Chapter 22
Fitting In
Olivia
The next day I find myself wandering aimlessly around the community.
The guys have jumped back into work, attending meeting after meeting to work on updating the security measures around Haven while also investigating the disappearing supply team members.
When I asked if I could help, they told me to just spend the day relaxing and recovering from the month we’ve spent on the road.
Alex even gave me a mind-melting massage before leaving this morning.
But while I’d love nothing more than to spend the day doing nothing but napping and reading, my body had other ideas.
Apparently, after over a year of waking up to do something, I’m incapable of just shutting off and relaxing.
The anxious energy buzzing through my veins makes any form of lying or sitting down impossible.
So I’m walking around Haven with Harlow beside me and a noisy Ketchup perched on my shoulder.
I feel a little lost as people rush around me while giving me curious and annoyed looks, some even muttering under their breath about me.
No doubt everyone in the settlement heard what happened yesterday in the cafeteria, and it makes me want to run back to the cabin and hide.
But the thought of sitting around doing nothing has my skin itching, so I grit my teeth and bear the judgmental side-eyes and whispered gossip.
The first place I head towards is the barn and pastures where Bean and the other horses are being kept.
The sweet scent of hay mixed with the earthy smell of horse is like a balm to my soul, soothing some of my agitation.
Several horses and ponies are grazing in the fields while people work around them, picking up manure and loading round bales of hay into feeders.
To one side is a small sand arena where several people are working horses while others watch on.
No one pays me any mind as I head to the fenced field where Bean is.
The mare barely looks up from the bale of hay she’s shoved her head into, Apple and Cinnamon on her other side, just as interested in the food.
Ketchup chirps, taps the side of my head with her beak and flies off to perch on a nearby tree while I stand and watch my ponies.
They look so content as they munch on their hay without a care in the world, their every need met, and it hits me in the gut that I’m not needed here.
A quick glance around shows that there’s more than enough people looking after the animals, and the people training the horses in the arena seem to know what they’re doing.
The longer I stand there, the more unsettled I feel.
That itching returns and while I’d love to duck into the field and greet my ponies, I don’t.
Bean needs time to decompress and be a horse again after a month on the road.
With a sigh, I turn and walk away from the fields and towards the heart of the settlement. Harlow trots ahead of me, calmer than she was yesterday but still so eager to explore her new home. I wish I could share her exuberance.
“You look as lost as I feel,” a familiar feminine voice says on my right.
I look over to see Rachel striding over to me.
Harlow yips and runs over to her, wiggling her bum excitedly as the other woman bends to greet her.
She’s wearing jeans, boots and a leather jacket with her short hair secured into two buns on either side of her head.
It’s the cleanest I’ve ever seen her, and it’s strange seeing her look so…
casual. And then I realise what’s weird about her; she’s not holding the large assault rifle like it’s her personal pet.
She must see something on my face because she scowls as she straightens. “They took it away from me and locked it in the armoury. Assholes.”
I snort at how put out she looks by it. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t the only one who got your gun taken.
Tobias lost his shotgun and a couple of the other guys had theirs confiscated, too.
” Thankfully, no one has tried to take my bow.
Although I’ve got a few strange looks from people since I have my bow and quiver strapped to my hips out of habit.
“They’re still assholes for taking it,” she huffs as her eyes flick down to my bow. “Maybe I should learn archery so I won’t have to worry about bullshit like that.”
I nod. “I can teach you, although we’ll need to find you a suitable bow. Mine’s going to be too light for you and your obscene biceps.” Maybe this is what I can do here; teach others archery so we won’t be so reliant on guns.
Rachel’s face lights up with a grin as she flexes her arm, the leather creaking beneath her bulging muscles. “At least they didn’t take away these guns.”
I bite back a laugh and shake my head. Jesus. She’s as bad as Theo. “Come on, let’s see if there’s a range or someplace to practice where we won’t skewer someone.” There’s no way there isn’t a firing range here, not with Rhys in charge of security.
Rachel does a weird, excited hop as she sidles up next to me. “Ooh, maybe they’ll let me shoot guns while we’re there.”
