14. Tori

14

TORI

Aputrid odor poured into the treehouse the moment Nathan opened the door and stepped outside into the bitter cold air. I shivered, and I was glad I’d thrown on some leggings and a coat over Micah’s flannel.

The dog still growled, but it wasn’t nearly as ferocious sounding as it was before.

“That’s a telltale sign of a horde coming through.” Micah coughed a few times into his elbow as Calix paled and stepped outside.

My nose scrunched up as I walked out, and Micah shut the door behind us.

Cold seemed to permeate everything, and I shivered as we walked further out onto the deck. The treehouse had been chilly, but outside was freezing. Micah must’ve insulated the heck out of the house because the difference was clear.

“Five in the clearing,” Nathan said, bringing his rifle to his shoulder.

Calix aimed his loaded crossbow, and the arrow went clear through the skull of one before he put it between his legs, stood on it, and pulled the string back to place his arrow, then brought it back up and shot another as Nathan shot the other three one after the other.

“Five down. Watch my back.” Micah went to the edge of the treehouse and gripped the side before lowering himself down.

“Watch your feet as you come down, killer.” Nathan lowered himself down after Micah, and Calix stayed up on the deck watching over them.

I dropped down to the pegs while holding the golf club and climbed down, following behind Nathan as he and Micah scoped out the area.

The frozen ground crunched underfoot, and the sun only warmed where it touched. “It’s so cold. Do you think it’s an early winter?”

“Probably,” Nathan said with his teeth chattering.

“Or we just lost count of the seasons. It’s been a while since we’ve had a calendar, I mean. I forgot the days a lot before the apocalypse.” Micah shrugged. “Only difference was then I had a phone to tell me exactly what time of the year it was.”

An arrow whizzed next to my head, and I froze before glancing up at Calix, who had his crossbow pointed behind me. I spun to my side to notice a fresher looking zombie hit the ground with the arrow still embedded in its skull.

I hadn’t even heard it approaching.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I glanced up at Calix and waved. “Thank you.”

He nodded at me before reloading again.

“There’s no sign of whatever made that noise last night,” Micah said as he walked through the clearing. “Not any fur or massive amounts of fresh blood around.”

“And it seems like we got the stragglers,” Nathan added. “Thanks to Calix shooting that one.”

“That’s great. Can we check on the horses? I’m sure they’re freaked out of their minds.” I glanced over to notice Benjamin and a woman coming down from their treehouse.

“Of course, darlin’.”

Just as we started toward the large shed, the other survivors started making their way into the clearing from their treehouses, including my family, and I had to ignore the disappointment snaking through me from being out of our bubble in the treehouse.

It was a good thing we had others with us, but anxiety spurred in my chest at having to explain our relationship to my parents.

There were two men and one woman that I didn’t recognize coming over from one treehouse, and I remembered Micah had mentioned there was a throuple in the group.

Excitement buzzed at having someone else with an unconventional relationship around.

They made it over the same time Benjamin and the woman with him did.

“How was it?” Benjamin asked me, shooting a look at Micah and Nathan. “I didn’t realize until after the horde started trudging through that Calix may have had an issue with the additional roommate.”

My face heated up as I smiled. “Calix is awesome. We did just fine.”

“Just fine, she says,” Nathan teased, reaching out and grabbing my hand before pulling me into his chest for a hug. “He’s more than fine, and she fits in more than fine with us three.”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I leaned into him and nodded in agreement.

“I’m sensing something romantic here,” the girl I didn’t know yet teased with a smirk as her two guys pressed further into her, smashing her between them. “With all of you.”

A snort came from Daisy as my group made it over. “Tori? With three men? She’s never been that adventurous.” The entire group shifted and looked at her, and she ran a hand through her hair. “I mean, she’s usually kind of boring. Not that that’s a bad thing.”

“Shut up, Daisy,” Spencer hissed before winking at me.

“While Tori was with us, we decided to explore the romantic connection we had,” Nathan stated. “Meaning Tori’s relationship with me, Micah, and Calix.”

“Calix?” Benjamin’s eyes widened before he looked up to where Calix stood on the porch of the treehouse.

“So it was a good idea to keep them separated,” the woman with Benjamin murmured as she glanced at me with a nervous smile. “Hi. I’m Sally. I’m Benjamin’s wife and Nathan’s step-mom.”

