Twenty-Seven
Jack
Two Days on the Road
“Are you sure about this?” Asia asked.
She was close enough that I was the only one who heard her. I glanced over at her. “No, but we need supplies.”
I knew she didn’t need the reminder.
We’d made it almost thirty miles.
Thirty very hard, uphill, brush-thick, near-silent miles that left every muscle aching and tense breath measured.
So yeah, this gas station right along the highway wasn’t ideal. But at the very least, we needed water. Asking for anything else felt like tempting fate.
Leaving the restaurant was uneventful.
So was getting out of the city.
But the walk—staying hidden, constantly watching for movement—drained more than just energy.
It frayed nerves.
We didn’t run into real trouble yet, which was almost more concerning than if we did. The anticipation had everyone on edge, and I just waited for the first person to break.
Bridget was wearing down. Expected, given her age, but she actually handled the walk pretty well.
The wild swing in her emotions, smiling when she told some silly story about her husband, Irv, and bursting into tears in the next breath had my attention.
After what she’d been through—after what we’d all gone through—emotions were all over the place.
But I kept an eye on her.
Caitlin was wearing down, too, in her own way. She put up a good front, but I saw the fear that was constantly in her gaze. Caitlin never acknowledged it, but I knew that fear was what drove her to act erratically, and that could bite us in the ass.
Asia wanted to disagree. I knew her well enough by now to tell she didn’t like the plan. The question was, would she?
I didn’t have to wait long for the answer. “I think we should keep going.”
“I get it, but we should stop,” I said.
She looked at me, brows twitching like she might argue more. But she didn’t. “All right. Let’s do it quickly, then. We’ll take Miles and Lourdes to scout and leave the others out here,” she said.
I shook my head.
“I’ll take Miles and Lourdes. I need you out here.”
“Okay,” Asia said.
I was surprised she let it go so easily, but I was glad she did.
If she pushed the point, I would have been forced to lie to her, because there was no way I could tell her the truth.
I wanted her out here because I trusted her more than most people I had ever known.
Asia studied me, then she gave me a slight smile. “I feel the urge to say something ridiculous like ‘Be careful,’ but I’m going to restrain myself.”
Her smile grew, and this time it was confident. Comfortable. Like she belonged in this new world. She had her gun in her hand, her stance solid. Everything about her was calm.
It wasn’t an act.
“Miles. Lourdes,” she called. “Go with Jack. We’ll stay out here and keep watch.”
They moved without question.
That wasn’t about me—it was her. Even before all this, they knew her. But now it wasn’t just memory or familiarity.
She was the one they looked to. And so far, it worked.
Miles carried a small wrench. Lourdes had a hammer. Not exactly ideal weapons, but they held them like they meant something.
The three of us stepped into the tree line near the road, instinct guiding our silence. I gestured for Miles to take the right and Lourdes the left while I swept center. We walked in wide loops, skirting anything that might hold noise .
“Keep your eyes open,” I told them. “But don’t panic unless I panic.”
They both nodded. Miles adjusted his grip on the wrench like he tried to mimic the way I held my blade.
There was a van in the parking lot. I stopped next to it, Miles and Lourdes at the ready as I opened the door. It didn’t creak, and thankfully nothing jumped out.
A quick glance revealed a dirty sleeping bag and empty soda bottles. I pushed the door closed again.
When it clicked closed, Miles flinched and then gulped hard. He gulped and then smiled nervously.
I slapped him on the shoulder. “You know how to make it through anything?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Gotta act like you’ve been there before.”
He chuckled low but stood a little straighter.
We moved without words, Lourdes and Miles two steps behind as we approached the gas station. There were two other abandoned vehicles and a car wash off to the side. I might check them out depending on what we found, but for now, I focused on the main building.
Came up short when I heard a distant metallic clank .
It was far, but not far enough. We froze. Miles looked at me, his lips parted like he wanted to speak. I held up a hand and shook my head.
We waited.
A full minute passed.
Another.
Then I heard it again, and this time, I followed the sound.
Spotted it about 200 yards away.
A body, a man from the look of it, in the first stages of decay. He leaned against a fence, a thick brown belt wrapped around his neck.
The wind shifted, and the belt buckle clanged against the fence.
A group of birds took off in a flurry, their sudden movement pulling my eye. As I watched them, my heart beat slowed but the tension in my shoulders didn’t ease a bit.
I rejoined Miles and Lourdes, and together, we went inside.
The store itself was small. Easy to scan. And other than dust a few empty wrappers on the floor, surprisingly clean.
I spotted a battery-powered lantern tucked behind the counter. When I flicked it on, it burned bright, and I shoved it into my duffel.
I left Miles and Lourdes inside and did another sweep of the perimeter. Other than our friend at the fence, the area was empty. Still, now that the birds were gone. A quick sweep of the car wash revealed some empty soap bottles and a crate of corroded batteries.
Inside, I moved fast, grabbing what we could use and discarding what we couldn’t.
Stopped when I spotted what passed as treasure in this world. Unable to keep the smile off my face, I tossed it in my bag feeling almost giddy.
