But then she remembered they would be leaving each other soon. She frowned and pushed the thought away: she had Dean tonight, and the next few nights too, so she decided she would make the most of it.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, they fell asleep.
*
Dean opened his eyes slowly. It was still dark out, but he could detect the first rays of sunlight creeping over the horizon. It would start to get light soon. He got up, carefully pulling himself out of Gina’s embrace, trying not to wake her. She mumbled a quiet, “Dean,” but that was it. He found his clothes and pulled them on slowly.
Gina had wanted to go to the warehouse with him. He knew that. She probably could. Her ankle wasn’t giving her that much trouble anymore. But he didn’t want to risk putting her in any more trouble than he already had.
This was something that he could do alone. He picked up the duffel bag, now almost completely empty besides cans of Petey’s food, and emptied it out. He opened up a can for Petey and made his way towards the back of the post office. Then he was out the door into the darkness; silent.
He stood outside for a few minutes, listening as hard as he could. The town was dead. There were no gunshots, no car engines, nothing except the sound of his own breath and the rustle of leaves. Right now, the city was still asleep. He didn’t think it would be for long, so he set out towards the warehouse.
As the old man had said, it was right next to the post office. Dean made his way through the alley, looking for an easy entrance. The doors were heavy steel and locked tight. He thought that he might be able to shift and knock his way through, but it would be loud and he could expend a lot of the energy he didn’t have. Right now, things were still dire.
So he looked around some more, walking along the back side of the building. There was an old ladder that led up to a platform. Probably used for maintenance, but it would do. He grabbed it and shook it. It rattled slightly, but held. It would do nicely if it took his weight. But he didn’t see any other way into the warehouse and he certainly wasn’t going around to the street to look, so up he went.
He busted open the small lock on the maintenance door with little problem, and then, on all fours, crawled through the opening and onto a small walkway high above the factory.
The building was pitch black, but Dean could see enough. The old man had been telling the truth: this was a distribution factory and there were hundreds — no, thousands — of boxes, crates, and pallets everywhere in the building. Dean followed the walkway and found a ladder down.
He explored for a few minutes and finally found what he needed. There was no shortage of food: canned vegetables and fruits, instant meals, sauces, anything he could think of. He found some that would satisfy his rumbling stomach and started to fill up the duffel bag almost to the brim, then went to find Petey some more dog food. He’d take the food back and then come back to get another bag. He felt good.
*
Gina woke up, her heart pounding in her chest. Dean was nowhere to be found. The duffel bag was gone, Petey’s food on the ground where it had been. He’d gone to the warehouse without her. But there was nothing she could do about it, now. He could have left 30 seconds ago or he could be on his way back any moment now. It was best just to lay low and wait for him to return.
While she waited, she got dressed and looked around the post office. It was much as she had expected, but at least now she could see her surroundings. Dean had left the rifle, propped up on a desk. She was thankful for that.
Unsure of what she should do, she decided to make herself useful and scout out the building. There could be food here, or useful tools, or any other number of things they hadn’t seen the night before. She explored the back room, finding nothing but old mail, never to be delivered.
She and Petey made their way to the front of the building, making sure that no one was looking inside first. When she determined the coast was clear, they went to explore. The front of the post office was much the same as the back: it contained nothing that would be useful to them. It had been a long shot, but not looking would have been a crime.
She decided it would be best to just go to the back room and wait for Dean. On the way she stopped at the bulletin board. Looking at the old posters reminded her of her old life: kids offering to mow lawns, cars for sale, community dinners. She wondered if they would ever get back to that.
And half buried under another ad for a garage sale, a picture of Dean. Dean? Gina reached out, having no idea why there would be a picture of Dean on the bulletin board. Had he been here before?
The text was big, bold and simple:
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?
WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF
SENATOR FOSTER’S SON
ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED
Murder? Dean? Gina dropped the paper to the floor. She couldn’t believe it. Dean had a temper sometimes, but he wouldn’t murder anyone in cold blood, would he?
The paper finally came to a rest on the floor with Dean’s face looking up at her. He looked so innocent on the page.
And then everything hit her like a truck: he wanted to avoid the new community, he wanted to avoid all towns, and he had been hiding out in a bunker in the woods for two years. He’d been hiding out because he was on the run.
