He looks at me like I’ve grown three heads. “Popcorn? Really?”
I smile. “Yeah. It used to be my favorite. I haven’t found a bag in forever and even if I did, it’s really hard to actually pop the bags without a microwave. It’s just not the same over a fire.”
“You’d need to find a pot and then just dump the kernels in.”
“Yeah, but carrying a pot around is a pain in the ass. Probably not really worth it.”
Wade shakes his head. “Popcorn. That’s such a silly thing to long for when everything else has gone to shit.” He lets out a chuckle and the atmosphere in here is suddenly much warmer.He doesn’t trust me but at least now the wall between us is coming down just a little bit.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“No idea.” He closes his eyes, tilting his head. He’s listening, I realize quickly. “I don’t hear any shuffling but there are lots of insects so it’s probably still dark outside.”
“I think we should rest up until the sun comes up and then would you be up for checking out the nearby town? We can see about supplies and then make a plan from there?”
“I still don’t trust you,” Wade says instead of answering.
“I would expect nothing less. I’m not asking you to trust me. Honestly, it’s probably safest if we never trust another person. Keep your head on a swivel. That’s smart. I’m just proposing that we equally not trust people together.”
“Why?”
I shrug because I don’t really have a good answer. “Let’s stay together until we get you properly supplied. Once you have everything you need to survive, then we can part ways.”
“What do you get out of this?”
“Let’s just say I have a weird survivor complex. I couldn’t save someone in my past and now I see him in everyone Icansave now.” It’s close enough to the truth that it steals my breath. I quickly look away, not wanting Wade to read my emotions.
“Fine,” he eventually says. “Rest now. Supply run. And then we part paths. Neither of us owe the other anything. If we run into trouble, we help each other until we depart.”
“Great,” I say, suddenly feeling a bit too splayed open. I lie down on the ground, using my backpack as a pillow. I turn my back to Wade. I’m glad I was able to save him but the sooner I can be back on my own the better. The last thing I need is to grow attached to someone I’m just going to lose. I don’t wanna go through that again. In all honesty, I’m pretty sure that wouldbe the thing to finally break me. “I’m gonna sleep til the sun comes up.”
I don’t wait for Wade to answer before closing my eyes and letting myself find rest.
Chapter Four
Wade
Briggs is strange. Ican’t seem to get a read on him no matter how much I stare at him. I’m surprised he hasn’t told me to fuck off yet but every time he catches me staring, he just smiles and looks away again.
Briggs is handsome. He’s smaller than me but still strong, strong enough to carry me all the way to this town. His skin is pale, much paler than mine, except for the parts of his face that are exposed to the sun. His hair is short and dark, his eyes always alert and a light brown color. There’s stubble on his face but he keeps it cut, probably using the knives he keeps in his thigh holster. He seems like such an ordinary guy.
What’s the catch? This seems too good to be true. I’ve somehow stumbled on a human who still possesses a conscience and he just happens to save me. He just happens to want to team up to help me get supplies? Something isn’t adding up.
As much as I want to poke at him and get to the bottom of what’s going on inside his head, I don’t think that’ll help either of us. It’s best if I just keep my head down, accept his help, andthe moment I can, I’ll run. I’ll run as far and as fast as I can. I’ll finally befree.
He opened up for the tiniest moment last night. A weird survivor’s guilt complex he’d called it. What the fuck does that even mean? I have a few ideas, but I won’t know for certain unless he tells me and I have a feeling that won’t be happening. Confessions like that take a level of trust I doubt we’ll ever have.
Running my fingers through my greasy hair, I let out a deep sigh. Fucking hell. It feels like I’ve been shot.
Right. That’s because I was.
My thigh still aches, the healing going so much slower than the rest of my body because of the silver of the bullet. Thank Christ that bullet went through and Briggs didn’t need to try to dig it out of my thigh. That would have been such an inconvenience.
“This house looks pretty untouched.”
“This whole town has been untouched. It’s strange. I’m getting such weird vibes.”
“What? Like ghosts? Aren’t zombies enough?” Briggs asks with a little chuckle.
