Chapter 77: This World of Uncertainties
Winter’s gaze swept across the vast, barren landscape, the horizon stretching out in shades of muted grey as he sat cross-legged on the damp earth, his rifle balanced across his knees. The moon hung two sizes larger than before the apocalypse, casting its eerie light across the few twisted trees that dotted the edges of the clearing. That was probably why that river was acting crazy.
Fuck, he groaned under his breath, his shoulders were killing him.
The river had pushed them off course a few miles but they were still in sight of City H.
His mind was a tangled knot, the thoughts of the past and the present jumbled up in a mess of emotions he wasn’t used to. His focus should have been on the task at hand, but instead, it circled back to Zara and Leo, who were both asleep not far from him.
He hadn’t been able to ask Zara how she knew to be cautious of the bridge. It was probably an ability, much like his superhuman advantage but did it always make her stumble or pass out like that? wasn’t it a hazard?
He’d been around women before, but none like Zara. She wasn’t just beautiful, though she was that too. She was smart, tough, and capable. He’d seen her handle herself in situations that would have broken most people. They’d been travelling together for weeks now, and in that time, Winter had come to rely on her in ways he hadn’t anticipated. Yes, she was great, but wasn’t it too sudden? Who’s to say this isn’t just physical attraction? What makes him think she feels the same?
His thoughts flickered to Leo, the small boy who had somehow managed to worm his way into Winter’s heart. Zara’s son. It wasn’t something he liked to think about too much, but it was there—this strange sense of responsibility that had settled deep inside him.
What was he to them?
Was he overthinking? He hated taking rest because that meant his mind was open to these kinds of thoughts.