In retrospect, things would have been better if we had just stolen those things from you.

And you can hate me for that if you want. I won't hold it against you.

But believe me when I say we were trying to do right by you. You and your people had taken us in, fed us, given us medicine and a safe place to sleep. None of us could stomach the idea of repaying that with stealing from you.

Maybe that doesn't really matter. After all, the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.

After we'd decided not to take anything from you, we got down to the business of watching you. Figuring out the guard rotation you had on the gate; who asked the most questions when we went outside the fences; what stretches of fence you left unguarded.

Basically deciding how easy it would be to sneak out and sneak back in without any of you getting any wiser to what we were planning.

After about a week and a half of this—just to be really certain—we finally decided to make our move.

The night before we were going to go out, Shane and I were sitting on one of the platforms you guys had attached to a section of the wall behind the barracks. As the sun slipped behind the trees and the shadows grew long around us, the dark provided plenty of privacy.

We could hear voices floating toward us from the main square on the other side of the building. Laughter. The crackle of a handful of fires. That's where most everyone was.

Shane and I sat watching the stars appear, one or two popping out at first. But we quickly lost count as more sprang to life with the sun finally giving up its hold.

There are so many stars now. So many that we can actually see again.

I looked down to find Shane watching those stars, a pensive expression on his face. Biting my lip, I shifted around, making him start. He smiled when I settled into his lap, fingers carding through his thick hair.

He put his hands on my waist, trailing them up to my back as I kissed along his jaw. I kissed one corner of his mouth, then the other, not lingering long enough  for him to retaliate.

Teasing, because I could. Because I had that kind of time here.

Shane growled and wrapped one arm around my waist, his free hand going up to my hair. He freed the strands from the ponytail I had them in and buried his fingers in the thick curls.

He tipped my head back and began kissing my neck, sending pleasant shivers through my body. When he nipped gently at the skin, I groaned and that was all either of us could handle.

My mouth crashed onto his as he surged beneath me, his arms tightening around me.

Minutes or hours might have passed like that. All that mattered was his breath in my mouth and his hands on my body.

Eventually we had to break apart just to catch our breath.

Resting my head on his shoulder, my lips nearly touching the side of his throat, I asked, "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Shane sighed, his hand stroking over my hair. "I don't like going at night either. But we don't know how they'll react if they get wind that we're planning on leaving."

The words were whispered against my ear. I couldn't tell if the shiver they gave me was because of the words themselves, or because I could feel the warmth of his breath. I let out a heavy sigh and pulled away a little to where I could look him right in the eye.

Shane tilted his head curiously, bringing a hand up to brush my now-loose hair behind an ear. I pressed into the warmth of his hand, closing my eyes for a moment. Then I whispered, "I don't mean going at night."

A long sigh gusted through his nose, his mouth tightening in displeasure. He let his hand drop back down to his side. "You mean going at all."

I nodded, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.

There was a long silence before he asked, "Do you not want to leave?"

I started at the question, surprised gaze shooting back up to meet his steady, grey eyes. There was no judgement one way or the other in his question. Just curiosity.

My answer was immediate. "No."

Shane raised an eyebrow, but let me explain.

"I don't want to stay. I want us to leave as quickly as possible for Colorado, honestly. I just..." I trailed off, biting nervously at my bottom lip. Then I shook my head, dark strands of hair fluttering in the night breeze. "That other group looks dangerous, Shane."

He nodded slowly and didn't say anything for a moment. Not ignoring me. But truly weighing my words. My concerns.

Then he met my eyes and smiled softly. Bringing his hand back up to my head, he pulled me forward into a kiss. I indulged him—and myself—for a long moment before pulling back. Now I raised an eyebrow.

"So we just don't get caught," he said quietly. "We don't take too much from any one place. We move careful. That's why we're going at night."

Because running into a few zombies in the dark somehow seemed less risky than going in the middle of the day and getting caught by those people.

I didn't know what kind of deal Dad had with them, but I understood enough to figure out that things wouldn't go over well if we were caught by anyone.

A million fears and possibility whirled through my mind at that, in spite of Shane's soft certainty. He was built to exude confidence. You couldn't always take it at face value.

