Dead Opportunities: Book 2
A New World Rises
Chapter 11: Betrayal
"Well, Craig. I have to hand it to you. Well done."
The crowded ring, having only just seconds ago been screaming and baying for Craig's blood, turned in stunned silence as Harry spoke.
"Donald, Regina and, obviously, Helen are yours."
Craig and Helen joined in with the shocked audience, surprised at Harry's forthright and honest complement and acquiescence. Even Greg, somewhat lost in the small sea of people, looked on in dumb silence.
"Uh, OK. Thanks." Craig stammered.
Harry, obviously sensing everyone's curiosity and disbelief, spoke up before any of his men became angry or bitter. "We had a deal, we both agreed to it. You won, so you take the spoils. I wasn't lying Craig when I said I wanted to co-operate, not that it would stop me driving a hard bargain, but you've earned my respect."
Craig tried to respond, but his jaw failed him. He could only nod.
"You're one crazy bastard. See you 'round." He grinned, flashing unexpectedly pearly white teeth through his thick beard and turned to leave, the crowd parting to let him through with deference. "Back to work!" he yelled through the still air, waking up the crowd of misfits and criminals, sending them scrambling in all directions and away.
In the midst of the buzzing activity, Helen and Craig stood alone, locked in a warm embrace as Greg, Regina and Donald slowly stepped up, admiring the moment.
oooo00oooo
The truck rumbled along, the gear lever vibrating in her hand as she changed down a gear to pull up into the Princes Highway to head back home. Helen was torn between looking out the windscreen and to her left where Craig sat, massaging his aching, and rapidly swelling cheeks and jaw.
"Eyes on the road, babe." He smiled, wincing at the slight stinging pain.
"Do I have to?" she grinned back.
Greg, Donald and Regina were sitting in the back cab of the truck, unable to fit in the front which only had two decent seats. Besides, Regina reasoned, Helen and Craig had some catching up to do.
Indeed they did as Helen eased the truck up over the slightly off-camber ramp and settled it into a smooth acceleration up to 80kpmh, cruising down the largely deserted highway.
"How you doing?" she asked for the fourth time.
"I think I need you to kiss it better." He smirked.
"Watch yourself, matey." She teased.
Craig turned serious as the truck's cruise control took hold and Helen relaxed, "What happened to you?"
The pall across her features was like the sun ducking behind a cloud, bathing the cabin in a grey gloom. "We were all kept as slaves. I was 'given' to one of those Skinner brothers. I was lucky. I was only raped twice. No big deal, really." She said dismissively, looking out the window away from Craig.
"No big deal?"
"Just drop it." She snapped. She didn't want him to know what really happened. "They're dead now, anyway. What does it matter? I've got you now. Don't ever leave me." She pleaded, staring at him through gathering tears.
He reached out his hand to caress her cheek, which she nuzzled against, smiling sincerely. Relaxed.
"I'm sorry, honey." He whispered.
She half-turned back to eye the road, but continued to rest her cheek on his hand resting on her shoulder comfortably. The curls of her hair felt smooth and silken between his fingers as he traced and outline with his finger, following the curvature of his cheek bones. "I'm sorry, too." She kissed his raw knuckles, which were only now just starting to scab over.
"I missed you." He stammered.
"You've got no idea how much I've missed you, babe." She shuddered as she tried to hold back the encroaching tears. "You came back. It's OK, now."
"I think you'll like Phillip Island. Lots of nice people. You'll like it. Lots of families, mostly, but it's safe and secure. I've got a nice house picked out already. You wanna move in with me?" he grinned mischievously.
She couldn't help but laugh, dispelling her tears as she straightened in her driver's seat. "Do I get a key?"
oooo00oooo
The rest of the drive home was divinely relaxed, catching up where they had left off and bathing in the delirium of their reunion. Greg and Donald in particular in the back were having a great conversation about farming plans, whilst Regina nodded along dutifully as though she was deeply interested in soil acidity and crop rotation.
Finally, they pulled up to the Phillip Island bridge gate, waved through as expected and Craig directed Helen through the streets to the main square, excitement building, and the growing smile across his face worsening the ache in his jaw and cheeks, but he didn't care.
