“We have plenty of food,” I said gesturing toward the kitchen. “Would you like some breakfast?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you. I don’t eat much in the mornings. I didn’t come here for a social visit. I came to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?” I asked.
He exhaled sharply. “You may have thought the animals were our biggest problem but I’m here to tell you it’s not the animals we need to be concerned with. It’s the people.”
4
Joss
It didn’t take long before I couldn’t see the group which, of course, meant I couldn’t see Robby either. Caleb was shaking his head as if he knew what I was going to say.
“It’s not going to happen,” Caleb said. “Robby would have my head if I let you go out there.”
“This is ridiculous.” I crossed my arms with a huff. “If Jenna was out there, you’d go.”
“And you’d probably try to stop me,” Caleb said raising a brow.
He wasn’t wrong. But the difference was I wouldn’t be able to stop him.
“Don’t worry,” Jenna said. “Robby will be back any minute.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked sharply.
Jenna drew in a long breath and shrugged. “Because he’s Robby. He’s taken care of me since the store. He’s smart and strong, and tough.”
“Geez, Jenna.” Caleb rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you marry the guy.”
“Why would I do that when I have a guy with all those things plus, he’s unbelievably handsome,” Jenna said with a wink.
“You don’t think Robby’s handsome?” I asked.
Jenna scrunched up her nose. “He’s a bit hairy for me.”
I flopped down in the chair by the window and buried my face into my hands. They were trying to keep me in good spirits but with Robby outside and me trapped in the room, the weight on my shoulders felt too heavy.
I realized how much I needed him. If I lost Robby, there was no way I could continue on. Even if I did, I wouldn’t make it far. Robby was my everything.
It felt like an eternity before there was a knock at the door. It was a familiar knock.
“Oh, thank God,” I whispered as I popped up and dashed to the door.
“Told you,” Jenna muttered.
I reached out for the knob but Caleb caught my hand. He shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. We must always check first.”
“It’s Robby,” I said.
Caleb gently moved me to the side and looked out. He held out his hand, bowing slightly as he stepped back. “As you were.”
“Told you,” I said using the same tone Jenna had just used responding to me. I opened the door and threw my arms around Robby’s neck. “What happened? I saw you guys dragging someone down the road.”
Robby kept his arm around my shoulder as we went back into the room. He let out a breath as he dragged his hand down his face, wiping away the water that dripped down from his hair.
“I want you to know I didn’t vote for what we did,” Robby said. “In fact, I feel kind of sick about it.”
“What happened?” I asked looking into his eyes.
Robby exhaled slowly. “They killed him. He’s hanging in a tree on the path to the north.”
I knew the path. It was no doubt the one I’d taken when Bill led me out of town to steal from the other people.
“That’s sick,” I said.
“I agree,” Robby said. “Rex is ready for war.”
“What?” Caleb said.
Robby shook his head. “He seriously thinks we’re ready. The body is his way of sending a message.”
“Who knows what that person saw when they were snooping around,” Jenna said.
My eyes flicked over to her. She could feel the heat from my stare.
“What?” she asked barely glancing up. “If they let him go, it could be worse for us.”
“What is Rex’s plan exactly?” Caleb asked.
Robby pulled in a breath through his nostrils. “I’m not entirely sure but I don’t think it’s our concern. He has his own army.”
“Are you in that army?” I asked.
“No,” Robby said. “We have time yet. At least they think we do. Rex doesn’t think they’ll come looking for their spy for at least a few days, probably longer.”
“Sounds like he’s guessing,” I said.
Robby shrugged. “Maybe they’ll see Rex’s message and they’ll turn around and go home.”
“Was that something Rex said?” I asked.
“Yeah, but it’s possible they don’t want to fight us,” Robby said.
I winced at his word choice. It didn’t feel to me as though I was part of the ‘us’ he was referring to.
“Anyway, let’s go back to our room,” Robby said.
“Okay,” I replied unable to stop myself from feeling a sense of relief. It wasn’t much but being alone with Robby, locked inside our room, was the closest to feeling safe I’d get.
After locking the door, we hugged for nearly ten full minutes. It was how we recharged.
“Are you okay?” I finally asked pulling back slightly to see into his eyes.
“Yeah, I will be. It’s never easy to watch a man die,” Robby said. “This way of life is just not something I’ll ever get used to.”
I huffed. “Me either.”
“But at the same time, it’s weird because if this hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have ever met you,” Robby said.
I hugged him again. Hard.
“I hate when you’re out there,” I said. “Each time, I have to worry that you won’t come back.”
“Are you kidding?” Robby said with a grin. “I’ll always come back when I have you waiting for me. Besides, Rex isn’t ever going to make me do anything I’m uncomfortable with. That’s what I like about this place. They really try to keep everyone happy. I haven’t heard anyone complain,
