I wait silently in the seat next to him, waiting for Ryder to make a decision. None of us rush him, knowing that this is something Ryder has to be on board with. He’s felt like he’s losing control, like some of us have been trying to take it from him. So he needs to feel like he can make this decision by himself.
“Alright, here’s what’s gonna happen. Reese is going to stay here and keep an eye on Hannah, while Sam and I go see what he needs. Aaron, Todd, and Madison are going to hang out the doors with their weapons and watch for any friends that might be lurking around. If anything happens…”
“I’ll be there in a heartbeat,” Reese promises.
Ryder nods, and he looks at me. “Ready to go see what this dude needs?”
I give my weapon a quick check over, making sure that the safety is off. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Ryder gets out first and quietly heads to the jeep. We’re a good distance away from the man and his SUV, but I’m surprised he hasn’t heard us and turned around yet. Our vehicles aren’t exactly quiet, and this area is dead silent otherwise, so sounds should carry a little. Maybe he knows we’re here and he just doesn’t care, or he doesn’t think we’ll stop to help him.
I get out when Ryder comes back, following along closely behind. We leave our doors open in case we have to bolt and do it fast. We quietly approach the hood of the SUV with our weapons pointed down but ready to bring them up any second. Ryder clears his throat, and the man freezes, his back and shoulders going tense.
“Do you need some help?” I ask, hoping that my softer, more feminine voice will calm him down instead of scaring him even more.
He turns, and Ryder raises his weapon. “Slowly,” he advises.
The man slows down, turning to face us. “Who are you?” he asks. His voice is soft, but it carries easily between us, like he’s had years of practice at public speaking and making sure he’s heard. His voice is almost calming, and I find myself relaxing just a little.
“Just strangers passing through,” Ryder says easily. “We saw you here on the side of the road, and my girlfriend wanted us to stop and ask if you needed any help.”
The man looks at me with startlingly green eyes that are wide and bright, friendly and easy. He smiles. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you. I’m afraid I’ve never been one for cars, so I have no idea what’s wrong with it. It just started making this weird noise and slowing down. No matter how hard I pressed the gas pedal down, it wouldn’t speed up and eventually I just coasted to a stop here.”
“Is there anything we can do for you?” I ask.
The man nods slowly. “Yes. I live not too far from here—about three and a half miles—and I would greatly appreciate a ride home. I’ve been stranded out here for the better part of an hour, and my wife is surely worried about me by now.”
“Your wife?” Ryder asks.
“Mary. She and I have a farm a ways back from the road, nice and quiet. There aren’t too many of the undead out our way. They don’t seem all too interested in our cattle, surprisingly. We’ve never had a problem with them anyways.”
“You have cattle?”
“Chickens as well. They’re a bitch to feed,” he jokes, “but they’re our greatest resource. I can’t tell you how many times that meat has saved our hides. We use the cows for beef and milk, and the chickens give us plenty of eggs as long as we keep them fed. You’d be more than welcome to stay and join us for dinner tonight as thanks for getting me home safe and sound. Mary cooks a mean steak.”
I can practically hear the gears turning in Ryder’s head as he thinks about all the possible outcomes. If we help this man, we’re being promised a nice, home-cooked meal with actual fresh meat, but he’s worried it sounds too good to be true. Honestly, it does, but I’m willing to take the chance, and I know the others would be as well. There’s nothing that we can’t handle as a group, and the benefits outweigh the risks right now.
“I think we can afford to take a quick detour and get you home,” Ryder says, offering the man his hand. “I’m Ryder, and this is Sam.”
“Evan,” he says happily, taking Ryder’s hand and shaking it firmly. “I’m sure glad you folks stumbled across me. If not, I’d have been stuck here for who knows how long. It’d be dark by the time I walked home, and it’s not safe out here that late. Just let me grab my bag and we can get going.”
Ryder almost stops him, but he doesn’t say anything. Evan heads around to the passenger side door of his SUV, and I notice that he has a severe limp that causes his left foot to drag across the road, almost as if it’s nothing more than dead weight. Ryder and I trade quick glances, but neither of us says anything about it so we don’t offend our new passenger after he’s so graciously offered to feed us tonight.
