“Of course,” he said and walked to find the two.
Sarah and I walked back to the large fire, leaving the three lying on the ground, “You ok?”
“I’m fine. Those idiots had no idea what they were doing. Why do I always attract the dumb ones? “
“Beauty must attract stupid,” I said smiling.
“And what does that say about you and me?”
“That you are very beautiful and that I must be very stupid.”
She laughed, “I think you must be the exception to the rule.”
“Why’s that?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
“Because I don’t fall for the dumb ones,” she said taking my hand.
I smiled and we walked the rest of the way in silence. Luke turned up with Z and Ben and said, “Whenever you’re ready James we can go.”
“You’re coming with?” asked Z incredulously.
“I would like to see our new friends off.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure Z.”
“Alright,” I said, “let’s go.”
We climbed into the car and Z was about to blindfold us when Luke spoke up. “Those won’t be necessary. They already know where we are.”
“But…”
“James grew up in this area. He knew where he was headed even with the blindfolds. We won’t be needing them.”
Z looked like he wanted to argue but put the blindfolds away and climbed into the back of the truck, there was only room for four in the cab. We drove to the Costco in silence and when we pulled into the parking lot Z shot a flare into the sky and the parking lot was bathed in the flickering yellow light. We climbed out and Luke said, “I’m sorry you had to leave because of Adam,” he turned to Sarah, “I’m sorry Sarah for my son’s behavior. You can be sure that the beating you gave him won’t be the only punishment he will receive.”
I stuck my hand out for him to shake and said, “Luke, as long as you can make those kids behave I think we can be of use to each other.”
“I would like that,” he said shaking my offered hand, “and I will try to keep my son under control. But I think you may have made an enemy today, the both of you have.”
“Can’t win them all,” I said shrugging.
“Very true,” he said, “Goodbye James.”
“Bye Luke, I’ll be in touch.”
He nodded, “Goodbye Sarah.”
“Bye Luke.” We climbed onto my bike and drove away, racing off into the darkness.
CHAPTER 24
When we finally got back to the house I let Sarah off before I parked the bike in the garage, by the time I got inside Sarah was already describing what happened at Luke’s compound. I listened and commented when she forgot a detail, which didn’t happen often. When she finished everyone was silent.
“So what are we going to do about these guys?” asked Liz.
“Well, I guess we’ll wait and see. Other than a few of them, like Adam, they’re just women and children. They’re all armed but similar to us, without the carbines or the sniper rifle. They have numbers but I know the area better than them. They’re not a threat. We might even be able to trade with them or work together.”
“This Adam dude sounds like an ass,” said Carrie.
“Yeah but Sarah handled him just fine. I’m pretty sure he won’t mess with her again but I don’t think he likes me very much.”
“And he’s actually Luke’s son?”
“Yeah and I think Luke can handle him.”
“Let’s hope so, we don’t want Sarah to have to kick his ass again,” said Justin.
“I wouldn’t mind watching that,” said Hannah laughing.
There was a wave of laughter and I said, “Alright, alright. It’s getting late and we have work to do tomorrow. That cold storage isn’t going to dig itself. Have you worked on it at all?”
“Yeah,” said Matt, “but it’s a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah, while you were out kicking ass, taking names and eating cobbler we were hauling a few metric tons of clay,” said Thomas sarcastically.
“You’ll live,” I told them as I stood, “I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.” I walked into my room and sat on my bed, dropping my pack at my feet. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It had been a long day and I was tired. I heard my door open and said, “Hey beautiful,” without looking up.
“How’d you know?”
I smiled, “You’re the only one who doesn’t knock. And no one else smells like mint.”
She laughed, “Well scoot over, I want to lie down.”
“Feel free to climb in, I still have to put my stuff away.”
“Do it tomorrow. Come lay with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I changed quickly and climbed into bed with her, “Do you want me to rub your back?”
“Nope. Just lay with me.”
“That, I think I can do,” I said putting my arm around her.
She rested her head on my chest and she was silent for a long time before she asked, “Why are you with me?”
“What?”
“Why do you like me?”
“You know that list is far too long for me to say.”
“Try.”
