Chapter 16
Running out of Time
Olivia
We steer far away from towns for the next three days, none of us wanting a repeat of that night in the supermarket.
Instead, we choose to stay in tiny villages and on dilapidated farms at night, but our routine stays consistent; wake up just after sunrise, eat and prepare for a long day of walking—or riding, in my case—before hitting the road.
We’ll stop a few times during the day to make sure that everyone eats and drinks or to scavenge for supplies.
Then an hour before sunset we’ll look for a suitable place to sleep and settle down for the night.
And all the while, I’m failing miserably at keeping my emotional distance from these men.
It doesn’t matter that I keep our conversations away from personal topics like our lives before the world ended or our homes before we met.
There’s just something about the way the guys interact with one another, how comfortable and in-tune they are that keeps reeling me in.
It’s obvious they care deeply for each other.
I keep expecting them to treat me as an outsider, but they never do.
Theo includes me in their jokes and teasing.
Alex ensures I eat and stay hydrated. Hell, even Rhys includes me in his orders, treating me like he treats the other guys.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere and it’s making it impossible to hold myself back from these amazing men.
Although not everything is sunshine and roses.
Nightmares still plague my sleep, and even when I try to stay awake, they lurk in the darkness, waiting to pounce.
While they’ve been a permanent fixture in my life for the past decade, ever since that night in the supermarket, they’ve got worse.
They’ve become more violent and terrifying.
To the point I’m often jolted awake with a pounding heart and covered in sweat.
Thankfully, I haven’t woken up screaming yet and none of the guys have commented on it, so I must be hiding it well enough.
But eventually, they’re going to notice how sluggish I am or the dark bags beneath my eyes.
I’m not looking forward to that conversation, not if Rhys is his usual bull headed self.
At this point, I’m barely hanging on. I’m hoping that if I get tired enough, maybe I’ll fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. It’s worked before. But I wasn’t in constant danger before and I’m petrified my lack of sleep is going to cost someone their life.
“We should start thinking about where we want to spend the night,” Rhys says, breaking through my thoughts.
I look over at the sun dipping low on the horizon. We have less than an hour before the light fades and leaves us in the dark with the dead. A terrifying prospect. Even more now that I’ve experienced firsthand how fast and strong they are at night.
“That’s easier said than done,” Theo says as he glances around the deserted motorway that stretches out in front of us. “I haven’t seen a house or building for at least two miles.”
Rhys curses under his breath. “I knew we should have stopped at that cottage back there.” He turns his attention to the horizon. “Can any of you see any buildings in the distance?”
Alex and Theo make negative noises before turning their attention to me. I stand in my stirrups and squint, but all I can see is a sea of trees and the blank stretch of tarmac. No roofs, no buildings.
“Nothing,” I say as the reality of our situation dawns on me and my guts knot with dread. Shit, this is bad. Really bad.
Judging from the grim expression on Rhys’s face, he’s come to the same conclusion.
He presses his lips together and glances around, probably planning before he finally speaks.
“We have two options right now; either we keep moving for the next half an hour and hope we find something. Or we find suitable vehicles to stay in for the night.”
I know which option I want.
“No cars,” I tell them while trying to suppress a shudder of horror at the thought.
Just the idea of being trapped in a small space in the dark with no way of escaping if zombies decide to attack is enough to make me nauseous.
Even now, I hear the echoes of fingers scraping against metal and the inhuman moans of the dead from the last time I was locked in a car.
And thanks to our night of horrors at the supermarket, that fear has doubled.
If we end up having to sleep in cars, I actually might go insane.
All three men swing their gazes to me, all of them with curious expressions.
“Princess, I think the car might be our best option,” Theo says slowly, carefully.
I shake my head. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in a car.” I don’t care if they think I’m some spoiled brat who refuses sub-optimal sleeping conditions. I’m not getting into a car for the night.
Rhys scowls. “We need to decide this as a team, princess,” he says, his tone tinged with frustration.
“Well, in that case, sweet cheeks, you guys can figure it out for yourselves and I’ll be on my way.” I urge Bean onward to make my point clear. Harlow whines behind, but I soon hear the telltale click of her nails against the tarmac as she trots after us.
