A World Alone (Dead World Series Book 1) (9 page)

A small sigh escapes Stella as Joey turns towards her with a smirk, already
leading her towards the exit. I watch them go, glad that I'm finally rid of
him. I turn back to find Rocket looking me up and down. She finds me watching
and stops, her lips pulling into their own form of a smirk. Slowly, and with
precision, she takes a step towards me.

"Come on," she says under her breath, nodding towards the exit.
She takes another step towards me before sidestepping out of the way, avoiding
a collision. She walks towards the doors with slow, deliberate steps, swaying
her hips as she goes. When I make no move to follow her, she glances back at me,
her eyes dropping to her backside before trailing back up to meet with my
stare. "You coming?"

I nod as my face flushes with heat. I thought there was something else in
her stares, now I'm sure. She turns back around and I take the opportunity to
swallow the lump in my throat as I follow her out of the hall.

"Math's block is cleanest," she says without turning around. I
follow her wordlessly, glancing around at the few people moving between
buildings. We reach the math's building and she leads me to a room. She opens
the door for me and gestures me inside.

I glance around as I step in. The desks have been moved to the back wall,
with a sofa made up as a make-shift bed on the other side. She shuts the door
and clicks the lock before turning towards me.

Eyeing me for a second, she moves from the door and leans up to kiss me. It’s
so abrupt that it throws me off guard completely.

"What are you doing?" I ask, placing a hand on her chest and
holding her back. She looks up at me with half-shut eyes, a smirk glued to her
plump lips.

"Well I woulda gone for your friend, but it doesn't look like she
swings that way." Her smirk grows.

I hold my expression and she sighs.

"Look, I ain't looking for anything serious here, just sex," she
explains, reaching a hand towards the bottom of my shirt and giving it a
playful tug. "We're two adults with needs. That's all this is."

Her shoulders slump as she sees me looking unconvinced. "Plus you heard
that girl, there's a horde coming. We could die tomorrow." She slips a hand
beneath my belt, her eyes dancing with mischief. "All the more reason, to
make the most of today."

I pause for another moment, unsure but making no move to stop her.

"Don't you wanna have sex with me?"

The words are like a spell, because in the next instant her body is against
mine and my hands have already found themselves down her back. Her fingers
tangle themselves in my hair as we tear each other's clothes off and move
towards the bed.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Stella

A sigh, inaudible to him, bleeds from my lips as I step
out from the hall and into the hazy light of the setting sun. Joey follows
closely behind me, almost stepping on my heels as I stop to appreciate the
horizon. An explosion of purples and oranges all muddle together as the ball of
white slowly descends behind the distant mountains.

The air is thick against my skin, still warm despite the approach of night.
But it is quiet, peaceful even.

I wish it were like this all the time. . .

Joey bumps into me, craning to look in the direction my gaze was set. I step
aside, my teeth gritting in irritation. The sooner he shows me to my room, the
better. He takes my place and leans up, looking out across the horizon.

"What are you looking at?" he asks, his head bouncing between me
and the sky. I narrow my eyes at him before letting out a low breath. Shaking
my head, I smooth out the lines of my face. It isn't worth getting worked up
over something so small.

"I
was
looking at the sunset," I tell him. His brows furrow
as he looks out at the hills.

"Oh, right," he says with a nod, scratching at his arm. I glance
down as his nails dig in at the vicious itch, leaving long, red marks trailing
up and down the skin of his forearm. He notices me staring and stops. Pulling
his arms behind his back he gives a smile as I meet his eyes. "You like
the . . . sky?"

Brows knitting together, I stare at him for a moment before replying.
"I guess. . ."

His hand reaches up to rub the back of his neck as he nods, an awkward grin
replacing his usual smirk. "Oh, yeah, me too! I love the sky!"

Pursing my lips, I widen my eyes and give him a nod, not knowing how else to
react. He stares at me for a moment before throwing his hand out in an
ungraceful gesture.

"Let's get going shall we?" he says, giving his arm another
scratch.

I nod and follow after him as he begins walking. After a few minutes of silence,
he begins talking again. Pointless things, where he grew up, what kind of pets
he had. I nod along, pretending to listen. My eyes travel around the area as we
walk through the grounds of the school, making notes of wide spaces and areas
where I could jump the fence. I'm so engrossed in my strategic planning that I
barely hear him ask me a question.

I look towards him, one of his brows arched and waiting.

"Hmm?" I murmur, completely oblivious to what he has said.

"Are you okay?" he repeats, his brow shooting down in a more
concerned fashion.

"Yeah, fine," I nod, looking back out at the fence and wondering
if I would be able to jump it in one swift motion, or if I would have to dig
the tip of my shoe into one of its holes.

