?" Carmen continued with her questions. "Make the ... what do you call it, that ... "P" word ... perimeter! Can't we just make the perimeter safe?"

Her tone became more despondent as her eyes began to glaze over, threatening tears. "I don't want to leave here. This is--" A soft sob escaped her throat, but she was able to hold back the rest as they threatened. "This is our home."

Carmen wanted to again add more. This could be your home, too. You could stay with me-- with US. But, of course, those thoughts stay deep within her lust-filled mind. One day she would have the courage to make such bold suggestions, or offers they might be called. But that day wasn't this day.


Notes about this post:

• Google Map Link:
  • 3324 Boardwalk, in the lower right corner, is the Ridge Family home.
  • Autzen Stadium is obvious.
  • And in the upper left across MLK Jr Blvd is Lane County Mental Health Services.
  • I just wanted everyone to know where the sites were in comparison to one another as they will come into play later.
  • This is an interactive Google Map, so you can zoom in on either of the three properties.
• The front gate was rammed open by invading looters. It could be repaired and replaced, but doing so would likely attract Crazies.
• What in the picture appears to be a draw bridge is ... a draw bridge! Really!
  

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Travis looked at her. There was a desperation in her eyes that he could recognize, but there was also something else that he wasn't sure of. Oh he was pretty sure he knew why the girl wanted to stay here, after all it was her home and truth to tell it wasn't such a bad idea. The house was pretty secure and if he could repair a few things then he was sure the Crazies would not be breaking in.

The problem was supplies and looters. The house had well and truly been picked clean of food and anything that hadn't been taken had been destroyed. Travis was reasonably certain that most of the houses in the rest of the community would be the same. Oh he would still go and have a look in his truck and if any of the houses still had their front doors intact it might be worth a look. In fact it was still his job to look for survivors so technically he had to. He doubted he would find anything much though, both in the way of survivors or supplies.

The other problem was the worse of the two though. As soon as they started to improve the defenses of the house or even of the walls of the compound, then they were sending out signals to any roving gangs that there were survivors living there and that they might have stuff to steal and women to take advantage of. It was sort of a catch 22 type of situation. Yes they would be more safe and secure from the Crazies, but they would paint a bigger target on themselves for looters to see.

"Look Carmen I would like to stay here too, but there are a few problems with that. We might be able to work around them and we certainly won't be going anywhere for a few days anyway so we can discuss them and maybe we can work something out okay," he told her in a soothing voice. He wanted to reach out and comfort her by giving her a hug, but he wasn't sure that would be a good idea, not with the way she was making him feel at the moment.

"It has been a long day and you must be tired. Why don't you go and get Richard and you two go to sleep in the single beds. I will grab a quick shower and I think I will just sleep out here in a chair tonight and make sure nothing disturbs us."

(OOC: The image of Carmen below is purely for reference and should not be imagined as how she is actually dressed at the moment.)



Carmen surrendered to Travis's logic, for now anyway. He was right: it was late, she was tired, and they all needed sleep. She thanked him and went to look for Richard.



Deep into the night, Carmen jerked awake at the reoccurring dream that often interrupted her restless sleep. She was disoriented at first, not being on a dirty mat in the dank basement, surrounded by snoring bodies. She rolled a bit to look at Richard and smiled, finding at least his familiar snores keeping her company. When she rolled back toward the doorway, Carmen found Anubis standing in it, staring at her. She didn't realize it, but the dog had been there for several minutes as she'd softly murmured during a series of dreams. She patted the edge of the bed, then again. The dog finally walked in and, when Carmen offered her hand out, he nudged it with his nose.

"Good dog, Anubis," she whispered, rising slowly while petting his head. She nodded her head toward the door, again whispering, "Find Travis."

The German Shepherd headed out for the hallway with Carmen following slowly, quietly behind. She walked to each of the second floor bedroom doors, checking on the others. Everyone here was sound asleep, their bodies in need of a night of increased comfort. Carmen padded down the hall and stairs, then repeated the check on the two bedrooms down here. Then she turned for the living room, where she found Anubis standing guard over his Master.

