Chapter 8 #2
I grind my teeth and narrow my eyes at him. I swear this guy is purposefully pushing my buttons just to piss me off. Well, fuck him and the horse he rode in on. Speaking of horses… “I’m taking Bean round the back,” I say as I grab the mare’s reins and lead her to the side of the house.
“By yourself?” the infuriating man asks.
“Won’t be the first time. Don’t worry your pretty little head,” I shoot back just before I disappear from view. The back garden is in a similar state to the one I found the first night I started my mission, except this one borders onto a stream.
I close the gate behind us and set about slipping Bean’s saddle and bridle off her just as the last rays of sunlight fade and darkness descends.
The mare walks off to find a thick patch of grass to munch on while Harlow trots over to the stream and laps at the water.
Ketchup caws at me once before flying off to find a place to roost for the night.
I’m both looking forward to and dreading the night ahead. While it’s nice to have other people there to watch my back, I don’t trust them and the less time I spend with them, the better. I’ll take one room in the house and staying there for the night.
But, of course, my life can’t be that easy.
As soon as I walk through the back door with Harlow in tow, I realise the entire ground floor is open plan.
Before the world ended, I’m sure the place was stunning in a modern, clean kind of way, but for me, it’s the worst case possible.
There’s nowhere to hide, no place to curl up and let myself break in private.
The kitchen takes up one wall with counters that were once a gleaming white, now grey and dull from a year of neglect.
Next to the kitchen is a dining area with one of those fancy glass and metal dining tables with uncomfortable looking metal chairs.
The living room area is on the other side of the house, the area only separated by a sprawling L-shaped black sofa sitting in front of a huge TV.
Beside the TV is one of those modern fireplaces that isn’t actually a fireplace, it’s just electric.
Which, during the apocalypse, is fucking useless.
The guys have already claimed the living room area, so I camp out in the kitchen near the back door.
As I crouch on the floor, I place Bean’s tack on the ground next to me and then begin my nightly ritual of preparing food for both Harlow and me.
I ignore that at least half my rations are now missing.
It’s a future Ollie problem.
I go through the motions of turning my camping stove on, pouring in the food and waiting for it to heat. It’s soothing and familiar, exactly what I need if I want to stave off my impending panic attack.
And then it shatters.
“What are you doing?” Rhys barks at me, cutting through my meditative state.
All at once, my emotions hit me like a fucking freight train and I suck in a desperate breath as my chest squeezes painfully.
I clench one hand into a fist while the other threads through the thick fur of Harlow’s scruff.
She presses against me, probably feeling the hurricane of emotions whipping through me.
I force myself to focus on her; the warmth of her body seeping through my clothes, her rhythmic breathing, her distinctive doggie smell.
It’s enough to keep the worst of my emotions at bay.
And then my anger takes over. Goddammit, the bastard just had to fucking order me around like I’m a solider or something.
“I’m knitting,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?”
I keep my attention on the food in the pot.
I’m pretty sure if Harlow wasn’t half on top of me, I’d march over and punch the guy in the face.
Or stab him with the fancy knife Andy gave me.
Or shoot an arrow at him. All of those sound like good options for the arrogant twat.
I know I should be grateful that he saved my ass, but his attitude is making that impossible.
There’s a snort and cough that sounds suspiciously like suppressed laughter, followed by a growl.
“I think what the neanderthal over here is trying to say is, why are you all the way over there?” Alex asks, barely contained laughter in his voice.
I shrug. “Since we’re sharing a house, I figured it’s best if we have our own spaces.
” I try to at least not sound like a complete bitch because—unlike Rhys—Alex isn’t being a knob, and he did tear the guy that was attacking off me.
Maybe I’ll thank him tomorrow, right before I leave them in the dust and never see them again.
Good plan.
“You shouldn’t be over there,” Rhys growls.
I roll my eyes although he can’t see because I still have my back to them. “I can be where ever the hell I want to be in here.”
He huffs. “Not if you’re going to shove your face against the window and alert our presence to any infected or gang that wanders past.”
I glance up at the floor to ceiling window I’m sitting in front of.
It gives me an excellent view of the back garden, including the vague outlines of Bean and Ketchup.
Sure, my camp stove is casting a little light around me, but it’ll go off as soon as my food is cooked.
Besides, unlike Captain Wanker over there, I can see the cord that’s connected to the blinds hanging from the top of the window.
With a sigh, I stand, grab the cord and pull. The blinds fall and completely cover the window. I turn around and give the asshole a bow. “If only I could get you to disappear for my next trick,” I snark before turning to sit back down next to my camping stove.
Laughter bursts out from behind me.
“Oh fuck,” Theo chuckles. “You should see your face.”
“That’ll teach you not to be a prick,” Alex says in amusement.
“Fuck off,” Rhys mutters, which only makes the other two men laugh harder.
Even I feel my lips twitch. I have to admit, Rhys isn’t the first dick to underestimate me, and he won’t be the last. But damn, does it feel good to stick it to him, even if it was only something as small as closing the fucking blinds.
As I settle down to eat my now cooked food, none of the men bother me, clearly having got the message.
Instead, they talk softly amongst themselves and I don’t even try to listen or watch.
There’s no point; I’m leaving them as soon as the sun rises, so no need to get invested in their life stories or anything.
I have one focus; find and save Tobias and Rachel.
I feed Harlow leftovers from my food alongside her kibble before setting up my sleeping bag and settling down for the night.