“Hey there, Sweetheart,” he said, tenderly stroking her face, “Aren’t you just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen, huh?” he leant forward and kissed forehead, “You’re so small. Who’d have thought somethin’ so tiny could bring so much hope?”
Scarlett sighed happily, making Travis jump and jerk his hand away. The baby also jumped, and started to cry.
Travis sat up quickly as Scarlett approached the bed.
“I didn’t hurt her,” he said hastily.
Scarlett smiled as she picked the baby up.
“I know you didn’t,” she chuckled as she rubbed her daughters back and rocked her.
“Why’s she cryin’ then?”
“You just startled her, that’s all,” she kissed her daughters head at looked at her. “It’s okay, sweetie, he didn’t mean to scare you,” she looked at Travis, who was staring at the floor, “Do you wanna hold her?”
“I don’t know,” he said nervously.
“Here,” Scarlett said, placing the baby in Travis’ arms, “There’s nothing to it, just support her head.”
Travis looked at his baby and smiled, relaxing a little. Scarlett sat next to him on the bed and put an arm around him, leaning in.
“I think you’ve found her a name too,” she said.
“What?”
“Hope. I think it’s perfect.”
“Yeah?” said Travis, surprised.
They looked at each other and Scarlett gave Travis a sweet kiss on the cheek.
“I need to take a shower. Do you mind if I run next door and see if River can watch her?”
“I can watch her,” Travis said defensively.
“You sure?” Scarlett asked with a knowing grin.
“Yeah, go have a shower. She’ll be fine.” He replied, not moving his gaze away from his baby girl.
“Thanks. I won’t be long.”
Travis barely heard the door close as Scarlett left the room. He glanced behind him to make sure she’d gone before gazing back down at Hope.
As carefully as he could, he got up and shifted the pillows before settling himself at the top of the bed, leaning against the faded pink headboard. Hope was awake and staring at him, taking in his facial features. Her little fingers had made their way between two buttons on Travis’ shirt and were touching his skin.
Travis placed her on the bed in front of him before removing his shirt. He remembered how Scarlett had said that skin to skin contact was an important part of bonding.
He set his shirt down next to him and picked Hope up, laying her across his chest.
“Hey,” he said quietly, “I’m your daddy. As long as I’m around ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to you. And your mama. She’s gonna kick a few butts for you. You look like your mama, you know that? So damn beautiful. Just don’t tell her I said that. Don’t want her thinking I’m soft.”
Travis stood and walked slowly over to the window, his daughter looking even smaller in his arms.
Scarlett had a hurried shower, not wanting to leave them for too long in case Hope cried.
When she was done, she dried and dressed herself, shivering from the cold water.
She was stunned as she entered the room. Travis was still by the window, talking softly to his baby.
“The woods smell real good just after it rains. I’ll take you out there one day, when you’re big enough.”
Scarlett cleared her throat and Travis turned around.
He looked down at Hope, then back at Scarlett, who noticed him tighten his hold.
“Everything okay?” Scarlett asked as she approached them.
“Yeah,” Travis said, “You ain’t gotta take her yet.”
Chapter Fifteen:
Scarlett sighed as she handed Hope to Riley. Now an inquisitive six-month-old, Hope smiled happily at her mother and gave a little coo.
“I’ve expressed more than she’ll need in case… you know, things don’t go to plan,” Scarlett explained, “Otherwise, she’ll be fine. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“Don’t worry,” Riley said, “I know it’s difficult for you to leave her; you’ve been together twenty-four-seven since she was born.”
Scarlett kissed Hope’s cheek and waved goodbye before thanking Riley and heading for the truck.
Travis approached Riley from behind and spoke slyly into his ear.
“If anything happens to my little girl, I will tear your head off with my bare fuckin’ hands, and use your balls for target practice. You hear?”
“You are a naughty flirt,” Riley retorted, amused.
Travis kissed his daughter on the forehead and followed after Scarlett.
The pair was quiet on the long drive. They had exhausted their meat supply in the woodland behind the cottage, so Travis had to travel further afield, much to his annoyance.
Scarlett thought it was about time that she was put back to work. She was back in shape and eager to resume her role within their tiny community.
“You sure you’re ready to be out here again?” Travis asked, mostly to break the silence.
