The First Days (As the World Dies 1)

Juan didn't. He took his good ol' boy shitkickers to the girl’s head, heel first and slammed her head sideways into the brick wall beside her and kept kicking until her head was mush.

Curtis looked stunned and Jenni just lifted an eyebrow.

Juan looked down at his bloodied boots and gore splattered jeans then at Jenni. "C'mon, Loca. We need a shower. "

Curtis hesitated, then grabbed Ritchie. "I'm locking him up. "

"Check him for bites, man," Juan said numbly. The anger had gone out of him. He reached out to Jenni and she took his hand.

Bill was walking toward them, looking very cop-ish. "I'll help out. "

Juan nodded and walked quietly toward the city hall. Jenni followed, glancing back at the young man, who was really not much of a man at all, but mostly boy. The drug dealer was still giggling to himself with his now very dead girlfriend's body slumped beside him.

"If we had let her bite him, we wouldn't have to deal with him," Curtis said to Bill.

Bill just shrugged. "Not for us to decide, Curtis. "

"Yeah,” Curtis reluctantly agreed. “Yeah. You’re right. ”

Juan drew Jenni into the narrow hall that lead to the janitor's shower everyone in the fort used. It was in the back of the janitor's office and clipboard hung from a rusty nail with a sign in sheet and schedule attached to it. Billie Jo, one of the older women that had been rescued a few days before, was just emerging in a bright blue bathrobe. She blushed deeply and hurried past them. Another man, one Jenni didn't know, was waiting to go next, saw their condition and didn't complain as Juan pulled her into the janitor's office "I'm really sorry about your cousin," Jenni said softly.

Juan walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. "It doesn't matter now. "

Jenni sighed. "Yeah, but he was your family. "

"Yeah, and he's dead and that fucker Ritchie is still alive. There really isn't much justice in this world. " He grabbed hold of her and shoved her, completely clothed under the water and got in with her.

Jenni tilted her head back to let the water flow over her and get all the disgusting vomit off her. Juan took off his hat and tossed it to the floor. He rested his hands on the ugly green tiled wall on either side of her and rested his forehead against hers.

"Loca, I'm losing it. "

"No, you're not. "

"Yes, I am. I can't do this. "

"Do what?"

"Make it safe for all of us and keep my head together," Juan's voice was ragged, overwhelmed.

"You're doing a good job. The gate closed tonight when it needed to. "

"But too slow. They almost got in. We can't afford fuckups. And all because of that fucker that got my cousin and his drugged out buddies killed. "

Jenni's clothes were now quite soaked and the lukewarm water was going cold very fast. "We could throw him to the zombies. "

"Don't tempt me. I might. " Juan sighed and watched the blood and gore slowly rinsing off his very beat up boots. "Help me, Loca, okay?"

"Okay. But I'm not sure how. "

"Let's get a bottle of tequila from storage and go up to the roof. I want to get fucking drunk and I trust you to watch my back. "

"Okay. " Jenni ran a hand over her hair and found it muck free. Grabbing the almost empty bottle of shampoo, she dumped some on her head and began to wash it. "But I need clean hair first. "

Juan laughed and pushed her hands away. He lathered up her hair, making horns at one point, amusing himself.

Giggling, she let him and smiled up at him. It felt good to have him back after his puppy dog antics with Belinda. She was glad he hadn't mentioned that situation. Belinda had annoyed her from day one and Jenni was sure she wasn't good enough for Juan.

Rinsing off her hair, Juan made sure to cover up her face with it. "You look better this way, Loca. "