No Where to Run

by Raven K. Asher

  “Dinners ready.” He states as he moves closer.

  I smile up at him as he leans down over my body. “I heard everything you said downstairs.” I blurt out.

  “I know you did pumpkin’.” He laughs while sitting next to me on the bed.

  “Thank you, for being so sweet.” I kiss him sweetly.

  “I’d do anything for you pumpkin’.” He states before lying down on top of me. He kisses me then pulls back. “I’m so lucky to have you pumpkin’. I really missed you. I almost lost hope of ever seeing you again.”

  “I’m glad your home Sparky, where you belong. Now make love to me.” I grin and kiss him deep. Our tongues dance together and I moan.

  “I love you, Lucca.”

  “I love you too, Alexis.”

  ****

  A little while later Lucca and I head back downstairs to the kitchen. My stomach growls and I giggle. Lucca smiles at me and leads me to the table and I sit as he dishes up two plates and heats them in the microwave.

  Hunter and Kale enter in from the back door as we eat. Cookie comes in slowly and lies under the table by Lucca’s feet.

  “Good timing, guys. We wanted to talk to you about an idea we were just talking about.”Kane gestures between himself and Hunter.

  Lucca sits his fork down, giving them his full attention. “What’s up, guys?”

  Kane and Hunter share a look before Kane starts talking. “We are worried about the horses. We have worn them out. I couldn’t even get Cutter out from his stall this evening.”

  They have my full attention now. “What’s your plan? We can’t do the rounds without the horses. It would take to long by foot.”

  “We were thinking about making a trip to find some other horses. That way the horses will have the rest they need.” Hunter grins. “I passed a few horse farms on my way here. I never thought to use them, but the ones that were locked up I let free in the pastures. I didn’t have the heart to leave them die stuck in stalls. They should be healthy enough to bring back.”

  “So, who is going to be leaving to get these horses?” I ask hesitantly.

  Hunter gestures between himself and Kane. “We were planning on going in the morning, the sooner the better.”

  I stand and abruptly leave the room.

  I’m mad that they decided to leave, even though it won’t be forever it still stings that Hunter wants to leave me.

  I might be selfish but I don’t want anyone leaving.

  I’m so afraid they won’t come back.

  “Lucca let me talk to her.” I hear Hunter say as I run up the stairs.

  I hear his footsteps behind me as I bypass my room and go into Duncan’s. I grab an old shirt of his and hold it to my chest.

  I feel Hunter behind me, and I blurt out my feelings, there is no reason to hold them in. “I can’t lose anyone else I love.”

  “You won’t, I promise.” He turns me to face him. “You have to understand why I’m going, sweetheart. Kane wanted to go off by himself, and I can’t let him do that. We have better odds with the two of us. I would love to stay but, I’m going for you.” He gestures downstairs. “I’m going to keep Kane safe and to keep you from losing Lucca again.”

  I nod in understanding. “Just promise me you will come back, no matter what.”

  “I promise, sweetheart. I’ll go through heaven and hell to get back to you.” He brushes his knuckles against my cheek.

  I lean into him wrapping my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. His arm goes around me and his other hand weaves its way through my hair.

  We stand there quietly until Lucca and Kane knock on the doorway. “Is she going to be ok?” Lucca asks softly and I feel Hunter nod.

  “I’m going to go sleep in the master bedroom tonight, if that’s ok with you, Lex?” Kane asks me.

  “Yeah, that’s fine Kane. Goodnight.” He comes over and kisses my forehead before walking back out the door.

  I knew that was all I would get out of him, as it was his way of saying goodbye.

  He was never good with words.

  Hunter pulls away a little. “You should get some sleep too, sweetheart.” I nod then look to Lucca. He holds out his arms and I go to him.

  “Can we sleep in here, Lucca?” I ask quietly.

  “We can sleep wherever you want to, pumpkin’.” He replies as he goes to pull down the covers. Hunter watches me sadly.

