If his reaction was anything to go by, Euan read flashing warnings all over his face.
Euan moved before Nick had the chance to blink. He tugged on his boots while Nick found his clothes on the floor and handed them over. Their fingers brushed. Nick jerked when the zap of electricity shot through him. Their connection had always been like that, visceral, real, consuming. He’d ignored it for the sake of his hurt. But now there was no opportunity to doubt their relationship. There was no opportunity for anything except to get the fuck out.
As Euan pulled on his shirt, Kira sat upright and swiped her hair out of her face. ‘What’s going on?’
Big hands were on Nick’s shoulders. Brown eyes that were full of questions were above him. Nick found his voice and said, ‘Fire, on the horizon.’
Euan nodded, turned. ‘Kira, sweetheart, time to go. Pack your shit.’
Simple words. Crude, direct, authoritative. They were the directive they craved, that they missed. Euan took the lead, Nick and Kira followed. They snapped into comfortable responsibilities. The simmering tension between them evaporated. The questions, the anger, the betrayal all dissipated for the sake of their safety and their lives. Euan was once again in charge, and despite the oncoming danger, all was right with the world.
The sky was gold when they emerged from the house. Clouds of amber, orange and red marred the grey. The rising sun was a ball of enraged crimson fire. It bled red light onto the land, tainted the dormant oak and pine that surrounded their home and painted the sky with fingers coated in blood. Smoke billowed over the trees in a growing mass of ghostly air. Plumes of dust, ash and the remnants of life. The air was polluted with the smell of embers and fire. Of decay and loss. Of death.
Nick’s eyes were drawn skywards. Birds parroted overhead. They squawked and bickered as they escaped the oncoming blaze. Masses of the winged creatures formed flocks as they accumulated together in their flight. The gates of hell had opened. They were not going to be sucked into the flame.
Their flight singled the need for haste. They foretold the end of their time sheltered and safe. One more step off the porch and the three of them would be whipped into the tornado of anarchy. Hunted, hounded, on their feet, running for their lives. This would now be their narrative.
Nick moved until he stood alongside Euan. Kira stepped forward until she was in line with Nick. Shoulder to shoulder, the three of them created a wall to the chaos that would come. They stared at the growing smoke cloud as it reached towards the heavens. Side by side, they would prevail. Together, they would buffer the threats to their foundations. Their future was unknown. Their journey fraught with danger and fear. But together, potentially they would behold the beginnings of a new world, a good world. A world where goodness prevailed and the strong protected the weak.
Chapter 5
Euan
They’d been in a bubble. Hidden from the mayhem of the outside world but for the bunker and the power of Mickey-O and his men. But the bubble had burst, and the nightmares of the real world were closing in.
Their sanctuary was a hive of activity. Men all in military fatigues surrounded them as they finalised the packing of the stores. The chickens were in cages, hauled into an open tray of a battered olive-green pick-up. The sounds of their annoyance in the change in accommodations were distinct. It was accompanied by the various shouts of the men as they prepared for departure.
Orders, affirmations, the clatter of wooden crates against steel. The zing of zip-ties as they tightened, the scrape of rope as it tensed, the groan of furniture and equipment as it compacted under pressure.
Euan held out his hand to Kira who took it without hesitation. Her warm palm in his, he was the first to step forward and off the porch. Nick at his side the three of them marched to where the ordered chaos originated from.
Mickey-O stood in the centre of his men, Knight by his side. Lily was already wrapped up and bundled in the back of a reconditioned jeep. Her face was hidden by black scarves, her body wrapped in blankets, she had scrunched herself into the space for feet in the back of the cab. Euan suspected that was of her own accord.
Knight’s hand was outstretched and Euan matched the gesture. Their grips were firm, a single shake that offered so much unspoken sentiment. Knight nodded, and Euan lifted his chin to return the gesture. Mickey-O slapped his back when he approached, but his focus was on Nick.
‘You remember where to head in case we get separated?’
Nick nodded. ‘Yeah.’
He turned to Euan, black eyes keen and focused. ‘Follow the highway to the overpass. Take the left into the mountains. There’ll be a sign you recognise. You can’t miss it.’ He jerked his chin towards Kira. ‘You keep her safe and out of sight too.’
All eyes were drawn to Kira. The lines of her slim body were encased in a layer of fabric and Kevlar. The features of her face were hard, she was committed and confident. ‘We got this.’
Mickey-O grunted in affirmation. Then he turned to his company that were making the final preparations for his departure and waved one hand over his head in the air. His voice boomed through the small clearing. ‘Head on out, boys!’
The mantle of leadership was heavy, Euan was conscious of the smoke, the increasing temperature, the concern that had marred Mickey-O’s brow. In that moment, he was glad it was not him who attempted to orchestrate a flight into the unknown. Weapons were prominent. Strapped to hips and pulled in alongside each man to rest within easy reach. There was a sense of dread that tangled with
