Chapter 44
Rats in a Trap
Olivia
After delivering two mind-blowing orgasms, Rhys pulls me against his less injured side and snuggles me. It’s sweet and exactly what I need after the intensity of the sex we just experienced. But, as much as I want to stay like this, we can’t.
All too soon, Rhys gets up and grabs a wet cloth to clean me up.
I pout at the loss of his warmth, even as my heart melts at how well he takes care of me.
With both of us cleaned up, I force myself to go to the toilet before redressing in warm, clean clothes.
By the time I emerge from the bathroom, Rhys is dressed and packing two backpacks.
He glances up at my approach. “Good, you’re dressed. I’ve packed a rucksack with a change of clothes, some meal packs, water bottles and other shit we might need for our journey back.” He stands and hands me the lighter-looking bag of the two.
My eyes narrow at the other bag. “Are you sure you should be carrying that with your injuries?”
He huffs and rolls his eyes. “I swear you’re more concerned about my ribs than I am.”
“Well, at least one of us is.” God knows the man acts like he’s invincible sometimes.
I march over to the other bag and lift it up, almost tipping over at the weight.
“What the fuck do you have in here? The kitchen sink?” I say as I drop it with a thunk and turn to scowl at Rhys. “There’s no way you’re carrying that.”
“I’ll be fine,” he says, waving me off.
“No, you won’t. I don’t need you making your injuries worse.” While I’d prefer that he didn’t carry anything, with how precarious our situation is, we need all the supplies we can carry. Even if that means we risk making Rhys’s injuries worse.
With a sigh, I place my bag on the ground next to his and set about moving some of the stuff from his bag to mine. The idiot packed all the cooking equipment, sleeping bags and most of our food and weapon supply in his bag. No wonder it weighs a ton. He has everything but the kitchen sink.
Rhys scowls but smartly doesn’t argue, instead watching me as I make our packs more evenly distributed. Once I’m done, I close them up and throw my slightly heavier bag onto my back before moving the other bag towards Rhys.
He reluctantly takes it, unable to hide his wince as he puts it on his back. I should have taken more out of it, but there’s no way he’ll let me touch his bag now. I’ll have to do it sneakily tonight—if we don’t get ourselves killed.
“Did you find a map at all?” I ask him as we walk through to the front of the shop.
Rhys shakes his head. “Unfortunately, not. I did find an address, though.”
“And?”
“I was right; we’re in Cardiff. On the northern side of the city.
” He turns and helps me step over the various piles of rubble and debris that litter the front of the shop.
“It’s going to make getting back to Haven harder since we’re going to have to stick to the outskirts and loop around since Luke and his thugs will be looking for us. ”
Shit. I didn’t even think about that. The first thing they’ll expect us to do is head straight back to Haven.
Just the thought of them waiting to ambush us has ice-cold terror dripping down my spine and my stomach clenching with dread. Some of it must leak onto my face because Rhys pulls me into a tight hug.
“I won’t let them take you again, Ollie. I promise,” he murmurs into my hair.
I shake my head. “You can’t make that kind of promise.” Especially when I know it’ll involve him sacrificing himself to save me. That’s not an option.
He cradles my head in his hands and forces me to look up at him. “I can and will make that promise, princess,” he says is a hard voice that brooks no argument. “Let me be the one to save you for once.”
Before I can argue back, he leans down and captures my lips in an all-consuming kiss that has my toes curling and my heart pounding against my chest. He pours so many emotions into that kiss that it makes my head spin even as I kiss him back with as much fervour.
By the time we part, I’m flushed and breathless, and he has a dark, hungry look on his face.
But, as much as I want to drag him back into that staff room and fuck like rabbits, we need to get back to Haven. Not only because I want to get back to Theo, Alex and everyone else, but because they might not know how much threat the Scourge pose with Elsa now on their side.
That’s enough to cool my desire, and it seems Rhys has the same idea because he presses a chaste kiss against my lips before stepping away. There’s still hunger in his eyes, but it’s tempered by wariness as he scans the street.