Gina thought she might be sick. He was a murderer, and she’d been falling in love with him. How could she be so stupid?
“Come on, Petey,” she said, moving towards the back of the post office. She found a cloth paper sack and stuffed all of Petey’s food, what remained of her medical kit, and the blanket inside of it. She grabbed the rifle and went out towards the front of the post office.
She looked both ways as best she could, then unlocked the front door and headed outside. She walked down the stairs, scanning up and down the road. It looked deserted. She turned north and headed off. She didn’t need Dean to survive any more.
*
Dean opened the door slowly, calling out, “Gina, it’s me! Don’t shoot!”
When he heard no reply, he carefully poked his head into the back of the post office. He didn’t see her or Petey anywhere, and that was enough. At least she wouldn’t accidentally shoot him. He was struggling under the load of food he’d brought in.
He had a plan: they would eat until they could hardly move, then he would find some extra containers in here, somewhere. Maybe a letter pail, maybe some bags. He’d make one last trip over to the warehouse and they’d hit the road.
‘Gina, I think you’re going to like what I found,” he called out, but there was no answer. Usually Petey would at least run up, checking out his voice, making sure it was him, but there was nothing.
What was going on?
He set the food down on the floor and made his way towards where they had been sleeping. Everything was gone: Petey’s food, the blanket, the rifle. What had happened?
He immediately took in the scene, smelling and looking around. Had she been kidnapped? He didn’t think so. Why would her kidnappers take dog food and blankets? Still, she wouldn’t have left.
He went to the front of the post office. He could smell her here. She wasn’t injured, but the scent of anger and betrayal was strong in the room. Why would she be feeling that? Dean quickly made his way to the door: it was unlocked. She’d gone out through here. He could smell her scent fading away outside, blown away by the wind.
Why had she gone out? Was she trying to find him? No, that didn’t make sense.
He decided he would simply grab the food and follow her. Halfway across the room, he paused. There was a piece of paper on the floor, her scent strong on it. He knelt down and picked it up.
It was his wanted poster.
His heart went cold. So, she knew. Or at least, she thought she did. He cursed, kicking a trash can and spilling the trash everywhere. He should never have kept it from her. He should have been up front with her since the beginning. It was too late now.
He had to find her. Instead of going back and grabbi
ng the food, he ran out the front door into the sunlight. Her scent was fainter out here, but he could tell she went north. It made sense. She was going to that community. He had to stop her. He had to tell her the truth. He had to let her know that he had never meant to hurt her.
He started to run. He had no idea how much of a lead she had on him, but he refused to let that bother him. He would find her, no matter what. He couldn’t do this without her.
He ran for over ten minutes. He could tell that he was getting closer; her scent was much stronger. But she was moving faster than he thought she could; he wasn’t making as good of time as he had hoped.
He turned the corner and there she was: Gina was standing still, bag dropped on the ground, rifle aimed forward. Dean looked to the side and he saw what she was aiming at: another truck full of dangerous looking men, four with rifles trained on her.
He was too far away to reach them in time, too far away to yell, too far away to hear or do anything to help. He started running anyway, but she was blocks away. He’d never make it. Dean watched as she lowered the rifle and one of the men jumped out of the truck. The man struck her across the face and took the rifle from her, then grabbed her and hauled her to the truck. Petey leapt to attack him, but he kicked out hard and Petey shied away.
And then she was in the back of the truck, and it was taking off.
Dean screamed, but the roar of the truck drowned him out. Petey was chasing after it, but it was outpacing him and was soon turning down another block, leaving Petey in its dust. Dean ran even faster, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
He got to where the bag was and saw Petey’s food spilled everywhere. The half med kit was smashed open on the ground, its contents strewn on the pavement. Petey was barking. Dean paused for a split second at the bag, catching his breath, then ran on.
He caught up to Petey within a few moments. Petey looked up at him. Together, they ran.
The scent of the men wasn’t hard to follow; in fact, it was almost overpowering. But they were moving much faster than Dean and Petey could. They were both sucking air, but both refused to give up. Dean wouldn’t leave Gina behind and Petey wouldn’t, either.
Just when everything began to seem hopeless, the truck finally parked in front of a library. What a place for a gang to hide out, Dean thought.
The outside was deserted and utterly quiet. Obviously, these men weren’t worried about being followed. Dean wasn’t sure if these men ran this city, or if they were just one gang of many, but it didn’t matter. He was getting Gina back, no matter what.
