3 | We Who Survive the Apocalypse | ✅

Chapter 4 - Red-Headed Stranger

"Don't even think about it," the muffled voice of Hudson's captor demands as I reach for my Glock. I freeze.

Seth's voice breaks the heavy silence from behind me. "What do you want?"

"I just want some food," the stranger states, their eyes flashing from the depths of the ski mask that covers their face. I can't tell if the voice belongs to a man or woman, but their height is almost a match for Hudson's, and he is bordering six feet.

"I'm sorry, but-" Seth stops when the grip around Hudson's neck is tightened and the barrel of the pistol pressed deeper into his temple.

"Look, I don't wanna have to hurt anyone, okay?" The person says, "I just need some food. Give it to me, and I'll leave, no harm done."

"We don't have any food to spare," Seth says, and I hear him stand up.

The person scoffs. "I saw those two rabbits you brought in. Give me one, and I'll leave."

"But we need that rabbit," Seth says, and he steps up beside me. I cautiously rise to my feet.

"I need water, too," the person says, ignoring Seth's last statement.

Suddenly they aim their gun somewhere behind Seth and I. "Don't!" They order, and I look back to see Mara gripping Seth's pistol in her shaking hands.

"Let him go," she says in a trembling voice.

"Put the gun down, Mara," Seth says softly, "there's no need for anyone to get hurt."

Her hands drop to her sides and she sinks to the floor, biting her lip. There was no way she could've hit the intruder without taking down Hudson as well. She tries, but she's never been the best shot.

I turn back to Hudson, and a small movement from the shadows of the doorway to the other room catches my attention.

It's Izzy, and she presses a finger to her lips as she crouches in the darkness, clutching a piece of wood in her other hand.

I take my eyes off of her immediately, not wanting to draw attention to her position, and stare at Hudson, who seems on the verge of panic.

In my peripheral vision, I see Izzy creeping up behind the intruder, and then suddenly she leaps forward, swinging her arm up and then bringing it down with a hard thunk onto the back of the intruder's head.

The stranger sways for a second before collapsing onto the floor, their gun falling from their hand and clattering onto the hardwood. Hudson stumbles forward, clutching at his neck and gasping. Mara rushes over to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and wraps her arms around him.

Izzy stands over the unconscious body of her victim. "Damn, I've been waiting for some action for weeks!"

"You're a psychopath, Izzy," Seth sighs, stepping forward and kneeling down beside the intruder, looking them over and pulling a large hunting knife from their belt.

Izzy scoffs. "Try high-functioning sociopath."

"Do you even know what a high-functioning sociopath is?" Seth demands irritably, glaring up at Izzy as I crouch beside him, taking in the bizarre weapon this stranger is carrying.

A wooden baseball bat, worn but strong, with dozens of nails stuck in it. I pull it from their belt, and Izzy snatches it from my hands immediately.

"I'll take that, thank you," she says, "I could use another badass weapon." She practices swinging it, and I feel the wind from her swing.

"Jesus Christ, Izzy! Watch it!" Seth exclaims.

"Calm down, asshole," she responds, swinging the bat again, "jeez."

"Not now, you two," I grumble, pulling the strap of the stranger's shotgun over their head and tugging the weapon from underneath them.

"Ugh, fine," Izzy groans, dropping to her knees beside the stranger's head. "Now let's see your face, you son of a bitch," she says, tugging their ski mask off.

But she revises her statement when we see their face. "Or shall I say, daughter of a bitch."

"Or just, you know, bitch, Izzy," Seth corrects her, winning himself a front row seat in the viewing of Izzy's middle finger.

"Kiss my ass, Seth."

"Oh, gee wizz, I really get to? Thanks!"

"Seth, go fuck yourself."

I shut out their argument and study the girl lying on the floor before me. She is pale, with a spattering of freckles across her nose. Her hair is in a long, pale orange braid that fell down across her shoulder when Izzy pulled off the mask. Oh so close in color to his. That damn knife finds its way into my heart again. Her lips are full and cracked with the cold. Her cheekbones are harsh, and her eyebrows curve gracefully over her closed lids.

"What do we do with her?" I ask.

"Let's just tie her up for now and deal with her when she wakes up," Seth suggests.

+++++

Hours have passed since we tied her up, and she still hasn't woken. It's probably noon already.

I stare out across the clearing at the trees. Like I always do, foolishly hoping. Izzy has been watching our new prisoner like a hawk, probably hoping to knock her upside the head again if she moves.

Mara and Hudson are sitting out on the porch, talking quietly. Seth decided to go hunting for more rabbits. Honestly I think he was just trying to get away from Izzy. She kept insulting him.

I want something to do, something to distract me. All I can think about is him, all because of that stranger's hair.

"Izzy, will you go ask Mara if she'll come braid my hair?" I ask suddenly.

"Ugh...okay...." Izzy huffs, "just keep an eye on Sleeping Beauty, will you?" I hear her stand up and stomp out onto the porch, slamming the door behind her.

I go sit cross legged on the floor so I can keep an eye on "Sleeping Beauty", and a moment later, Mara comes in.

"Where's Izzy?" I ask as she kneels behind me, pulling my hair back off my shoulders.

"She said she needed some air and went for a walk. Said she'd stay within earshot," Mara replies, softly parting my hair.

I look down at my hands, focusing on how she braids the strands together.

We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until -

"Ooh, is this a sleepover?"

I look up.

And the red-headed stranger's piercing blue eyes are open.

+++++

So, victory to me! I survived my wisdom tooth extraction!! Fortunately I only had two of them, but I got an infection and ugh... it's been a long week. Anyway, I'm not a chipmunk (swollen) anymore, I can actually eat/chew pizza again, so I'm good 😊.