CHAPTER 63: A SUPPLY RUN

Noah was waiting when Sera opened the door to the bathroom.

He didn’t say anything at first—just leaned against the frame, his arms crossed in front of him, and an expression somewhere between smugness and suspicion wrinkling his face. His gaze flicked to her, then to Lachlan, then back again. Sera could see the gears grinding behind his eyes.

"Well, well, well," he finally muttered, voice low and mocking. "And just what were you two doing in there?"

"Showering," Sera replied, pulling her hair up into a messy bun. "If I was fucking him, it’d take a lot longer than thirty minutes."

Lachlan smirked and stepped forward, casually slipping in front of Sera, blocking her from Noah’s view. "And the fact that that’s where your brain went tells me everything I need to know. What’s the matter, Noah? Have you ever taken more than thirty minutes to please a girl? No wonder you don’t have very many long term girlfriends."

The other man flushed a dark red. "Whatever," he snapped, turning away. "You could’ve said something before disappearing."

"I just did," Sera replied, moving past him. "And, since you seem to need advanced warning, we’re heading out for a supply run. Supplies are running low, and apparently, there’s more people coming. Get your stuff—we leave in ten."

Noah straightened one eyebrow raised as he looked at her. "You want me to come?"

"You’re not staying here alone." She did give him a choice, just walked into the kitchen and started checking to see if she had enough empty bags. "And if you give me attitude on the road, I’ll toss you out and let the zombies play fetch."

Lachlan grunted a laugh behind her as he tossed a bottle of foundation into the bag. "We’ll need more of this too."

Nodding her head, Sera led the way out of the cabin, making sure to lock the door behind her. It wasn’t the zombies that she was worried about getting in, but the humans who thought they could take whatever wasn’t theirs.

Not like she was one to talk. But that was different.

------

The air outside was brittle and sharp, the early morning sun barely warming the snow-speckled ground. The Hummer was still parked out front, a dull black tank in an ever whitening landscape. Lachlan climbed into the driver’s seat without hesitation. He moved slower than usual—eyes flicking to every shadow—but his hands were steady on the wheel.

Noah dropped into the back with a sigh. "So what’s the plan? Loot, shoot, and scoot?"

"Don’t talk," Lachlan said. "Just watch and learn."

The three of them drove in silence for the first stretch. It was still early enough that most of the infected hadn’t wandered to the open. Those that did looked like husks—light blue, half-frozen things swaying by the roadside.

Sera had never seen zombies like that in Country M, and she wondered for a moment why things were different up north.

They stopped at a gas station first. Lachlan got out with a pump and a shotgun while Noah covered him from the roof of the Hummer while Sera went inside alone.

The infected didn’t move.

Two were in the frozen food aisle, swaying in that gentle, awful rhythm they always had. One looked up as she passed by. Its eyes black, and its mouth slack. It didn’t follow her and it didn’t try to attack.

Neither did the other.

She slid around them like they were mannequins, and just as deadly.

It was almost a game after the third zombie because the second she got too close, the zombie would flinch and back away like there was something wrong with her. The creature inside of her was loving it.

By the time she emerged with two duffel bags full of canned goods, energy bars, and painkillers, Lachlan was already done filling up the car and the extra cans for emergency gas. His jaw was tight, and his eyes followed every step she made.

"You didn’t even raise a weapon," he murmured as she tossed the bags in.

"Didn’t need to," she replied with a shrug. "But I’m also friends with the creature inside of me," she continued, leaning forward so that no one else could hear their conversation. Lachlan nodded as his hands tightened into fists.

The moment Sera was back in the car, Lachlan drove away from the gas station. They hit three more places—an abandoned pharmacy, a hardware store, and a convenience station that looked looted but still held enough for a few packs of batteries and iodine.

Noah was starting to relax, and Sera wasn’t sure if that was good thing or stupid. But if he ended up dying, then that was a load off her back.

The final stop was Cabela’s.

The place was wrecked—broken windows, overturned shelves, a bloody smear near the automatic doors—but the power was still flickering overhead.

The moment the three of them stepped inside, Noah let out a triumphant shout.

"My babies," he grinned, practically skipping to the gun counter. The cases had been smashed open, but he didn’t seem to care. He moved around the counter and crouched down, lifting up a loose floorboard and showing off a whole cache of untouched guns.

She watched him pull out his duffel, checking each weapon with care: a scoped rifle, a short-barrel shotgun, two Glocks, and a collection of knives that looked more ceremonial than practical.

Lachlan didn’t follow his teammate, instead, he stayed near Sera, refusing to let her out of his sight.

A pair of zombies glided through the broken display section. They turned toward Noah, their jaws clicking.

Lachlan raised his gun—

But Sera moved instead, holding out her hand and shaking her head. "Guns are useless against them," she said is a soft voice. "And they will only attract more."

Instead, Sera walked toward them, slow and steady. And the zombies shuddered once before they turned away. Just pivoted on their feet before disappearing back into the coat racks.

It took more time then it should have before the Hummer was loaded with ammo, long shelf-life food, medical gear, and extra fuel canisters. Noah was practically giddy. He hummed some old military marching song as he strapped everything down.

But Lachlan’s silence deepened.

Sera leaned against the side of the Hummer as he secured the last strap. "Say it," she murmured.

He didn’t look up. "They don’t see you."

"Oh, they see me," she replied with a shake of her head. "But to them, I am a bigger predator that they don’t want to mess with."

"Why?"

"Because I’m not prey. Have you ever seen Shark Week? You know how the smaller sharks will make way for the bigger ones? Just disappear until it is safe to come back out?"

Lachlan nodded stiffly as he closed the latch to the trunk. "Why you and not me?"

"I told you before," she sighed. "I’ve had a year to work with what I have." She looked around to make sure that no one was listening in to their conversation before she continued. "So it’s closer to the surface than it is with yours. They can sense that."

Lachlan nodded his head, the tension in his shoulder loosening. "You’ll have to teach me that trick."

"Of course," Sera smiled. "I find that chocolate helps."

Lachlan chuckled as he opened the driver’s door again—then paused. "I’m calling Alexei," he announced, causing Noah to stop moving. "They need to know we’re heading for the university. It will be a much easier place to meet up."

After getting a nod from Sera, he made the call from inside the car. With the satellite phone pressed to his ear, his voice low. She couldn’t hear the exact words, but she saw the tension in his posture ease slightly as he spoke.

Whatever Alexei said, it wasn’t no.

And that meant it was time to go back to the dorms for the supplies she kept there. And no better place to find makeup then an all-female dorm.

She slipped into the passenger seat beside him and glanced once at the horizon.

The city was waiting.

And she wasn’t afraid.

Not anymore.

"Buckle up," Lachlan said. "Let’s get this over with."