“I’m Ava.” The woman standing with her two men smiled and swept her red hair out of her face. Even between the two large men, she was tall, coming up to their shoulders. “And these are my boyfriends.” She pointed to the one on her left with dark brown hair and green eyes. “His name is Charles.” She moved her finger to her right, pointing at the man with lighter brown hair, a beard, and brown eyes. “And this is Jack. I’m really excited to see another relationship like ours blooming.”

“Tori. Nice to meet you all. I was planning on telling my parents a different way, but I am excited to see how this goes. The three of them are really sweet.” I gave my parents a shy smile as Micah pulled me from Nathan into his arms and pressed a kiss to my temple.

Dad coughed, glancing around the clearing before leveling his gaze at Calix. “The one up there not want to introduce himself?”

“Calix is a germaphobe, hence the mask. He tries to avoid speaking to many people,” Nathan told him, and Dad nodded before snapping his glower to Micah.

“Tori’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions but do not hurt her.”

“Never,” Micah promised in sync with Nathan.

“Um, a germaphobe in the zombie apocalypse?” Jay asked, and the group seemed to shift their eyes to him, and he dropped it.

Dad cleared his throat before taking the moment to introduce everyone as he addressed the group as a whole, and then he let out a heavy sigh. “We appreciate you taking us in. I’ve never seen anything like what we saw through that window. There is no doubt in my mind you saved our lives, and we are grateful.”

“You’re more than welcome,” Nathan told him.

“What was that god awful screech last night?” Mom ran a hand through her hair a couple of times as she glanced around. “I’ve never heard anything remotely like that before.”

“Mountain lion probably got bit,” Charles stated, and a chill ran through me. “Something to watch out for since it probably turned.”

“Um, can we check on the horses?” Spencer asked, rocking back and forth on her heels. “I’m sure they’re terrified.”

“Yeah. Let’s head over. I noticed the sheds lasted through the horde for once. Which was a happy surprise. The hordes usually tear right through them, but Micah reinforced the structures with steel last year after one came through.” Benjamin led the group to the large shed.

Soft whinnying of the horses started the moment Benjamin opened the lock and slowly opened the door.

Trigger, Dolly, and Belle peered out at us, eyes wide with fear.

We gave the three of them space, careful not to make any sudden movements that could startle them.

Trigger made his way to Spencer, and Dolly and Belle went to my parents. The three of them nudged their persons’ hands with their noses, eager to see that they were there.

A pain spread through my chest as I watched them interact with their horses. I missed Kovu and his companionship, but most of all, it hurt to think of how he left this world. He had brought me so much joy and peace that no matter what had happened, I had thought we would face it together.

But in the end, I wasn’t able to lift his spirits the way he had lifted mine all those years.

Nathan moved beside me and threaded his fingers through mine as Micah kept his hands on my hips, and I leaned into his warm chest.

They didn’t say anything. They just provided the comfort they knew I needed.

“They barely ate anything,” Jay said as he peered into the shed. “They drank some water, but not all of it.”

“Probably because of stress,” Dad explained, stroking Belle’s nose with worry creased into his forehead. “We’ll move the water buckets and grain outside and let them eat.”

“Sounds good.” Benjamin ran a hand down his face before clasping his hands together. “We didn’t get to go over all the rules and what you should know when you arrived because of the horde. First thing to know is that we have Bane, Micah’s dog who had been turned. He’s become a sort of alarm for danger. If he’s snarling and growling, it’s time to either have a weapon or lock yourself up in the treehouse, windows shut. You heard the mountain lion. It should be no shock that there are things that can climb and still carry the virus or just do damage.”

“Windows shut, got it,” Spencer muttered, running her hands down her arms.

“Nathan.” Benjamin nodded at him, and Nathan squeezed my hand before taking over.

“How to survive in the zombie apocalypse 101—if you hear some weird shit, don’t go investigate it. Turn the other way and leave it be, but be cautious of the area you heard it. Your safety is never guaranteed.” He glanced around the group as Bane made a low whine, and an arrow landed in the skull of another zombie near the trees. “Each treehouse has four exits. The smaller window at the top wall of the bathroom, the larger window in the living room, and the medium-sized window in one of the bedrooms. There are two ways to get down from the treehouse. The peg ladder and the rope ladder hooked to the railing that is constantly pulled up. Only use that ladder if necessary. It makes it easier for zombies, other survivors who don’t know about the pegs since they’re well concealed, or animals to get up.”

