The moment my feet touched the ground outside the old QZ, the floodgates opened wide. Heavy rain cascaded from above and pelted my face like tiny liquid pebbles, and I held up a hand to shield my eyes against the sting.

"What now?" Soren called out in question, his voice raised to a yell in order to be heard over the roar of the downpour.

"I have no fucking idea!" The rain blurred everything as it fell, and I could hardly see Soren who stood beside me, much less anything beyond. My drenched clothes stuck to my body like a second skin and I swiped the clinging strands of my hair out of my eyes. "How about we—"

The explosion of thunder ended my suggestion and I flinched at the sound. Lightning scattered across the sky in a sudden flash of light, its pale tendrils threading through the clouds before disappearing just as quickly as it came.

Soren's hand wrapped around my forearm, and he tugged me forward through the driving rain. "This way!"

I had no idea where I was going, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other because apparently Soren knew. His broad shoulders blocked some of the raindrops from blowing into my face, and I found myself thankful he was almost a foot taller than me.

The blurry outline of some sort of bus or elongated vehicle smashed up against a building at an angle came to view seconds before Soren pulled me beneath it. He let go of my hand, scooting over to give me some room beneath our makeshift shelter. "Sorry."

"For?" I asked, raising my brows.

As the rain beat down around us, he turned a sheepish glance to me. "There's not much room under here and—"

"Soren." I laughed a little, shaking my head. There was no missing the red sweeping over his cheeks and burning his ears, and I had to admit it was cute. Pure even.

His eyes sparkled with a touch of gold as he swallowed and looked at me. "Yes?"

The rain nearly drowned out his soft question, but we were close enough I could hear it. The smile breaking across my face reached from ear to ear, and I shook my head slightly. "Have you always been this shy around women?"

"Well, uh. . .yes," he answered, stumbling over his words. He glanced away from me as if he were unable to keep direct eye contact, his ears so red they held a shade of purple. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." I laughed again as I took in his flustered state. Shy guys were one of the types girls swooned over, or at least they were back when I was a teen. It was always the timid ones, or the cocky ones getting the most female attention. I wanted to bet Soren was no exception to this. Sliding a smirk to him, I tilted my head. "Bet plenty of girls have wanted to take you to bed, huh?"

"Yes, but I could never. . . ." He trailed off, a soft rumble of thunder echoing his words. His chest rose as he drew in a deep breath and let it out, his eyes not meeting mine.

Oh, now I was curious. Too curious.

"You could never what?" I prompted, the smirk taking up only half of my lips.

He scratched the back of his neck, slowly bringing his focus to my face. "Follow through."

Woah. Okay. Color me shocked because damn. I didn't expect that, not in the least. I guessed this just showed how much we assume about someone even though we don't have all the details.

Swallowing down my surprise, I cleared my throat. "That's okay. Save it for someone special."

He laughed but it held no humor. The glow in his eyes took a somber edge, and his smile straightened some. "In the state I'm in, who in their right mind would want me?"

Me.

I shoved down the word before it breached my lips, my heart racing in my chest. No, no, no. Not me. Fuck. Who was I kidding? I couldn't lie to myself, not when I had to bite my lip to keep from saying I would.

Soren shifted as the moment passed, his shoulder rubbing against mine. "Look, the rain's settled."

I welcomed the distraction from the sudden revelation and focused on the dim world outside where we stood. The rain, which had been coming down in torrents earlier, now lazily drizzled everything in tiny droplets. The soft pitter patter filled the otherwise silent atmosphere and promised a break in the weather even if the ominous clouds still lingered.

"Then I suppose we better get going. We're running out of daylight," I pointed out before stepping out of our shelter and into the scattering of puddles left behind.

The soft splashing of Soren's footsteps echoed behind mine, and a frown furrowed my brow as I glanced up at the darkened sky. Raindrops gently freckled my face and trickled down my skin like miniature rivers while I observed what tiny amount of sunlight remained. The way the black clouds ate up most of the light only set me more at edge, and I found myself wanting to get to the safehouse as quickly as possible.

I stepped up onto a slab of concrete jutting out of the old highway, pausing there to gather my bearings. The safehouse was up ahead beyond the crumbled buildings somewhere, and the light I'd seen atop the QZ wall spoke of Eagles currently staying there. No doubt they would have some supplies there we could use on our journey, and hopefully a way to find out the current location of the Stars. One question remained: what was the quickest way there?

A soft spark of adrenaline bloomed in my chest as I noticed an alleyway cutting through the wreckage and empty structures a short distance ahead. No doubt it would be a shortcut, or at least some way of cutting our ETA down some.

If not, then fuck me.

Soren paused beside me, his eyes aglow with the flaxen hue of the infected in the partial darkness. "Which way?"

"Down the alley up there," I replied as I gestured to the area with a flick of my wrist.

He nodded. "Lead the way, sergeant."

I made no further comment, instead sliding the AK-47 off my shoulder and making sure the silencer was attached. The revenant encounter rate escalated the darker it got, and I didn't want to bring any more attention to us with the sound of gunfire should I need to open fire. I'd already seen the effects of unsuppressed shots, and I'd rather not have a remake of the helicopter incident.

Swinging the barrel of the assault rifle in a small arc, I swept the surrounding area for any signs of a threat as I picked my way to the alley. My search brought up nothing but rubble and the occasional debris blowing about in the breeze, but I couldn't be too careful. Not out here.

Besides the quiet shower of rain and the breath of the occasional wind, all was still. The silence unnerved me, prickling my skin with a scattering of goosebumps. If there was one thing I'd learned, it was that silence wasn't golden. It meant something lay just up ahead, and it couldn't be good.

Soren followed after me quietly, the soft grate of his steps against the worn paved path echoing behind me. His close presence brought with it a sense of safety. I knew no matter what happened, he would have my back. We were a team, one that would see its mission through to the very end.

The soft crunch of loose gravel beneath my shoes mixed with the steady pulse of my heart. Rivulets of water trickled down my face, but I paid them no mind. My one concern was getting to the end of this alley, and not focus on how creepy the buildings lining it looked with their busted windows and crumbled brick and plaster.

I drew in a deep breath, pushing away the sudden feeling everything was caving in on me. I was by no means claustrophobic, but the close proximity to old structures possibly housing more revenants than I could handle struck uneasiness within me. If I never saw another one of those bastards again, it would be too soon.

A relieved sigh eased from my lips as the alleyway opened up a few steps ahead. I quickened my pace in my haste to reach the end, but Soren's strong grip on my arm pulled me back seconds away from the opening.

The gun slipped from my hands in my shock, clattering against my feet as Soren pressed me up against the wall of an old restaurant. He stared down at me with glittering eyes as his hands pressed against either side of me and his body held mine firmly against the slick brick.

I opened my mouth to protest only for his long, calloused finger to press against my lips. Swallowing softly, I nodded in understanding even though my heart kicked up at his closeness. I searched his golden eyes and noted the caution in them. Something was out there.

A guttural howl split the quietness, confirming my fears. My eyes cut swiftly to the side as if the infected calling out stood just behind me. And maybe it did.

Soren leaned forward, his sudden breath against my ear making me flinch. "Trust me," he whispered huskily.