Eleven - Ella

What Hunter had described as a camp was not at all what I expected. I'd pictured some tents and a fire and not much more. This was much more. Their group was currently living in an old bed and breakfast. The building was historic, Victorian maybe, at least that's how it was designed to look. It had been white, but a year in nature with no one doing any upkeep had caused the paint to turn a dingy color that didn't do much to detract from the beauty of the place. There was a large wrap around porch that was home to some patio furniture and a swing that hung from the rafters. The large bed and breakfast had two turrets on either side... it was lavish. And that was just the outside.

Inside the home, well, mansion, dark hardwood floors were still in nearly impeccable shape. Furniture somehow managed to look elegant while also looking comfortable and was in floral patterns in a living room where everyone now sat. The place was secluded and set back well off the road on the Opequon Creek. I was sure that at some point it had been a romantic sort of getaway; it was beautiful out here.

Their group wasn't really what I expected either.

I figured it would be a bunch of people exactly like Hunter and Zero. You know, ninja-ish, mean, and a little terrifying, but no one else seemed as intense as Zero or carried the easy confidence that Hunter held.

My escorts were catching up with their old friend, whom they'd apparently assumed dead from the sound of it. They were close though, having all served in the desert together. I didn't know what they'd been through, but I imagined it created bonds that were like family, or maybe stronger. Everyone was happy, actually. As the conversation moved gradually from one topic to the next, my escorts started to tell them all about Hudson. Two of the girls were bouncing with excitement, sitting on a coffee table in front of Miles, Joel, and Kyle. Only one, oddly enough the youngest one, sat back from the group listening and observing everything. Like Zero, she wasn't ready to trust us just because Hunter had history with the guys. My lips twitched at the fact that a kid who couldn't have been more than seven or so was more wary of us than the adults, but the hint of a smile dropped when I realized all that she must have endured to become like that.

"There's, like, air conditioning?" A redhead girl that I hadn't been introduced to asked skeptically, like she was trying to reign in the excitement.

Miles answered her, telling stories about all the things that Hudson had. When he mentioned hot showers, I thought the girls my faint. From where the two younger girls gathered around him, listening intently, Hudson had everything. But I knew better and my three escorts did too. There was a reason Joel insisted his sister stay at the church and not on the base. No one wanted to yank away the excitement of civilization from a few children though, so they all talked it up.

I stood back from it all, resting an elbow on a cocktail table near what was likely once the check-in desk for the inn. The old friends started trading stories and telling everyone tales of what they'd been through together. The rest of their group would jump in and tell stories of their own. Everyone here had a story. Even the two seemingly silly girls jumped to inform everyone that they'd killed their fair share of zombies. It wasn't really a conversation I could add anything to. Not like I could brag about the time I was trapped under a zombie or the other time I failed at killing one. Even around more people, many of whom weren't ex-military, I was the odd man out. I was too tired to join in on the all the excited conversation anyway and I managed to go mostly unnoticed. It was nice to watch from afar.

"Not big on the party either?"

Not sure if I was the one being spoken to, I turned to face Zero, who'd also hung back from all the excitement. I rolled my lips into my mouth, not sure what to say to her. We hadn't spoken since the awkward introduction after she'd threatened my life and I wasn't sure what to make of her.

"Hunter wants me to apologize."

My lips twisted.

"I won't though. We've been screwed over before by girls pretending to be weak." She paused, looking toward the couch. "And by people who claimed to be old friends. I do what I have to to keep my family safe."

It was almost hard to hate her when she talked like that. Almost. I could respect that she was fiercely protective and I appreciated that she wasn't going to stand here and give me some bullshit apology, but when it came down to it, she was still the bitch who held me at gunpoint.

"You're injured," she said. It wasn't a question, but a fact. My brow pulled together as I looked at her, surprised. "Don't worry, it isn't obvious." She shrugged, a ghost of a smile passing her lips. "I just have enough experience hiding aches and pains to recognize it in someone else. We have a med-kit, but if y'all are really with what's left of the United States government, then I'd bet your boys have better stuff."

