Page 161 of My Undead Love Life

Spencer didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”

I snorted under my breath while tightening the strap on my backpack.

Sofia didn’t say anything right away.

“I’m right,” Spencer insisted, crossing her arms. “You’ve been down here alone for how long?”

Sofia shifted on her feet. “Since the day before everything went to shit.”

“You don’t have to be alone anymore,” Spencer told her softly.

Sofia looked back down at the screen and began pacing. “My work is here. Everything I need is here.”

Spencer followed her. “You could bring it.”

Sofia’s brows lifted. “My bunker?”

“Some of it,” Spencer amended quickly. “Or you could come visit. It’s like…” She looked back at us, like we were supposed to back her up. “What? Five or six hours on foot? Without this weather.”

“Closer to six,” I said.

Sofia glanced at me. “Assuming optimal conditions.”

“Which don’t exist,” Luck muttered.

Spencer waved that off. “Still. That’s not that far.”

“It is in this world,” Oxi said quietly.

Spencer ignored him. “You’d have people,” she said again, trying to convince Sofia. “You don’t have to do all of this alone.”

Sofia finally turned fully toward her. The screens glowed behind her. Machines hummed. Somewhere beyond the lab, water moved through pipes with a soft, steady rush. Sofia’s face had the kind of stillness I recognized from people who were deciding how much truth they could afford to say. “You’re very sweet,” she said. “But I’m okay.”

Spencer’s brow furrowed. “Are you?”

Sofia’s smile twitched. “That is a rude follow-up question.”

“It’s not rude if I’m right.”

Luck leaned toward Oxi. “She’s cute when she cares.”

Oxi whispered, “Yes. It’s one of her best traits.”

Keith’s mouth curved slightly, but his eyes stayed on Spencer.

Sofia sighed and tapped her stylus once against her tablet. “I know where you are, and you know where I am. Perhaps we will meet again.”

“But what about⁠—”

Sofia’s lips curved into an amused smile. “I’m not lacking for communication, Spencer. I have a radio buddy.”

Spencer blinked. “A radio buddy?”

A blush crept over Sofia’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and busied herself with a supply bin. “Yes. A person with a radio. A buddy. The phrase is self-explanatory.”

Luck opened his mouth.

“Don’t,” I warned.