“If you were land, it would be the only land for me.”
Without a moments pause she places her hand upon his cheek.
“For if you were land, and I an explorer, my roots would be settled here and now.”
“Alright, showoff. We’re not all poetic like you.”
She kicks a leg into the air and sticks her tongue out at him, scrunching her face in a mocking manner. The two lovers resume their chores, a daily schedule that Zee sets up for everyone at the beginning of each week. He reorganizes the barn moving all of their most important equipment to the front and their lesser used items to the back.
Zee tends to the small fruit garden on the far side of house near the back perimeter. It’s not much yet, but from her previous knowledge of the garden in their former community, Zee has been successful in growing strawberries and the first year stalks of blackberries.
Across the yard from the fruit garden Zee has also started work on a vegetable garden. The expansion of this is a new endeavor for her. About a year ago she planted some bush bean seeds they were fortunate enough to find in the house. Vegetables and fruit aren’t abundant in this area, but she has managed to find some apple trees that they pick every few months, and she transplanted some turnips and eggplant to the garden.
Together they clean the house and make sure their safety measures are intact. Hawaii is thorough in his planning, and as such they finish their duties with an hour to spare before night falls. They settle down around their fire pit. Hawaii starts the fire, and sits next to Zee.
They’ve known each other their whole lives and still they never tire of each others company. They started dating before they even knew what the word meant. In this rotted, carnage filled, decaying world a love like theirs shouldn’t exist, but it does, and it burns brighter and fuller with each passing day.
It’s not long after dark, maybe two hours or so, when the others return with more fire wood. Not nearly as much as Hawaii had hoped for, but any is better than the very little they had left.
They laugh and converse, poking fun at Rad’s failure at chopping a tree down. In the midst of their jovial gathering, during a break in the action, an unusual sound rips into Rad’s ears. He jumps from his seat and grabs one of the rifles. He points it to where he heard the sound.
“Did you hear that?” the large faux lumberjack says.
Sweetie hastily joins him.
“I did.”
“Hear what?” Zee inquires.
Hawaii motions for silence. He turns his head toward the tree line and listens. The wind is low on this night. There’s no bustling coming from the woods as their generally is, yet, something feels off. This sensation courses through his bones. He grabs a rifle and walks ahead of Rad and Sweetie by several paces.
The Family stare intently at the tree line. They listen carefully. They wait. Then, it happens. A woman steps out. Just as they do, she also has a gun. The light from the burning cinders of the fire barely reach her. She’s small and short, and even in the dim glow of the fire it's easy to see that she's quite tan and has long raven hued hair. That's not what concerns them about her appearance. What concerns them is that this woman is dirty, and she is shaking. Tell tale signs of a diseased, but her gun states something else. They have never witnessed an infected carry a weapon.
“What do you want?” Hawaii asks.
She doesn’t respond. She stands before them trembling, nervous, and certainly afraid. This sight does not ease them, no, it only furthers their fright.
“You lookin' to steal from us?” Rad shouts at her.
“NO!” the stranger hastily responds.
Her answer was quick, but her words ring hallow. She’s lying, Hawaii is certain of it. The woman before them breathes in deeply and continues speaking before any of them can question her again.
She says, “My name is Rosaline. I don’t want to hurt anyone."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Since the car accident the disheveled family has been walking for four days to reach Pete's house, Markus’ brother. Kylie didn’t regain her full composure until the second day. Patrick has not taken to the journey well. He’s spent the majority of his waking hours crying.
They’re fortunate that the roads they've traveled on the way to Pete’s have been largely unoccupied, save for a few passing cars in the distance that did not halt their travels. Regardless of that Markus has kept them in fields and woods, a good distance away from the roads, trying to stay out of view of any wondering eyes that may be around. They haven’t come across any other people or any afflicted, a small victory that has kept Markus going.
It has been Kylie’s greatest worry that they would stumble across those that are sick before they reach Pete’s. Out in the open their ability to defend themselves is nonexistent.
As they reach the rise of the hill, Pete’s land and house come into full view. This is the first time Kylie has felt relief in days. Pete and June’s vehicles are both in front of the house. Finally, a good sign. Knowing how his brother is Markus must be cautious as they approach the house. Pete will surely be standing watch and on the lookout for intruders.
There are no neighboring houses for miles, and no stores or shops of any kind in this area. Only long stretches of land and woods. An ideal setting for Pete. Markus has never appreciated Pete’s propensity for privacy more than he does in this moment.
Even though Pete’s house is in view it’s still several hundred more yards before they reach his property. He grabs his wife’s hand, his attempt at comfort. She forces a smile, but they both know it’s a false gesture. There isn’t anything to
