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TWENTY-ONE

THEO

ASSIGNMENTS we know the fence line isn’t perfect, and won’t keep zombies or people out. But the alarm system? That shouldn’t fail as often as it has these last few weeks. And the shed break-in wasn’t caused by a strong gust of wind. Someone is working against us. I just don’t know who.

Kenji and Jasper are engaged in a conversation next to me as we walk towards the Alden farm. Kenji’s right hand moves as he interprets, but I’m too distracted to focus. My thoughts scattered the moment Jasper mentioned leaving Daisy with Farron at the cottage. My mind is spinning through everything we need to accomplish today. I keep replaying the plan Kenji and I laid out earlier, ticking off tasks in my head, double-checking the details to keep my anxiety at bay.

Despite Farron’s protests that she can handle it, none of us want her to. Her grief is like a living thing, a breathing thing. No matter how much she tries to reassure us, we see right through her. Dark circles shadow her eyes, and nightmares have been plaguing her, causing her to wake up multiple times a night. Kenji and I have been taking turns sleeping with her at night while the other stays with Adrian, who’s become a hollow version of himself. It’s not like him to shut down. I know Kenji feels the same pressure I do—to take on as much as we can, to shield Farron and Adrian from what they can’t carry right now.

We arrive at the Alden barn and walk in. Inside, sunlight streams through gaps in the wooden slats, illuminating motes of dust suspended in the air. I look around, taking in who’s arrived and trying to make sure my pairings will make sense. I let out a breath of relief that so many people showed up today, although I’m not sure why I would have expected anything else—if there’s anything the people here have proved since we arrived, it’s that Rolling Hills is one big family, and they take care of their own. Even through their own grief, people want to step up to keep this a safe place, to help carry some of the burden that always falls on Farron.

Kenji steps away from Jasper, who moves to sit beside Peter and joins me near the front of the group. Kenji shoots me a look, and I give him a simple nod in return. He turns to face everyone, gathering their attention and letting everyone know the assignments. His hand moves out of habit, though he knows I’m not watching. We’ve already discussed the plan enough times that it’s second nature now.

First up is introducing the new emergency signals Farron outlined before Nora’s passing: auditory, visual, and a hand signal. The auditory signal is all Kenji’s idea: the barred owl. “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” Farron tapped the rhythm that you’re meant to hoot on my wrist to explain it. I can’t hear it, but her gesture made me feel included.

The second is a light visual for during the night; three quick bursts of light from a flashlight, lamp, or even just by turning the different farm lights on and off. Finally, she asked me for help with the hand signal. I suggested a simple raised fist to signify trouble or distress, something easy to do and to identify.

I pass out a few sheets of paper where I’ve written these signals down so that everyone has them somewhere, to make it easy for them to share with the others who weren’t able to be here today. Most people offer grateful nods as I pass them the notes, though Trevor glares at me with a clenched jaw. I notice his rake isn’t with him, and I can’t help but wonder when that change happened. When I hand him a sheet, he snatches it out of my hand, his hostility practically radiating. I don’t rise to the bait.

Kenji finishes going over the signals and moves on to assignments. Jasper and Peter are being put on fence duty, taking the West side and finding the weakened areas to fix them up. In a few days we’ll add some barbed wiring and sharpened wooden stakes, but fixing it comes first. Jay and Todd are going to be outside of the perimeter, setting up additional traps and digging ditches in areas that Farron’s already drawn up.

Rick and Bill are being teamed up with Dave, who’s far too young to have to be so serious all the time, to go through the town and figure out what items may need to be picked up on future supply runs, and ensure everyone is aware of the new signals and the new curfew. Their task after today will primarily be to add additional alarms along the perimeter to alert us in case the fence line is breached.

Kenji and I will be repairing and strengthening parts of the fence that are weakened on the East side, and take measurements to build a second fence a bit further out of the first one, with the hope that the double layer will help make it harder for someone to get in. It took a short discussion for Kenji and I to agree that we did not trust Trevor with anyone, should he show up. Unfortunately for us, it looks like he’ll be spending the day with the two of us.

I watch Trevor’s reaction carefully when Kenji announces his post. His hands clench into fists, his neck tight with tension, but he doesn’t say anything.

