We were all anxious to get out of the area and put some distance between us and the city.
“This place is nice,” I commented as I got out of the car and looked around. Emery hadn’t just rented us a cabin in the woods; she’d found us a luxury cabin in the woods.
“I figured we may as well make the most of it for as long as we can,” Emery replied. “Plus, this baby has its own well and solar power. We’re off the grid.”
“Good job, Princess,” Nico praised. “I’ll make sure we hunt down extra parts and panels and whatever tools we might need for solar power.”
I looked around the property. Near the house, the ground was cleared, but beyond that, we were surrounded by trees. We would need to take a lot of trees out to expand our livable area, which we could use for firewood. A solid six-foot fence around the perimeter, and we’d be well on our way to a secure place to survive the apocalypse.
“Let’s get settled inside and then we can start making plans and shopping lists,” Miguel suggested. “There is a lot of work to be done, and the clock is ticking.”
“Mami, Papi, you guys can take the bedroom suite on the main floor,” Emery said. “We’ll take the primary bedroom upstairs if that’s ok with everyone.”
“You won’t hear any complaints from me, Sweetheart,” I replied.
Felix looked at us, and for a second, I thought he was going to object to us shacking up with his daughter. Instead, he smiled. “That will be fine, Piccina. It will be nice not to have to take the stairs to get outside anymore. This house is beautiful. We’re fortunate to have it. I would like to be a part of the conversation regarding plans. We may be old now, but we can still be helpful.”
“Of course, Sir,” Nico replied. “We wouldn’t dream of discussing it without everyone’s input. This is our home now, and everyone has a say in what we do to it.”
Once we had unpacked the truck and put away our belongings, we all gathered in the dining room. As we discussed, Nico sketched out our plans. We mapped out where we would put a garden, and discussed getting more outdoor sheds. By the time we were done, we knew where our fence would go, what rooms would be converted into an armory and food storage, and a laundry list of supplies, equipment, and materials we would need to get.
When we finished, Nico offered to take Camila and Felix out on a grocery run since we didn’t have any food in the house.
“Mami, you guys don’t have to go out,” Emery said. “I can do the grocery shopping.”
“Stop worrying, Emery,” Camila replied. “I am more than capable of doing the shopping. And soon enough, I won’t be able to leave, so I’m taking every advantage I have to do so before that happens. Stay here and relax.”
We followed them out and stood on the porch as they drove away. I wrapped my arms around Emery from behind and kissed her neck. “They’ll be fine, Em. It’s still safe here.”
“Yeah, but for how long?” she asked. “It’s coming, Luis. There is no stopping it.”
“We’ll be ready for it,” I promised.
I walked the perimeter fence for what was likely the tenth time this morning, making sure it was sturdy and staying in place. We hadn’t exactly known what we were doing, and even though we followed the tutorials to the letter, I still found myself lacking confidence in our ability. It’s been two months since we moved into the cabin, and everyone worked their asses off to make sure we were ready and the cabin was secure. We were as prepared as we could be.
Nico and Miguel were going out tomorrow for one final supply run. We’d been watching the news constantly to monitor the infection, and it was getting too close for comfort now. Emery had messaged the cabin owners last week to check in with them and test our theory that once the world went to shit, stuff like cabin and truck rentals would stop mattering. She hadn’t gotten a response yet, and I doubted that she would.
“Someone’s approaching the gate!” Miguel yelled. I rushed to the gate, meeting Nico as he stormed from the house. In the two months we’d been here, no one had ever come to the cabin before.
A car stopped outside the gate, and a man jumped from the car and pulled an unconscious, bloody woman from the backseat and placed her on the ground. “Please! Help me! My wife has been attacked, and she needs medical assistance.”
“You need to take your wife, get back in your car, and leave,” Nico told him.
“What? Please! We need help! She’s dying!”
The man’s tears were heart-wrenching, but looking at his wife, I knew there wasn’t anything we could do for her. While Nicotried to get the man to leave, I focused on the wife, looking for any sign of movement.
The zombie apocalypse had finally reached our doorstep.
“Have you been bitten?” Emery asks. I had been so focused on the people outside the gate, I hadn’t noticed she’d joined us.
“You shouldn’t be out here, Princess,” Nico growled.
“Hush,” she admonished. “Sir, have you been bitten. We can’t help your wife, but we can help you. Have you been bitten?”
“Please, you have to help us,” the crying man begged, ignoring Emery’s question.
The wife’s hand twitched, and I cocked my gun. “Sir, you need to step away from your wife, now!”
