Brice focused on the giant X on the painted wall with worry. It was their apartment. The last safe refuge Kyler had built over the years. Brandi's thugs could easily find and kill us if she knew where we were. Kyler's wall-to-wall map of the surrounding area was filled with information. A few locations had been scratched out, meaning they'd already been scavenged. Brice had been looking at the walls for hours. He was hoping that there would be a building that wasn't marked somewhere on the crusty, painted walls.

"What if we send a team to the camping store?" Kyler suggested as Brice's eyes flicked over to their old base.

The words hardly registered as he looked at a large gash on the wall. Brandi...that monster. She knew where we lived and tried to kill us. After we managed to get away from Kaiten, she sent another group after us. All we want is to survive, but she won't stop until she gets rid of us—

"There weren't many people living in the area, and the Locator's dead, she can't scream and call for the Gargoyles this time." Kyler offered as Brice remembered the raiders that had attacked them. "The area should be pretty safe, all things considered. I know we searched the store after the raiders burnt it down, but they couldn't have cleaned out the entire block. I'd bet there are a few buildings in the area that might have something salvageable."

"We can't go that far out in the trucks. It's too risky," Brice countered as he looked at Kyler. His eyes were hardly open, and his shoulders were slouching. They were both exhausted, but Kyler looked like he hadn't slept well in days. "There are still Gargoyles in the area, and they could follow the trucks back. In case you forgot, they can fly. I doubt a few miles is a big deal to them. Not to mention our scouts almost died when we sent them out with your tracking device last time."

"A few Gargoyles isn't a big deal. We have enough bullets," Kyler tried again. "We can tell the scouts to be careful, but give them extra munitions in case things go bad."

"What about the compound?" Brice argued, "They have scouts everywhere. They could follow the gunfire back home. In case you forgot, this is the last base you set up that can hold more than a handful of people. You're the one who wants to protect the remnants of Kaiten. If the compound figures out where we live, we won't be able to get away."

"How about we go west then?" Kyler huffed, his words straining. "Maybe we can find something on the outskirts of the city."

"That's not safe either. The outskirts are too far away. If something were to happen to the team that goes out, they wouldn't be able to call out." Brice let out a sigh and returned his focus to the large slash mark that symbolized their old base. "We drove those trucks all around the general area before we found the tracker on Carden's vehicle. Thankfully we were smart enough to check the other truck before we went to your final base." Brice paused for a moment. The image of Brandi standing on top of a pile of bodies with her bloody machete made his stomach churn. "If we have anybody go near our old base, we could have a war thrown in our face. We can't risk a fight like that. We don't have the people or firepower."

"Well fine then," Kyler growled, his exhaustion sharpening his tongue. "Since you obviously have a better idea in mind, where do you think we should send them?"

Brice tried not to recoil as the words slapped him. Pushing away his thoughts of Brandi, Brice looked to the right to see a large empty space on the wall. "I think, we should send them east. To the cannery." Brice walked over to the space and pointed at the cannery distribution center. "The cannery is a wide-open space. It's safe from any big ambush potential. There wouldn't be many Locus there either. That part is the shipping area of distribution. Less people means fewer Locus. Not to mention, it's in the opposite direction of where you said the bunker was. That means she would be less likely to go out that far."

"The cannery is pretty far away though. A lot can happen during that time," Kyler noted as Brice looked at the surrounding buildings.

"Sure, but twelve miles is only a few days of cautious travel by foot. If there's any mechanical trouble, it's not too far away to come back." Brice paused, looking for the nearest shelter to the cannery.

"The nearest safety is about a mile away from there. Do you think anybody in our group can run a mile with a bag of supplies on their back?" Kyler asked, getting closer to the painted landmark.

"No, but think about it this way. The cannery might've had a few shipping trucks ready to go before the Locus took over. I know our chances are bleak, but on the off chance that nobodies snagged them yet, we could find a giant cache of food. If we do find a filled truck, we could keep everybody here fed through the rest of winter, maybe even spring."

Brice looked over for approval, but all he saw was Kyler yawning. Dark bags were visible under his eyes, and his lack of sleep was apparent. "I know you don't want to risk any encounters with the bunker, but we can't keep going further and further east. We just don't have the fuel." Kyler yawned again. His voice trailed off for a moment, then he blinked a few times. "We went close to ten miles last week to check that one market that turned out to be empty. Our fuel reserves can't handle that kind of repeated journey. We don't have any way to get more, and the rigs are both getting low. A twenty-four mile drive might not be the best option."

