Chapter 4: Heat (2)

At the rear of the truck, Jack emptied an entire ammunition drum. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the three figures pressed together in the corner.

The sight nearly short-circuited his brain.

He felt his throat go dry and immediately grabbed the military canteen hanging from his belt, tipping it back and gulping down several mouthfuls.

Half a canteen of ice-cold water did nothing to cool him down.

If anything, he only felt hotter.

"Why... why is it so damn hot in this truck? I’m sweating like crazy..." Jack muttered, wiping his mouth.

Mitch snapped a fresh magazine into his weapon and kicked him lightly.

"How the hell should I know? It just rained today. How can it possibly be this hot?"

He glanced ahead.

"Look out! More Special Infected are closing in!"

Amid the thunder of gunfire, Theo lowered his head and pressed two fingers against May’s neck once more.

Her skin was still frighteningly cold. The life in Theo’s eyes darkened.

"Something’s wrong."

He turned toward Ray.

"Two people aren’t enough. Her temperature is dropping even faster."

Several smoke grenades were thrown from the truck and detonated near the mouth of the alley, filling the area with thick, choking smoke.

The tires shrieked against the pavement.

With the roars of the Skinwalker Demon and the Tyrant echoing behind them, the truck plunged deeper into the darkness.

Within moments, they had disappeared completely from the monsters’ reach.

The vehicle continued speeding through the night, wind howling through every gap in the battered truck.

Theo’s fingers suddenly stopped against May’s neck.

"No. She’s losing heat too quickly. Even the combined body heat of two people isn’t enough."

There was unmistakable urgency in his voice.

"She’s on the verge of shock."

The instant he finished speaking, the truck slammed on its brakes.

After a violent jolt, it finally came to a stop in front of a building bearing a faded red cross sign. It was an abandoned private hospital.

"Her body temperature has to come back up."

Theo’s voice became sharp and authoritative, as cold and precise as a surgeon’s blade.

"Strip down and get over here."

He paused before issuing the next orders.

"Mitch, Alex, you’re the fastest. Get inside and find the blood bank. O-negative. If you can’t find it, bring back IV equipment and saline. Move!"

Mitch clicked his tongue in irritation, but saving a life came first. Without another word, he grabbed his rifle and jumped from the truck.

Alex, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, followed him.

But before shutting the door, he glanced back at the two bare-chested men pressed close around May and let out an exaggerated whistle.

"Good luck, I guess."

His voice dragged out teasingly, his grin resembling that of a cat that had just stolen a treat.

"Don’t accidentally overheat our new little friend."

Jack’s honest, uncomplicated face turned bright red.

His gaze swept awkwardly over the exposed physiques of Ray and Theo before dropping to his own body.

Even undoing his combat uniform suddenly felt embarrassingly difficult.

How... how was he supposed to take this off?

"Ace... we need to keep her alive."

Ace gave a quiet laugh. His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but his movements were efficient.

He quickly pulled off his shirt, revealing a powerful chest and abdomen defined by smooth, athletic lines.

Then he said firmly, "Let’s do it."

Only then did Jack finally understand. He hurriedly stripped off his own outer clothing and joined them.

To maximize the transfer of body heat, the four men were forced into an awkward, tightly packed arrangement.

Ray and Theo remained where they were, keeping May between them.

Ace pressed against her remaining exposed side, using his chest to shield her freezing back.

Jack, the largest of them all, was positioned above her, his broad torso covering her upper body while carefully maintaining contact to preserve as much warmth as possible.

In moments, the cramped truck had become a human barrier of living body heat.

The air grew unbearably warm and heavy.

Heat radiating from four powerful bodies circulated repeatedly through the confined space with nowhere to escape.

Sweat mingled with the faint, sweet strawberry scent clinging to May, creating an atmosphere that tested everyone’s ability to remain calm.

May’s consciousness drifted somewhere between wakefulness and darkness.

It felt as though she had been thrown into a scorching steam room, surrounded by sources of heat on every side.

She shifted weakly. Her faint breath brushed against Jack’s abdomen. His entire body immediately went rigid.

He buried his face against the crook of his arm, refusing to look down or move.

He could feel the woman’s closeness far too clearly, and the awareness made his face burn even hotter.

Meanwhile, May’s freezing ankle searched instinctively for warmth and lightly brushed against Ray’s abdomen.

His entire body stiffened. The large hand resting over her leg tightened involuntarily, veins standing out along his forearm.

Damn it.

Was she doing it on purpose, or was she completely unaware?

On the other side, Theo and Ace had to endure the unconscious movements of her arms and back against them. Both men’s breathing grew heavier, their expressions increasingly unreadable.

The truck fell into an almost deathly silence. Only the four men’s increasingly difficult-to-control heartbeats broke through it.

One after another. Loud and relentless, like war drums.

"Damn it..." Someone finally cursed under his breath.

How the hell was anyone supposed to remain calm in a situation like this?

Just as reason and instinct reached the point of open conflict, something unexpected happened.

May’s colorless lips parted slightly, and a tiny, almost inaudible whimper escaped her.

Then the fingers of one limp hand suddenly moved, as though desperately searching for something to hold onto, her fingers curled weakly around whatever was nearest.

All four men froze simultaneously.

Ray lowered his eyes. The woman’s pale little hand had landed lightly against his abdomen. Her five slender fingers rested directly in the shallow grooves between his defined muscles.

Soft and cold.

A stark contrast to his own body, which was hard and burning beneath her touch.

He felt his blood rush violently through his veins.

And somehow, that was only the beginning.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

The truck was so quiet that they could hear the wind whining through the gaps in the metal frame.

Yet even that cold breeze did nothing to cool four overheated bodies.

Jack was practically losing his mind. He remained positioned above her, his broad chest shielding her fragile shoulders and neck.

At first, he had regarded the whole thing as nothing more than a rescue operation.

But the young woman’s breathing was gradually returning to normal.

With every faint breath, a thread of warm air seeped through the thin fabric covering his abdomen. Each little puff felt like a heated needle, repeatedly pricking at the ends of his already-taut nerves.

That was... way too seductive.