But I didn't bother voicing any of them. Shane already knew. He just couldn't see a better way. 

Neither could I, for that matter.

So I just sighed and nodded, then leaned forward to kiss him. We both froze at the soft thud of boots in dirt. I barely dared to move, feeling a bit like a teenager who'd been caught with her boyfriend in the bedroom.

Then a low laugh sounded and Kyle said, "I thought you said you were on watch?"

I sagged in relief, burying my face against Shane's shoulder to stifle my laugh. Shane snickered before he lifted me off of him. He shifted around until he was on his knees, peering over the platform's edge at his brother.

Wearing a smartass grin, he said, "You never specified what I should be watching."

Groaning in mock horror, I batted his shoulder, then stood up. I looked out over the fence, toward the town we were planning on hitting tomorrow night. The night lay velvety black over everything, the moon a bare sliver of a crescent that didn't provide much in the way of light. I wasn't exactly comforted by that.

Then I made my way over to the ladder.

Shane winked at me as I made my way down. I stuck my tongue out, but couldn't stop a secret smile that promised more than a kiss the next time we found a little privacy. I could see his throat bob as he swallowed, eyes trailing over me before he climbed onto the ladder, then down to the ground.

He jumped from the third rung up, and I watched in alarm as his bad knee wobbled under him, making him stumble a few steps. His teeth gritted in pain, a thin hiss escaping from between them.

I immediately moved toward him, but he stood up straight and waved me off. He gave me a half-smile and said, "It's all right."

Narrowing my eyes, I watched the next few steps he took. He didn't look wobbly, or like he was in pain.

You can't take that at face value either.

Kyle frowned but didn't say anything, and we started walking back toward the front of the barracks building. Keeping his voice low, he asked, "So?"

"It seems pretty lax," Shane muttered. "I want to ask Aaron or Cas to sit up there around two or three, see what it's like then."

Deep in the middle of the night, when people would be soundly asleep and any guards would be sleepy and careless. That's when we planned to leave. 

Kyle nodded and we rounded the corner to be bathed in firelight and surrounded by the quiet, happy chatter of the people who called this place home. 

You were sitting by Jodie, talking and laughing with a group of some of the younger people here. The kids who weren't asleep were running around, playing chase, keeping their giggles quiet. 

I couldn't help but tense when I noticed Dad across one of the fire drinking from a red solo cup and chatting with a few people there.

Hell must truly have frozen over.

Shane draped his arm over my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my temple as Kyle wandered away from us, casually sitting next to Cas where she was talking to the blacksmith.

Kyle whispered something in her ear. She blinked at him, then gave him a quick nod and a smile before turning back to her conversation with the brawny woman. Kyle kicked his long legs out in front of him and leaned back on his hands, listening as the blacksmith began to describe something after Cassidy asked a question.

I guess it was up to us to find Aaron.

Scanning the group, I finally spotted him leaning against one of the buildings, arms crossed, a relaxed smile on his face as he talked to Lisa. The Asian woman said something that made him laugh and a bad feeling suddenly soured in my gut.

Don't misunderstand. I want Aaron to be happy. Part of me was glad that he seemed to be getting along so well with Lisa.

The other part of me kept thinking that we were planning on leaving soon, and I didn't know what I'd do if Aaron didn't come with us. I didn't know what I'd do if Lisa somehow took him away.

I suppose I should have had more faith in his loyalty.

Starting toward him, I was surprised when Shane snatched my wrist and pulled me back into him. He wrapped his arms around my middle, resting his chin on my shoulder. "We don't need to tell him right now," he said softly.

Another look toward Aaron explained that well enough. The shadows always on Aaron's face seemed a little lighter. He laughed again, shaking his head in disbelief as Lisa nodded emphatically, hands braced on her slim hips.

In spite of that bad feeling, a smile tugged at my mouth as I noticed he wasn't the only one having—if not a good time—a comfortable time. Kyle and Cassidy were both listening intently to whatever the blacksmith woman was saying. Danielle was sitting flanked by Sacha and Viktoria, a hand over her mouth to contain a laugh at whatever Sacha was telling her.

