Chapter Seven
Briggs
It’s been almost a week since making it into Canada. Already, so many things have changed. Every night when we find a place to make camp, we tuck ourselves together in one sleeping bag instead of two. I don’t think I’ve slept this well since before I lost my brother.
Wade makes me feel safe, he makes me feel warm all over and not just in temperature. Neither of us have talked about this change yet every night, he opens up his sleeping bag and I crawl inside.
We talk more easily. It’s like sleeping next to each other has knocked down some imaginary wall neither of us even realized was there until it was gone.
I still haven’t told him the full story of what happened with my brother but I tell him about what my life was like before the outbreak.
In turn, Wade tells me about his family and what it was like being raised as a werewolf in secret.
The more I hear Wade talk, the more my heart stirs in a way I wasn’t prepared for. After all this time, I assumed my heart would never stir again. I assumed that part of myself had died along with everyone else.
Wade makes my heart feel alive again.
Which is complicated as fuck. What the hell am I supposed to do?
Tell him I have a crush on him? Hell no.
I’m not putting him in that sort of position.
All we have is each other and if I make things weird by telling him I’ve developed feelings for him, he might leave.
Or worse, he’ll stick around out of obligation.
The best thing I can do is put a tight lid on these feelings. I’m just thankful to have Wade here at all. His companionship and presence is enough.
“We should start looking for a place to camp.”
I turn towards Wade, shaking my head. “Just a little further.”
“You said that an hour ago.”
“I know, but I have a good feeling. Just a little further.”
Wade lets out a deep sigh, his breath coming out as a little fog cloud around his lips. I can’t help but smile. He looks so put out but at the same time, he indulges me.
As we walk, snow slowly starts to fall. The air is cold and crisp. The snowflakes hit our skin, melting instantly. It’s pretty when I don’t think about how dangerous the cold is going to get.
“There,” I say, reaching the peak of a hill and looking down. “Wade, look!”
“Oh,” I hear Wade breathe out beside me. We stare for a long moment, just taking it in.
There, at the bottom of the hill, is a little cottage beside a lake. There’s a shed and a dock and even a little boat. It’s surrounded by trees and forests, a single dirt road leading to it.
In another life, I can imagine taking vacations here.
A little break from civilization in order to get away.
A place where me and a partner could come and relax.
I could read out on the porch while they cooked dinner inside.
We could go swimming together and if we were feeling daring, maybe we’d swim without our clothes.
We would cuddle inside in order to warm back up.
It’s a dream for another time. Right now, we need to get down there before the snow really starts to fall.
“Come on,” Wade says, gently pushing my shoulder and leading me down the hill. Everything about this place feels just a little too good to be real. I pull out one of my throwing knives, having it ready just in case we run into trouble.
Surprisingly, we don’t hear any zombies around as we make our way down to the cabin. Wade leans his face against the door, listening for anything inside. He shakes his head.
“Nothing.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “We should still be careful. Just in case.”
He gives me a nod before opening the door.
We step inside, alert and ready. The room we step into is the kitchen, a table to the right and the stove on the left.
Past that is the living area, complete with a fireplace.
To the right of the living area is a door to the bedroom which has a small bathroom attached. That’s it. That’s the whole house.
“Did we just win the lottery?”
Wade grunts, still looking around like something might jump out at him any moment. “Feels too good to be true.”
“It really does,” I say slowly. “But maybe for once, we got lucky?”
“I’m gonna go check the shed, just in case.”
“Want me to come with?”
“Nah, I’ll yell if I see anything.”
He walks back outside, leaving me alone for a moment. I turn around in a circle, just taking everything in. It’s been a long time since anyone has been here, proof of that in the layer of dust covering everything.
Making my way to the fireplace, I open up the vent, making sure there’s nothing blocking the chimney. Carefully, I stick my head in, taking a look. Everything looks good.
Then I rummage through the kitchen. There are some canned goods and other various nonperishables but the fridge is cleaned out. Whoever owned this place made sure to take care of everything before they left.
By the time Wade comes back inside, I have the gas stove turned on, heating up some of our canned goods. He looks bewildered.
“There’s nothing.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t find anything wrong,” he says, his voice sounding far off and confused.
“I just assumed we’d find something super fucked up.
Like the previous owners. Or maybe some zombies trapped in the floorboards.
Or the shed would end up being the spot a serial killer kept bodies. I don’t know, Briggs. Something.”
I turn the stove off and take the food off the burner. Then I walk up to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. No. That’s not quite right. I move my hands to cup his face, making sure we’re eye to eye.
