“Thanks,” Eric said.
He pulled a gun from his belt and Leah’s spine straightened as if a zipper had pulled it tighter. “Would you like me to show you around?”
“That won’t be necessary. All these places are laid out much the same,” Eric said. “You just wait here, okay?”
Leah smiled as her head bobbed nervously.
“Okay,” Eric said smiling back.
It wasn’t like we had a choice in the matter. If we would have told Eric he couldn’t look around, it would have raised suspicions. It wasn’t like we had anything to hide anyway. I just felt uncomfortable having a stranger look through our things.
Eric could have been lying. There was a chance he was here because Eva sent him to snoop.
It didn’t take Eric long to clear the place. I could see the shadows of his buddies pacing in front of the window near the door.
“Everything looks good in here,” Eric said. “All clear.”
“Do we need to worry about whoever is out there?” Leah asked.
“I’d make sure you keep your doors and windows locked,” Eric said. “But we’re doing everything we can to keep our residents safe.”
There was a chance Eric was being honest. When I’d first been given the job and had to go out to patrol the area, people had been stealing from us.
A guy had been shot. Luckily, the girl that had been with him managed to escape. Maybe she was the one sneaking around the area looking for more supplies.
Although she had seemed pretty scared. She would have to be insane to come back after what had happened to her friend.
But what Eric was telling us seemed plausible and this wasn’t one of Eva’s schemes.
Leah walked Eric to the door. He gripped the door and turned to her abruptly. She gasped and took a step back. They both giggled.
“Oh, my,” Leah said. “You’ve got me all nervous!”
“Sorry. I was just going to remind you to keep your doors locked and if you see anyone you don’t recognize, let me or one of the other guards know, okay?” Eric said.
“Of course,” Leah said.
Eric stuck out his hand and they shook like business partners. He offered me a polite wave before he turned and left our cabin.
I listened to their muffled voices as they talked in front of the door. It sounded like one of the guards said we were acting suspiciously. Eric, the voice I recognized, told him to calm down. That he was overreacting.
“Next house,” Eric said.
“You sure you checked it good,” one of the others said.
“It’s clean,” Erik repeated. “Next house.”
It felt like it took forever but they finally left. Leah leaned forward, setting her palms on her bent knees like a baseball player. She sucked in a deep breath.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Because you’re just waiting for Eva to pull the rug out from under us,” I said.
“Yeah,” Leah said. “And I don’t trust the guards.”
I nodded. “Because Eva corrupted half of them.”
“Maybe all of them,” Leah said. She exhaled and reached over to check the lock. “The good news is they’re gone.”
I ran my hands through my dry hair. “The bad news is I don’t know how long we’re going to have this roof over our heads.”
Leah exhaled slowly. “I have an idea.”
6
Stevie
Jake Quinn stopped crushing his hat and put it back on his head even though it was completely soaked. He watched as the girls walk through the back of the room toward the kitchen.
“You sure you wouldn’t like to sit down?” Gage asked as he gestured toward the recliner.
Everyone’s eyes darted around. It seemed as though having the nervous man in the house was putting everyone on edge.
“I really won’t be staying long,” he said. “Need to get back to my place as soon as possible.”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Maybe another time then. Please, tell us what has you worried.”
“I was out doing a supply run when I saw something that has me quite concerned,” Jake said. “Not too far off from here, maybe twenty miles or so to the north, there is what remains of a small town.”
“Okay,” I said dragging out the word. My arms crossed as I listened.
Jake scratched the back of his head. “I’d gone to check for more supplies, specifically my blood pressure medicine and well….” He paused and drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve gone to this town several times. Anyway, I’m not entirely sure when they moved in but it doesn’t look good.”
“Who moved in?” I asked my brows squeezing together.
“I’m not entirely sure but it’s a large group. They’re heavily armed. I didn’t stick around for long.” Jake pressed his hand against his chest. “I got away without being seen but my heart wouldn’t stop racing even when I got back home and locked the door. Sorry, I wasn’t able to come here sooner. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t been followed… well, and I needed to catch my breath.”
“How long ago was it that you saw them there?” I asked.
Jake twisted his fingers before meeting my eyes. “Forty-eight hours, give or take. My heart was acting up and I just needed to rest.”
“I totally understand,” I said holding up my hand. He didn’t need to explain any further. “I’m glad you’re okay. Maybe they were just passing through, looking for their own supplies.”
“Maybe,” Jake said with a shrug. “But it looked like they were setting up more permanently. There isn’t much we can do about it but I won’t be able to get my refill now, I suppose.”
I hesitated a