The meeting wraps up soon after, and everyone begins making their way out of the barn to get going on their tasks. Kenji and I exchange a glance before stepping outside, where the early afternoon sun, which has just started to peek through the clouds, is beginning to warm the frost-bitten ground. Trevor follows behind us, his movements tense and jerky. The taste of his hostility is thick enough to choke on, but neither Kenji nor I acknowledge it outright.

We stop by the Hill barn to grab some materials and tools before the three of us make our way to the East side of the fence line, looking for those weathered areas, the weakened places that make it vulnerable. We need to strengthen those areas, and we need this second layer of defense as soon as possible. We get to work repairing, and I’m glad that I can’t hear Trevor’s voice right now. Based on Kenji’s expression and how often Trevor’s mouth is moving, I know he’s being irritating.

After two hours we finish with the repairs, and climb over to begin measurements. Kenji pulls a measuring tape from his back pocket, extending it with one hand and kneeling near a portion of the fence that’s seen better days. I crouch beside him, keeping my machete strapped across my back, its presence comforting. Trevor, however, lingers a few steps away, arms crossed and his gaze darting around instead of doing any real work.

Kenji taps my arm, catching my attention, a smirk playing on his face. “He’s wound tight. I don’t think he’s happy to be paired with us.”

“That makes three of us,” I respond, rolling my eyes. “I don’t trust him at all, K.”

He nods in response. “An angry person is capable of a lot of things. A dumb angry person is even worse.”

I shift slightly, my boots scuffing against the dirt as I reposition myself to jot down measurements in the notebook tucked into my vest pocket. Kenji straightens, brushing off his jeans before turning toward Trevor, but before he can say anything, something shifts in my peripheral vision.

Zombie.

It’s moving toward Trevor, its milky eyes locked onto him, mouth slack and stained. I don’t think. My body moves on instinct, fingers wrapping around the hilt of my machete as I yank it free in one swift motion. Kenji's sharp twist of his head is the only indication that he sees it, too. Trevor remains oblivious, too busy glaring at us, not even questioning why I reached for my weapon. Dumbass.

I push off the ground, closing the distance between us in an instant. My muscles coil as I raise the machete, bringing it down in a clean, practiced arc. The blade slices through the zombie’s neck, severing it easily. Black blood spurts out, painting over me, the disgusting odor making me gag. The body crumples, head rolling to a stop inches from Trevor’s boot. He stumbles back with a curse, eyes wide, chest heaving. For a second, I think he might actually thank me.

Instead, his face twists with fury.

“What the fuck was that?!” he yells, obvious by his body language. I shift my gaze to Kenji, looking at his hands to interpret whatever idiocy is about to leave Trevor’s lips. “You were too busy talking to notice it? You nearly got me killed because you two can’t focus for five goddamn minutes!”

I tighten my grip on the machete, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Trevor opens his mouth, hands raised, clearly not done yet. But Kenji steps forward, his nostrils flaring. “You’re lucky Theo was nice enough to rush and save your life. It’s not the first time one of us has had to, is it Trevor? Next time, pay attention before someone ends up dead because of your bullshit.”

I glance down at the corpse, its mouth still twisted in its last attempt to bite. “Could’ve been worse,” I sign to Kenji. “Could’ve let it get him. Maybe I should have.”

Kenji snorts, shaking his head before slapping a hand on my shoulder. “Come on,” he says out loud, hands moving along for me. “We’ve got work to do.”

Trevor huffs but doesn’t argue. I sheath my machete, wipe my bloody hands on my jeans, and step over the body, leaving Trevor to glare at us in silence. We’re not here to fight. We’re here to build a stronger fence. To keep everyone safe. Even him.

My body aches, and every muscle is tight and sore from the day's work. My hands are raw with fresh blisters, caked in dried blood—both mine and the zombies. A dull, persistent throb pulses behind my eyes, and I have half a mind to throttle the smug expression off Trevor’s face. But I suspect that’s just how he always looks. I’d rather be at home, curled up in bed with my girl. I wonder if Daisy’s still with her or if Jasper and Peter have picked her up by now.

As we walk past the Hill home to drop Trevor back at the Davis farm, I see a flash of curly black hair. My heart skips, and there she is—my Star, headed straight for us. Kenji’s eyes flick between Farron and Trevor, and he barks something at him, pulling his attention away from Farron. Trevor says something in response, and I see Kenji roll his eyes. The two of them turn, heading toward the Hill home’s porch, leaving Farron and me a moment of privacy.