I smiled and thought, Ok Ryan, don’t fuck this up. I looked into her eyes and decided not to hold back, “Sarah, you are quite possibly the most wonderful girl I have ever known. When I’m around you I feel like I’m a better person, a happier person. You are beautiful no matter what, inside and out. It doesn’t matter how many times I see you my heart always beats faster and my breath catches. Your smile is infectious and the sound of your laugh is incredible. You’re smart and strong, stronger than me. You’re kind but you can be tough on those who need it. You are frustrating as hell and sometimes you drive me insane. But you want to know what? I love everything about you and having you in my arms is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I don’t know what I did in my previous life to deserve you or why on earth you’re with me but I’m glad that you are. I don’t think I would have made it this long without you. You are what has gotten me through everything, through the loss of my family, my friend and the destruction of everything I have ever known.” I was surprised to see a tear roll down her cheek as I finished. I wiped it away with my thumb asking, “Why are you crying?”
She let out a small nervous laugh, “Do you want to know how many times I’ve heard that and believed it? Not once. But when you say it I can’t help but think you’re telling the truth.”
“I’ve never lied to you Sarah, not once and I don’t plan to. Why did you ask why I was with you?”
“Just curious.”
“No, there was a reason. Why?” She mumbled something that I didn’t quite catch “What?”
“Adam…”
“What did he say?” I said suddenly angry.
“He just said some stuff. It’s not a big deal,” she said looking away.
“Sarah, what did he say?”
“When he grabbed me he told me I was…”
“What?”
“He called me a lot of names, called me a slut and whore. Stuff like that. He said you only keep me around cause I’m the only bitch you could find. I know he was just doing it to make me angry but…” Another tear slipped free from her beautiful eyes.
Hot anger flooded though me. If Adam had been near I’m sure I would have killed him, but I had more important things to take care of. I gently turned her head so she was looking at me “Sarah, I love you. I want you to never forget that. Forget what he said, it’s not true.”
“I know but…” she started but I interrupted her with a kiss.
“I told you to forget about it. I’m lucky to have you and Adam is even luckier that he’s not here.”
“Please don’t go after him because of what he said.”
It’s funny cause that is exactly what I was going to do the next time I saw him, but she beat me to the punch, “I wasn
’t planning on it,” I said smiling.
She looked at me seriously, “Yes, you were. Please don’t go looking for trouble.”
“Ok, I won’t go looking for it but if he starts something I will be bringing this up.”
She sighed, “I guess I can’t stop you.”
“I promise I won’t go looking for trouble.”
“Good,” she said kissing me.
I held her for a long time, trying to make her understand how much I loved her, how I needed her and how I couldn’t afford to lose her. I fell asleep thinking about how Adam was a problem that I would have to deal with. I would keep my promise to Sarah but I had to take into account that in a world without police, without any real authority, my strength was what kept people like Adam at bay. I know it sounds arrogant when I say it like that but it’s the truth. My gun, my fighting, and my very will is what keeps the bad guys away from the people I care about. And that’s true about everyone I work to protect.
The next day was spent working on the cold storage, I wanted to get it done so we could do some serious trading with Luke. I didn’t know what he would want in return but I was interested in using some of his manpower to pull off some dangerous raids to acquire some important goods. We each took turns digging, hauling clay, carrying water and keeping watch. It was a long day and everyone was exhausted by the time the work was done, but we had made a sizable dent in the clay hill. You could almost fit a person inside, hopefully, the rain would hold off so work could be done at a steady pace. That night at dinner I took notice of everyone’s moods. While they were joking and eating I was trying to gauge how well each was doing. Most everyone seemed in a fairly good mood, they were all dirty and tired but they were in high spirits knowing that they weren’t alone and, for the most part, that the other survivors were friendly. I say most because even though she smiled with everyone else I could see that Sarah was still upset by what Adam had told her when he attacked her. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and if that is true then Sarah’s windows were cloudy, fogged by the cruel words of a fool. I smiled sadly, already forming a plan to cheer her up.
The next few days passed quickly. We worked on the cold storage and I used my breaks to dash away and gather the supplies and gear I would need to cheer Sarah up. On the fourth day I had everything packed up and ready to go, I just needed a few hours to set it up. Seeing how I couldn’t just disappear without a word I was forced to tell a small lie. “Hey, I’ve got something I want to check out. I’ll be gone for a couple hours.”
“Where are you headed?” asked Sarah.
“There’s a farm nearby. I just remembered that it existed and I want to check to see if there’s anything we can use. I’m just going to scout it out.”
“I’ll come,” she said standing to get her pack.
“No, it’s ok. It won’t take long and we need all the people to work on the storage.”
