We drive for another day, until we come to the eastern edge of Kansas. We drive through until we hit a thick patch of forest. Reese follows the road for about a mile, and we stop at a locked, metal gate. Reese turns off the car, and I look at him. “Why are we stopping?”
“I think we’ve just found our new home,” he says, pointing to a sign posted on a tree near the gate. “There’s a cabin about a half of a mile up the way. I’m gonna go see if I can’t pick the lock on the gate, and we can just drive right up. If not, we’ll have to carry our supplies.”
“You’re never gonna get that thing unlocked,” Ryder says, looking back at us. “Get ready to walk you guys.”
Reese exits the car, leaving the door open, and heads up to the gate. I can see the giant lock that’s keeping the gate closed, and I wonder if Reese has ever picked a lock before. I hope so, because I don’t think I have the strength to carry supplies all the way up to the cabin. Even though Reese said it was only a half of a mile, I just won’t make it.
It takes Reese almost ten minutes and a lot of swearing, but he finally manages to undo the lock. He swings the gate open, and gives us a triumphant look. “Ha! I knew I could do it,” he says, coming back to the jeep. “You thought I couldn’t do it. What now naysayer?”
Ryder just shakes his head, and Reese starts the jeep again. He drives slowly through the gate, careful not to scratch the jeep, and then follows a thin, winding dirt trail. When we reach the cabin, I’m speechless.
The cabin is two stories, with a wraparound porch, complete with cushioned swing. A large chimney juts out from the top, meaning that there’s a fireplace somewhere in the house, which will be great for the winter when we won’t have a heating system.
Reese looks at me. “Why don’t you take Ryder up to the house and get him comfortable, then you can help us unpack.”
I nod, and let Ryder brace himself on my shoulder. I help him up the steps to the cabin, and I push the door open. The inside of the cabin has wooden floors and walls, with beautiful rugs and brown leather furniture. A couch and a loveseat sit adjacent to a stone fireplace, and bookshelves line the walls on either side. The kitchen is tucked away in the back corner, with almost brand new appliances. It’s a shame they won’t work without power.
A set of stairs starts just behind the loveseat, and I lead Ryder over to it. The stairs contain twelve steps, and I have to help Ryder up each and every one of them. When we reach the top, we look over the wooden railing into the living room below while he catches his breath.
The hallway splits off into three different rooms up here, and all three of them are bedrooms. The first one has two full-sized beds, the second holds a queen-sized bed, and the final is a master bedroom with a king-sized bed and adjoining bathroom.
Ryder grins down at me. “What do you say you and I break in that king-sized bed?”
I elbow him, making sure to hit his good side, and shake my head. “You’re not anywhere near well enough to attempt that yet,” I say, looking away to hide my blush. “Plus, I’d like my first time to be a little more romantic than ‘hey, let’s break in that bed since we’ve got nothing better to do’.”
He looks at me as I push open the master bedroom door. “You’re a virgin?” he asks with a smile. He doesn’t look freaked out or angry, which I take as a good sign.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I decided when I was about thirteen that I was going to wait until I was sure I had the right guy. I didn’t wanna be that girl that had a bunch of men she regrets in her past. Guys that cause problems for her later on in life.”
“Cool,” he says. “I can be your first and only?”
“If you want,” I mumble, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I pat the spot next to me. “Take a seat, and I’ll be back after helping the others unpack. Then we’ll figure out how to divvy up the rooms and space.”
“What’s to divvy up? You and I can share this room, and Reese and Naomi can fight it out over who gets the queen-sized one. Personally, I think it’ll be Naomi. She seems like the kind of girl that always gets what she wants; I certainly wouldn’t wanna pick a fight with her.”
“Scared to fight a girl, Ryder?”
He shakes his head. “I might be a little scared of her.”
“She’s almost half your age.”
“She’s an ex-star athlete, and right now I’m not in the best fighting shape.”
I get to my feet. “Alright, I’m gonna go help them now.”
He catches my wrist and pulls me down for a quick kiss. When he pulls away, he smiles at me again. “You know, I don’t always have to be the one doing the kissing. You can kiss me too, if you want.” He winks, and shoos me out the door before plopping down on the bed.
Shaking my head, I take the stairs two at a time until I get to the living room. Reese tosses a bag of clothes on the couch, and heads back out for more. The jeep is almost empty, but I grab a bag of ammunition, and a bag of clothes.
Naomi grabs the last bag, and Reese takes the two cases of water bottles. I shut the hatch of the jeep, and the three of us head back inside. When Naomi kicks the door closed behind her, I feel safe. This place is not only beautiful, but it’s relatively safe and guarded.
There’s a river behind the back, and the house itself is on a slight hill, giving us an advantage in a fight. Plus, Kansas is a lowly populated state, and I doubt a lot of the population resides in this particular stretch of woods. Few thieves, few zombies, few dangers.
This place is perfect…