Carmen stopped in the living room's entry and just stared at the patrolman for the longest moment. Rather than take one of the big cushy chairs, Travis was half sitting, half laying at one end of the huge couch Gma had had sent all the way from Austria a few years back. Her mind was flooded with emotions and thoughts about this man and what he meant to the Ridge Family ... what he meant to her. Why did it take the end of the world for the girl to finally begin having womanly thoughts? Why did she have to have them for this man, a cop who likely would have to leave her and the others to continue his job.

Carmen recalled those old black and white movies Gma used to watch where the soldiers were getting on the train and, as it left the station, their girl would run along the platform calling out I'll wait for you. I love you. Come back safely. Would she do that when Travis left her? Would she run along the street as he drove away in his big black armored SUV, calling out such romantic things?

While she'd gotten ready for bed, Carmen had contemplated ways to make Travis stay with her-- with them! She'd tried the This is our home card, and the We'll be safer here one, too. Her deck was pretty small, and Carmen figure she only had one left. She cleared her throat, trying to awake Travis. She hadn't thought she'd done it loud enough and was ready to repeat the sound when she saw Travis's eyes open and set directly on her.

She gave the more mature man a moment to take in her current state of semi-dress. She wore a sleeveless, cropped tee shirt through which the pert nipples of her unbridled breasts conspicuously announced themselves, and a pair of red boy shorts with lacy trim. Even with her petite body and minimal curves Carmen hoped Travis would find her attractive, maybe even sexy.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered, immediately walking to the couch and sitting down on the edge next to him. She studied his eyes, then looked at his lips, trying to give the message that she wanted to kiss them ... or even more. She looked back up into Travis's eyes and whispered, "I've never kissed a real man before."

She was trembling. And while it was cold inside the house, she knew that it wasn't only from the autumn chill.

Travis had watched Carmen go off to bed then had groaned a little. He had to stop thinking of her in the way he was. It would do him no good and if she ever found out it would probably scare her and he really did not want to do that.

As soon as he was sure that Carmen and Richard were safely in bed he headed for the bathroom. He had grabbed a fresh shirt and a pair of jocks from his emergency kit, but he was going to have to get dressed in his uniform again. That was going to be a pain but at least it was clean. He had gone a few days wearing his uniform with it covered in Crazy blood and guts. That had not been fun as he had almost been gagging by the time he had made it back to base and Anubis had not sat anywhere near him.

He stripped off and got under the water, sighing as the hot water washed away the sweat and grime of the day. What was surprising was that the bathroom still had soap and he was able to actually wash himself. As he did though he found his mind wandering back to Carmen and the way she had looked and he felt himself start to stiffen. He was embarrassed at first but then decided to just go with it, after all who was it going to hurt.

He soaped himself up and then slowly began to jerk himself off while thinking of Carmen, Her ripe young body, her beautiful face, those small but perfect breasts and all the things he could do with her.

It did not take him long before he was erupting onto the shower wall with a grunt of pleasure. Quickly he finished washing and then after rinsing off the wall he turned off the shower, dried off then got dressed again. He then checked on everyone, smiling at Anubis as he lay beside the bed with Becky in it and then walked back downstairs. He walked over to the lounge and looked at the chair then the lounge. He was so tempted to just sit in the chair but he knew he better lay down or he would be useless tomorrow. Snuggling down he placed his rifle right beside it then closed his eyes.

He was awakened by a delicate cough and his hand was already on his rifle before he saw that it was only Carmen. His eyes went wide when he noticed what she was wearing and he sat upright watching her, wondering what she was doing down here at this hour.

When she came and sat down beside him complaining that she couldn't sleep, he started to become aroused and he hoped that in the dark she wouldn't notice. He wondered why she was looking at his lips until she told him, "I've never kissed a real man before." Once again his eyes went wide as he realized what she was telling him. She wanted him to kiss her. He couldn't believe it, but his fantasy was coming true. He stopped for a minute and was going to think this through before something a lot lower took over and he leaned over and gently pulled her towards him as his lips sought hers and he kissed her softly.

For over a minute he continued to kiss her softly, his passion increasing until he had to back off or get too carried away. He smiled at her. "So was that okay or did you expect something different."

He'll kiss me. He wants to kiss me. All men want to kiss me, not just 'cause it's me, but because they're men, and I'm a young woman, and that's what they--

Such were the thoughts going through Carmen's head as she sat trembling before Travis wondering whether or not he would kiss her or tell her it was a bad idea or laugh at her and tell her to go off and play with her dolls. So when she felt his hands on her upper arms, pulling her into him, felt his lips press against hers, felt their softness become a bit more passionate, a bit more wet, felt them part a bit while encouraging hers to do the same, felt his tongue tease her own while down lower, his firm grip pulled her smallish breast in tight against his muscular chest...