"Then give me a better one!" Brice argued, his exhaustion whittling his own temper. "These useless people are counting on me to take care of them. We're supposed to work out a plan here, but we're at odds on where to go. You keep saying go west, but every fiber of my being tells me that if we go west, we'll all die." The room fell silent as Brice tried to find any reason in Kyler's answer. "You know I'm not scared to fight, but there's a difference between fighting and mass suicide." When Kyler didn't respond, Brice scoffed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't want to be their leader. Hell I never wanted any of this. I'm not a charismatic man like Nick. The mayor tried to recruit us and I told him I wanted to live alone. Just you, me, and Chance. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing."

"They see you as their leader all the same," Kyler replied as Brice felt his stomach drop. "You can't walk away from that. They need you."

I'm not leadership material. I keep telling them that. The only response I get is that stupid doe-eyed look, then the glorified story about the caves."

"You took charge in those caves. That's on you," "Kyler stated, as he focused on Brice. "None of us would have survived last month if you didn't find that alternate route. Especially after we found the first one blocked off."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't want anybody to find me while I was trying to take a dump. I needed a place away from the crowd. That's the only reason I was gone for so long." The memories of that day made Brice's stomach churn. He had been gone for hours, searching for a way they could escape.

"Bullshit!" Kyler countered, stopping a few feet away from him. "We both know that trip took almost a whole day."

"I got lost," Brice argued again, trying to push his narrative.

"There is no way you got lost for that long. Everybody that survived the attack was squabbling about food and how they were going to get out. You couldn't have gotten lost with all that jabbering." Kyler let out a sigh as he focused on Brice. "You can't lie to me. I've known you for too long. Why won't you admit that you were trying to help these people?"

There was no way that Brice could hide anything from his lover. His cheeks began to warm, and he tried to think of some way he could deny Kyler's claim. As the seconds ticked by, nothing came to mind. Brice realized there was no amount of posturing that could save him. Kyler could read him like a book. There was no point trying to lie. "If people panic, morality goes out the window. Not to mention the potential blood bath. If anybody in the cave thought another was infected, the area would've been a mass grave. Somebody had to do something."

"That's better," Kyler said with a smirk as he made his way behind Brice. Warm hands began to rub his aching shoulders. The feeling sent ripples through his body as the soft comfort began to sink in. "I know it's hard, but we're in this position for a reason. We have to make sure these people are safe." Kyler paused as he continued to rub Brice's shoulders. "We don't need to have an answer right now. We still have another hour before the team is supposed to leave." Kyler's graceful hands began to slide down as he leaned forward and whispered. "We could sneak over to our bedroom for a few minutes and release some tension, if you want?"

The idea of delaying the scavenging run didn't appeal to Brice, but Kyler's desire had brought his own to life. A familiar tightness in his pants began to call for attention, but he tried to ignore it. "Is sex all you ever think about?" He asked with a soft groan, his body beginning to unwind around Kyler's skilled hands.

"Yes," Kyler smirked before kissing the top of Brice's head. "Well, that and seeing you smile again. I have priorities though," Kyler whispered before pressing his hips against Brice. A soft moan escaped Brice's lips as he felt the bulge that he desired so close to him.

As the shoulder rub began to heat up, Brice felt his hips begin to grind back against Kyler's body. "We really shouldn't be doing this. We don't have time to fool around."

"Your actions disagree with your words. So I'll listen to the one I like," Kyler said before his lips began to latch onto Brice's neck. The two stood together for a while as Brice's body began to grind more forcefully against Kyler's. Brice's body yearned for Kyler's. When he finally pulled his lips from Brice's neck, another whisper made his skin tremble. "Let's go make sure our bed supports can hold us."

Brice grinned as the thought of being able to release some pent-up tension took priority. "We can't take too long. The others might come around asking questions if we don't hurry up with an answer." Turning around and looking up at his lover, Brice saw nothing but love in Kyler's sapphire blue eyes. His heart began to flutter, and a gentle pair of lips began to press against his own.

A sudden crashing sound forced the two apart. Looking over, they saw a bloody and beaten man tumble to the ground. Brice glared over at the doorway and saw Sarah's familiar face scowling at the man in front of them. "I found a rat in my pantry. Piece o'shit was try'en to plunder me merchandise!" Sarah's angry voice broke the silence as her heavy footsteps made their way into the room.

The man thrown into the room began to crawl towards the pair, his eyes were filled with fear. "Help!" The man begged as bright blood leaked from his nose onto the floor.

----------------------------------------

Remember if you want to keep reading, I have the full book on amazon! :)

-John

https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-West/author/B08YRZKRYL?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1714407868&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true