Chapter Thirty-Three
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brIA DECIDED TO SEARCH the cannibals’ homes for provisions before they left. Urzra had washed out the bed of the truck and placed a tarp on it. They piled containers of food and bottles of water into the vehicle before securing them with another tarp.
“That should tide me over for a few weeks,” Bria said, relieved that she wasn’t about to starve. “I’ll drive,” she added. “You can take the next turn once you’re sure you know how to operate the truck.”
Urzra didn’t argue and climbed into the passenger seat. He had to move it back as far as it would go, while she moved hers up as far as it would go. “Are you sure you’re close enough to the steering wheel, female?” he asked wryly.
Bria scowled at him. “I have short legs,” she retorted. “I can barely reach the pedals.” She switched on the ignition, then reversed out of the garage. “You’ll need to use the map to guide me,” she requested.
The tank was full of gas and they’d placed a few jerrycans in the back. With luck, they wouldn’t need that much fuel, but it was best to be prepared for any eventuality.
Urzra unfolded the map as she headed back to the road they’d been walking along. The knight directed her towards the location she’d chosen. It took two hours to reach it. “I’m glad we found this vehicle,” he said as Bria pulled over. “It would have taken all day to reach it on foot.”
Nodding in agreement, the cambion switched off the engine. “I’ll wait here while you scout the house,” she said. He’d already informed her of his plan and she knew it would be wise.
“Lock the doors,” he said after climbing out. She rolled her eyes, but complied.
Bria drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she watched him race away. She sensed him distantly as he scanned the building, then felt him returning a short while later. She could tell by his expression something was wrong with the place.
“People are living in the house you chose,” he informed her when she unlocked the doors and he opened his door. “They have gray souls,” he added.
“Damn,” Bria said in annoyance. “We’ll have to go with option B, then.” She didn’t want to pick another house close by, but preferred somewhere isolated.
“It’s my turn to drive,” her gorgeous protector pointed out.
“Try not to get us both killed,” she said, undoing her seatbelt, then shifting the seat back for him. He moved the passenger seat forward, then they swapped places. Bria took the map when Urzra offered it to her. He got the truck started and drove off as if he’d done it a million times before.
This time, the cambion directed the knight to their next destination. It was only an hour away by road. Urzra pulled over half a mile away from the house. He left the keys in the ignition and took off on foot.
“What’s wrong this time?” Bria asked when he returned and shook his head.
Urzra climbed behind the wheel before responding. “It burned down months ago,” he reported. “I think a lightning strike was responsible for the damage. The fire spread to most of the homes in this area.”
“Rats,” Bria said, then consulted the map again. “Option C it is,” she said in resignation. Each property led them further to the northwest of Manhattan. She’d chosen them at random because each house was so isolated. Once again, she waited in the truck when they arrived at their next destination.
Urzra returned with the same glum expression. “The house is missing its roof,” he said as he returned to his seat. “A storm must have torn it off. The other houses I spotted weren’t much better.”
Bria shook her head in frustration. “Is it just bad luck that I’ve chosen three houses that are either occupied, or have been destroyed?”
“I have no idea,” he said. “What’s option D?”
“Head back the way we came, then turn right,” she said, wondering what would be wrong with the next location.
Once again, the warrior scouted the place on foot before heading back to her. “You won’t believe it,” he said when she lifted her eyebrows enquiringly.
“Tornado?” she asked sarcastically.
“Flood,” he corrected her. “The house was near a creek. It looks like recent storms flooded the area. Most of the houses nearby were destroyed.”
“I give up,” Bria said, throwing her hands in the air. “You choose the next place,” she said, shoving the map at him.
Urzra took it from her, then buckled himself in. He gazed at the map, searching for somewhere his female might find suitable. “This area,” he decided, showing it to her and pointing at a small lake. “Lakes shouldn’t flood like creeks do, so maybe the houses might still be standing.”
“It’s a long way away,” Bria said, tracing the route they’d have to take. “It’ll take about three hours to get there.”
