Ushering Suzie and Grant into the laundry room, I handed Mindy over to Grant. I glanced around the small space, trying to locate what Thomas had left for me. I had a suspicion it was a gun. I could only hope.

Just as I spotted one of our thick comforters hanging over the side of the washing machine, the pounding on the door repeated as someone hollered from outside.

"I'm coming." Jim let out a heavy cough as he hollered. "Hold your horses. I can't move like I used to."

Grabbing the blanket, I threw it at Suzie. "Cover Mindy's ears and cover yourselves up. You guys have to stay quiet and hide. Grant, you too. If anything happens, I need you to take care of Suzie and Mindy."

"I will." Grant's lips pressed together as he nodded, pointing at the washing machine. "Thomas hid it behind there."

"What?" I asked.

"The gun," Grant whispered.

Thank God. Thomas had thought of this situation.

Suzie crawled under the counter, which was as far away from the door as she could get. Grant handed Mindy over to Suzie and crept in next to her. Grant covered the three of them up with the blanket, but they were still easy to spot.

I looked around for anything I could add to make them inconspicuous. We were a clean family before, so there wasn't much to cover them with, but there were a few large flattened Amazon boxes that Mom liked to have on hand. I quickly pulled them out and unfolded them, placing them haphazardly around their hiding spot. When I finished, it looked like a mess, but I couldn't see them anymore.

I grabbed my gun from behind the washer and shut the door as quietly as I could, effectively snuffing every bit of light from the room.

"What if they want to hurt us?" Suzie's whisper trembled as Mindy cooed. I could hear Suzie beginning to hyperventilate.

"Calm down, Baby. I won't let them take you or Mindy." Grant whispered to Suzie. "They won't even know we're here if we're quiet."

"They won't find you. I hid you really well." I said into the darkness. "Just be quiet and don't come out, no matter what you hear. Protect Mindy. She's important, Su. Hold it together."

"Okay." Suzie's whisper was squeaky.

"I'll protect them," Grant whispered, resolute.

"I'm going to hold you to that. Now, please be quiet." Knowing Grant would take care of them made me feel better, but he was still young. He could learn though. He'd already proven that. And if this was how the new world worked, we all had a lot to learn.

"Where's your sick?" A husky voice said from somewhere in the house.

Crap. They were inside.

"Torched them. Last week." Jim said nonchalantly.

An unavoidable ache pierced through my heart. Mom and Dad. Torched.

I gave my head a hard shake to get rid of the memory that was trying to take over and held the gun up. I had to be ready to shoot. My finger moved to the safety and switched it off.

Was I really ready to shoot someone? To kill someone?

Yes.

I would do whatever was necessary to protect my family.

Light flashed under the door. We had flashlights too, but only a few so we used them sparingly. From the amount of light flickering under the door, I knew these guys were well prepared.

"I heard laughing in here earlier." An angry voice said.

"It was female laughing in the back." Another unknown voice said. "I'll check it out."

Damn it. There were at least two or three, possibly more.

"Not sure what you mean. It's just us. What do you want with us, anyway?" Jim sounded completely sober.

"I heard someone crying," Husky said.

Shit! I worked to control my breathing as my heartbeat thumped in my ears.

"Not sure what you thought you heard. Maybe my boy was crying. My wife passed last week from this thing. Horrible, ain't it? Have you been able to get your radio working? I haven't had any luck yet. Been working on it for days." Jim had been in the garage working on the radio? That was news to me.

"Yeah, my radio works just fine. It started working a couple of hours ago. I guess the signal jammers finally ran out of juice." Husky's voice was calm and matter of fact.

"Signal jammers?" Derek asked.

Husky laughed as heavy footsteps moved into the kitchen near the laundry room. "Yeah. Word is, that some terrorist sector is responsible for the virus. Something about spreading the virus through dollar bills or something, but once it gets in you, it spreads like wildfire. And if you get bit, you turn within a couple hours.

"Those things are vicious too. They don't stop coming at you unless you cut off their head or get 'em in the brain. The entire nation is fighting this thing. Rumor is that most terrorists are dead too. Not sure what's going on overseas."

"Do you know what the government is doing about this?" Jim asked.

"Where'd you get all this food? You know this is community property, right?" Husky sounded irritated and didn't give Jim an answer.

Who the hell did this guy think he was? A lot of the food was mine from the start. Thomas and Derek found a large portion, but still. These strangers had no right claiming what was ours.

"Now wait just one minute. Who did you say you were again?" Jim moved to stand right outside the laundry room.

My whole body was shaking. If Jim gave us up, I'd kill him.

"I don't have to tell you my name, friend, but since your son will be working for me, I guess I'll be a nice guy. You can call me Jenson." A loud hollar came before a gunshot rang through the kitchen. Jim's body fell back against the door, making us all jump inside the laundry room. "And that's for lying to me. You're too fat and drunk to work for me anyway."

My stomach flipped inside out.

"You fucking asshole!" Derek screamed. "He didn't do anything."

