Beneath Dark Skies (Rolling Hills Ranch #1)

8. Adrian

EIGHT

ADRIAN

SUNSHINE

Day 394

I make it back to the campsite and hurry to get all of our things packed up. I almost forget to put out the fire, but then I catch sight of the rabbit meat that ended up just a little burnt after Kenji dropped it. I hear Smokey’s voice in my head telling me that only I can prevent wildfires. I got it, Smokey. I’m your guy.

As I extinguish the final embers, Kenji makes it over to the site with Theo over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.

“You good?” He asks as he nods at me.

“Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go. The faster we get there, the faster we can get Theo’s leg looked at... And hopefully, the faster I can actually eat something appetizing instead of this burnt rabbit. You are many things, K, but a chef is not one of them.”

Kenji shakes his head at me while Theo raises his head and upper body a bit to sign. “ It’s not even fun to be carried like a little princess through the woods. Honestly, I’m kind of uncomfortable already. Kenji’s shoulders are like rocks digging into my stomach.”

I snort out a laugh, repeating Theo’s words to Kenji, and hand him some of the burnt rabbit. “ Don’t choke on it, Princess Theo,” I sign to him.

I see him look down at the burnt meat with a look of disgust and then back up at me as if he’s offended. “ I think I’d rather starve.”

Kenji grabs my attention again when he speaks. “Let’s move quickly. I’ve got him for now, but I’ll let you know if I need a break. Keep your eyes peeled for any other zombies roaming around. I didn’t think there were any up here, but we were clearly wrong. You may want to keep a weapon in your hand since I can’t.”

“You got it, K.” I nod at him and smirk. “Ladies love me. Zombies fear me.”

He rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh as he starts trudging forward with Theo. We continue heading West towards where the next community is supposed to be. We’re moving at a quick pace, as fast as we can go without jostling Theo too much and potentially damaging his leg even more.

This community is only supposed to be around an hour away from where we were camped out last night if our intel was correct. From what the man at the last place told us, it’s small, just a few ranches together, but there’s a good group of people there.

My thoughts continue to wander as we move forward. They wander towards my family, towards my younger sisters. I imagine a scenario in my head where they’re all at this ranch, worried sick about me, just like I am about them. We’ll reunite and hug and cry, and even though the last few months will have been hard, it’ll all be okay because we’re together.

My mom will probably whack me over the head with her hand when she sees Theo and tell me, “?Dios mío! Why didn’t you watch over your brother?!” She always did have a sweet spot for him. Sometimes I think the woman even preferred him to her own son.

My thoughts are brought back to the present as we step out of the woods into a larger clearing. By this point, the morning breeze has dissipated, and now that we’re out of the woods, the sun is beating down on us hard. Abnormally warm weather in autumn is just what we needed on this godforsaken day.

Everything seems to be going wrong.

I can’t help but wonder if everything happening to us now is a sign of what’s to come. If this is fate doing its thing and making all of this happen.

“How much farther do you think we have to go, K?” I ask, hoping to pull myself out of my own head.

“We’ve been walking for over an hour now. Hopefully, we’ll see something soon to indicate that we’re near this place,” he grunts out. I look back at him, seeing him covered in sweat and his breathing heavy.

“Hey, do you need to switch? I can carry T for a bit. You look exhausted, man.”

“No,” he grunts again. “I’m fine. We should be close, and I don’t want to move him more than necessary.”

Theo waves his hands in the air, catching my attention before he starts signing. “ You know, it’s really rude to have conversations and exclude me. I may be Deaf, but I can see your lips moving. Assholes.”

I chuckle, verbally relaying Theo’s message to Kenji before I turn back to Theo and respond. “ Theo, it’s kind of hard for your brother to sign when he’s holding you across his shoulders. And someone in the group has to be the gallant leader, keeping an eye out for more zombies. Or maybe some things are just not meant for your little baby ears.”

He flips me off. “ I’m only a few years younger than the two of you, dick. How much farther?”

“We should be there soon. Let’s keep moving.” I say to them.

About ten minutes later, we come across a fence. It’s not too high, which makes it easy for me to climb over and help Kenji as he does the same with Theo. A couple hundred yards ahead, we can see some cattle and a barn. As soon as we cross over, I feel my leg pull across a small piece of what looks to be wire, and bells start going off. I turn and share a look with Kenji.

Whether we wanted to or not, we’ve just announced our presence.

“Hey!” A shout comes from up ahead of us. A tall and lanky redheaded man comes running up to us, pointing what looks to be a rake in our faces. “Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing here?”

I can’t help the snort that escapes me while Kenji shoots a warning look my way.

“Oh, something’s funny now? You come trespassing on our property unannounced, a bleeding man being carried by one of you, and all you can do is laugh at me?” The guy is seething, and although his only weapon is a rake and any of us could easily take him–probably even Theo with his messed up leg–I don’t want to irritate him more than necessary.

There are others making their way over behind the redhead now, and I’m hoping they’re going to be a little bit more calm when they speak to us.

“Nothing’s funny,” Kenji interjects. “I apologize for my friend here. We were on our way up to your community when–”

The sound of a gun’s safety being released behind us quickly shuts Kenji up.

“What the fuck do you mean you were on your way up here?” The voice, both raspy and ethereal, makes my breath catch in my throat. As Kenji and I slowly turn to face the newcomer, I could swear I feel my heart stop.

Cascading curls, the shade of midnight, billow around her and down to her waist. They frame her heart-shaped face in a halo of darkness, like a Goddess of the night. But that’s the only darkness about her; everything else is pure light, like sunshine.

Her sun-kissed skin is adorned with freckles, which form an almost constellation across the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. Her full lips are pointed down in a frown.

I let my gaze travel down, only to see curves I feel myself itching to reach out and grab a hold of. She’s wearing jeans that seem to mold to and caress each curve on her body, with honest-to-God cowboy boots on her feet. I didn’t know denim could look this good on anyone.

Also… do I have a thing for cowgirls now?

But it’s her eyes that I keep coming back to. Her eyes hold me captive. Emerald pools with flecks of gold in the center, as though they were kissed by the sunlight, just like her cheeks.

Unable to tear my gaze away, I remain still, transfixed by the woman in front of me.

I think I’m in love.

Kenji must be feeling the same way I am because the Goddess in front of us narrows her eyes and, in a tone like steel, repeats, “I’ll ask one last time… What the fuck do you mean you were on your way up here?”

I look over at Kenji, expecting him to give her an answer, and only now notice that he’s looking at her with fury in his eyes, like she’s the enemy.

Well, I suppose she is holding us at gunpoint.

When Kenji doesn’t respond, she cocks her gun and points it straight at his face.

Oh, I’m definitely in love. This is my soulmate.