“Don’t start. I’m fine. I would have come out sooner, but it was hard to convince myself that Hope would be okay,” she replied, a little concerned that Travis might not have thought she was ready.
Travis pulled the truck over at the edge of a large forest and climbed out, grabbing his weapons from the back. Scarlett followed suit and they began trudging through the dense trees.
A few hundred yards in, Travis threw his arm out to the side, connecting with Scarlett’s chest and forcing her to stop. He put his finger slowly to his lips and signalled for Scarlett to crouch down.
“You see that? How would you like some venison tonight?” Travis whispered, holding his crossbow under his chin. He fired a direct hit into the deer’s head and strode over to claim his kill, Scarlett in tow.
“You are so good at that,” Scarlett said admiringly.
“I know,” Travis responded.
He bent over to begin dragging the carcass to the truck, but stopped suddenly as Scarlett drew her axes.
“We are about to get fucked in the ass,” Scarlett said, her voice low.
Travis stood and glanced around to count seven Roamers approaching. Running. He yanked the arrow out of the deer’s head and reloaded it into his weapon.
“Nah, we’re good,” he replied, giving her a wink.
Travis fired and took down the fastest approaching while Scarlett began swinging at two of them with her axes.
Travis then retrieved the hunting knife from his belt and picked off two more as they got within feet of his kill.
Scarlett kicked one of the stragglers in the knee, shattering its fragile bones, before stomping on its head, crushing its skull.
Without discussion, they decided to take the last one together. Travis placed his arm around its neck as it reached out for Scarlett, who turned around and, taking Travis’ knife, stabbed it through the eye. It fell to the ground as Travis released his grip.
The pair surveyed the mess of bodies around them, and then looked at each other, smiling, both catching their breath.
Their smiles faded as they held eye contact, staring, eyes dark. Scarlett allowed the knife to slip out of her hand and onto the ground.
They swiftly threw themselves at each other, grabbing one another’s hair and face. Travis pushed her backwards until she hit a tree with such force that it almost winded her. He pulled back and looked her piercingly in the eye.
“No matter how hard I try, Scarlett McKenzie, I just can’t keep my fuckin’ hands offa’ you.”
On arriving back at the cottage, complete with their kill, they entered the living room to find Riley playing on the floor with Hope, and Jack sitting on the couch, reading.
“Hey,” Scarlett said quietly, “How’s she been?”
“Adorable,” Riley replied with a smile on his face.
“We brought you back a little something’,” Travis said proudly, “Gonna cook us up some venison tonight.�
��
Hope turned around to see her parents and grinned broadly.
“Hey, sweetie,” Scarlett said, approaching her daughter and picking her up, “Did you have a good time with Uncle Riley and Aunt Jack?”
Jack looked up at Scarlett from his book.
“Oh, hey, Foxy. You havin’ trouble trying to shed that baby weight?” he retorted, amused.
“That’s an interesting book you got there, Jack. What is it, Ten Easy Steps to Becoming an Asshole? I sure hope there are enough pictures for you.”
“Go fuck yourself.” Jack said, flipping her off.
“You want me to shoot out your other leg this time?”
Defeated, Jack turned his attention back to his book.
Travis joined Scarlett to greet his little girl, holding her hand and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek before Scarlett sat her back on the floor to continue playing with her makeshift toys.
For the first time, and without thinking, Travis put an arm around Scarlett’s shoulders in front of people. Riley couldn’t help but look, it was an odd sight to him as Travis never appeared affectionate towards anyone but Hope. Scarlett placed her arms around his waist, leaning on his chest, and Travis kissed the top of her head as they watched their daughter play.
Travis butchered and cooked the meat, serving the three children first, and mashing up some tinned vegetables for Hope, which she wore more of than she ate.
Scarlett breastfed her daughter before Travis helped settle her in the crib and they returned downstairs for the adults’ mealtime.
Spirits were high as Scarlett, Travis, Jack, Mouse, Chino, River, Riley and Henry opened a few bottles of wine and beer after their supper to celebrate how far they had all come since losing the hotel.