Jenson had shot Derek's dad for absolutely no reason. That was when I knew these guys were going to kill us.

"That's where you're wrong, friend." Jenson stood over Jim as he spoke. "He lied to me. And I won't have liars in my community. This is a new world now, and I think we should all start telling the truth. Don't you? I tried to play nice. I even sent Charlie over here to welcome you, and you couldn't even show up to our meeting tonight. People have to come together at times like this. We need to help one another out."

The doorknob turned ever so slightly.

My entire body shook as I readied myself for what came next.

"Charlie, you and Sam help Jay search the house. Ramirez, grab the boy and bring him here," Jenson commanded as booted footsteps stomped down the hallway toward the back of the house.

Which boy? Derek or Thomas. I knew Derek was still alive, but what about Thomas? I hadn't heard him at all. Was he dead or just injured? Had they killed Thomas right away? What if he was dead?

A fight suddenly broke out in the kitchen as rubber skidded and squeaked over the floor. Someone's arm hit the door, causing all my muscles to tighten.

I wanted to help, but I had no idea if I could leave Suzie, Grant, and Mindy unprotected. And the answer to that one was a big fat hell to the no. I had to stay in here. As much as I wanted to burst through the door, I knew Thomas and Derek could handle this. At least I hoped they could.

Loud grunts bounced off the kitchen walls while gunshots echoed from the back. A scream that sounded like Thomas filled the hallway. Was he okay?

"Ramirez!" Jenson yelled as another gunshot came from the back of the house.

Everything suddenly went silent. Thomas had to be injured or dead if he wasn't helping Derek.

I was shaking so bad I could barely hold onto the gun. I wanted so badly to rip the door open and check on the guys. Who won? What happened? Out of nowhere, someone yanked the door open, blinding me with a flashlight.

I squinted, willing my eyes to adjust.

Their flashlight veered to the right, landing on a face. I nearly pulled the trigger before I realized it was Derek.

Blood trailed down over his lips from his nose. A large knot was growing on his forehead, and that's when I realized that someone held the barrel of a gun to Derek's temple.

Two more flashlights were on the floor, barely illuminating the room.

After my eyes fully adjusted to the situation, I realized a huge man with crazy eyes was holding Derek in a headlock. Derek's strength was low and he was struggling to breathe.

Crazy Eyes was all muscle and had a handgun strapped to his hip. It looked like this dude made a career out of bodybuilding and was thoroughly enjoying the thrill of using his muscles rather than his gun.

My stomach churned with a queasiness that I'd never felt before.

It was then that I saw the second guy, and he was a big guy with a buzz cut. He was the one holding the gun to Derek's head.

Both men looked to be in their late thirties or early forties, and both had their eyes locked on me. What the hell were they thinking? Whatever it was didn't feel right.

I blinked hard, trying to gain my composure. I knew I would have to pull this trigger multiple times and it made me even sicker. I could only pray Thomas wasn't dead yet.

Derek would live through this. I'd see to that.

"Why hello there. I'm so happy to finally meet you. I knew there was a female in the house." After hearing his voice, I knew then that Buzz Cut and Husky were Jenson. He spoke like we were meeting under normal circumstances before the world went to shit. The gun barrel at Derek's head didn't even falter.

My hands tightened around the gun. "Let him go."

"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. That's a very nice gun you have there. Where'd you get it?" Jenson's brow creased. What the hell was up with this dude? He was so calm. He just shot Jim and he was acting like this was an easy walk through the forest.

"My dad." If he didn't like liars, I'd give him a liar.

"Your dad? Where is he?" Jenson looked around the dark room like my dad might walk out and shake his hand.

I glared at him. "He's barbecuing out back. You should go say hi."

"Ah, you're one of those clever girls." Jensen laughed, revealing canines that were gold and pointy. "I love a clever girl. Don't you, Ramirez?"

Ramirez grunted in agreement.

I tried not to look at Derek. I knew he was having a hard time, and I didn't want my emotions to show. I cocked my head to the side. "Jenson, is it? What exactly do you want?"

Jenson smiled bigger as he tapped a finger on his lips. "Hm... let me see. I want your supplies, but even more than that I want you, my clever girl."

I cringed. "Why?"

"Well, let me see here. We're building a nice home for ourselves at the high school. I'm sure I've seen your picture around there somewhere, haven't I? We're short on females, and we're creating a new home, and let's just say we need a woman's touch. But not to worry, you're in luck. We're recruiting new people to help us out."

I curled my lip. "Recruiting or forcing?"

"Not much of a difference, is there? How's this? I can assure you if you don't come with me, I kill your little friend here." One of Jenson's eyebrow's lifted. He was testing me.

My teeth clenched as worry washed over me. If I shot Jensen, then I would have to be fast enough to kill Ramirez without shooting Derek. If I shot Ramirez first, then I could possibly pull it off.

"So, what do you say?" Jenson quirked his head as his eyes widened in delight. He had me pegged for a pushover. "Do you want your boyfriend to live or die? Either way, you're coming with us, little girl."

