Chapter 6
Six
A s quietly as possible, I slide into the house. There’s a discussion happening in the study, and I don’t want to be drawn into it. After my exchange with Ryland out on the porch, I’m not in a social frame of mind.
“It will be such a relief to have extra hands to help in the greenhouse,” River says. She goes on to explain the solar climate control system and the daunting tasks of keeping our organic food supply healthy.
I roll my eyes as she gives away our last survival secret. It really shouldn’t matter. If they want to figure out how we’ve made it to this point with minimal physical damage and full bellies, they will.
When I reach the basement, I find the heavy metal door to the bunker wide open—a new habit to accommodate our guests. The guys can’t use the fingerprint scanner, and I refuse to give them the pin code, so we agreed to leave the door open during the times when everyone is awake. I stop at the doorway and find the main reason for the change sitting up in my bed .
Aiden.
Since he’s been with us, he’s only awake to take his medicine and force down a couple of bites of food. Most of his day is spent in a fitful sleep as his body tries to recuperate. He’s been so weak that he hasn’t sat up without the support of one of his friends, so to find him alone and leaning against the headboard is a vast improvement.
I enter the bunker, and his blue eyes glint with a bit of mischief. “So, it wasn’t all a dream?” he says in a raspy voice.
I remove my satchel and fight not to smile. “Nope, welcome to paradise.”
He laughs, sending him into a coughing fit. I rush into the kitchenette for a cup of water and hold it out to him. His hands shake as he reaches for it. I sit on the edge of the bed and keep a light grip on the cup as he tilts it to his mouth. He downs it all before letting out a big, satisfied breath.
“Do you want me to get one of your friends?” I ask.
“Nah, it’s kind of nice without them hovering.”
I can’t blame him; there’s someone by his side almost every minute of the day. Even if he slightly opens his eyes, they ask about his comfort and rearrange his pillows. His temperature is checked at least a dozen times a day, followed by constantly trying to coax him to drink some fluids. I’m sure he’s thankful for their concern, but I understand how it would become overwhelming after a while.
“I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced, I’m Aiden Donnelly.” He extends his hand, and we shake.
“Quinn Ellery. And just for the record, I don’t usually let boys sleep in my bed if I don’t know their name,” I quip.
“I’ll have to make it up to you once I’m feeling better. How does a candle-lit dinner sound? I’ll even let you pick the restaurant, anywhere you want.”
Even in his fragility, Aiden is the charmer I guessed him to be. It’s obvious why the other three men are overprotective of him. His demeanor is good-natured, and his smile is effortless. In times like these, it’s a rare person who doesn’t let the severity of the situation squelch who they are. Just as River is a source of happiness in my life, he’s the same for them.
“I’m not a picky girl, any place where our waiter doesn’t want to eat me as the main course sounds good.”
“So, the zombie thing didn’t work itself out, huh?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Together, we erupt into laughter. If only eradicating Zs were so simple.
“Well, look who’s finally awake!”
I turn at the chipper sound of River’s voice. She enters the room with Ryland close behind her, and the sight of him dampens my mood. Just when the memories from this morning slipped my mind, here he is to remind me of them all over again.
With no regard to me sitting on the bed, River wedges herself between Aiden and me and lays her palm on his face. “You still have a little fever, but you don’t feel as clammy.”
Aiden glances at me with a pleading look, begging me to rescue him from the constant coddling.
“It could be worse, it could be him who’s making a fuss over you, and not her,” I say with a quick jerk of my head in Ryland’s direction.
Aiden looks at River and back at me. “She is prettier to look at than Ry.”
“You’re hurting my ego,” Ryland says, walking to the side of the bed.
“I doubt it’s possible,” I mumble.
He shoots me a glare while Aiden’s laughter resonates throughout the bunker. “You’ve already upset her. I remember when you had girls lining up to be with you.”
Ryland smirks and says, “If I didn’t start pissing them off, there would’ve never been a chance of you getting a date.”
