Chapter Twenty-One
After lunch, I find Ryder and Reese both sitting on the couch in the living room, and I join them. Naomi is busy cleaning herself in the bathroom with a bucket of cold water, and the guys are both talking quietly. I take a seat on the couch next to Ryder, and he looks at me. “Hey.”
“Now that we’re here, what are we gonna do about protection?” I ask. “Are we gonna try and build a fence around this place? Are we gonna build a sniper’s nest or something?”
“There’s a tree house about a hundred yards downhill from here. There’s a rope ladder that can be pulled up in case of attack, and we can use that to shoot out of.”
“A tree house?”
“It’s pretty basic. It’s got four wooden walls, two of which have small openings for windows, and it’s pretty sturdy. I’d like something better, but it’ll do in case of an emergency.”
“Have either of you explored the area around the cabin yet?
“No, I was gonna wait and see if you or Naomi wanted to come with me. Someone has to stay here with Ryder and keep him company.”
“You mean keep me safe,” Ryder says angrily. “You know, I’m feeling better. I think I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself while the three of you are out exploring. Just leave me my rifle, and I’ll hold down the fort. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“I have an idea,” Naomi says, towel-drying her hair. “Why doesn’t Reese stay here with Ryder, and you and I can go exploring. It’ll give us a chance to talk and get to know one another. You already know Reese and Ryder a lot, but you don’t know me. And to be honest, I’d like to feel a little more comfortable with you guys.”
“And you wanna start by getting to know me first?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, let’s go. We’ll go exploring and we can get supplies too. We’ll need firewood for that fireplace, and we can bring a bucket for berries or something. We might be able to find something good to eat. Right?”
Reese looks uncertain, but I’m not. “Alright, let’s go. You and I should get to know each other better, seeing as we’ll be spending quite a bit of time together from now on.”
Reese sighs. “Just be careful, and don’t wander too far. Try and stay within shouting distance. I don’t wanna have to rescue you, and get there too late like we did for Tobe.”
Hearing her name does exactly what Reese hoped it would: it makes me cautious. Now I know I have to be as careful as possible, because I don’t want to end up like Tobe and Melissa, and I don’t want Ryder or Reese to have to go through the pain of shooting and then burying me. I wouldn’t survive doing that to one of them, and they wouldn’t survive doing it for me.
Is that really how close we’ve become? I’m in love with Ryder, and I’d trust both him and Reese with my life. They’re like family now, and nothing is going to tear that apart.
I lean in and kiss Ryder’s cheek, and he smiles at me. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I run upstairs and grab my gun from my stuff, and stuff two extra magazines in my sweater pocket. Naomi meets me at the door, and I notice she’s carrying a shotgun. I see a bulge in her sweatpants’ pocket that must be extra ammo, and I nod to her. “Ready to go?”
She nods back. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
Naomi and I head out the front door, down the slight hill, and into the trees that surround the cabin on all sides. For a few minutes, neither of says anything, we just walk, keeping our eyes open for anything that moves.
I have my gun in one hand, and a large bucket in the other. Naomi’s convinced we’re going to find berries out here, and we decided to bring it along just in case we do. Naomi watches me swing the empty, white bucket around, and shakes her head. “How did you manage to survive this long?”
I shrug. Her question should offend me, but it doesn’t, because I’m not survivor material, and I understand that. “I was cautious, and I went without. I only took what food I could carry, and I made sure to always take the path with the least zombies and Warriors. But since meeting Ryder and Reese, they’ve done a lot to keep me alive.”
“Like mounting a rescue mission.”
“Yeah.”
“So, how long have you known them?”
“I think it’s been a little over three weeks. Hey, I thought we were supposed to be getting to know each other, not Ryder and Reese.”
“Right. So, what’s your life story?”
“I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. I’m an only child. I have a cousin named Madison that was going to school in New York; we were very close growing up, since we were only a year apart in age. I’m an Aquarius, my favorite colors are orange and green, I’m a sucker for daffodils, and I’ve always been a cat person. What about you?”
“I had two younger brothers; both of them are dead now. My dad left home when I was eight, and my mom died when the infection first started to spread. During school, I was the star of my cross country team, and we won state competitions multiple times. I had a boyfriend, but he’s probably long dead by now. So, everyone I ever knew is dead, and I’m alone.”
“You’re not alone, though. You’re with other survivors. We’ve all lost people we loved and cared about. But we can’t spend the rest of our lives moping around, thinking about the past. All it’ll do is upset us or get us killed. Besides, I’m sure your family wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your lives worrying about them.”
She sighs. “I know.” She climbs over a fallen log, and helps me over it. “But I do miss them so much. I was always really close with my brothers.”
“I loved my parents, but they’re gone, and I’m not. I’ll see them again someday, but for now, I have to focus on surviving, and nothing more. Well, other than having a little bit of fun whenever possible.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “Fun? Are you thinking about Ryder?”
