Status: Working on it!!!

No Longer Saving Yourself

Seeing Red

"I think your leg is going to be alright. I should pour some bactine on it so it doesn't get infected. Well, not the 'oh my god it's a zombie' infected. The regular infected. You know what I mean," Cori said after inspecting and cleaning Annie's leg wound. It was more severe than either of them had initially thought.

Annie hissed as Cori poured the liquid onto the fairly deep teeth impressions currently imprinted on her leg. The sting meant it was working. At least, that's what Annie's mother always told her.

"Shut up you big baby," Cori teased. Annie glared at her as a bandage was quickly wrapped around the injury.

Annie was perched on the counter of a bathroom in an abandoned gas station. Surprisingly, there weren't any zombies. At all. Annie wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing. They discussed the possibility that the decrease in temperature drove them South. Like birds.

"They're totally going to smell the blood. Shit," Annie said, standing up. She gripped the counter, pain shooting through her leg.

"Fuck. This is going to suck." Annie leaned against the opposite wall, trying to assess the pain.

"I think it's just from the open wound/bandage contact." Annie put her full weight on it and took a couple steps forward.

"Let's pee and we'll get you the antidote."

The bathroom had four stalls that were fairly clean. Dust had settled on the surfaces and it looked like some insects had made homes. But a little toilet paper on the seats of the toilets took care of any concerns.

"Shit."

"What?"

"Um, well, my panties are. Well. Ruined."

"What do you mean 'ruined?'"

"As in, I'm going to need you to run out and get me a tampon, a pad and new underwear." Annie was not amused at the return of her period.

"Okay. And you'll need some new pants. I think the zombie liked them a little too much. And I'll grab the antidote while I'm out there. This is probably the best time to get your period if you think about it. You'll be done around the same time your wound stops attracting them."

"Good point."

The door swung shut as Cori left the small bathroom. Annie cleaned herself up as best she could for now and exited the stall. Just because they hadn't seen any infected creatures lurking around didn't mean there weren't any. She was going to get mauled again because of her fucking period.

Fucking.

Well, Annie knew what she wasn't doing. For a long time. If ever. She sighed. She stopped taking birth control a long time ago and trying to take it so it would be effective during a zombie apocalypse wasn't really an option. Other methods really required help from a doctor. And condoms were a little too risky for Annie's liking.

"Are we expected to repopulate the world? That's genetic bad news," Cori said once she returned.

"I guess this does mean I can get pregnant. I am so not pushing a kid out of my vag without drugs. Good drugs. And carrying around a baby under these conditions? Let alone the fact that I would be severely impaired," Annie rambled as she paced back and forth.

"Stop!' Cori said, grabbing her arms and holding her in one spot. "I'm sure we'll find something. If you've got yours back good chances are mine is going to be following and there is no way I am giving up sex. It's my escape from this crap. And Danny is amazing in the sack." Cori stopped before giving too much detail and handed Annie a few tampons that Annie could carry with her and the articles of clothing.

"All I could find in your bag were impractical, so these are from mine,"Cori said, motioning to the underwear. Annie blushed, remembering the pieces that Zack wanted her to take from the department store's lingerie section.

"I've got some in there," she defended, taking the items and going back into the stall.

"I figured. I really didn't want to go digging through your stuff though. I figured it would look less suspicious if I just threw a pair of mine into the bag with the antidote. Don't worry, they're new," Cori said when Annie reappeared.

After washing their hands thoroughly, they returned to the front of the store where the boys were waiting. With a surprise as well.

"I found a truck!" Alex exclaimed, showing off the red Ford F150 in a Vanna White fashion.

"Does it have keys?" Cori asked, putting the bag back in the other truck.

"Yep. There was a dead guy inside and it smelled, but we found a bottle of Febreeze in the store. Good as new!" Jack explained. Alex was beaming, quite proud of his discovery.

"Wait. Dead dead? Or zombie dead?" Annie asked suspiciously.

"He shot himself," Rian said in a somber tone.

