Fucking surreal. Those are the only two words I can find to describe this moment. Maddie is actually here, sitting in the passenger seat beside me. Her eyes are closed, and she's smiling with a look of contentment on her face. Inhaling deeply, she releases her breath on a sigh and opens her eyes to find me watching her. The soft smile playing across her full lips slowly morphs into a huge grin, and so does mine.

"I hate to break up the lovefest taking place between you two, but don't you need to call Jim?" Sanders chimes in from the seat behind me.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I reach into my pocket for my cell, hold it in the air and respond, "Yes, dear."

"Yes, dear? Did I hear that right?" he says with a shocked expression on his face. Raising up both hands he continues, "Hold up everyone, if each of you would take a moment to look out the window closest to you and check the sky for flying pigs, I'd really appreciate it."

Maddie giggles and Sanders rolls down his window. Sticking his head out, he searches the night sky.

"Not a pig in sight!" he yells with his head still outside. Pulling it back in the SUV, he starts rolling up the window and continues, "Shit, if it wasn't so dark out, I'd have you all searchin' the trees for a fat lady swingin."

"The fat lady doesn't swing, you moron. She sings," Aiden speaks up on a chuckle, and we all begin to laugh, except for Becca who remains quiet in the back seat.

Looking over to Aiden, Sanders replies, "Look, pretty boy."

"You can say that again," Danielle interrupts, eyeballing Aiden from the very back seat.

The sudden ringing of my cellphone interrupts the current banter and immediately silences everyone in the car. Seeing Jim's name on the screen, I answer.

"Hey, Jim. I was just about to call you."

"Everyone's okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, we're okay," I respond.

"Great. I'm gonna need to make this quick, Travis. As you can imagine, shit is hitting the proverbial fan back at the Compound. The Colonel has implemented a mandatory, forty-eight hour no-fly zone over California."

"He has the authority to do that?" I respond. This wasn't a scenario we ever discussed during planning.

"You hog-tied a highly decorated Colonel of the Militia and locked him in a room within his own Compound, son. That doesn't sit well with a man like him or his overblown ego. He wants retribution, so he made some calls. We'd already disabled the copter at the Compound to buy you some time, but that doesn't account for men on the ground he's already dispatched, or the air support he's probably called in from other locations. I'd get off the road as soon as you can."

"Alright. I'll contact you once we're settled."

"And I'll be in touch if anything changes," Jim responds and hangs up the phone.

"We need to get off the road," I begin, eyeing Sanders through the rearview mirror. "The Colonel issued a no fly zone order over California for the next forty-eight."

"He doesn't have that kind of pull," Sanders replies, obviously as surprised as I was upon hearing this information.

"I guess he knows people that do. He's pissed about being hog tied and locked up," I respond and can't help but chuckle.

"Oh, is the poor Colonel upset?" Danielle asks sarcastically. "How does it feel, asshole?"

"No kidding," Maddie agrees.

"What a hypocrite," Alex chimes in.

"The chopper at the Compound was disabled to buy us some time," I explain, "but Jim thinks the Colonel's probably requested air support from local resources to track us. We're gonna need to lay low until the no-fly is over and Brad can send a copter to lift us out."

"So the Hunters are being hunted," Aiden says.

"Yes, they are," Sanders and I reply in unison.

"And where will we be going, exactly?" Alex asks.

"Canada," I respond, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"The free nation?"

"No," I shake my head. "But somewhere better than here."

"Can I just say how unbelievably fucking cool this is?" Danielle begins. "Think about it. It's like we're all characters in some rad book–Hot boy risks everything to save the girl he loves," she says, pointing towards Maddie and me. "Hot boy has funny sidekick," she continues, pointing at Sanders. "Sidekick busts the hottest of all hotties, Mr. Hottie McFuckin'Hotterson himself, out of jail," she says, now pointing both index fingers at Aiden then shifts one towards Alex and continues, "Brother and sister are reunited. Hottest of all hotties meets extremely bad ass and unbelievably charming babe...moi," she says, gesturing to herself. "And all this happens while busting out of a military Compound and running from our corrupt, evil, misogynistic, male-run government. And this one here," she nods towards Becca, "all timid and quiet, will probably end up saving all our asses down the line. I mean seriously, if they still made movies...this would be one. It's fucking awesome!"

Looking over at Maddie to see her reaction, I find her looking straight ahead, smiling.

"Sidekick? I'm just the sidekick?" Sanders bursts from the seat directly behind me, completely appalled. "Hell no!" he yells, turning in his seat to face Danielle. "I'm this story's M.V. mother fuckin' P. The hero. Ya know, the good looking character who disappears then shows up with perfect timing and saves the day. Yet, you minimize my role to the cute sidekick. I'm hurt, Danielle."

"You're right," she replies, trying to look sincere as she fights the urge to laugh. "I'm sorry, Sanders, you're the M.V P."

