Three
Cruz
M y attention stayed on the scenery as we headed down the road to our surprise detour. Surrounded by hills and thick growth, the area was tough to monitor from inside a moving vehicle, but it appeared isolated enough that no one would bother coming down here—unless they wanted fresh water.
“I used to love hiking and being out in nature," Liv said, keeping an eye on the countless potholes in the road surface. "I was more into trees and waterfalls than sand and waves, but I'm guessing it was the opposite for you living on the surf coast."
The change in her after leaving the city floored me. She was lighter today. More relaxed. Her laughter came easier, and the teasing glimmer in her eyes appealed to me on an insane level.
"I used to run on the beach and surf a bit," I told her. I spent early mornings at Jan Juc beach where the only company had been dog walkers and fellow surfers, the waves and squawking gulls as background noise. I missed being near open water, but it wasn't the same after the pandemic, and if I hadn't left it behind, I would never have met Liv.
She gave me an appraising look. “I’m picturing you in a skin-tight wetsuit with salty, tangled hair. It's doing things for me."
I smiled. "You need help." And I wanted to give her all that help here and now. Tell her to pull over so I could yank down her pants and ease this need I had for her—but it would leave us exposed in more ways than one, and we couldn't risk it in an unfamiliar location. Pity, since the preview I had with her in the bedroom had left me starving for more.
She sent me another one of those flirty looks that caused me no end of frustration. "I'm doing just fine, thanks. My little fantasies are keeping me entertained."
I shook my head and smiled. "Glad they're working for you."
Liv slowed as she approached the car park entrance. My humour disappeared, and I leaned forward to check the area for threats.
A No Camping sign was peppered with bullet holes, and weeds ran rampant in the scrub bordering the parking spaces, pushing through cracks wherever they could find room. An overgrown bush partially covered a sign marking the path to the waterfall, along with the distance. Only a short walk, which meant a lower chance of running into trouble.
Liv entered the car park and swung around in a wide arc. She stopped at the far end with the vehicle facing the exit, putting us in a position where we could escape fast if things didn't go our way.
We climbed from the car and grabbed our backpacks from the rear seat, shrugging them on. Before she locked up, Liv leaned inside again to rummage through one of the duffle bags we'd stuffed with clothes and other essentials. Seconds later, she emerged holding two towels.
"Thought you only wanted to look at the waterfall."
"Maybe swim, too." She tucked the towels under her arm and removed the knife from her belt. "I'm not going to if there are bodies in the water, but with winter on the way, we won't have many more chances to swim before it gets too cold."
I took the towels from her and pulled out my knife. I wasn't sold on the idea of leaving all our belongings on the bank while we went in the water, but I'd reserve my judgement until after I'd seen the area. If it looked safe enough, it might be worth the risk. If it didn't, I'd stand guard while she enjoyed a moment of normality in a world that had turned to shit.
Before we left the car park, I took my time scanning the area in every direction, checking for details that looked out of place. Vast, open paddocks were spread across the east and south, and dense, tree-filled hills lay to the north and west.
A farmhouse sat on top of the northern hill, a ten-minute walk from here with the steep incline. There were no other houses around, and while Liv locked the car, I watched and waited for signs of movement; a shifting curtain or a glint of metal to let us know we weren't alone.
"What's wrong?" She followed my line of sight, shielding the glare from her eyes as she took in the view. “A place like that would have been so peaceful back in the day, but now it's kind of creepy sitting up there all alone. It feels like it’s watching us."
We waited a beat longer, but nothing happened to put either of us on edge. "This far from anywhere, it's probably deserted." Outside of climbing the hill and clearing the place ourselves, there was nothing more we could do, so I headed for the track.
With our knives ready, we wandered single file down the gravel trail, Liv taking the front position while I scanned the bushland bordering both sides of the path from the back. It was off season for snakes, but with the long grass surrounding us, I kept an eye out anyway.
A couple of magpies warbled in the gum trees, and a shuffling sound came from somewhere to the left—too low-lying to be a corpse, too loud to be a snake. Since there were no other cars around and we were too far from anywhere to make the walk here worthwhile, a feeling of cautious optimism came over me.
Surrounded by ferns and a thick cover of trees, the temperature cooled, and as we walked deeper into the hillside, the sound of rushing water intensified. The scent of eucalyptus hung in the air, and when we neared the end of the trail, the descent dropped off enough that stone stairs and a handrail had been added for the last part.
