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Noah staggered, kicking up dust and rock. He cleared the sweat from his brow and put a hand on his hip. What did he do to deserve this shit? Something in a past life maybe? The sun wasn't letting up, even in the waning afternoon. An aching pain shot up from his foot to an ankle. Walking through abandoned streets for hours on end was not how he envisioned the first few weeks of marriage. And fighting for your life against beings that looked like your typical neighbor only more grotesque was something that happened on TV, not in everyday life. Facts he’d swear by just weeks ago were now turned around and backward, all starting from one Emergency Warning System newscast. Noah laughed. “Yeah, everyone cackled so hard at the hotel bar when the bulletin came on. Such a great Halloween stunt,” he mocked, shaking his hands with fingers spread wide. “Let’s see who’s laughing now—oh wait, none of them, cause they’re fucking dead.” Noah wrapped his arms around himself in a pout.
“What are you muttering about back there?” Liam, Noah’s husband was a few feet ahead. Long legs will do that.
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep walking…and walking…and walking!” Noah glared at Liam's back and ground his teeth. He stomped like a child, taking his anger out on the only man that ever mattered. A pang of guilt ached in his chest at the hostility in his voice. It wasn't Liam's fault that their honeymoon and future plans didn’t matter anymore, the least he could do was refrain from a bitch-fest. He was trying to keep them both safe. But the pain of losing everything was so fresh, they were on edge and everything was an argument.
Cars, not even a year old left open to the elements. Twenty-dollar bills tumbled on the breeze. The hustle and cares of everyday life stopped in an instant. All hell broke loose and everyone became an enemy. This was how the world would look before it ended. So much for growing old together. The trauma of seeing their hotel maid mobbed by those… things haunted Noah’s dreams. He couldn’t sleep and became a different person within these few short weeks. He morphed from a gentle, positive person, always obeying every law to a foul-mouthed cynic that broke into a police station and stole a gun off a corpse hours prior. And this was the man that hated guns.
“We have to keep going.” Liam didn’t turn around to see Noah's grimace. “We can’t waste daylight, and it’s coming on dusk as it is. These things come out in droves at night so move your ass.” Liam cursed and took a deep breath, tilting his head toward the blistering sun. “You know I meant that the most loving way possible...right?”
“Whatever. No, I’m done. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, hell, my fucking hair hurts.” Noah snapped his fingers out in front of him. “Hey, how about turning around and actually looking at me?”
Liam’s head lolled to the side. As their eyes met, he arched a brow. “What?”
He pointed toward the rows of houses squished onto little plots of land. “I’m staying in one of those for the rest of the day.” Without giving Liam a chance to argue, Noah took off in a sprint toward the first house with a porch. A flop echoed in the silence as he planted himself under a windowsill and stuck his tongue out. “I found my spot. You can come enjoy these luxurious accommodations with me.” A grin crept up on his lips as he spread his legs and patted a thigh. “Or you can be on your way.”
“You know I’m not leaving you behind.” A breeze rustled Liam’s cropped hair while he jogged up to the sidewalk. “But enough screwing off, let’s go.” He extended a hand and curled his fingers inward.
“What? Go where?” Noah pounded on the floorboards. “I love you but I’m tired of fucking running scared out of my mind. We have no real plan but to go up north only because your zombie comics say they don’t like the cold. Do you know how stupid that sounds? Plus, there’s no gas anywhere, so what are we supposed to do? Walk all the way to Canada or some shit?”
“Jesus, Noah,” Liam said in a whispered shout. He ran a hand through his unwashed strands of matted hair and huffed. “What’s wrong with you? Keep it down. You’re gonna—”
Noah picked at the speckles of dirt under his nails and rolled his eyes while Liam bitched. Of course, Liam would resort to raising his voice to get his way. It was always the last step before he stormed off, coming back later to apologize for not seeing reason.
“Noah! Fuck...Noah! Move! Move!”
