Page 70 of Against the Clock

“Nothing, I’m just about done.”

“Sorry, I just assumed you were fixing food for yourself, or I would have come in to help.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” I laughed.“I enjoy cooking for you, Quinn.I wouldn’t have let you help, even if you tried.”

She blushed and glanced at Rosie, who was still focused on the madwoman screeching her tires on the TV as she chased down the puppies in her car.

We sat down at the small kitchen table and ate, not bothering to say anything while checking on Rosie every few minutes.It wasn’t that there was any threat of danger, but more out of habit and that there wasn’t much else to look at in the small space without having to stare at each other—and I knew that if I kept looking at Quinn, I was going to start thinking about all of the things that Icouldn’tdo to her right now.

Once we were finished, she helped me with the dishes, despite my constant protests.We were just about done when the phone rang.A chill ran down my spine as we looked at each other, knowing that Rob would only call if something was wrong.

I tossed the towel onto the counter and rushed over to the phone.My grip was tight as I picked up the receiver and brought it to my ear.

“Hello.”

“It’s Rob.There’s a bad storm heading your way.”

I looked out the window and saw a bolt of lightning light up the trees as the thunder clapped overhead.It had been slowly coming down for a few hours but was definitely getting worse.

“Yeah, it’s already coming down pretty hard.”

“The weather can get ugly out there, so if the power goes out, there’s a generator in the shed behind the house.Might not be a bad idea to get it set up before it gets too bad.Just wanted to let you know in case I can’t get through on this line.”

He talked me through where to find everything I needed in the shed and then guided me on where to find resources if we needed them.I didn’t have to ask what he meant.We both knew why we were here, and Quinn and I weren’t the first to use his makeshift safe house.

I hung up, feeling slightly relieved that nothing was amiss, though I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that something wasn’t right.There were a few things that I needed to take care of before the power went out, so we weren’t caught in a bind, but I knew that getting the generator set up was the first priority.

Thirty-Five

Quinn

The front door swungopen, the rain spraying in from the wind that whipped past.I turned my head, knowing that Roman was back from messing with the generator but felt my body stiffen when I saw five figures dressed in all black, wearing ski masks, rush through the door.

I jumped off the couch, startling Rosie as I tried to shield her with my body.I reached behind for my gun, panic crushing over me when I remembered it wasn’t there.It was unlike me not to have it on my body, but I had been distracted after I got out of the shower right before Roman went outside to prepare for the storm that was already upon us.

“NO!!”I shouted, shoving against the bodies as they charged us.I felt strong arms grab me and fling me to the side as Rosie screamed from the couch.I got up and swung at the masked figure in front of me, watching as their head shot to the side from the impact of my punch, but it wasn’t enough.Someone held me by the waist, ensuring I couldn’t get to Rosie.

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