“Come on, princess,” he says, turning to me. “Let’s go home.”
We spend the day either dodging or killing zombies that decide we look too tasty to pass up. Thankfully, there’s no sign of Luke or the Scourge.
That night, we find a house stable enough to sleep in—thank God. Although Rhys insisted we set up a rota for one of us to be awake at a time, since the house has broken windows and a door hanging precariously off its hinges. So my sleep is fitful and far too fleeting.
The next morning doesn’t look that promising either, since we wake up to a rainstorm that has blown in overnight.
Sheets of rain pour from the sky, making visibility non-existent and dropping the temperature close to freezing once again.
It reminds me of that fateful day on our journey from the Scourge camp all those weeks ago, where we were ambushed by a horde that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Just the thought of that happening again has my gut knotting with dread.
Rhys glances out at the dark sky with a grim expression on his face.
“We’re going to need to be extra careful today,” he says, no doubt remembering that day as well.
“Although this could be to our advantage since the gang won’t be able to see us very well either.
Hell, they might not even venture out into this. ”
I grimace. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to either. But my need to see Alex, Theo and my friends and family at Haven overrides my reluctance.
“Come on, princess. The sooner we’re on the move, the sooner we can get back home.” He pulls me to him and presses a kiss to my forehead before flicking up the hood of my coat to protect my head from the rain. “You have your knife?”
I nod and brandish the hunting knife Rhys had given me from the outdoor sports shop yesterday. “Armed and ready.”
His lips twitch into a small smile. “Good girl.” He kisses my nose before flicking up his own hood and turning to face the rain.
The first hour of our journey isn’t too bad. Our clothing keeps us mostly dry and warm against the freezing rain and wind that batters against us. The hours after that, though, become truly miserable.
For starters, we almost stumble upon a good-sized horde just bumbling around the streets and have to take a detour which involves clambering over ruined buildings and rubble.
My hands get scraped to fuck and are bleeding by the time we make it around the horde and back on the street.
All I can think is that I’m glad I’m up to date on my tetanus jab.
Rhys stops us so we can clean and cover the worst of the wounds with the small amount of supplies we found, but it does little to soothe the sting.
The bandages and plasters also end up getting soaked through within a few minutes anyway, rendering them useless no matter how much I try to keep them dry.
And then, to make matters worse, we have to dive into a nearby car when we spot the outlines of several people. Living people.
Rhys has to clamp his hand around my mouth to keep me quiet as the inevitable panic attack sweeps through me.
I’m a trembling, sobbing mess in his arms, unable to do or say anything as I’m subjected to my own personal nightmare while hiding from people who could do so much worse.
And I don’t even get the luxury of passing out like I usually do, so I just have to suffer through it while terrified of getting found.
I’m not sure how long we’re in the car for when Rhys finally releases his hold on my mouth. “Can you stand, princess?” he asks, his voice so soft I barely hear him over the blood pounding in my ears.
I blink up at him, my vision dotted with black spots as my mind slowly comprehends what he said. My chest feels like it’s moments from caving in and my limbs are trembling noodles, but I nod anyway. I’m eager to do anything as long as it means getting out of this metal coffin.
He doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t call me out on it, probably understanding that I need to leave as soon as possible.
He releases his hold on me, and for a second, the panic completely takes over, causing me to gasp for breath as my throat tightens and my lungs refuse to work.
Thankfully, his touch quickly returns, and he lifts me out of the car and into the freezing cold rain.
The icy water dripping down my face shocks me out of the worst of my panic. I suck in a sharp breath and my eyes flutter as I take in my surroundings for the first time in fuck knows how long.
The outlines of the Scourge are nowhere to be seen—not that I can see much in this weather—in the low light, telling me we were stuck in that car for at least a few hours.
Water saturates the street, tiny streams of it racing down the gutters and pooling across the tarmac.
The dark clouds in the sky are so thick that the sun struggles to peek through, making it seem as though night has fallen.