Again, Aiden falls into another fit of laughter, but this time it ends with his entire body rattling from uncontrollable coughing. It’s harsh and wet sounding as if he has water in his airway. I’m unsure if he has gotten any better over the past few days.
River pats his back until the outburst subsides. “Why don’t you lie down?”
“I’m fine,” he says through haggard breaths. “I actually need to use the toilet.”
River and I move out of the way, and Aiden pushes the blankets down his body. He turns to the edge of the bed and lets his socked feet fall to the ground. His legs shake as he tries to stand, and Ryland moves to his side and wraps an arm around him. They shuffle to the tiny bathroom, and I give a fleeting thought as to how it’s going to work with two grown men in the space. They must make it work because minutes later, they return with Aiden a little more stable on his feet.
“I’d like to hang out with the rest of the lads,” he says.
River shakes her head. “You’re going to have a hell of a time getting up the basement stairs.”
His eyes reflect his desperation. It’s like he’s suffering from the worst case of cabin fever ever. I’d go mad too if I were stuck for several days in a room without windows.
“He’s just going upstairs. I’m sure he’ll be fine, Riv,” I say.
She gnaws on her bottom lip for a moment before sighing. “Just to the study.”
Aiden nods. “Will you lend me a hand, Ry?”
“Of course,” he says, escorting him out of the room.
River and I listen as they move at a snail’s pace through the boxes and struggle up the stairs leading to the main level.
“Why don’t you go with them, and I’ll start dinner for everyone?” I suggest.
“What happened between you and Ry? He looks like he wants to strangle you.”
“Ry? You are on a nickname basis with him. Cute,” I say, pulling pans out of the kitchen drawers. “And nothing happened. He’s an ass.”
She stands behind me, wraps her arms around my waist, and rests her head on my shoulder. River has always been the more affectionate one out of the two of us. Not to say I don’t like to be touched or to touch someone else. It’s just that she’s more in tune with the exact moment when someone is in need of a hug.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help you?” she asks.
“Yeah, go make sure Ry doesn’t let Aiden tumble down those stairs.”
With a quick squeeze, she lets me go and joins the men.
Cooking has never been my thing. I don’t get the gratification some do when feeding others. It’s another chore, but I’m thankful for the solace it offers tonight. More than ever, I feel like I need time to work through my thoughts. The arrival of Aiden, Noah, Wes, and Ryland has my whole world discombobulated. Our regular routines are derailed, and an entirely new series of anxiety has been released. But after speaking with Aiden, I feel a little better. I like him as well as Noah and Wes. They’ve been appreciative of our hospitality and eager to help in any way they can. The three are slowly becoming a welcome addition despite my reservations.
On the other hand, there’s Ryland—a complete enigma. I can do no right by him. Just when I think we’re making some progress, he pulls the rug out from under me. I’m left starting all over, and for what? A fleeting friendship at best. I’m wasting my time trying to peg him down. I’d have a better chance of ridding the world of Zs.
I finish the veggies, rice, and bean dish for dinner and prep the meal to go upstairs. When I reach the study, I find River sitting on the couch, sandwiched between Aiden and Noah. Across the room, Ryland sits on my uncle’s desk while Wes tends the fire. They continue their conversation as I prepare to serve the food.
“If it works, I don’t know how long we’ll have, but my guess is five minutes at the most,” Noah says.
“Why only five minutes?” River asks.
Noah rubs the side of his face and looks at the ceiling. “It will be a direct uplink to the tower. That’s if we can get enough electricity to it. The amount of power it’s going to transmit can’t be sustained for long by the phone, and there is a fair chance it will overheat since we have to directly wire it in. Once the phone overheats, all chances for communication will be lost.”
I take Aiden and River a plate of food. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Noah thinks he can use the cell tower to get Dylan’s mobile phone to work,” Wes explains, prodding the fire .
Three sets of eyes quickly narrow in on him, and he shies away from the glares.
“Who’s Dylan?” I ask.
Ryland shakes his head while preparing his own plate. “A friend.”