I kept my mouth shut. She was right, my feet were killing me and I didn't even want to take off my shoes too scared to know what they looked like. I'd done my best to hide cringes with every step, but playing Spiderman and leaping from building to to building top, landing hard on my feet had only made it worse and I honestly wasn't sure I'd make it the mile to the inn. I gripped onto Kyle's hand for the entire walk needing the support physically as much as I did emotionally.

"Zero," Hunter said from the chair he sat on, getting our attention. "Get your beautiful ass over here, Sweetheart."

Looking like a girl - a real girly-girl and not the tough girl she had been - for the first time in the couple hours I'd spent with Zero, she blushed. Full on, rosy cheeks, trying to hide a grin, eyes on the floor blushed. She softened in a way that I had assumed was impossible and crossed over Hunter. She stood by his chair looking a mix begrudgingly amused and uncomfortable with the attention as he grabbed onto her hand and yanked her into his lap.

"You too, mouse," the boy I hadn't yet met called, waving a hand for me to come over. He was younger than the rest of the men in the room, by at least a few years. I didn't think he needed to even shave yet, so he can't have been too old, but Hunter and Zero seemed to offer him the same respect they did each other. I pulled a face and he shrugged. "You're standing over there all quiet and timid like a mouse."

I didn't think he meant it as an insult so I forced my feet to move toward the group in the living space. All the seating was taken unless I wanted to perch on the table by the girls, so I rested half against the arm of the couch to take some of the weight off my feet.

"I'm Atlas," the boy grinned. "The little one over there is Bambi. Tweedledee and Tweedledum here answer to Squirrel and Grem-"

"I do not answer to Gremlin, you jerk," the brunette girl quickly interrupted, glaring at him.

Atlas' grin grew wider and it was clear he enjoyed getting under the girl's skin. "She'll tell you to call her Claire, but don't do it. She's our little Gremlin." Smiling, I introduced myself and relaxed against the couch further as conversation switched gears. Atlas gave us a quick run down of the land around the inn, where was reasonably safe, where they bathed and slept. They'd been living here for a month while they wait to figure out their next move. When he mentioned their future plans, he flashed a look at Zero who rolled her eyes, annoyed, but didn't say anything.

"No offense," Squirrel said looking at me curiously. "But you don't look like them." She nodded her head toward the men on the couch. "Aren't you a little scrawny to be a soldier."

"Squirrel," her friend, Gremlin - Claire, I didn't know but, if everyone had two names this was going to get confusing. More confusing - elbowed her side.

"What? I'm just wondering."

"I work in the clinic," I answer the simplest way I know how.

"You're, like, a doctor?" Gremlin asked interested now. "Why are you out here? At Safe Haven, anyone with medical training never left the gates."

I looked to Kyle for help.

"No, she's actually working on a cure. Her team needs a few things that only she can identify, so we're getting her there safely."

I don't think anyone heard the second part of Kyle's thought. Their mouths, even Zero's, all hit the floor when he said the word cure, and I don't think their minds were able to move past it. They were all staring at me like I was a freaking unicorn.

"More like a vaccine than a cure," I said quietly. "The virus actually kills people once it's in them. Technically, the zombies are all in varying postmortem stages. They're rotting, which explains the smell. But it's slower and different from regular death... I mean it's different than how it occurs in corpses that don't reanimate. A specific characteristic of the virus stalls the decaying after reanimation for quite some time which is why there are still so many functioning zombies. They're retaining muscle mass for much longer than they should. The virus keeps them active, but technically speaking, they're brain dead. What we're working on is a vaccine to protect people from contracting the virus. Hopefully we can find a way to cure it in the early stages too, but the biggest priority is stopping the spread ."

When I finished telling the most simplified version I could, everyone, even the three men who I've spent the last few days with were staring at me. If I was unicorn before, now I was the bearded lady riding the unicorn.

