We push through the last few miles will all the strength we have. By the time we reach ninetieth street, the sky is dark and the temperature has dropped even more. My teeth chatter as we run and I can’t feel my fingers.

Dave says, “Just a bit more, guys.”

We pass a burned house and my stomach churns. What if there’s nothing there? What then?

A massive fence comes into sight, protecting something big. We go to two large metal gates. There’re obvious signs that something has gone down here.

Jeff glances at Dave. “You sure this is the right place?”

Dave nods. “Yeah. This is it. Hospital should be here.”

He goes to the gate, tapping. I want to call him back, but he won’t listen. Not when we’ve come so far.

“Who’s there?” a voice from the inside answers.

Harper puts his hand on my lower back. It makes me feel a little better, but not much. Because all I can think is that Dave is in danger. He shouldn’t be in front of that gate with no protection!

“Name’s Dave.”

“We don’t have a Dave here. Turn around and leave.”

Dave runs his fingers through his hair. “I need to talk to the man in charge here.”

A man peers over the top of the gate. He’s one scary-looking mother fucker. Big and burly with a long beard. He has a shotgun over his shoulder.

“Make an appointment, sweetheart.”

Dave sighs. “And how does one do that?”

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

Dave shakes his head. “Nope. Took us a while to get here. Would like to at least see the boss before we leave.”

“Boss, eh? Give me a few.”

The man disappears and Dave comes back to us.

Jeff says, “That dude was terrifying.”

Dave replies, “Hopefully he’s getting us some answers and not more men to kill us.”

Harper asks, “Should we take Nikki and leave?”

Dave’s gaze lands on me and I see confliction.

I reply, “Absolutely not. We’re a team.”

Before anyone can reply the burly man comes back to his post at the fence.

“Lucky for you. There’s an appointment available. Tonight. Leave your weapons and your wagon inside the gate.” His gaze narrows. “Don’t try anything, either. You’ll be dead before you finish the thought.”

One of the gates groans as it opens. We make our way inside and leave our weapons on a table. Harper and Jeff lift Rocco, who stirs. Rocco gives a weak smile and surprises me by not passing out again.

Above us, there are at least twenty men standing on ledges with their own weapons pointed at us. The burly man climbs down a flight of stairs and comes toward us.

“Right this way.”

He leads the way down a path, leaving his back unprotected. I’m not naïve enough to think it’s because he trusts us. It’s because there are people with weapons. Everywhere. We reach another massive gate. It opens and we’re ushered through. Dave reaches down, taking my hand into his own. He gives it a little squeeze.

A truck pulls up and stops in front of the man.

He points. “Everyone in the back.”

We climb inside. He gets into the passenger seat and we take off. Rocco yells out in pain as we’re jolted down the bumpy road.

Noah, who looks like he’s going to be sick, asks, “Are you one-hundred-percent certain this is the right place?”

Dave nods. “I’m sure.”

We turn the corner and a massive building comes into sight. Like the gate, it looks like it’s seen some damage, but obviously there are people living here. There’s a clothesline to the side with laundry hanging.

The truck comes to a stop and the man gets out.

“Everyone get out.” When Rocco groans, the man asks, “What happened to him?”

“He was shot,” I reply.

The man lifts an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything. Two more men come over and pat us down, making sure we’re not hiding any weapons.

When the man is assured we’re clean, he says, “This way.”

My heart is pounding as we’re led inside the hospital. Harper follows the man with the beard, then Jeff, and then Rocco. I worry he’s going to pass out before we reach our destination. Noah and Dave follow up the end of the group.

We’re taken to a lobby, which is warm and surprisingly inviting. I’m shocked that they have lights on. How have they managed to keep their electricity on?

Rocco sits in a chair, moaning. He looks like he’s about to pass out again. I go to his side, checking the bandage. It’s come loose and he’s bleeding again. I’m about to say something when Dave gasps.

“Holy fuck. I didn’t think I’d really find you here.”

I glance up and see a man and woman standing at the front of the room. The man is looking at Dave like he’s just seen a ghost. The woman reaches for his hand, giving it a squeeze. I realize this must be Dave’s brother.

The man’s throat bobs. “How did you-”

Dave answers, “The last letter I got from-”

Rocco moans and leans heavily onto my shoulder.

I say, “He’s losing too much blood. I can’t get it to stop.”

The man comes to our side, squatting.

To the woman, he says, “Go get my bag from our room.” He turns his attention to Rocco. “Sir, how long has it been since you were shot?”

Rocco gives me a look, unable to speak.

I answer, “His name is Rocco and he was shot about three hours ago.” My hands shake as I apply pressure to his leg. “I thought I had the material tied tight enough.”

The man replies, “Rocco is going to be fine. I just need to get the bullet from his leg and stitch him up.”

“Thank you.”

The woman comes back with a bag, handing it to the man.

He says to her, “We need hot water.”

She gives him a look. “Jo is bringing it.”

The man nods and opens his bag, pulling items out. He cuts Rocco’s pants and I cringe when I see all the blood and dirt on Rocco’s skin.

