Chapter 6
Something changed. The view distorted, like in a house of mirrors. The world was torn apart completely in front of their eyes, with a loud static noise, which hurt their ears. Suddenly they were on the road. It was night. A swarm of little gleaming green flies flew away from them, until it was dark again.
"What the fuck was that?", Monroe asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it was the Nano, leaving us."
Monroe checked the carriage, which was near them. Charlie followed him. The horses looked good. He noticed he had his gear and Charlie had hers, inside the carriage.
"If this was a dream… nothing happened in real life.", Monroe thought aloud.
"When did the Nano come?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe after I saved you."
Monroe noticed Charlie's gaze following him, when he moved restlessly around. He walked to her. "What do you remember?"
Her quietness made him nervous. "Anything?"
A long silence.
"We need to take care of the horses and set up a camp.", Charlie said finally.
Monroe lit the lanterns of the carriage with the fire steel he had in his bag.
Monroe was happy to do something physical. It alleviated his anxiety. They drove into a promising location. It seemed to be a good place for a camp. Monroe and Charlie took both a horse and started to remove the harnesses from them. The work went faster when they both were at it.
"We don't even know where the fuck we are.", Charlie said.
"I'm guessing not far from Pottsboro.", Monroe wondered.
Charlie froze, then continued her work. "We can't be that close, otherwise they would have found us already."
"The dead don't speak."
Charlie and Monroe got the horses ready. Leaving the halters on.
"They need a drink.", Monroe said.
"I'll come with you."
They took the lanterns with them, to see something in the dark night and walked the horses to the nearby river. Monroe watched the horses drink eagerly. He was still unsure about Charlie.
They tethered the horses to the nearby trees. Monroe watched them eat the grass. Charlie was already gone and took her bed roll and her stuff out from the carriage. Monroe left his lantern to the camp to be and went to get his gear. Charlie went to gather something to burn and Monroe followed her. She found some dry plants and Monroe carried some tree branches he found, to the camp. They managed to set up a fire.
Charlie took her bed roll and to Monroe's relief, she put it next to his. At least something was the same as it was before.
Monroe sat on his bed roll and Charlie had already lied down on hers. He looked at her, then gazed the fire. Charlie propped herself up with her arm. Resting on her side.
She was in front of him, closer to the fire. He could see her there, yet she could have been a million miles away.
Monroe was getting anxious. "Nothing comes into mind?"
Charlie rolled over to see him. He couldn't read the look on her face. She got up in a sitting position. Bass moved on her bed roll and sat next to her. He was getting desperate.
If she didn't remember…
"Anything?", he asked.
Charlie sighed.
He got up and walked to the other side of the fire. "I remember everything. Goddammit, I've never been so happy in my life.", he said, looking at the stars in the sky.
Charlie was still.
Then it dawned to him like a lightning from the sky. Maybe she didn't want to remember. This was real life and she hated him. For all the things he had done and caused. Her father and her brother were dead. He had kept her mother as a prisoner. Bass was petrified. He let out a deep sigh. "That dream… it was real to me. I remember everything."
He knew he loved her. But when she didn't answer, it became clear to him what she thought of him. He couldn't help it, but he felt so alone and rejected that it was crushing him. A metallic coldness landing into his guts. He was alone. The sorrow of losing everything he had thought they had. He felt hot tears trying to get out and it didn't help how much he tried not to feel that way.
"Talk to me. Anything?"
"This is the turning point. We can choose what happens next."
Monroe left out a bitter laugh, his eyes watering. "Oh, we can fucking choose now? Maybe you can, but my time of choosing is over."
He stormed to the carriage, opened the door and climbed in and tried to find the bottles in the dark. When he didn't see a damn thing, he slammed the door so hard it flew open, against it hinges and back, then it stuck against the door frame. He slumped on the floor in the pitch-black carriage and cried.
She didn't want him.
He couldn't think about anything else. The pain of losing everything they had in the Nano world became overbearingly painful. It was too much for him to take. He searched for the bottles again in the dark and this time he felt something, a shape of round, cool glass under his fingertips. He had found something to numb the pain.
