FULL OBLITERATION (Book #3)

𝕱𝖔𝖚𝖗

Jace and I go to the Men's showers, while Carmen and Amber go to the Female's one. There are shower cells lined up in a row with shoulder-length walls separating each block. This facility probably had overnight workers, hence the showers, rooms, kitchen, etc. It's like a big multiplex that houses everything. Why can't we stay here for good?

"This feels maddd," Jace lets the hot steamy water run down his rigid body. "I could stay right here, all day."

"Tell me about it," I watch how all the dirt from my body runs down the drain.

"Hey, Sylvester," Jace comes to the partition in between us and rests his elbows over it.

This reminds me of the boys' locker room back at school, how after every game, the locker room reeked of sweat and steam. I miss school.

"Yeah?" I lather my body with one of the small white soap bars they had given us.

"Well, hm," he sorta doubts himself. "I don't know how to say this but you've probably caught on by now but-"

"Jace, just say it."

"Your sister – I like her."

"That it? You just 'like her'?" or did you 'like her' so much so that you impregnated her in a world that now has the majority of its population turned to bloodthirsty freaks and you didn't think twice of the repercussions of your actions – but I leave this part out.

"I would never do anything to hurt her," he adds. "I know people see me as that guy but this whole outbreak thing... changed me. It woke me up."

"Okay," I rinse my hair.

I agree; a near-death experience, plural actually, changes you. And I thought I'd have lots to say to him but my sister would never talk to me again if I did anything to Jace. So I'm kinda on the fence here.

"'Okay'? Are you not going to say anything else?" Jace frowns, expecting more.

"I mean, I still wanna beat you up, again."

"Given," he chuckles.

"You made up for it. I didn't trust you when you let yourself go first instead of Ella, but when we were at the checkpoint, you wanted everyone on first before you. So yeah, you made up for it."

Jace gives me a nod and a smile.

"But," I add as an afterthought, "if you do hurt my sister, you better pray I'm dead."

"Got it, Sylvester." He goes and grabs a fresh white towel. "With all that finally out of the way, I'm fucking starving, man! You done?"

"Ima stay for a lil bit longer, then I'll come and join yous."

"Sure thing. Take your time, man, we earned this long-awaited shower." He dries and dresses himself up in the fresh boring grey clothes the people here gave us.

I hear the flip doors shut after him when he leaves. I push my palm against the wall, letting the water run down my biceps and back muscles. Relaxing. My skin has a bunch of random bruises all over and here I thought they were dirty patches of mud. I turn my elbow over, the gash from the other world is healing quite well. It's flat and pink.

The flip doors open again.

"What'd you forget?" I ask without looking up.

I get no answer so I look up. It's too steamy to make out anything. Squinting, I see a silhouette coming closer. It's much smaller, way smaller than Jace's. Wet platinum hair rests over her shoulders and her body is free of any coverings.

"Fuck, Carmen!" I cover my manhood. "What the fuck are you doing in here?!"

She just tiptoes to me and enters my cell.

"Carmen," I gulp, "I think you should, like, leave? I'm naked if you can't already tell."

"So am I," she murmurs, "if you can't already tell."

I take that as an approval.

My eyes drift down her petite creamy body, taking in the hundreds and thousands of small beauty marks sprinkled all over it. I gaze from her neck to her breasts to the way her waist curves in, to her thick thighs with faded white scars, and everything in between. I see everything I need to see, everything I want to see, and everything I shouldn't be seeing. But I can't help it. My eyes dart back to big bold turquoise ones.

"Leave, Carmen," I say with more confidence this time because, "I mean it."

"Do you?" she steps closer, practically pasting her body onto mine.

I could slam her on the wall behind her and take her right now if I wanted to.

"Then say it again," she taps her fingers in a row on my chest. "Say you want me to leave again, and I will."

I grab her wrist.

She flinches.

I can tell it's hurting her.

"This world doesn't exist to her," she reads my thoughts. "Which means, none of what happens... has happened."

"You're joking."

"I'm not. I know you see her in me, like a ghost. She haunts you."

I clench my jaw.

"Dean..." she whispers. "Pretend I'm her ghost."

She needs to quit looking at me like that because it's making me go blind.

"Leave, Carmen, please," I clench my jaw.

I fail to realise that she can't leave because I'm still holding onto her. So my hold weakens. Carmen looks up at me with these sad, sad eyes... At that moment, all I wanted to do was fuck the sadness out of her. As much as I could, in what short time I had.

Fuck me dead.

I place the same arm that I'm gripping her by behind her back and push her to the wall. This catches her by surprise and she tries to take a breath in but I cut it short by overlapping my lips over hers. My hand cups the side of her face and I kiss her neck, leaving small red butterfly-shaped marks.

"Do the worst you can," Carmen breathes out.

She is starting a fire in me, no, she has started a fire in me that is giving me third-degree burns and I know she knows I'm not strong enough to put it out. That's just putrid but I'm also half to blame. Because she's got the matches, and, well, I've got the stick...