  I grab Lucca’s arm and pull him close so I can whisper in his ear. “I know this is crazy of me to ask, but can he stay with us tonight? I haven’t been able to sleep without him at night, and I know he won’t admit it but he needs me too.”

  Lucca looks to me surprised then to Hunter and nods.

  He sits on the bed and rubs the back of his neck.

  “She wants you to stay, Hunter. I know it’s a bit weird, but she does need you.” He pauses then adds. “You don’t have to stay, it’s your choice.”

  I look hopeful to Hunter and he nods. He shuts the door and gestures for me to lie down next to Lucca. Lucca lies down and I snuggle up to him.

  Hunter lies down near my back and snuggles against me. Their warm bodies bring me so much comfort. I let out a happy sigh.

  “Goodnight. I love you both.” I say with a yawn.

  “Goodnight sweetheart.” Hunter kisses my shoulder.

  “We both love you too, pumpkin’. Goodnight.” Lucca kisses my forehead.

  We all drift off to sleep quickly.

  Chapter 9

  Day 14

  I lie in bed not wanting to face the day.

  I’m alone and cold and I already know Hunter and Kane have left. I knew they would leave without saying anything to me.

  Reluctantly I get up and dress. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen where Lucca is just sitting staring at his rifle that’s laid out on the table before him. He looks up as I enter. His eyes are ringed with red.

  He’s been crying.

  “What’s happened, Lucca?” I ask fearing the worst.

  “It’s Cookie. When we woke up this morning she was acting funny. She tried to bite Hunter, so I had to shoot her.” He looks out the window. “It was weird, you know her she’s a great dog, and she has never tried to hurt anyone. It was like she was a completely different dog. She wouldn’t even listen to me. She acted like she didn’t even know who I was.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lucca.” I sit next to him and lay my head on his shoulder. “Do you think it could have been from the dead she tried to bite yesterday? Maybe she actually got a hold of one, or something.”

  “You might be right.” He nods absently. “We are going to have to keep a closer eye on any animals we bring in.” He turns to me and he picks up my hand to brush his lips across my knuckles.

  “Did you bury her yet?” I whisper sadly.

  “Yeah, Hunter helped me bury her next to where your mom and brother are. I hope you don’t mind.” He sighs.

  “No, I don’t mind, Lucca. That’s a perfect place for her to be, she was like family after all.” I give him a hug.

  “I need to feed the horses.” He stands and walks out.

  I knew he needed some time alone to deal with his emotions, so I let him go.

  I decide to begin thawing some hamburger for dinner.

  I set that aside and begin making our lunch, I quickly make three ham and cheese sandwiches.

  I then defrost the hamburger in the microwave before mixing it up with bread and spices for a meatloaf.

  Lucca walks back in while I’m placing the meatloaf back into the fridge. He looks much better than when he left.

  His eyes are still ringed in red, but he seems to have relaxed a bit. He sits at the table and begins eating the two sandwiches I made for him. I sit next to him and begin to eat mine.

  “When do you think they will be back?” I ask between bites.

  “Hopefully, if everything goes alright they will be back before night fall.” That’s all that is said as we finish the rest of our sandwiches
in silence.

  “What are we going to do about food for the winter?” Lucca questions later as we are washing the dishes. I grin.

  I haven’t told him about dad’s stash yet.

  “My dad took care of that. When we are done here I will show you. I haven’t showed anyone else yet, but I did mention we would be ok. Neither of them ever questioned me about it.”

  “Well, after seeing the weapons stash your dad had, nothing will surprise me.” Lucca laughs.

  ****

  As we walk through the small apartment to each of the storage rooms.

  I grin at Lucca’s reaction.

  He’s completely amazed that my dad had this hidden from us. Everything was right under our noses the whole time.

  I still couldn’t believe it at times.

  “Holy cow, Lex, your dad is amazing. This should definitely get us through the winter, plus some.”

