Page 17 of Surviving Her

“I’m so ready for this. It’s total processed crap, you know. But I’m all over it,” Eliza said with a giggle.

They ate in silence for a few minutes as the exhaustion of the day began to catch up with them.

“You know something?” River said after a while, her voice soft. “I couldn’t agree more. I used to hate protein bars. I hated the whole idea of them for some reason. My dad likes to take them on our hikes, and I’m always fighting with him about it. Eat a good breakfast, stay hydrated, and nobody needs this cardboard shit. Like, if you need protein, find some real protein, right? But I swear this tastes like a five-star meal.”

Eliza chuckled. “I guess we’re about to learn to appreciate the little things in life. We all learned that during the last pandemic, right? Also, do you think we’re currently in shock about this whole zombie situation? I mean, shouldn’t we be curled up crying in panic, or something?”

River nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Yeah. It’s funny how things change. A week ago, I was worried about how to convince my dad to go vegan. Now I’m just hoping we can find something—anything—to eat. And no, we’re not in shock, we’re surviving.”

Eliza smiled, though the mention of River’s father brought a pang of guilt. She hadn’t forgotten why they were doing this. “Does vegan protein even exist?” she asked jokingly, before turning the conversation to a more serious issue. “We’ll get to him,” Eliza said, her voice steady. “We’ll get the supplies he needs, and he’ll make it. We just need to lay low and wait until it’s safer out there.”

River’s eyes softened as she looked at Eliza with a mix of gratitude and something else—something Eliza couldn’t quite place. “Thank you so much,” River said quietly. “For everything. I don’t think I could do this without you. I don’t know why you’re helping me.”

Eliza grinned. She wasn’t used to people relying on her, not in this way. Her job as a doctor was to help people, but this was different. This was personal, and it touched something deep inside her.

“Please don’t thank me,” Eliza whispered. “We’re in this together, right? And besides, you’ve been the one leading the way. I’m just trying to keep up. I’d have been eaten if you hadn’t shown up when you did. We both know it.”

River chuckled. “Well, I think you’re keeping up fine. And who could blame that zombie for wanting to eat you? Not me, that’s for sure.”

The tension between them slowly eased as they settled into their makeshift camp. Eliza couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of respect for River—she was strong, capable, and determined, but there was also a vulnerability to her, a softness that Eliza found herself drawn to…a softness she was intrigued to learn more about.

“So, tell me about your dad,” Eliza said after a while, breaking the silence. “You mentioned earlier that you’re close, and I want to know who I’m risking my ass for.”

River smiled, although Eliza could sense the sadness behind it. “He raised me on his own after my mom passed away. He’s always been there for me and supported me in everything I’ve done. We have our disagreements—the guy will only ever eat at the all-you-can-eat steakhouse when we go out for dinner—but he’s my rock. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my dad. Jeez, I wonder if we’ll ever go to that steakhouse again.”

Eliza understood what River was saying. “It sounds like you have a really great relationship. I think you should hold on to that, especially now. And honestly, if this is anything like the movies we all watch, I’d say the world is about to change forever.”

River’s eyes widened as she looked at Eliza with a warmth that made Eliza’s heart flutter. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Anyway, I can’t think about the future too much right now, so what about you? What about your family?”

Eliza hesitated, her thoughts drifting to her own family, their strained relationship, and the distance she’d created over the years. “I have a brother,” she said slowly. “We’re close, but…I guess it’s complicated. My parents, they…well, I don’t see an awful lot of them these days. It’s kind of my fault. I put my job first.”

River’s expression softened with understanding. “Yeah, I get that. It must be hard. So you’re on your own a lot?”

Eliza shrugged. “Sometimes. I mean, they’re all away someplace right now. I’ve tried to contact them, but it’s impossible to get through. I’m praying they’re alright, but I’m also trying not to think about it too much. Like you said, I can’t think about the future right now.”

They lapsed into silence again as the weight of their shared experiences settled between them. Eliza couldn’t help but feel a connection to River. A bond was starting to form between them. It was strange, feeling so close to someone she’d just met, but there was something about River that made Eliza feel…safe. Safe in a way she hadn’t felt in some time.

As the night wore on, they took turns keeping watch, the darkness outside pressing in on them as they huddled together in the storeroom. The sounds of the city had quieted, but the tension in the air was still palpable, a reminder that they were far from safe. Luckily there’d been no sign of the infected around them, but at times a distant scream jolted them back into their new reality.

Eliza couldn’t sleep. Her mind raced with thoughts of the future and what they’d do next. But she also found herself thinking about River and how she’d stepped up, taken charge, and kept them both alive.

Something about River was drawing her in, something that made her want to understand the woman behind the confident exterior.

7

RIVER

River awoke to an uneasy stillness around her.

Did I fall asleep? Shit!

The light filtering through the doorway to the small storeroom was weak and gray, casting faint, spectral shadows on the dusty floor. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, careful not to wake Eliza, who was still curled up in the corner. As River looked around, it felt like she was in a tomb rather than a sanctuary. The high ceiling loomed above her, and the silence was punctuated only by the occasional drip of water from a tap somewhere.

Is the water still on?

River’s gaze wandered over to their small stash of food and medical supplies. Eliza had spent some time neatly packing them in the corner of the room, but her heart sank as she noticed the disturbed state of their hoard. The packets of protein bars and cough drops were in disarray. Either she’d kicked them during the nap she wasn’t supposed to be taking, or someone had come into the room and tampered with it. Or maybe some big city rat had broken into their snacks. She counted the items quickly, her mind racing. There was little point, though; it wasclear that their supplies had been pilfered, leaving them with a mere fraction of what they’d once had.

She felt a pang of frustration and anxiety. Their situation was precarious at best, and now that their supplies had been compromised, their chances of getting back to her father and surviving the journey seemed even slimmer than before. River’s fingers traced the edges of the empty spaces in their food stash, her thoughts swirling with the implications of their loss.

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