Page 6 of Making Haven (Haven #1)

Lawrence

Stepping inside, I do my best to steel myself. There’s a reason I haven’t gone through these houses before now. The idea of going through my neighbors’ stuff was too much for me to handle. My chest aches as I look around, taking it all in.

It’s like no time has passed at all. Everything is exactly how they left it when they went to stay with family.

As I walk through the entrance hallway and head into the living room, I can’t help but glance up at the pictures left behind on the wall. Would they be upset that I’m here? Would they hate the fact that I’m getting ready to let someone else stay here?

I guess it doesn’t really matter.

I clear my throat, doing my best to seem unaffected despite knowing it’s not working at all. “I’ll make sure to clear out all the pictures and stuff. I don’t want it feeling any more haunted than it already does.”

“It’s fine,” Devin says, his voice stiff. He limps past me, the sound of his walking stick loud against the hardwood flooring. “If it’s easier for you, I can take care of putting the pictures away and you can do the heavy lifting.”

The offer is incredibly kind, completely at odds with how Devin has held himself so far.

I knew there had to be more to this guy then sarcasm and barbed words, but to actually hear it is another thing entirely.

I do my best not to let my surprise show, instead following slowly behind him into the living area.

I give him a grateful smile when he looks my way. “I would really appreciate that.”

“No worries. I can’t imagine having to go through stuff when I actually knew the people.” He bites his bottom lip, looking around. “When I break into houses, I like to look at the pictures. I like to make up stories about what their lives were before all this happened.”

I cross my arms, sitting down on the arm of the couch. I ignore the little voice in the back of my head telling me how Elanora would have hated me doing this. “What about these people,” I say softly, “what would you imagine for them?”

“It’s not weird? If I say?”

“Not at all. I want to hear.”

Devin steps over to the mantle, looking through all the pictures carefully.

“This might be mean but this woman is so obviously a Karen,” he says with a snort.

“I bet she complains every single time she goes out to dinner about the quality of the meal in order to get it for free. Her husband just ducks and lets it happen because he’s a total pushover for her.

Thankfully, her kids realized this super fast and are all incredibly lovely and often over tip because of her.

The grandkids all love coming here because they’re spoiled rotten. ”

I tilt my head slightly, unable to keep myself from smiling. “You’re good at this.”

“Am I?”

I nod. “You got her down to a T. She would hate the idea of us walking through the house with our shoes on,” I say with an amused noise.

“She’s not the only one,” he says, shaking his head. “No wonder you fit into this stuffy neighborhood so well.”

Just when I thought he was going to start being kind.

I really should have known better. Every time the two of us find some common ground, Devin somehow pushes me away with some asshole comment.

It’s so frustrating. I haven’t done a damn thing to deserve such hostility. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You had a nice cushy life here before the world went to shit. Too bad you couldn’t buy your way into survival.”

I should rise to the bait but holy shit, if he’s really ready to pick a fight apparently I’m ready to stand up to him. He’s not the only one who can put up walls and be a dick.

“What makes you think I can’t? Why do you think I have a garden and chickens? The living will trade anything for what I’ve got.”

Devin’s lip curls as he gives me a disgusted look. If I had a heart, it would be beating overtime. I hate that he’s given me that look. I hate the way he’s judging me without even knowing me. “Anything? Yeah, there’s the catch. I fucking knew it.”

“You don’t know a damn thing, Devin. You just keep making assumptions about me based on your past and every fucking time you’ve been wrong.”

There’s a long pause before Devin finally looks away, shaking his head. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see about that.” He quickly adds, “not that it matters anyway. I’ll be out of here soon enough.”

Instead of answering, I just huff and make my way further into the house.

There’s a storage closet in the kitchen that I duck into, finding some basic cleaning supplies.

This place is clean but for a layer of dust but this will keep my hands busy as Devin works on putting all the pictures into a box.

The only time I’ve come into these houses is to pull out all the perishable things from the fridge so the place wouldn’t smell like rot.

Everything else has remained untouched. I wonder if Devin will be able to fit into some of these clothes left behind.

Hopefully at the very least, he’ll be able to feel safe as he heals and get enough supplies to continue surviving when he leaves.

Jesus, I shouldn’t even care but even despite his prickly words and asshole nature, I want him to have a safe space to heal in.

When I go back into the living area, my emotions are more settled. If I look at Devin like a feral cat, I can almost understand him. He’s so sure that everyone he meets is trying to cage him or hurt him. I’ve gotta approach him with caution so as not to spook him.

I don’t know why I’m even bothering. If I was smart, I would just grit my teeth and get through the next few weeks with as little interaction with this man as possible. It’s clear he doesn’t like me and I’m not sure anything I do is going to change that. So why even try?

Oh right. He’s the only person I’ve spoken with in months and so far he hasn’t tried to kill me. And I’m lonely. So fucking lonely. Even Devin’s barbed words are better than nothing.