Carefully, she pulled the truck to a stop, neatly parked against the curb, and they stepped out onto the asphalt, eager to stretch their legs. The others pulled open the truck's back door and also stepped out, glad to escape the unsteady confines of the bare cab.
"We made it, baby!" Regina grabbed Helen in a tight bear hug, ecstatic to be alive and safe. Even Donald, normally reserved, joined in and bade Craig and Greg to as well. Greg, having only just met the group, was a little hesitant.
Greg's suggestion of a bite to eat was heartily welcomed and reminded everyone how hungry they were. Harry had previously offered lunch as part of their meeting, but had been forgotten after the fight.
They walked as a group, stopping to shake the hands of passers-by, curious and welcoming of the new visitors, until they stepped inside the Fisherman restaurant. Nico and Mari were still the self-proclaimed resident chief chefs and promptly set to work warming up some left over roast beef from the night before, but not before the rotund and motherly Mari gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug.
The meal was delicious and of a quality and quantity that had been sorely missed by the new arrivals. Memories of their first night in Inverloch when Craig had cooked up a similar roast resurfaced, as did Leroy's presence, which cast a slight cloud over the happy occasion.
All was soon forgotten and emotions lifted when plates of juicy beef and crispy roast vegetables were presented with ardent fervour by the two chefs. Staring at the food, Regina somewhat proudly revealed that she had lost almost 5kgs of weight. When asked how that happened, she mumbled something about starvation and withdrew back to her plate.
Donald leaned forward to recount their experience, having been paraded through the streets of Moe and scared witless by the biker horde. Donald was promptly separated from the women and locked in a make-shift prison with several other men who were civilians and husbands like him. Regina and Helen were taken away to act as sex slaves with the other women who were undoubtedly still in servitude.
The three of them bowed their heads and Regina started to cry at the thought, but Donald promptly dismissed any further discussion of the matter and resumed tucking in to the beckoning meal, Regina and Helen following suit. Their awful memories momentarily parked by their desire for their first decent meal in a long time.
Later in the day, Craig and Helen excused themselves, both out of a desire to get away and Craig feeling a thumping headache coming on. Holding hands, they both excused themselves, leaving Greg and Donald, once again, talking shop about agriculture, while Regina idly sipped a glass of red wine.
It felt good to get away, strolling together in the sun. They didn't even need to speak, more content to just enjoy the proximity of their company. Craig guided them into a chemist just down the road to get a packet of pain relievers as they strolled back to his home, taking the long way as he popped a couple of the tablets.
"How do you feel?"
"Strangely satisfied. I can't deny it felt good to kill those bastards. It's funny. They raped you and me. What are the odds?" He chuckled dejectedly.
"It doesn't matter anymore. We're free. You killed them. You saved me." She pressed into the fold of his arm, feeling his tight muscles beneath the thick leather jacket.
"Yeah. It's funny, I started having nightmares about then again last night for the first time since this whole zombie thing happened. It's like it was some bullshit premonition I would bump into them."
That's a good thing, though, isn't it? You got the chance to face up to them."
"Yeah. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Two against one. I'll tell you, don't ever bite into a man's throat. Tastes disgusting." The taste of the hot blood and stringy flesh and the ridged texture of Bill's adam's apple made him shudder.
"I'll keep that in mind. How's your headache?"
"Getting better. They're the fast acting variety, these tablets."
"Y'know what I read once in a chick magazine what's the best way to get rid of a headache?"
"What's that?"
Helen grinned mischievously, "C'mon, use your imagination…."
"What? I don't know." He shrugged innocently, stumped.
"Sex." She whispered.
"Oooh. How does that work?" he grinned, catching on, suddenly annoyed they chose the long way home.
"Endorphins. The rush of blood through your body stimulates the hormones and chemicals that make you feel good, relieving the ache."
"Hmm, OK."
"So, you better take me home so I can give you your medicine." She giggled.
"How many doses do I need?"