Before I can ask more questions, Noah continues where Wes left off. “We would have to charge the tower using one of the solar panels, but once we do, I think I can bypass the mainframe and establish a connection with the phone’s mobile carrier. There’s no reason to believe the phones in Giran don’t work, so it’s possible we could place a quick call.”
After everyone has their food, I make my plate, sit on the ground, and jump back into the conversation. “So, you guys call Giran and then what? The chances of them sending help are slim unless one of you is the President’s son.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try, Quinnten.” River shoots me a glare that says don’t kill their hope and places her hand on Noah’s knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
I open my mouth to give a smart-ass rebuttal, but fall short when Aiden points his fork at his plate and says, “This is good, like really good. This might be the best meal I’ve ever had.”
I release River and Noah from my stare and smile at Aiden’s enthusiasm for my cooking. Granted, he hasn’t eaten in a week, therefore his opinion may be skewed, but it’s nice to see him feeding himself and not putting up a fuss about the pain it causes to swallow. Hopefully, he’s on the mend.
After dinner, my cousin disappears for a moment and returns with a box in her hand. “Who’s up for a game?” she announces and sits next to me on the floor .
Leave it to River to turn the disintegration of our continent due to a deadly virus into a party. I wholeheartedly believe nothing can bring this girl down. If there is a good time to be had, she will make it happen.
We form a circle on the floor with Aiden on the couch. River quickly goes over the rules for the silly game. It is simple: a question card is drawn, and everyone must answer it with one of the cards in their hand. The person with the most ridiculous answer wins. After she deals us in, we set to work picking a card we believe will make the others laugh. Our answers are horrible, and the house is filled with nonstop cackling. The whole game is out of control, but it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
We set up for our sixth round of the game when a muffled thump comes from the kitchen.
I go rigid and gesture for everyone to quiet down. “Did you hear that?”
A louder thud echoes through the house, and the room instantly falls into a dead silence.
The hairs on my arm stand straight up and my heart rapidly beats in my chest. I scurry to my feet and head for the window where the thick, floor-length drapes are shut to minimize our exposure to the outside world. Pressing my body to the wall, I slide the fabric to the side. Everything looks normal out in the yard, but my view is limited. I take a closer look, stepping in front of the glass. If someone or something is out there, they’ll disrupt the snow, and I need a better vantage point. I shift slightly to glance the other way and come face to face with the intruder. Its feet away from the glass with pasty, paper-thin skin, molting hair, and razor-sharp teeth. I quickly bounce back, closing the curtains and spin around to find Ryland hovering over me.
“It’s a Z,” I tell him .
“How many?”
“I just saw the one.”
“Noah and Wes, you’re with me,” he orders and turns back to me. “You and River get Aiden to the bunker. Don’t open the door unless you hear a patterned knock.”
“But—”
“Quinn, just do as I say,” he commands, before leaving with the two men.
River and I help Aiden to his feet and guide him down the stairs to the basement.
“I hate that they’re out there without me,” he says through labored breaths.
“Me too,” I confess.
The battle has come to my front door, and I’m forced to hide. I’m not some helpless girl who needs the protection of a boy. I guarded this house for a year and a half with my cousin. It feels wrong to hide. I want to fight for what’s mine.
As soon as we settle Aiden into my bed, I rummage through my drawer until I find a hoodie. I toss it on, and as I’m zipping it, I grab my bag full of ammo. I secure my hunting knife to my hip, and with a final check of my gun, I turn to River. “Don’t let anyone in.”
“Quinn, I don’t want you to go without me. We’ve never faced Zs alone if we didn’t have to. The boys have got this,” she says.
She isn’t asking anything that I wouldn’t ask of her. I should give in to her request, but I can’t. Not when danger lurks on our doorstep. “I’ll be damned if I sit here and do nothing while those disgusting things roam our property. This is our home, not theirs. Aiden doesn’t need both of us.”
She shakes her head. “I know, but… Please be careful.”
“I promise I will,” I say with a curt nod before shutting the door and locking River and Aiden inside.