As I eat some of the leftover quail meat, a hot breeze stirs the branches before fading. My gaze falls to the skull and snake tattoo on my forearm. Something all of us on the team got.
“Fight as one, Fall as one, Rise as one.” I swallow down the bitterness of the words that now feel more like a heavy chain than a badge of honor, a constant reminder of a bond that time and tragedy have all but erased.
Talia broke that vow when she sacrificed herself.
And that anger still sits heavy with me.
Losing my friends never got any easier. Some from the war we were fighting before the outbreak. Others from the virus. And the few remaining were killed by dangers of this new world, or just went off on their own.
Like Colt.
Her death broke him worst of all.
It’s the reason we fought, the reason we split up two years ago near Roanoke. We’d gotten into an argument about Mac. Both of us pissed our friend decided to stay behind and settle down in some town we’d stayed in, becoming the second person to break our vow.
Think it had to do with that kid who refused to leave. We all struggled with the atrocities of war and the things we were forced to do. But Mac suffered the most when it came to his demons.
Settling down isn’t for me. Not sure how he does it. I get all itchy and shit. Probably the reason I never got married or had a family.
But Colt hated him for not coming with us. Claimed “Fight as one, Fall as one, Rise as one”died with Talia, then walked off.
I breathe out a long sigh then take another bite of meat.
Wonder if either of my friends are still alive?
The damn assholes would definitely be giving me shit for sulking about some defiant brat, that’s for sure.
Maybe I should detour and see if Mac’s still around. Check in on him. He’ll probably chew my ass out for not visiting in four years.
Well, if he’s still alive.
Hope he is.
Moments later, a nearby tree shakes too long after the wind dies down. I freeze mid-bite, eyes narrowing. The branches still, then a pinecone thuds to the ground.
I get up, drawing my Sig and circle the tree, fairly certain of what I’ll find. Hopefully, because if someone else can get this close to me without me noticing, that’s a problem.
Not a chance in hell my awareness skills have deteriorated that much.
Peering up, my suspicions are confirmed and my heart damn near skips a beat when I lock eyes with his icy blue ones.
But dammit.
He’s up too high.
I let out a snarl and holster my gun. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Devon glares, still as unrepentant as ever. “I’m hungry.”
What a load of shit.
My brows furrow. “I left you food, enough for the day. So why the hell are you really here?”
My heart beats so fast, my fuckin’ palms sweat like a dumbass ready to fall to my knees in happiness. Only, the shit told me to get lost this morning, and that still stings.
He shrugs, making the branches quiver and my stomach lurch. “Wasn’t enough.”
I cross my arms, temper rising. “Maybe you should’ve been foraging then instead of wasting energy trailing me.”
