Darkest Days: A Southern Zombie Tale by James J. Layton

white face and hands relayed that it was three thirty P.M. She examined the simple black band and thought about how cheap it was. The device was ancient, but she wore it proudly because it was bought with her money, not her parent’s funds. The cash came from a job in fast food that lasted two hours. As usual, she had quit because the other employees and managers were beneath her.
    Bryant whispered over her shoulder. “Are you going to let me in?”
    “Sssshhhh. Let me make sure my parents aren’t home.” She finished her quiet command and called out “Mom? Dad?” Then both children patiently waited for a response. With none forthcoming, they cautiously tiptoed into the house. Cara whispered to him, “Dad won’t be home for two more hours, but I don’t know where Mom is.”
    Bryant was busy looking around the house at document frames containing awards, diplomas, and degrees. “Is your whole family as nerdy as you?” He quipped. He caught her sneer and continued examining items. A small but ornate table lamp rested on what appeared to be a writing desk. He leaned over to look at the sheet of college ruled paper lying out. “Hey, this note says that your mother has gone to Tuscaloosa looking for a job and will not be back until five.”
    Cara grabbed his hand. “That means we have at least an hour and a half.” Then she led him by the hand toward a staircase connecting to the second floor. Bryant wanted to ask questions. Where were they going? Was he interpreting these actions correctly? Step by step, he ascended with her. His heart beat faster and he knew that blood pulsing through his veins was redirecting to his penis. His manhood threatened to rise in anticipation at just the hint of sex. At the top of the stairs, she opened a door leading to a minimalist room holding only a bed and a stereo flanked by filled bookcases along the wall. She sat down on the bed and motioned him over to her.
    Bryant sat down and clumsily tried to slide his arm around her. She caught his maneuver and said, “Just so you know, I’m not going to sleep with you today.”
    He nodded with a solemn face but inwardly glowed. Had it been his imagination or had she emphasized “today”? Instead of pressing the matter, he just whispered, “There are lots of ways for us to have fun without going all the way.”
    “Like what?” She responded and shed her camo army surplus jacket.
    Without marring the moment with words, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was eager but with a level of restraint that made the kiss passionate but not sloppy. She responded in kind. The longing for this previously absent physical affection made her hands tremble. Bryant grabbed her hands to steady them. “Are you alright?” He asked with honest concern.
    She nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yes, it’s just that you are the first boy I’ve ever let kiss me.”
    He could not contain the grin that broke out over his face. He reached up and gently slid his hand down her cheek. “You have no idea what my life was like before you came here.”
    She closed her eyes and breathlessly sighed. Her heart threatened to burst if she did not confess the truth behind her feelings. “You are the first person I’ve felt anything for. I’ve looked at everyone else in terms of what they lack. I look at you and see everything you have to offer. You are sensitive, caring, funny, confident, and pensive. It doesn’t hurt that you’re handsome too.”
    Bryant’s response was to lean forward and plant a small kiss on her forehead. “Thank you.”
    The boy left before Cara’s parents arrived home. The goodbye was rife with repeated hugs and kisses ranging from quick pecks to long deep kisses and even some experimentation with Frenching. When he stepped into his mother’s truck, he could not stop smiling and his erection refused to die down. The long drive back to his trailer agonized him as the sensations of physical affection still burned hot in his brain. Nothing felt