  “When spring comes we will have to work a bit, but dad has seeds we can plant and he taught me how to can and store different foods.” I state.

  Lucca gives me a hug and spins me around. “This is all great. We will have to tell Hunter and Kane we need to let them know this is here, but let’s not tell anyone else we come across. We can’t trust anyone.”

  I knew that, the less people who knew about it then the less people who would kill to get it.

  I nod. “Do you think the others are still alive out there?” I don’t have to specify who.

  He already knows who I’m asking about.

  Lucca sighs loudly. “I sure hope so, Lex. I hope that they are surviving and I hope they all make it here someday.”

  “I miss them all so much, Lucca.” I say sadly.

  Lucca holds me for a few moments before leading me back out into the game room.

  We decide to watch a funny movie to take our minds off of waiting for Hunter and Kane.

  It’s late afternoon and the sun is beginning its decent, when we both head back to the house.

  I grab the meatloaf and place it in the oven and start on making homemade noodles and rolls.

  “I’m going to go do the afternoon round, pumpkin’. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He hands me a two way radio. I look at him surprised. “I found a few of these in one of the rooms. I figured they would come in handy. Just yell if you need me and I’ll come running.”He grins then turns to leave.

  “Be careful.” I yell out before he shuts the door.

  ****

  It’s nearing night when Lucca arrives back home. I’m in shock when he walks in with Mel tucked under his arm.

  “Oh. My. God, Mel!” I run to her and wrap my arms tightly around her.

  I silently thank Lucca over Mels shoulder.

  He nods then sits at the table.

  I pull away from Mel. “What happened to you?” I ask as I run my fingers gently against her bruised face.

  She looks away. “I’d rather not talk about it, Lex.” I’m worried even more now, but I shrug it off, she would talk to me when she was ready.

  “Ok, that’s fine. Now, let’s get you some clean clothes and a hot shower?” I grin and she starts off to my room. “I’ll be there in just a sec.” I yell to her.

  She nods and continues on without looking back.

  I turn to Lucca. “What happened to her, Lucca?”

  “I don’t know what happened to her pumpkin’, but whatever happened must have been bad.” He states shaking his head sadly. “She was being chased by a bunch of dead dressed in military uniforms.”

  “That’s horrible. At least you found her and she’s no longer in danger.” I turn to stir the noodles and check on the rolls.

  “Lucca, can you take over with the food while I go take care of her?” He nods. “When the timer goes off for the rolls take them out and turn off the burner for the noodles.”

  “I got it Lex, go help her.” He points in the direction of the stairs. I nod and walk away.

  I knock on the door to my room and enter slowly.

  Mel is sitting on the edge of my bed absently staring down at her hands.

  “I’m here if you need to talk, Mel.” I say softly. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

  “They raped me, Lexi. They raped and beat both of us.” She sobs. I rush over to hold her. “They killed Katie. Oh my god, they killed her.” She starts rocking in my arms.

  “You’re ok now, Mel. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.” I rock with her as I brush her hair away from her face.

  “How about you get that hot shower now?” I ask her when her crying slows and she nods.

  I stand and grab clothes, my brush, and lead her into the bathroom. I turn on the water and help her strip.

  She has dark bruises all over her body. My heart breaks for her. She gets into the shower and I walk out shutting the door behind me.

  I lean against the door and take a deep breath before heading back to the kitchen.

  “She’s been through hell.” I state falling into a chair at the kitchen table. “She told me that Katie’s dead. I don’t know how we are going to break that to Kane.” I place my head into my hands. “How did everything get so messed up?”

  “I don’t know, pumpkin’, all we can do now is survive and hope things get better.”

  “You’re right. At least we are all safe here.” I breathe deeply and smile. “Food smells good.”

  “Yes, it does.” Lucca kneels by my seat taking my hands in his. “Everything will be ok, Lex.” He kisses my hands and let’s them go when we hear Mel enter the kitchen.

