I follow the lines out to the garden and wave Aiden along.
“As long as there’s enough water in the tanks, I get good pressure through the entire system. Until I get right here.” Kneeling at the far end of the garden, I fuss with the irrigation tube. “Maybe it’s too long of a lead—”
“Zach, don’t move.”
Aiden is towering over me, a rifle in his hands.
My rifle.
Chapter Six
Odd Jobs
ZACH
When did I even set my rifle down? It must have only been a few seconds. And that’s all it took for him to grab it. He was playing me this whole time, waiting for the right moment. He’ll force me to tell him the combo to the vault. Steal my supplies. Or worse. How could I be so stupid?
I raise my hands, my whole body trembling. “Aiden, please—”
“Quiet,” he hisses.
And then he fires the rifle. It’s impossibly loud. The shockwave from the muzzle blast hits me, and I freeze, waiting for the searing impact of the bullet. But there’s no pain. Either I’ve gone into shock, or the bullet missed.
“Get behind me,” Aiden yells as he widens his stance and aims again.
“Wha—”
“Slowly!”
Movement flashes in the corner of my eye. A giant cougar stands no farther than thirty feet to my left. Two hundred pounds at least. It’s in full attack mode, staring intently with ears pinned back, ready to pounce.
Our eyes meet. The icy stare of this massive predator makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
Time seems to expand; seconds feel like minutes. With my eyes locked on the cougar, I slowly get up from my crouch. But as I do, my feet tangle together, and I trip, falling back into the dirt.
The cougar acts immediately. Its entire body compresses, preparing to spring. Its jaws gape open, flashing massive fangs that could rip my throat out in a heartbeat.
As its front claws leave the ground, another rifle blast rings out. A fine mist of blood sprays out as the bullet grazes the cougar’s left shoulder. The impact throws its jump off, and it lands short of me, making a loud screeching sound. The cougar is so close I could reach out and touch it.
Another rifle blast misses the mark, but the cougar recoils at the sound this time. There’s fear in its eyes, the hunter becoming the hunted. Aiden makes himself big, raising his hands and yelling.
The cougar’s had enough, so it turns to run. Even wounded, the speed of the beast is chilling. It retreats to the woods, tail lowered, favoring one side. Within seconds, it disappears out of view.
I turn to Aiden, stunned. In five seconds, my mind went from thinking he was killing me to realizing he was saving my life. I open my mouth to thank him, but no words come out. Yet my expression speaks volumes.
Aiden nods and smiles. “You’re welcome.”
*
AIDEN
For a while, Zach sits in the dirt, stunned. It’s not surprising. I’d be blabbering like a baby after such a near miss. But now we’re on level footing. We’ve both held a loaded rifle while the other stood defenseless, with each of our lives in the other’s hands. The postapocalyptic version of a trust fall.
“I’ve seen cougars around before,” Zach finally says, eyes still wide, hands shaking. “But never like that. Never caught so off guard.”
“I was distracting you. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“You saved me.” Zach has this earnest look in his eyes. “I think I might owe you my life after that.”