"As much as you can handle."
oooo00oooo
The afternoon turned into a long transition to dusk and then finally night, and the anticipated sex was rough and desperate. Finally, they melted down into the large King size bed, warm and comfortable in each other's arms, dozing off to sleep until deep into the night when they both woke up late, starving hungry for dinner.
Craig sat, relaxed and comfortable in bed as he watched Helen in the moonlight putting on her socks in her underwear. He watched as she stretched her leg, laying her heel on the butt of a chair as she pulled the sock up, the curve of her bum softened in the gloom. She turned, thinking he was dozing off, but was surprised to see him admiring her, looking her up and down, head to toe, an aching erection straining under the bed sheets.
"Hey, get dressed. I'm hungry." She barked playfully.
"Hey I'm taking you out on a date and I'm paying for the meal, so that means you have to pay me back with sex later." He joked, smirking cheekily.
She placed her hands on her hips, pretending to be incredulous and offended before she abruptly relented, "OK."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be grateful." He continued to grin.
"Oh, I'm sure", she replied with fake sarcasm, prompting him to through a pillow at her and jump out of bed. She shrieked with surprise and ran out of the bedroom, pursued by the naked Craig, running through the house until he cornered her in the kitchen.
Playfully, he dove at her, grabbing her wrist, causing her to squeal with laughter and surprise and crash against the fridge with Craig right up in front of her. Breathing hard and hot, she snaked her hand around his straining, pulsing member and began stroking him, desire taking hold again.
oooo00oooo
After their rendezvous in the kitchen, they finally made their way out into the cold of the night, heading for the Fisherman restaurant to procure some dinner. Craig looked down at his watch, 1:12am and was promptly smacked on his bum as he trailed behind her through the front door.
A loud snapping sound broke the mood and Craig instantly looked for the sound. Curiously, the window next to him had a small hole in it surrounded by cracks and runs in the glass.
Helen stood dumbfounded, but Craig's reflexes kicked in, grabbing her by the waist and diving forward into the restaurant as what sounded like machine gun fire erupted all around them down on the foyer, smashing windows and sending flecks of wood and plaster flying all around them. The sudden noise was deafening and filled their senses, Helen unable to process what was going on, but Craig blindly pushed on deeper through the restaurant, shoving Helen between tables towards the kitchen. He couldn't see it in the dark and he eyes were almost completely shut as debris snapped and flew all about them.
With a violent push, they crashed through the kitchen double doors and onto the tiles of the floor in the faint light, the gunfire behind them only slightly dulled.
"What the fuck!?" Helen shouted above the noise.
"Go, just go! Out the back!" he shouted, pulling Helen up from the floor and running towards the back door passed the toilets and cool room, running half blind.
After what seemed like forever, they searched in the darkness and Craig found the door knob, yanking the door open as Helen yelped behind him.
Before he knew what happened, something hit hard into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and he was flying out into the night through the open door. He hit the ground awkwardly, tumbling over into the leaf covered grass and passed a small tree which splintered and snapped in half as more gunfire barked down at him, flashes of light spewing from inside, between the open doorframe.
"GO!" he heard Helen shout from inside and scrambled to get to his feet, a difficult task confounded as his vision blurred and his burning lungs tried unsuccessfully to heave in air. Stumbling, he ran out into the darkness towards a small park.
Puffs of dirt shot up all around him as he gathered his balance somewhat, still unable to breathe and darted between some scraggly saplings. Forcing his legs to pump, he continued on, sharp branches scratching his face in the darkness, the moonlight blotted out by the bare canopy above.
Before long, the trees stopped and the way beyond opened into an open field towards the beach. Scrambling to think of what to do, he remembered the nature reserve to his left and darted across, seeking shelter in the scrub.
His lungs burned intolerably until he managed to heave in gulps of air, not daring to stop and catch his breath.
The moonlight was better now and faintly illuminated a log fence, which he clumsily hurdled and twigs snapped underfoot as he ran on into the reserve, the tree line visible before him.
A passing tree trunk thumped into his shoulder, sending him tumbling around and crashing into the grass, as the world went even darker. Disappearing altogether as visions of Helen flashed before him.