“Fate will notify us if we’re making a mistake,” he figured, then hiked his thumb over his shoulder. “Aren’t you hungry, female? It’s lunch time.”
Bria looked at the container of food she’d put on the back seat.
“I could eat,” she decided. Unbuckling the seatbelt, she wedged herself between their seats to rummage for food.
She looked over her shoulder to see the knight staring at her butt with an expression of desire and longing.
She could feel his attraction to her increase even more.
Shaking her head, she grabbed some cookies and water, then took her seat again. “Did you get a good enough look at my ass?” she asked sarcastically.
“It will tide me over for now, female,” Urzra joked.
Bria snickered rather than being offended. He grinned and drove towards a bridge in the distance. She stared out her window at the signs of the flood he’d spoken of. “Wow,” she said in horrified amazement. “It’s a miracle the bridge is still standing.”
Water must have rushed through in a torrent, dragging homes off their foundations further downstream in the process. Everything in its path had been destroyed. Cars, trucks and debris were strewn all over the place. They’d been swept from their garages and where they’d been left on the street.
She turned to say something to the warrior and noticed the tent in his pants. “Seriously?” she asked.
He glanced down and grimaced. “I have no control over my body when I’m around you,” he said defensively. “Blame Fate,” he added, using her own excuse against her. “She’s the one who chose you to be paired up with me.”
Bria heaved a loud sigh. “Do I have to use my magic on you again?”
“I would never lay a finger on you without your permission,” he said in affront. “I’m well aware that you don’t desire me, female.”
She felt his stab of pain and felt horrible all over again. “I’m sorry for making you feel unattractive,” she said guiltily. “You have to know you’re the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
He perked up immediately, emotions swinging from depression to jubilation. “Truly?” he asked.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” she said wryly. “Turn left up ahead,” she instructed him.
Urzra’s happiness had a positive effect on her.
He was usually in a good mood. The only times he was down was when she said something to make him feel rejected.
She wished she could reciprocate his feelings, but she didn’t trust Fate’s decision to put them together.
She would need a lot more information about what the entity’s plan for them was before she would put her heart on the line.
It was late afternoon when they finally reached the fifth location. “Wait here and I’ll scope it out,” Urzra said.
Bria was behind the wheel again. They’d swapped over a couple of hours ago. She listened to the endless static from the ham radio while she waited. Xathan had made his daily announcement in the morning and there had only been silence since then.
Urzra returned with a smug grin this time. “Option E is a go,” he said, then climbed back inside the truck.
“You mean alligators haven’t taken over the house?” Bria joked.
He flashed a smile at her. “Nope. It’s empty and free of ravenous reptiles.”
She remained skeptical until she drove down a dirt road and followed his directions to a driveway. The driveway led through a dense grove of trees to a small house. “You can’t even see it from the road,” she marveled.
“It should be safe to use as our base for a while,” he said, pleased with his choice. “It has solar power and running water,” he added.
“You broke in and checked?” she asked as they exited from the truck.
Urzra nodded, then strode to the front door. “The humans who lived here were raptured,” he said. “I found their clothes in their beds.”
“My first job will be to change the sheets,” Bria decided, wrinkling her nose. No one had died in the house, but she was still creeped out at the thought of sleeping in a bed someone had vanished from.
She took care of that task while Urzra began carrying their supplies inside. The house had three bedrooms and she took one of the smaller ones. The knight would need the king-sized bed that was in the master bedroom.
They met in the kitchen when she finished changing the sheets. “Good choice, Urzra,” Bria said and felt his instant joy at her praise.
“I’ll need to scout the area on foot to see if any of the nearby homes are occupied,” he said.
She knew it was instinctive for him to protect her, so she nodded in agreement.
The warrior headed off and she started putting her supplies in the pantry.
Bria hoped they would be able to stay here for a while.
It would be nice not to be on the run constantly.
She just wished Fate would give them some clues about what the hell they were supposed to do now.