The next morning, I woke up groggily, my body protesting every small movement as consciousness slowly returned. A deep exhaustion had settled into my bones—the kind that came from pushing enhanced physiology beyond its normal limits. My encounter with the electrical infected had taken more out of me than I'd initially realized. When that monstrous creature had hurled me against the car, I'd felt something fundamental shift in my spine, a grinding sensation that suggested serious damage. Without the Dullahan virus enhancement coursing through my system, I would have emerged from that impact as a paraplegic, if I'd emerged at all.

But it wasn't just the physical toll from yesterday's battle that had left me feeling drained. The sex with Cindy had taken quite a toll on me in another way. It had felt this good. I didn't know sex with different positions could bring this much change and this much pleasure. I had always had sex in a missionary position so me on top so having Cindy lead there being atop of me had brought something unique…

I started thinking about doing the same with Rachel, Elena and Sydney before I blushed and shook my head.

Damn, my brain was really rotting having so many sex in the spans of a month and with different model worthy beauties on top of that.

I shifted carefully in bed, testing the range of motion in my back and shoulders. The virus-enhanced healing had worked its usual magic overnight, but I could still feel tender spots where bruises were slowly fading and muscles were still knitting themselves back together. The electrical burns on my arms had reduced to faint marks that would probably disappear entirely within another day or two.

Turning to my side, I noticed the empty space where Cindy had been when we'd fallen asleep together. She'd probably slipped out either during the night or early this morning, which was probably for the best given the complicated dynamics within our group. Some members—Rebecca, Daisy, Liu Mei, and Ivy—still didn't know about my unique abilities and the specific methods required to transfer immunity and enhancements. If they discovered that Cindy and I had been literally fucking a month after Christopher's departure, it would likely confirm their worst suspicions about inappropriate relationships developing within our survival group.

The truth was far more complex than simple infidelity or betrayal. The Dullahan virus had given me the ability to cure infected women and transfer beneficial mutations through intimate contact, but explaining that reality would create more problems than it solved. The knowledge would fundamentally alter the group's…let's say ambiance, potentially creating weird situation, resentment, or uncomfortable expectations. Some might view it as a burden I carried for everyone's benefit, while others might see it as an unfair advantage or even exploitation maybe.

Sometimes I considered revealing everything—the full extent of my abilities, the real reason behind the women's enhanced capabilities, the true nature of what I called "stabilization sessions." But then I'd imagine the aftermath: Liu Mei would immediately deduce which women I'd been intimate with, the awkward tension that would settle over our communal meals, the way simple conversations would become loaded with subtext and unspoken accusations and more important a lot of awkwardness...

I mean I really can't imagine Rebecca believing me in that part. She might really think I had lied to take advantage of every girls around me or something.

The sound situation we currently maintained felt fragile but functional. Everyone contributed according to their abilities, relationships remained mostly harmonious, and the group's survival needs were being met. Introducing sexual politics and complicated explanations about viral transmission through intimacy would shatter that careful balance we managed to recover after Christopher's departure.

I'd shared intimate moments with Cindy in this very room, and while the experience had been meaningful and intense, I needed to be more careful about noise and timing in the future. The walls in this old house were thick, but sound could travel in unexpected ways, especially during the quiet hours when everyone else was asleep. Rebecca and Daisy's rooms were far enough away that I doubted they'd heard anything, but Alisha and Elena were close enough that they might have heard something if they'd been awake.

Elena and Alisha knew about my abilities, so they would understand the context even if they'd overheard something. But the others would draw very different conclusions, and those conclusions could destroy the trust and stability we'd worked so hard to rebuild.

Perhaps it would be wiser to return to using the basement for future stabilization sessions, despite how much more comfortable and intimate the experience was in an actual bedroom. The basement offered better sound isolation and more privacy, even if the concrete floor and musty air weren't exactly conducive to romance.

Standing carefully, I made my way to the small bathroom attached to my room. I filled the washbasin from our stored water reserves and began my morning routine, using a sponge and bar of soap to clean away the residual sweat and grime from yesterday's adventures.

The cold water was actually refreshing, shocking my system fully awake and helping to clear the last traces of grogginess from my mind. I'd read somewhere that cold water washing in the morning was beneficial for circulation and mental clarity, though I'd never had occasion to test that theory before the world ended and hot showers became a rare luxury.