“Maybe,” I say, looking away so she won’t see me blush.
“I noticed that the two of you are going to be sharing that master bedroom. Are you two…?”
“No!” I say just a little too loudly. “I mean, well, not yet.”
“Hmm.” She doesn’t say anything else, even when I ask. Instead, she just ducks under a low-lying branch, and I follow carefully behind her. She holds back a pile of leafy branches, and I get ahead of her. Neither of us says anything, and there’s nothing to listen to except the crunching of dry, fallen leaves.
“Aha! I knew it!” Naomi shouts, making me jump. She laughs at my reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But there are a couple bushes of blackberries over there. Let’s go see if there are any berries left.”
She bends down and examines one of the many bushes. “Hmm, I think somebody planted these here sometime recently, probably just before the infection started.”
“How can you know that?”
She points to some loose branches around the base of each bush. “Someone took the time to cut off dead branches and rotten berries. If they planted these, there might be other things around here.”
“Apples,” I say, looking over her shoulder. “There are trees and trees of apples.” A few yards from the blackberry bushes are over a dozen apple trees. Each one is stall, beautiful, and full of fresh fruit that looks ready to harvest. “We really lucked out with this place.”
Naomi nods. “Yeah, we did. I’m actually glad we left that island, because this place is perfect. I think it’s even more isolated than the island was. We have no neighbors, fresh fruit, and the river for semi-clean drinking water. We can start a garden with those seeds of yours, and we can support ourselves.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say, dropping an apple in the bucket.
Naomi and I start by picking up the freshly dropped apples that litter the ground beneath each tree, and leave the ones still attached for some other time. When we’re done picking up the seventeen apples on the ground, we pick a few handfuls of blackberries and drop them into the top of the bucket. Then Naomi and I each grab part
of the handle, and lift it off the ground.
We’re only about ten minutes from the house, and should have no problems carrying the bucket all the way back. We have to stop and rest twice, but when we finally reach the house, I’m glad to see it, because the bucket is getting a little bit heavy. We’re almost to the steps when Naomi suddenly drops the bucket.
The fruit spills, and I glare at her. “What was that–?”
Zombies are shuffling up the driveway. They’re still a few minutes away, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are over a dozen of them grouped together. “The car. They must have heard the engine and come running,” Naomi says quietly.
“It would have been the only thing making noise for probably miles. There’s no telling how many of them heard. There could be hundreds of them on their way here.”
“And we’ll never reach the jeep in time,” she says, looking at me. “Leave the fruit. We have to warn the guys.”
The two of us ignore the spilled fruit, and we race up the hill to the cabin. “Ryder!” I shout, hoping someone is paying attention. “Ryder!”
Reese sticks his head out the door, spots the zombies, and swears. He ducks back inside, and I can see him rummaging around for the rifle with the scope. He takes a handful of ammo, grabs his stuff, and jumps out the front door. “Reese! Where are you going?” Naomi asks. She’s panicking, and I don’t blame her.
“Our sniper’s nest.”
Ryder grabs his assault rifle, and I gape at him. “Ryder, you’re in no shape to get into a fight right now. Go back upstairs.”
“I don’t think so,” he says, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder. It’s stopped bleeding in the last two days or so, but it still hurts him. He lifts the gun with his left hand, and I’m surprised he can even use it. “I’m ambidextrous with weapons,” he says, shrugging. “I’ll be alright, Sam. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“Don’t,” I say. “I’m going to stay with Naomi. We’ll shoot from the deck. Just…take care of yourself, Ryder,” I say, leaning up to kiss him on the mouth. He looks worried when he pulls away, and I think he wants to tell me to stay inside, but I push past him.
Naomi is readying her shotgun on the front porch, and I see Reese with his gun slung over his shoulder. He’s climbing quickly up the rope ladder, and he pulls it up behind him. A second later, the end of his rifle sticks out the open “window” in the tree house, and he gets positioned.
Naomi and I take our places on the front porch, and she loads her shotgun. I’m worried about our lack of ammo for that particular gun, but I can only hope it won’t be a problem. And to be honest, I can’t afford to worry about her, or anyone, right now. Both Ryder and Reese are skilled and capable of taking care of themselves; if I worry about them, I’ll just get myself killed.
I make sure my gun is loaded, and I’ve got the other two magazines sitting on the railing well within my reach. My hand is trembling so badly I’m not sure if I can aim straight, my heart is beating wildly, and my palms are heavily sweating. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so terrified before.
Not when Frank and his Warriors trapped me on the roof. Not when a boxer almost ate my face off. Not when our island house caught fire. Not even when I thought Ryder was bleeding to death and I was about to be raped. This kind of fear is different than all of that.