Carmen was swept away in the passion, losing herself entirely to the heat of the moment...

And then suddenly, it was over, as -- still holding her tightly -- Travis pushed her back from him just enough to put air between their faces and bodies. He asked, "So was that okay or did you expect something different."

Carmen answered by pressing her face forward and meeting his mouth again with an eager kiss. She tried to make it passionate and mature, but -- to clarify what she'd told Travis a moment earlier -- she'd never kissed any one before this. She reached her hands up to his shoulders, then quickly to his face, her palms to his jaw line, her finger tips upon and behind his ears, eager to ensure he did not pull away again.

This was ... incredible. It was just kissing a boy. But Carmen had waited so long to do so, and now that she was, she didn't want to stop...

(OOC: Sending you a PM about how far this can go.)

Travis was surprised when she darted forward and began to kiss him again, holding his face hard against hers preventing him from easily pulling away. He had only meant to give her a gentle first kiss just in case she died before she received it. No girl should have to die without at least getting a first kiss, and yes he admitted to himself it had been pleasant for him too. However this response from her was totally unexpected.

As his body responded on automatic and kissed her back, his mouth slowly showing hers how to behave and make the kiss beautiful and pleasant, his mind started to try to make sense of what was going on. Obviously she wanted something more than just a quick peck on the lips, but just how much more? Could it be that she was actually attracted to him? His brain laughed at that even as his arms encircled her waist and drew her closer to him, pressing her small, firm breasts against his chest. He felt how hard her nipples were even through his shirt and he moved slightly so they rubbed up and down his muscled chest.

He felt her moan into his mouth as he parted his lips and began to teach her how to tongue kiss properly. She was an eager and quick learner. Soon her kisses matched his and she was kissing him with some competence, her tongue gently exploring his mouth and allowing his to explore hers.

He was enjoying himself. He had not held a beautiful young woman in his arms since...Hell since he had been in college, and now here he was. His body reacted naturally and he felt himself growing rigid, causing his pants to tent up and he was just glad that it was dark and that Carmen was not sitting in his lap or this would be a lot more awkward.

Kissing her was one thing, going much further might be a bit more dangerous. Saying that though he found his hands wandering down her back and cupping her firm buttocks and massaging them gently. Once again he felt her gasp into his mouth but this time her eyes widened and he wondered if he had gone too far.

Carmen was lost in the incredible embrace...

...but not so much that she couldn't recognize that -- with Travis's grasping of her firm, young buttocks -- things were beginning to get very serious, very fast. She pulled her face back suddenly, murmuring quietly, "Whoa ... whoa, whoa, whoa."

She pulled out of Travis's arms, stood quickly to her feet, and backed up a step. She felt stupid suddenly and couldn't look into Travis's eyes. As she stared at the floor, then around the room as if looking for a place to hide from her embarrassment, Carmen whispered, "Sorry. I ... I didn't mean to--"

She went quiet, entirely uncertain of what she was trying to say or what she should say in a situation like this. She'd never been in a situation like this, of course. What the hell was the proper thing to do now?

"I should go to bed," she said, suddenly turning and heading toward the stairs adding, "Sorry."

(OOC: PM heading at you.)

Travis looked at Carmen and saw that while she had been enjoying herself he had scared her. Damn, why couldn't he have controlled himself? She had effectively told him she was the definition of a virgin and he had gone and done that to her.

"Look Carmen I am Sorry," he told her as he stood up. "This was all my fault."

He reached out and grabbed her arm and held onto it lightly. If she wanted to pull away she could, he did not want to give her the idea he was restraining her. He just wanted her to stop for a second.

"I shouldn't have kissed you." He saw her look and quickly continued. "I don't mean I did not like it or I do not like you, because I do on both accounts and that's the problem. I am too old and you are too young and beautiful. You deserve someone more your own age, not someone like me."

He let her go and smiled at her. "By the way, you do learn fast and I think the first actual 'Boy' you kiss is going to be a very surprised but happy one."

