Chapter 36 "Lesterville"
Day 95; Group B
Hopeless. That's how Robert was beginning to feel about finding everyone else. Hopeless. They hadn't found anything around other than signs of death and depression in Centerville. Hopeless. Houses boarded up, filled with walkers; others burned to ashes. Hopeless. Stop signs and windows painted over with messages searching for loved ones. Absolutely Hopeless.
The group that had been formed because of a scavenging mission had been in Centerville for more than enough time, they felt. They had searched the entire town, desperate to find those they lost; anyone, even. But alas, no one was there. The town was empty, other than some supplies and food they had found in houses.
After the group of six ate, they repacked their supplies into the RV, along with all of the stuff they had secured from this town, and headed out, going even farther east. Within half an hour, they were pulling up to a sign. "Welcome to Lesterville!" it read in bright, happy colors, stained with faint blood washed off from the last rain and fresh dirt.
Upon reading the sign, Selenis smiled and called out to Seth to come read it.
"Oh, hell no," he screamed with fury. "If any of our people are hunkering down in this town, I'm punching them right in the damn face!"
Everyone laughed, enjoying how worked up he had gotten.
"I mean it," he threatened, calming down and beginning to join in on the amusement. "They should know better than to hide out in a fuckin' '-ville.' They'd be begging me to crush them," he joked, causing the people in the vehicle to break into small laughs.
They drove into the town and found a nice little house, invisible from the highway passing through the town thanks to large willow trees and bushes, but still very near to said road. They pulled the RV up into the yard and parked in a way that made it seem like it had crashed, a technique they had nearly perfected.
Aside from Seth, who kept the RV running in case the house was overrun, everyone exited the vehicle, a gun in one hand and a melee weapon in the other. Robert grasped his white-handled machete as they went up the steps.
The house was cleared out easily, only a handful of walkers meandering around the living room. It was a surprisingly small house, being only one room other than the bathroom, but with plenty of space for the survivors to all have their own, individual spaces to rest.
Making sure not to waste daylight, they began clearing out the houses directly surrounding the one they set up. Selenis and Robert remained, keeping watch of the RV and house, while everyone else made sure their temporary home would be safe.
In the surrounding houses, there were many useful things found, much to the group's surprise and delight. Many canned foods, matches, and health products were discovered, as well as things to keep them occupied for when it gets quiet, such as a deck of cards and a few board games.
When night came, Robert and Greyson decided to take a corner and share it, giving the others more room, which had bought them a few smiles or confused looks.
Selenis was pleased that they were beginning to get on well, and gave Robert a huge smile.
Seth and Shawn gave confused smiles, pretending like they didn't know why the two would want to sleep together.
Daniel, though, felt something completely different. He had feigned confusion like the other guys had pulled off, but deep down, he was jealous. He was angry. He was finally seeing what Robert had meant. The others don't care. They hadn't said a single bad thing about Robert or Greyson the past few days.
The pair was still being secretive, acting like they were being subtle when they would touch, or that their kisses couldn't be heard. Seth, Shawn, and he had talked about it together, and they were only concerned that the boys were happy; curious about when they would come out. It made Daniel feel like he had missed out on something. To him, Robert was not that great of a catch, but he still missed out on the opportunity to be happy again.
Certainly, he knew, he wouldn't be lying on the cold floor alone, envious of Robert and Greyson's cuddling, kissing, and almost flaunting of their relationship. He wouldn't be lying on the hardwood floor, hungry for something to do, for someone to talk to.
Shocked out of his reverie, not realizing over an hour had past, Greyson and Robert had began tiptoeing past everyone. Daniel grunted to himself and turned onto his side, fairly certain he knew what they were going to do. He closed his eyes, hating the couple with every fiber of his being, and pretended to be asleep as they crept out the front door.
Robert and Greyson were sitting in the RV, kissing one another passionately, Robert sitting in Greyson's lap as their lips and tongues interlocked and tangled, colliding and caressing in a wet, hot passion, having been kissing for quite a while now. The older boy slowly pulled out of the kiss and looked into his lover's eyes. "Do you wanna…" he began, unsure of where this was leading.
The freckled boy never broke eye contact, but couldn't pretend he wasn't hesitant. "I, uh," he said, realizing he had taken too long in replying.
Robert simply smiled. "It's okay," he said. "We don't have to rush anything."
Greyson looked off towards the front of the RV, staring at the driver's seat and the wheel. It reminded him of why they were even here in the first place: the herd. It separated him from everyone else, forcing him to finally open up; to start feeling like himself again.
"No," Greyson said. "Let's do it."
Robert pulled back from Greyson a bit. "Uh uh," he said, verbally wagging a finger at his partner. "If you're not ready, you're not ready. Don't do this because you feel guilty or obligated."
Greyson smiled, happy that the older boy was being so considerate. "Robert," he said, making himself very clear, "I want to. Come on." He leaned up to kiss the boy in his lap, and the rolled over onto their side. Robert's eyes were concerned, but soon enough, the hesitation washed away, and the two continued on to make love in the back of the RV.