I really shouldn’t be getting my hopes up, but part of me wonders if I could win him over. Just maybe he’ll want to stay longer? Just maybe the idea of having a real neighbor fills me with such hope that it threatens to choke me.

Fucking hell, how did I get myself into this?

“Hey,” I say softly, announcing my presence, “I found some cleaning supplies. Thankfully, this place doesn’t have much to fix up. The fireplace should be good to use as well.”

“That’s good. I’m almost done with these. Gonna go find the rest real quick and then come back.”

I hum, letting him know I heard him. I find my eyes lingering on his back as he goes, watching the way his shoulders flex as he walks, leaning on his crutch.

I quickly snap myself out of staring before I’m caught.

I’m sure Devin would never let me live it down if he caught me staring at his ass.

He’d assume I’m drooling over the thought of having him as a snack.

Wanting to make myself useful and give Devin some space as he looks around, I decide to get something for Devin to burn in the fireplace.

Heading outside, I quickly grab a stack of wood, bringing it inside and setting it beside the fireplace.

Everything outside is calm and quiet but for the sounds of zombies moving.

They’re a good distance away and I have no doubt they’ll be in the killing locations tomorrow night when I head out to purge them.

As much as I hate them, their mindless movement is almost peaceful after a while. Like the sound of static in the background.

Back inside, I duck my head into the fireplace, making sure it’s all cleaned out and that there’s nothing stuck up in it. I’ve heard of birds making nests in chimneys or bats finding a place to hide inside. I’d rather not harm anything if I can help it.

As I get my head thoroughly ducked into the fireplace, the hair on the back of my neck rises. I’m suddenly on guard, preparing for anything. And by anything, I don’t mean something falling on my head.

“What the fuck?”

I scramble back as quickly as I can, tossing the thing away from my head.

As I’m moving back, I trip over the cleaning supplies and I go sprawling onto the ground on my ass.

All of the cleaning supplies scatter across the room, the sound of it loud in the otherwise still house.

The thing that was living in the fireplace hisses at me before running away towards the back of the house.

A black cat. How the fuck was a black cat living in here without me realizing?

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I hiss out, trying to get my nerves to calm down.

Devin comes hobbling into the room, his eyes wide. His walking cane is in his hands, prepared to wield it like that pretty sword he keeps on himself. “Are you okay? What was that? A zombie breaking through?”

I shake my head. “No, no. I’m okay.”

“Then what the fuck was that?”

I nod towards the cat, watching as the damned thing sits in the doorway, watching me with wide, yellow eyes. “That guy right there was sitting in the fireplace! Scared the shit out of me!”

Devin looks at me and then the cat and then back towards me. “That’s what all the noise was about? A cat? I thought you were a goner and I’d have to fight off a zombie all on my own. Fuck, dude,” he says, touching the center of his chest like he’s willing his heart to stop racing.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he looks relieved.

But that can’t be right. Could it?

Devin steps closer to the cat, carefully squatting down so he doesn’t hurt his ankle. “Hey there, sweetheart,” he says softly, cooing in the cat’s direction. The cat blinks, watching. “You’re a survivor, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Come here, I promise I won’t hurt you.”

The cat comes closer, sniffing at Devin’s fingers. Just as I think he’s somehow won this cat’s trust, the cat’s ears twitch. The thing is bounding towards the fireplace once more, leaping up and climbing up the walls. There’s a bit of commotion before it’s climbing back down, a prize in its mouth.

“So that’s what you were doing up there,” I say softly, watching as the cat saunters through the living room, leaping up onto the coffee table and beginning to eat the prize it’s just found. As it eats the bat, I look over at Devin.

“Maybe not a domestic cat then,” he says, wincing as he watches. “Doesn’t seem to have the virus or rabies so we can share the place.”

“Did you want to move into one of the rooms here?”

Devin shakes his head. “Would you mind pulling a bed into this room for me? I’d like to sleep near the fire.”

“Yeah, of course. One second.”

Thankful for my vampire strength, I quickly move one of the beds into the living room, letting Devin direct me as he sees fit. After the bed is where he’d like it, I quickly build a fire and start it up for him.

I bring him his bag and anything else I think he might want from my place.

Once he’s all settled, I stand near the door, shifting from foot to foot.

I haven’t felt this off-center since I first became a vampire.

Am I even welcome here? Should I just go back to my place? Should I leave him on his own?

Why does being around this man make me feel so fucking awkward yet I can’t find it in myself to leave him alone?

“You can trust me on my own,” Devin says, his voice hard. “I’m not gonna fuck up your friend’s house or anything.”

“That’s not… I didn’t think you would.”

“Then why are you hovering like that?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I just didn’t know if you needed anything else? I’ll just head back over to my place. You know where to find me.”

Devin snorts. “Yeah, I’ll do my best not to get lost.”

As I leave, the cat meows. “Aww, are you sad our neighbor is leaving? Don’t worry, I’m here to keep you company. I’m much better company anyway, beautiful. I don’t have fangs or the desire to eat you.”

Why is he such an asshole? And what’s wrong with me that I’m starting to find it endearing?