I reached for the handle and opened the door an inch before it was closed on me. I looked down at the fey preventing me from leaving, unsure if I should feel relieved that it wasn’t Thallirin or annoyed that the rest were starting to act like him.
“Stay inside,” the fey said. “The humans are coming.”
Shifting my gaze to the runners, I counted humans. They were all there. Ryan’s dad, Richard, was the first to arrive and climbed into the driver’s seat of my truck. This was the first time he’d gone on a supply run with us.
“Looks like you’ll be my co-pilot for this,” he said calmly.
“What’s going on?”
“A herd of infected were spotted six blocks away. Smart ones trying to sneak up on us. Not the first time they’ve tried that, though. We typically pull two trucks back, using them as decoys as we hightail it out of there. The fey will bring the supplies and thin the herd.” Someone banged on his door twice, and he shifted into gear.
“We’ll meet up with the rest of the fey and the trucks a few miles out. Your job is to keep an eye on your side of the road. Let me know if you see anything.”
“Got it.”
Adrenaline pumped through me as I watched the roadside for any sign of infected or traps. A number of fey ran ahead of us as a front guard. Tense minutes passed in the cab before Richard let off the gas and came to a gentle stop near a farm.
“We haven’t checked this one. Might as well have a look around while we wait.”
I turned to look at him.
“That’s it? We’re in the clear?”
He chuckled.
“We’re as clear as it’s going to get. Come on. I love checking farm basements. Never know what we’ll find.”
Following his lead, I jumped out of the truck. A few of the humans from the back of the truck were getting out, too.
“Brenna and I are going to check the house,” Richard said.
Ryan glanced at me and grinned. “Don’t let him talk you into trying anything out of a jar.”
Richard waved a hand at his son and looked at me.
“Don’t listen to him. It was a bad seal. The rest were fine.”
I smiled at their easy banter and followed Richard across the snow toward the house. It wasn’t until we were almost there that I realized Thallirin hadn’t tried to stop me. I looked back and found him a step behind me, his expression grim.
“What’s something you’re craving?” Richard asked.
“At the moment, nothing really. Mom made biscuits last night with the supplies from our first haul.”
“Biscuits are good.” He groaned. “Biscuits and gravy would be better. I hope we find some sausage.”
He stopped outside the house and looked back at the fey following us. Without a word, they went inside while Richard and I waited with Thallirin.
“Julie wants me to find some fresh food. Not an easy task,” Richard said. “If the stores have heat, the produce inside is rotten by now. If there’s no heat, then the slow freeze turned most of it to mush. We’ve had some luck with these farmhouses, though. See over there?” he asked, pointing to a row of gnarled, old trees. “Apple trees. I’m betting we’ll find a bushel or two of apples worth saving.”
The door opened, and the fey carried out two bodies to lay on the snow. Their legs were covered in human bite marks.
“It’s clear,” one of the fey said.
Richard held the door open for me. I stepped inside and leaned my bow against the wall, drawing the knife I carried from the sheath.
“You’re not new to this,” Richard said as my gaze swept the room, lingering on the couch and chair.
“No. Did you check under the couch?” I asked. “The smaller infected like hiding there.” I couldn’t say kids because they weren’t kids anymore.
“Yes,” one of the fey said. “A small one was there. We took him out the back.”
I nodded and stepped farther into the room, sticking close to Richard.
We searched through the kitchen, placing what food there was on the table, then went down to the basement. Richard’s prediction proved correct, and we found some apples in a cool, back corner that I wouldn’t go near. Neither did he. We both had too much experience with infected to do something that risky when there was no need.
“Would any of you mind getting those apples?” he asked the fey. “And all the jars from those shelves? We’ll eventually need to start preserving our own food.”
The whole excursion didn’t take long, and I was outside with my mom’s bow over my shoulder in no time.
Richard clapped me on the back in acknowledgment of a job well done and returned to the truck.
I looked at Thallirin, who hadn’t been more than a yard from me the whole time.
“Why didn’t you stop me this time?” I asked.
“Why didn’t you get mad at Richard for telling you what to do?”
“Because I knew I had a choice the whole time. I could have said no, and he would have been okay with that. Your turn.”
“He said it would help you.”
“In what way?”
“To be less angry.” He studied me for a moment. “You still look at me with anger.”
“You still look at me like you own me.”
He shared a look with one of the fey carrying something from the house. The fey grunted in their caveman communication way and kept walking.
“I know I do not own you, Brenna,” Thallirin said.
“Right.” I let a heavy and obvious amount of doubt lace that single word.
Rather than trying to point out where his actions failed to support his statement, I went back to the vehicles, glad the rest of the group had joined us and we could leave.
However, arriving at Tenacity only served to remind me that my day was far from over. The majority of the fey were once again covered in infected goo, and the clean ones were avoiding eye contact.
“Tor,” Richard called. “Get Brenna home, will you? She can start sorting the supplies as they come in.” And just like that, Richard was my hero because one of the fey came jogging over.
I hurriedly removed my bow so I didn’t break another one, but the precaution proved unnecessary. The new-to-me fey smiled good-naturedly and asked if he could carry me before he bent to pick me up and settled me against his bare chest. That he didn’t act like I was an infected two seconds from biting him or cast continuous longing glances my way was a nice change. Not nice enough to strike up a conversation, but still nice.
Safely in his arms, I made the journey home in minutes and was at the storage shed as the supplies started trickling in. I wasn’t alone, though. Julie was there, teaching me the ropes and chatting away.
She was easy to like and kept me distracted from Thallirin’s quiet presence just inside the doorway.
“That’s the last of it,” she said with her hands on her hips. We looked at the shelves. Over half of them held items again.
“Go ahead and fill up two totes with whatever your family needs.”
I shook my head.
“We’re good for now. But, I really like knowing I can come in here at any time and grab something if we need it.”
She smiled at me.
“The door’s never locked. Thank you for going out today and for everything you do. You and your family help make Tolerance a better place.”