As I removed the bandages Elena had carefully applied the night before, I was pleased to see that my wounds had healed significantly. The cuts were now just faint lines, and the bruising had faded from deep purple to yellowish-green. Within another day or two, there would be no visible signs of my battle with the electrical infected. Elena's careful treatment had definitely aided the virus's natural regeneration process, her gentle ministrations somehow enhancing my body's ability to repair itself.

Thinking about Elena brought a familiar ache to my chest. Her announcement that she and Alisha would be leaving soon felt like a countdown to inevitable loss. I understood the logic of their decision—their father's facility offered better resources, stronger defenses, and more opportunities for the future. But understanding didn't make the prospect of losing them any less painful.

Elena had become important to me in ways that went beyond her practical contributions to the group. The thought of waking up each morning without her presence in the house felt like contemplating a future with a piece missing.

When the outbreak had first started, when my mother died and I found myself completely alone in a world gone mad, the loneliness had been almost unbearable. That first day of solitary survival had pushed me to the edge of despair more than once. The isolation had been worse than the physical dangers, worse than the constant hunger and exhaustion.

But that crushing loneliness was gone now, replaced by the warmth of belonging to a group that had become more than a survival arrangement.

Christopher's absence had left a void in our group, but we'd adapted and found new ways to support each other.

I missed the easy camaraderie I'd shared with Christopher—the way we could communicate with just a glance during dangerous situations, our shared understanding of priorities, the simple pleasure of having another man to talk through problems with and also about women in general. The women in our group were intelligent, capable, and brave, but there was something different about male friendship that I hadn't fully appreciated until it was gone.

I only understood what it was to have a best buddy after he left actually.

Was that how the relationship were between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers? Like they could have each other's back?

After finishing my morning wash and getting dressed in clean clothes, I made my way downstairs to begin the day's activities. The house was still quiet, with most of the residents probably still asleep or just beginning to stir. Early morning had always been my favorite time of day.

The kitchen smelled of cold ash from last night's cooking fire, and pale morning light filtered through windows that Daisy had cleaned just days before. Our communal supplies were neatly organized on shelves that Rachel had built from salvaged lumber, and the sight of our modest but adequate food stores brought a sense of satisfaction. We weren't living in luxury, but we weren't starving either, and that represented a significant achievement in our current circumstances.

I started a small fire in the wood-burning stove and put water on to heat for tea. The routine tasks were meditative, allowing my mind to wander over the events of the previous day. The electrical infected we'd encountered represented a new level of threat that could fundamentally change our survival strategies. If more creatures like that emerged, our current defensive preparations would be completely inadequate.

The thing had demonstrated intelligence, adaptability, and physical capabilities that far exceeded normal infected parameters. It had learned from our initial exchange, adjusted its tactics, and shown no signs of the mindless hunger that characterized standard infected behavior. The electrical enhancement had given it abilities that seemed almost supernatural—strength, speed, and resilience that pushed it into an entirely different category of threat.

No, actually it had used that electric cable and it felt like the Infected assimilated it or something…

I needed to brief Rachel and the others about what we'd faced, but I also needed to do it carefully to avoid creating panic or despair. The group's morale was fragile enough without introducing the specter of enemies we might not be able to defeat. But they deserved to know what kinds of dangers might be evolving out there, and they needed time to mentally prepare for the possibility of encounters with enhanced infected.

The water began to steam, and I prepared a cup of the herbal tea blend that Rachel had developed from plants we'd identified as safe and beneficial. The warm liquid helped chase away the last traces of morning stiffness.

The water began to steam, and I prepared a cup of the herbal tea blend that Rachel had developed from plants we'd identified as safe and beneficial. The warm liquid helped chase away the last traces of morning stiffness, and I settled at the dining table to enjoy the quiet solitude that early mornings provided.

The peaceful silence stretched for several minutes, broken only by the gentle sounds of the house settling and the distant chirping of birds outside. It was a rare luxury to simply sit and think without the immediate pressure of survival tasks demanding my attention. The tea warmed me from the inside out, and I found myself genuinely relaxing for the first time in days.

The soft creak of footsteps on the stairs drew my attention, and I looked up to see Rachel descending from the second floor. She paused mid-step when she spotted me at the table, her green eyes widening with genuine surprise. Her expression carried a mix of concern and curiosity that made me realize just how unusual my presence must seem at this hour.

