The Hungry 4: Rise of the Triad (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series) by Steven Booth, Harry Shannon Page B

bathroom, skin wrinkled from the water, legs wobbly from orgasms. Despite their odd situation, Miller felt satisfied with life in every sense of the word. Her fears had vanished. She could tell by the look on Scratch’s face that he felt it too, a real sense of security.
    “They must have something else to wear in this place,” Miller said. “I really don’t want to get back into those dirty clothes.”
    She looked around. The old clothes had already been removed. That seemed strange.
    Scratch was rooting around in the closet opposite the bathroom. His muffled voice came from inside. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in this.”
    “In what?”
    Scratch emerged from the closet, still buck naked. He held a hanger which held a tiny red bikini. It was fairly modest by modern standards, but for Miller it seemed revealing enough to make her blush. Evidently Scratch was looking forward to seeing her in it. He waved the bikini in the air, and wiggled his eyebrows. Much to Miller’s surprise, he was already getting a chubby again.
    “Scratch, we just spent an hour in the shower naked as jaybirds. What’s that thing going to do for me? Or you?” Miller tried to look stern but ultimately cracked a smile.
    “I just thought we’d go down there and check out the waves.”
    Her face fell. “I’m not sure I want to leave our stuff here.”
    “What stuff? The hotel staff took our ratty clothes. We have a few dollars on the table over there. We’ve lost our ride, our weapons, and just about everything else we once owned. The way I see it, this is a fresh start. Let’s enjoy it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
    “Don’t get me started.” But in her heart, she had to agree. Maybe this good feeling was for real. Maybe it would last. There had already been one hell of a lot of worse things. Maybe they’d reached their shit storm limit. Maybe it was time for some good things to take place.
    Scratch held out the bikini. “Penny?”
    Miller shrugged. “Bikinis were never really my style.”
    She took the hanger from him anyway.

CHAPTER THREE

    MALIBU SERENITY CENTER

    “I’m beginning to see why half of North American wants to move to California,” Scratch said. The bright sun flattered his lean frame. “The people are kind of weird but the weather is flat fucking amazing.”
    They walked down the stretch of private beach. The sand was warm beneath their feet. Miller felt good in her little red bikini. A girl didn’t have much of a weight problem when she’d been on the run for months, fighting for her life. Her body was looking lean and strong. The wear and tear of the last few desperate months had hardened her muscles and burned away flab. Scratch didn’t look half bad either in his board shorts. He looked at her and winked. Sea birds floated lazily above them, their cries covered by crashing waves. It was a beautiful day.
    Miller felt a bit off balance. Should they really have been having so much fun, all things considered? Her mind kept wandering down long, dark corridors and back toward disturbing memories of the horrors she’d recently witnessed, the people she’d seen slaughtered, the hordes of zombies she’d laid to rest. She’d think of Terrill Lee, the destruction of her hometown and other painful memories, but then they’d all just float away to remain moored in the distance like those little sailboats anchored offshore. The Center was so peaceful, so relaxing. There was no room to allow her to become depressed. Even the thought of the zombie horde reaching Malibu—which she knew was certain to happen at some point—caused her very little new anxiety. She and Scratch would handle it. Hadn’t they always managed to come out on top? Why worry about that now?
    “It’s so pretty here.”
    Miller walked on, at peace for once. She enjoyed the sand between her toes. Her shoulders felt hot, as if she already had a touch of sunburn. There were other couples out and about. Everyone smiled