Liv slowed as we approached the final bend, readying herself for whatever we’d find around the corner. The waterfall generated enough noise that it blocked out every other sound, and I tuned into my other senses to compensate. "Careful," I said, ready to yank her backwards at the first sign of trouble.
She stopped without warning on the second last step and turned to me, pointing at something I couldn't see from my position. The trail opened out onto a big, bare patch of dirt bordered by slabs of naturally formed granite that made up the riverbank. The speed of the water rushing by told me Beecham Falls was just around the bend—the exact spot where Liv was pointing.
"What is it?" I leaned closer and glimpsed red nylon.
A tent.
My grip tightened around the handle of my knife, and I considered dropping the towels wedged under my arm to free up my other hand.
“I can’t see or hear anyone,” she said, keeping her voice just above a whisper.
That didn’t mean we were alone. We’d need superhuman hearing to pick up on normal conversation over the sound of the water. I performed a quick shoulder check to make sure no one was coming up on us from behind. “Go slow.”
My body tensed as she took the last two steps. She kept track of her footing to avoid the tree roots snaking across the hard-packed dirt, and I stuck close behind her. Liv shot another glance my way as we reached the flat ground, both of us vigilant as we rounded the bend to get the full picture of what was going on here.
Four tents were erected side-by-side, the nylon faded and worn as if they'd been out in the elements for years. Two red, two blue, all but one with their doors zipped shut.
A circle of rocks surrounded a pile of ashes at the front, but there were no glowing embers or the smell of smoke to suggest the campfire had been recently burning. The only scents I detected were damp earth and rotting flesh.
"Infected," Liv said softly, looking up at me.
Most likely trapped in one or more of the tents. Probably came here as a group and when some of them got sick, the others took off. It was the only way to explain the empty car park in a place this far from anywhere.
I handed the towels to Liv and grabbed a rock, lobbing it so it landed beside the entrance of the first tent. Instead of moving away from the sound, the occupant threw itself into the wall in a half crouch, mashing its face against the material and inserting a brand-new nightmare in our heads to go with all the others.
Liv shuddered. “That’s... disturbing.”
The activity riled up the figures in the middle tents and two or three corpses tripped over one another as they tried to bust through the side walls. We had to be the first humans down here since the original people had abandoned the site, otherwise the tents would have been knocked over by now. A couple of pegs from the third tent ripped free and the ropes securing it catapulted into the air.
While the corpses rolled around on the ground and tangled themselves up in the collapsed tent, I closed my eyes and sighed. It would have been so much easier to head back in the direction we just came from, jump in the car, and get straight on the highway again—but Liv wanted this, and I wanted it for her.
I opened my eyes and took in the scene, surveying the tree line to make sure there were no humans hiding in the area. "We’ll have to clear the corpses before we can even think about going into the water."
Liv appeared to be having similar thoughts about leaving. She pursed her lips as her gaze bounced from the tents to the waterfall that I’d barely even acknowledged yet. In the end, her desire to do something fun won out over the need to keep things simple. She smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "Thanks."
The sensation of her lips lingered on my skin, and I hung back as she dropped the towels on a rock and strolled toward the tents, all long limbs and take-charge energy. If I knew for sure she wouldn't need backup, I could have stayed right here and watched her put those skills of hers to use.
Instead, I went straight for the second tent and kicked the legs out from under the corpse clawing at the side wall. As it struggled with the change in position, I planted my foot on its neck through the material and aimed for its ear, my blade leaving a long tear in the nylon. All movement inside stopped, and I glanced up to check on Liv. She'd already taken down two of her own.
I moved on to the third tent and dispatched the remaining corpses.
When I straightened, Liv was already doing a walk around and checking the rest of the camp. I joined her and performed a sweep of the area near the waterfall and the river it flowed into, finding nothing but dirt and overgrown bushes. Several full garbage bags sat beside a pile of what looked to be stripped rabbit bones. No free-range corpses in the river or along the bank.
As far as I could tell, we were safe. However long that lasted, neither of us could know.
I sheathed my knife and turned to pay attention to the waterfall for the first time. The precipice looked to be around fifteen metres high, with sheets of water rushing over and crashing down on the river stones at the base. Ferns bordered the bank, wedged between boulders covered in mist from the fall. With my back to the corpses we'd taken down, it was worlds away from the reality of our lives.
"It's so pretty here." Liv moved to the edge of the river and dropped her backpack beside the towels. She tucked her knife away and bent at the waist to remove her boots and socks. "Coming in?"
