Chapter Twenty-Six
R ainer had determined a meeting point before we had headed toward the camp. When he was outvoted, it was the one thing he could control.
Taking cover inside a faded diner, the sign outside crooked but large, we waited with bated breath for the others. Minutes that felt like hours passed until suddenly, there they were. Murphy, Sasha, and Warner skidded inside, all out of breath, their hair askew and chests heaving.
“What the hell did we do?” Murphy asked with wide eyes.
Apparently, they had seen the chaos back at the camp. I wondered how long it would go on. How many more lives would be lost in the name of survival.
“We don’t have time to waste,” Rainer snapped. “Grab our things and let's get the fuck out of here.”
We grabbed the bags we had stashed in the diner, retrieving more from the last house we had stayed in. Each of us slung supplies over our shoulders, ammo, clothes, and food stuffed inside each.
“Mina, you know the way?” Sasha checked in and she nodded steadily, although I noted the concern in her eyes.
It wasn’t easy to be in charge, to know people’s lives were in your hands. But I trusted her, believed in her, and if she needed reassurance, I’d be there to give it to her.
“What are we waiting for?” Warner asked and his words snapped us into motion.
Filing out of the diner, those with weapons readied themselves, but we had nothing to worry about. The streets were fairly empty, either the people had already moved on, possibly going back to their homes. Or they were still at the camp, fighting for a weapon.
For hours we trudged along the paths of the town, meandering through abandoned neighborhoods, until we finally reached the highway.
The sight was foreign. Several stalled out cars sat in the middle of the road, others driven off the edges, tilted into the hills on each side. There was no rumble of engines, no cars whizzing past, and it was as if the world had already ended.
“Do you think we’ll run into other people?” I asked whoever would answer.
Unease swirled in my gut at the idea. Would they attack us, try to take our food and weapons? I thought back to the two men who had found us in the woods. They hadn’t thought twice before attempting to rob us, and that was before anyone knew the truth.
Rainer shrugged, calling out from the front of our group. “I’d be surprised if we didn’t. Everyone should keep their guards up, just in case.”
The unease grew until an arm was slung over my shoulder, a husky voice in my ear. “Don’t worry, babe. Everyone has the same goal, they’ll leave us alone.”
I raised my brows at Warner, softening under the weight of his touch. “I didn’t think you were the optimistic sort.”
That role usually fell on Murphy. If I was to classify the three of them, Murphy was the optimist, Rainer the realist, and Warner the pessimist. Although, the more time I spent with each of them, the more facets I saw, realizing they couldn’t fit into the boxes I originally created in my head.
“Oh, that’s not me being optimistic. But your stress is contagious and we don’t need anyone freaking out.”
I glanced at the others, noticing that I indeed was not the only one stressed about the circumstances. Aiden hovered near me, his reach never too far away. Rainer and Murphy stood shoulder to shoulder, both of their gazes bouncing to every available space they could see.
Mina was beside them, giving instructions, but even her shoulders were tight. Stephanie and Lucas huddled between their parents, the four of them slightly separate from the rest of us.
The only two who seemed relaxed were Sasha and Warner. Sasha was nearly skipping as she walked, basking in the sunlight overhead, even as a chill bit through the air.
“And why isn’t my stress getting to you?” I asked Warner, leaning into his side as I took my next step.
“Because my only concern is you. And it just so happens that nearly everyone here would take a bullet from you.” He looked down at me with a teasing smile, the unfamiliar gesture lighting up the dark depths of his eyes. “Must be that personality of yours, draws everyone in.”
“Even you?” I asked.
I knew the answer. He had been more than forthcoming about his feelings for me. But as my gaze fell on Murphy and Rainer once more, I knew why I needed the reassurance. How could my heart beat in tandem with each of these men? And if it never ceased to do so, would they all be okay with that?
Warner leaned down, biting teasingly against my neck. “Especially me.”
I sat on the hood of a car, my arms wrapped around myself, the wind biting at me even through the coat. I stared up at the stars littering the sky; the sight reminding me of the nights spent in the woods, comfort wrapping around me like a blanket.
We had decided to stop an hour ago once it was nearly impossible to find our way through the darkness. So far, we hadn’t passed any other travelers, but that didn’t stop everyone from deciding on a watch schedule, alternating shifts every hour.
Several of the cars on the road were unlocked and we took advantage, climbing inside to escape the cold and find some rest for the night. Warner was on the first watch, but besides Emmanuel, Elizabeth, and the twins, none of us were ready for sleep yet.
“Anyone want to play a game? I’m bored,” Sasha sounded from inside the car I sat on, her head resting on the open window.
“Don’t know what to do with yourself when we’re not breaking and entering?” Aiden teased from beside me.
“I’m bored too,” Mina defended Sasha, sitting in the passenger seat, her door open.
