I pulled on a pair of shorts, ripped, a little longer than usual and a pink crop top with short sleeves. The fabric was worn thin and I sighed.
Maybe it was time to scavenge for new clothes. Not that most of them were cute anymore, or my size, or not ruined.
I checked my reflection in the cracked mirror near the old coffee stand, fixing my hair where a few braids had loosened. Eyeliner next. A quick spray of perfume across my chest.
I smiled at myself.
Then I picked up the mask, I turned it over in my hands, rubbing my thumb along the edge.
Miss you…
I slipped it on, stepped back, checked myself once more, even flicked my foot up with a quiet giggle.
Badass and cute.
I shoved my Converse on and headed out, flicking my hair as I crossed to the table where all the gear was laid out. Kade was already there, loading bolts into his crossbow.
He looked up.
Then shook his head.
I stopped. "What?"
His eyes flicked over my outfit. Slowly.
I put a hand on my hip. "I shouldn't have to put up with this. This is my place." I gestured around, then pointed at my chest. "My body."
"Not until you come back to the real world," he said dryly. "We're a team now. Deal with it." He shoved the last bolt into place. "No matter how much you irritate me."
"You can always leave, asshole," I smiled sweetly.
"If I do, you won't last," he replied without looking. "Want to risk your last chance of getting out?"
I ground my teeth.
The one time he saved me, he dangled it like leverage. I'd been doing fine on my own. Still… I wanted out of this place just as much as he did.
Didn't mean I had to like him.
Can't a girl dress how she wants in the end of the world without getting judged?
I was very close to throwing a brick at his stupidly handsome face. Which would've been a shame.
We grabbed our gear. I headed for the exit, unlatching the door and got tugged back by my strap.
"You sure your ankle's healed enough?" he asked.
"What do you think?" I flicked his hand away and kept walking.
We took the trail toward the town we'd marked, after a lot of debating and arguments, a little farther from the city. Possible vehicles. Hopefully less dead.
It had taken nearly two weeks for my ankle to heal properly. Two boring, uneventful weeks. Having Kade in my space had taken getting used to. Sometimes I forgot he was there. Then I'd catch myself thinking...
Damn, I really have a handsome man in my safe place.
And then he'd give me that look, like I'd walked out wearing a dolphin costume. That's when my irritation bloomed into full-blown hatred.
So yeah. I gave him sass. Attitude. Made myself unbearable on purpose.
Still, he stayed.
Weird.
I walked ahead, deliberately increasing my pace just to see if it pissed him off.
It did.
"Nyx," he hissed behind me.
I sped up.
"Would you fucking slow down," he whisper-yelled.
I smirked.
He grabbed my arm. "What's your problem now?"
I turned with a smile and brushed his hand off like dirt. "Why would I be mad?"
His jaw clenched.
"At least I don't look like a massive douchebag," I added sweetly. "You're just jealous I'm hot and out of your league."
I flicked my hair. Hard.
He chuckled under his breath. "Fuck, you're impossible. No wonder you were alone."
That one landed.
I shoved him, but he didn't budge. Just stood there like a brick wall, hands in his pockets, looking at me like I was throwing a tantrum.
That made it worse.
"Fuck off," I snapped. "You don't know me. I'm not forcing you to survive with me, so shut the fuck up and let's find the stupid vehicle."
I stormed off.
"Just don't wander too far," he called. "I'm not risking my life saving yours again."
"Whatever," I muttered.
Just wait, Kade. You'll realize it's the other way around.
We reached the town as the light dipped lower.
Quiet. Too quiet.
We crouched near a small shopping center, scanning the area.
He pointed toward the back. "We go through quietly. Clear exits first. Don't get trapped."
"We're here for a vehicle," I said. "That should be priority."
"It will be," he sighed. "After supplies. One thing at a time."
"We could split-"
"No."
I looked at him. "I'm not weak. I survived before you showed up, just trust me."
We stared at each other.
"We're staying together," he said finally. "That's final."
I scoffed but followed him anyway.
We cleared rooms one by one. I dropped a walker with a bored flick of my sword.
Then we reached the main area.
My eyes locked on a clothing store.
I need clothes. Badly.
While Kade scanned a tools shop, I slipped under the half-lowered shutter.
Clear.
I sliced a zombie in the changing rooms, wiped my blade, then-
Bliss.
I browsed. Danced quietly between racks. Held clothes up to myself.
Cute. Nope. Hell yes!
Fresh underwear almost made me emotional.
I was loading everything into a bag when-
SLAM.
I spun, knife already up, nearly clipping his throat.
I gasped, "The fuck-"
"The fuck are you doing?" he snapped, grabbing my wrist.
