Cross My Hart and Hope to Die

Chapter 9

I scooped up the pup, and we scampered inside. Quietly shutting the back door before racing up the stairs. Carlos was awake. He had had the foresight to close the window to a crack and shut the blinds. He spared us a glance before returning his attention to the window. Chogan and I joined him, straining our ears to listen.

There were ten of them. All male. A couple were sporting six packs. The idiots were going to bring the damn biters from all over the area.

"Hey, isn't that the house we found the young girl hiding at?" One of them pointed in our direction while the rest laughed. Chogan's hands clenched into fists.

"Hell yeah. Too bad we didn't try to make her last longer." Another voice, more laughter. I was on the verge of puking. Carlos had a hand resting on Chogan's arm, trying to ground him to not do anything rash and give us away.

A few biters came out of the surrounding wooded area, but the men, despite drinking, took them down pretty quickly. They kept walking and soon we were able to breathe again.

"We need to leave." Carlos was the first to speak up.

"It'll have to be tomorrow night." Was Chogan's only reply. We all needed rest, and it was Chogan's idea to find sleeping spots where we would be hidden. None of us snored, so as long as long as we were out of sight, we could try and rest easy.

Carlos slipped under the bed, claiming the spot as his, while Chogan and I went to find our own. I walked into the room next door. The bed was too close to the ground to slip under. Opening a door, I was pleased to find a walk-in closet. Going to the back, I pushed aside some dresses that hung low to the floor. Good, there was enough space behind them to hide me.

Cerberus had found a pile of clothes on the floor to curl up in. Ironically enough, they were black. I was just about to crawl into the space when the door creaked open.

Chogan stood there. His hands clenching and unclenching. I patted to the floor beside me and he was there in seconds. I let him go first, then grabbed some baskets with clothes piled in them to give us more room and a better hiding spot. I crawled in after him, laying in the crook of his arm.

I used my fingers to softly trace patterns on his chest until he fell asleep. Awake and lost in thought, I began thinking about Pops and Benji and Lola. I really hoped they were alright. Thinking of them led my thoughts into thinking of the others.

Rowan, his leadership and confidence. Kaito, those all too knowledgeable eyes, able to see into the depths of my soul. Ryder, his kind heart and caring personality. Angel, the firecracker I never knew she could be. Samantha, the hard ass bitch I grudgingly respected, even though she had ditched me. And Big John, an almost uncle slash father figure. Better than any of the ones I had in my past.

"Fuck." I cursed silently. I had just realized something. I had only been with Chogan and his gang for about five days, yet I knew more about their past than I did the group I was originally with. I honestly hadn't even tried. I knew Ryder had a sister, and I knew about the rumors surrounding Rowan and his family, but other than that I knew nothing.

Hell, I'd worked for Big John for awhile and knew nothing of his personal life. Had barely spoken a word to Angel before the world ended. I started gnawing on my lip. Is that why they left me? Did they think I didn't care? I had grown up not relying on anyone. They had opened me up. They had caused me to start to learn to trust.

Maybe that's why, even though I had promised myself to only rely on myself, my heart had already warmed to these strangers. Ryder, sweet kind Ryder, and the others had given me a taste of what friendship and family was like, even if it was only because we had needed each other for survival.