Cade sat comfortably on the living room sofa behind Remy, braiding the younger woman’s hair by the light of a skinny flashlight clenched between her teeth. Remy had her eyes closed, her head tilted back and nearly lolling on her neck with the soothing feeling of Cade’s fingers in her hair. Ethan and Brandt were at the coffee table, poring over the Georgia map and arguing softly over what they found. Avi hovered by the front door with a look of apprehension on her face, waiting with bated breath for Gray and Theo’s return.
“I still think this would be the best route,” Ethan said, shining his flashlight over the map spread out on the table. His finger tapped the paper, and Cade leaned over to look at the map for herself. She followed his finger with her eyes as he traced it along the route in question.
“It’s not. There are road blocks here, here, and here,” Brandt argued, jabbing his finger at the paper. “And unlike the one we dealt with yesterday, they aren’t ones we can easily climb over. I’ve been through right here.” His finger landed on a fourth spot. “It’s as clear as we can hope for. I think it’s our best chance to get through without having to go off road.” He grabbed the pen on the table beside him and started to write in the margins of the map. “What I am more concerned with is where we’re going to go after Atlanta if we don’t get picked up.”
Ethan let out an exasperated breath and shook his head. “Brandt—” he started, but before he could continue, the room flooded with light. Cade let out a startled gasp and threw her arm up to shield her eyes against the brightness. Remy stiffened, her shoulders squaring and her back straightening, fingers finding and gripping the hilt of her bolo knife tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. Cade put her free hand on Remy’s shoulder soothingly.
“What the fuck?” Brandt snapped. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling fan, watching its blades spin lazily, casting rotating shadows across the ceiling. He got up and hurried to the light switch, slapping at it to turn the light off. The room fell into darkness once more as he drew his gun and stood by the door.
There was a sudden commotion at the front door, and Cade abandoned her spot behind Remy to point her rifle in the direction of the noise. Avi scrambled back, her machete in her hands, as the door burst open. Cade barely managed to stop herself from squeezing the trigger as Gray and Theo burst into the house.
“That fucker had a generator!” Gray yelped happily. Theo gave Gray a cross look and kicked the younger man’s ankle, but Gray didn’t seem to notice as he charged toward the kitchen. “I’m going to see if the water heater’s electric and if there’s water pressure.”
Remy sat up even straighter, if that were possible, looking alert and highly interested in Gray’s words. “Wait, you mean we might actually get the chance to take hot showers?”
A slow smile spread across Cade’s face as she thought of the luxury. A hot shower would be the most wonderful thing in the world; she hadn’t had a hot shower or bath since shortly after the Michaluk Virus broke out. It was too long to go without a nice, warm bath, and the lack of one was beginning to make Cade feel a little less human every day. But Cade had a feeling that something of that nature would be far too much to ask for. She was proven right when she followed Brandt and Gray to the kitchen, hovering in the doorway as Brandt turned the faucet on. It only gave out the occasional splutter as he turned it on full blast.
“No dice,” Brandt announced. “Best-case scenario, there’s air in the pipes. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.” Cade let out a disappointed sigh, and Brandt gave her a smile in return.
“I, personally, am going to see what this guy does have that we can use,” Ethan announced. He headed down the hallway leading to the back of the house. Cade watched Ethan go, frowning as she skimmed her eyes over the straight set of the man’s shoulders and back. Her worry for him made her feel completely helpless.
A moment of silence lingered over the rest of the group. Remy let out a sigh of her own and rose off the couch. She casually smoothed her hands over her shirt and jacket before following Ethan down the hall. “I’m going to make sure he’s okay,” she said over her shoulder.
Silence continued after Remy’s departure, and Cade tore her eyes from the dark hallway to Gray. The younger man watched the hallway too, his eyes narrowed; Cade could read the jealousy on his face as easily as she could read an open book. The expression was enough to make Cade grit her teeth in anger, and the simmering irritation boiled over when she saw Theo pat Gray on the back.
“You’re not going to win any fucking points with Remy by acting like a spoiled brat every time she shows attention to someone other than you,” Cade spat out. Everyone’s eyes swiveled to land on Cade as she turned on Theo and took a step toward him. “And Theo, stop fucking validating his damned behavior. It’s pissing me off.”
Cade felt the others’ eyes on her as she let out a huff of irritation and marched straight to the stairs. Ignoring them all, she began to climb, intent on seeking a room in which she could hole up for the night and get away from her companions. She’d had enough of them for the day.