Chapter 18: Shower

Bang—!

A heavy crash tore through the air as the locker door was ripped open from the outside with brute force.

Alex’s smug, teasing expression didn’t even have time to fade before he found himself staring at a face so dark it looked ready to drip water.

Ray.

His tall frame filled the doorway, eyes locked like nails on the hand still resting around May’s waist. Behind him stood Mitch, Jack, Theo, and Ace—each wearing a different expression, yet the air between them was thick enough with jealousy to choke on.

"Ah, Boss, you guys finally made it," Alex said, switching faces in an instant. The playful look vanished, replaced by the wide-eyed panic of someone who’d just survived a scare. He released May and launched into a pitiful report. "A zombie came out of nowhere just now, and my gun jammed again. I nearly died of fright—I was this close to throwing myself at it to protect May..."

He never finished the sentence.

Ray stepped inside without so much as a glance at him. One long arm shot out and simply scooped the still-dazed May straight into his hold. The motion was firm, possessive, leaving no room for argument.

The world spun for a second. The next moment she was pressed against a solid, scorching chest. Immediately after, a jacket still warm from a man’s body was draped over her from head to toe, wrapping her up tight until only a pair of slightly bewildered eyes remained visible.

Ray had stripped off his own coat and cocooned her like something precious that couldn’t be allowed to catch even a draft.

"Next time you drag her into a place like this," he said, finally turning those ice-cold eyes on Alex, "I’ll lock you in there with the zombies and throw away the key."

Alex’s smile faltered for half a second before the harmless, puppy-dog look slid back into place. He mumbled, "Boss, I was only trying to keep May safe..."

"The fuck you call that ’keeping her safe’?" Mitch couldn’t hold it in any longer. He stalked forward, voice sharp with irritation. "You did that on purpose. You were trying to get something out of it."

"How can you say that about me?" Alex blinked those wide, innocent eyes. "I’m not like you."

"Enough. All of you shut up."

Ray’s low command cut the argument off before it could explode. He didn’t bother dealing with the tangled thoughts of his brothers any further. He simply shifted his grip, lifted the tightly wrapped May into a bridal carry, and turned toward the door.

"Boss..." she protested softly from his arms. The position was mortifying.

The man answered with nothing more than a tighter hold.

By the time they finished clearing the gas station, night had fully fallen. The abandoned place became their temporary camp for the evening.

Ray set May down on a relatively clean camp cot inside the convenience store, then stationed himself at the doorway and began wiping down his weapons. The others found places to rest, but their gazes kept drifting toward her whether they meant to or not.

Days of running and fighting had left May feeling coated in a sticky layer of sweat and dust. She couldn’t sit still any longer. Finally, she slipped over to Theo, who was sorting supplies.

"Um... Theo..."

Her voice was small, a little embarrassed.

Theo paused and looked up. Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze settled on her dusty face.

"What is it?"

"I... I think I saw a shower stall out back earlier," she said, her voice growing quieter with every word. "I just... don’t know if it still works."

The moment the words left her mouth, the entire convenience store went silent.

Every movement stopped. Every pair of eyes turned to her.

A shower.

The word dropped into the quiet like a stone into still water, sending ripples through the minds of several rough men who’d been living in blood and grime.

"You want to take a shower?" Mitch was the first to speak. His voice came out a little dry.

"Mm." May nodded, then quickly added, "I’ll just rinse off real quick. It won’t take long."

"No."

Ray’s voice came from the doorway—final, leaving no room for debate.

May’s heart sank. She thought he was forbidding it.

Then he continued, "Cold water will make you sick. Wait."

With that, he stood and walked out.

Not long after, Ray and Jack returned carrying a large metal drum between them, filled with clean water. Ace somehow produced a few immersion heaters, connected them to the backup power supply with practiced ease, and dropped them into the drum.

"Half an hour and it’ll be warm," he told her with a gentle smile, soft light in those peach-blossom eyes.

Watching these men who said so little yet moved so quickly for her, May felt a quiet warmth rise in her chest.

Half an hour later, the water was ready.

"Go," Ray said simply. "We’ll keep watch outside."

"Okay."

Clutching a change of clean clothes, May hurried into the makeshift shower stall with flushed cheeks.

Click.

The lock sliding into place sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet night.

Outside the convenience store, five battle-hardened men who had just clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood now stood in a neat line with their backs to the thin door, looking for all the world like schoolboys serving detention.

No one spoke.

The air was thick with a strange, restless tension.

Soon the soft rustle of fabric reached them—clothes being removed. The sound was faint, yet it brushed against every nerve like a feather.

Mitch kicked restlessly at the gravel under his boots; his throat bobbed once, hard.

Jack’s usually honest face had gone red enough to bleed. He stared fixedly at his own toes, hands hanging uselessly at his sides.

Then came the water.

Shhhhh—

Clear, bright water sounds filled the silent night, holding every ear captive as if by magic.

One thin wall separated them from the scene inside. They couldn’t see anything. Yet the memory of that torn red pencil skirt, the flash of pale skin, the soft curves that rose and fell with each breath—kept replaying in their minds against their will.

The water kept running.

They could almost picture the droplets sliding down a smooth back, tracing a waist so slender it looked as if it would snap under a single grip, then continuing lower...

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard.

"Fuck, why the hell is it getting hot again tonight?" Mitch was the first to break. He yanked at his collar and muttered a low curse. Grabbing a cold bottle of water from nearby, he twisted the cap off and drained half of it in one go.

The icy liquid slid down his throat but did nothing to put out the fire climbing higher inside him.

"Yeah... it is a bit warm," Jack rumbled in agreement, then grabbed a bottle of his own and gulped it down noisily.

Theo spoke in his usual measured tone, though his voice had gone a little rough.

"When the human body is stimulated by certain auditory cues, adrenaline levels rise and heart rate increases, which in turn elevates surface temperature. It’s a normal physiological response."

"Can you speak like a normal person?" Alex leaned against the wall, smiling, though the smile carried a distinctly mischievous edge. "Just admit you want a cold shower already."

Only Ray remained motionless from beginning to end, as still as a statue.

But the muscles of his back had drawn tighter and tighter, and the fists clenched at his sides betrayed just how far from calm he truly was.

Right then, a soft, pained little gasp drifted out from the shower stall.