I turn my gaze back to Farron, who’s almost right in front of me now, a small, tired smile on her face. “Hey Star,” I sign, my hand brushing a stray curl out of her face. Her lips curve into a gentle smile before she steps onto her toes, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips. When she pulls back, I reach into my back pocket, pulling out a notepad and handing it to her. Though her ASL is improving, I know it’s easier for her to write things out sometimes, especially with how overwhelmed and tired she’s been.

“How are you?” I sign, my brows pinched together in concern.

She shakes her head, her focus dropping to the notepad as she writes. “Sometimes it feels like I’m suffocating. I miss her so much. It’s so dark in here…” she touches her temple when I’m done reading, indicating what she means.

I give her a moment before I pull the pen from her hand and begin writing. “I know how it feels to lose the ones you love,” My gaze drifts to the horizon, my thoughts on my birth mom, on Momma Suzie. “Grief is never simple. It’s messy and unpredictable. And you have experienced so much in such a short amount of time. But one day, the light will start to seep in. Not completely, but enough to see shadows instead of darkness.”

A single tear spills down her cheek as she reads my note, and I watch as her teeth press into the flesh of her bottom lip, tearing at the skin. She’s thinking of what she’s going to respond, clear in the way the pen hesitates over the tip of the paper. After a long pause, she scribbles on it and passes it back to me.

“What were you guys doing with Trevor? And why is there zombie blood on you?” Okay, so we’re not going to talk about it. That’s fine. I won’t push her into talking when she’s not ready, and if I were honest, I’d rather she talks to Adrian. I think they both need it.

Instead of telling her that, I answer her question, although I hold back my venom on Trevor. I don’t think that would do anything but stress her out, and that’s the last thing she needs. “We were repairing the fence line towards the East and taking our first round of measurements for that second fence you mentioned a few days ago. Zombie wandered too close to Trevor while we were out there, and I stepped in.”

Her lips tighten into a frown, and she writes quickly, concern etched on her face. “You guys are already starting to work on the second fence?”

I nod, grabbing the note back to expand, twisting it to face her when I’m finished. “We wanted to get a head start and take care of some things so that you wouldn’t have to. I told Kenji the things we should start implementing. We’ve had a bunch of the guys working throughout Rolling Hills today. And we let everyone know about your emergency signals—so we’re good to start using them.”

She stares at me, her eyes wide, like I’ve just thrown her a surprise she wasn’t expecting. I hope she doesn’t think I overstepped. Her gaze remains on me, confused, and she signs just one word. “Why?”

My answer is quick, the words scribbled onto the notepad in no time. Maybe I should hesitate to tell her this, but life is too short and fleeting to hold back how I feel about this woman. I take the leap, choosing vulnerability. “Because I love you, Star. We’re going to make sure you don’t have to do it on your own.”

Her fingers reach out and trace over the word ‘love’ on the paper. Suddenly, she’s leaning into me, both of her hands on either side of my face, pulling me towards her. Right against my own, I feel her lips form the words “I love you, too,” before she kisses me. It’s passionate and heady, like the smoothest whiskey I could ever imagine.

When she finally pulls back, I bring one of my hands up with my thumb, pointer, and pinky finger up, the other two fingers down. I shake my hand a little, and I can see in her eyes that she knows exactly what sign he’s showing me right now. I stop and reach down, grabbing the pen and notepad that I dropped on the ground when she pulled me into her. “I love you so much. I’ve been in love with you for so long now. I think I’ve been waiting for you.”

Her smile could light up the entire world, and she repeats my movements, signing back to me and telling me she loves me, too. After another soft kiss, she takes my hand and pulls me toward the main house. She speaks to Kenji, who presses a kiss to her temple before she heads toward the back of the house.

Kenji raises an eyebrow at me, a smirk tugging at his lips, and my face burns under the heat of his gaze. Trevor’s eyes are dark, filled with anger, fists clenched as he glares at me, but I don’t let it faze me. Instead, I focus on Farron as she walks ahead, the world feeling a little less heavy now.

I turn and walk down the porch steps, making sure the others are following so we can drop Trevor off and be done with babysitting. If I feel Trevor’s glare burning into my back the whole way home, I pretend I don’t. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to ruin the high I’m feeling right now.