Noah's hair stood on end. He rubbed the prickles at the back of his neck and glanced toward the voice. Liam rushed toward him, hands flying in all directions.
Noah registered the glass shattering above his head but his brain failed to move a muscle. A decrepit arm strained over the shards and yanked his body up through the window. The roar of the monster was deafening in his ears. His heart hammered in his chest as his arms flung in all directions. A stabbing pain in his wrist pulled him out of the shock. Fuck, this was really happening! Shrill screams left his lips as needles of glass fell from his forearm. A right hook hit its target nailing the creature in the jaw, making its grip loosen for a mere second. He was free. One step backward and a swath of blond entered his view. The world spun until Noah’s back connected with something hard, splintery, and then he was on the grass. He spat the dirt out of his mouth and groaned. “Fuck! Son of a bitch!” The glass embedded deeper from the fall. Blurry feet moved in front of him.
“Liam...no...don't!” Noah pushed himself up and eyed the pistol that was supposed to be in his holster. “Gun! Get the gun—it’s—”
Liam turned and his shoulder arched toward the window. “Yeah, I—”
The sickening sound of tearing flesh and screams met Noah's ears, he squeezed his eyes shut. Vomit threatened to spill as his husband’s cries became louder. His body froze. Instinct told him to run, but he couldn't. He had to do something, anything. Noah scrambled to his feet, ignoring the blood dripping from his fingertips, and launched himself up the steps. A moment of relief washed over him, his fingers wrapped around the pistol grip. With his injured left arm, he gave Liam a forceful shove and aimed with his right.
One shot through the head. The growling and gnashing teeth silenced. Noah watched the tendrils of smoke waif into the air and disappear. He dropped the weapon as if it was a white-hot ember.
Liam crouched down and fell on his back, clutching his ruined shoulder. He cursed and spat on the ground. It was a tiny red pearl compared to the growing crimson pool behind his head. Noah couldn’t move at first. Hell, he could barely breathe. He stood there, fixated on the jagged wound. Tears flooded his eyes and dripped down onto his torn shirt. Was this real? It couldn’t be. Because if it was, he just…
“Liam? Oh my God.” Noah’s knees slammed into the wooden planks, his hands were raking the hair out of Liam’s face. He could handle the gash in his arm. What he couldn’t handle was that he, more or less, witnessed Liam’s death. He’d seen it happen with guests at their honeymoon resort. Once bitten the victim had maybe an hour before mutating. Liam Alexander was a dead man—his body just hadn’t caught up yet.
“I’m…okay. It’s okay…” Liam shuffled at first then forced himself to stand. He tore at a tiny hole in his t-shirt until the threads relented and a sliver a fabric tore from the rest. Noah watched as the material dyed red after a mere touch to his shoulder. “Are you all right?” He tugged on the knot he’d made with his teeth and looked up in the absence of an answer.
“Liam…I…” The words caught in Noah’s throat. It was hard to breath let alone speak.
“Hey…”
Noah met his eyes after fingers tilted his chin up.
“Did it bite you?” Liam stroked Noah’s cheek and turned his chin to the left and right.
Stuttering at first, Noah managed to get the words, “I’m fine…it’ll heal.” out before cupping the hand around his face. “But, you aren’t.” Liam let out a grunt after Noah’s arms circled around him. “Oh, god. No…no…no.”
“Shhh. Noah, calm down. Listen to me.” Liam held the other’s face with both hands. “We need to get your arm bandaged. Okay? That is what we need to do right now. Understand?” Noah was unresponsive, he buried his face into the muscular chest. A snap of fingers helped him focus on his husband’s face once more. “Do you understand want I said, Noah? Shake your head if you do.”
