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“Well, if you have your shit together, what do you need a big, strong man like me for?” I deadpan, and two seconds later, I’m rewarded with the rich sound of her laughter.
“Oh, my God. You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously handsome and strong?”
She shakes her head, but her wide grin loosens something in my chest. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For getting me out of my head. I’m going to sort through the trash and see what we can use and do the bug-out bag, but before that, I really need to pee.” She cringes.
Now it’s my turn to grin.
“It’s cute how embarrassed you get. Alright, get your shoes on. I’ll take you down to do your business, then I’ll see if I can rig something up to give you a little bit of privacy.”
She flings her arms around me and squeezes me tightly before pulling back. “Best day ever. How’s that for a positive mental attitude?” she sasses.
I lean in close, her body freezing as my lips skate over her cheek.
“Better, pretty girl. Much better.”
* * *
As much asI’d like to build the woman a bathroom, I’m wary of letting her too far out of our sight. Instead, I wander far enough from the plane that I’m still within shouting distance before clearing a section. Once that’s done, I check the trees and bushes around us and use my hunting knife to cut away anything too close. It won’t stop anything from falling from above, but it’s something.
A snap of a twig has me whirling around, flicking my knife up, and ready to lunge when I find Zig behind me, rolling his eyes.
“If I would have had a gun pointed at you, you’d be dead,” he states before dropping a bag to the ground. “Lucky for you, I opted for my knife.”
Jesus, cocky bastard.
“What did you catch?”
“Honestly, they mostly caught me. The birds seem remarkably friendly. I just had to wait them out, and once they got close enough, I grabbed a couple.”
I peek in the bag and find four dead yellow-feathered birds.
“Any idea what they are?”
“No, but there are only a few birds that are toxic to eat. I might not know what these are, but I know what they’re not, so we’ll be fine. Can’t guarantee how they’ll taste, but we can’t afford to be picky. What are you doing anyway, and where’s Salem?”
“She’s on the plane making a bug-out bag, just in case.”
He nods before picking up the bag and looking around, a smirk playing on his face when he sees what I’ve been working on. “I love what you’ve done with the place. Very jungle chic.”
“Suck my dick, Zig. It’s for Salem.”
His smile slips, and he nods. “Good job. I’m going to take these back to the plane. You coming?”
I look down at my watch and see we have another five hours of sunlight left.
“I’m going to look for water. We have a few bottles to last us maybe another three days, but if the rain doesn’t come…” I leave it hanging.
We can go without water for a while, but it won’t be a pleasant experience. Still, we have enough time right now for us not to panic. But if the rain doesn’t come and I can’t find a river or something, we’ll be fucked. Getting chased by the cartel or the government will be the least of our worries.
“Here. Take the flare gun and the compass. I stuck to the northwest. I didn’t find any water anywhere, so head in another direction. You want my gun?”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. Did he forget who he was talking to? I lift my pant leg and show him the gun strapped to my ankle.
