Red River Blue
Chapter 47
"It's nothing but white guys out there," Cyndie huffed, tearing herself away from the window and flopping down in a nearby chair. What was the point of population diversity if it wasn't diverse, she lamented internally. Being so light skinned that she'd been taken for hispanic or native american her entire life was a constant source of irritation for her. She was hoping for a child that was dark enough not to be mistaken for anything but black. And the only way she was going to get that is if the father was black.
There were about a dozen women clustered together in the small room, all vying for a peek out the one window that faced the area where the men were slowly gathering. The male volunteers usually outnumbered the women by almost double if not triple. After all, they were not the ones that were going to be saddled with birthing and raising a child. Most of them were simply interested in a good time without any strings attached.
"Eugene's out there," Frankie announced with a giggle. "Don't you want a genius baby?," Frankie teased, giving up her spot at the window to snuggle down on the couch with Cyndie.
"The last thing I need is a kid that's smarter than me," Cyndie quipped. The women all had their own reasons for wanting a child. And their own opinions on what they were looking for in a sperm donor. Some were concerned with making sure their child wasn't related to anyone else in their community. Some were looking for someone that was strong or physically fit. And Cyndie was sure that a few of the women just wanted to be with a man they found physically attractive.
Cyndie was hesitant about this whole idea from the beginning. Rachel was the one that convinced her to volunteer. Because Oceanside was miles behind the other communities in terms of growth. They didn't like to take in wanderers. And since their community was still almost entirely women, not many babies were being born. They seemed to be stagnating while all the other communities in the alliance flourished. Rachel's theory was that if Cyndie set the example and had a baby herself, it would encourage the rest of their group to consider doing the same. She thought it was a good idea. In theory. But now that Cyndie was actually faced with the reality of letting some random weirdo raw dog her, she was starting to have second thoughts. A lot of them. Part of her hesitancy was due to the fact that she'd never had sex before. But most of it was that doing this meant she was letting go of her secret hopes that the man she loved might return from his long adventures having realized during his long absence that he loved her back.
A flurry of excited whispers swelled up from the group of women that were still peeking out the window. Cyndie ignored them at first, scrubbing her face with her hands and pondering her decision to come here. But then she realized that between the gushing giggling the girls were glancing back over their shoulders at her. Oh my god look who's out there! When did he get back? No one's seen him for years. I heard he was dead.
Cyndie swung her legs down off the couch and sat up. As she moved towards the window, the small crowd of women parted to allow her through. Her hand pressed flat against the glass as the whole world spun around her. And her heart was beating so hard she swore it was about to break out of her chest. Cyndie sucked in a hard gasping breath. And then she turned and ran from the room.
One of the girls hollered, reminding her that they were supposed to wait inside until whoever was in charge came and got them. She could hear Frankie's high pitched laughter as she rounded the corner, gripping the doorframe and literally sliding her feet across the worn hardwood floor. Her entire body slammed into the door as she twisted the handle and shoved it open. Rushing down the steps, Cyndie jumped the last two and landed hard on the sidewalk as she continued to propel her body forward.
Morgan's face lit up when he saw her coming. And when her body finally collided with his, he hugged her back just as fiercely as she was hugging him. The small group of men were laughing and cheering them on. Morgan wasn't sure how Cyndie would react to seeing him again. After the way he left, he wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to speak to him again. He'd prepared himself for that possibility. And for the possibility that she might have moved on with her life. She was young. And beautiful. And the accomplished leader of a well organized group. The kind of woman any man would be happy to have by his side.
"What are you doing here?," Cyndie asked. Her hands were still fisted into his shirt as though she was afraid he might disappear at any moment. Morgan smiled, tucking a stray curl back behind her ear. He wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he was doing in The Kingdom or at this particular event. But either way his answer was the same.
"Looking for you."
Cyndie tiptoed up, kissing him full on the lips. Morgan kissed her back, pulling her body flush against his. Feeling her in his arms, he was reminded of the reason he stayed away for so long. He was afraid of his feelings for her. Afraid of what it might do to him if he gave into those feelings and then lost her. Like he lost his wife and son. After the war with the Saviors, Morgan left Alexandria looking for peace. And he found it in Oceanside. He only intended to mentor Cyndie. To help her become the strong fearless leader he knew was inside without losing her compassion along the way. He didn't realize he was falling for her until it was already too late.
"Maybe we should speak privately?," Morgan suggested, hoping to get some space between them and the small rowdy crowd of men. Cyndie nodded, grasping his hand and leading him into a nearby tent. The inside of the large tent was partitioned off into a series of small rooms. Inside each one was a cot or mattress of some sort. And it made Morgan sick to his stomach to think about what Cyndie might have been doing in one of the rooms if he'd shown up a few hours later instead of right now.
Cyndie led him towards the back of the tent and into the room she'd claimed for herself earlier, shutting the curtain behind them. He let her pull him down onto the cot with her. And he kissed her. But when she reached for the hem of his shirt, he caught her hands gently with his.
"I haven't showered in weeks," he explained. "...And I want to do this right." Cyndie pushed herself up so they were sitting side by side on the cot instead of lying on it. "I heard there's a movie playing tonight," Morgan said, noticing the smile on her face that she was trying her best to hide. "Would you like to go with me?"
"I'd rather go to the concert," Cyndie admitted with a hopeful look. She loved listening to live music. And dancing.
"Well then, would you like to go to the concert with me?," Morgan asked, unable to hide his smile. Cyndie bobbed her head up and down with so much certainty it made him laugh. He leaned in for another lingering kiss before he stood up and straightened his clothes out as best he could.
"Then I'll see you tonight," he promised. "If you don't recognize me, I'll be the one in the clean clothes that doesn't smell like walker funk."
Cyndie smiled as she flopped back down onto the cot, watching him slip silently out of the tent. He took the back way, so that the crowd outside wouldn't see him. Cyndie had been up most of the night, unable to sleep because she was so anxious about the day's events. So instead of getting up after Morgan left, she cuddled down into her blankets and just let her happy thoughts wash over her.
Cyndie dozed off, hovering on the edge of consciousness. It was Frankie's high pitched laughter on the other side of the dividing curtain that woke her. And she realized that while she was napping, the couples must have paired off and either made plans to meet up later or come into the tent to do the deed.
"What's your name again?," Frankie teased.
"Dante," the man answered. And from the little squeal Frankie let out, Cyndie guessed the man was groping some forbidden part of her body. The noises that followed were about what Cyndie would expect. More giggling and some low timbre laughter from the man. Followed by the rhythmic squeak of her cot and some general moaning and gasping. Cyndie wasn't really paying much attention. She was thinking about her date with Morgan and trying to decide if she ought to wear a dress and how she should fix her hair. It wasn't until she heard a little squeak of pain that she began to consciously focus on the noises in the next room over. There was another squeak. And then the unmistakable sound of a struggle. When Cyndie heard the crash of something being knocked to the ground she stood up.
'Frankie?," she asked. "Are you okay?" If Frankie and her partner were just having some sort of rough sex, Cyndie didn't want to walk in on that. 'Frankie?," she called out, louder this time. When the other woman didn't answer back it sent a chill up Cyndie's spine. She grasped the curtain, pulling it slowly out of her way. Frankie was naked on the bed. There were red marks on her neck. She'd either been choked unconscious or choked to death. Cyndie wasn't sure which. Without thinking, Cyndie rushed in and knelt down. Her intent was to try and revive her friend. But then she heard shuffling footsteps behind her. Cyndie turned in time to see an unfamiliar man swinging a large chunk of wood at her. Then everything went black.