"Shopping," I smiled innocently as he released me. "Lucky. Almost took your head off."
I laughed and swung the bag over my shoulder, hips swaying as I walked past him.
"For fuck's sake," he muttered.
Then-
BANG!
I froze.
Not a moan.
Not a growl.
A gunshot.
I looked at Kade at the same time he looked at me.
Another shot echoed outside.
His jaw tightened.
"Move."
We bolted.
Gunfire kept tearing through the air.
That was a problem.
The sound bounced off concrete and shattered glass, echoing through the marketplace like a dinner bell. The dead answered immediately pouring out from behind stalls, doorways, anywhere they'd been hiding.
"Fuck," I breathed.
I didn't think. I moved.
Steel split bone. A head rolled. I spun, blades slick with rot as another body dropped. Bolts thudded past me, precise and fast-Kade didn't miss. When one got too close, his knife flashed.
We didn't talk.
We didn't need to.
I turned-Kade was nearly boxed in.
Too many. Too close.
I lunged, cutting through the bodies pressing in on him. A hand grabbed my shoulder. I tore free and sliced it down, breath burning as more poured in.
"Kade-"
He grabbed my arm hard. "GO!"
I moved, but the exit we'd cleared was gone. Bodies piled thick, crawling over each other, blocking the way out.
"Shit."
We veered back into the marketplace, hacking through stalls and debris. I cut. He shot. We ran.
Then-
CRACK.
Stone exploded inches from my head.
Gunfire.
Not random.
A stairway collapsed between us with a deafening crash. Dust filled the air.
I lost sight of him.
"Kade!" I shouted.
No answer.
I ducked, rolled, cut sideways instead of forward-into shadow, into chaos. The shots were coming from inside the shopping center. If I stayed out there, I'd be dead.
If I went against the shadows, I had a chance.
I ran.
Bodies slammed into each other as zombies swarmed toward the noise. I spotted one of the shooters, separated, distracted.
Big mistake.
I grabbed her from behind, arm locking around her throat.
"Why the fuck are you shooting survivors?" I hissed.
She laughed, breathless. "If only you knew who you were fucking with."
"Oh, sweetheart," I muttered. "You don't know who you're fucking with."
I tightened my grip until her body went slack and let her drop.
Alive.
For now.
The dead would decide the rest.
No sympathy, not in this world, not after what I'd seen people do to each other.
Kade.
My chest tightened.
I took off running, carving through anything that got in my way. Shots echoed. Screams followed. I burst through a line of stalls and skidded to a stop.
Kade was down.
Three zombies pressed in on him. One lunged.
I slammed into it, steel flashing. A head came apart. Kade buried his knife in another as I took the third clean off.
I grabbed his collar and hauled him up. "Move!"
We ran.
Trees swallowed us. Dirt replaced concrete. The gunfire faded behind us.
We didn't stop until our lungs burned and our legs screamed.
I bent over, hands on my knees, laughing breathlessly. "Damn… that was close."
The air left my body as I was shoved back against a tree.
"What the fuck, Kade-"
He pinned me there, hard enough to stop me, but not to hurt me.
"What were you thinking?" he snapped.
"What are you doing?" I shot back, hands coming up in surrender instinctively.
"You disappeared," he growled. "You don't split off. You don't vanish."
"I wasn't vanishing," I snapped. "I was surviving."
"You don't get to decide that alone."
I laughed once, sharp and disbelieving. "Pretty sure I've been deciding that for a long time."
Silence stretched between us.
His hands dropped.
That's when I saw it.
Not anger.
Fear.
I leaned closer, studying his face. "You're just mad because I saved you."
His eyes snapped to mine. He scoffed, turning away and grabbing his crossbow and pack. He tossed the bag of clothes at me.
"You dropped this." he mumbled, "You're welcome,"
I smirked.
"Let's go, before the cunts come back," he muttered, already walking off.
I followed, lucky wearing the mask hid my grin.
Back at the house, night had settled in. apparently Kade fixed the water like it was nothing, coldish water but better then lake water. Another upside of the end of the world, money meant nothing. Everything was free.
The water shut off.
I grabbed my pink towel and headed for the bathroom-walked straight into him.
I stumbled, towel clutched tight as his hands caught my arms. My gaze dragged upward-from the towel at his waist, over his abs, his chest, tattoo's to his blue eyes. Water dripped down his skin, hair dark slightly and wet.
I swallowed.
"You," he murmured, leaning closer.
My breath caught.
Then he smirked and stepped back. "Pervert."
He walked past me, leaving me frozen in place.
"I-what-I was not!" I stammered, slamming the door shut behind me and pressing my hands to my face.
Oh. The shame.
And the heat.
I leaned against the door, heart racing.
He's so hot.
Not good.