“She’ll be fine,” Joe called from inside the truck. “Look at this beast—nothin’ is gettin’ inside that doesn’t belong.”
“See,” Willow retorted.“I’ll be fine.”Storming past me, she wrenched the passenger door open and climbed inside the truck. Slamming the door shut, she folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead.
Joe leaned forward, peering around Willow’s resolute form. “You comin’, brother?”
Jaw locked and ticcing, I jumped in the back seat. Joe stepped on the gas and as we all lurched forward, my arm shot out, wrapping around the seat in front, pinning Willow in place while the truck barreled and bounced out of camp and into the woods beyond.
Willow’s hand covered mine, surprising me by threading her fingers through mine instead of pushing me away. I squeezed her, feeling an overwhelming surge of protectiveness. “You shouldn’t be here,” I gritted out softly. “If I’m worried about you, I won’t be able to concentrate.”
“Logan,” she replied, her quiet tone matching mine in grit. “Maybe I don’t listen very well sometimes, and maybe I occasionally do some reckless things, but when it comes to fighting, I can absolutely do what needs to be done.And you know it.”
“I do,” I conceded angrily. “But it’s different now.”
“How? I’m still the same girl, and I’m more than capable of killing Creepers.”
“You’re not the same girl—you’remy girlnow. And what if something happens to you?” Left unsaid was what would undoubtedly become of me if something did in fact happen to her—a fate so bleak I couldn’t even bear to fathom it.
Twisting farther in her seat, she stared hard at me. “And what if something happens to you?” she shot back. “Why is my life more valuable than yours?”
And just like that, I went from wanting to shake some sense into her to wanting to kiss the shit out of her.
Joe blew out an exasperated breath. “Hate to break up some damn good entertainment, but we’ve got a job to do. Now, on the off chance we get swarmed, it’ll be your jobs to get ‘em off us. You see the window behind you, just push it open and climb into the bed. Shoot ‘em, stab ‘em, do whatever you can to get ‘em off us.
“And there’re some kill bags under your seat, Logan,” Joe continued. “We might be takin’ out the stragglers by hand, so get yourselves ready.”
I reluctantly released Willow to dig beneath me. Dragging forth two canvas bags, one was filled with tactical gear and the other with weapons. Pulling on a plated vest and loading myself up with handguns, I handed a second vest to Willow, along with a serrated blade and a metal billy club, holding tightly to the club as I held her stare with mine. “Do you promise you’ll listen to me if shit gets out of control?” I watched a war play out across her features until eventually she gave a sharp nod. Only then did I relinquish both the club and her gaze.
Joe pulled us onto an empty street, save for one truck idling at the curb. Rolling up alongside the vehicle, we found Davey scowling behind the wheel and Britta bounced restlessly in the passenger seat beside him.
“Well, hey there, lovebirds,” she sang, waving animatedly. “So glad you could join us on this glorious Monday mornin’.”
“It’s Monday?” Willow asked. “I thought it was Wednesday.”
“Not a clue, sugar. Not a dang clue. It’s all relative though, ain’t it? ‘Sides, Monday feels like a better day to be dealin’ with the dead, don’t it?”
“It’s fuckin’ Thursday, ya goddamn idiots,” Davey interjected. “Now, listen the fuck up—horde’s ‘bout half a mile that way.’’ Davey gestured ahead. “We’re fixin’ a barricade to turn ‘em ‘round, and we’ll be usin’ the trucks to keep ‘em turnin’ the way we want ‘em. But shit could get real messy out there—”
“Don’t it always?” Joe replied dryly.
Britta grinned. “That it does, Joey. That it does.”
Another vehicle was noisily approaching—a rusted-out school bus whose sides had been built up with metal cladding, with sharp spikes welded around each of the windows. Much like the trucks, each window was dressed in metal grating.
“We’re doing it just like the last time,” Davey continued loudly over the noise. “We’ll keep ‘em going for a mile or two and then cut the engines and get out of sight. Xavi’s team is already up ahead laying the explosives to keep ‘em moving north.”
“How many times have you guys done this?” I asked.
Over the years we’d run into enough hordes to know that they were impossible to cut through and impractical to fight against. Up until now, stumbling onto the path of a horde meant you turned tail and ran like hell in the opposite direction, hoping they didn’t follow. Either that,or you found somewhere to hide and prayed they didn’t find you.
“Why? Ya’ scared, Eddie?” Britta mocked. When I only stared at her, she laughed harder. “Alright, alright—I’ll stop pulling your dick.”
“Woman, you could pull mine,” Joe said. “Anytime you want,anywhere you want.”
“How about, onlyin your dreams?” Britta blew him a kiss.
Davey cleared his throat loudly. “If y’all are ‘bout done actin’ like hornball teens—we got a job to do. Everybody ready?”
“I’m ready,” Britta said, flashing a brow-waggling grin. “Y’all know me—I’m always ready to be killin’ somethin’.”
