Lost World (35 page)

“We learn,” I say firmly.

Sophia shakes her head, and when I look around the room, others are frowning as well. I didn’t realize everyone was so worried about the future. Sure, when we were on the road it made sense, but here we have walls and supplies and a plan. Here we can make it.

“I think we should check it out,” Anne says. “Stake it out like Brady said.”

“Stake what out?” Axl says from behind me.

I turn as he and Angus and Parvarti step into the kitchen. The brothers don’t look happy, so they obviously know what we’re discussing already. Parvarti’s expression is as blank as always.

“Hope Springs,” I say.

Axl shakes his head and Angus grunts.

“I don’t like it,” Axl says. “There was somethin’ ‘bout that guy that rubbed me wrong.”

“What was wrong with him?” Joshua asks.

Angus chuckles, shaking his head as he takes the bowl Brady holds out to him. “He was checkin’ Blondie out. Ain’t that right lil’ brother?”

Axl glares at Angus, but I shake my head. “Axl is just being cautious, which is good. We should be cautious. That’s why Brady suggested we stake the place out first. I think we should just swing by the town and see what it looks like. But keep our distance.”

Axl still doesn’t relax.

“She’s got a point,” Angus says between slurps of his soup.

“No one is suggesting we walk up to the gate and hand our weapons over,” I say, trying to soothe Axl.

He shrugs and turns away, heading out of the kitchen. “Whatever you decide. I’m gonna head out. Try an’ find us a deer.”

“You ain’t gonna be able to see shit!” Angus calls after him. “It’s dark!”

Parvarti sets her bowl down and follows Axl. She pauses just as she’s about to step out of the room and glances over her shoulder. “I think we should check it out too.” Then she turns and follows Axl.

I can’t believe she actually has an opinion.

People nod in agreement, then slowly go back to eating, but the mood isn’t as light as it was at first. Maybe we’re all just thinking. About what could go wrong, about what might go right. It’s hard to tell. Either way, I’m satisfied with the plan. Knowing there are other people out there working toward something is a good thing.

In the morning Axl, Angus, and I get ready to head out for the MREs.

Axl still isn’t happy. Last night when he got back from hunting I could tell he was pissed off and I tried to talk to him about it, but he wouldn’t say much. We slept in the same bed, but he was distant and moody. Which just irritated me. He may not want to talk about what’s going on, but I’m not giving up. Checking out Hope Springs is a good idea, and I’m not going to change my mind about it. No matter how much he pouts.

Angus gets behind the wheel with Axl in the passenger seat, a map of the area sitting in his lap. I take the back. After my failed attempt at navigating back in Vegas, I wasn’t going to even try to tell them where to go. Apparently, I’m no good at reading maps.

“County Line and Emerick,” Parvarti says, standing just outside Angus’s open door. Her bow slung over her shoulder and a stone expression on her face.

“You got it, Rambo,” Angus says. He spits at her feet, but she doesn’t blink. “We ain’t back in two hours, you know where to come lookin’.”

Parvarti nods, and her brown eyes sweep across the inside of the SUV. Over Angus and Axl, then back to me. Something in her expression changes, but before I can figure out what it is, it’s gone. Then she goes back to the same blank look she’s had on her face for weeks.

Angus reaches for the door just as Brady comes up next to Parvarti, and I swear the asshole considers shutting it anyway. He doesn’t, though.

“Be careful out there,” Brady says.

Angus grunts just as Axl says, “Tomorrow we’re gonna need to go lookin’ for some fuel. Maybe head on back to that town we was at. See what else we can find before them other folks pick it clean.”

Brady nods and steps back, and Angus pulls the door shut. Swearing under his breath about who knows what. It’s impossible to tell what is and isn’t going to piss him off sometimes, and I’m not sure why Brady telling us to be careful is so offensive to Angus. Hell, he probably doesn’t even know.

We drive down to the gate where Parvarti meets us—riding a snowmobile Brady found in a neighbor’s garage. Angus drums his fingers on the steering wheel while he waits for her to open it, and the second it’s wide enough, he throws the SUV into drive.

“Here we go,” Angus growls, hitting the gas.

He sounds like he’s dreading it as much as I am.

We don’t say a freaking word on the drive. All of us are tense with anticipation, knowing that it’s been days since we were last there. The area was clear of zombies when we left, but that means shit now. Even with all the snow, the dead could still sneak up on us, which is something we’ve learned firsthand. Getting too relaxed is never a good idea.

When we reach County Line Road, Angus slows until he’s driving less than fifteen miles an hour. It feels like the car is barely moving, which makes me so nervous I have a hard time sitting still. I scoot up until I’m leaning between the seats, craning my neck to see out the front window. Looking for the tree Axl spray-painted. When it finally comes into view, Angus hits the brakes before I even have a chance to point it out. I lurch forward, my chest slamming into the center console so hard I’m surprised my implants don’t burst.

“Shit,” I say, glaring at Angus as I massage my boobs. “Why the hell did you slam on the brakes like that?”

Angus glances toward me, and when he sees me rubbing my breasts he practically turns all the way around in his seat so he can get a good look. Gawking at me with a look on his face that makes me want to slap him upside the head. This asshole is screwing my mom!

“Stop mentally undressing me, you pig,” I mutter, crossing my arms. “What are we doing?”

Axl shoots his brother a glare but doesn’t say anything, which kind of pisses me off. I hug myself tighter and sit back. Angus has been giving me disgusting looks since he first laid eyes on me, and it’s getting old. Especially when Axl chooses to ignore it. Maybe he’s used to his brother being a pig, but I’m not.

