Cora (Love in the Apocalypse #2)

25. Cora

Chapter twenty-five

Cora

E veryone has been tense and on edge for days now. The likely possibility of being pregnant has caused a lot more worry and stress for all of us. Plus, winter was coming quickly; a little more snow failed to melt each day. Soon, the ground would be covered and stay that way until spring. Add to that the potential threat Queen held if she decided to come back, and tempers were understandably... short. I had been at a loss for how to help or make it better when I noticed the date on my iPad last night that had given me an idea.

I didn’t usually pay attention to the date or time on the iPad. At some point, I assumed it stopped being accurate, and in this world, time has no real construct or place. Sun up or sun down: that’s all that matters. But for some reason, I took note of it last night and realized that Thanksgiving was only a few days ago. That’s when I remembered the orchard Daddy planted a year before the apocalypse. He’d planted it down in a little dip in the mountains close to the house. Because it was rather protected, he predicted it would stay a bit warmer, stretching the fruiting season.

That orchard had apples. And the only ingredient I didn’t have for apple crisp was apples. How excited would the guys be if they came in from a long day preparing for winter to some warm apple crisp? I knew I had to at least run down to the orchard and see if my plan was even possible. I had contemplated telling them this morning while we ate breakfast, but they were already so surly that I decided not to. I wanted to lift their spirits, not cause more disappointment. I waited until they were busy, collected my things, and left the house. It shouldn’t take me that long. There was a good chance I’d make it back without them even noticing I was gone. What a surprise that would be! I’ll tell them it’s magic!

I knew I was safe once I was behind the house since it blocked their view of me. I swung my basket as I made my way to the orchard. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and it was a gorgeous fall day. I never expected to be able to enjoy a day like this ever again. If my guys hadn’t stumbled upon the house, I might not have. After a short five-minute walk, I reached the orchard tucked into the mountainside. I crossed my fingers as I walked the rows of trees. Many still had fruit on them, though not the apples I was looking for. I’d have to come back another day to harvest the entire orchard.

Finally, I found the apple trees and grinned when I saw plenty of apples left ripe for the picking. I filled my basket quickly, contemplating the other things I could make with the apples I picked. Applesauce was at the top of my list! I turned to leave, and my steps and smile faltered. Two men stood at the end of the row, blocking the exit. One was far taller than the other. Both looked dirty and too skinny for the clothes that hung off their bodies. Mean eyes peered at me from within their unruly head of hair and full beard. There was so much of it that you couldn’t tell where the hair on their head stopped, and the hair on their face began.

Fear gripped me tightly, but I squared my shoulders, refusing to let them see it. I knew how to care for myself, and they’d soon figure that out if they didn’t move along. I make a shooing motion with my hand, hoping they will take the hint.

It only made them laugh.

“Queen told us to watch the house day and night for you to come out. And we did,” the shorter one said.

“She said if we made you disappear, we could stay in the house with her,” the other added.

Great, just what I needed. Bums with goals and aspirations.

Deciding that even if I could communicate effectively with them, there wouldn’t be any point, I reached for the gun at my back.

“Don’t move!” They ordered, pointing dull-looking knives at me.

I tilted my head curiously. Or what? They were ten feet away, and I’m pretty sure they couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn at half that distance.

Ignoring their order, I pulled out my gun and pointed it at them. I saw the exact moment they realized they had fucked up. Their entire body shifted from predator to prey in an instant.

“No, wait! We didn’t mean it!” The short one said, dropping the knife and holding up his hands in surrender.

“We never saw you!” the other shouted, turning and running away.

Too little, too late. I sighed and pulled the trigger once, then twice, killing them instantly. More scum gone from the world. I didn’t like killing people, but their intentions leave me no choice, and it’s them or me and my men, I’m always going to do what’s best for us.

I crouched down and listened to the forest around me. My shots had disrupted the peacefulness of the day but left deadly silence in its place. I raised my gun as I heard something racing through the forest, the sound getting louder the closer it got.

“CORA!”

I lower the gun immediately at the sound of Isaac’s voice. Of course they would come running as soon as they realized I wasn’t in the house. I holster my gun, set the basket down, grabbed two rocks, and started banging them together to get his attention. Isaac enters the grove with the others right behind him. His eyes are panicked as he rushes past the dead bodies.

“Are you ok?” he asks frantically as he turns me this way and that to check for injury. The others join him, and I feel like a pinball as I bounce between them. Finally, I push my way out of the center of their circle and give them the ok signal.

I point at the two bodies and mime them being carried away. I didn’t want them rotting in my orchard and spoiling my trees.

“What the fuck are you doing out here, Cora?” Isaac asks through his teeth. He was mad. They all were, but Isaac looked particularly angry.

I pointed to my basket of apples.

Isaac grabs the basket and shoves it into my arms. That was a little rude. Next, he grabs my arm and pushes me toward Trent. He didn’t hurt me by any means; it was more the principle of being manhandled that had my annoyance rising. “Take her back to the house, and don’t let her out of your sight.” I try to jerk my arm away from him, but his grip tightens as he moves into my space. “All I want to do right now is put you over my knee and turn your ass red, so I suggest you tread lightly, Princess, and do as you are told.” He pushed me toward Trent again, perhaps a little rougher than before, then turned and stomped further into the orchard without another glance.

“Come on, trouble,” Trent said, taking the basket from me and placing his hand on my lower back to guide me toward the house.

Trent waited until we were safely back inside the house, and I had access to the iPad before he started talking. “What were you thinking, Cora? Why would you go out there alone without telling anyone? It’s dangerous out there! We have people watching the house. They could have ambushed and killed you, and we never would have known!”

My eyes narrowed as I grabbed the iPad. “What do you mean people are watching the house?”

Trent looked taken aback by my question, and it took him longer than it should have to answer. “You remember when Isaac and Remi went out to check the trap lines and bring you berries? They returned and said they saw signs of people in the woods watching the house.”

I shook my head. “No, I was asleep when they came back.”

“Oh, so then you didn’t hear them, huh? Do you need these apples washed?” he carried the basket into the kitchen and set it on the counter. I stomped in after him and got between him and the counter, so he had to face me. I held his gaze expectantly. “Ok, fine. Isaac didn’t want to worry you, which I realize now was an even stupider decision than I thought because if you don’t know there is a threat, how are you supposed to avoid it? Of course, nobody expected you to go traipsing through the woods on your own without telling us, either. We may not have told you about the threat, but you know you still should have told someone where you were going. We don’t even go anywhere alone anymore.”

“You should have told me,” Siri said with less emotion than I would have preferred. “I don’t need to be treated like a child. I’m a better fucking shot than all of you, and I know how to move through the woods undetected!”

“That didn’t work out too well for you today, though, did it?” Trent retorted.

My mouth fell open, dumbfounded that he had the audacity to say that to me. “I didn’t know I needed to be stealthy, did I?!”

“So what are the apples for?” Trent asked, attempting to change the subject. I wanted to throttle him, but I refrained. “Go away and leave me alone,” I replied, turning away from him and setting down the iPad. I was done talking, but the conversation was far from over.

I’ll be damned if they keep important things from me and then get pissy when I do something that I might have done differently had I been fully informed.