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Looking away, feeling those memories wash through her, she knew this was what was right. If they were going to be in this world together, fighting side by side, trying to survive, then she needed to be honest.
He didn’t say anything when she looked at him again, just stared at her with this expression that told her he had known all along. She didn’t want to have to run anymore, didn’t want to have to look over her shoulder because there were men out there who wanted her body to use and abuse.
Rebecca closed her eyes and breathed out when he pulled her in close and whispered how everything was going to be okay.
But this world made that just a fantasy.
14
Rebecca followed closely behind Collin. They had been walking for several days, into the thicker woods, farther away from the towns that she knew dotted this area, but for some inexplicable reason, she trusted him and his decisions. Collin had taken her tote, even though he had his own bag to carry.
She tried to take it back, telling him she could carry her own things, but he refused. A part of her felt warmth at the thought he wanted to do that small thing for her, to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, but another part of her said she needed to stay as independent as possible. This world could eat both of them up in an instant.
Of course, she thought about why exactly she was letting him call the shots when she had survived just fine by herself this whole time. Truth was, she was lonely. That isolation ate at her and made her think the world was closing in on her.
Loneliness was a horrible fate, to her at least. Maybe she just wasn’t built for this kind of world, for this kind of life. He stopped, held his hand out, and she stood there, silent, waiting to see what the next move was.
She had no idea where they were going, and maybe that should have frightened her. But strangely enough, she wasn’t afraid of Collin. He hadn’t hurt her and had instead protected her on every occasion. It actually felt right and good to be in his presence.
Maybe this kind of attention, affection from him, was something she should be wary of, fearful of even.
A small rabbit moved fast across their path. It was gone before they could really react, and then Collin motioned for her to follow forward with a curl of his fingers, and they walked farther into the thick covering of the trees. He lowered his hand to the knife tucked in the back of his jeans.
Collin held his lethal-looking knife, and she held her handmade one. But the way he was acting, as if he were on high alert, had her growing conscious of everything around them too.
“Look,” he said and pointed to the dirt road.
She moved closer, saw what looked like a pond or lake in the distance, and this little bit of excitement ran through her. Yeah, it was cold as hell, but she was filthy, had grime under her nails, and the water sounded heavenly. It would be the quickest wash off she had ever had, mainly because of the risk of being seen by the infected or savage fucking humans, and the fact that it was cold, but she’d take it.
“And there.” He pointed to the other side of the body of water.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to see straight, and then she spotted the small white structure that was tucked into the woods.
“Stay behind me, Rebecca.” Collin kept his voice low, but before she could take one more step, he curled his fingers around her waist and pulled forward until she was flush with his body. Her chest was pressed to his back, and she had to look around his arm just to see anything. It felt good to be this close to him, and although this wasn’t the time to think about sex, that was what was on her mind.
Ever since their kiss, she had been having these lewd, totally inappropriate thoughts about being with him. It was inevitable, because she knew he wanted her too, and that was on her mind as well. It fueled her desire, her erotic images, and made her feel alive again.
They continued to move through the woods, her steps crunching over the fallen, dried leaves and creating this echoing effect around them. And then she stopped, gripped onto Collin’s arm so he would do the same, and lifted her hand to point to the three infected walking on the road ahead of them.
She could barely see them through the break in the trees, but they were stumbling along, clearly unaware they were only feet from human flesh. And then the sound of something moving close by, across from where Rebecca and Collin stood, had the infected turning toward it.