Charlie didn't want to remember. It would have complicated things. Things would have eventually hurt her, and it would be very painful if they didn't get along. She didn't need any more misery in her life than she already had. She needed to remember what had happened to her father, to her brother. In the hands of the Monroe militia. And the ex-leader was now apparently in the carriage. She wondered what took him so long. And went after him, taking a lantern.
She had a hard time to open the carriage door. It seemed to be stuck. She pulled hard, using her weight against it. Finally, it opened, and she almost tripped over. She took the lantern and lit the scene. Inside Monroe was shielding his eyes from the light, with his arm. He had an open whiskey bottle in his hand. She was tempted to have some too. "You still got that shit?"
When he lowered the arm and she could see his face, she realized he had been crying. His eyes reddish and some moist in his eye lashes. He seemed to be hurt. A wild look in his dark blue eyes. Charlie felt bad for him.
"What do you care?", he said and took a swig, the liquid splashing in the bottle before some of it went into his mouth.
Charlie jumped into the carriage, into the tight space next to Monroe and helped herself, locating Monroe's stash easily. Because the box of booze was open. She took some random bottle and opened it. She tasted some. It was some good old whiskey.
"Help yourself.", Monroe said and jumped down with his bottle.
"Where are you going?"
"Somewhere."
Charlie jumped down and followed him. When he stopped abruptly, she almost ran into him.
"In this state of mind where I am right now, I recommend you stay the hell away from me.", he warned and left her alone at the carriage.
Charlie still went after him.
Monroe stood in front of her in the camp. "You didn't hear me the first time?"
Charlie knew he was hurt and now angry. "I'm not good at taking commands."
"Get away from me. I'm not sure what'll do."
"I'm not afraid."
"Maybe you should be."
"Where would I go?"
Monroe took his bed roll, put it down further away from hers and sat by the fire with his bottle.
"Do we have anything to eat?", she asked.
When he didn't answer, she walked in front of him. "Monroe?"
"Look into my bag.", he finally said, not raising his gaze from the fire.
She went through his stuff and found dried meat and some weird canned food. It seemed old.
"What is this crap? she asked and threw one of the cans on the ground in front of him.
"Who cares.", Monroe said and took a swig from his bottle.
Charlie remember the canned food smelling and looking like crap, so she chewed some of the deer jerky. She offered some to Monroe, but he put it into his pocket.
He got up suddenly. "If you don't leave, then I will.", he said and walked into the darkness with his whiskey bottle.
"Son of a bitch.", Charlie said and took a lantern. Monroe was dangerous, to himself and the others. And they might face some unfriendly clan members if they wandered far from the camp, in an unknown territory. He just didn't seem to give a fuck anymore.
Again, she ran after him. She didn't have to go far. Monroe was sitting on the ground in the darkness. She almost tripped over him. "What is wrong with you, Monroe? Are you out of your fucking mind? Trying to get yourself killed?"
"It would be better than this.", he said.
"Come into the camp."
"You know, I have lost them all.", he said.
"Who?"
"My family, everyone I cared about. My friends. I've got nothing left."
"Come on, Monroe."
Finally, he obeyed her. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had been drinking all the time she was trying to persuade him to come to the camp.
Monroe drank so much he couldn't stay on his feet. She dragged him into his bed roll.
"Sleep now."
"I love you.", he said and then he was out.
Monroe woke up. He saw daylight through his eye lids and his head was pounding. "God damn."
He turned to his side, feeling the urge to take a leak and puke the same time. When he opened his eyes, the light feeling like it was searing his eyes and the insides of his skull. Half empty whiskey bottle near him. Closing his eyes from the painful light, he put his arm over his face.
He heard footsteps coming closer. He didn't care to check if it was some clan member or whoever the fuck had wandered into their camp. At least all his worries would be gone if he died right now. And the pain of being rejected and in love alone.
"You're up finally."
It was Charlie. He could hear the displeasure in her voice. He got some weird satisfaction out of it, that he could still evoke at least some emotion in her. Even when it was irritation.
"We have to get on the road."
"I'm not going anywhere.". Monroe said.
"What about Miles and the Patriots?"
"Not my problem."
"So, you are just going to let everything to go south?"
"Damn right I am."
He had his eyes still closed. He heard her coming closer. Then he felt icy cold water running over his head and his arm. "What the fuck was that?"
"You need to get up."