Noah pulled up after a few moments of silence. “Ye…Yes. I understand,” he said, his voice hoarse. He throat was suddenly dry as if he’d been out of waters for days. “But how…how can you be so calm? That thing just—”
“I’m far from calm, dammit.” Liam swayed as he took a few steps forward. “We need to get you safe. They’re gonna swarm with all this blood. We can go to that fancy house up the road a ways. Deal?” Noah allowed himself to be pulled up and escorted in the direction they came. He couldn’t trust himself to speak at the moment for fear of bursting into ugly sobs which would attract more unwanted attention.
Noah tapped his foot in the mansion’s foyer. Liam ordered him to stay put and calm down while he checked the home for hostiles. He heard the footfalls from above and picked at the skin of his fingers to distract himself, not just from the pain in his arm, but from the anxiety that any moment Liam could be attacked once more.
Coughing echoed off the walls as Liam made his way down. Their eyes met when he reached the bottom. Noah put a hand over his mouth. “My God.” Sweat poured down Liam’s face. The shaking of the gun in his hand almost drowned out the wheezing coming from his ragged breathing. Still, he managed a half smile as he tucked the gun in his back. Noah found it hard not to return the grin when his hands were gathered and given a squeeze and a kiss.
“I found an upstairs room that would be safe to hold up in for a few days. It’s got a stash of canned beans, a jug of water, and a view of the surrounding lot.” Noah didn’t argue when he was pulled up the first few stairs. “We can scour a couple of the other big houses around for more food and—” He sucked in a deep breath and coughed. Dark mucous landed on a step. “Shit…”
Noah put a hand on his back to steady his ascent. “I think you need to rest more than I do. I can do some looking myself and gather too.”
Liam shrugged. “You’ll be…on your own…soon enough. If I can help now, I will.” He put his arms around himself and turned away, sniffling.
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Liam stumbled forward and caught himself on Noah’s shoulders. “Don’t be insane. I can’t be near you when…when I change or,” Fluid bubbled in his lungs like a grumbling stomach as he sucked in a deep breath. “end this.”
Noah sniffed and wiped fresh tears from his eyes. He clasped his husband’s wrists. “No, as in, you’re not leaving. I’m not letting you off yourself. It was…my fault, so I will…”
Liam put a finger to the other’s lips. “No, don’t finish that sentence. I will not let something like that be on your conscience. And your last memories of me will not be of my brains splattered all over the wall.”
Noah threaded his shaky fingers into Liam’s hair and pulled him to his forehead, massaging the scalp as he did thousands of times before. It hurt knowing that this time would be one of his last.
“It’s already on my conscience. I blame myself and will always blame myself—nothing will change that.” He started walking forward with Liam still in his hands, pushing him up the last step and into the once grand bedroom. “But, I’m not letting you die alone.”
A king bed, devoid of the normal accompaniments sat below the row of four windows in the center of the room that took up half the upstairs floorspace. Noah directed Liam to the mattress and gently shoved him down to sit on the edge. Metal chains rustled from the top of the frame as the springs squeaked from the impact.
“I see you already figured I wouldn’t let you leave, huh?” Noah asked with a hint of a grin.
Liam’s impish grin lacked sincerity. “I had to try.” His lips no longer stood separate from his face, turning the same ashen gray has his cheeks. Groaning, he reached around to grab the cuff and secure it around a vieny wrist.
Shaking his head, Noah crawled up the bed, settling to straddle his husband. A torn bloody shirt was tossed aside, earning a whistle from the other. The younger man began with light pecks up the bare abdomen trapped between his thighs. A hand shot up, stopping him from lapping at a delicious looking nipple.
“Noah, what are you doing?” Liam tried to push him up, but unable to with a sudden weakness that spread throughout his arms. “Your wound. You need to clean it up. Go in the…” A demanding kiss silenced the protests, almost succeeding in distracting the silver-haired man.
Liam pulled his head away. “No, we can’t do this, my love. It’s dangerous.” He pushed on the other’s chest, urging him to see reason.
“Stop worrying.” Noah pulled a small gun out of his back and slid it under a dirty pillow at the top of the bed. “See, I have protection if I need it.”