“Once hope is lost, there is no chance of survival,” Micah added gruffly. “We need to stay positive and look forward to the future. Set small goals and work toward them.”

“That’s a great point.” Nathan squeezed my hand again. “I’ve drawn a few maps for each treehouse. There should be one hanging in the kitchen area of each one. It has the immediate area and a few other areas near us mapped out. I’ve marked the best kill spots, danger zones, hunting spots, and the river on them. If you’re not good with direction, take it with you if you ever need to go anywhere.”

“Another thing is that each treehouse has a small radio. Feel free to listen but never respond. The radios are all charged by solar, but we don’t always know who else is listening and what their intentions are,” Sally explained, fumbling with the zipper of her coat, and Benjamin zipped it for her.

“The seasons are changing faster than expected this year. Wood stove is the best source of heat, but only use it when you cannot stand the cold any longer during the day. Always turn it on at night. Nights get well below freezing,” Benjamin explained before turning back to the group.

“All of that makes sense, but what happens now?” Spencer asked as she loved on Trigger.

“There was minimal damage to the Oasis even with the biggest horde yet passing through.” Benjamin looked around the clearing, planting his hands on his hips. “I need to check the water tanks and the river. We should probably go hunting and have some fresh cooked meat for dinner so you’re all up on energy. Then you can go check on that ranch of yours tomorrow morning. We’ll build a coop and another shed for the horses for when you come back. Gives us something to do with all the treated lumber Micah has laying around.”

“We’re not sure if we’ll be coming back, though,” Dad mentioned hesitantly. “We are so grateful for your hospitality, but I don’t think we’re ready to leave our home unless we have no choice in the matter.”

“Respectfully, Tom, you need to be realistic. Ava, Charles, and Jack lost their home last year to a horde. They barely made it out alive, and they lost Jack’s brother in the heat of it. We’re just trying to make sure you’re not out there barely surviving. The ranch is probably destroyed. You know some zombies use brute force to go through windows. Sure, you’ll be able to rebuild and clean up, but there will always be another horde. Are you telling me you’re okay with having to do this every year or more when a horde comes through?”

Dad thinned his lips into a line and shook his head. “We’ll think on it and decide after we see the ranch.”

“That’s fine.” Benjamin nodded. “We’re still going to build the structures, and you are more than welcome to become permanent residents in the Oasis if you decide to. Micah, can you help me find everything we need to make that happen while you’re all gone at the ranch?”

“Sure.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and followed Benjamin and Sally.

Ava, Charles, and Jack decided to go toward the supply shed to check on stock.

“Calix and I are going to go hunting. Want to come?” Nathan kissed my cheek before pulling away.

“Yes, I do.”

“We’ll come get you before we go,” he promised before heading back to the treehouse.

Spencer rushed over and locked her arm with mine. “Tell me all about the new developments, sis.”

My face heated, but my lips tugged into a smile. “What about it?”

Daisy and Jay looked at me with pensive expressions, but I did my best to ignore them.

“Are you really dating all three men?” she asked, bouncing up and down.

“I am,” I admitted. “And they’re all really amazing.”

“It’s only been four days.” Daisy snorted. “Are you really that—”

Jay slapped a hand over her mouth before frowning as he stared at me. “Not our business, Daisy.”

“At least he gets it,” Spencer sighed.

“Who do you like the most?” Mom crossed her arms as she shivered.

“I like them all the same.”

“They’re nice to you, right?” Dad ran a hand through his hair, and his brows pinched together.

“Extremely nice,” I assured them. “I’ve never liked someone as much as I like them. It’s a weird feeling that I can’t really explain.”

“But you said you loved—” Daisy started, her voice muffled by Jay’s hand.

“Daisy,” Jay hissed. “Drop it. It doesn’t matter.”

She locked her eyes with his before sighing and nodding her head. “Fine, whatever.”

“And it’s not just because you’ve been locked away with them for a few days?” Mom checked, and I shook my head.

“I’m just happy you’re smiling, honeybee.” Dad ruffled my hair. “You’ve been depressed the past few years, and I figured it was the apocalypse. But you seem happier today than you have in years. It’s good to see.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I beamed up at him, warmth filling me at the acceptance from my parents.