Evan grabs a small satchel from the front seat and slings it over his shoulder, offering us a grateful smile. “I sure am grateful to you guys. Though if you had only gotten here an hour ago, I might have been able to escape the talking to my wife is gonna give me when we get home,” he says with a laugh.
I smile back, clicking the safety on my gun and putting it away. Ryder still has his out, and I can tell it’s making Evan nervous. Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at him, Evan doesn’t exactly look like the gun wielding maniac type. He’s pushing fifty off a cliff, and there’s white strands mixed into his blonde hair. His eyes and smile make him look younger, but he’s still got a crippled leg and no visible weapon on him. Ryder and Reese will still want to keep a close eye on him in case his behavior shifts, but for now, I’m thinking that he’s just a friendly old man trying to get home to his wife.
I head back to the truck, with Ryder walking along behind Evan just in case he tries anything. Reese hops out of the truck and motions for me to get in back with Hannah. I don’t argue, and climb up into the truck, squishing myself next to Hannah in the backseat. Reese crowds in next to us, taking up the rest of the room with his weapon and his broad shoulders. Ryder signals to the jeep behind us and gets back into the truck.
Evan climbs into the front seat, having a little trouble with his leg. He has to grab his pant leg and haul it up into the truck before he can close the door. When he’s buckled in, he turns to us and smiles again. “I really can’t thank you people enough.” His eyes move to Hannah, and his smile grows. “It’s always nice to see young people still alive and well. Gives me hope for the future.”
Reese’s hands tighten around the weapon in his lap, a reaction that doesn’t go unnoticed by both me and Ryder. Something that Evan just said rubs Reese the wrong way, but I can’t think of what it might have been. I haven’t seen any signs that we need to be so worried about Evan, but I’m also not as world-wise as Reese and Ryder are. I’m a naturally more trusting and naïve person, and maybe that clouds my ability to see and pick up on things like they do.
Evan provides us with easy to follow directions, and it doesn’t take long before we’re pulling off the road at the edge of Evan’s property. There’s a long winding road that takes us through some trees and over a sturdy wooden bridge that looks to have been built years ago, probably by Evan when he was closer to his prime. Ahead of us is a curved dirt driveway that leads right up to a sprawling two story ranch house with a two stall garage beside it.
As we pull up, I can see a large garden near the side of the house that looks to be mostly empty as of right now, which means they’re probably well stocked up on vegetables as well as beef and eggs. There are a few cows milling about nearby, but I only see four or five of them, not as many as I was expecting. Evan smiles at me as we get out of the truck. “Those five just like to be up close to the house. They’re like my dogs,” he says with a laugh. “They love attention. The rest of them are out roaming and grazing. I’ve got close to four hundred acres for them to explore.”
“How many do you have? Where do you keep the chickens?”
“There are eighteen of them, unless one got eaten while I was gone. The chickens are out back in the coop. The wife and I d
ecided that the eggs were more valuable than the meat, so we’ve mostly been just letting them run wild and hatch as many of them as we can. Got probably seventy or so of them by now, but it’s hard to tell cause the damn things like to run around and cause a mess.”
“Wow, it must take a lot of work to keep all of these animals fed and taken care of,” Daisy says, coming up behind us.
Evan turns and smiles when he sees her. “Yes, it does. And unfortunately my leg prevents me from getting around as much as I used to. But thankfully, I’ve got two young farmhands that sought shelter here in the beginning, and they help out a lot with the chickens and farm work in exchange for good food and a place to sleep. I think it’s a pretty fair trade.”
“So it’s just the four of you?” Ryder asks.
“Yep. Me, Mary, Trey, and Anders. You’ll meet them in a little bit. They’re out checking the herd right now and making sure nothing is bothering them. Last week we had some kind of predator sneak into the pasture and kill one of the cows. Probably a feral dog that used to be someone’s pet.” He motions towards the house. “Come on in, and I’ll let you folks get settled in for the night. I’m sure Mary is dying to thank you for bringing me home safe and sound.”