“Just checkin’ the place out, Blondie,” Angus says, flashing me one of his monkey grins. “Keep your panties on.” He wiggles his eyebrows, letting me know that he’d be okay if I chose to ignore that piece of advice. I give him the finger, which only makes his grin widen.

“Cut it out,” Axl snaps.

A moment of triumph shoots through me, but it’s cut short when Axl looks
my
way. As if I’m the asshole here. Heat moves up my neck to my face, and I press my lips together. If I open my mouth right now, Axl and I are going to end up fighting, and this isn’t the place.

Doesn’t mean I’m not pissed, though.

Angus chuckles and Axl turns back to face the front, pointing toward the opening in the trees. “Let’s get on with this.”

We pull into the woods, just as silent as we were the rest of the ride, and when the house comes into view, a little of my anger melts away. We found it and it’s clear of the dead. Even better, the snow around the place is totally undisturbed, meaning no one else has been here. Which is good. I need to focus on the positive right now and worry about Axl later.

Angus pulls to a stop right in front of the rickety gate, and I’m out before we can even discuss a plan. The air is clear, but so cold it turns the tip of my nose to ice. I’m wearing warmer clothes—thanks to Brady’s dead wife—but the same damn jacket Axl gave me back on Route 66. It felt nice and comfortable when I put it on this morning but now seems way too thin. Goose bumps pop up on every inch of my skin, making me shiver, but I do my best to ignore them and focus on the surrounding area. Keeping my eyes and ears open, checking the place out. The MREs should still be where we left them. Now all we have to do is load the SUV and get the hell out of here.

The brothers step out of the car, but when Axl glances toward me, I turn away. Maybe I’m being childish, but I’m tired of him not standing up to his brother. I’d never sit by quietly while someone said shit that made Axl uncomfortable, and he shouldn’t do it either. Especially not when the asshole making the comments is Angus.

“Where you goin’, Blondie?” Angus calls when I head toward the house.

“Let’s get this over with. We have other stuff to do and there’s no point in hanging out longer than we have to.”

Footsteps head my way as I push the gate open. It creaks even louder than it did the first time we were here, echoing through the silent forest. Above us, a bird takes off, and near the back of the house something scurries away. Even though the sounds are too small and fast to be a zombie, they make my heart jump with fear.

I reach the backyard and find the pile of junk right where Axl left it. Before the brothers have even made it back, I start unloading the stuff. Tossing it aside without bothering to be quiet. Metal slams against metal and glass shatters, echoing through the silence. But I keep hauling the stuff away.

“What the hell you doin’?” Axl asks from behind me.

I don’t even bother looking his way. “Clearing this off so we can get this shit and get out of here.”

“Vivian!” He grabs my arm and pulls me back, but I jerk free and glare at him. Axl purses his lips and his stormy eyes search mine, but I don’t blink. “You pissed?”

Behind him, Angus is grinning like he’s watching his favorite soap. Asshole.

“Just forget it,” I say, turning back to the pile of trash blocking our way. “I want to get this over with and get back.”

The average man would argue with me. Maybe even call me out on my bullshit by pointing out what a baby I’m being. Which I’m well aware of. But not Axl. He just comes over and starts hauling shit away like it’s nothing. Like me being pissed is nothing. For some reason, it makes me angrier.

By the time the door is clear and Axl has it thrown open, I’m so angry I’ve started to sweat. The back of my neck is moist, and my hair is plastered to it. The jacket I thought was too thin only a few minutes ago now feels like it’s made of the thickest wool ever created. I rip the padded flannel shirt off and toss it to the ground before heading down the stairs.

The cellar is dark, but I’m too irritated to really care. I move forward from memory, my hands out in front of me since my eyes haven’t adjusted to the darkness. When my fingers brush against spider webs, I jerk back. But I take a deep breath and force myself forward until I reach the boxes lining the walls. I pull one off to get a feel for how heavy it is. Thankfully, it’s light. I should be able to carry two—at least.

By the time Axl and Angus reach the bottom of the stairs, I have three boxes in my arms and I’m heading back up. Angus doesn’t even look my way, but Axl tries to stop me by grabbing my arm. I jerk away.

“Vivian, you gotta wait. I don’t want you up there by yourself. It ain’t safe.”

“It’s fine,” I say, not even looking at him as I head back up. “You’ll be right behind me.”

I have the urge to throw in some shitty comment about how Axl
always
has my back, but I don’t. I’m irritated enough and there’s no point adding to it. Plus, I know I’m being a bit irrational. Maybe it’s stress or maybe I’m about to get my period, I don’t know for sure. I just know that I have the almost overwhelming urge to slap Axl, which is something I haven’t felt since the first few days we traveled together.

Brings back memories.

The sun is so bright that I have to squint when I step out of the cellar. The boxes in my arms are stacked on top of each other, blocking my view partially, but I don’t let it stop me as I hurry through the yard to the SUV. One of the men has already opened the back door, and all I have to do is slide my boxes in before heading back for more.

I pass Angus and Axl on the way, but none of us says a word. It irks me how calm Axl looks. Figures.

We get into a routine. Up and down the stairs, passing each other wordlessly as we slowly empty the cellar. My skin is so moist my shirt sticks to it, and on my fourth trip to the car, I take my sweater off and toss it into the backseat. Underneath, all I have on is short sleeve shirt. The air cools my sticky skin, but it’s nice after exerting myself so much.

“No slacking off now, Blondie,” Angus says when he and Axl come through the gate with their arms full. “Almost got them boxes cleaned out.”