Page 33

CHAPTER 32

Noah

O ver the next week, we both fall into some sort of routine. He is always the first to wake up and check the property. I wasn’t used to waking up at six in the morning anymore, not that I missed it. I sort of have enjoyed not going to class anymore. Not that I like having zombies try to kill me every second. It’s been nice not being sucked in by social media, going to class, or having to deal with my father texting me that he wants me to change my major.

It’s been oddly relaxing. The only thing that I found myself missing was my friends. The consistent reminder that I should be heading to Florida. I told them it was safe; it’s the only place that the zombies wouldn’t be able to reach. But the idea of leaving Reed behind in this cabin brings a different kind of sadness. I can’t imagine not seeing him every day. Not being able to see his brows furrow as I spit out random facts. Or when I ask him a question that comes from left field.

I want to ask him if he’ll come along. We don’t have to stay; just go there and find my friends. If they made it. I refuse to even let that thought stay in my head. They had to have made it. I wouldn't think of anything else. I wouldn’t think of Rue being out there on her own because she doesn’t trust anyone. And I wouldn’t think of Mallory being hurt because she’s too trusting.

All thoughts leave my mind when the door to the bedroom creaks open. A dim glow of light shines through before Reed enters.

“You’re awake,” he mutters, surprised. When he got up this morning, I tried to go back to sleep, but my mind wouldn’t shut off.

“Yeah, I, uh, couldn't go back to sleep.”

And now I definitely can’t go back to sleep. Not after seeing him. Somehow the thick flannel does things to me. The entire time I’ve known him he’s always in black jeans and a black long sleeve. But this is different; the worn light blue jeans and the flannel remind me of a mountain man.

“Come along with me.” Reed crosses the room to his dresser and begins pulling out another flannel.

“Wait, what?” I sit up, clenching the blanket to my chest.

“If you can’t sleep, come with me to check around the property. It’ll probably be good anyways,” he says, tossing a flannel and socks towards me. They land in my lap, sitting there begging to be put on. But the idea of wandering around outside doesn’t settle well with me.

“I… are you sure I can’t do something here?” I nearly squeak. Reed can handle himself out there, better than me at least.

Reed crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the dresser. A sudden warmth spreads through my chest, my heart aching, but in the most beautiful kind of way. How did I get so lucky? How did Reed, this infuriating person, become mine?

“Are we dating?” I blurt out. The realization that Reed has confessed a few loveable remarks about me but we never declared if we were an item. I’m not even sure if he would want to date me. It’s not like we can go to the movies or even go on a physical date. But I like the idea of Reed being my boyfriend. What I don’t like is the way his brows furrow just slightly, his lips part like he’s going to say something, but he doesn’t. I can see the gears turning in his head, the weight of his thoughts settling in his eyes right before mine. My heart speeds up faster, anticipation curling around my stomach. The air between us grows heavy with his unspoken words.

I open my mouth to beg him to forget I even asked when he pushes off from the dresser. Every footstep feels like an eternity before he’s leaning over, his face inches from mine.

“Do you want to date?” He asks.

I shrug, pulling the blanket further up my body until it’s against my neck. I’m not sure how to answer him. It feels foolish to even think about having a boyfriend. The world is ending. We have bigger fish to fry.

“I’ve never had one before.” I’m not sure why I told him that.

“Me neither.”

“It seems… the world is basically ending; it feels weird to be thinking about dating.”

“And yet here we are,” he mutters.

I swallow, wondering how we even got here talking about this. I should’ve pretended I was asleep so he would have just let me be. I don’t like the idea of going outside, not while my shoulder still hurts.

“I thought I was clear when I confessed a few things before. You’re mine. I don’t care if the world is ending or if some long-lost girlfriend of yours suddenly appears. I’ll kill anyone who tries to get in the way.” I don’t have time to process his words as his lips suddenly land on mine. His tongue demands entrance, and I’m too weak to stop him. Reed kisses like his life depended on it. Like there's no end to us. But he ends it all too soon, leaving me chasing his mouth.

“Get dressed and meet me on the back porch.” With that, Reed walks off, leaving me sitting in bed wondering how I got sucked into this.

* * *

We’ve been walking for hours, so my legs feel like jelly by the time we reach the end of the property line. After not walking for long distances, my body must have forgotten what it was like.

“Let’s take a walk, they said, it’ll be fun, they said. Bullshit. Absolute freaking bullshit.” I mutter under my breath. It was cold enough that little white puffs of air appeared every time I took a breath. “I thought Georgia was supposed to be warm.” I say it a little louder, purposely trying to get Reed's attention.

But he ignores me like he’s been doing almost the entire walk. The silence feels heavy; only the occasional rustling of the tree branches and the crunching of leaves beneath our shoes.

Reed slows down to a stop, causing me to nearly run into his back.

“Wh–” He shuts me up with a glare. Rolling my eyes, I hold my breath. The man confesses some deep emotions to me and then acts like I’m a nuisance. It’s rather rude, and I’m moments from laying into him when from the corner of my eye I catch something moving.

It only takes me a few seconds before I realize it’s a zombie. I feel my chest tighten as anxiety starts to take over. I thought I was over this, but apparently feeling safe for a few days makes me forget that I can handle a few of them. Let alone one.

“Keep your eye on it; I’m going to check the trap,” Reed orders.

“I don’t think…” My words trail off as he ignores me and does it anyways.

I swear the moment we get back to that stupid cabin, I’m going to tie him down and force him to have words with me.

My eyes bounce back and forth, watching Reed check the traps while the zombie inches closer. The mallet weighs heavily in my hand, and my knuckles turn white from my iron grip.

I practiced a few swings, my left shoulder screaming in protest. Rule one: don’t get shot. It’s not fun, and honestly, it’s a rather huge pain in the ass. When the zombie comes within a few feet of me, I hold my breath and swing at its head. Blood and dead brain matter spray everywhere, causing me to gag. The thing hits the forest floor, twitching. I yank the mallet from its head and slam it down once more for good measure.

Breathing heavily, I stand straight, ready to get a hot shower and crawl back into bed. Only Reed appears in front of me, a large light brown rabbit hanging from his hands.

“Looks like we’re having rabbit stew tonight.”

I wrinkle my nose, silently gagging. He has got to be kidding me, but with the wicked glint in his eyes and the half-crooked smile, I know he’s not.

“What? Never had rabbit before?” Reed asks, glancing between the dead thing hanging in his hand and me.

I shake my head before he can even finish his question. “No, no I haven’t. You just killed some poor bunnies mother.”

“It’s a boy.”

“Fine, you just killed some bunnies' father. He was probably just out trying to gather some food for his children.”

“Well now he’s going to feed us,” Reed smiles, wiggling his eyebrows.

If I'd had an appetite, it would've just disappeared. The idea of touching a dead rabbit makes my skin crawl. And the entire walk back to the cabin, Reed tried convincing me it was going to be the best stew I ever had. Funny enough, it was going to be the first time I ever had stew in my entire life, but I didn’t tell him that.