I stood for a moment, basking in the moment. Until Shane kissed the side of my neck and heat flushed through me, demanding I pick up where we had left off.

After another moment spent soaking in my family enjoying themselves, I turned and took Shane's hand, not caring who saw. We didn't say a single word while we wended our way through the warren of drywalled cubicles within the barracks building.

When we found our way to our assigned cubicle, Shane picked me up and laid me on the cot. For a moment, he didn't move. Like he was looking down at me, even though neither of us could see a thing without lighting the oil lamp.

I closed my eyes as I sat up to unlace my boots, listening as he did the same. My boots thumped to the ground and the only warning I got was a soft exhale before Shane settled himself over me. My heart sped up, my body aching for everything he could offer.

It still amazes me sometimes, the reaction he gets from me. After so long together with someone, you'd think you'd get bored, or even too comfortable. But he still manages to snatch my breath away.

Shane lowered his mouth to my ear as he hooked his fingers into the waist of my jeans. "Whatever you want," he whispered, "that's what I'll do."

I knew he meant more than just what I wanted from him that night.

The only answer I gave was to slide my hands down to his lower back and yank him down into me, letting his weight press the air from my lungs.

I was scared about tomorrow. There's nothing shameful in admitting that. A lot of things could go wrong, and we were extremely aware of that.

But Shane had decided he wasn't going to give an inch of space to his own fear, and he dragged me along with him, reminding me repeatedly that we were alive. 

And that it was going to take a whole hell of a lot to change that.

                                                                                ***

The next day, it was just a matter of acting naturally. Or whatever passed for naturally with us when we weren't alone.

I suppose it was kind of like asking animals in captivity to act naturally. How are they supposed to do that when they're in an unnatural environment?

So we just tried to stick with the status quo. We tried not to be overly friendly or amiable, knowing that would raise more eyebrows with that than with maintaining our standoffish attitudes. We did our jobs and kept our heads down.

By that disapproving look on your face, we did a pretty good job with our little charade.

Despite putting all of my effort into acting normal, I was jittery as an ant, constantly resisting the urge to dart to our rooms and make sure no one had come across our carefully stowed supplies for the run that night. 

I don't think I've ever had a day pass so slowly.

The sun refused to budge an inch in the sky, and I couldn't stop myself from looking at it every few seconds. Willing it to sink below the horizon.

Of course, when it finally did, that didn't being any relief to my waiting. There was always more of that to be done.

I sat on the edge of our cot, knee bouncing up and down, my fingers locked around the edge in an effort to keep myself from pacing. Shane's eyes were glued to my leg from where he sat on the floor with his back resting against the solid wall of our cubicle.

He looked completely relaxed with his legs stretched out in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. But I could tell my own jitteriness was making him crazy.

We didn't speak. There wasn't anything to be said at this point.

So we just listened to the people around us as they went through their nightly routines. Then we listened as they settled into sleep, more than a few tossing and turning for nearly an hour. Finally, the barracks were all but silent.

The darkness around us was oppressive this time. Not comforting and open like it had been the night before.

I had fallen into a half-meditation, focusing on keeping my breath even and quiet. The rasp of a match being struck made my eyes fly open and my heart jump in my throat.

That feeling only intensified as Shane checked his watch, nodding at me before he shook the match out. 

We both stood up silently. I heard Shane's soft hiss as he put weight on his bad leg, but held my tongue. It hadn't impeded his movements all day, and I knew it would be a losing battle to ask him to stay behind anyway.

A small shuffling sound prompted me to pick up my own bag.

Shane's hand found mine, clasping my fingers once before he guided my hand to his belt loop. I hooked a finger there so I wouldn't accidentally slam into him. We'd both walked the path between our cubicle and the door leading outside enough times that we didn't need to see to get out.

We just didn't need to risk making any more noise than absolutely necessary.

Which was why we'd planned to stagger our departures, so we didn't accidentally crash into each other in the hall.

As a result, Cassidy was already waiting for us in the shadows of a building near the spot we planned to go over the wall. We settled in next to her without a word and waited for Kyle.

