When Rex shows me how to set snares properly and spot hidden dens, I pay close attention, even keeping my know-it-all trap shut for once.
If anything, his lessons help fill some gaps in my survival skills, and his patient way of instructing is damn near soft compared to my father's 'teaching methods.’ The heartless prick had no problem leaving scars when I didn't learn fast enough to suit him.
And that just makes everything I’m feeling worse, especially because disappointing Rex sits like a rock in my gut. Yet, I couldn’t help myself earlier. Only, instead of disappointing him, I hurt him.
By mid-afternoon, the air has grown even colder and an icy wind picks up, biting at our exposed hands and ears. I pull my jacket tighter, hunching my shoulders against the chill while ominous gray clouds roll in to blot out the sun.
It’s not long after, Rex starts sniffling more than I'd like. My nose is running too but not like his.
He looks over his shoulder, assessing me like he usually does. “We'll need to find scarves soon and warmer clothes for you.”
“Not the only one who’s cold.” I can’t help the angry bite in my voice, annoyed he’s always more concerned about my wellbeing than his own.
With about an hour of daylight left, we reach the outskirts of a small town called Milroy. Rex takes the lead scouting several collapsed homes, but quickly shakes his head. "No good. We'll have to make camp in whatever's most intact."
We end up in the basement of an old brick office building. It's freezing, even sheltered from the howling wind. Our breath fogs in the air.
Rex lays out his sleeping bag, then unzips it. "Get in."
I crawl into the confined space, then he slides in behind and zips us up. And though he wraps an arm around me, he remains quiet and withdrawn.
The silence is deafening and suffocating, eating at me like a damn piranha.
I let out a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry ’bout what I said earlier.”
His arm flexes. “You got your demons. Fine. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll listen. Just stop taking that shit out on me.”
“Taking it out on you?”
Instead of answering, he pulls me closer, burying his face into the back of my neck. “Go to sleep.”
While I may want to know what the fuck he means, Rex can be even more stubborn than me. And I’m too damn cold to pull away from his furnace-like warmth to argue.
I close my eyes and focus on his heat, which chases away the icy chill inside me like a thousand suns. Nevertheless, I keep jerking awake every few minutes as the cold seeps into my bones.
Rex unzips the sleeping bag, then goes to his pack and pulls out a knitted hat, which he places on my head before getting back in.
He sighs, pulling me against his chest again. "You’re too damn skinny."
No matter how much I try to deny it, I like the way he makes me feel cared for. Wanted. Safe.
I curl up into him, but this time . . . this time it’s for more than just warmth.
Chapter 6
Wedon’thikefartoday. The biting wind persists, making it tough to stay warm, and we weren’t able to find any scarves in the town we just left.
But worse is Rex's constant throat-clearing, which sounds wetter by the hour. And when he finally coughs, my stomach drops, twisting into knots.
What if he’s sick? What if he has the same thing that wiped out most of the population? Thinking about losing the bastard twists me up inside worse than anything I’ve ever felt.
He looks over at me, one brow arched. “You good?”
I nod.
“Sure? You look kinda pale.”
With a grunt, I pick up my pace. “Let’s go, old man.”