The man uncaps rubbing alcohol and says, “Rocco, this is going to hurt.”

Rocco howls in pain and I hold onto him, trying to soothe him.

“It’s going to be okay, baby.”

He moans, “Nikki, I feel sick.”

The woman grabs a waste basket, handing it to me. I barely get it in front of Rocco before he vomits. Another woman enters the room with a bowl full of hot water.

She asks, “Do you need anything else?”

The woman answers, “We’re fine.”

She must be in charge here, because the other woman nods and flees. The man dips the rag into the water, dabbing the skin around Rocco’s wound.

“Doesn’t appear to have hit the artery, but I won’t know for sure until I get the bullet.”

The woman hands him forceps and a tourniquet. He ties the tourniquet as tight as he can, which puts mine to shame.

He says, “Rocco, this isn’t going to feel very good, but I need you to be as still as possible.”

Harper asks, “Don’t you have anything you can give him?”

I wondered the same thing. I hate seeing Rocco in so much pain.

The man replies, “Afraid not. But, it would be helpful if you could hold him down.”

Harper crosses the room and puts his hands on Rocco’s shoulders. “Sorry, man.”

“No worries,” Rocco murmurs.

The man warns, “He’s more than likely going to pass out, which will be for the best.”

Harper and I nod. The man begins to dig in Rocco’s wound and Rocco cries out in pain. I hold his hand, whispering calming nonsense to him. Finally, the man holds up the remains of a bullet. The woman hands him a threaded needle and he sews Rocco’s leg in perfect stitches.

When he’s done, Rocco says to the man, “Thank you, sir.”

“Name’s Elijah. This is Daisy.”

I say, “I’m Nikki.”

“I’m Harper.”

“Name’s Jeff,” Jeff says with a nod.

Noah stands. “I’m Noah. Nice to meet you.”

“Even in the apocalypse this one still has manners,” Dave says with a grin.

Elijah crosses the room. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, it’s a funny story.”

He snorts. “I’m sure this is going to be good.”

Dave’s jaw ticks. “You were the only one I could think of who could help.”

Daisy goes to Elijah’s side. “Elijah, who is this man?”

Dave turns to Daisy. “Name’s Dave.”

“Nice to meet you, Dave.”

Elijah pokes Dave’s shoulder. “Don’t talk to her. Tell me what you did and what mess you’ve brought with you.”

“Fuck you, man. We’ll get out of here and you can forget we even stopped by.”

I stand and go to his side, touching his arm.

“Babe, you said he could help us.”

He sighs. “I was wrong, Nik.”

Elijah sighs. “For fuck’s sake. Tell me what’s going on, Dave.”

Dave straightens his shoulders. “We met trouble east of Tulsa. They’ve been trailing us.”

“How many?”

“A lot.”

Elijah runs his fingers through his hair, looking as stressed as I feel.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Dad’s last wishes were for me to find you. I was trying to honor him.”

Daisy stills. “Dad?”

This must be news to her.

Dave gives her one of his mega-watt smiles. “Yes, ma’am. Elijah here is my big brother.”

Daisy’s face pales, but she doesn’t say anything.

Dave asks “So, can you help us?”

I can see the debate in Elijah’s eyes. This was a bad idea. Obviously, these people are facing their own battles and it’s unfair to ask them for help.

I say, “I can tell this is a lot to process. We should leave.”

Daisy shakes her head. “No, there’s plenty of room here. You’ll each have a place to sleep.”

Finally, Elijah says, “You can stay tonight so I can keep an eye on Rocco. In the morning I’ll talk to my people. It’s up to them whether we help you fight.”

Dave nods. “Fair enough.”

We’re led by Daisy down several winding hallways. I wonder if it’s on purpose, so we can’t find our way out. She stops in front of a room.

“There are five empty rooms in this hallway. You can each have one.”

I shake my head. “We’ll be staying in one room, if that’s okay with you.”

Her eyes widen. “Sure, that’s fine. I’ll grab some towels and extra bedding for you.”

When she’s gone, I step into the room. Holy shit. It’s like stepping into the past, before the outbreak. The room is cozy, clean, and warm.

Daisy comes back a moment later, arms full of linen.

“There’s toiletries in the bathroom. We try to limit showers to five minutes.” She glances at my clothes. “But, feel free to take longer. I can try to dig up fresh clothing for you and we can wash the ones you have on.”

I shake my head in wonder. “How is this possible?”

“Believe me. It’s been a lot of work.” She smiles. “But, it sounds like we both have stories to share.”

She leaves us, closing the door behind her. Noah goes to the door, pushing the lock in. I can’t say that I blame him. I sit on the edge of the bed, running my fingers over the blanket. Rocco grabs another blanket and gets comfortable on the floor before falling asleep. It’s as if he’s too tired to do anything else.

I go to the bathroom to look around. Daisy wasn’t kidding. There’s shampoo, soap, and other toiletries. Stripping, I turn the water on. When it warms, I actually moan.

Dave comes into the bathroom. “Mind if I join you?”

I nod, stepping into the shower. Closing my eyes, I let the water pour over my skin. Dave steps in, too, wrapping his arms around me.

