Even before I open my eyes in the morning, I know that Ryder is watching me. I try to keep my breathing as even as possible, hoping to keep him thinking I’m still asleep. I don’t know why he’s watching me, or what he’s thinking, but I definitely don’t want to talk about it. So, if I have to pretend to be asleep until help comes, I’ll do it.
Finally, I can’t take it anymore, and I open my eyes. Ryder looks away quickly, but not before I notice an embarrassed look on his face. He tries to pretend he wasn’t just watching me, but doesn’t quite pull it off. He’s too nervous and fidgety.
I look down at the ground, and count six zombies. Thankfully there aren’t a lot more than there were when I went to sleep. Maybe this area is cleaner than I thought, or maybe they just don’t want to share. I try to banish that thought, because that would imply that zombies still have thinking or reasoning capabilities, and they can’t. Because if they do, what does that make them?
I shake off those thoughts. Being trapped in a tree with someone I might despise as much as I like with half a dozen moaning zombies beneath us is not the best place to have a philosophical inner debate about zombies.
Ryder shakes the empty bottle of water, and frowns. “We can’t stay up here forever. Eventually we’re gonna have to try and make a run for it. That’ll probably be easier to do if we’re not half-dead from dehydration.”
I look at him, then at the zombies on the ground, and then back at him. “If you wanna be the first one down, be my guest. But I think I’ll take my chances right here. Reese and Tobe have to be looking for us, and I bet they find us any time.” He snorts, but doesn’t say anything else. He just leans back against the tree, looking incredibly tired. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”
He shakes his head. “Of course not. Someone had to stay awake and keep watch. What if Reese or Tobe were to come through here looking for us, and we were asleep and couldn’t answer them?” he says, looking at me like I’m stupid for thinking he’d actually consider sleeping.
“Why don’t you try to get some rest now, and I’ll keep watch for Tobe and Reese?” I offer.
He shakes his head. “No thanks, I’ll be alright.”
We both recline against the trunk of the tree, and neither of us speaks again. We just wait impatiently for Reese and Tobe to hopefully find us. I really hope that they do, because I don’t want to risk making a run for it. I know if we climb down and try to run, both of us are going to die, and I don’t want that.
Even if Ryder is kind of being a jerk.
I close my eyes and try to block out the sounds of the zombie groans beneath us. It’s really amazing that I actually managed to sleep with them moaning all night long. I guess I was just too tired to care.
“Sam! Ryder!”
Ryder straightens on his branch. “Reese!”
“Ryder! Where are you?”
“Up a tree. We’re pinned down by six zombies!”
There’s a sound of rustling, and Reese comes crashing into view. He’s armed with one of the assault rifles, and he takes aim. He pulls the trigger four times, and four of the six zombies instantly drop. His fifth shot goes wide and blasts off part of the tree’s bark, but his sixth hits right between the eyes. His eighth shot takes out the remaining zombie’s ear, and his final shot blows out the back of its head.
With all of the zombie’s dead, it’s safe for Ryder and I to both climb down. The second I join Reese on the ground, he hands me a bottle of water, and I chug half of it before remembering that Ryder needs some too. I hand him the bottle, and he downs the rest of it. “Oh, I needed that,” he says, sighing.
“You need to rest,” I say, looking at the circles under his eyes.
He ignores me, and nods to Reese. “Come on, let’s get going.”