Chapter 10
High Standards
Alex
Istill can’t believe we’re allowing her to come with us.
All three of us know how dangerous the Scourge are—we fought them off when they attacked nearly a week ago—and this woman is not prepared for their level of brutality.
She’s going to get hurt—or worse, killed—and the other two are just walking along like that’s no big deal.
Like we’re all just going for an easy hike in the bright February sun.
I tried to talk to Rhys this morning about it, but he didn’t want to hear it, and Theo has ignored my attempts since last night. Am I the only here who gives a shit about Ollie and what happens to her? Because that’s what it feels like.
Which is weird since Theo and Rhys are overprotective as fuck.
They’re the ones who set up the walls and security at Haven—the community we’re from—and Rhys made sure that every able-bodied person there took lessons on how to defend themselves.
They’re both borderline fanatics with safety and mitigating risks.
Apparently none of that applies to stopping small women imitating Disney princesses from getting themselves killed.
I glance over at the woman in question. She’s sitting on top of her horse, Bean, while Harlow trots happily by her side.
Her bird flew off an hour ago and I haven’t seen her since, but Ollie doesn’t seem worried about it.
She’s been quiet the whole three hours that we’ve been on the move, her attention instead on our surroundings as she clutches her bow in one hand and the reins in the other.
Every so often she’ll flick her watchful gaze to me and the other two walking beside her, almost like she’s half-expecting us to double-cross her or something.
I guess I can’t blame her; people out in this new world aren’t always the friendliest, but her wariness of us only adds to my worries. How can she trust us in a fight if she can’t trust us when we’re just walking down the motorway?
“I didn’t realise you wanted to be in the running for our grumpiest group member,” Theo says next to me with a smirk.
My gaze cuts away from Ollie to him and turns into a scowl, but I stay quiet. I’m not going to encourage him.
“Aw, come on, Alex. You know Rhys has you beat, right?” He elbows my side.
I roll my eyes. “You know why I’m pissed.”
“We all do, yeah. But frowning about it and getting your knickers in a twist won’t change our minds, or hers.” His eyes flick over to Ollie, who’s staring down at us with narrowed eyes.
“Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it,” I grumble back. When did it become my turn to get ribbed by Theo?
“True, but if you’re not careful, your face will stick like that and then your chances of getting laid will rival Rhys’s.”
“Fuck you,” Rhys growls as he glares at Theo over his shoulder. “I don’t see you surrounded by women.”
“Well, I’m not going to be surrounded out here, am I?” Theo shoots back while spreading his arms wide. “Besides, I have high standards.”
Ollie snorts, causing all of us to whip our heads in her direction. “Somehow, I doubt anyone can afford high standards in the apocalypse.” She pauses to glance at Theo with a smirk. “Or that you have any.”
“How dare you,” Theo gasps dramatically as places a hand on his chest, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I have nothing but the highest of standards.”
Ollie quirks an eyebrow. “Do those standards include breathing?”
I snort out a surprise laugh as Rhys covers his bark of laughter with a cough. Theo isn’t as caught off-guard by Ollie’s teasing as Rhys and I are because he just grins proudly at her.
Great, just what we need, two bloody comedians.
“What about you, princess? You got any standards?” Theo asks, his tone turning flirtatious.
Ollie scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Yes, and you don’t meet them.”
I can’t help but chuckle as Theo shoots her a mock wounded look.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find someone with low enough standards for you,” I say as I clap him on the shoulder. It’s a lie. None of us have been interested in sex or finding a partner since the world ended.
Theo shrugs off my hand and flips me off with a scowl. “You guys don’t have to be so mean to me, you know.”
“You started it.”
“No, I didn’t. You did with that frown-y face of yours.” He waves a hand at my face.
I slap his hand away. “You could have left my frown-y face alone.” Although a part of me is glad that he didn’t because he’s brought me out of my internal funk.
“I could have, but I was concerned about your prospects of getting laid if it stuck. I was protecting Alex Junior.” His eyes dart down to my crotch.
I roll my eyes. “You’re an idiot.”
“No, I’m not. I’m pretty sure my grades were better than yours.”
“Yeah, when we were bloody sixteen. That was over fifteen years ago!”