"Sorry," I muttered when no one else said anything.

"Shit," Hunter said laughing. "So you're like the real deal."

I started to shake my head no and correct him. I knew a little about this, but I wasn't the person to create the science behind it. Before I could explain that Kyle had over exaggerated my role - it wasn't my team, I was simply the most expendable party on it - Kyle's warm hand closed over mine. He nodded, pulling a confident smirk. "Good thing you didn't accidentally hit her with one of those knives."

Hunter laughed. "You know I don't miss."

"I seem to remember," Miles said as he pulled up his sleeve. He turned his shoulder and pointed to a small white scar on his triceps that looked about the size of one of the knives Hunter had. "That you sometimes miss."

Zero's eyes widened but Hunter only grinned. "You made the bet."

"A few years back after a few too many drinks Miles bet that Hunter couldn't throw straight drunk," Kyle explained earning laughs. I smiled, glad to know that Miles' gambling problem was around well before the end of the world. At least when he has to join one of those anonymous groups, it won't be my fault. Miles jumped into to explain how he'd been hit by a knife, but he was only digging the hole deeper. It takes a special kind of person to volunteer to have knives thrown at them by a drunken fool.

"Why wouldn't you throw at a target?" Zero asked, her expression giving away that she thought they were all idiots. It seemed we could agree on that.

"Where's the fun in that?" Miles answered. "Gotta live dangerously."

"I can show you a room if you want," Squirrel offered having caught me mid-yawn.

I was a little embarrassed to be the only one that seemed tired, but not enough to care. I was really looking forward to that bed. I nodded grateful for her offer and slid off the arm of the couch. My body weight pushing my feet against the floor was painful enough to make me cringe after having been off them for a while. They had been mostly numb before I sat down, but they were definitely not numb anymore.

"Are you okay?"

Biting down on my lip, I nodded. I was so not okay, but there was no way I was admitting to being in this much pain from a little blister, especially not when everyone was looking at me again thanks to Squirrel's attention. Kyle stood from the couch and crossed toward me, concern etching his expression.

"You're hurt?" Kyle asked, sounding upset either that I hadn't told him or that he didn't notice.

"It's a blister," I brushed off his concern. "I'm just not used to so much walking."

He looked like he was barely holding back rolling his eyes at me, which sort of pissed me off, while he sighed. I turned to walk myself up the stairs, leaving him to be annoyed alone, but I didn't get two steps before I was swept off my feet. And not in the romantic, swoon-worthy sort of way you read about. There was nothing romantic about it.

He. Tossed. Me. Over. His. Damn. Shoulder.

"Put me down." My demands went ignored. Laughs sounded from the living room and I pushed up on Kyle's back to glare at the people in the living room, all amused by my humiliation. I was going to kill him. I'd been right. He was a freaking cave man. Who the heck does that? Just lobs a girl over his shoulder fireman style without so much as a warning. And, by the way, we were totally not that close. I'd met the guy, what? Three days ago! We were not close enough for him to just pick me up like that. Kyle's arm held securely around my thighs as he walked for the stairs. As soon as we were out sight I would kick his ass. I just didn't want to have to do something like that in front of so many people.

He cleared his throat. "You mind showing me where that room is?"

Squirrel bounded forward, toward the stairs. "Follow me," she said through a giggle, seeing humor that I was clearly missing. "Here you go. This hall is empty so you guys can have some, um, privacy." Privacy? I pulled a face. Did she really think we were about to go in there and do something that required privacy? "We're all on the other side of the third floor."

"Thanks," Kyle said.

"No problem." She smiled up at him like she might swoon and I didn't even try to stop myself from scoffing.

"Squirrel?" Kyle called before she could get too far. "Get Miles or Joel to bring up our med-kit please."

She scurried off, living up to her name, and Kyle walked into the bedroom. It was decorated in a rustic fashion that made you feel like you were in a log cabin a million miles away from another soul instead of in a large building with twenty other room less than two hours from one of the biggest cities in the country.