I glanced over my shoulder at the trail we’d just come down, not surprised to find it empty. We were in the middle of nowhere; the chances of anyone sneaking up on us were so minimal they barely warranted a second thought. I faced her again, drawn in by the sweet, hopeful look on her face. "Someone should keep watch."
"Oh, come on, Cruzy."
I smiled. No one had called me Cruzy before, and I never wanted to hear it again from anyone but her. "Not yet."
She stood on a rock and curled her bare toes over the edge, her voice tempting and nearly impossible to resist. I'd never been a foot guy in the past, but seeing any part of her exposed that she usually kept hidden did something for me. Her eyes stayed on mine as she slipped off her jeans, and she stood before me wearing only her long-sleeve t-shirt and panties.
My gaze dropped to take in the rest of her. Until now, I hadn't seen her bare legs, and finding them covered in bruises brought out the protective side of me that wanted to stand between her and anything that could hurt her. A scratch travelled down one shin, and another spanned the entire width of her thigh, but she carried herself with the confidence of a woman who knew none of it mattered.
"If I got naked, would that help convince you?"
With another glance behind me to make sure we were still in the clear, I pointed in her direction, torn between smiling and diving on her. "Don't you dare take off any more clothes. Remember our deal." If she stripped down to nothing, all my restraint would be gone—and so would any concerns for our safety.
"That was your deal, not mine. Just because I didn't argue with you doesn't mean I agreed." Liv took off her t-shirt and dropped it onto the rock, raising her eyebrows at me in challenge.
Now she was down to pink panties and a black sports bra, revealing the lean muscles in her arms and shoulders from all her sword wielding. Water thundered down on the rocks behind her and a sudden breeze swept through the area that made her shiver.
My eyes roamed over her, taking in the way her breasts swelled above the cups of her bra, dropping lower to admire her waist and the flare of her hips. Scrapes and bruises may have marred her skin, but I'd never seen anyone more perfect.
My mouth turned up at one corner as I tossed up my options. Did I want to stand on the riverbank like an idiot while she frolicked in the water half-naked, or get in there with her and have some fun? We had no idea what we'd be dealing with on this trip—if we'd run into others or make the journey alone.
The only thing we knew for sure was that here, at this very moment, it was just the two of us.
With a harsh exhale, I glanced up at the tree-lined hill behind the river, then dropped my backpack beside hers. I pulled out my knife and left it on a rock within easy reach, hoping I wouldn't need to use it while we were here. As I toed off my boots, Liv let out a whoop of excitement that made me smile. Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and seeing how little it took to make her day had something giving way inside my chest.
Everyone I'd ever loved in this world was long gone, and I’d never expected to find someone to care about again. It was almost too much, and part of me wanted to keep her at a distance to protect us both if it ended too soon. Life was unpredictable. We didn’t know how each day was going to end—but when she looked at me this way, all logic flew out the window. " Te ves preciosa ."
"Did you just call me precious?" she asked, her voice almost lost amid the pounding of the waterfall.
"I called you beautiful but precious fits, too."
A beat passed where all we did was gaze at each other, then she shoved her long braid over her shoulder and smiled. “Come play with me, Cruz."
Her voice was so sensual and tempting I didn’t know if I had it in me to be near her and control myself. "Can you behave and leave the rest of that on?" I indicated her underwear with a sweep of my hand, unable to believe the words coming out of my mouth. If Diego was looking down on me now, he’d be laughing and calling me a fucking idiot.
She blew out a sigh that had me fighting a smile. "You mean even if I want you so much it hurts?"
Her tone may have come off as light-hearted, but her words hit home, and goosebumps passed over me, lifting the hairs on my forearms. The way she looked at me healed parts of me I hadn’t even known were broken. “I want you, too." I caught her gaze and held it so there were no misunderstandings. "But I don't want to be looking over my shoulder and gripping a hatchet while I'm trying to be close to you.”
I glanced behind me once more, then up toward the hill where the farmhouse stood hidden from view. If anyone was still living there and wanted to ambush us for whatever reason, they should have made it to our location by now. The noise coming from the waterfall made it tough to hear if anyone was pushing their way through the wall of greenery to get to us, but there were no movements in the nearest bushes to cause alarm.
I returned my attention to Liv. "Why don't I wash your hair?"
A compromise, a way to touch her without letting my guard down. Our safety had to be our top priority if we wanted any kind of future that stretched beyond today.
When her mouth quirked with amusement rather than annoyance, I knew we were on the same page. “I’ll never turn down an offer like that.”