He turned and began to make his way back to the couch. "You don't need to worry about me trying to do that again Carmen. We can just keep it as a happy memory between us and leave it at that okay? Now go back to bed and I will see you in the morning."

He kept a smile on his face even though he did not feel that way inside.

"Look, Carmen, I am Sorry," Travis said as he stood and followed behind her until she came up short. "This was all my fault."

She felt his hand at her arm, and while she was nervous and a bit scared -- not of Travis, but of what could possibly happen between them -- she did nothing to pull away from him.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," Travis continued, explaining his feelings. When he complimented her on her quick learning, Carmen's face exploded in a hot blush. He reassured her that he would not push himself on her, then told her, "Now go back to bed and I will see you in the morning."

Carmen hesitated a moment, then headed for the hall. She stopped short, turning to look back to Travis. He was such a beautiful man, and she had enjoyed kissing him so much. She wished that they could continue kissing -- making out -- but she knew that one or the other of them would want it to move further. Her big fear, of course, was that either she would be the one who wanted to proceed, making her seem sluttyish, or he would and she wouldn't stop him, again making her seem like a slut. Either way she looked at it, if she stayed down here with him tonight, she was going to lose her virginity and feel bad about it.

She headed back upstairs, but when she reached the bedroom, she found Richard snoring like a bear. She instead stripped the bedding off the mattress and went to the room in which the girls were sleeping, putting together a bed on the floor. She was asleep in no time at all ... despite having a hand between her thighs, gently toying with her sensitive, yearning clit.



She awoke to find herself alone in the room. She dressed and went out into the hall, finding it empty. Where was everyone? That was when she heard laughter downstairs. She headed down and found most everyone in the kitchen. Everyone was either eating or had already finished. Forgetting that Travis had brought food in from his truck, she asked, "Where'd the food come from?"

(OOC: I don't want to go further ahead. Your turn.)

Travis had not slept well the previous night. He had watched Carmen walk back up the stairs then had groaned quietly. The one advantage that he had was that the street lights were not working in this neighborhood and so hid his very aroused state from her. He doubted she would have calmly walked if she had seen that.

He had gotten back into his makeshift bed and had tried to go back to sleep, but thoughts of the beautiful girl kept swirling in his mind, as did the memory of how good her body felt in his arms and how sweet her lips had tasted.

Finally after an hour of fruitless tossing and turning he had gotten up and decided to walk the perimeter of the house checking on the state of things outside. He hoped that would distract him enough to at least cause his erection to subside. For the next several hours he had walked from room to room, except for the bedrooms downstairs, that had windows that he could see outside of and using his night vision googles checked on the Crazies.

As usual they were just wandering around, occasionally going into houses or poking their heads into the open windows of a parked car. It amazed him how many times he would see one Crazy check a car and then another directly behind it check it again. At one stage he saw eight Crazies check the same car, it was if they did not take in what was happening around them. Of course he already knew they did not hear things. As long as a person stayed behind them they could make as much noise as they wanted and they would not draw their attention. However if they were in their line of sight and they moved, even a little bit, they would be hunted down without mercy and devoured.

These things were not called Zombies either. They did not shuffle around or moan, they did not even look like rotting corpses, They looked like perfectly ordinary people although by now they were mainly dirty and had blood caked around their mouths and on their hands.They moved normally as well, walking around like people going on a stroll. Then when they found something to hunt they moved with a full sprint and never seemed to tire. It was if their endurance had been increased although he did have his own theory. He had seen a Crazy endure a lot of pain, being shot five times in the chest before dropping dead and it was still running at him. He was pretty sure they didn't feel pain any more so sprinting at full pace would no longer be a problem nor would be using their full strength. After all people didn't because at a certain point you felt pain as your muscles complained, a Crazy didn't have that problem.

Travis stayed awake until the sun came up and then decided the place was pretty secure after all. Nothing came at the house from the rear and there was only way into the house from the side and that was easily barricaded and was pretty secure in it's own right. That only left the front door and with his truck it was very secure from Crazy attack and even Looters.He was starting to rethink moving.

Still first things first, he thought he would surprise everyone with an actual cooked breakfast. Being a protector had it's privileges. He had been able to scrounge up some actual eggs and his emergency rations had the ever popular Spam or condensed beef. Fried up it wasn't too bad and would do in place of bacon. Condensed orange juice mixed with water would have to take the place of fresh squeezed and it would be easy to make a loaf of bread.