I somehow kept the smile off my face as I approached Asia.
“Change of plans,” I said as I stood next to her.
She didn’t look surprised. “You want to stay here for the night?”
“Yeah. Sun’s down in a few hours. Better to hole up now than scramble later. ”
Asia nodded, but Caitlin butted in. “There’s still at least three hours until sunset.”
Asia answered before I could. “I know but do we want to gamble on finding another place by then? I don’t think you enjoyed sleeping outside last night.”
I could tell Caitlin wanted to argue, if only on principle, but she kept her mouth closed.
After another beat, Asia kept going. “All right. Let’s get settled in.”
Everyone moved inside the gas station. Miles, Lourdes, and Elliot secured the doors. Bridget went through the food, assembling a makeshift meal. I watched her count cans and divide crackers like it was sacred math.
“Can you help me with this, Jack?” Caitlin asked.
She held a glass bottle of sparkling water. Expensive-looking and out of place here, but there was a row of six others in the dead drink cooler.
I took it from her and twisted off the metal top.
“You did that with your bare hand? I thought you needed a bottle opener,” she said .
She stepped closer, shifted her weight onto one leg, pressed her fingertips to her jaw.
“Enjoy your drink, Caitlin,” I said.
“I’d enjoy it more if you had one with me.”
I didn’t look at her again. “I’ll pass.”
What Caitlin wanted wasn’t lost on me. I used to be the man who would have taken her up on it.
Not now, though.
I told myself I was smart. That we were in a world of shit, and I wouldn’t let my dick get us in any further.
Rational and undeniable. But that wasn’t the half of it.
Truth was, Asia ruined me.
That whole end-of-the-world thing should have killed any desire for sex.
Except it didn’t.
Not when Asia was near.
Not when I got to watch her twenty-four-seven and see her hold this shit together like it was her calling.
Being this close to her and not being able to touch her was fucking torture.
And not the only thing weighing on my mind .
I wanted to get her to her uncle’s farm as fast as I could, but…
The idea of leaving her there twisted something in my chest.
I sat with Miles and Elliot and quietly ate, trying my hardest not to look toward Asia where she sat with Lourdes, Bridget, and Caitlin.
I didn’t last long. I finished the meal and then found myself drifting toward her, where she now sat alone.
“You full?” she asked.
“Or something approximating it,” I responded as I sat down.
She chuckled, her husky laugh soothing me in a way it shouldn’t have been able to. “I never thought I’d have a hierarchy of gas station fare, but those Vienna sausages are still definitely the most disgusting thing ever created,” she said.
“Haven’t you learned by now,” I said. “You don’t gotta like it…”
“I just gotta eat it.” She finished with a roll of her eyes.
That got a laugh out of Lourdes. Even Bridget cracked a smile. Asia looked up, surprised, and I saw her shoulders relax.
“Think I’ve got something to brighten your day.” I reached for my bag.
“Oh really? That’s big talk these days, Jackson.” She sounded serious, but her face was covered with a brilliant smile.
I reached into my bag, slow and deliberate enough that Asia huffed in frustration.
Then, finally, I pulled it out.
Asia stared, gaping, before she gasped. “Oh my God!”
Everyone looked over.
“Are those socks?” Bridget asked.
I didn’t take my eyes off Asia. “Yes they are. Socks. Clean socks. Six pairs. Still in the package.”
Asia snatched the bag from my hands and clutched them to her chest. She squeezed the bag and closed her eyes, the smile bright on her face. “I love you, Jackson Thorne.”
I didn’t say anything.
I couldn’t.
I just watched Asia tear open the bag. She paused for a moment and then looked at the others. “There’s a pair for everybody. Except Jack.” She smiled.
Lourdes spoke up first. “That’s all you, Asia.”
The others nodded and stared at the socks and then she looked at me, her gratitude gleaming in her eyes before she looked at Lourdes and laughed. When I heard her laugh, something inside me twisted at the glimpse of a life I’d never have.
I wanted to kiss her.
I moved away instead.
A few hours later after everyone settled in, Asia sat next to me. Close but not touching, though I felt her heat.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said after a few minutes.
“Dangerous habit.”
“I’m scared shitless,” she said quietly.
“I’d be worried if you weren’t.”
She laughed. Bitter and beautiful.
And so fucking brave, it humbled me.
This woman still managed to awe me every single day, and I silently promised that I would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
The others had wound down. Bridget softly hummed to herself while sorting out the rest of the salvaged food.
Lourdes sat with her back to the door, eyes closed but not asleep.
Even Caitlin pulled her knees to her chest and tucked into a corner with a half-empty bottle of hot, fancy water resting on her knee.
Asia shifted beside me, and her thigh brushed mine. I tried to ignore the effect, which was almost impossible.
I stood, needing space. “I’ll take first watch.”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll take the second. Wake me up in three hours,” she said.
I nodded and then walked toward the door, knowing I wouldn’t wake her up. I’d let her sleep as long as she needed.
So I sat in the darkness, listening for danger.
But mostly listening to her breath.
Wondering how I would manage to live without it.