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“Grab Sherman,” Maya said in a calm voice.
Marius grabbed the dog’s collar and watched as his woman handled this.
Maya lifted the gun, aimed it at the male, and fired.
They stood there, both staring at the corpse on the ground. Marius let go of Sherman, and the dog started whining. He went to Maya and butted his head up against her thigh. Marius wanted to protect her, but he also couldn’t help that he was proud as fuck that his woman was kick-ass and wasn’t afraid to blow an infected asshole’s head off.
“Maya, baby?” he prompted low, wanting to make sure she was okay.
She slowly turned and faced him, her face void of any emotion.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I am.” She looked at the infected again, breathed out as if she were exhausted, and then looked at Sherman.
“He’s fine, baby.”
Sherman barked and started licking at Maya’s hand. When she looked at Marius again, it was the tears starting to form in her eyes he saw first.
“Maya?” He was in front of her and had her in his arms seconds later. He smoothed his hand up and down her back, hating that she was breaking down. The gun fell to the ground beside them, and she wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m okay. I really am,” she said between watery sounds. “I guess this all just brought back a lot of memories because of what happened with my dad.”
“It’s all right, baby.” He continued to smooth his hand up and down her back. “You did good. You were kick-ass as well.”
She chuckled softly, and he grinned even if she couldn’t see him. When she pulled back, he pushed a stray hair off her shoulder. “I’d kiss you, but I’ve been hauling a buck carcass for the last day and haven’t brushed my teeth.”
She chuckled again and brushed her fingers under her eyes, wiping her tears away.
“How about I get some water for you, start a fire to heat it up, and get a bath going?” he offered.
She smiled. “I should be the one getting the bath for you.”
“How about we save water and jump in together?”
“I like the way you think.”
Despite the fact that she’d almost been infected and that if he hadn’t gotten here in time, things might have gone a lot differently, the very idea of holding her nude body against this had all worry fleeing. All he wanted to do now was be with the woman he was growing to love, that he’d die for.
Yeah, Marius was already in love with Maya, and he knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Hell, she might even save his ass from time to time.
That had him feeling like the luckiest bastard in the world.
Epilogue One
The following summer
They’d survived the winter, and although it had been hard at times, Maya and Marius had stuck together. They learned things as well, knew what to expect for this upcoming winter, and they’d be ready.
As it was, they’d been preparing for winter since it officially ended. Nothing had changed with the infection, and in fact, she knew it had only gotten worse. They’d ventured in town once after the snow thawed, seeing if they could scavenge for any supplies, even though she had a feeling there wouldn’t be anything. The once picturesque town of Brook Locke was deserted, rotting corpses lying in the street, and even a few infected roaming. The stench had been intense as the bodies thawed.
They hadn’t actually seen another healthy human, but she was okay with that. No one could be trusted, and they had their sanctuary at the farmhouse and on the land.
The sun was beating down on everything today, and even though she was in the woods, looking for the wild blackberry bushes she knew were close to the property, the oppressive heat could still be felt.
She bent over, pushed some of the foliage away, and saw the bushes of ripened blackberries. A swatch of light came through from an opening in the tops of the tress, giving the berries enough to grow. Maya started picking the berries and putting them in the small basket she carried, but then the feeling of something close to her had her standing and turning around, the knife that had been strapped to her hip now in her hand. She held it out in front of her, ready to use it, but she saw Sherman and Marius coming toward her. He stopped and held up his hands.
“Dammit, I told you not to walk up on me. You’re liable to get stabbed.” She wasn’t teasing. She’d rather jab first and ask questions later, especially in this shitty world.
He started chuckling, and she sheathed her knife again, unable to keep her smile in. Every passing day, she grew to love him even more. They were a team, and she knew that without his company, without his help, she would have had a difficult time living out here by herself. As it was, the last few months when she’d been here alone had been starting to eat away at her. Not even Sherman as her companion had been enough.
