I stare at the knife with wide eyes. “Where did you getthat?” They weren’t selling those at fuckingTescobefore the world ended.
His lips twitch. “I wasn’t always a goat farmer. Now take it,” he says, offering the knifeagain.
I shake my head. “I already have something.” And I don’t want to take any more from this man, not when he’s helped me so much already.
He quirks an eyebrow. “Like what? A kitchen knife isn’t going to cut it, you know. Not out there.”
“It’s not a kitchen knife, it’s a switchblade.” I cross my arms over my chest.
He snorts. “You already had a knife on you and you stabbed that zombie with anarrow?”
“I didn’t exactly have a chance to grab it since, you know, I was busy beingattacked,” I huff with a scowl. He makes it seem like I went out of my way to use the arrow instead of a more appropriate weapon. Twat.
Andy laughs to the point tears shine in his eyes before he finally gets a hold of himself. “Alright, Ollie. Lesson number one; you can never have too many weapons. Now take the bloody knife.” He doesn’t wait for me to answer and instead he grabs my hand and places the handle of the knife into my palm. “I’ll feel better knowing you have it.” He forces my fingers to curl around it.
My eyes flick from the knife in my hand to Andy’s sincere eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Very.” He drops his hand from mine. “Now I expect you to use the correct weapon for the job.”
“Are you sure I can’t just use this as an arrow?” I tease.
He chuckles. “Do that and you’ll probably end up losing a finger or two. It’s pretty damn sharp.” He pauses. “You know how to look after a knife?”
I nod. “My brother showed me how.”
“Good. Take good care of it and it’ll take good care of you.”
After gathering everything, I make my way back outside, Harlow hot on my heels and Andy following at a slower pace behind. Bean looks up and nickers at me from her small paddock. The hay is gone—no surprises there—but there’s still plenty of water in the trough. I run my hands over her, checking for any injuries before tacking her up and leading her out of the paddock.
“Don’t worry about Lauren or your place; I’ll make sure everything’s fine for when you get back,” Andy says once I’m mounted on the back of Bean.
It’s nice that he sayswhenand notif, even though I don’t share his confidence in me. “Thank you,” I tell him just as Ketchup makes an appearance. She chirps at me as she lands to sit on the saddle behind me.
The farmer eyes the bird and shakes his head, but doesn’t comment on her. “Be careful out there and remember; it’s not just the dead you have to worry about. The living will kill you just as easily.” He pats Bean on the bum before stepping back.
I nod, taking his warning to heart before urging the black and white mare onward to start our journey back home.
Breaking the news to Lauren when I get back later that day is bittersweet. While we both know Tobias is alive, we don’t know what state he’s in or how the hell I’m going to get him back home with both of us in one piece. I can see the hopelessness written on her face as I tell her I’m going after him and I don’t know if I’ll survive. Thankfully, she doesn’t fight too hard on me leaving, agreeing to it after she forces me to promise her I’ll be careful. At least Andy will look after her and the ponies while I’m gone.
I spend most of that night getting myself ready for my epic suicide quest; loading my backpack with enough supplies to last a few days, bothfor me and Harlow. I’ll have to look out for food while I’m out there, since I don’t want to take any more from Lauren than necessary.
With my bag packed, I try to get as much sleep as I can, but with what I’m about to do, it’s impossible. I could very well die tomorrow, and it scares the shit out of me. But my brother needs me and I’ll do whatever I can to save him.
A Whole New Fucked up World
Olivia
Ileave early thenext morning, wanting to cover as much distance as I can before the sun sets. I’ll need to find a safe place to sleep since there’s no way I’m staying in a tent with zombies roaming around. Plus, it’s far too cold to be sleeping outdoors.
The first few hours of my journey are pretty easy going; the roads are empty and it’s easy enough to ride past any zombies I encounter. I stop a few times just to make sure that Bean and Harlow eat and drink.
It’s early afternoon when I realise I need somewhere to stay the night. It plays on my mind, causing to Bean tense beneath me as she picks up my anxiety. I grimace and lean forward to stroke herneck. “Sorry, Beanie,” I murmur as I force myself to relax in the saddle. Last thing I need is to be spooking my mare when danger lurks around every corner.
We reach a small village just as the sun is setting. The same village I was in when this whole thing started. It’s the first time I’ve set foot back here since that fateful day and it’s… harrowing. Cars litter the quaint streets, some crashed into one another while others sit crumpled against walls and buildings. Dried blood stains every surface, from windows to pavements to the sides of cars. Thankfully, there aren’t any corpses anymore. Although that’s probably because the ones wandering the streets ate them.
And fuck, does it stink.
Even though this winter has been bitterly cold, it hasn’t stopped the wandering corpses from rotting. The overwhelming stench causes my nose to burn and my eyes water. My stomach roils with nausea and even poor Harlow is suffering as she whines and sneezes. Beneath me, Bean’s entire body tenses and it’s like I’m sitting on top of a dragon as she snorts and prances. Her antics cause the dead to turn in our direction.
