Page 5

A pretty woman tried to give him a blow job, and he’s never felt worse. Not that Cole gets regular offers for that sort of thing. He doesn’t. He’s always kept people away, and that’s how he prefers it. Letting anyone close enough to see him was never an option.

This, though…is a whole new level of horrifying because she only offered out of assumed obligation.

As if he’s a waste of space asshole that would require sexual favors from anyone, let alone someone who just birthed a baby in an apocalypse.

She caught him off guard, nearly causing him to fall into the bathtub during his escape attempt, but he shouldn’t be surprised.

He’s not blind to the realities of this new world and she isn’t wrong to try to give what so many would take by force.

It was smart on her part. Keep him happy and secure herself and her baby’s protection. Logically, he knows it was a calculated choice that likely had very little to do with anything he’s said or done.

Emotionally, he is offended, upset, and on edge.

None of it changes the fact that if something happens to them, he won’t be able to live with himself. Said she shouldn’t expect any heroics, and he meant it, but the truth is they’re his responsibility now whether he asked for that or not.

Olivia is strong enough to fend off one of the dead while having a baby and he can’t imagine how difficult that was, but she’s vulnerable and so is Lucy.

They wouldn’t fare well alone while the city deteriorates by the minute.

They need him, and that’s some scary shit.

No one’s ever needed him for anything. The possibility of failing weighs heavy before the journey’s even begun.

It better begin soon, though. If not, they’ll be trapped while everything crumbles around them.

He hasn’t missed how miserable Olivia is or how many of those Advil she’s asked for.

Lucy had no problem waking up her momma every few hours all night, and he still feels like a jerk suggesting they head out when she needs rest.

Starts to rethink if another few nights holed up here could be an acceptable sacrifice.

Should the worst happen and they get caught in a bad situation, she’ll need to be steady on her feet if he expects her to run for her life with a child in her arms. He doesn’t dare suggest that he carry Lucy.

That’s like getting between a momma bear and her cub.

She doesn’t trust him yet. It’s no secret now that her ex was a piece of shit and she probably expects the same from him.

She’s not far off base. He’s just a different type of trash.

He waits while she’s in the bathroom, changing into the clothes he found her. She zeroed right in on that deep purple top, stroking the fabric as if it were silk.

When she emerges again with the baby on her shoulder, in a pair of cargo pants and that purple top hanging off her in all the right ways, his first thought is that she’s got a lot of pretty freckles clustering across her skin like stardust.

“Looks real nice.” He watches her eye him with suspicion .

“Are you screwing with me?”

“What? No…” Shit, he can’t even give a simple compliment without fucking up his tone.

He doesn’t get a reply, but her face wrinkles like she’s confused as she grabs one of those sweater things women like to wear over other tops.

A cardigan, hoodie, whatever. His innocent comment could be mistaken for a flirt under the worst circumstances.

He tries to shift attention away from the lingering awkwardness to something practical. “Tell me about that safe zone.”

“Supposed to be a mile east from here, set up by the army. Heard it on the radio before that went dark, too.”

“Could be overrun.”

She nods. “It could be.”

“Or maybe it’s not.”

“You’re thinking we should check it out?”

What he’s thinking is that he should check it out and then come back and get her if it’s safe, but she’ll assume he’s leaving for good. “We could swing by on our way out of the city. See what’s up. You know the route?”

“Yes, I remember how to get there.”

“Okay then, you good with this? Not saying we’re rushing right in. Don’t trust the government far as I can kick ‘em, but on the off chance it’s safe we should give it a shot.”

She pauses, surprise raising her brows. “Am I okay with it?”

“Yeah?”

She opens her mouth to reply, but her nose scrunches instead and a gag reflex kicks in.

“Oh my god,” she whispers in horror

Instantly, he’s worried something happened. Doesn’t matter that he’s been staring right at them this whole time, there’s a problem that needs fixing. He rushes over before he can stop himself, getting a whiff of the worst smell known to man for his efforts. “Holy shit.”

“I know!” She sniffs at the baby before laying a fussing Lucy on the bed and unwrapping the bunched-up diaper twice the size of her body.