Turning back around in a huff, he says, "That's what I thought," and begins to mumble to himself, loud enough that we all can hear him. "Making me Brennan's cute sidekick."

"The funny sidekick actually," Aiden mutters under his breath.

"What was that, pretty boy?" Sanders asks.

"She called you the funny sidekick, not the cute sidekick. The funny one," he repeats again. "You're a supporting role to my main character, who I believe she referred to as Mr. Hottie McFuckin'Hotterson, the hottest of all hotties."

"You got that right, hot stuff," Danielle chimes in, and Sanders is mad once again.

An hour later, Sanders is finally done feeling insulted, and we're traveling down a long dirt road after spotting an old wooden sign along the highway which read, "This Way to Hillroy's Family Farm." We decided to give it a shot, hoping the property would include a house and enough open space for a chopper to land, allowing us to arrange the pickup here if possible. The less we move about, the less risk we have of getting caught. Plus, if there's a house on the property, it would be far enough off the main road and enclosed by enough brush and trees to provide us some natural coverage.

Bouncing along the unpaved road, the headlights are all that illuminate our path and the clouds of dirt kicked into motion by the tires of our SUV. Trees line the road on both sides, as well as some old, rusted farm equipment we pass along the way.

"There," Maddie says, pointing up ahead. "Is that a house or a barn?" she asks.

"Looks like a house to me," Alex says from behind us.

"As long as it's not the Compound, who the hell cares. I'd take a barn over that shithole any day," Danielle says.

As we pull closer, an abandoned house comes into clearer view, and it's exactly the kind of home you'd expect to see on a farm. Time and neglect have clearly done their job. Brick red paint peels back from the panels of wood that once made up this barn style home, and a few shutters hang sideways from their hinges.

Bringing the SUV to a stop directly in front of the house, I turn off the engine and everyone begins to open their doors, exiting the vehicle. As Maddie reaches for her handle, I lean over her to grab a flashlight from the side panel of the door. My arm rests upon her thigh, her face just inches from mine, and I feel her body shiver underneath my touch.

    "Are you cold?" I ask her, eyeing her from the side, trying not to crack a smile once I see her reaction. She's embarrassed.

"No," she quickly responds, shaking her head. "I'm fine," she continues, unwilling to make eye contact, and her face begins to flush a little.

Leaning my body in just a little more, my face even closer to hers now, I ask, "You sure about that?" A knowing grin plays across my lips.

"Yes, I'm sure," she quips, looking completely flustered now.

"You sure you're sure?" I ask, enjoying this moment far too much to let it end.

Biting down on her lip, she tries desperately not to crack a smile. Looking me directly in the eyes, she says, "Yes, Travis. I'm sure, I'm sure."

"Are you sure?" I ask once again, and we both break into laughter. As I grab the flashlight, she shoves me.

"Some things never change," she replies.

"I sure hope not," I reply, my expression suddenly growing serious as I look her in the eyes.

"Travis, there's so much—" she begins, but suddenly her door flies open and Alex is standing there.

"Come on, Maddie. Let's check out the house and see what we can find, just like we always do!" she says, grabbing her hand.

"Okay, okay," Maddie replies as Alex begins pulling her out of her seat. "We'll talk later?" she asks as she comes to a stand, Alex dragging her away as she tries to hold onto the inside of the door.

"It's a date," I respond with a smile and pull the keys out of the ignition, just before Alex pushes the door closed with the back of her foot.

We lucked out with this house. It has three bedrooms, a huge family room, a living room, and an office. Like most of the abandoned properties post-plague, the interior is still furnished. But unlike most I've entered, the furniture here had been covered. Whoever once lived here, I'm assuming the Hillroy family, must've had hopes of returning someday and took steps to protect what they owned. So although the house has accumulated a lot of dust over the years, the furniture, once uncovered, seems to have remained unaffected.

After parking the SUV in the barn and grabbing the backpacks and boxes of supplies Jim and Brad stocked in the back of it, and covering the windows with some of the extra blankets and sheets Maddie and Alex found, we've all gathered in the family room of the house. Well, all of us except Becca. She said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to lay down. I have a feeling being around all these different personalities has been a bit overwhelming for her, especially since she's been locked up for so long.

"Oh my gosh, this smells so weird," Alex says as she shoves the opened MRE, or Meal Ready to Eat, under Maddie's nose, who's sitting on the loveseat next to her. "Right?" she asks.

Shrugging her shoulders, Maddie replies, "It's not so bad. It smells better than a lot of the stuff I've had to eat."

"True that," Danielle agrees.

"That's until you met me," Aiden says as he stands next to Sanders, across from where Danielle and I are sitting on the couch. He winks at Maddie, and she offers him a small smile. Stepping towards the love seat, he gestures for her to scoot over. While she moves closer to Alex, she glances over at me. She's uncomfortable; I can tell. I'm just not sure why. The last time I saw her with Aiden, she kissed him.

