Isolation , Jones, Nathan [top 20 books to read TXT] 📗

The moment Hal shut the door of the study behind them, Ellie dumped her bundle in the cramped walking space and launched herself at her husband. He dropped the rest of their stuff in time to catch her and fiercely return her kiss, lowering her down on the bed.

It was only a mattress on the floor with clean sheets and a comforter, but after over a month spent living rough it felt luxurious. And more importantly it was big enough for two.

As Ellie had said before, at the moment it was all they needed.

✽✽✽

A few hours later, Ellie and her group had unpacked their stuff, eaten some soup and lemonade, and were ready to make the risky trip outside the barricades to retrieve the cache from the Norsons' shed.

Cara and the Tolsons would be staying behind to watch the kids, leaving Ellie, Hal, Gen, and the Norsons to take a truck out the western roadblock for the precious supplies. They'd already contacted Nick, in person so Jay's people wouldn't overhear, and he'd agreed to be extra vigilant around the house while they were out there.

Even so, Hal had insisted on going ahead to make sure Jay's people hadn't somehow snuck past Nick's sentries and were lurking around. Still flush with the warmth of the few moments of privacy they'd been given to break in their new bed, Ellie decided to go with him.

He had his hunting rifle with him, while she'd grabbed a smaller rifle, one that looked military but was apparently a civilian version called an AR-15, from the small assortment of weapons Nick had included in the Norsons' basement cache. Its weight felt unfamiliar in her arms after all her practice with Hal's .308, but he'd assured her that she'd probably have a much easier time with the new gun as he showed her how to operate it.

“Unless of course you have to clear a malfunction,” he said with a wry smile, as if telling a joke she didn't know the punchline to. “Just stick close to me so I can deal with that if it happens.”

On that reassuring note, they'd set out.

Now they were cautiously making their way from cover to cover, about a block ahead of the Norsons' truck as it crept down the street away from the western roadblock. Even though Ellie knew Nick and his patrol were somewhere out there protecting them, she still felt vulnerable as she scuttled after Hal.

The closest thing she could compare it to was being back in Watkins, trying to hide from those monstrous robbers. Only here the most likely outcome of being discovered would be a bullet to the back from a hidden sniper.

She might be dead before she even realized an enemy was there. With that in mind, she found herself ducking lower and running faster.

Thankfully it was only a short walk, even moving slowly from one hiding place to another like they were, before the Norsons' house came in sight. She followed Hal into the yard, circling around to check their old camp as well as Nick's abandoned scavenger camp, as well as peering into the windows of the house to check for any signs of a break-in.

It felt weird to be sauntering around on lawns and porches they'd been strictly forbidden from using, back when they'd still been in isolation for their 21 days. Ellie found herself fighting down an irrational feeling of guilt, and shook her head at the absurdity.

They were confirmed Zolos-free now, even more so than when they'd first arrived after three weeks in a quarantine camp. They could even go into the house if they wanted to, and would be since there were a few things Gen and the Norsons wanted to retrieve while they were here anyway.

Hal started for the observation platform he'd made up in the tree. “Go let the others know it's safe,” he called over his shoulder. “I'll keep an eye out on the area from up here.”

Ellie nodded and hurried back to the street, waving at the truck idling just beyond the last intersection. It pulled forward, Gen waving out the window as they passed, and Bruce behind the wheel backed the vehicle in close to the shed.

Maybe it was force of habit, but even though he could've backed right up to the entrance, instead he parked it on the border he'd marked around the building, back when Nick and Tallie had first lived there.

That put the truck over ten feet from the door, which wasn't necessary since the shed had long since become safe. That was why they were here in the first place.

Ellie was glad he had a few moments later.

Gen was first down from the cab, making her way around towards the shed, and Ellie moved to join her. They'd just met up at the tailgate and started forward when the other woman abruptly stumbled to a halt, hand shooting out to catch Ellie's arm.

They both froze a step past the quarantine border. “What is it?” Ellie hissed, fumbling to unsling the rifle on her back.

Gen pointed. “The door's open a crack. Didn't Nick padlock it shut?”

He had. Ellie had remembered the finality of the moment, the shed officially becoming off-limits for three weeks until the stuff inside was safe to take.

She called a warning to the others and raised her rifle in shaking arms, pointing it at the door. Somewhere to her right she heard the sound of Hal hurriedly climbing down from the tree to join her, and Gen retreated back a few paces.

Bruce, grim-faced, strode over and stooped to grab a discarded broom handle, which Ellie vaguely recalled had been used to deliver Nick and Tallie their meals. Moving cautiously, he edged close enough to wedge the end of the pole into the cracked open door, then with a heave levered it open further.

Creaking, it swung wide to reveal the interior of the shed. Empty.

Winn cursed, a surprisingly salty phrase from the normally sweet-tempered woman. Bruce, more pragmatic,