"No." Derek harshly pushed out the sound, causing me to glance at him. His eyes were rolling around inside their sockets.

Ramirez's elbow whitened as he squeezed Derek's throat tighter. He was suffocating Derek.

My heart leapt in my chest. I lined up my sights on Ramirez. "Let him go, or I'll shoot you."

Ramirez released a laugh that came out so hard his whole body tensed. Derek lost consciousness and his head flopped to the side.

I sucked in a fearful breath. I was sick of this game. God forgive me. I was going to kill someone and then another someone, but I had a right to protect my family. I had a right to defend myself. There was no way they would force me to work for them and become their sex slave.

While Ramirez continued to laugh, I took aim.

"Let him go," Jenson instructed just as my shaky finger pulled the trigger.

Jenson was too late.

The moment seemed to flow in slow motion as the bullet hit Ramirez somewhere in the forehead. Both he and Derek stayed in place for what seemed to be a full two seconds before falling to the floor. I guess Jenson was slow to process this because by the time Jenson realized what I had done, I'd already pulled the trigger again. Jenson dropped to the floor. Dead as a doornail.

Relief swept over me. Thank God. Mindy's muffled cries came from behind me as I assessed the scene in front of me.

Where was Thomas? Was he dead? Shit. I needed to find him.

I exited the laundry room, closing the door behind me softly. I grabbed every gun I could find and set them in the pantry.

Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, I picked up a flashlight, and nearly fell over Jim as I made my way to Derek.

Blood was expanding slowly around a hole in Jim's shirt. I didn't know if Jim was alive, and I didn't stop to check.

I straightened Derek's unconscious body and pulled him away from the dead perverts.

Derek was out for the count, but he had a strong pulse.

"Derek!" I shook him, but he didn't open his eyes. He would wake up soon. I had to make sure we were alone, and see if Thomas was okay.

"Thomas!" With my gun and flashlight in hand, I ran toward the back of the house, checking every room on the way.

I stopped in Mom and Dad's room where more flashlights reflected off the walls. I found three more men motionless on the floor, but not Thomas.

I ran over to them to make sure they were dead. If they weren't, I would have to finish them off myself. These men would kill everyone in our house except Suzie and me.

I confirmed they were all dead, and that's when I spotted a trail of blood. My stomach immediately knotted.

"Thomas!" I cried as I followed the blood trail to the closet.

Oh, God. Please don't be dead.

I whipped the closet door open to find Thomas on the floor, holding his side. His hand shot up, protecting his eyes from the bright light.

"What the fuck?" I fell to my knees and glared at him as tears formed in my eyes. "Where were you? I needed you!"

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I took out three. Forgive me?" His smoky eyes landed on me as he winced. That's when I saw his bloody face and shirt. Blood was all over the closet. Thomas was badly injured.

With fast movements, I stood to grab clothes from the closet, but someone had cleaned it out. They'd burned my parent's clothes too.

I let out a heavy breath and pulled my shirt off, leaving me in only my bra. "Derek is unconscious, and I think Jim might be dead."

"That's no reason to take off your shirt. Lord knows I want you naked more than you know, but gimme a little credit." Thomas chuckled and winced.

The fact that he had the strength to joke at a time like this was amazing. With our world falling apart around us, Thomas continued to fascinate me with his positive attitude.

"Your nose might be broken." I crawled beside him, trying to figure out where to apply pressure. "What happened?"

"They shot me. Just a flesh wound." Thomas hissed as I pressed my shirt to his side. His head leaned back against the wall as his eyes skimmed over my face. "Hey. What is it? We won this one, didn't we?"

"I thought you were dead." The tears welled in my eyes as my bottom lip quivered. "I heard so many gunshots. I thought you were dead, Thomas. You could've..."

His face softened as he tilted his head to the side, examining me. The corners of his lips lifted. "I'm strong as hell, and I'm still alive. Well, a little torn up, but I'll be alright."

I shook my head as tears rolled down my cheeks.

Thomas searched my eyes before grabbing my hand and gently tugging me into his lap. I didn't want to hurt him, so I ended up straddling him as I wrapped my arms around his neck and began to cry.

Thomas wrapped his arms around me, tugging me closer as he squeezed my waist. His lips dipped to the skin in the crook of my neck. "I'm alright, Sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry. I'll never leave you."

My crying stopped as electric tremors buzzed through my entire body. His rough palms were so soothing against my bare skin. We were so close and my hands ached to roam over his head to comb through his hair.

I pulled back, gazing into his smoky brown eyes.

His expression surprised me. Thomas had tears in his eyes. I could only assume that he never let anyone see him vulnerable like this. He was wide open to me. I knew I could ask Thomas anything, and he'd tell me.

I wanted to know more about him. He put up a front, but I knew he was hurting inside and I wanted to heal him.

Man-whore or not, I needed him more than I ever let myself admit. Thomas could die, and it would shatter me.

I have no idea when it happened, but somehow Thomas had consumed a piece of my heart and that piece would be his forever.

That's when I realized the truth.

I had feelings for Thomas too.

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