Page 14

The next day was more of the same, marching for what seemed like endless hours. Renee worried they would encounter what the horde viewed as food, but thankfully it was a long boring day. She couldn’t wait to get inside because it had started to drizzle, and she didn’t want to march in the rain.

Renee huddled against the decaying wooden wall. She was grateful she was under a roof because it was raining, but this tiny shed was even more decrepit than the last one she and the king had been in overnight. Brie led Renee to the entry door and nudged her inside. To Renee’s surprise the king wasn’t already waiting like he usually was.

She shifted on the sleeping bag and unzipped it, planning to slip inside to escape the chill in the air. Renee considered peeling off her top shirt because it was dusty and worn but currently had no other clothing and removing it would only make her colder.

Renee wiggled into the worn, but in decent condition, sleeping bag, and yawned. She wanted to sleep but couldn’t turn off the awful echo of noises in her mind that she had experienced as the horde ransacked the small town they had traveled through. When the zombies first arrived and she saw a local bookstore, she made a beeline to it hoping to find new books.

She flattened her lips, reliving the memory. That was until Brie yanked her back and told Renee she couldn’t go. Seconds later the screaming started and her intentions faded as she ripped herself away from Brie to run and cower as far from the horde as she could. By the time she had her wits about her Brie was dragging her up and out of the town.

Once again, frustrated with herself, Renee pulled the bag up, wanting to cover her head - at least she could still hide from the world that way. But moments later the door creaked open, and the king entered. Renee turned her face away. The door closed softly and his heavy steps moved across the loose boards. She pinched her brows but refused to look at him but it sounded like he was coming toward her.

“Renee.”

Goosebumps covered her skin just from the sound of his voice. Damn it, why did her body react like that when he spoke to her? She felt like her body was betraying her. She took a breath before she replied, not wanting him to know how he affected her.

“What?” She asked but stared at the rotting wall.

“Sit up.”

Renee fought the urge to debate with him or refuse his request. She was supposed to be gaining his trust. She unclenched her jaw and slid the sleeping bag down, sat up, and faced him.

He had crouched beside her, his amber eyes held a dim glow and he smelled fresh again, like he’d recently bathed. She zeroed in on his hair and it still appeared damp but she was unsure if that was from the rain or a wash.

“You don’t sleep well, most of the time.” He stated as fact.

She frowned at his words. Of course she didn’t. She was surrounded by a vicious horde of zombies with an asshole king that claimed he owned her. Playing it safe, she chose vague words. “Most humans don’t.”

“They shouldn’t, but they are inconsequential.” He paused and flicked his eyes toward the door and took a quick breath before turning his attention back to her. “But you need to get more sleep.”

“I do?” Renee scrunched up at his words because she didn’t understand why it would make any difference to him, she was his captive.

“Yes.” He swallowed and cleared his throat. “I have something for you.”

Renee’s eyebrows shot up. Had something for her? What did that mean? The king reached down and picked up something wrapped in a dirty cloth. She focused on his deathly pale hands and fingers as they unwrapped the rectangular object. He hadn’t even finished uncovering it and she knew exactly what it was.

Her heart raced in her chest and an urge to hug him almost overcame her. Once it was uncovered, she saw the title and squealed in delight causing him to recoil a bit. Her palm slapped over her mouth as heat rose in her cheeks.

The king held the book in front of her to take. Her fingers trembled as she touched it. Part of her wasn’t quite sure if any of this was real or if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming. The king gifted her a book. And not just any book. It was the second installment in one of her favorite series. She hadn’t seen a copy since before the world had been dominated by zombies.

She tugged it from him and shrunk back. He raised eyebrows and stood. Renee was pretty sure she needed to say something but wasn’t quite certain what she wanted to say. In a typical scenario she would have thanked someone profusely but considering the situation it didn’t seem appropriate. Of course, she was also trying to befriend him, and friends were typically nice to one another.

The king backed away and sat across from her, staring at her. She wondered if he was waiting for kind words.

“Where did you find it?” she asked instead.

“The bookstore we passed.”

“I wanted...” her words died away. She bit her lip debating on whether she should ask him how he knew she wanted to go to the book shop. Brie.

Renee realized that it had to have been Brie that said something because how else would he have known? Of course she hadn’t told Brie the name of her favorite series, just a few of the titles. At the time, it didn’t seem like Brie had committed them to memory but even if she had, why would she have told the king? More than that, why would he bother to have his zombies search for a book? Renee shook her head. That didn’t add up.

“You wanted what?” the king prompted.

“I wanted to gather supplies in the town but Brie wouldn’t let me.” That was also a true statement.

“We weren’t meant to stop there but the horde hungers and there were humans,” the king said with a shrug.

Renee closed her eyes and tried not to think about his statement too much. “Will we have to march in the rain?”

“Why would the rain make a difference?”

Her eyes snapped open. “Because not all of us are undead! I can get sick if I’m out in the cold rain all day.”

The silence stretched out in the tiny space as he continued to stare at her. He titled his head up and viewed the roof, fixing his eyes on one of the corners near the front of the building, there was a small hole that dripped with water.

“I hadn’t considered that.” He finally said.

“Figures.” Renee grumbled and scooted down into the sleeping bag, book in hand. She wasn’t going to tell him but she was sleeping with it like someone would a stuffed animal because for her it brought the same kind of comfort.

“I’ll have the scouts find somewhere to stay if needed, but we can’t remain here. I doubt this roof will hold up.” He said, still looking at the steady drip from the rain.

Renee almost sat back up. Had he just agreed to not make her march in the rain all day? Because she told him she would get sick? A twisted desire to pacify him, make him happy because he had shown concern for her lack of sleep, gifted her something she valued and also wanted to shield her from the elements, made the words tumble from her mouth before she could stop them.

“If you can somehow get me a raincoat or umbrella - maybe both, I’ll be okay.”

The king turned his face toward her again. In the dim light she barely noticed his sickly pale skin tone and how dark the circles under his eyes were. Her mind was trying to trick her into thinking he was alive when she knew he wasn’t.

“So, if I find these items, the horde can continue?”

Renee pressed her lips together to keep herself from saying something even dumber, instead she nodded.

The king perched forward. “On one condition. You sleep soundly tonight.”

“You just want me to sleep?” Renee couldn’t figure out why her resting was so important to him, especially considering his horde was outside in the rain and wind.

The king got up and strode over to her side. Renee forced herself not to move, not to flinch as he drew near. He once again crouched down and reached for her cheek. She clenched her jaw. His eyes roved over her face and his expression softened.

“Sleep. Now.” He commanded.

Renee sensed her entire body relax. Her eyelids grew heavy and slipped closed. It was unnatural how quickly exhaustion took her. The last thing she felt were the king’s fingers brushing her hair back.