“But, Noah, I could…”
“Shhh.” Kisses and nips ran from Liam’s ear lobe down to his clavicle. Noah pulled up to smooth his hands over his husband’s cheeks and around to the back of his head. “Baby, are you really going to deny me a last fuck with my husband of not even two weeks?” As he gulped the sweat dripped off his adam’s apple. “Are you really going to do that?”
The enamored man wheezed out a shaky, “N-no,” before reaching for his own belt. Noah was out of his pants in a flash, yanking Liam’s down and off in a smooth motion moments after. Naked, Noah attacked the small bedside table, tearing drawers open and rummaging through. After a few books and charging cables went flying, he found what he was looking for, holding up a small white tube. He grinned at Liam, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that his husband’s skin already had taken on an ashen appearance. “Body lotion will have to do.” Noah winked and slid back on the bed.
The pair collided in a flurry of tongues and teeth. Noah rolled his hips, earning a deep moan from the other. Reaching down, he was pleased to feel that despite what was to come, Liam was still very eager and able to give Noah his last request.
Liam gasped as he was deep throated in one gulp. Sucks and licks to his tip had the older man thrusting up into the warm mouth, one hand firmly planted in the dark hair above his crotch. “Mmm, Noah. If you keep that up…”
Noah sat up, hovering over the mass between his husband’s legs, working the organ with rose scented lotion. “I love you, Liam. Don’t ever forget that.” He teased his entrance with the bulbous head, dipping it in and out ever so slightly. “And don’t ever forget how much my ass loves your cock.”
A shout followed by a few hacking coughs broke the stillness of the small room as Liam was enveloped in the silky warmth of his lover. Noah was tight, very tight, as he did no preparation, which worried the older man.
“Are you, okay? Why did you do that?” Liam asked as he ran his shaky fingers down the length of the other’s spine.
Deep tongued kisses were given before any real answer. Liam hesitantly returned the kisses; concern etched on his face.
“We don’t have a lot of time. I know that; I’m not stupid. I’ll be alright, Sweetheart. Just…make love to me.”
Liam drew in a ragged breath, but pushed his hips up, settling his hands, now prominently covered in spider veins, on his husband’s hips. Noah seemed pleased with the answer, slowly dragging himself off the mass and shoving himself down again. Moans and slapping skin began echoing off the walls as he continued with his slow torture. He wanted to make this last, but in reality, knew he could not.
The pair whispered cries of love to one another as they were encapsulated in lust. Noah held back a sniffle as he lay on Liam’s chest, hearing the slowing heartbeat, despite their rigorous activities. His walls squeezed his lover as he gyrated his hips, but the moans were much fainter this time.
Noah sat up, pulling Liam with him, ensuring they didn’t lose their connection. Liam’s chained hand came up to clear the sweat from the other’s face, placing a kiss on the cleaned skin. “Noah,” His voice was low, pained. “I don’t know how much longer I can…I don’t feel…right.”
The tears that collected in those once brightly shining blue eyes hurt Noah the most. He never wanted to see his husband cry. He thought he’d have many years together to make sure that didn’t happen, but now, they had only minutes, if they were lucky—a half-hour.
Kissing the hand near his cheek, Noah unfastened the chain around Liam’s wrist, tossing in far to the side.
“Noah! No, don’t! I can’t be able to run after you.”
Noah stayed silent, not trusting his voice as he took in the dark veins creeping up on the once flawless face. Squeezing his walls once more to bring the member inside him to full hardness, he steeled himself and spoke. “Make love to your husband, Liam Alexander. Don’t think, just enjoy being inside me.” It came out more of a demand than words of loving tenderness. No matter the harshness, Liam complied, running his hands down Noah’s ass, squeezing them as hard as he was able, pushing upward.
The pair fell into a rhythm of Noah slamming down hard and Liam pushing to meet him. Sloppy kisses and roaming hands made the pair nearly forget their horrid situation. Almost, but not quite. Noah cringed as he felt his husband cease to meet his thrusts, moans turning into raspy gurgles. He didn’t need to pull away to see the man he loved was fading fast—it would be moments now.