Right now, there are only four of us. One of us is injured, one of us I’ve never seen shoot, and I’m terrible with a gun. As the zombies continue walking up the long, winding driveway, I count them. So far, I see over two dozen of them, and there’s no end in sight to the stream of the undead.
The first of the zombies comes within Reese’s line of fire, and he starts to shoot. Each time he pulls the trigger a zombie drops, but this rifle is much slower to work than his other one and the zombies aren’t being thinned out much. When Reese has to stop and reload, Naomi and I start to shoot.
My first shot goes wide, but the second takes down one of the front zombies. Naomi pulls the trigger, and a zombie drops, and doesn’t move again. She’s pretty good with that shotgun, and when she pulls the trigger a second time, another zombie drops.
Ryder hangs partway out of the living room window to my left, and he pulls the trigger. He’s still in pain, but his arm is moving a little better. He’s able to shoot, but it can’t be comfortable for him. I stop watching Ryder and Naomi, and get back to shooting.
I pull the trigger a few more times, and the zombies finally start to thin out. There are quire a few left, and when I have to stop and reload my gun, a couple of them make it up the hill and to the deck of the cabin. The closest one is barely a few yards from me and I step back. When I finally get the gun loaded again, I pull the trigger, and the zombie drops, less than five feet from me.
I don’t have time to freak out though, because there are three more standing on the porch. One breaks away and walks toward Naomi, and she turns and blasts its head off. The effect of the shotgun at such short range is devastating, and the zombie drops, missing half of its face.
Naomi has to stop and reload her shotgun, and a pair of zombies lumbers toward her. I clip one in the back of the head, and he spins away, tumbling down the stairs. The other is on her though, and she screams, before being forced back against the railing. The gun is on the ground by her feet, and her hands are on the zombie’s chest. She’s trying to keep his mouth from her throat, and I take aim.
“Shoot him!”
I’m worried about hitting her instead, but if I don’t shoot, she’s going to die for sure. So I take a deep, steadying breath, and pull the trigger. The bullet hits the top half of his head, and Naomi shoves his unmoving body away from her with a disgusted look on her face.
She wipes zombie blood off her arm, and bends down to pick up her shotgun. She sniffs once, and I think she realized how close she just came to dying. “Thanks,” she says. She finishes loading the shotgun, and takes aim again, almost like nothing happened to her.
With the four of us shooting, the zombies start dropping quickly, and we end up a lot better than I thought we would. When the last of the zombies falls to the ground, I can finally feel my heartbeat starting to slow, and my mind stops racing. Now that the zombies are dead, I run back into the house and throw my arms around Ryder.
He buries his face in my neck and lifts me off my feet. “That went a lot better than I thought it would,” he says. “We had higher ground, Reese in the tree, and two badass babes out on the porch. I’m not sure why I was even worried,” he laughs, but I can tell he’s relieved.
He kisses me, and then lets me go. “Ryder, what are we gonna do with all of those bodies? There are so many of them out there. Should we burn them, or just bury them in a large hole? We can’t just leave them there to rot.”
Reese and Naomi come back inside, and he smiles at us. “Well, that went much better than I thought it would,” he says, almost exactly like Ryder did. “You know something, I think we’re gonna be alright here. This place is easily defendable, and we’re four level-headed people with great instincts and aim.”
I shrug. “Some of us have less aim than others.”
Naomi laughs, looking extremely happy after her near-death experience. The laughter doesn’t last long though, since we still have rotting corpses to dispose of. There are thirty-seven unmoving zombies lying scattered around our new home, and the four of us help each other drag them down to the bottom of the hill the cabin sits on.
Ryder and Reese take turns with a shovel found in the garage, and they dig a massive hole. I want to burn the bodies instead of bury them, but I don’t want to risk the infection maybe becoming airborne, or the burning flesh getting into the river water. So we make sure to bury them far away from the water. It takes us almost two hours to dig the hole and move the bodies and, when we’re done, the four of us are dirty, tired, and sweating profusely.
“Man, it was almost harder to bury them than it was to kill them,” Reese says. After the grave is covered, Rees
e surprises us by driving a piece of wood into the ground. He rips up a red handkerchief, and makes a knot around the wooden stick. “We don’t wanna accidentally grow something here some day and risk infecting ourselves.”
Without another word, the four of us return to the cabin. We take turns washing off in the bathroom and, by the time we’re all clean, it’s almost dark and time for dinner. Naomi and I make one of the sweet and sour pork with rice meals, and we divide up some of the fresh fruit to go with it.
After dinner, Ryder and I head upstairs to get ready for our first night in our new home. He strips off his jeans and shirt, leaving only his boxers, and I feel kind of strange climbing into bed next to him. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer against his chest. Then he kisses the side of my neck and whispers, “Tonight’s the start of the rest of our lives.”
I giggle, and he laughs. “Yeah, it is,” I agree, pulling the sheet up over us.
The End.
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