"I know it's pretty scary, with the horde and everything, but Aaron's a
smart guy. Arrogant, but smart. He'll think of something," he tells me as
we walk up a small set of stairs to a block of classrooms right next to the
fence. I shoot him a smile and nod, wondering if it's a positive or negative
being this close to the fence.

"Anyway, this classroom is yours," he says, leaning forward and
opening the door. "There's already a bed and everything inside."

"Thanks," I smile, stepping inside and glancing around the room.
The walls are covered in posters, most of them reading Shakespeare's most
famous quotes, others detailing the proper use of grammar. At the back wall
beneath a dirty white board lies a bunch of cushions pushed together, a single
blanket crumpled on top of them.

"My room is right next door, so if you need anything, just ask," Joey
says.

I frown as he steps out from the doorway. I’m not entirely surprised that he
has given me the room right next to his. In fact, I should have known to expect
it. Turning away with a simple nod and a roll of my eyes, I hear him take a
step out, before quickly coming back. I turn around to find him leaning inside,
a concoction of emotions leaving him with a puzzled look.

"Hey, if you like the sky, I could show you something pretty
cool?" The words tumble out quickly, a smirk finding itself on his lips at
the end in an effort to gain a semblance of confidence. I repress a sigh and
glance at the mound of cushions, yearning to lie down. I look back at him, the
answer ready in my eyes. He quickly adds, "You’ll like it, I
promise."

I sigh, audibly this time, but nod nonetheless, too tired to argue.
"Okay."

"Awesome," he smirks, "lemme just do some stuff in my room
and I'll be right out." He disappears from my doorway, the sound of a door
opening and closing following his departure.

I step towards the tempting pile of cushions, yearning for sleep. Swaying
forward threateningly, I just manage to pull myself back. If I lay down now,
there's no way that I'll be getting back up anytime soon. In an effort to keep
myself awake I begin pacing around the room, analyzing the many pictures that
line the wall. I stop at a poster of
Othello
, trying to remember the
events of the play.

Scenes muddle together as clouds in my memory. I let them fade after a few
moments, deciding it pointless. Stepping out from the classroom I glance down
the hall at the other three rooms on my right, and then up at Joey’s on the end
at my left. Closing my door, I lean against it for a few more minutes, staring
out the window at the darkening sky.

I tap my foot, and peel away chips of paint sticking out from the wall, like
hands willing to be held. Turning and resting my head against the door, I sigh
as I wait another few minutes. When nothing happens, I step towards his door
and twist the handle, pushing it open.

"Joey how muc—"

I cut myself off as he throws a table over and frantically stuffs something
down the front of his pants.

"Jesus, Stella!" he shouts, grabbing the blanket from his bed and
throwing it over the upturned table, his other hand still held down his pants.

Eyes wide I jump back, away from his room and back into the hall, pulling
his door shut with a slam.
Oh my god.

Was he?

No. . .

He was hiding something, down his pants. . . I shudder, just thinking of the
awkward memory. I knew this was a bad idea. With a cringe, I struggle to think
of what I should do. Do I wait for him to come out, or do I just go to bed?
Before I have time to contemplate further, his door creaks open a slit, before
pulling open completely. He stands hunched in the doorway, his flushed face
focused on the ground.

"I don't kno—" he begins, but I cut him off.

"Please tell me I did not just walk in on you masturbating." His
eyes widen and his jaw falls slack as he looks up to meet my gaze.

"What? No!" he gasps, the pink tinge under his eyes disappearing
completely as a redder blush overcomes his features. "I-I-I was just,"
he stutters, but stops as a door down the hall creaks open.

We both turn to look, and find Gale, the skinny man from the bus sticking
his head out from his room.

"I . . . heard shouting," he mutters quietly, his gaze flickering
between the two of us. "Is everything alright?"

I turn back to Joey, reevaluating what “alright” could entail. Before I
reply, Joey does.

"Everything's fine, Gale, thank you," he says with an irritated
tone, his eyes picking a spot on the ground and rooting themselves there. With
a small nod, Gale watches us for another moment before retreating back into his
room, closing his door quietly.

After a moment of tense silence, Joey breathes out a sigh, but keeps his
eyes on the ground. "Can we just forget about this? And I'll show you what
I wanted to show you?"

Suddenly it clicks, and I find myself gawking at him. "You dirty
creep!"

"What?" he asks bewildered, looking up at me.

"You wanted to show me 'something cool' and then I find you with your
hand down your pants!" I take a step back, tempted to punch him. With his
eyes wide he begins waving his hands about, stuttering furiously that I have it
all wrong.

"I swear to God that's not what was happening! I promise!" The
conviction of his words and the fear etched into his face has me believing him.
Lifting my shoulders, I take in a deep breath and try to calm myself somewhat.
But I quickly let them slump back down, too tired to deal with anything more.