I’m not sure how long we bicker back and forth when I catch Ollie grinning down at us out of the corner of my eye.
I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve seen her fully smile and damn, does it light up her face.
She’s a stunning woman, especially with those bright green eyes and full pink lips, but her smile makes her breathtaking.
She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever come across.
“You two are going to drive me up the fucking wall,” Rhys groans from in front of us.
“I’m surprised we haven’t already,” Theo shoots back with his signature smirk.
“Kind of hard to when there’s no wall, but keep going and I’m sure I’ll—fuck.” Rhys halts, causing everyone else to stop as we all go on alert.
“What wrong?” I ask as I scan the trees that line the motorway on either side of us, my body tense and ready to spring into action.
“The fucking bridge is out. We’re going to have to go through the trees and cross the motorway below and hope the banks on either side of it aren’t too steep,” Rhys answers, his tone coloured with frustration as he rakes a hand through his short brown hair.
“And if the banks are too steep?” Ollie asks as she leans forward in the saddle to eye the embankments hidden in the trees on either side of us.
“We keep going until they aren’t.”
“Won’t that take too long?”
“Not when we don’t have a choice.” Rhys levels her with a stern look, almost challenging her to argue back.
Ollie chews on her bottom lip but remains silent.
“I’m taking point. Draw your weapons and keep an eye out for movement. People and infected like hiding in the trees,” Rhys orders after realising that Ollie isn’t going to protest.
He’s the first to move toward the treeline, his hands reaching to unclip his rifle from his hip as he reaches the first tree.
The rest of us follow, with Theo and I palming our handguns while Ollie slides an arrow from her quiver and prepares it to be fired.
Harlow must feel the change in the energy around us because she goes on alert, her body tensing and the scruff on the back of her neck standing on end.
It’s a different feeling in the trees compared to on the motorway, almost claustrophobic with how dense the foliage is.
Since the world ended, nature has taken over the land and with it comes the added challenge of having to navigate overgrown forests and fields.
Not to mention the abundance of wild animals that have appeared in the past six months.
Hell, just last month, Theo and I spotted a small pack of wolves that must have escaped a zoo while we were out on a supply run.
Bloody wolves are roaming the British countryside now. It’s madness.
It doesn’t take us long to reach the embankment that slopes down to the road below us.
The tarmac is littered with abandoned vehicles, more than I’ve seen in a long time, all dented and rusted from being left in the British elements.
Between the cars, a few zombies in various stages of decomposition roam aimlessly, leaving dark red trails of fluid behind them.
I shudder and wrinkle my nose. Even though they’ve been around for the past thirteen months, I still hate seeing them.
I tear my gaze from the zombies to the embankment we need to scale down. Trees dot the grassy bank that’s steeper than I’d like, but judging from Rhys’s small, confident nod, he thinks we can make our way down.
“Dismount for this,” he tells Ollie before he starts his descent, leaning his body back and taking small, measured steps.
Ollie ignores him and urges Bean to follow him. The horse hesitates for a moment before stepping over the edge and shifting her weight onto her haunches. Rhys glances over his shoulder and tightens his jaw as he shakes his head at her. He’s going to chew her out if something happens to her or Bean.
“Stubborn little thing, isn’t she?” Theo murmurs as he watches them navigate down the bank. “Question is; is she more stubborn than he is?”
I snort. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone more stubborn than Rhys.” The guy could put a mule to shame. To this day, I still don’t know how he served over a decade in the military without getting booted out.
Theo glances at me, his eyes glinting with mischief. “You wanna bet?”
I cock an eyebrow, feeling my competitive nature perk up. “I’m listening.”
His lips curve into his signature smirk. “I think the princess can make Rhys concede on one thing by the time we reach the Scourge camp.”
I narrow my eyes. “What kind of thing? You need to be more specific than that.” You don’t let Theo have wiggle room with bets. I learned that the hard way.
He taps his chin as he thinks. “Alright, fine. I bet that she’ll refuse to listen to a direct order by the end of the day.”
“Only one? She’s already done that. Let’s do five orders.”
“No, five is too much. It’s already nearly midday. Two orders.”
“Three orders.”
He pauses before nodding. “Deal. Now, what are you willing to bet?”