“I thought you wanted to learn archery?”
She shrugs. “Why choose just one,” she says before her smile turns wicked and she nudges me with her elbow.
“You’d know something about that with all those delicious men chasing after you—including the one you’re in denial about.
The same one who laid out a man because he insulted you. ” She shoots me a knowing look.
It takes everything in me not to shiver at the memory of Rhys slamming his fist into the asshole yesterday.
Him defending me like that is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen and it was a good thing we were in public because otherwise I might’ve forgotten that we’re supposed to be friends and climbed him like a tree.
Not that I’ll tell anyone that.
Especially Rachel.
I shove the memory from my mind. “If you want me to teach you how to use a bow, you’ll keep those thoughts to yourself,” I tell her as we weave through the caravans while dodging people rushing past us.
“Spoilsport.” Rachel pouts at me for a moment before turning her attention to our surroundings. “This place is weird.”
“Weird how?” I ask as we clear the last caravan to stand outside the main building area. It’s less busy here, with only a few people trickling in and out of the buildings around us.
She hesitates. “It’s too… perfect.”
“Perfect?” That’s not the word I’d use for this place, especially after what happened yesterday in the cafeteria. And that’s not even mentioning the missing people and lax security that no one but the guys seem bothered about.
Rachel nods. “It’s like everyone in here forgot that the world outside has gone to shit and everyone is killing each other for a piece of bread.
There’s an ignorance here that has my skin crawling.
” She scratches her arms to illustrate her point.
“This place feels like it’s on a knife edge, and one wrong push will cause the entire place to collapse. ”
Well, isn’t that a cheery thought?
An idea pops into my head. “You should ask Rhys if you can help him with security here. God knows he needs the help, considering, from what he’s said, no one takes it seriously enough.”
She thinks for a moment before nodding. “Maybe. My one issue would be whether I could get my rifle back.”
I roll my eyes. “Sure. That’s what we should be concerned about; whether or not you’ll be allowed a gun.”
“Exactly,” she says solemnly. “Everyone knows a weapon is a girl’s best friend.”
I huff out a laugh. In this new world we’ve found ourselves in, she’s not wrong.
We head away from the main buildings, trying to find where the firing range is. Unfortunately, after thirty minutes of searching, we still can’t find it.
“Maybe we should ask one of your boy toys,” Rachel says as we head back towards the main building, dodging throngs of chatting and laughing people.
The area is a little busier, with many people streaming towards the communal kitchen and dining area.
“Stop calling them my boy toys.” I shove her shoulder, causing her to laugh. “And maybe, but I’m not sure if they’ll be free or not. From what they told me this morning, they’re going to be in meetings all day.” None of them sounded eager at the prospect.
“Well, it’s about lunchtime, so maybe we can break them out of whatever meeting they’re in to get some food.” She grabs my arm and drags me towards the main building.
Stepping through the worn wooden doors, we’re immediately greeted by a long reception desk.
One that’s currently sitting empty. Behind it and on either side are several doors, all labelled.
Rachel pulls me to the door labelled stairs, pushes open the door and immediately starts climbing up them.
Harlow bounds ahead of us, her nails clicking on the hardwood floor as I stumble after Rachel—her legs are longer than mine—until we reach the first floor.
Opening the door to the floor, we’re immediately inundated with angry voices.
“You’re blowing this far out of proportion!” an unfamiliar male voice snaps, his voice echoing off the narrow corridor walls.
“No, I’m not, Charles. We’ve lost four people in a month—that’s a person a week. How is that not urgent enough for us to investigate and put in precautions?” Rhys’s voice is cold and filled with frustration and anger.
Harlow stiffens at my side, her chest vibrating with a silent growl. Rachel and I share wide-eyed looks and inch closer to the door where their voices are coming from.
“People go missing from our supply teams all the time, Rhys,” the other man—Charles—says in exasperation.
My mouth drops open as I stare at the door. This guy sounds far too unconcerned about the missing people. I know if I were a family member of one of them, I’d be pissed.
“Four in one month is more than usual,” Rhys replies. “Even you know that.”
At least Rhys gives a shit.