"You can quit acting like a Neanderthal now," I gritted out.

Complying, Kyle sat flopped me on the bed and answered with his own stern frown upon noticing the daggers I had directed his way.

"I would have walked," I said slowly, trying to reign in my temper.

"You probably should have been off your feet hours ago."

I made a face at the way he barked at me. Was this some sort of joke? I scoffed. "You're angry with me?"

"Why didn't you mention you were in pain?"

He didn't answer my question in so many words, but I got the answer anyway. He was angry. He was doing the same stern, scary voice that made me want to cry when we first met. Now, I knew better. Kyle wasn't soft and he was intimidating as heck, but he came back for me. He encouraged me. He told me he was proud of me. The scary voice had lost its effect. Mostly. I still didn't get why he was so upset with me over this.

"You know why I didn't say anything." My voice was every bit as harsh as his.

There was no way he didn't know. I wasn't going to give any of them a reason to think I was weaker than they'd already thought. I didn't want them being annoyed with my delaying the trip because my feet hurt. It sounded silly to my own ears, I knew if I'd told them the complaint would have been received with sighs and eye rolls.

"As if you guys needed more reasons to hate that I have to tag along on this little journey. Joel didn't glare at me even once today and Miles didn't spend all day pretending not to be annoyed at my pace. If I'd started complaining about my feet hurting... come on."

Kyle sighed as he sunk onto the edge of the bed; signs of his frustration melted away. He knew I was right.

"Let's see 'em," he said in resignation and reached for my left foot.

"I can-" I started to protest.

"I know. But you're part of the team and this is what we do."

My lips curved up into a grin as I watched Kyle unlace the boot and pull it off of my foot. My anger at how he'd barked at me was rapidly melting away. He felt bad, and apparently he just didn't know how to properly portray being worried and guilty so it came out as anger. Cutting the guy a break, I wiggled my sock-covered toes in his lap.

"You mean, you've done this with Joel and Miles?"

Something about the image of him sitting with Miles' giant foot in his lap, carefully peeling off boots and socks was just plain funny.

"Maybe not this," he said smiling. "But that's because they'd never let their feet get this bad." His smile fell away and his eyebrows drew together when he saw my foot. "Shit, Ella. You've been walking on this all day?"

That was obvious, so I stayed quiet instead of saying the defenseive remark on the tip of my tongue. I didn't really want to look. My feet had been blistered pretty badly when we stopped at the church and I hadn't looked at them since then. They felt a lot worse though.

"Here's the-" Miles trailed off as he walked into the room, making a face when he saw my foot in Kyle's lap. "Damn, girl. You're hardcore," he said tossing a small box to Kyle. Even though I recognized now that it may have been a little idiotic to keep going when I was in pain, I couldn't help but smile because Miles seemed truly impressed. He wasn't looking at me like I was some weak little girl who stood frozen while zombies closed in on her. Nor was he looking at me like the girl he'd taken pity on and befriended. He was looking at me like I belonged. It may have been silly, but that made it worth it.

"Joel," he bellowed loudly enough that he could be heard back in the living room. A moment later Joel bounded into the room.

"She was bit. Was she bit?" He asked and I thought I heard a hint of real concern in his voice. Maybe I was growing on him.

"She wasn't bit," Kyle said, sounding exasperated with his friends, at the same time Miles told Joel, "Check out her feet."

Joel walked closer to inspect my foot, which seemed really weird. I didn't like this much attention on me ever, much less on my feet. Especially when I was sure they looked pretty gruesome - they must have to impress someone like Miles who'd seen it all. Joel's face contorted and then his eyes met mine. He held my gaze for a moment before nodding.

"Boots are fuckin' killer if you've never worn 'em before. Give it a few days, your feet'll toughen up and it won't be so bad when we leave." After saying the most I think he had ever said to me, he smiled. "You hungry?"

