Roger held the door slightly open and waited. He didn’t want to look over his shoulder in case she had pulled a gun on him…not that he would blame her. He wouldn’t trust himself, either.
“Come back,” Vicky implored. “We can work this out. She just needs to hear what you told me.”
“What did he tell you?”
Roger approached them slowly, his face unreadable. “When I left, I rode into a trap. One of the infected…acted smart.” He gave her a knowing look that she completely missed. “I escaped and ran into the boys from the pack. We rode about a mile over and damned if we didn’t run into another trap.”
“That you escaped from,” Candy added.
“I was the only one.”
She smirked. “How convenient.”
“Why are you being such a bitch?” Vicky asked. She leaned in close and whispered, “No more brown liquor for you.”
Roger chose to ignore the comment.
“At the time, I wasn’t worried about convenience. But I did think that maybe it was a way for me to get out. If I had someplace to go, I could take my bike back over there and dump it with theirs. When Simon rides through town and finds the remains, he’d think I bit it right along with them.”
She considered his words and had to swallow the lump forming in her throat. She didn’t want to imagine he wanted to return to their group. Part of her wished he had just kept on riding. That way if nothing came of her fantasies, she couldn’t be hurt by it.
The other part was glad he’d come back. She wanted him to stay. She just didn’t want to tell him that.
She took a deep breath and nodded slightly. “Vicky, have one of the boys follow him back. Let him dump the bike and give him a ride back.”
Roger hiked a brow at her. “I can stay?”
She nodded ever so slightly. “Just make sure it looks like you didn’t survive the trap.” She turned and walked back to the office.
She needed a hair of the dog.
Chapter 6
Hatcher jumped when Hollis shook his foot to wake him. “The sun’s up.”
Hatcher rolled to the edge of the mattress and felt the bones in his back pop and crack. He stretched slowly and was surprised that sleeping on such a soft surface would cause him to ache the way he did.
“Fuck me, getting old sucks.” He groaned as he stood and pulled his overshirt back on. He tugged his boots on and quickly laced them.
Hollis tossed an MRE at him. “I think it’s an omelet. Not sure that I’d trust one myself, but in case you’re hungry.”
Hatcher glanced at the brown bag and shook his head. “I’m not gonna eat it. Hey, let’s get Mikey.”
Hollis missed the joke. “Who’s Mikey?”
Hatcher rolled his eyes and tossed it back to him. “Give it to the, kid. He looks like he’s missed enough meals.”
Hollis grunted. “He’s eaten two already.” He shook his head and shot Hatcher a lopsided grin. “If we go anywhere in the trucks today, he’s not riding with me.”
Hatcher fought back a smile as he slowly stood and tested his aching muscles. “Let’s do this. The day isn’t getting any younger.”
The pair walked out to the driveway and Hatcher opened the door as Hollis walked past the truck. “It’s just over that hill.” He waved to the ranger. “No sense wasting fuel.”
“What if there’s more than we can carry?” He closed the door and fell into step beside him.
“Then we make two trips.” Hollis scanned the brushy woods surrounding the house. “I feel like there’s eyes on us. I don’t want to attract any more than we already have.”
Hatcher couldn’t argue with the logic.
The hike to the nearest house was much farther than either man had thought. They were glad it was uphill so that the return to base with a load of supplies could be easier.
Hatcher tried to peek into the windows, but the gloom inside prevented him from seeing anything. “We could knock.”
Hollis shrugged. “If there’s any Zeds inside, they already know they have neighbors.” He kicked the door open and his men streamed inside. They performed a standard tactical sweep and declared the building clear.
Hollis went to the garage and Hatcher checked the kitchen. As he prowled through the remains, Buck approached, breathing hard. “Why didn’t you tell me you were heading out? I wanted to come with you.”
“You were eating. Besides, we’re just getting supplies.” Hatcher opened a cabinet door and pulled out a partial bottle of whiskey. He dropped it into the pillow case and continued digging.
“There should still be food stuffs. I couldn’t carry much when I checked these places.” Buck kicked at the debris littering the floor. He suddenly looked up and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
Hatcher watched him disappear and reappear a moment later carrying a large package of toilet paper. “This stuff is worth its weight in gold.” The kid shook the package at him and Hatcher fought a smile.
“Tired of leaves?”
“My butt is.” Buck spun a chair around and fell into it. “You do realize that the wrong leaves can do some serious damage, right?”
“Like poison ivy?” Hatcher tried not to think of the consequences.
“Worse. Some of them can cut you.” Buck gave him a knowing look. “I’m sure you’ve had a paper cut before? Imagine one…down there.”
“I’d rather not.” Hatcher dropped more goods into the bag and tied the corners together with twine. He slung it over his shoulder and pulled out the next one.
“The Army guys have MRE’s. Why gather all of this stuff?”
Hatcher paused, unsure if he wanted to tell the kid everything. He set the bag down and turned back to the cabinets. “They might not send somebody after us. If that’s the case, we’re gonna have to drive to the closest radio that will reach their command, and that might take a while.”
Buck nodded slowly. “Better to stock up and not
