Chapter 2 #2
“I realize this is going to sound crazy. Delusional.” She frowned, her mouth twisted in an ugly way, but he sensed her derision was directed inward.
“But it’s the truth. I dreamed that you were being chased by zombies in that specific spot.
And I knew that your name was Cameron Hale and that I was supposed to rescue you.
” Her brown eyes finally met his, full of entreaty.
“I didn’t know why. I didn’t know much about you aside from your name.
What you looked like.” She gave him a brief, wry smile. “I didn’t know you went by Cam.”
Unable to think of anything else to say, he murmured, “My family calls me that.”
Her eyes went soft. “I like it.”
“Thanks.”
Cam’s body relaxed, but his brain furiously attempted to process.
Allie, the angel who’d saved him, had true dreams. Keyshawna wasn’t the only one.
They’d heard about other people who dreamed true, but no one seemed to like to talk about it.
Hell, Key’s own brother hadn’t even believed her.
But this was proof. It had to mean something.
Key was right about the dreams. He couldn’t wait to tell her.
Suddenly, he wished with all his soul that he hadn’t let his friends, his family, go on without him back at that awful compound.
He’d been so sure he was doing the right thing, and now he had nothing to show for it but a St. Christopher’s medal and the grief that came with it, both hanging around his neck.
God, he missed Key and Odette. He missed his little brother, Odie, and the rest of their found family.
But if he hadn’t stayed behind, he wouldn’t have found Allie. Or rather, he wouldn’t have been found by her when he was on his way back to them. Christ. He was too wired and too tired to focus on this, but it all had to be connected somehow.
“Cam?”
“I’m okay. Where are we going?” He tried to infuse his voice with as much friendliness and I-know-you’re-not-crazy as possible. “Do you have a place?”
“I’ve been living in a bunker. It must be from Before, owned by some crazy prepper with money.
They had to have stocked up on stuff for a while before the outbreak, but I haven’t seen evidence that anyone but me has been there post-apocalypse.
” Her mouth curved down. “It feels like they never got to use it.”
A bunker. That could be zombie-proof housing, just in case they hadn’t truly managed to shake off the horde. “That sounds pretty badass. And safe.”
“It’s not perfect. I get the feeling they finished it in a hurry, so it has some leaks and quirks. But it’s still really well-stocked.” She took a breath. “I promise that I’m not going to harm you. I’m sorry if I scared you or made you uncomfortable. I just... felt like I could tell you the truth.”
An unfamiliar warmth—something tender and fierce—rose up in him. “Allie, I believe you.”
She laughed, but it was a joyless sound. “What?”
He reached out and touched her hand. “I believe you,” he repeated.
Her hand was cold and stiff, and she didn’t move it from the steering wheel, but the rest of her seemed to relax. “Maybe you’re the crazy one.”
“I’m not going to question an angel with a rifle.”
Her tiny chuckle held actual humor. “Right.” She sighed then gently but firmly moved her hand out from under his. “Thank you.”
“Thank you.” He nodded and settled back in the passenger seat. “I’m still alive because of that dream.”
Allie drew in a deep breath. “I’m not... I’m not really used to being around people,” she confessed.
That explained a lot. “How long’s it been?”
“A year, I think.” She shrugged. “Time lost meaning there for a while.”
“Wow.” Cam had run into people on a regular basis out on the road, not every day and not usually more than one or two at a time, but they were out there. The real travelers—those survivors who had to keep moving for one reason or another—tended to keep to themselves.
She must be so lonely. He certainly was, and he’d been on his own for only a few months.
He thought of how cold her hand had been and suddenly wished she’d let him hold it for real, palm to palm. He would twine his fingers with hers, warm them with the comfort of skin-to-skin contact.
The thought of skin led him down another path, one that made heat rush through his body.
Cam shifted in his seat, a little embarrassed.
Sure, Cam. She rescues you in the middle of nowhere, takes you somewhere safe, and screws your brains out.
He cleared his throat. “How much longer until we get to your bunker?”
“About a half hour,” Allie said, giving him a curious glance.
Suddenly, he wondered if she had any idea where his thoughts had gone. If her thoughts had gone to the same place.
He picked up the backpack again. “Mind if I get that other water bottle?”
“Go for it.” As he pulled it from the bag, she added solemnly, “The mole people will want you well hydrated for the ceremony.”
Cam nearly dropped the bottle. “What?”
Her mischievous grin transformed her heart-shaped face into something truly lovely. “Gotcha.”
He froze then burst out laughing for the second time in less than fifteen minutes. Damn, he really, really liked this woman.
Now he only prayed her bunker had a working radio.