The other four would stay behind tonight and keep wary. They'd try to distract anyone from noticing that we were gone if it came to it.

Kyle got there, quiet and quick as a shadow. We all waited for a moment, making sure no alarms were about to be set off. Then, one by one starting with Kyle since he was the fastest, we darted to the wall and clambered over.

As soon as I dropped to the dirt on the other side, I ran a good hundred meters, disappearing into the dark.

Kyle was there at the edge of the woods. We could barely see as first Cassidy and then Shane dropped from the wall. I held my breath as the second form hit the ground and collapsed to tuck into a roll that carried him a few extra feet from the wall.

But Shane popped up without so much as a grunt and ran to meet us.

We all caught our breath, silently making eye contact to check that everyone was good. When that was established, we fell into a single-file line with Cassidy at the front, then Kyle, myself and Shane bringing up the rear.

Cas has the best eyesight of any of us and arguably the best sense of direction. So she was the one leading us through the woods.

Stars glittered above, but the crescent moon didn't offer much in the way of light. We didn't dare use a flashlight in case someone from the fort saw, or someone...not from the fort did. So there was a lot of stumbling and hissed curses along the way, with stubbed toes and banged-up shins to go with them.

It wasn't long before we broke free of the woods and into rolling grassy hills.

It took much less time to arrive in the town going across country than it did sticking to the roads. One more glance around proved everyone was okay and barely winded. Shane winced and rubbed at his leg, but stopped as soon as he noticed me looking toward him.

He gave me a shallow nod. He probably couldn't see the grimace I gave him in return, but we were too far along now to change our minds.

Our approach to the town was much more cautious. We couldn't hear or see any movement near the edge of town, but that didn't really mean anything. So we crept slowly through the streets and gaps between houses, searching for one marked with an omega symbol.

It didn't take long to find one.

Shane and Kyle stood watch outside while Cas and I slipped into the house.

We tiptoed carefully across the wood floors, trying not to disturb so much as the dust in the house. When we got to the kitchen, we both sighed and shared a wary look. It was important that we leave this place looking as undisturbed as possible.

And, acknowledging the impossibility of that, we'd reasoned that they'd blame any thievery on some stranger who was just passing through.

Guess we shouldn't have chocked so much up to that hope.

We carefully opened cabinets, finding some to be empty and others to be stuffed full of things to eat. Now we had to risk a flashlight as one of us pulled stacks of cans down, the other keeping track of their order until we reached the very back of a cabinet.

Cassidy took three or four cans, then we'd return the food into its exact place before closing the cabinet as quietly as possible.

Every time one can rattled against another, both of us flinched. Finally we had everything back the way it was. We did the same to every full cabinet in the house.

Then we shouldered our heavier packs and I glanced over the room one last time. Satisfied that we'd made it look as undisturbed as we possibly could, I turned and followed Cassidy back outside.

Everything was still and quiet. Even the crickets had given up playing their songs.

We huddled together in the deep shadows beside a house next to the one we'd just gone through. Cassidy gestured to the bag slung over her shoulder, "This is going to take too long. Especially since we can't take all we need from one house."

Kyle whispered, "We can't clean places out though. That'll cause problems for the people back at the fort."

I nodded my agreement, adding, "The whole point of this was to not cause any problems for them."

Cassidy grumbled under her breath. "Then we're going to have to make multiple runs. We can't get everything we need tonight, otherwise we won't get back to the fort on time."

"Yeah," Shane said with a long sigh. "I sort of figured that."

I blinked at him. "There was more to Aaron, Danny and the kids staying behind than making sure no one knew we were gone, wasn't there?"

He shrugged, scrubbing a hand down his face. "I figured we go tonight, they go tomorrow. We wait a few days to rest up, then lather, rinse, repeat. I wasn't totally sure this would take as long as I thought it would, but I had a feeling."

We all stared at him for a moment and he just shrugged again before turning and signaling over his shoulder for us to follow.

Kyle snorted and probably rolled his eyes before trailing after his brother. Both Cas and I snickered, following along in the search for the next house.

We only had an hour to an hour and a half tops to keep searching. 

Then we'd have to turn around and head back to get to the fort before sunrise.