Boondocks

Chapter 54: Healing

CROC

Julia's apples did more than just heal; they accelerated the change. Men and women grew at alarming rates. Muscles built with little effort. With the gators present, they morphed in more ways than one. Heartbeats slowed, senses magnified, and as their bodies healed, so did their minds. At least, most of them. Some were so far gone, it was as if they weren't even there. Just like me, they'd forgotten how to be human. Unlike me, they were trapped in the darkness, unable to find their way back to the light.

Their presence was a constant reminder to the other survivors. A symbol of everything that had been stolen from them. The camp reeked of vengeance, and the stronger the masses became, the more eager they were to fight. To take back their pride, reclaim their power.

We spent three days in camp before I asked Tex if we could use the boat. He wasn't crazy about the idea, but he agreed, saying he owed me for taking down the Official in Savannah. His only condition was for us to wait a few days before leaving. He wanted me to teach the newcomers how to fish. Thankfully, we weren't in the swamp. Teaching anyone how to catch these fish was like showing them how to pick a rock up off the ground.

When I wasn't busy doing that, I was watching Willow. There was something about the way she looked when she didn't know I was looking. The way she interacted with the kids. The way her stomach had swelled, so even the big shirts she wore didn't hide it completely. Not anymore. Each time she bent to pick something up or twisted in just the right angle, I'd catch a glimpse, and my heart would swell. She was beautiful, and I'd neglected her for too long.

That's why, when I saw her bundle a set of clean clothes under her arm and head off toward the water, I followed, keeping to the trees, silently stalking her like a predator after its prey.

She walked to the bank upstream: far enough to avoid interruption, close enough to hear if any problems occurred. I swallowed, my mouth watering as she glanced around then pulled her shirt over her head. Her breasts were heavier, and her skin seemed to glow from within. She stripped completely, draping her clothes over a nearby branch before stepping into the water.

Slowly, I moved forward through the brush. Not that I needed to hide. She wanted me. I'd sensed it many times since we got back to camp; that and her disappointment whenever an obstacle would appear, forcing us to part ways. But something about the hunt made my blood run hotter, and I wanted to catch her.

I removed my clothes and entered the water, as silent as I'd been the day we played Marco Polo. The more her senses grew, the more exciting this game became. Her eyes were closed as she washed her hair, her head tipped back, giving me a view that made all my blood flow south.

I bit my lip hard and eased forward, silently wading until I was right behind her.

"Polo," I breathed.

She jolted, releasing a squeak, then spun around to face me. "You scared me!" She slapped my chest.

I grabbed her hand, pinning it in place just above my heart. I wanted to touch her, to hold her, to feel her come undone in my arms, hear her beg me to keep going.

But I wasn't ready to end the game. "Your turn," I murmured. I released her hand and closed my eyes.

She didn't move.

"Better hurry, Little Fish. Don't make it too easy."

I sensed her hesitation, but also her excitement. After several hammering beats of her heart, she slowly waded backwards, putting distance between us.

I waited, but it was hard to hold back against the growing tension. "Marco," I rumbled.

"Polo," she breathed.

I moved forward, my pace measured. I knew exactly where she was, felt the water shift as she waded to my right. I let her think she was safe, enjoying the scent of her arousal combined with her adrenaline. It was intoxicating. I licked my lips. "Marco."

"Polo."

She was practically panting now. I eased in her direction. "Marco."

"Polo."

I cocked my head, surprised to find she'd shifted course. "You're getting better at that," I praised. But she wasn't good enough. No match for the beast slowly rearing its head inside me. If it were up to him, she'd have already been caught. "Marco."

No response. I waited. "Marco. . ." Silence. I scented the air, heady and thick. She was ready for me. She was hiding. I waded forward, my eyes clenched tightly closed in a fight to keep from opening them. "If you don't answer, that's cheating," I sang.

A laugh escaped before she could catch it, and I whipped around. How had she managed to get behind me? "There you are." I lunged, but there was no one there. I growled, baring my fangs. "So slippery."

"Polo," she breathed.

My attention snapped toward the sound, and I decided all at once I was tired of waiting. I dipped beneath the water and propelled forward, finding her legs frantically kicking backward in an attempt to escape. I opened my eyes, pulled them over my shoulders, and devoured my favorite catch.

* * *

I carried a basket of apples onboard the shrimp boat, dropping them on the deck. Merle and Cecil followed me with another pack of supplies. They'd agreed to come with us, to help protect Willow and the babies should we run into any trouble. Merle had the map, but I knew where we were going. I'd seen it clear as day on repeat during my time with Pappy. The journey by fan boat. Then his old truck. I'd memorized each bump in the road, and the massive homes we'd passed along the way. Sometimes, I was small. Others, I was the size I was now. I wasn't sure which was memory and which was new, but the last moment I had with him before I woke up, he'd made his message clear.

"We got to find your mama, T Croc."

Eve and Eric bounced with excitement as they scampered onboard, followed by a smiling Willow.

I grinned at her, enjoying the way she seemed to know exactly what was on my mind. Her cheeks turned pink, and she quickly looked away. "The kids are calling this a vacation," she said.

"Sounds like a vacation to me," Cecil grumbled. He took the wheel, and the engine roared to life. "Hell of a lot better than the shit Tex likes to do."

"Agreed!" Merle lifted his canteen. "Though, I do love the part where we blow shit up."

Willow sat down beside him, taking the canteen. "Don't jinx us," she said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave it back to him.

Merle snorted. "Hell, safest place we can be is far away from Tex. Boy looks too much like old Butch, and I bet money his ass is famous right about now."

Willow eased a fraction at his words, and the boat moved forward. I walked to the front, holding the rail as I watched the horizon, warmth thrumming in my chest, excitement building. There was something there. I just knew it. If I could just make it to that town, I'd find all the answers to every question I'd ever had.

"I'm going to swim for a while," I announced, needing to release the tension building inside me. My need to know was an itch I couldn't scratch, not until we arrived, and if I didn't do something to occupy my time, I'd go insane.

I jumped off the boat and raced alongside it. One by one, the gators joined me, coming closer as we moved in sync. In one of my dreams, I'd left the dock, dipping down into the depths, as if to show Pappy how wrong he'd been. I grinned to myself, remembering his exasperated huff. But he hadn't tried to stop me. He hadn't said a word.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. I'd spent my whole life forgetting, then trying to remember what I'd forgotten. Now, I felt as if I remembered everything. Or, at the very least, like we'd been reunited. There were things he'd said that didn't match up with the past. Things about Willow, and a woman named Jeanie, and how some things were more important than the swamp.

It wasn't just a dream. I wasn't sure how I knew that, but I did. He was still here, or somewhere, the same way Julia was, and he was telling me something important. I felt it in my gut, instinct tugging me like it had my whole life. Food. Water. Safety. Only, whatever this was didn't have a name. Whatever I was headed toward was a mystery I couldn't wait to solve.