He started with the bread and soon had it in the oven, (well after letting it rest and all) and then started on everything else. By the time the smells had reached upstairs and people started coming down he had almost finished. He took a quick break and rushed up and brought down Pete and then finished and dished up everything.

He was surprised that Carmen had not appeared but by the time breakfast was half over she appeared, a little sleepy and looking around in surprise. "Where'd the food come from?" She asked in surprise and Travis chuckled. "It is amazing what you can do with these emergency rations and a bit of imagination," he answered her. "Don't worry I saved you some although your eggs may be a little overcooked now," he told her pulling her plate out of the warm oven and placing it in front of her on the table. "Eat up and then we can all discuss what the situation is and what we can do about it."

(PM coming your way)

Carmen sat at the bar with the twins and dug into her plate. It was incredible, and not just because it was the first real meal she'd had in weeks. She asked the others if they remembered how Gma used to home bake bread, which turned into an hour long remembrance of what life was like before the virus and the Crazies.

Carmen missed her old life. At the same time, if it hadn't been for the sequence of tragedies that had led them to this time and place, she wouldn't have met Travis. The world was ending, most of her friends and family were dead, maniacal cannibals were running the streets, and Carmen was giving thanks to having finally kissed a boy. She shook her head, then chuckled a bit, attracting attention from the others. She waved off the attention and returned to her meal, her face warm from the blush of embarrassment.



"This is my favorite place in the whole wide world."

Carmen looked over to Travis, who was still wearing the expression he'd donned when the teen had first told him where she wanted to go. They were on the top of the Ridge Family home, sitting on the highest peak. From here, they could see for miles in every direction.

To the northwest was the most obvious feature in the area, the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium. When the virus struck the Eugene-Springfield area and the hospitals were quickly overwhelmed, the Governor of Oregon activated the National Guard and turned the Home of the Ducks into a virus quarantine and treatment center. By the time the battery on Carmen's laptop had died, she'd heard unbelievable reports about how many patients had gone into the stadium. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others ... they were all filled with posts by people whose friends and family were taken into custody and shipped off to Autzen and by people who themselves were being taken there, only to later have their phones, tablets, and laptops taken from them.

The last report she'd read before her screen went black said that bodies by the hundreds were being tossed out of the stadium to the pavement below, where dogs, crows, and turkey vultures were feeding upon them. She hadn't believed it at the time, and she was too afraid the stories were true to ask Travis to either confirm or refute them.

"One Fall, a storm took off some shingles," she explained, pointing off toward a distant section of the roof. "Gpa-- my grandfather, he let me come up with him to replace them. I was nine years old." She pointed toward the stadium. "The Ducks were playing the Bruins ... UCLA ... and we could hear the crowd roar almost like we were in the stadium."

She stood, showing no concern that she was 30 feet in the air on a pitched roof in a 15 mile per hour wind. She was entirely comfortable here. She held her arms out wide like she used to do playing airplane as a child, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. She wobbled a bit, but maintained her stance there. There was a wide smile on her lips. She was in heaven.

"I love it here," she said, looking to Travis again. She turned and moved closer to him, dropping down and leaning back, her haunches on the roof behind her heels. She studied him for a moment before saying with conspicuous emotion, "You have to promise me, Travis. We have to stay here. We can't leave. We be-long here."

She moved forward again, dropping to her knees close enough to place her hands on him and look closely into her eyes. She said softly, "We have to stay here..." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, the pulled back and added, "You could stay here with us ... with me."

Travis had been a little surprised when Carmen had invited him to accompany her up to the roof but he had decided it might be a good idea. He would get a good view of the surrounding area from up there and he would be able to plan what to do next. She had led him up to the top floor and then up to the roof through a little hatch. She seemed right at home and he wondered just how many times she had been up here.

He had no problems with heights himself and he strolled from side to side looking at everything. Everywhere he looked he could see Crazies wandering around except for behind the house. In that direction was swampland and a small lake. He saw them wander up to the water and get two steps in then suddenly turn around and walk quickly away. Well that was good to know, it seemed they did not like large bodies of water. He could use that knowledge when planning future defenses.

Sitting down he watched Carmen enjoying herself and smiled. It was the first time he had actually seen her smile in genuine enjoyment and it made her look even more beautiful as her smile lit up her face. He chuckled until she moved and sat down before him.