Ryder hesitates. “I’m not sure if we’ll be staying for the night,” he says. “It’s still kind of early in the day, and we could get a good couple more hours out on the road. We’ve gotta make it to Detroit.”
Evan raises an eyebrow. “Detroit? Well, you’re gonna need your strength if you wanna make it there. Why don’t you all stay the night and help me around the farm for a little bit, and we’ll get you some good food, a good night of sleep, and a good breakfast to get you going tomorrow.”
Still, Ryder hesitates. Daisy and Hannah turn to him, their eyes wide. “Ryder, please let us stay for just one night! Detroit isn’t going anywhere. Besides, I know you want a nice juicy steak just as much as the rest of us do.”
Ryder smiles. “Alright, we’ll stay for tonight. A steak does sound pretty good.” He looks at Evan. “As long as you’re sure we won’t be a bother.”
Evan shakes his head. “Don’t you folks worry about it. I love helping strangers. Breeds good karma for later on down the road.”
The front door slams open, and I feel Ryder tense up beside me. But he has no reason to worry, because an older woman about my size comes rushing out onto the porch, drying her hands off on a white apron. Her hair is mostly light gray and tied up in a loose bun on top of her head. Her eyes are gray and wide with worry. She doesn’t even acknowledge us as she runs to Evan and hugs him tightly.
“Where have you been?” she nearly shouts, backing away from him and crossing her arms over her ample chest. “I’ve been worried sick, staring out that window for the last hour. When you say you’ll be home in time for lunch, I expect you to be home in time for lunch.”
Evan smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, Dear. The truck broke down and I was stranded on the side of the road. These kind folks were nice enough to give me a ride home. They’ll be staying with us for tonight.”
She makes a disapproving noise in the back of her throat and eyes us. “I didn’t make enough lunch to go around. You’ll all have to wait while I make some more real quick.”
“We’re in no hurry,” Evan says with an easy smile. “I’m thinking while we wait, these girls could go help Trey with the chickens. He should be on his way back by now.” He looks at Ryder. “I could use a couple of strong hands to help me repair a fence before we eat, if you don’t mind. I should only need one or two of you. You can introduce yourselves to Anders.”
Ryder nods. “I’ll help.” He looks back at Aaron and lowers his voice. “Keep an eye on things around here until we get back. These people seem nice, but we know how that story goes.” Aaron gives a barely perceptible nod and doesn’t say anything.
“Well good,” Evan says. “I like seeing young folk take charge and help out. I won’t keep you long. Follow me.”
I watch Ryder leave with Evan, and I try not to worry about him. He still has his weapon strapped across his back in case of an emergency, but there’s no telling what might happen all the way out in that pasture. And he’ll be so far away from all of us that we won’t be able to help him much, if at all. Ryder will be on his own, cut off from his support.
But Evan seems like a decent guy. I’m sure they’ll be just fine…
Mary turns, eyeing us warily. “Have any of you ever worked on a farm before? You look like a bunch of city kids to me,” she says. Her eyes linger on Todd, with his dyed black hair, black fingernail polish, eyeliner that rings his eyes, and the silver hoop in his eyebrow. Her lips turn down in just a hint of a sneer, and I have to remind myself that she’s an older woman, and that crowd isn’t always the most tolerant when it comes to self-expression.
“No,” Madison says. “But we’re fast learners. Just show us what to do, and we’ll get it done.”
She nods. “Alright then. Follow me. I’ll take you inside and you can set your stuff up in the house before we get started. The chickens are all out back. Make sure you watch out for the roosters. We’ve got three of them right now, and they can get mean and loud.”
We follow Mary up the porch and into the house. I’ve got my backpack over my shoulders, and Reese has Ryder’s with him. Mary takes us up the stairs and down a hallway, and I marvel at how beautiful and rustic their home is. The only decorations that adorn the walls and floors are ones that are obviously homemade, and from the look of things, it appears that Mary loves to knit and stitch and paint.
