The closer the men got, the more my nerves grew.
“What’s your business here?” Dad barked at them as they stopped running and ambled toward us the rest of the way until we were a few feet apart.
The man who spoke first had shoulder-length brown hair with a beard, and he had tattoos on his arms, slightly obscured by his rolled up flannel sleeves. An axe was gripped in his hand, and a longbow was slung over his back with a quiver of arrows. His eyes were a beautiful honey brown that made me want to melt when his gaze snagged on me.
“There’s amassivehorde coming this way. We were scavenging in the city when we saw it heading through. We’ve outrun it for a few days, but the horde is larger than any I’ve seen before,” he explained, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he caught his breath.
“This place you got here won’t outlast it,” the other said with a wince.
Logical thinking went out the window as I stared at him.
He was just as attractive as his friend, but in a different way. With blond messy hair, blue eyes, and a soul patch on his chin, he was utterly handsome. He had a rifle strapped to his backpack and a handgun on his waist.
They were capable of surviving out there in the apocalypse, which made them dangerous. I knew that, but I entertained the idea of them staying with us. Which was silly. It had been far too long since I’d seen anyone outside our circle, and my loneliness clearly messed with my judgment.
“We have a cellar we can wait it out in,” Dad stated, eying the two as he stepped protectively in front of me.
“Is the cellar protected with a secure latch somewhere hidden?” The blond rose a brow.
Dad hesitated, and I shook my head as I answered, “It’s an outside opening.”
“With all due respect, a cellar underground with only one exit ain’t that safe,” the brunette eluded, glancing back over his shoulder before focusing on us again. “Largest horde I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a couple since the world went to shit. It’ll take at least a few days to pass through, and they could easily break into a cellar if they know you’re there.”
The two shared a brief look before the blond sighed. “It’s up to you, but you’re welcome to come with us. We have a type of oasis set up with a few other survivors. Safe enough to wait out the horde. You’re welcome to come back after it passes if you want. Up to you though. We’ve wasted enough time as it is. The horde’s only a couple of hours behind us. We need to go. There’s not much time for you to decide.”
“Dad…” My voice cracked as I looked toward him, something in my gut urging me to listen to them. “Maybe we should go.”
My family had taught me from a young age that intuition never steered me wrong, something I wished I had listened to regarding the feelings I had when the affair happened. Iknewsomething was wrong but didn’t listen. I vowed to always listen to my gut after, and my gut told me we should go with them.
From the grim look on Dad’s face—his gut told him the same thing.
“We’ll have to get the others,” Dad stated. “And secure the ranch best we can.”
“How many others?” the blond asked.
“Four besides us,” I said.
“You have five minutes.” The brunette glanced over his shoulder again. “Then we’re leaving. With or without you.”
“Got it.” Dad grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the two men before I came to my senses and went toward the house.
“Oh God.” My stomach dropped. “What about the animals?”
“We’ll lock up best we can. Take the horses with us.”
I nodded, my chest aching at the thought of leaving our chickens, rooster, cows, and bull alone to fend off the zombies.
As soon as we stepped on the porch, Mom, Spencer, Jay, and Daisy filed out, eyes trained on the two men by the barn.
“What do they want?” Mom asked warily.
“They’re running from a horde. The kind they used to warn us about on the radio a year ago. The horde’s coming this way, and they said they have a safe place to wait it out,” Dad shortened the explanation.
“Sounds like a trap,” Jay said, suspiciously glancing at the men.
“Why would we leave? We’ve never even seen a horde living here. Plus, the house should be safe enough,” Daisy added, biting her lip. “Right?”
“There’s urgency and sincerity in their disposition.” Dad shrugged. “I don’t like the idea of leaving our home. But we gotta trust our guts on this one. Waiting this horde out doesn’t sound like a good idea, and we have an opportunity not to.”