“Ready, killer?” Nathan strode over with Calix a few steps behind him, his eyes trained on me.

Spencer bounced forward, and Calix stepped back a couple of steps before I grabbed her arm.

“Germaphobe,” I hissed in her ear, and she stepped back with a smile.

“Sorry. I just got excited. Tori’s my sister, and I love her. I just wanted to meet the boyfriend of hers I haven’t met.”

Dad crossed his arms and stared at him. “I’m her dad, Tom, and this is her mom, Grace.”

Calix nodded his head at them. “It’s nice to meet you. Tori’s very special.”

Nathan tucked me under his arm with a grin. “We’re going to go hunt while we can.”

I waved bye to my family, and we left the clearing and went into the woods by a small path. The smell of rot still hung in the air, but it wasn’t as potent as before. The ground still crunched underneath our feet, but it wasn’t as frozen as it was this morning now that the sun had a chance to heat it up.

“Do you ever run out of ammo?” I asked, stepping over a log.

“We found crates of ammo for both the crossbow and my sniper rifle about a year ago, and we’re not even halfway through it,” Nathan said as we walked further away from the treehouses. “We only try to use it when we need it. We gather the arrows shot and soak them in bleach when we have enough of them, and Calix will reuse them that way. We do the same for Micah’s longbow, but he prefers to axe things down.”

Calix groaned, gripping his bow tighter. “Don’t remind me of the state of the arrows before they were disinfected.”

“Sorry, man. You know there are some good germs out there, right?”

“I know, but I can’t get past the germs part.” He made a disgusted face, and I giggled.

A snap of a limb sounded further down the trail, and a decaying deer stopped in the middle of it, staring at us with milky eyes.

A chill shot down my spine at the look of it, but before I could completely process what I was seeing, Nathan shot it between the eyes.

“Fuck,” he muttered, sharing a dark look with Calix. “Hopefully there’s some wildlife still around that’s not infected. That was a huge horde. No telling how far it spread.”

“There’s not many places for animals to wait it out like we did either.” Calix frowned.

“If there’s a lack of animals, we’ll just have to bring our livestock here with us. That’s the plan anyway, right? We’ve been breeding rabbits for meat so we have those,” I suggested as we moved around the dead deer and continued until we stopped abruptly, and Nathan raised his gun.

A smaller bear stood on its hind legs to the side of the trail, blinking with milky white eyes that made it clear it was infected, and Nathan’s bullet embedded into its brain.

“Good idea, killer.” He glanced around before tugging me off the trail a few feet with Calix. “We’ll wait here and see what we can find passing through.”

“Hopefully it won’t be too long until something shows up,” Calix sighed, glancing up at the trees. The sun made his green eyes look so bright outside, and he squinted them before bringing the crossbow up. “There. A non-infected squirrel.”

“A squirrel isn’t going to feed our group,” Nathan muttered. “If anything, it’ll just make the rest of us hungrier.”

“A squirrel is better than nothing,” he bit back, but before he could shoot it, it darted away. He groaned and shot an accusatory stare at Nathan.

Nathan held his hands up in defense. “Sorry.”

Several branches breaking sounded up the trail before two deers rushed down it, one infected chasing a non-infected. The first deer’s eyes widened before it ran, and the second had been missing an eye, and half of its face looked to be melted off as it hit another stage of decay.

My stomach churned at the sight.

“I’ll take out the infected.” Nathan brought up his gun and took the shot when it was a good distance away, shooting clear through the deer’s skull, and the head seemed to explode from it—brain matter going everywhere.

Calix waited until the other deer was rushing past us before putting an arrow through the top of its chest, dropping the deer that hadn’t seen it coming. He was a good shot with zombies, but to see how good he was with hunting deer was refreshing.

“Great shot, man!” Nathan grinned. “Can you go back and get Micah to help me carry it back?”

“Happily,” he replied, reloading the crossbow and winking at me. “See you two in a few.”

“Be safe,” I murmured, and he nodded.

“You too, honey.”

Calix headed back the way we came, and I stepped closer to Nathan, seeking his body warmth.

“I can help, you know. I handled the rabbit and cow meat on the farm with my dad.”