Monroe rose fast, anger filling his mind, like an old friend. He stood in front of Charlie, too close, too angry, water still dripping from his hair, over his face and arm. She didn't back away but watched him with her blue eyes. His emotions conflicting inside him. His rage and his affection for her fighting, which one would win.
He felt his anger fading, leaving an aching emptiness behind. Feeling his hangover, dull headache and tiredness, he sighed. There was a strand of hair over her face. He reached for the lock of hair and moved it behind her ear. "You don't want to remember."
He watched her, changing her weight on another leg, the look on her face uneasy. He let her be, retreating to his bed roll which was now a bit wet.
He took the dried meat from his pocket and ate all of it.
"Too bad I want to. I can't forget.", he said and walked into the bushes. He took care of his business and went to the river. He took his clothes off and walked into the cool water. The water was clear, so he also drank it while he was deeper. He dived in. And enjoyed how good it felt, his body waking up from the coldness. When he came back up, he shook his head. And saw someone in his side view. It was Charlie.
He couldn't take his eyes off on her. What on Earth was she doing?
He watched her undress and then she walked into the water. She had nothing on.
Charlie waded deeper and dived as well. He waited for her to emerge. She got up.
"What are you doing?", he asked, feeling his body already reacting to seeing her naked.
Her round, full breasts, her swaying hips. She was natural, and he liked that.
"Just taking a swim."
"With nothing on?"
"You have seen everything already."
He couldn't argue with that. It didn't help with his hard-on. When he passed her, going for the beach, she probably had a glimpse of his erection by the looks of it. He took his clothes and went back to the camp. Not looking back.
She came back after a while. Monroe was sitting naked, by the fire. His clothes drying on some make shift rack, near the warmth of the fire.
Charlie sat next to him. Too close. He felt everything for her. And looked her, curious of what she was going to do. She leaned in on him. He couldn't help how it made him feel. When their gazes locked, she kissed him. He couldn't stop kissing her back.
He cupped her breast and felt her nipple harden against the palm of his hand.
Charlie couldn't help herself. She was trying so hard not to feel anything for Monroe. But she did feel something for him. And she needed him. And wanted him. His caresses just making it harder to dismiss how much she felt for him.
She straddled him. Feeling his strong thighs under her own. His hands on her back, sliding on her skin, until they reached her behind. Another kiss, this time it was passionate. She could feel his hard-on against herself.
"If it never happened… I need to know how it feels.", she said.
Monroe chuckled. "You will find out soon."
He caressed her breasts, just like she remembered. It felt amazing. She moaned when his mouth surrounded her nipple. Feeling it deep inside her core, something melting and turning into liquid. Then another. She caressed the side of his face, stroke his curly hair. When he looked up, she kissed him.
He went down on his back after a series of passionate kisses. She placed herself over his cock and let it slide against her wet folds. She watched him panting, his eyes dark for lust. Feeling her own need rise with his. She moaned slightly.
"Oh God, Charlotte.", he said and pulled her closer. She laughed. Her laughter died when their gazes locked, and he reached her for another kiss, which she helped happen, leaning into him. She helped him inside her and started to move. She rode him at first, then leaned over him and kissed him again. Then she felt him, thrusting into her. She enjoyed the feeling, him filling her with strong pleasure, making her getting closer to climax. Her eyes closed, and she moaned. His hands over her back.
He wanted to turn, and she assisted him. She was under him and he slid his fingers between her legs. "Remember this?", he asked, his voice husky.
Charlie closed her eyes and let the sudden pleasure fill her. Until he let himself slide inside her. She arched her back to lift herself, giving him better access when he moved inside her. He picked up the pace, his fingers back on her clit. She felt she was coming. And closed her eyes, feeling of ultimate pleasure, then her body went rigid and she came. For a moment nothing but a sea of pleasure she didn't remember ever feeling so hard and so complete. The waves hitting over her, which seemed like small eternity.
He came soon after her, resting over her, letting his weight partly on her, partly on his arms.
"I didn't want to remember. Because I didn't want to feel anything.", Charlie whispered, his ear close to her mouth.
"And here you are."
"I couldn't help myself."
Monroe rolled over, next to her. "What now?", he asked.
"I think I need to try the other positions as well."
Monroe laughed. "That's a start."
Sorry, I just found out that the story was somehow messed up, fixed now.