"I think that's the last of them." Ellis said wiping the last bit of bile from his forehead.

Nick said nothing. He rounded the wall and continued on ahead.

"Hey Nick wait up! Where did Rochelle and Coach go? Nick?"

Ellis jogged along side the trudging gambler.

"Whats up dude? You hurt?"

Nick stopped and held up a hand.

"Whats that?" Ellis said quietly. "A woman's voice…ROCHELLE!" Ellis ran to the edge of the main production building. "Rochelle! Roche-" He stopped dead in his tracks.

Around the corner he found a field with 3 witches in it. The closest to him began to growl. He tried to back away slowly. She was staring right at him. He took another step backwards and heard the clang of two metal parts he had kicked together behind him. Her growling intensified, became higher pitched. Ellis closed his eyes and stood frozen. An arm bear hugged him from behind. Nick tossed a road flare into the center of the yard. The witches gaze turned to follow it and by the time she turned back they were gone. She continued to stir for a moment but finally closed her eyes and continued to cry.

Inside the tattered trailer office parked in the yard Nick held Ellis pressed against the wall a hand clapped tightly over his mouth. They listened intently for the witch, finally Nick used his free hand to peer through the blinds to confirm she had sat back down. Unfortunately she was right in front of the door. Nick slowly removed his hand from Ellis's mouth.

"Thanks man" Ellis whispered. "I thought I was a gonner." He smirked.

Nick grabbed Ellis violently by the shirt and threw him into a pile of boxes on the far side of the trailer.

"Ey, what the hell man!"

Nick approached him, rage flashing in his grey eyes. He grasped the young mans shirt once again and dragged him to his feet. With surprising strength he pushed Ellis against the wall once more and raised him up until his toes were barely touching the ground.

"You fucking idiot." He said seriously but quietly. "Do you even know what you've just DONE." Nick spat his words angrily into his face. "You tore ahead and got hit by that boomer almost getting yourself killed, got us separated from our group and then did it all over again!" Nick dropped Ellis to his feet and then grabbed him by the neck. Ellis could feel his cold rings pressing into his skin, he could feel it getting harder to breathe as his windpipe was constricted. "If you want to get yourself killed, fine, go ahead, shoot the fucking propane tank again. But if you EVER drag me into your death trap with you I will shoot you in the leg and leave you for the zombies."

"G-get off me man!" Ellis wheezed.

Nick released him and took a few steps back.

"I don't know what your problem is." Ellis said between deep breaths. "Its not like I asked you to run into that hoard to save me. You want to leave me as bait while you turn around and run the other way? Fine! You had the perfect opportunity, TWICE. So just fuck off already!"

"Why you spoiled piece of-" Nick took him by the arm violently.

"AH! Ahn…My arm… Nick…"

Nicks expression changed suddenly. He angrily gripped the boys wounded arm tighter.

"Ah-AHN!" Ellis cried out.

Nick let go of his arm. Before Ellis could react Nick pressed him against the wall in a passionate kiss. Ellis was wide eyed as the man skillfully wrapped his tongue around his own. He tried to breathe through his nose, uncertain what was happening. But after a moment he felt a rush of emotional pleasure he didn't think he was capable of. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be swept into the kiss.

Ellis had only kissed girls before and he had never enjoyed it. This was different. He could feel Nicks muscled beneath his jacket, he could feel the other mans unshaven face scraping against his own, he could smell the distant hint of aftershave from a grooming long since passed. Ellis put his arms around Nicks neck. The older man reached down and took him by the back of the knees pulling Ellis's legs around him pushing him up harder against the wall. Ellis could feel the other mans hardness against his own. He had never been happier in his whole life.

Ellis's whole body was hot. He grabbed Nicks lapel and pulled the white jacket off his shoulders. Lips still locked, Nick lowered his arms and let his jacket fall to the floor. Freed from the confines of his coat Nick ran his hand under the back of Ellis's shirt. He felt the boy's soft skin, the dip of his lower back, every vertebra running up his spine. With his other hand he took the back of the young mans neck and kissed him deeper.