His strong arms wrapped around me, shielding me from the bitter cold. “You’re really something, killer.”

“You think?” I hummed.

He pulled back before walking me back into a tree, hands on my hips as he guided me. “I know.”

His blue eyes searched mine before he lowered his head and kissed me softly. His hand slipped under my shirt, and I jumped as his cold fingers glided up and down my waist as he slowly worked his lips on mine.

My hands fisted into his coat, pulling him closer.

A rustling sound broke us apart, and we snapped our heads toward the sound to see Micah with his arms crossed and an amused smirk pulling at his lips.

“Gotta be more careful out here, darlin’. Don’t want anythin’ sneaking up on you.”

“My fault,” Nathan claimed as we caught our breath, my heart drumming in my chest.

“Figured.”

“I can help you guys carry the deer,” I offered, and they both shook their heads.

“No need, killer.” Nathan nudged my shoulder with his before he and Micah went over to the deer. “Let’s gut it before we head back.”

“We need to be quick to be able to have it in time for dinner.” Micah pulled a hunter’s knife out.

After they gutted the deer, we made our way back to the Oasis, and I couldn’t be more grateful when I saw the treehouses come into sight. There was a large bonfire going in the middle of the clearing, and the warmth from it seemed to settle around it.

Calix stood beside it, warming up with everyone else, and I went to stand beside him. I was caught a little off guard when he moved to rest his shoulder against mine, and I smiled up at him.

“You okay?” he murmured, and I nodded.

“Just cold.”

“Thankfully, Benjamin had the idea of the fire.” He nodded toward Benjamin, who was talking with my dad on the other side of the fire.

Sally and my mom were also deep in conversation, while Spencer was over by the shed with Ava and her men, chatting away.

Micah and Nathan took the deer toward an old metal table they had out in the open, closer to the woods than anything else, and then they came back to warm up with us.

“It’s fucking cold.” Nathan rubbed his hands together near the flames. “Can’t wait to get back in bed with you, killer. You’ll warm us up, right?”

My face went hot with embarrassment, but I nodded. “Sure, handsome. I can do that.”

He shot me a cheesy grin and wiggled his brows suggestively, making Calix clear his throat.

“Ugh,” Daisy groaned, wrapping her arms tightly around Jay’s waist and burying her face into his chest. “I just want to go home.”

“We’re heading out tomorrow,” Jay reminded her, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

Daisy shot a glare my way before rolling her eyes. “I bet the house is just fine. It was silly to leave.”

“Did you not see the horde come through?” Jay asked, disbelief leaking into his tone as he pulled back and looked down at her. “We should be grateful we weren’t ground level with it.”

“You know I didn’t want to see them. It’s morbid that you kept looking out at them anyway. It scares me.” Her voice wobbled as she pouted her lips. “Besides, I need a shower so bad.”

“We only have one shower, but we also have a river,” Nathan told her.

“A river?” she practically sputtered, eyes going wide and mouth dropping in horror. “It’s freezing! Don’t tell me you don’t have a water heater for the shower?”

“Of course we do.” Micah rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

“Can we wash up soon?” I asked, glancing at Micah.

“I called dibs on the shower!” Daisy pushed.

“I’m fine with bathing in the river,” I retorted with a blank stare, and she just scoffed at me.

“It’s freezing.”

“I’ll take you. We can bathe together,” Nathan offered with a heated stare as he dropped his gaze down my body and back with a smirk.

“You two don’t pay enough attention to your surroundings when you’re alone, so I’ll come too,” Micah said gruffly.

Calix snorted. “I might as well come too.”

“You? Bathing in the river?” Nathan gaped at him before sliding his gaze to me. “You’re already pushing yourself out of your comfort zone for her. I’m impressed.”

“I can’t have you three getting distracted. It’s kill or be killed out here,” he reasoned, and I giggled.

“I’m also fine with waiting for the shower. If that’ll ease Calix’s mind.” I gripped my hand tightly to avoid reaching out and touching his shoulder like I wanted to do.

He tilted his head, and the tension behind his eyes eased. “Thanks, honey.”

“Tori, wanna help prep the deer?” Dad called over.

“Sure!” I called back.

We dispersed from the fire, going to do small duties to keep the Oasis going. It was different from the duties we did every day at the ranch, and it lacked small luxury items we were used to, but somehow, it was even better.