I shook my head wordlessly for a moment, too surprised by the kind gesture to form coherent words. "No, thanks."

I was still full from the dinner that had been waiting or us when we arrive at the inn. Turned out that Hunter had his name for a reason and they had enough venison to feed us all twice over. Joel shrugged and mumbled something about thinking he saw candy in their food supply and wondering what he'd have to do to get in on that. At hearing the prospect of something sweet, Miles followed him out.

"Wipe the grin off your face, little badass." Kyle said without looking at me but from his profile, he was a blend of equal parts amused and irritated. "Don't start getting yourself hurt trying to impress a couple idiots."

I didn't care though. They respected me. Maybe in a lot of ways they still thought I was weak and that I wouldn't make it, and that was probably all true. But I did something that earned their respect. I was going to be happy about it. Kyle kept quiet as he cleaned and then wrapped my foot and gestured for the right. I shifted how I was sitting and slung my right leg into his lap. As he took off the holster first and set it to the side, I was reminded of Miles and Joel's reactions to seeing me with the knife.

"Why is it special?" I dared to ask.

"Huh?"

"The knife you gave me."

He stopped what he was doing and twisted to look at me before finally lifting one shoulder. "It's lucky."

I bit back a smile. I wouldn't have expected Kyle to put much stock into luck.

"Before I deployed the first time, my brother gave it to me. He was a few years younger and pissed as hell that I was leaving. He didn't agree with it. Ben, he was a real pacifist. I don't know if he was more mad that I was leaving or where I was going, but I got the silent treatment for, like, a solid month before I shipped out." He paused, laughing. It was like he was a different guy, talking about his family. If I had guessed before now I wouldn't have suspected he had any siblings or anyone that he was close to. It was nice, but the way he spoke, almost bittersweet reminiscing, was almost painful to hear.

"If you knew Ben, you'd know what an achievement that was. He was the kind of guy that talked to everyone - everyone was a friend. He was damn angry with me, enough that I 'bout changed my mind because I was worried he'd never talk to me again. The day before I left, he told me not to get myself killed and gave me the knife. See the handle here?" he pointed to the wood, "It's made from a branch of the maple that was outside my house. We'd built a treehouse up there with our dad when we were younger. We spent more time out there than in the house for three or four years when we were kids. He had my mom help him get it custom made so that I'd remember home." Kyle's voice cracked a little on the last word and the sound about broke my heart. Even as he'd grown on me in the last couple days, I didn't really expect a soft side. And I guessed it wasn't really soft, he wasn't on the verge of tears, it was nothing more than a slight crack to his voice. Hint of emotion. But it was enough. I wanted to touch him, comfort him in some way, but I got the distinct impression that wasn't what he wanted. So I pretended I didn't notice as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, it's saved my ass more times than I can count."

"Is he?" I couldn't finish the question but I already knew the answer anyway. Kyle hadn't mentioned a brother before, no one had, so it was unlikely that he made it.

He frowned. "It's been a long time. Car accident," he said, voice gruff. "A couple months before my first tour ended."

I rolled my lips between my teeth for a minute. I didn't really know what to say but my heart hurt for him.

"I..." Stammered for words. "I don't even know what to say, Kyle. You shouldn't have given it to me." I didn't even know how to use a knife and this was the last thing his brother ever gave him. He really, really shouldn't have given it to me. "You don't even like me."

He laughed, sounding truly entertained by my awkwardness. Setting the knife to the side, he finished taking off my shoe while he spoke. "I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't want you to have it," he explained still smiling. Kyle looked like he wanted to say more but stopped and instead said, "It's a damn good knife, a lucky knife. And, beautiful, you need all the luck you can get." He wrapped up my foot, but left it rest in his lap, his hand casually on my ankle.

Did he realize that his fingers were tracing the several inches of skin from my heel to the start of my calf? Because it was about all I could focus on. That and the knife that I had no business having. But for some reason, completely beyond me, Kyle wanted me to have it. Really wanted me to. I felt like I had to accept.