  She looks refreshed, but her eyes give away her sadness.

  Lucca claps his hands abruptly making us all jump. “Let’s eat.”

  ****

  As the night wears on I get more concerned. I pace the front porch waiting for Kane and Hunter to return.

  Mel had gone to sleep in my bed shortly after we finished dinner and Lucca was out preparing the extra stalls my dad had built in the barn. I continue to pace.

  They should have been home by now.

  Lucca steps into my way and holds his arms out. I go to him and snuggle my face into his chest.

  “They are going to be fine, Lex, you’ll see. They more than likely got stuck somewhere and had to hunker down for the night.” He whispers into my hair.

  “I know, Lucca, but I’m still going to worry till they are back safely.”

  “There isn’t much we can do tonight. It’s best if we just get some sleep. They will be back tomorrow, I’m sure of it.” He kisses me fiercely then lets me go, only to grab my hand and pull me to the master bedroom. I follow reluctantly.

  When we enter the room he pulls me to the bed and lays me down, then lies on top of me. He kisses down my neck as his hands glide under my shirt.

  I grab his hands stilling him.

  “Lucca, I can’t do this.” I whisper. He nods and silently stands up to strip down to his boxers to sleep. I tug my jeans off and slide under the covers. Lucca joins me and snuggles into my back.

  “Lucca, do you think life will ever be the same as it was?” I ask quietly.

  It takes a few minutes for him to respond.

  “No, I don’t think life will ever be the same.” He states sadly.

  We both sigh.

  “Goodnight Lucca.”

  “Goodnight pumpkin’.”

  ****

  I’m alone out in the woods, its dark. I hear twigs snapping in the distance.

  “Hello?” I yell out. No one answers.

  “Hello, is anyone there? I think I’m lost” I yell out. Again no one answers.

  I walk forward hoping to come across something familiar. I suddenly hear a low growl behind me. I look back but all I can see is a dark shadow.

  “Hello?” I turn to face whatever’s there. It doesn’t answer. I turn back and continue walking.

  Twigs snap behind me and I know I’m being followed. I begin to walk faster. I hear growls and snarls so I start to jog.

  Soon I see a fence in
the distance. It’s the fence that borders the house.

  I run towards it, but as I near the fence something slams into me and I fall to my knees. I quickly get back to my feet and turn to see what hit me.

  There standing before me is my brother, mom, dad, Hunter, and Lucca.

  I can see their pale gray faces clearly. They growl and snarl at me as I back up, the fence stops me from going any farther.

  “Oh. God please, no.” I whisper as they all stumble closer.

  My brother reaches me first.

  I raise my arms to shield my face.

  I scream as he bites down on my arm.

  Suddenly I feel myself being shaken awake. “Lexi, wake up, babe.” Lucca says frantically. I open my eyes and he sighs out in relief. I take a deep breath and let it out.

  Oh, thank god it was just a dream.

  “I’m sorry, Lucca.” I snuggle into his arms facing him.

  “Bad dream?” He asks as he rests his chin on my head.

  “Yes.” I whisper.

  “Go back to sleep, Lex. I’ve got you now. You’re safe.” Lucca yawns, and then begins to snore softly.

  I close my eyes and drift back off into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 10

  Day 21

  It’s been a full week and Kane and Hunter have yet to come home.

  I’ve barely slept or eaten.

  I sit on the front porch watching, waiting, and praying that they will walk up the driveway soon.

  “What are we going to do, Lucca? She can’t sit out here forever.” I hear Mel whisper behind me.

  “I don’t know what to do? I can’t go out to look for them. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” He sighs.

  “I can hear both of you.” I state and turn in my seat. They both look away. “They will be back.” I declare and turn back around in my seat.

  Lucca huffs then stomps back into the house. We haven’t spoken much and I haven’t slept with him either. I know he’s worried about me.