"I think I'm just gonna go to bed," I tell him, beginning to turn
back towards my door. His hand shoots out, grabbing my elbow. I freeze and look
back at him with a scowl.

"Please just let me show you what I wanted to show you! It'll only take
a minute." His eyes plead with mine. "Please?"

My shoulders slacken as I sigh, glancing up at the ceiling and praying for
the patience I need to deal with him. I look back at him and shrug his hand off
of me. "Fine," I mutter through gritted teeth, "let's just get
this over with."

He visibly relaxes as he steps back and closes his door, gesturing for me to
walk outside. I look at him skeptically before leaving the building, walking
down the small steps and waiting for him at the bottom.

"I-uh . . . I was just—" I wave my hand out, effectively cutting
him off.

"I don't wanna know," I tell him. With a simple nod he walks
forward, his hands visibly shaking. Taking in another breath I follow after
him, trying to shake away the awkward air surrounding us. "So where are we
going?" I ask.

He turns back, a smile twitching at his lips, unsure of whether to stay.
"I'll show you."

Brows netting together in uncertainty, I follow him wordlessly as he leads
me round the side of the hall and towards a large patch of grass. I can almost
imagine the masses of school kids that used to run wild across it. He steps off
the concrete path, his shoes disappearing in the knee-high weeds. I pause at
the edge, hesitant of any snakes or other animals, but quickly brush the fear
away. It's been an eternity since I've seen an animal, even a rat.

Joey walks towards the middle of the school oval and drops down into the
grass. He lies on his back and looks up at the sky, the weeds almost enveloping
him completely.

"This is it?" I ask, staring down at him.

"That's it." With his hand resting atop his chest, his index
finger lifts up and points towards the sky.

Looking up, I suddenly find it hard to breathe. My eyes linger among the
stars, studded against the velvet backdrop of the night. Dazzled, but not by
the sky, I find myself hating the stars and hating Joey for bringing me out
here. Not because he's done anything wrong, but because this situation is so
familiar that I can't help but think of the last person who took me out to see
the stars and how much more beautiful they were then. They didn’t look any
different, but they somehow
felt
different, because I was with Max, my
boyfriend, curled up in the back of his red pickup truck.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, letting my head fall back on his
arm.

"You like it?" Max asked, squirming to see my expression.

Millions of stars, twinkled, like diamonds against the satin sheet of night.
Some bright, others dim, but all shining brilliantly. The clouds rolled over
them like dark waves while the light of the moon accentuated their curves and
grace. Like a sequin dress, or a vivid dream, the night sky was alive with tiny
jewels.

"I've never seen so many stars before," I mumbled, too entranced
by their beauty to speak at a normal volume.

He propped himself up and smiled down at me, his grey eyes light against the
moonlight. "That's because you've never been out of the city before."

I squirmed slightly, finding a more comfortable position against the metal
floor of his truck. Sensing my discomfort, he pulled a pillow closer and tucked
the blanket against me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Why aren't you looking at them?" I asked, finally pulling my eyes
away from the dark sea to look at him. He grinned down at me, his eyes dancing
with the reflection of mine.

"Because I have something much prettier to look at." Leaning down,
slowly, his lips lowered to mine. I waited with a racing heart, until finally,
tenderly, his lips brushed against mine. Soft and supple, they pressed down,
the stars watching over us. He pulled back, his eyes so intense that I didn't
think anyone would ever look at me the same way again.

And I know that I will never look at anyone the same way I looked at him, or
feel the same way I felt about him. Glancing back down at Joey, a frown at my
lips, I find myself feeling sadder than I've felt in a long time.

"I think . . ." I mutter, "I think I'm just gonna go to
bed."

He leans up from the grass, pushing long strands away from his face.
"You don't like it?"

I shake my head. "No, no it's not that, it's just. . ." I glance
up again and feel the familiar stroke of that distant memory, brushing softly
against the forefront of my mind. I feel Max’s arms around me and how warm he
was and how he smelled like freshly mown grass and I just can't stand to look
at the stars any longer. I look back down at Joey who's waiting patiently, the
blue of his wide eyes almost completely hidden in the dark. I shake my head,
pushing the memory away. "It doesn't matter."

Joey frowns, his gaze dropping to the grass. He opens his mouth to respond
but stops short, his eyes catching something behind me. I turn quickly to see a
dark figure, trudging across the oval towards us. Their legs pull up high over
the blades of grass as they maneuver through the field, their movements unlike
that of an infected. Settling slightly, I wait as they approach.

Slowly, the moonlight ignites the figures face, revealing Aaron, his
features painted grim.

"Stella," he nods, before glancing down at Joey in the grass,
"Joey. I thought I saw you two walk out here." His gaze lingers on
Joey.