Ellis pulled Nicks blue shirt out of the waist of his pants. The thought had crossed his mind before that Nick had a strange sense of priorities, tucking his shirt in during the zombie apocalypse. But at that particular moment Ellis thought nothing. All he wanted at that moment was to get the blue shirt off. He pulled it up over Nicks chest, not bothering to unbutton it. Nick crossed his arms and took the hem of his shirt pulling it up over his head.

When he opened his eyes he expected to see Ellis's pouting lips, blue eyes and strong chin in front of him. But to his surprise he saw the trailers wall. Ellis grasped him around the waist and tackled him (not unlike a charger) into the cardboard pile behind him.

"Ahhh…" Nick sighed happily as Ellis ran his tongue across his chest. He heard the clink of him undoing his belt and snapped out of the moment. "Ellis wait, we cant do this- Ellis!"

Nothing was going to stop him. For the first time in his life someone had opened the door that Ellis had kept so securely shut. Going through puberty with the most ignorant hicks you could imagine Ellis always felt nothing but shame in himself. He hid behind constant streams of stories, talking and smiles. Who knows how long he would have before he'd have to shut himself back behind that door? Just as nick began to object Ellis grasped the mans belt, pants and boxers by the hips and in one quick motion pulled them down exposing Nicks hard phallus.

The heat took him once more, he placed his tongue against the base and ran it up the length of him. Nick tilted his head back in ecstasy; it had been a long time since he had felt that pleasure. But the mere weeks since Nicks last sexual encounter were meaningless as Ellis's entire life –especially puberty- he had waited for this.

"E-El... I'm not sure you want to do this, I'm not- Ahhh…"

Ellis took him into his mouth and ran his lips up and down as far as his gag-reflex would allow him. He raised and lowered his head feeling the soft skin of Nicks waist against his rough mechanics fingers. He remembered nights alone in his room, touching himself looking at sports magazines. He tried to recall what he had imagined any one of those men doing to him. He tried to recall what felt good, what brought him to-

"Oh-oh my god Ellis, wait…" Nick breathed. "You have to- I'm about to-" Nick closed his eyes and put his hand on Ellis's shoulder trying to warn him to pull away. But Ellis kept going. Moving his tongue against his shaft, running his lips over the ridge at his tip, tightening as he went back down.

"Uh-Uhhhhn AHHH!" Nicks hips shook.

Ellis clenched his eyes and stopped moving. He kept his lips around him, swallowing deeply, until he felt Nick's muscles relax. Ellis pulled his head away. He sat up and coughed lightly, wiping the corner of his mouth on the back of his hand. Nick sat forward quickly tucking himself into his pants.

"I'm sorry! I tried to push you away, I didn't mean to-"

Ellis tried to hide his involuntary smile with the back of his hand and failing to do so he turned his head away. Nick had seen the smile, unsure what to say.

"Heh." Ellis laughed pulling his knees up, resting his elbows on them. In a moment he was going to be embarrassed. He had just…A man…A STRAIGHT man. As the string of exited thoughts ran through his head he kept his back to Nick and smiled happily to himself. He let go a huge sigh of relief. In a moment he was going to be embarrassed, but right now the apocalypse was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"You did hear didn't you?" He finally said.

Nick could hear the smile in his voice.

"That you're gay? …Yea." Nicks voice echoed the same expression.

Ellis stood and turned around a shy half smile on his face.

"Th-thanks." He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "I-I know that was probably really weird for you, but…I've always wanted to…" His soft smile was sad. "D-don't worry man. I wont make it weird. Lets you and me just pretend it didn't happen ok?" He adjusted his coveralls around his waist they had become a bit tight.

"Ellis-" Nick began.

"Hey! Are you two in there?" Coaches deep voice came from outside the trailer. "C'mon out, the witches'r gone!"

Before Nick could stop him Ellis had grabbed his gun and left the trailer.

"Oh thank god!" Rochelle threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in tightly holding back tears. "I'm sorry we left you, the witches were wandering over because of the gunfire and we didn't want them to attack any of us."

"Its ok Ro. It all worked out for the best."