Am I being a massive bitch? Yes, I am. Do I care? More than I should, considering I’ve only known them for about a week, but I care more for my sanity. Besides, splitting up will solve my impending problem of catching feelings for those three idiots.
Win, win all round, right?
Except Rhys grabs the reins before Bean can get too far and pulls her to a halt.
I glare down at him. “Let go of the reins,” I bite out through clenched teeth.
His hands tighten on the leather and his eyes narrow. “Not until you tell us what the hell is going on with you.”
I shake my head. “I just told you, I don’t sleep in cars.
” No way in fuck am I going to tell these guys the truth; that I’ll have panic attack after panic attack until I’m nothing more than a whimpering, crying mess and not in the fun way.
They don’t need to know about my personal shit, about the horrific accident that stole my parents and my childhood all at once.
Or the shitshow that was my wedding day and the start of the apocalypse.
“Ollie…” Rhys sighs as his face softens with understanding, and I just know that he suspects something. Can he see the fear in my eyes? The trauma that sits heavily on my chest?
I harden my gaze. “It’s none of your business,” I snarl as embarrassment and anger war within me. I feel raw, like an exposed nerve, and it makes me want to lash out and push them away. “Now let go of the fucking reins.”
He shakes his head but drops his hands. “Guess we’re continuing on and hoping we find something.”
I nod and nudge Bean forward, not daring to look behind me at the guys. I don’t want to see the pity on their faces or the knowing glances between them. Instead, I force myself to keep my attention forward as I hear their footsteps following.
Guilt gnaws at my insides. Am I leading these men to their deaths because of my trauma? I dismiss that thought. They’re grown ass men, they make their own choices. They’re more than welcome to sleep in cars; I just won’t be joining them.
But dammit if I don’t love the fact that they refuse to leave me to fend for myself. That even though I’m being a stubborn bitch, they’re still treating me as a member of the team.
We walk for about half an hour as the sun dips dangerously low on the horizon. Time is running out and we’ve found no buildings at all.
My stomach is a tight knot of fear, dread, and guilt.
I hate that I can’t bring myself to sleep in a car for the night and that I’ve put the three men with me in danger.
I hate that I care about what happens to them.
The guys are all wearing identical grim expressions and any minute now, Rhys is going to announce that we should stop and find shelter in a car.
That’ll be the moment this small team of ours breaks.
But as the minutes tick by, he doesn’t do that. We simply keep going, each step feeling like we’re marching toward our funerals.
Even the animals are picking up on our moods. Bean tenses beneath me and Harlow clamps her tail between her legs and pins her ears back. Ketchup, who’s usually a vocal drama queen, stays silent as she perches on the saddle in front of me.
Fuck. There has to be somewhere out here for us to shelter in.
I’ll take anything; a cow shed, a barn, a rickety old cottage.
Hell, even a fucking gardening shed. Just anything but a car.
But somehow we’ve found ourselves in the most rural part of the motorway because there’s nothing.
Not even in the distance, although it’s hard to see through the dense overgrown foliage that borders the road.
More minutes tick by and the sky is darkening by the second.
The stars have made their appearance, twinkling in the sky next to a crescent moon.
It’d be beautiful if they didn’t harbour our deaths at the hands of zombies.
I’m losing hope and dread and fear coils tighter in my stomach until I’m sure I’m going to be sick.
And then I see it. A sign.
No, like an actual, literal sign.
It’s nothing much, just a spray painted bit of metal that lies on the side of the motorway.
But it’s our salvation because on it reads The Lodge with an arrow pointing down the motorway.
There’s no way the Scourge would put up signs advertising their own camps, right?
Surely this is a place we can spend the night.
Fuck, I hope so because I don’t fancy my chances out here and I don’t want to be responsible for the guys’ deaths.
Rhys spots the sign at the same time I do, and his eyes widen. “Shit. We’re further along the motorway than I thought.”
I glance at him in confusion. “You’ve heard of this place?” Please tell me it’s somewhere safe.