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But she kept her mouth shut, knew Mason and Asher were just as exhausted, and told herself that when they got there, this would have all been worth it. Sweat lined her flesh, but the cool breeze dried it almost as instantly as it formed.
The trees had broken way to show a modest-sized cabin. A shed about the size of a small garage was off to the side but no more than a few feet from the cabin. There was a huge padlock on the shed door and a good-sized area with chicken wire fenced around the perimeter.
Grass was overgrown in patches, and weeds sprouted up in the small, almost pointless gravel driveway that led up to the front of the cabin.
The place looked deserted and spooky even, but it was a sight for sore eyes and, as far as she could tell, completely untouched. They all stood there for several minutes, just staring. She took in their surroundings, and all she heard was silence.
Blissful silence filled her at the fact that she didn’t hear the shuffling and groaning of the infected. But this silence wasn’t like the kind that filled her head when she was alone on the road. This was peaceful, with birds chirping and the smell of freshness filling her senses. But she couldn’t go rushing over to the front door, not when they still had to make sure it was safe and secure, even if it appeared that way.
The three of them had stayed hidden behind the trees, scoping out the property and seeing if there was any movement. There hadn’t been, and when Asher and Mason deemed it safe enough to move forward, they still kept her behind them. The truth was they made her feel good when they wanted to protect her.
Feeling safe was a rarity these days, but these two men made her feel like that tenfold. Mason took hold of her hand, and she was snapped out of her thoughts. They moved quickly and silently around the side of the cabin, and Mason let her hand go to look through one of the windows. She held her breath, but then she saw him visibly relax and look over at them.
“No one has been here. I can see everything is exactly as I left it half a year ago.” He led them back toward the front door, and the porch creaked beneath the combined weight of the three of them. Mason lifted his arm and felt around the doorframe, and she heard the sound of metal running along wood. He lowered his arm and showed them the single key he held.
“You seriously kept the spare above your doorframe?” Asher snorted when Mason grinned. Once the door was unlocked and Mason pushed it fully open, the scent of stale air and dust filled her nose. She held off on a sneeze and twitched her nose from side to side. There was no light aside from what came through the few windows sporadically placed. Asher shut the door behind her, and for a moment, no one spoke or moved. But then Mason jumped into action.
“Ash, let’s do a quick sweep. There are two rooms in the back and a bathroom down the hall.” Mason turned and looked at her. “Stay here, baby.”
They were moving through the cabin before she could even respond. The sound of their footsteps moving through the rooms and of their voices murmuring that everything was clear drowned out everything else. They were back in front of her only minutes later.
“It’s all good.” Mason smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her. He moved into the kitchen and started checking the cupboards. “Over the years, I’ve been stockpiling this place.” He bent down on his haunches, ran his finger along the underside of the cabinet, and a clicking, followed by a popping noise filled the air right before a small door popped out from the ground.
Mason reached out and pulled the small door open. The space inside was not very large, but inside was stacked with canned goods, dried beans and rice, and even dehydrated meat and fruits.
“I put this trapdoor here to utilize space.” Mason grinned up at them, but she was already smiling like a fool. “I have a cistern out back, but I’ll need to check it out. The shed has firewood and more canned goods along with jugs of fresh water. My plan had been to stay here a very long time.” She reached out and took his hand, and he gave it a squeeze. But there was only peace and acceptance in his eyes. She knew he would never be fully healed, but she hoped the three of them could work toward a beautiful, fresh future.
“Come here, you two.” She looked at Asher for only a second before moving toward Mason. He wrapped her in his arms, lifted her head with a finger under her chin, and brought his mouth to hers.