She frowned but said, “Ok, if you’re sure.”
She knows you’re full of it, I thought as I climbed onto my bike. I drove for about half a mile before pulling over and getting off the bike. I had stashed everything I would need alongside the road near the turn off for a logging road. I didn’t want Sarah to see that I was leaving with multiple packs. I pulled on the packs and carried a large bag in my left hand, leaving my right hand free if I need to pull my gun. I carried the heavy bags up the long bumpy road and when I reached my destination I started setting up, hoping that Sarah would like it. After I had everything set up I ran back down the road and climbed on my bike. It had taken me a little longer than I thought it would but I figured it would be worth it. Reaching my bike I climbed on and drove back to the house, where I was immediately interrogated by Sarah.
“Find anything good?”
“Nope. I couldn’t find the damn thing. I’ve never been there before but I know the general area it was supposed to be. Guess I was wrong,” I said smiling.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said suspiciously.
Uh-oh, I thought, she’s on to you.
“You were gone for a long time having not knowing where it was.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I spent the whole time driving around looking for it. I figured it would be worth it since there could be a lot of usable stuff there, but no luck.”
“Too bad.”
“Yeah, too bad. So how’s the storage coming?”
“Slow. People are getting sore.”
“Well,” I said thoughtfully, “Maybe we should do something else.”
“Like?”
“How about another raid?” I said grinning.
She frowned, “Where? What do we need?”
“I did tell Liz I would get her some books.”
“So we’re going to the library then?”
“Yep.”
“When?”
“Couple of days. There are a few things I want to do before the raid,” I said smiling.
“Like what.”
“Patience, you’ll see.”
“Ugh. Just tell me.”
“Nope. Come on, let’s go tell the others.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I really do.”
“Ok, you hate me. I’ll remember that next time you want a backrub.”
“Whatever.”
We walked inside and I gathered everyone around the dining room table. They all knew what meeting in this room meant, there was always a map and lists and loose pieces of paper spread out on the table. This was our war room of sorts, this is where we planned our raids and they knew what was coming. “So,” I said looking at all the attentive faces, “who wants to go on another raid.” Hands shot up. “Good,” I chuckled.
“Where are we going?” asked Thomas.
“I was thinking the library, maybe pick up a few books.” I heard a squeal burst from Liz that pretty much deafened me. “So I take it that you like this idea and want to go?”
She gave me an enthusiastic nod, “Yeah.”
“Ok, we’ll go in a few days. The library is here,” I said pointing at the map. “There shouldn’t be anyone around or in the library. Who would take the time to read during a zombie apocalypse?” Liz looked at me pointedly. “Ok, who besides Liz would read during the zombie apocalypse?” The group laughed a little. “Let’s start planning.” Everyone bent over the table and started to list out what we would need. We finished the plans for the library quickly and while I had everyone there we spent a lot more time working on more complex and dangerous raids, ones that we would need Luke’s men for. After we hit the library I would approach Luke with my ideas and attempt to sell him on the mutual benefits of working together. I had to hope that the fighters weren’t all like Adam because we would need them if we wanted to pull off my plans smoothly.
That night Sarah and I were lying in bed when she asked, “Where did you go today?”
“I told you I went…”
“Where did you really go? You can’t lie to me James and you said you never would. You don’t have another girl stashed away somewhere do you?” she said teasingly.
I laughed at the very idea, “Like I could find someone better than you.”
“Well then, where did you go?”
“I’m not going to tell you,” she started to object, “but I will show you.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Ok,” We sat for a while “Hey James?”
“Yes, Sarah?”
“Will you…”
“Yeah lie on your stomach.”
“Thanks,” she said smiling and rolling over.
I spent a long time rubbing her back and working out the knots that had developed as a result of digging. She fell asleep while I was finishing her calves but I decided to keep going. I moved down to her feet and when I moved back up to her arms she woke lightly and tried to sit up. “Shhh,” I calmed her, “Just go back to sleep.” She smiled and closed her eyes, falling back to sleep as I ru
bbed her arms and hands. I could feel the calluses forming on her small hands and fingertips. I smiled at how tiny her hands seemed in my own. I guess it was true, good things do come in small packages. I finished rubbing her hands and lied down next to her and fell asleep. Just before passing out into oblivion I felt Sarah’s arm drape over me and move in close next to me.
Survivors Series (Book 1): Heroes Aren't Born Page 37
