Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse

Fires Within

It was hard for me to be mad at August. It was hard for me to be mad at anyone I loved, because I hated conflict, but it was especially hard with her. She was like my mother, sister, and best friend all rolled into one and I couldn't bring myself to defy her or fight with her, even if I did think her opinion of Priest was shortsighted.

She was right about one thing: Priest was not going to sober up just because I told him he should. But she was wrong that I was going to get hurt by him. She thought I was expecting him to go back to the way he was before the apocalypse. I had no hope of that. All I wanted was for him to stop wallowing in misery. If he wanted to drink and smoke pot, then at least let it be for pleasure, not numbing.

I managed to stay out of everyone's way until the weekend was over. We went to a few parties that ended the same way they always did. I went home early on the four-wheeler to snooze, while everyone else hung around to schmooze. As usual, the early night shift lacked any major glimmer grim, at least nothing I couldn't simply drive around to get away from.

When I got home early for what had to be the eighth week in a row, I made a decision. I was going to sleep with Devin. It shouldn't have received the cresting excitement that I felt, but I wasn't going to sleep with him for reasons of love or even lust. I was going to sleep with him because I was mad.

I'm not sure how being mad meant that I should sleep with Devin, but in my head it made sense. I was going to piss off Haden, but I didn't care. I was sick of being a prude through the apocalypse while everyone else was living it up.

Truthfully, I think what I wanted to do was sleep with Priest to piss August off, but as I said before, it's hard for me to be mad at her. To outright go against her wasn't going to work. However, sleeping with someone she approved of, while pretending it was someone she didn't approve of, might offer me the revenge I desired, without the repercussions.

Yes, that actually sounded logical in my head.

Monday night was fairly boring, or it would have been had my decision to sleep with Devin not encouraged a good number of stupid follow-up decisions.

First, there was the liquid courage. I certainly couldn't just tell Devin I wanted to sleep with him. Because I was a coward, but also because it would be anticlimactic. After all, he had been waiting a long time for me to give in to my desires.

The second stupid decision was the dress. I didn't have a lot of sexy clothes, so I altered a long dress from my closet to make it a short dress. It was a little too short, and after I removed the sleeves and cut into the bodice to add lace, it was much too revealing. It was a few pounds too tight as well. When I finally slipped it on, my breasts were mashed so tight, I looked like I was wearing a corset.

My third stupid decision was making my intentions known to Devin in front of everyone. Alas, all the other decisions prior to that could have been expunged if I had only discreetly dragged Devin upstairs for a private rendezvous.

By the time, I made it down to the bonfire in the backyard, I was thoroughly toasted. My three friends were illuminated by the fire they were sitting around. When I arrived, August started speaking before the firelight had illuminated me.

"Oh, Lenore, at last, I want you to..." She trailed off as the fire revealed my very little black dress. "What are you wearing?"

"I wanted something nice to mark the occasion," I said—or slurred, depending on how it sounded to them.

Devin whistled. "Well, well, well, Lenore. I wasn't sure you had any shape under those t-shirts, but there you are."

"Shut up, Devin," Haden snarled.

"It's okay, Haden," I said, misinterpreting the reason for her defensiveness. "I don't mind the attention. Not tonight." I sat down on Devin's lap and he jumped in shock, but welcomed me by wrapping his arms around me.

"What has gotten into you, Lenore?" August chided.

"Nothing... yet." I smiled and squirmed against Devin's lap. He smiled broadly and chuckled.

"Are you drunk?" August asked, standing up.

"Yeah, yeah, shush mom." I waved my hand and leaned in to kiss Devin. He pulled away, but didn't stop smiling.

"I can't do that while you're drunk, girl." He shook his head.

"It's the only way I can," I whispered and bit his earlobe, since he couldn't pull any farther away. He moaned and urged me closer despite his reservations to my inebriated state.

"Devin!" The snap sounded from both August and Haden.

"Okay!" he said, pulling me away. "Oh, sweet thing, why couldn't you have done this last night, or any other night before this night."

"What's wrong?" I asked, running my hand up his leg. He made no attempts to stop me until August ground out his name again. He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it. All the while his eyes sparkled with delight.

"I'm going to have to ask you not to do that," he said, "but just for the record, yes, yes, and yes."

I smiled and slipped out of his lap. There was a lot more opposition to our hook-up than I thought there would be, but I was determined to get Devin on my side. "What do I have to do to convince you?" I asked.

To add to my already egregious humiliation, I started to dance: a slither in my body, a roll in my shoulders, and a dip in my knees. It might have looked more like an epileptic seizure though.

"This is not the time or place for this, Lenore." August moved to stop me, but Devin grabbed her and pulled her down to his lap.

"No, no, no, this is too priceless to interrupt. You go girl!"

"Don't encourage her," August said, struggling against his grip.

"Oh, let her have her moment," he said. "Lord knows you aren't going to let her have anything else before she goes."

"Goes?" I asked in the middle of a crouched shimmy. "Where am I going?" I stood up without consideration for my center of gravity, my blood alcohol level, or the fire behind me. I faltered and fell right at the hot blaze.

I could see August struggling to get off Devin in time to save me, but for the first time ever, I realized that she was right. She couldn't be there to save me every time. I pinched my eyes and waited to feel the burn. I only hoped that I could get out before my hair caught on fire.

I never hit the coals. Arms braced my back and scooped me away from the growing heat. When I opened my eyes, I saw the man holding me. A strange man.

I didn't wait for introductions. I screamed and punched him in the face. He dropped me and I crawled to the safety of August's legs.

"Lenore," August said, "I'd like you to meet my brother, Garrett."