Admittedly, I was also bored. It seemed that Murphy’s words were true, none of us really knew what to do with the free time. There was no plotting to be done, no places to break into, no one to fight.
For the first time in the past eight months, I was left bereft without the commodities we were used to. There was no television to turn on, no music to listen to, hell, there wasn’t even a book to read.
“Ooh,” Sasha exclaimed, “let’s play hide and seek!”
Mina let out a snort of amusement. “What are we, twelve?”
Sasha groaned, opening her car door and making her way to the hood where we all congregated. “Come on! This is the perfect place to do it. We have the woods, a bunch of cars, and it’s dark out. What else are we going to do?”
“She has a point,” I added. “Plus, everything happening has added years to my life. May as well act like a kid again.”
I nudged Aiden in the shoulder, cajoling him with a grin. “Come on. This is your chance to redeem yourself. You never could beat me when we were kids.”
As I hoped it would, the competitiveness rose in him and he hopped off the hood, spreading his arms wide. “I always beat you. And I’ll beat your ass again now.”
Jumping down to join them, Mina climbed out of the car, and the four of us started discussing the bounds and who would be the seeker first.
Murphy and Rainer spotted our huddle from where they stood a distance away and came over to investigate. Warner leaned against the frame of a car, winking at me when he found my gaze, before turning back toward the road, continuing to keep watch.
“What are you doing?” Rainer asked as he stepped into our circle.
Sasha explained the decided rules and Murphy’s grin grew as he whooped quietly. “I’m so in. Can I be the seeker first?”
We all broke out into debates, everyone wanting to seek first, the biggest difference from childhood. I remembered all the kids arguing about who got to hide, no one wanting to struggle to find the others.
“No,” Rainer spoke over us all, his voice low but decidedly firm.
I crossed my arms over my chest, exhausted of him always heeding a warning, directed as an order. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, this is a stupid idea. We have no idea who we could run into. And you all want to hide on your own?”
I threw my arms out, spinning in a circle. “There’s no one around for miles. Relax for ten minutes, have some fun. I know you want to.”
I could see him wavering. He and Murphy shared plenty of stories of their childhood, and I knew this was right up their alley.
Murphy tossed an arm around Rainer’s shoulder. “Come on. If you’re so worried, we can partner up to hide. That way, no one is alone.”
“And we already set boundaries. No one will be too far,” Sasha added, all of us doing our best to sway the grump.
Eventually, Rainer gave in, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine. But no one leaves their partner.”
Murphy clapped his hands together, calling out to Warner. “Warner, we have an odd number of hiders, you’re joining.”
Rainer opened his mouth to argue once again, but Murphy held up a hand, possibly the only person that could get Rainer to shut up. “Do not complain. The seeker will keep watch, make sure the cars don’t suddenly come to life around us.”
We began separating into pairs, Mina and Aiden pairing up. Sasha and Warner decided to team up and by the way they whispered quietly, I knew they would be the hardest to find. That left me with Rainer and, although he wanted to pretend to be annoyed about the situation, he couldn’t hide the small tilt of his lips as I sidled up next to me.
“Alright, everyone will have sixty seconds. No out of bounds,” Murphy warned, pointing a finger at each of us before covering his eyes and counting, looking every bit like the twelve-year-old Mina claimed us to be.
Sasha and Warner were gone in an instant, already having chosen a hiding spot. Mina and Aiden loped slower away, but still buzzed with whispers as they decided on a spot.
Taking a few steps away from Murphy, I whispered, “Where are we hiding?”
I figured Rainer wouldn’t have an answer, still refusing to truly participate, but I was proven wrong. He grabbed my hand, tugging me away. His feet pounded against the asphalt, the sound loud enough for everyone to hear.
“The goal is to stay quiet so he can’t find us,” I told him, but Rainer covered my mouth with his hand.
“Stop talking.” He took several more steps, his footsteps still loud, before he stopped next to a car.
We stood for several seconds and then I was lifted into the air, Rainer cradling me in his arms. An exclamation begged to be set free at the surprise, but his hand still covered my mouth, stifling the noise.
This time when he walked, his steps were silent as a mouse, tracking across the highway, avoiding any sort of detection. We reached the median; the ground dipping into a crevice. Sliding down the surface, he sat me back on my feet, an off-road car near us.
“Get on your stomach,” he said and I did as I was told, lying on my stomach as he did the same.
He crawled under the car, my body following soon after his. Due to the slant of the hill, it was impossible to see under the car. And based on the noise he had made, Murphy would have no reason to believe we were across the road.
Meeting his eyes, I said, “You’re scarily good at this game.”
My idea had been to hide inside the backseat of one of the cars, but this was genius. And based on the wide grin, Rainer knew it.