"Good morning, Rachel," I said, gesturing toward the small pot of water and tea I'd prepared. "There's hot tea if you want some."

"You're actually here, Ryan..." She muttered, almost as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "You didn't leave for your morning long scavenging session?"

It was a fair question. For the last month now, I'd maintained a strict routine of departing before dawn for scavenging missions, scouting expeditions, or supply runs. Most days, the household wouldn't see me until late afternoon or evening. My early morning presence at the breakfast table was indeed unprecedented.

"Yesterday was particularly demanding," I replied, taking another sip of the warming tea. "I decided to take your advice about rest and recovery. Besides, I need to deliver those electrical components we retrieved to Mark at the municipal office. That seemed like a more reasonable first task than another extended expedition."

Rachel's expression immediately shifted to one of concern as she approached the table. "Were you injured worse than you let on yesterday? I could tell something significant had happened, but you were so casual about dismissing it."

"I'm fine, truly," I assured her, though I appreciated the genuine worry in her voice. "You know how the virus enhancement works for healing—it's even faster for me than it is for you and the others. The regeneration rate means I recover from most injuries within a day or two."

"I'm going to keep worrying regardless of whatever supernatural healing abilities you might have," Rachel said, scoldingly. "Enhanced recovery doesn't mean you should be reckless with your safety."

I looked into her serious, beautiful green eyes and felt something warm and complicated stir in my chest. Her genuine concern for my wellbeing was both touching and slightly embarrassing somehow.

"Right..." I said, averting my gaze slightly. "Are you planning to do your morning exercises?"

I'd noticed her outfit—a fitted sports bra and form-fitting leggings that outlined her toned, athletic figure in ways that were both distracting and admirable. The ensemble revealed her flat midriff and emphasized the graceful lines of her body that the last weeks had sculpted. Rachel had always been beautiful, but the practical demands of survival had transformed her into something approaching warrior goddess territory.

I scratched my cheek, suddenly feeling awkward about my obvious appreciation of her appearance. "Well, I made plenty of tea if you'd like some," I said, trying to redirect the conversation to safer ground.

"I'll have some after," she replied with a smile that suggested she was well aware of my momentary flustered state. She retrieved her yoga mat from where she stored it near the living room and positioned it in front of the large window where morning sunlight was beginning to stream through the glass.

As Rachel commenced her stretching routine, I found myself wholly entranced by the graceful elegance of her movements, each pose flowing into the next with a seamless poise that spoke of both disciplined practice and innate athletic prowess. The morning sunlight filtered through the window, casting a soft, golden glow across her form, accentuating the contours of her body in a manner that felt almost painterly, as though she were a living sculpture in motion.

Her attire, a form-fitting sports bra and leggings, clung delicately to her skin, subtly revealing the curves of her physique. The bra, stretched taut, outlined the full swell of her D-cup breasts, their shape accentuated by the gentle strain of the fabric, which hinted at the faint impression of her nipples beneath—subtle yet undeniable, stirring a quiet heat within me. As she moved into a deep lunge, her hips shifted with a fluid grace, the leggings hugging the lines of her thighs and hips, drawing attention to the sculpted strength there. The fabric, slightly dampened by the warmth of her exertion, traced the delicate contours of her form, suggesting the soft rise of her mound in a way that was both understated and arresting.

I gulped slightly taking a quick sip of my tea.

Transitioning to a downward dog, her body arched with a refined strength, her breasts suspended softly within the confines of her bra, their gentle sway—

Wait, what the hell am I doing?!

I quickly looked away.

I must look like a complete pervert sitting here staring at her like this!

"I don't mind," Rachel said suddenly, apparently reading my thoughts. She glanced over at me with an amused smile before returning to her stretching routine.

I looked at her with a bit embarrassed of having been caught. "Rebecca will probably kill me if she catches me watching you like this."

"She's not wrong to be protective," Rachel replied with a soft giggle, though she continued her routine without any sign of self-consciousness. "But I think you're safe for now. She's still asleep, and I trust you to be respectful."

Rachel you are literally asking me that I could keep staring at you moving and stretching your body…

Whatever.

I continued watching her exercise routine, though I tried to keep my appreciation more admiring than inappropriate.

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