“It’s a virus.”
“It’s our life and when we get to the safe haven, I want them all to know that you belong to me. You, me, Lucy, Tree Man, Millie, we’re a family now. No one can take that away from us.” He saw tears glisten in Sasha’s eyes. “I won’t let you down.”
She sniffled. “I know. I didn’t know you could be so romantic.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, it’s a yes.”
Lucy gasped and threw herself at the two of them. “Here, use this.” She tore off the small band of her shirt and handed it to him. “It can be used as a ring.”
Wrapping the fabric around Sasha’s finger, he tied it off, pulled out his knife, and trimmed off the excess.
“See, now you are engaged,” Lucy said, hugging them both.
“Congratulations,” Millie said.
“You’re perfect for each other,” Tree Man said.
After having the hugs and cheers from their little group, they started walking in the direction of the safe haven.
Tree Man went ahead with Millie, Lucy walked with her dog, and he, well, he watched Sasha’s ass because what else could he really stare at? He listened to the sounds all around him, hoping no one was waiting for them, lurking to capture them.
Holy shit, he was fucking engaged.
Sasha had said yes and if she thought for a second he was joking, she’d soon find out that he was going to take his vows with her very seriously.
Chapter Fifty
Finally
There it was. This massive structure, the walls erected of wood and sheets of metal. It looked like a fortress, with towers on each corner, men with guns that were pointed toward them and looking lethal and deadly, unmovable.
Malachi had Sasha’s hand in his, and she had her hand in Lucy’s. Tree Man stood a little off to the side in front of them, Millie behind them. Sasha was frightened, terrified if she were being honest. It had taken them an eternity to find this place, but here they were, feeling more like enemies than being welcomed.
Once they found the general vicinity where they thought it would be, it had taken hours for them to actually find this fortress, this walled-in community. She had no idea how big it really was, but the sides went on forever, disappearing through the trees.
“Who do we talk to who’s in charge?” Malachi was the one to finally speak, although the guns were still trained on them.
Sasha had no doubt there were more men hidden in the trees, people guarding this place to make sure it was safe. She couldn’t blame them, but that didn’t make her feel at ease right now.
No one said anything, but after a moment the large double doors in front of them opened outward. There were four men, two on either side of the door, with their guns raised. Between them was a man and a woman, the man wearing a lab coat, and the woman having her hair piled up in a messy knot, glasses pushed up the bridge of her nose, and wearing a pair of acid washed overalls. She looked like she should be gardening.
Sasha’s heart raced, thundered. She had to assume that these were the leaders of the group, the people who called the shots, made the rules.
Would they let them in? Would they give them a chance?
Sasha took a step forward, and felt Malachi tighten his hand on hers, as if silently stopping her. She looked over her shoulder at him. “It’s okay,” she whispered.
She needed to let them know they weren’t here to screw anyone over, that they just wanted a safe place, a new home.
Sasha faced the man and woman again, swallowing roughly, hoping like hell she didn’t stumble over her words, that she could bring out the humane, empathetic side of these people.
“Hi, I’m Sasha,” she said and lifted her hand, placing it over her chest. “This is my little sister Lucy, and these are our companions Malachi, Milly, and Tree Man.” The dog sat beside Lucy, staying silent, being loyal.
No one said anything, and she felt sweat start to bead at her brow, nervousness clinging to her.
“We heard about this place on our journey, and we traveled a really long time, and a really far distance to get here, hoping that you’ll accept us, that we can be part of your community.”
The woman looked at the man, but he still stared at Sasha. Finally, the woman stepped forward, but not before she donned a face mask. She lifted her hands toward the armed guards on either side of them, and, as if on cue, they lowered their guns.
The woman was now just a few feet from where Sasha stood. “I’m Amanda, and the guy in the lab coat is Trevor.” Despite wearing the face mask, the woman couldn’t have been older than her mid-20s, but maybe even younger for as soft and smooth as her complexion looked. Her dark hair showed no signs of age, and when she held out her hand, Sasha saw a wedding ring on her finger.