"Can I ask about the lipstick?"

I cringed, but I guess I should have seen it coming.

"It's lucky," I said giving the same answer he'd given me. I liked the grin he returned more than I should have. "Well, magical. And it's not actually mine. I accidentally stole it a while back and then, well, I couldn't return it."

"Stolen magical lipstick?" he asked not bothering to hide his amusement. I was glad though. My story was silly and ridiculous. It wasn't heartfelt and meaningful. But the mood lightened significantly and I was glad.

"You can make fun of me all you want, but I choose to believe in the powers of it. I'm here, aren't I?"

"You wore it when we first met."

"I was terrified to make that request." His smile grew and he squeezed my calf, causing my leg to shudder from the tickle.

"So, how did you acquire this magical lipstick?"

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe act like you're not laughing at me and I'll tell you."

"Sorry." He held his hands up in mock surrender and I instantly missed the warm of his hand on my leg. "Tell your story." He rests his hands back on my leg.

"I had this roommate in college, Kinsley, she was the complete opposite of me. We were paired together after one of those awful surveys freshmen year that are supposed to find someone with similar lifestyle. But she was late submitting her application and I was slow to decided which school I wanted... so we were all that was left. I liked her though. She was sort of my best friend. The lipstick was hers. She called it her lucky lipstick and used to go on about it's magical powers to make any date end well. Like, really well. She wore it for tests too, anything she was nervous about.

"She gave it to me before I interviewed to be an intern - probably not the most professional move, wearing bold red lipstick to a job interview - and I got the job. So I was kind of sold by the time she offered it again when I had a date. I forgot to give it back and then all of this happened and I never got the chance. I know it's silly to be attached to a lipstick. But it worked for me. It's just mind over matter, but sometimes I need that. It helps calm my nerves."

I felt ridiculous explaining it to him. My roommate wasn't like sister to me, but we were close. The lipstick was her thing and I couldn't seem to let it go because she was dead and it was ultimately my fault.

"You're really brave."

"Are you making fun of me?" It didn't sound like he was, but the statement was absurd.

"Not at all."

I laughed because he was serious and that was hilarious. I wasn't brave. I was chickenshit.

"I had to hold your hand the whole way here like a scared child."

"I know that," he said, grinning. "It's why I didn't call you fearless. You left safety to come out here to try to save people. You jumped across rooftops today. You've held your own with three jackasses who are apparently too dumb to notice you're in pain. So what if you had to hold someone's hand to feel safe again. It was a shitty day. And it wasn't like I was complaining." Kyle winked, his grin wide and showing teeth.

Was he flirting with me?

Was it awful that I'd hoped he was? A girl needs a good flirting every now and again. It was a shitty day and he was here and acting like my own personal white knight and I wanted to just forget everything and get lost in him. I so wanted to get lost in him. He was close. My legs were in his lap and he was leaning toward me to talk. It would take nothing to scoot forward and kiss him.

His fingers slid up to my knee and his body leaned closer. It was just my freaking knee for crying out loud, nothing particularly special about that part of my body, but my breath caught in throat at the feel of his rough fingers pressing into my skin. And the way his blue eyes darkened? Who knew a leg touch could be so sexy.

He was feeling it too. It wasn't in my head.

We were both frozen for that instant.

Before I could think about it any further... or do something that might be really stupid and really good, he patted my knee. "Get some sleep, Ella. I'll see you in the morning."

I bit back a sigh as he let go of my leg and I pulled it away from his lap so he could leave the room. I wanted to... I don't know what I wanted. To ask him to stay? To tell him to keep touching my knee like that? Beg him to kiss me because I swear he was so close. But I was chickenshit and I didn't do any of that. Kyle stopped at the door and turned back, smiling. He was doing a lot of that tonight.

"Ella?"

"Yeah."

"Just so you know, I do like you."

AN- hey guys! Sorry for any mistakes, this is posted from my phone so editing is difficult to say the least. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!