Against All Odds

Chapter Six

          That day seemed to fly by. Roxi and Crew spent most of it getting supplies from the barn and fixing up the things that she hadn’t been able to do on her own. When the sun finally did start to set, Roxi began to shut the metal panels that covered the doors and windows before locking them all down and heading into the kitchen to finish cleaning up the rest of the dishes from their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs they had enjoyed a bit earlier.

          A slight smile lit Roxi’s face as she listened to Crew clear his throat in the other room. Catching herself smiling, she frowned at herself for acting like some naïve little school girl falling for the popular boy in school. She didn’t have time to think about such things as that. On the contrary, she had far more important things to think about, including getting all the information she had gathered about the zombies to the rumored reservations that were fighting back against the zombies. Her father had told her to keep herself safe and stay hidden but how could she continuing living her life like this when she had important information that could help the survivors get rid of the zombies and bring the world back to where it use to be.

          She had decided recently that she would question Crew about any rumors of survivors he had heard of and then head off towards them. Even if it was a whisper of hope, it was all she had to live for anymore. And she wanted more than anything to get back at the zombies for killing her father. He had been all she had left. And now she was alone.

          When she had finished wiping off all of the dishes and put them away, Roxi took a deep breath before heading into the living room where Crew was lounging on the couch, his arms stretched across the back of the couch on either side of him. A smile lit his face as she came into the room and she forced a smile before sitting down next to him though was sure to keep space in between him. Looking down at her hands that were in her lap, she thought of a way to start the conversation before finally letting her gaze lift to look into his own blue eyes.

          “Crew, I. . . I need to know if you’ve heard anything about the survivors‘reservations.” She finally stated, glancing away briefly before looking back at him. Searching his expression, she hoped he wouldn’t ask her what her plans were because she knew she couldn’t drag him into this. Plus he would most likely want to go with her and help but that was a death sentence. She knew that and she wouldn’t let him sacrifice his life for her cause. It wasn’t fair.

          Confusion crossed Crew’s face as he looked her over thoughtfully, trying to figure out where she was going with this but finally gave in and told her the information she wanted to know.

          “I haven’t heard anything from anyone. . . wait. . . there was a small family that I passed on my way here. They were going the opposite way as me and were muttering things about a hoard of zombies making their way north from Texas and Louisiana. They said they were heading towards Kansas and Colorado because there was supposedly a reservation of some sort there. Why do you ask. . .?” he finally questioned, after thinking back to the half crazed family that he had passed. They hadn’t seemed like they were in the best health and hadn’t thought much about their warning. His gaze had shifted to look off into space as he went back over the memory before he looked back to her, watching her expression with curiosity.

          “No reason. . . it’s just always good to hear news of what’s going on out there. . .” she lied, not meeting his gaze as she furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. Finally deciding to change the subject in hopes of diverting his attention off the topic of her near future plans, a slight smile lit her face as she turned her body to face his.

          “You must be tired after such a busy day. I can leave you to sleep.” She spoke, rising to her feet after a moment and preparing to leave. Just as she was about to take a step away from him, she felt his hand on her arm, stopping her. Turning her head to look back at him, confusion and curiosity was on her face as she waited for him to speak and explain his actions.

          “I’m not tired yet.” He said simply, a smile slowly making its way across his face. Roxi chuckled softly at his words and her gaze shifted to look at the floor thoughtfully before she finally raised her gaze and turned to face him once more. He let go of her arm and looked up at her as she stood in front of him, waiting for her to speak.

          “Crew. . .” she whispered softly, the same hurt from his rejection returning to her light blue eyes as she looked down at him. Her expression made him feel ever guiltier than before. Here he was thinking he had done the right thing by not sleeping with her and yet it seemed like he had hurt her more by not sleeping with her than he would have if he had just gone ahead and done it.

          A sigh escaped Crew’s lips as he looked away, slumping back into the couch. He knew that he had hurt her enough to make her not trust him, though she probably hadn’t really trusted him to start with. A slight smile raised the corners of Roxi’s mouth as she watched him sink into the couch a bit, not meeting her pained gaze. Resting her hands on either of his knees, she leaned forward slowly and parted her lips before gently pressing them against his. Pulling away a bit, she glanced down at his lips before looking into his eyes.

          “Night.” She said simply before walking away, leaving him wanting more.