The Dead Zone (Book One)

Chapter 5

Paige crept through the woods, Bryson’s compound bow clutched tightly in her hands. She had an arrow nocked, ready to shoot at a moments notice. Bryson had taken her out hunting every day for the last week as they neared Boise. If everything went as planned, they’d be on the outskirts of the city before nightfall.

The plan from there was to find a car and take some back roads to avoid the larger city, heading into a small town marked on Bryson’s map where they could hole up and find shelter for the night. Then in the morning, they would head out in search of supplies, which were running dangerously low. Bryson had been to this town before, and said there was a camping store they could raid that would have everything they needed.

Paige felt Bryson behind her almost as if he were touching her; she was painfully aware of his every move. She could hear his breathing and feel his eyes on her. She’d come to like Bryson more and more over the past few weeks; no longer was he the cold, calculating man who’d almost left her for dead. Now, they were… friends.

She’d discovered the walls he’d put up and slowly, one by one, she was breaking them down. Many aspects of him were still a mystery to her, though, which was something she desperately wanted to change. She found herself getting lost in his eyes occasionally. They were beautiful, the purest blue she’d ever seen, shimmering like sea glass, drawing her in. She could drown in them if she wasn’t careful.

Thinking about him had distracted her, and as her foot came down, a twig snapped loudly, frightening the fowl they were hunting. Acting quickly, she lined her sight with one of the birds as it fled to the sky, releasing the arrow. It struck its mark, the bird falling to the earth with a thud, limp and lifeless. That had been close- her mistake could have cost them dinner.

“Nice save.” Bryson muttered, going to collect the large bird. He flung it over his back with the first one they’d caught. He beckoned for his bow back and she obliged. He’d let her hunt with it, but only because it was quieter than a rifle. Gunshots were dangerous, especially when you didn't know what lurked in these shadowed woods. She knew only to fire her weapon if she had no other choice. It was strictly a last resort.

Her gaze drifted to his muscular back as he led the way back to the camp where they’d left Zach sleeping in a tree hammock several hours earlier. She’d always known how strong Bryson was, but it was still nice to admire him. Even grungy and hungry, he was still gorgeous.

At camp, Bryson consulted his map that he kept tucked tightly in his pack. “You know, we’re a lot closer to Boise than I thought.” He admitted, looking thoughtful.

“When we find a car and get to town, it’ll still be light out. I think we should wait until dark to leave. Less eyes to spy on us.”

“Won’t it be hard to see any roamers?” She asked, doubting his decision.

“Maybe, but we’ll clear the first building we find. I’m more worried about meeting other survivors than the undead.”

She knew what he meant. She’d heard rumors of thieves and muggers, and violent gangs taking over the larger cities due to lack of authority. She’d even heard whisperings about slave camps, but had marked that off as a tall tale. Not a lot of good people were left out there, but surely things hadn't gotten that bad.

“So what are we supposed to do all day?” Zach asked, jumping down from his perch in the tree hammock.

“Let’s go swimming.” She piped up, recalling a large river she and Bryson had passed earlier in the morning.

“Swimming?” They ask in unison.

“Yeah! Why not? It’s pretty hot out already. By the time we get to the river it’ll be past noon. It’ll be fun.”