I love it here," she said, looking to Travis again. She studied him for a moment before saying with conspicuous emotion, "You have to promise me, Travis. We have to stay here. We can't leave. We be-long here."

Travis didn't know what to say to that. It was very obvious that she believed that what she was saying was right, and the more he thought about it the more he was starting to agree with her. This place was a lot better than many others he could think of, and with a bit of work he could make it practically crazy proof. Of course he wouldn't be able to make it look to good or it would attract looters, but he thought he would be able to do it. Besides it was beginning to look like going back to base was not going to be their best option.

He was going to tell her so when she rose up onto her knees and put her hands on his shoulders looking into his eyes. "We have to stay here..." She said softly as she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, the pulled back and added, "You could stay here with us ... with me."

He was so startled he had forgotten to kiss her back, but then he leaned forward and rectified that. Pulling back he smiled at her. "Carmen I want to make sure of something. I want you to know that what you are doing will not change my decision one way or the other. If you truly like me, then please continue kissing me because I do enjoy it. However if you are just doing it because you think it will get me to stay then I would prefer it if you would stop. One because it won't work and two because I am likely to do something you might not be ready for."

Smiling he hugged her lightly and then let her go. "As for us staying here I am beginning to see it's value. It will be easy to defend and I think I can easily repair the outer wall and gates so we can be safe from Crazy attacks. So we will be staying at least a week maybe two. After that...Well we can decide that then."

Carmen had to divert her gaze from Travis as he made an even more serious reply to the serious proposal she'd made. Was she, for the most part, throwing herself at the man to keep him here to protect those in the house? Or, did she truly want Travis to be her boyfriend ... her lover?

Carmen suddenly remembered the term paper she'd written in Gender Studies, a college level course she'd taken her junior year of high school as part of her college prep. She'd learned that over the course of history, the number one thing female humans had looked for in a male partner was protection and support, of themselves and -- especially -- of their offspring. Could she have been interested in Travis only because she knew that he would protect and care for her if she laid with him in his bed, satisfying his sexual needs and the underlying need disseminate his seed?

Or ... did she simply like him and want to be his girl friend? Again, her paper came to mind. Why did a female take an interest in a male, deep down? Again, it was evolutionary: to produce offspring. Fucking hormones! she could here her now gone mother screaming during one of her moments.

Carmen stood up tall over Travis, standing there thirty feet above the ground as easily and confidently as if she was down on it. She turned away and walked to another peak, looking out upon the city for a moment. Her mind was spinning, the fight between thoughtful brain and fiery hormones confusing her. What did she really want? She wanted Travis, duh. But ... why?

She turned to face him again, staring for a moment before resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't clear headed enough to know what do to right now. She headed back to Travis, leaned down to kiss him softly on the cheek, then looked into his eyes and said, "We should go down maybe."

Travis had watched Carmen walk around the roof and was impressed with the way she handled herself. The girl had absolutely no fear of heights, and if she ever learned to shoot well could become an excellent sniper. Hmm he became thoughtful at that idea and rubbed his chin, but put that thought away for now. He would have to teach all the adults how to shoot a gun eventually if he was going to stay with them, but that could wait, he needed this growing thing between himself and Carmen sorted out.

Of course Travis still didn't know what 'This Thing' was. He had to admit to himself he was now very interested in her, but at the same time he did not want to hurt her or himself by taking advantage of her. If this was just her way of gaining a protector for her family then he would resist. That was not what he wanted. He was here to protect them anyway and he would not let the girl throw away her innocence because she felt a need to offer him something in return.

However if she truly did feel something towards him, which he found hard to believe, then he had to be sure before he took the next step. He was going to have to go slow on this one and let her make most of the decisions as it was up to her to decide if it was attraction or gratefulness. So why did he hope it was attraction so much?

As she walked back to him across the roof he had his heart in his mouth, then she kissed him on the cheek and told him they should go back downstairs. He sighed a little but nodded in agreement, standing up and taking a last look around. "I think we have some work to do today and some thinking. You get back to me when you have an answer to my question and we can talk some more then," he told her kissing her on the forehead and then climbing down waiting for her to do the same.

"Let's go tell everyone the good news that we will be staying for awhile and then we can start to make this place livable again."