"Poor guy probably didn't want to become one of them so he made sure of that before they could get to him," Danny said, looking to the ground. They had all considered that route, but something had always held them back.

Annie inspected the new vehicle. It was certainly handy right now, even if they did find another vehicle later. She still liked the idea of mattresses in the truck beds with the covers so they could sleep a little more comfortably. And for her own selfish desires. That were now out the window. She sighed, slumping over a little bit.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zack asked, coming over to her while the rest of the group was caught up in conversation.

"Yeah. Just tired. And my leg isn't exactly a walk in the park," she covered. And while true, these weren't the reason for her change in posture. When she finished the sentence, Zack scooped Annie up in his arms effortlessly and carried her to the Hummer they were consistently driving. Setting her down gently, he opened the passenger door for her and helped her climb in.

Leaving the door open, they were able to still be a part of the group.

"I think we should head out," Rian said not five minutes later. They all retired to the separate vehicles; Alex in his prize of the day, Rian and Jack in the yellow Hummer, Cori and Danny in the other truck and Annie and Zack in the black Hummer.

Peeling out of the gas station, the convoy maneuvered back onto the highway and continued North. They tried to stay off roads that didn't give them enough view of their surroundings.

Annie moved around, trying to get comfortable in the front seat but she just couldn't find a good spot.

"You can move to the back," Zack said. He'd been watching her shift around.

"I don't know that I can get back there in my current condition." Annie wasn't going to mention that she had cramps as well. Not having a menstrual cycle in months was probably a good explanation.

"I can stop really quick and we'll put you in the back." Annie knew that he was trying to be helpful, but she also knew that moving to the back wasn't going to do anything.

When she didn't respond, Zack reached over and grabbed Annie's hand. His fingers danced over her palm and rubbed the top of her hand in a comforting gesture. The physical contact was a good distraction and Annie was finally able to relax.

As the miles dragged on, Annie and Zack were finally able to converse. While they knew basics about each other, more philosophical based questions had yet to be discussed. Two hours flew by without their knowledge and when Alex's voice came through the speakers, they were brought out of their bubble.

"I have to pee," Alex admitted.

"Can you do it on the side of the road?" Annie asked.

"I guess. If you don't watch!" Alex said.

"We can stop ahead then." The group stopped and Alex ran off to the side of the road.

"Don't look!" he shouted. Everyone could hear each other laughing at his antics.

"So while we're stopped," Annie started. Leaning over, she put her hand behind Zack's neck and pulled him over to her and connected their lips. It quickly escalated to the point where Zack was so far over into Annie's seat they were practically horizontal.

"Alright, let's go." Danny's voice interrupted their fun and both Annie and Zack groaned. One last peck on her lips, Zack returned upright in his own seat. Annie sat up as well, readjusting her body. Looking down, she noticed Zack's response to her action.

"Looks like you've got a problem," Annie teased. Zack blushed.

"Want me to drive so you can take care of it? Or should I have them pull over again," she continued. Sitting up, she put her lips next to his ear

"Or maybe I could help. There's this thing we could try called road head," she whispered. Annie's burst of sexual prowess surprised Zack, but not necessarily in a bad way. The combination of her words, her proximity and her breath on his neck made Zack bite his lip and groan.

But that wouldn't be the last time he groaned that afternoon. Especially when Annie's head disappeared below the dashboard and into his lap.
♠ ♠ ♠
Vanna White=Wheel of Fortune.

Shout out to another Zombie story. You can also thank her for this update. And she also won my little contest from the last chapter. And she will be making an appearance in this story soon. Along with another lovely lady.

Hope you enjoy this update, even if we didn't learn much. Chapter title refers to Annie's wound, her new "problem" and Alex's little red discovery.

Next chapter goes out to the writer of one of my FAVORITE stories. She helped inspire the timing of "unlucky" thirteen. Thirteen is normally considered unlucky. But not in this story. In Thirteen, someone is going to get lucky. REALLY lucky. ;)

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