He cradled Liam's face to his neck, turning to give the veiny grayed cheek a tearful kiss. “Goodbye, my love.”
Noah felt the warmth bloom inside him—Liam's last proof of love and devotion before losing himself. As the younger man rode out his own orgasm, he concentrated on the feeling of bliss to distract himself from the tearing sensation in his shoulder. Rivulets of red chased the sweat droplets as they raced down Noah's torso, coming together and mixing in a pool below.
Liam slipped out of his lover, who now was nothing but precious flesh to consume. He clawed at the unprotected back, creating deep wounds that erupted instantly. Noah whimpered as his body was mauled, but he didn't pull away, only pushing down to pin Liam to the bed as a hand crept under the scattered pillows.
"I love you, Liam," Noah whispered before repeating the words within a scream. He didn't dare look down to see what was left of his muscular chest; he didn't need to—he could feel that his sensitive nubs, Liam's favorite spot to tease, were now gone. "I'm sorry, Baby. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." The admission was garbled, full of choked sobs. Liam growled in response, jabbing him in the ribs in an attempt to force the younger man off him.
Noah knew he didn't have much time left; he was losing a lot of blood. His vision was fading, and his resolve to keep the man, the thing, under him down was dwindling. His hand shook violently as he gripped the cool metal in his right hand. Liam was thrashing so he wasn't able to rest the barrel against the man's temple for a clean shot. He hoped one bullet was all it would take.
"I'll see you soon." Noah cupped Liam's face for just a moment, unable to hold his lover longer. Liam's nose had registered the close scent against his face before he felt it. The minute touch had his head jerking to the side to snap at the fresh meat that was offered next to his mouth. Sharp teeth attacked Noah's arm, severing the fragile tendons within. His hand slid from the cold skin as his arm was mauled, all feeling having been lost in the appendage. It didn't matter to Noah how much pain Liam put him through—it would be over quickly. “Take what you need, baby. You’re inside me, I may as well be inside you too,” he choked out between harsh breathes and heaving sobs.
Pointing the pistol at the side of Liam's head, now distracted by the other's bleeding arm, Noah pulled the trigger.
The sound was so loud, shockingly so in the tiny room. It was like an out of body experience for the younger man, as if someone else had pulled the trigger, ending the life of the one person he swore to protect. Noah watched as if in slow motion as the body fell back onto the bed, blood pooling quickly, covering the sheets. For a split second, Noah was disgusted with himself—he was now a murderer. The truth was not far behind, however. In his heart, the man knew that Liam Alexander's life was over the moment he was bitten. Noah had not committed a crime, but a kindness.
He would do himself that same kindness.
Time was of the essence; Noah could not allow himself to pass out only to become one of them. He didn't want to live in a world without Liam— especially not one that had become as fucked up as this one. He was not a brave man, so he made sure he would be able to take his own life by giving Liam the monster what it craved—his flesh.
Noah, still seated on top of his love, leaned down to rest his forehead on the remnants of the other's, placing the gun at his own temple. Gulping, he cocked the weapon. Closing his eyes, tears streaming down his face, he thought back to all the wonderful times the pair shared. The awkward meeting. Their first date. Liam's proposal. Their wedding day.
With the image of two lovers gazing at each other in front of hundreds of people focused in Noah's mind, the man ended his life with one final pull of the trigger.
Liam had assumed Noah would want to continue living his life long after he’d passed. However, he forgot one crucial promise. Their wedding vows. Noah swore to not only love and cherish his husband, Liam Alexander, but to also stay by his side, following him to the ends of the earth if necessary. And he meant it. The pair were soul mates; one couldn’t exist without the other. Noah Jameson died knowing that, no matter what happened after death, he and his husband would be together. And that was the only thing that ever really mattered.