Zone Zero: Vengeance (Book 3 of 3)

Chapter 33

Evie's POV

A new layer of snow falls down landing on the patio as I watch it from the kitchen inside. The lake the patio overlooks has frozen over completely and is casually used by some of the wild animals around.

Annerly and I have been locked away in this lake house for a couple of weeks now with no real connection to the rest of the world. I still have my mobile phone that only Alex has the number for but aside from the panicked message he left, I haven't heard anything more.

When that phone call came through I wanted to dash to the phone and answer it in quick succession but instead I just held it. I let it ring until it went to voicemail and then I listened to the message Alex left.

I think if I answered and actually had to speak to Alex I would have confessed that what I did was wrong. Leaving the way I did without so much as a goodbye. I didn't even tell him where I was going.

Part of me thinks that Alexs knows where I am but is too proud to chase after me whilst the other part believes that he will never find me. Maybe both is true. Maybe neither. Either way, it is just me and Annerly.

Well, not quite.

When I was sneaking away in the middle of the night I almost literally bumped into Odin, the white wolf. His eyes widened at the sight of me and I knew that Leif would find me soon enough.

Almost as though I imagined it to life, Leif came out from the dense forest I
was walking by and smiled widely. With one look he knew what I was up to and instantly offered his assistance.

Leif and Odin then journeyed with us to the lake house and made sure we were safe. They scoured the nearby woods and even set a few little traps to keep wild animals and stray vampires at bay without alerting anyone of our whereabouts.

Leif and Odin then decided to make camp in an abandoned hunting lodge a few kilometres away to both give me privacy and be close enough if needed.

After our first night here I awoke to find a basket full of essential baby items sitting on the front door complete with a hand carved wooden wolf. Leif ventured into a nearby town and scavenged all of the baby supplies he came across to make sure that Annerly would not go without.

The basket of baby formula, blankets, booties, toys and even some wool and knitting needles has been used on the daily and has also been restocked several times. It seems that Leif has taken to being our knight in shining armour and helping hand in the darkness.

A small knock at the door pulls me out of my mind as I cross the kitchen and into the foyer to open it.

Almost as though he knew he was on my mind, Leif stands tall with Odin by his side carrying two large shopping bags bursting with goodies.

"Where should I put these?" He asks with a smile on his face.

"What on earth?" I mutter but point towards the living room.

Leif steps around me and enters the house with Odin following close behind.

I close the door and follow my guests to see what this oversized man chose to bring to me today.

"Is the little one asleep?" He asks as he rubs his hands together for warmth.

"Yeah. She is just about due to wake up though." I say. "What is all this?"

Leif looks down at the large bags and begins unpacking.

"Just some things we found last night when we went for our nightly wander."

"Is that what you do every night? Wander around?" I ask coyly.

"I guess so. I like to explore my surroundings and since that little one is going to grow like crazy over the next few months, I figured it wouldn't hurt to stock up on some things."