Carmen, and most of the others except maybe Richard and Aunt Ruth, had never worked so hard in all of their lives. By the time dinner arrived, though, it was all so very worth it.

Travis laid out the priorities for the day, made recommendations, allowed the others to suggest variations and preferences, and then they hopped to it. They cleaned. They arranged. They scavenged. They repaired. And they fortified. By the end of the day, the Ridge home hardly looked the same.

There were boards over the windows on the first floor and sniper positions at the windows of the second and attic. The doors to the outside world had furniture blocking them that couldn't easily be pushed backwards by people outisde but could easily pushed aside by people on the inside. (Ironically, that had been 10 year old Petey's idea, gleaned from a game he'd once played incessantly to the detriment of his school grades at the time.)

They'd rearranged the living quarters as well. As the only adult male -- other than Travis, obviously -- Richard had been offered his own room. Surprisingly, though, Becky -- still nearly silent from her PTSD but slowly becoming more animated and even smiling occasionally -- had insisted on sleeping in the same room as he. Carmen thought it made her feel safe to have an father figure close by at night. Ironically, that only caused Carmen to again consider her reasons for wanting Travis close by at night, too ... very close indeed.

Petey didn't want to share with anyone, so he got the smallest of the guest rooms. And the twins wanted to be with Aunt Ruth, which meant that the matriarch got Kit as well, who tagged along to his older sisters as if a puppy dog waiting for a treat.

That only left Carmen and Travis's sleeping arrangement. She was the last one to choose a room, and there had still been four from which to choose in the huge estate, two upstairs, two down. She knew that Travis would likely take a downstairs room, to be closer to the action and danger should any surface. And she knew that that would make it easier to be near him if she chose to do so. But she also knew that, for propriety sake, she should take one upstairs near the others.

That was when Aunt Ruth stepped in and shocked Carmen to the point of turning white as a ghost. The matriarch pulled her aside as the entire gang was relocating beds and sorting bedding and said quietly to her, "The guest room at the north end of the hall... It's the most sound proof, honey. We used to put your parents in it when y'all would visit because ... well, sweetie, they liked to have sex ... alot ... all night. Those two, my Lord ... they just never grew out of that passion, did they? So ... Gpa had the room..."

As she went on about the particulars of the room's renovation, Carmen's eyes widened to the size of saucers, not only because Aunt Ruth was openly discussing the sex life of Carmen's parents but because she was ... she was, wasn't she...? Wasn't she suggesting that Carmen might need the sound insulation because...? You know...? She was going to be having sex ... loud sex ... with Travis...? Ruth reached the end of the conversation about sound proofing and a new door and whatever without actually having said Carmen, Travis, or Sex together in a sentence, but the 18 year old knew that was what her great aunt was getting at.

As if she wasn't already embarrassed enough, the cop himself came around the corner carrying some of his things and Ruth pointed toward the sex cave and said firmly, "End of the hall, Travis. Best room in the house. Close to the kitchen ... private bathroom..." She elbowed Carmen inconspicuously, adding, "Easy access to the other amenities ... and quiet ... very quiet, so you don't have to listen to the kids and--" She cleared her throat as if to emphasize conspicuously to him the possibilities, "--the kids don't have to listen to you."

Carmen spun on her heel, her face exploding with the heat of a blush. She hesitated, then hurried away, saying, "I have to find, um ... um... Petey!" She cringed as she hurried away, knowing she'd picked the wrong name. Petey was lying on the couch with a broken leg! Find him! she chastised herself.



Dinner was, to say the least, awkward! Ruth had insisted that they all sit around the big, dining room table as a family, even stressing to one and all as she looked around to them, "We are all family now. Richard, my dear friend and neighbor ... my children's children ... Travis, our newest friend-- newest family ... and very possibly our savior." She'd opened a bottle of wine from the basement's wine cellar and poured glasses for herself, Richard, Travis, and -- shockingly -- Carmen as well, telling her, "You are no longer a child."

The kids had gotten a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider that had been purchased for Thanksgiving and had still been in a shopping bag in the back of Gpa's Navigator, along with some badly molding cheeses and stuff Carmen couldn't even identify. It wasn't Turkey Day, of course, but with some scrounged items from the pillaged kitchen, the back of the SUV, and Travis's traveling pantry, it was a meal for which they were all thankful.