Cole’s gonna pass out right here in this awful apartment. Fall flat on his face and call it a day. He’s never encountered such a dreadful smell, and he’s accustomed to repulsive things. His eyes water while Olivia fairs even worse, closer to the source.

His frantic attempt to wave the scent away only spreads and amplifies it.

“I’ve heard the first ones are bad, but I didn’t know it was this bad.” She flails for a place to put the dirty diaper, holding it away from her as if it’s a bomb.

“Hold on. Wait. Just wait a minute.” He runs for the kitchen, snatching a trash bag from under the sink and holding it open for her to toss the grenade into before tying it in several knots and pitching it straight off the balcony.

The only person in the room who looks pleased is Lucy. Her little face is rosy and her fists open and close in the air.

“Is she smiling?” he asks. This kid might be having her first grin and he watches her expression change, mesmerized.

Not that he cares. He doesn’t.

Not his kid. Not his wife. Not his family. Who gives a crap if she smiles or not? Except that it’s sort of cute, until he realizes the word cute formed in his brain, and he scowls.

“I think it’s just gas. It’ll be easier when we’re not in such a small space.” She promises, her amusement fading at his expression. “Then we can stay further away and the scent won’t travel as much. I know it’s awful.”

She’s been placating him since they met, like he’ll change his mind and leave them at any minor inconvenience. Must think he hasn’t noticed, but it’s not hard to miss when someone’s trying to manage him.

“Nothing to get worried about. Gotta figure out what to do about those, though.”

He examines a diaper, then goes to the kitchen for scissors and the bathroom for a head ribbon he noticed near the sink. Cuts the diaper in half and hands it over to Olivia along with the headband.

“Maybe tie that around her waist to hold it still?” He suggests.

“Did you just MacGyver a diaper?”

“If it works, then yeah.”

He missed his calling in life. Shoulda set up shop as a diaper crafter.

It fits just fine. Snug enough to hold all the toxic waste inside and he has to curb the urge to offer Olivia a high five for solving this problem.

He’s in his element so long as he’s got a task to focus on.

Something to fix. It’s having to interact with them on a regular level that leaves him lacking.

“I’m good at checking out the safe zone,” she says, finally.

“Thing is, we’ll have a hard time driving there. Could hot-wire a car, but the roads are all a mess. Should wait until tomorrow, at the very least. Give us some time to rest first before we start hoofing it.”

“Cole, I made it here, didn’t I? If it’s not safe to stay, then we shouldn’t wait.”

“Didn’t say you couldn’t do it. I know you can.”

“Then we should go. I’ll be a lot more comfortable with doctors and supplies anyway once we get there.”

Still, he hesitates. Doesn’t want to put her in a situation that might end in tragedy because he’s impatient to leave the city. It’s easy to see she’s trying hard not to be a burden or a hassle, but it’s not his job to doubt her, either. If she says she’s fine, then she’s fine.

The choice is made for them when a voice wafts in from down the hall. Suddenly, the only reasonable option is to get the fuck out of here.

He brushes a finger to his lips in the universal sign for don’t say a word when Olivia sends him a wide-eyed stare.

Quickly, they gather up what supplies they can carry in his pack and he leads them to a fire escape from a back room.

Can’t go out the front when he can already hear their visitors rummaging through the neighbor’s shared wall.

The ladder clinks against the ground when he lowers it despite his best efforts at keeping silent, but they haven’t attracted attention yet.

The process of getting down is another battle.

She’s only got two arms and one of those holds Lucy, still swaddled tight in his spare shirt.

He notices Olivia’s panic as she realizes she may not be able to climb down and hold her baby at the same time.

The odds aren’t in her favor when she’s not at one hundred percent.

“Give her to me. I got this,” he offers. If there’s one thing his biceps can be good for, it’s working his way down a fire escape with one arm.

“You’re sure? One-handed?”

“I’m sure. We’ll go first and wait at the bottom.”

She hesitates, not wanting to hand over her child until the front door begins to crack and splinter, then she shoves Lucy his way at light speed. The child can’t weigh more than five pounds. Easy to clutch against his chest propped near his shoulder while he works his way down the ladder .

Olivia quickly follows, her feet hitting the ground while a head peeks over the window’s edge and a man yells for them to stop.