The walls are plain wood, but there are brightly colored rugs along the hallway and across the floors, all made with bright colors and depicting some form of farm life. I see a rug with baby chicks stretching across the floor of one spare bedroom. Inside are twin beds with blue lace-trimmed comforters, which also look to have been made by hand.
Probably for their grandchildren. I refuse to think about where they are now.
“We don’t have the space to give you each your own rooms, so you’ll have to share.”
“We’re used to it,” I say. “Thank you so much.”
She nods. “There are two beds in here, and we have a couch and a bed in the other guest bedroom. I don’t know how you plan to split up, but one or two of you might end up having to sleep on the floor or the couch downstairs.”
“Where do Trey and Anders sleep?” Madison asks. “We don’t wanna inconvenience them.”
“They sleep in the guest house on our property. We’ve had farmhands for years after my husband’s accident, and we didn’t feel comfortable with letting them live in the house with us, so we had it built years ago. You won’t be inconveniencing them at all.” She looks back at us. “The other room is at the end of this hall. Settle in, and then head around out back and meet Trey. He’ll show you what to do with the chickens.”
“Okay,” Daisy says, eyes bright with unshed tears. “We won’t let you down. I promise.”
“Now, I’m off to go make some more lunch. I’ll call you all in when it’s done.” Mary bustles off back downstairs, and I hear her start to clang around in the kitchen. I feel bad that she has to make more food after she was already finished, but I’m too eager for a nice home-made meal that I can’t bring myself to worry about it too much. Besides, we’ll be doing some work around the farm in exchange for food, so it seems like a decent trade to me.
“I’m gonna go put my backpack down in the first room,” Madison says, nudging Todd. “You and I can share one of those twin beds. It’ll be a tight fit, but it’s not like we haven’t done it before,” she says with a wink. Todd smiles and leaves after her.
“You and Ryder should take the other twin bed in there,” Aaron says. “It’ll save space for the rest of us. Hannah and Daisy can share the bed in the other guest bedroom, and someone can take the couch in there to keep an eye on things.” He looks at Reese, who shrugs. “You want the couch in the bedroom or the couch downstairs?”
&nb
sp; “Downstairs,” Reese says. “I’ll keep an eye on things tonight. I’ll make sure nobody tries any funny business once we’re all settled in. You can keep an eye on Daisy and Hannah. Unless you’d rather take the one downstairs?” he offers, but he doesn’t look too thrilled at the thought of sharing a room with Daisy and Hannah.
“Nah, I’ll keep an eye on them.” He looks at Daisy and Hannah and gives them a dazzling smile. “You girls won’t be causing me any trouble, will you?”
They both giggle, and I see Daisy’s cheeks turn pink. Madison told me once that Aaron was very sought after by all the girls, and it looks like Daisy isn’t immune to his charm and good looks. I can’t say that I blame them. Aaron is definitely a looker, even if he is just a little bit too pretty for my taste. Looking at Ryder, it isn’t hard to tell that I’ve always had a thing for the more rugged kind of guy.
Aaron leads the two girls into their bedroom to settle in, and Reese follows me into the bedroom with the two twin beds. He sets Ryder’s bag down on the bed closest to the window and leaves without a word. I watch him go, hoping that he’s able to relax, even just a little bit while we’re here. I don’t want him to be the only one that isn’t rested and refreshed by the time we get back on the road. This stay on the farm might end up being really good for us, and I want him to take full advantage of that.
I set my bag down beside Ryder’s and head back downstairs. Mary is in the kitchen working with what looks like chicken, which surprises me. “I thought you guys wanted the eggs, not the meat?”
She doesn’t look back at me. “We do. But chickens don’t lay eggs all year round. They can, under the right conditions, but it doesn’t come natural to them. If we put a light and heater of some kind in the coop, we’d probably be able to coax them into laying for us, but we’re not so hard up for food that we need to waste valuable energy on them. We’ll let them be through the winter, and eat one here and there when we have to.”
Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3) Page 28
