“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find someone with low enough standards for you,” I say as I clap him on the shoulder. It’s a lie. None of us have been interested in sex or finding a partner since the world ended.
Theo shrugs off my hand and flips me off with a scowl. “You guys don’t have to be so mean to me, you know.”
“You startedit.”
“No, I didn’t. You did with that frown-y face of yours.” He waves a hand at my face.
I slap his hand away. “You could have left my frown-y face alone.” Although a part of me is glad that he didn’t because he’s brought me out of my internal funk.
“I could have, but I was concerned about your prospects of getting laid if it stuck. I was protecting Alex Junior.” His eyes dart down to my crotch.
I roll my eyes. “You’re an idiot.”
“No, I’m not. I’m pretty sure my grades were better than yours.”
“Yeah, when we were bloody sixteen. That was over fifteen years ago!”
I’m not sure how long we bicker back and forth when I catch Ollie grinning down at us out of the corner of my eye. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve seen her fully smile and damn, does it light up her face. She’s a stunning woman, especially with those bright green eyes and full pink lips, but her smile makes her breathtaking. She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever come across.
“You two are going to drive me up the fucking wall,” Rhys groans from in front of us.
“I’m surprised we haven’t already,” Theo shoots back with his signature smirk.
“Kind of hard to when there’s no wall, but keep going and I’m sure I’ll—fuck.” Rhys halts, causing everyone else to stop as we all go on alert.
“What wrong?” I ask as I scan the trees that line the motorway on either side of us, my body tense and ready to spring into action.
“The fucking bridge is out. We’re going to have to go through the trees and cross the motorway below and hope the banks on either side of itaren’t too steep,” Rhys answers, his tone coloured with frustration as he rakes a hand through his short brown hair.
“And if the banks are too steep?” Ollie asks as she leans forward in the saddle to eye the embankments hidden in the trees on either side of us.
“We keep going until they aren’t.”
“Won’t that take too long?”
“Not when we don’t have a choice.” Rhys levels her with a stern look, almost challenging her to argue back.
Ollie chews on her bottom lip but remains silent.
“I’m taking point. Draw your weapons and keep an eye out for movement. People and infected like hiding in the trees,” Rhys orders after realising that Ollie isn’t going to protest.
He’s the first to move toward the treeline, his hands reaching to unclip his rifle from his hip as he reaches the first tree. The rest of us follow, with Theo and I palming our handguns while Ollie slides an arrow from her quiver and prepares it to be fired. Harlow must feel the change in the energy around us because she goes on alert, her body tensing and the scruff on the back of her neck standing on end.
It’s a different feeling in the trees compared to on the motorway, almost claustrophobic with how dense the foliage is. Since the world ended, nature has taken over the land and with it comes the added challenge of having to navigate overgrown forests and fields. Not to mention the abundance of wild animals that have appeared in the past six months. Hell, just last month, Theo and I spotted a small pack of wolves that must have escaped a zoo while we were out on a supply run. Bloodywolvesare roaming the British countryside now. It’s madness.
It doesn’t take us long to reach the embankment that slopes down to the road below us. The tarmac is littered with abandoned vehicles, morethan I’ve seen in a long time, all dented and rusted from being left in the British elements. Between the cars, a few zombies in various stages of decomposition roam aimlessly, leaving dark red trails of fluid behind them. I shudder and wrinkle my nose. Even though they’ve been around for the past thirteen months, I still hate seeing them.
I tear my gaze from the zombies to the embankment we need to scale down. Trees dot the grassy bank that’s steeper than I’d like, but judging from Rhys’s small, confident nod, he thinks we can make our way down.
“Dismount for this,” he tells Ollie before he starts his descent, leaning his body back and taking small, measured steps.
Ollie ignores him and urges Bean to follow him. The horse hesitates for a moment before stepping over the edge and shifting her weight onto her haunches. Rhys glances over his shoulder and tightens his jaw as he shakes his head at her. He’s going to chew her out if something happens to her or Bean.
“Stubborn little thing, isn’t she?” Theo murmurs as he watches them navigate down the bank. “Question is; is she more stubborn than he is?”
I snort. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone more stubborn than Rhys.” The guy could put a mule to shame. To this day, I still don’t know how he served over a decade in the military without getting booted out.
Theo glances at me, his eyes glinting with mischief. “You wanna bet?”