“We deserve good things to happen sometimes, too.”
“What?”
I repeat myself. “We deserve good things. Stop trying to find something wrong.”
“But if I don’t stay vigilant, how can we make sure we’re safe?”
“We can’t,” I say simply but making sure my voice is soft and kind. “We’ll probably never be truly safe again. That doesn’t mean we can’t find rest.”
Wade closes his eyes, letting out a long breath. Like a puppet whose strings have been cut, Wade falls against me. His face finds my shoulder, his arms wrapping around my back. My hands follow suit, wrapping around his back, holding him tight.
I don’t know which of us needed this more but we just hold each other, breathing in sync, being present in the moment. We deserve this. We deserve a break. We deserve when good things fall into our laps.
“I’m not sure I believe that, but I like that you believe it,” Wade finally says, clearing his throat as he straightens. He looks over at the stove, letting the tiniest smile play at his lips. Good lord, he’s so pretty when he smiles.
“I was able to use my lighter to get the fire started on the burner. I thought it would be nice to eat a hot meal for once.”
“Thank you, Briggs.”
I find some spoons and divvy up our food into two bowls.
Tonight we’re having baked beans and canned salmon.
It’s a bit mushy but I’m not about to complain about a hot, filling meal.
It warms the pit of my stomach in a way I haven’t felt since we hit Canada.
We sit side by side on the couch, staring at the empty fireplace.
Tomorrow we can start cleaning everything up. We can get a wood pile going. We can start venturing out in order to find a town where we can gather supplies. All of that can wait until tomorrow though. Right now, I’m just happy to be sharing this moment with Wade. I’m happy at how far we’ve come.
I hate to admit it but, I’m just happy. Period. Having Wade beside me, feeling his warmth soak into me where we touch, listening to him eat. All of it just makes me happy.
When we’re done eating, Wade pushes the old fridge against the door, an added layer of security while we sleep. I’m assuming we haven’t heard any zombies so far because we’re just too far away from where humans were. This part of Canada must have been pretty barren which suits our needs just fine.
“What are you doing?”
I look up from my place on the floor. I look down at the sleeping bag in my hand and shrug. “Getting ready for bed?”
Wade crosses his arms over his chest. “For the first time in a long fucking time, we have access to a bed and you’re planning on sleeping on the floor?”
“You should take the bed, Wade.”
“We should take the bed.”
I look down, feeling my cheeks heat. We’ve been sleeping together for a week but the idea of being in the same bed as Wade leaves me wanting to squirm.
I want it. I want it so badly I’m ready to beg but at the same time, I hold myself back.
I’m not going to make Wade uncomfortable, especially because sharing a bed with him will mean something different to me than it would for him.
“Briggs,” Wade says and my eyes snap up. “Quit overthinking it. I’m used to your snoring. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep without you.”
I open my mouth and snap it shut. He wants to sleep with me! He wants me in the same bed as him!
“I don’t snore,” I say, tossing my sleeping bag onto the couch and standing up.
“Right, and I’m not a werewolf.”
I jab my elbow into his ribs as we make our way into the bedroom. He snorts, rubbing at the spot.
The room is cold but there’s a thick quilt on top of the bed that’ll keep us warm. Plus, sleeping next to Wade is like sleeping next to my own personal furnace. As a werewolf, he runs so much hotter than me.
We strip down to just our boxers, socks, and shirts before getting into the bed. I turn onto my side, my back facing Wade.
I let out a surprise noise as he pushes against my back, plastering his chest against me. One of his arms goes around my middle, holding me and pushing me back against him.
“This is how we always end up sleeping anyway,” he murmurs against my shoulder. “Might as well start here for once.”
“Right,” I say, my entire body going lax in his hold. This is nice. Really, really fucking nice.
I could get used to this.
“I forgot how nice beds are. I feel like I’m about to sleep in the clouds.”
I chuckle softly. “I missed how nice pillows feel.”
“You usually sleep with your head on my arm. My neck on the other hand.”
I shove him, chuckling. “Stop teasing me.”
His arms squeeze me. “I’m not,” he whispers.
My eyes eventually grow too heavy to stay open.
I drift off to sleep with Wade spooning me, holding me, and I feel not only warm but also cherished.
A little part of my brain wonders if there’s a chance that maybe Wade is feeling the same way I am.
Maybe we could really have something special between us.
Maybe this isn’t just convenience or survival.
The bigger part of my brain tells me to shut the fuck up and go to sleep. That’s the part that ends up winning.