Even if it cost him his life.
And it probably will, he told himself. Strangely, he was okay with that. After working so hard to stay alive these past two years, and after the apocalypse started, Dean was surprised to find that he was okay if he didn’t make it out of this. The only thing that mattered to him was getting Gina and Petey out of here safely.
What would his grandfather say? He found that he didn’t care anymore. Dean was his own man.
“Watch the front, Petey,” Dean ordered, and slunk off the best he could, trying to figure out what his plan of attack was. He had to be quick.
He reached a window at the side of the building by keeping low. Carefully, he liftede his head up, just enough to peer inside. The building wasn’t completely dark: they had flashlights aimed up at the ceiling, illuminating the room slightly. He could see two men inside.
The left a minimum of three more. He moved around the building, looking into windows, but he couldn’t see anyone else - including Gina. Around the back, there was a man outside the door, cigarette hanging from his lips. He was looking out at the alley, without a care in the world.
Dean waited patiently, though it was tough. His instincts told him to shift and rush the man; tear him limb from limb. Patience, he told himself. That’ll come, soon enough.
Finally, the man tossed his finished cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. He turned to go back inside, hand reaching out to open the door — and Dean rushed into action. He was a blur, grabbing the man before he had the chance to even touch the door. Dean grabbed him by the throat, one over his mouth, and pulled him backwards. The man thrashed, terror in his eyes, but Dean didn’t let go until the man was still.
He lifted the limp body, tossing it into the dumpster and heading back towards the front. As he made his way back, he was surprised to find that killing didn’t bother him. Not now.
Before everything had started, he had vowed he would never harm another person again. He realized how foolish that was. Someone that he loved was in danger. He would do anything to make her safe again. He would take out this whole city.
Out front, Petey was still there, watching the front door.
“I’ve got a plan, Petey,” he told the dog. He wasn’t sure how well he understood, but he told him anyway. “We’re going to draw some of these men out here. I need you to distract them. Then, I’ll move in.”
Petey just looked at him. If he understood, Dean didn’t know, but it was the only good plan he had. Dean stood straight, and tore off his shirt. He stripped down, then started to shift. Petey gave a yelp of surprise, but held his ground.
Dean made his way to the front door and rapped a paw on it. Then he backed off, moving to the left of the door. Within seconds, two men were coming out of the front of the building, rifles drawn.
“Holy shit,” the first one said.
“He found us! Come here, boy!”
Petey growled. Both men walked out from the door, and Dean moved to attack. The first man caught a flash of movement, managed a, “What??” and then Dean was on him. The second man turned, but he was dead immediately.
It was over within two seconds. Dean could feel his bloodlust growing. He tried to push it away — it was almost overwhelming, but he knew that he had to keep a level head if he meant to save Gina.
But he didn’t have much time, so he rushed into the building, Petey right behind him.
*
“Where are your friends?”
Gina gritted her teeth. She was tied to a chair in the back of some library, or what was left of it. These men had burned most of the books for warmth during the night. Idiots, she thought. Should have saved them for the winter.
“Come on, honey,” the other man said. “We found Bradley’s truck a couple blocks away from where we found you. He’s dead in the bed. So are some of our other friends. You have no idea about this? You did it all yourself?”
Gina didn’t say anything, just narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t going to give in to these men. There were only five of them left in total. It seemed that Dean and she had killed the rest of their group unknowingly.
She thought of Dean. The murderer.
Was that fair? She didn’t know. He’d saved her, more than once. And now, she found herself hoping that he would save her again. But she wanted nothing to do with him.
The first man pulled out a knife, bringing it close to Gina’s eye. “We don’t want to have to hurt you. You’re too pretty for that. What’s taking Jim so long? How many cigarettes is he smoking?”
“I’ll go check,” the second man said.
The knife came close, and Gina tried to pull back. Tears were starting to flow down her face. She couldn’t risk closing her eye, the knife was so close. This was it…
Boom! There was a sudden loud noise from behind the man with the knife. He was blocking Gina’s view; she couldn’t see what the noise was.
“Holy shit! A grizzly!” the second man yelled from behind her. Dean!
MUNDO (BBW Bear Shifter MC Romance) (MC Bear Mates Book 2) Page 71