Rhys places me back onto my feet with a small wince and re-adjusts my hood so it’s covering my face again. “Are you okay to walk?” he asks as he peers down at me, brows furrowed in concern.
I breathe in a shaky breath. “As much as I can be,” I say, glancing down at my still trembling legs. “Let’s just get out of here before they come back.”
He presses his lips together and nods. “Alright, but you will tell me if you feel faint or ill.” It’s an order, not a request.
At any other time, I would have bristled at his tone, but I’m too shaken up to care. So I just sigh. “Fine.”
Rhys doesn’t look completely pleased with my answer, no doubt expecting me to argue back, but neither of us have a choice. We have to keep moving if we want to reach Haven alive.
“Keep a hold of my arm,” he says as he grabs my hand and places it on his arm. “At least until you’re steadier on your feet.”
I tighten my grip as the two of us set off.
It takes about half an hour before I’m stable enough to release his arm and walk at a faster pace.
By then the rain has lessened and the sky is tinted in a soft grey and pink hue from the sunset.
Luck is thankfully on our side because Rhys spots a corner shop that, while almost cleared out of food, isn’t a pile of crumbling bricks like everywhere else.
Even better, it has intact windows and secure doors.
Which means we actually get some decent sleep that night.
Our luck continues the next day when the rain completely clears and the sun beams high and bright in the sky, warming the temperature. The zombies become much easier to avoid, meaning my hands don’t get cut to fuck again. Hell, we don’t even see any Scourge either.
The day goes so well that we leave the city of Cardiff behind us and enter the more rural landscape of South Wales.
But this good luck can’t last forever. And when it finally fails… it fails spectacularly.
The sun is setting as we finally reach a suitable location for the night; an abandoned farm off a country lane.
Although from the road, it doesn’t look like much.
The farmhouse is a burned pile of rubble, and the surrounding fields and forest are wild and overgrown with brambles and dead nettles.
Even the driveway is a cracked mess of potholes and grass sprouting through the tarmac.
The farm’s only saving grace is the small workshop that sits to one side, facing a thick copse of trees.
It’s not much to look at. The brick walls are well-worn and stained with age, and the corrugated iron roofing is heavily rusted in places and no doubt has holes for water to leak through.
But with no other choice, we make this our home for the night.
It’s dark, dank and dingy inside. The floor is soaked from yesterday’s rain, and I just know sleep won’t come easily tonight.
While Rhys sets up a sleeping area, using a tarp and our sleeping bags, I heat some water for our dinner.
By the time he’s finished, the sun has set and our food is hot and ready.
The two of us sit on our sleeping bags and eat in companionable silence, the only sound being the scraping of our spoons against our metal bowls.
A branch snaps outside.
The two of us freeze mid bite, and turn our attention to the door. There’s a rustle followed by another snap and the unmistakable sound of someone’s heavy breathing.
Something that zombies don’t do.
Terror seizes my throat, and I turn my wide-eyed expression to Rhys. He has a grim, knowing look on his face, his lips pressed together and his jaw clenched. He knows as well as I do what those noises mean.
The Scourge have found us. Cornered us.
Rhys silently places his bowl and spoon down and gets up. In three quick strides, he flattens himself against the wall and uses a small hole in the door to peek outside. Whatever he sees must be bad because his entire body stiffens and his hands clench into fists.
I suck in a shuddering breath, my body shaking not just from the cold but from the surge of adrenaline and fear rushing through me.
I place my spoon and bowl down, careful not to make a noise, and push myself to my feet.
My knees threaten to give way beneath me, but I lock them and force my panicked mind to slow down and think.
There has to be some way out of this.
But no matter how hard I try, I can’t come up with anything.
And then I hear more footsteps and the sound of multiple male voices and laughter.
It almost sounds like they’re having a fucking party out there.
They aren’t trying to be quiet. They want us to know they’re out there, that we’re trapped like rats in a trap.
Rhys turns to me, a flicker of pain and hopelessness in his honey eyes, but he hides it behind a mask of icy determination. Not that it matters, because we both know the truth.
Unless a miracle happens, we’re fucked.