Aiden squeezes in beside her, and reaches his arm around, resting it along the back of the couch. "I always found something decent for my girls to eat. Didn't I?" he asks while pulling her in and kissing the top of her head.

Maddie palms his face, gently shoving his head away while rolling her eyes. "Yes, you did," she replies. Then offers a genuine, "Thank you," before looking down at her hands resting on her lap.

"Oh my gosh, remember when we ended up at that house with all that yummy food? And those Twinkies," Alex says.

"Yes!" Maddie replies, her face suddenly lighting up. "Those were so, so good."

"Twinkies?" I ask.

"Yes, Twinkies," Maddie replies, looking over at me with excitement in her eyes. "Remember that time your mom came home from work with a couple of those packaged little cakes her co-worker had gotten somewhere, and you waited to open yours so we could try it together?"

"Aww, you're so sweet, Brennan," Danielle says, nudging me.

"I remember," I respond, smiling at the memory and how fucking cute Maddie looks right now telling the story.

"Well, these...they were even better. They had this delicious, sugary cream filling," she explains, her eyes growing wide.

"Come to think of it, it's hard for me to recall what that cake even tasted like. Remember, I'd only had a tiny bite before you ate the rest of mine," I reply, eyebrow raised, waiting for her reaction.

Just as expected, she leans forward, and narrowing her eyes, she points at me. "Travis Brennan. Take it back. You know that's not true!"

"The evidence said otherwise, Maddie. You know that," I respond seriously, shrugging my shoulders.

"There was no evidence!" she replies, with a stomp of her foot.

"Yeah, because you ate it!" I respond, and we both break into a fit of laughter.

And for the first time, in a very long time, we feel like Maddie and Travis. I know this...because this feeling right here....this feels like home.

The moment is interrupted as Alex pulls Maddie back in her seat. "Enough about the damn Twinkies," she says, seeming slightly annoyed. "How 'bout that Tequila?" Alex asks, bumping her shoulder into Maddie's.

"Oh god, don't remind me," Maddie says, covering her face, and Aiden chuckles beside her.

"Do tell, Hottie McHotterson," Danielle says, eyeing Aiden.

"I never kiss and tell," he replies on a wink, and I feel heat begin to move through my body. Letting out a chuckle, I fight the urge to bash Aiden's teeth down his throat.

"Oh, shit," Sanders mutters, looking at over at me from where he stands, then over to Aiden. "You just had to take it there, pretty boy," he says shaking his head in disbelief.

"Wait! What am I missing?" Danielle yells out, looking from Sanders to Aiden to Maddie and back to me.

"Nothing!" Maddie replies. "It's nothing."

"Her and Aiden kissed for the first time that night," Alex says.

"What? You kissed McHotterson?" Danielle exclaims, then looks over at me with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"On a dare! I kissed him on a dare," she says, shooting daggers at Alex.

"And the second time, you kissed me because you wanted to, from what I recall," Aiden says, looking down at her.

Leaning back, Danielle says, "Awk-ward."

I don't know what kind of game Aiden is playing, but I'm giving up my front row seat to this shit show. Deciding it's best to excuse myself before I say, or more accurately do, something I might later regret, I pull my cell out of my pocket and come to a stand.

"Need to check in with Jim," I say to Sanders, "then I'm gonna try and get a few hours of sleep. The rest of you may want to do the same, we don't know what's to come."

Grabbing my hand, Danielle says, "Wait, Brennan," and gets up from the couch, pulling me into a tight hug. "Thank you, Travis. For everything." Looking up at me she continues, "I will always have your back."

Grabbing my face, she kisses me on the lips and then wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down into another hug. "Now you're even," she whispers in my ear, winking at me as she releases her hold.

"Goodnight, everyone," I offer, and when my eyes fall on Maddie, she offers me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"Goodnight," she says.

As I walk away, I hear Alex say, "Maddie, you're sleeping with me."

"Don't look at me, pretty boy," Sanders says. "I'm taking the couch."

Their voices begin to fade and bleed together the farther I make my way down the hall. Stopping at Becca's room, I peek my head in her halfway opened door and find her sleeping, confirmed quickly with a snore. I cross the hall and enter the empty bedroom directly across from hers.

Leaning down, I turn on the low wattage lantern I put in here earlier, then close the door behind me. There's a queen sized bed resting below a large window and a chair that sits empty in the corner of the room. Sitting down on the bed, I pull off my boots and then my shirt, tossing them each onto the hardwood floor. I lie back on the bed and prop up my pillow, crossing my arms behind my head, and stare up at the ceiling.

Twenty minutes and a quick phone call with Jim later, I hear everyone dispersing, doors closing behind them. And it's even later when I find myself still awake, thinking about Maddie. Just when I feel like we've made that connection, that we're on the same page, I'm forced to confront whatever it is that's going on between her and Aiden.

And it's not that I'm worried about it. I'm impatient. I've waited this long; I don't want to wait anymore.

A soft knock sounds at the door and I sit up, clearing my throat. "Come in."