“I didn’t actually think I’d find him here.”

I turn so we’re facing each other.

“He seemed very surprised.”

“Yeah. He did.” He smiles. “But I think he’ll help us.”

This surprises me, given the way Elijah reacted to seeing him.

He must know what I’m thinking because he says, “We’ve always had an interesting relationship. He’ll come through for us, though. He always does.”

I sigh as steam fills the shower. “I want to know how they’ve managed to keep this place like this. It’s amazing.”

He reaches for the shampoo, pouring some into his hand. The scent of strawberries meets my nose as he lathers my hair. I smile.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever washed my hair before.”

“Really? That’s a shame.” He kisses the tip of my nose as his fingers work through my tresses.

Leaning back, I rinse the soap. He pours liquid body wash into his hand this time and gives me a wicked look as he washes my skin. When his hand goes between my legs, I moan.

“Dave.”

His lips meet mine again in a slow kiss that leaves me burning for more.

“I was so worried when you went with Harper to look for Rocco.”

I thrust against his hand. “I know. But I’m a part of this team too.”

His finger scrapes over my clit. “Yes, you are. But you’re also my woman.”

This makes me smile. “And Harper’s. And Noah’s. And Jeff’s. And Rocco’s.”

A gasp leaves my mouth as he finger-fucks me. “I don’t mind sharing, Nikki. Anything to make you happy. What I can’t stand is the thought of losing you.”

I rock against him. “Dave! I’m so close.”

His cock rubs against my stomach and I reach down, fisting him.

“Dave, I need you inside me. Now.”

“I don’t have a condom.”

I kiss him. “I don’t care.”

With a growl, he removes his fingers and slides into my aching pussy.

“I’ve wanted to take you raw from the moment we met,” he admits as he thrusts.

I wrap my legs around his waist as he bangs me against the shower wall. My orgasm builds until I’m crying out his name. When he comes, he fills me with his seed.

“Damn. That was-”

I kiss him. “Everything I’ve wanted since I met you, too.”

“Really? I always thought you hated me in the beginning.”

I smile. “I wasn’t sure what to think. You were kind of a dick when you burst through those church doors.”

He kisses me. “I’m glad I was there, though. Can’t imagine this journey without you at my side.”

I can’t, either.

We finish showering and wrap ourselves in soft towels. When we go to the bedroom the other guys grin at us.

Jeff winks. “We’re just going to pretend we didn’t hear y’all having a good time in the shower.”

I laugh. “Thanks.”

He stands. “I’m going to go next, though I doubt mine will be as enjoyable.”

“You never know,” I quip back.

The door closes.

Noah says, “Daisy left some clothes. Said she thought it should fit.”

I go to the basket and lift sweatpants and a baggy shirt. Perfect sleeping clothes. As I dress, I’m reminded of the day I met the guys. Dave dresses, too, and I realize how much he looks like his brother. Soon, Jeff comes from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. I cat-call him and he wiggles his pec muscles in response.

“You clean up nice, Jeffie.”

He grins. “Best shower and shave of my life.”

He kisses me and I get a whiff of the aftershave on his skin.

Harper says, “I’m going to shower next.”

Noah calls out, “Don’t use all the hot water.”

Harper flips him off as he closes the door. I climb into bed. My eyes actually water when the clean sheets caress my skin. Jeff gets in next to me, pulling me close.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

Dabbing my eyes, I reply, “It’s so crazy the things I took for granted before the outbreak. Clean sheets. Warm water. Soap.” I let out a watery laugh. “This just feels like a huge blessing right now, even knowing Air and his group are after us.”

He rubs my back. “That’s not crazy. It means you are able to appreciate the good things in life.”

There’s a knock on the door and we all go silent.

“It’s Daisy. I brought some food and was going to check on Rocco.”

Dave opens the door and Daisy enters, with a tray of food. I catch a whiff of chicken. My mouth waters and I know I’m not the only one.

“Is that… chicken?” Noah asks.

Daisy replies, “It is. And some eggs to go with it.” Her smile falters. “Hopefully, we’ll have pork next year.”

Jeff says, “Ma’am, this is amazing. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.”

She sets the tray down and goes to Rocco’s side, checking his wound.

He opens his eyes. “Thank you.”

“I brought some chicken broth for you. Should be easy on your stomach.”

Dave asks, “Are you a nurse? Is that how you met my brother?”

Her lips twitch. “No, I’m not a nurse. As to how I met Elijah, well, you’ll have to ask him about that.”

Her eyes are twinkling and I know there’s some kind of story to tell.

“I’ll let you eat and get some rest. Elijah will talk to the others in the morning and we’ll have an answer for you then.”

She doesn’t give any hint as to which way she’s leaning.

Dave gets into the bed on the other side of me. “Guess we’ll know in the morning. Might as well enjoy this bed.”

Agreeing, I snuggle in between Jeff and Dave.

As I drift off to sleep I know that tomorrow is going to change everything. It’s terrifying, but it’s also out of our hands now. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be ready for either outcome.

Rule 15: Always have a plan. And a back-up plan.