Travis sat with Scarlett and they allowed themselves to let their guards down as they got merrier, even sharing a kiss in front of everyone and regretting it after they all began teasing them. Scarlett felt relaxed for the first time in months, remembering what it felt like to laugh – really laugh. She felt safe and happy. Her beautiful daughter was sleeping upstairs, she was deeply and uncontrollably in love with a man who loved and protected her, and the people she now surrounded herself with were family to her. She would do anything for them, and they for her.
* * *
Travis stretched happily as he slowly opened his eyes. Scarlett was already up, seeing to Hope. She returned from the bathroom after giving her cranky daughter a tepid bath. Hope was wrapped in a towel and Scarlett had laid out some clean clothes to dress her in.
“I’ll do it,” Travis stated, eagerly climbing out of bed in his underwear.
“You sure? I don’t mind.”
“I want to,” he insisted.
Scarlett handed her over to Travis, who knelt on the floor and delicately began to dress his little girl. Travis was making the most of every second of something he never thought possible for himself. He’d never had any interest in having children, even before the world went to shit, but now that he had one, he felt a love deeper than anything he’d ever felt. Before Hope and Scarlett, Travis was living for himself. Surviving from day to day without any real good reason to do so. But now, he’d found his purpose.
“You okay with her if I go speak to Riley?” Scarlett asked, “I think it’s about time we started really fortifying this place. It’s only a matter of time before we get a herd pass by here.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Travis said, his gaze never leaving his daughter, who was now her happy self again, “Take as long as you need.”
Chapter Sixteen:
Scarlett, Travis and Riley were preparing themselves for heading out. Scarlett took Riley at his word when he assured her that River was reliable enough to watch Hope while they were gone and willingly handed her over, armed with a few bottles of expressed milk, spare cloth nappies and a few toys.
Travis had drawn their attention to a spot on the map that they had not yet explored, and there was a supermarket nearby. They doubted there would be much to scavenge, but some things may have been overlooked by previous looters.
Travis slung his crossbow over his shoulder, Scarlett fastened her axes securely on her hips, and Riley favoured a crowbar and his pistol.
The three climbed into the SUV, Riley in the back, and set off. Scarlett had decided that Number Six should stay behind. He hadn’t been his usual spritely self and Scarlett understood what that meant. She let him rest as much as she could.
They pulled up to a large supermarket and Travis removed the key from the ignition before the trio got out of the car.
They made their way cautiously inside, Travis now holding his crossbow warily, ready to fire. The store was silent, and Scarlett seized the opportunity to have a little fun as she approached the kiosk.
The place had obviously been looted before; there were empty shelves and items strewn all over the ground, but there had to be something left.
Scarlett smiled at Riley as she climbed onto the counter and crouched down to the tannoy microphone, pulling her mobile out and switching it on. Riley scoffed as he looked at the obsolete device.
“I can’t believe you still have that thing.”
“What? It’s not completely useless. I’m impressed it still works after so long.”
She taped the button down on the mic and selected a song, placing the useless gadget next to it. Disturbed’s ‘Down with the Sickness’ began to echo around the aisles as Scarlett stood, an axe in each hand, and started to snake dance as Riley watched, laughing and shaking his head while Travis looked on far more appreciatively, smirking and licking his lips.
A Roamer emerged from behind the counter and Scarlett spun and swung a weapon at the creature with great force, a spray of blood and brain spattering the wall behind.
“Nice.” Travis complimented.
“Thanks,” she said, grinning.
She jumped down from the counter and they began stalking down the aisles, coming across a further three Roamers. They took one each and put them down before starting their search for supplies.
Minutes later, a gunshot sounded outside. Scarlett, Travis and Riley froze, all unsure of what to do.
Scarlett wiped her axes on her jeans, streaking the congealed blood across them before replacing one axe in her belt and stealthily making her way back to the kiosk and retrieving her phone. She hastily switched it off and held her breath, waiting.
She peered over the counter to see a familiar face entering the store. Mark – The King. She quickly replaced the axe and drew the pistol from her boot.
“Come on now, I know there’s someone in here. We heard your music,” he said loudly, “Stupid pricks attracted some corpses outside.”
Riley and Travis snuck up next to Scarlett.
“That’s the lunatic from The City,” Scarlett whispered, “He is not going to be happy to see us.”
“How the fuck is that asshole still alive?” Travis said, surprised.
“Out you come,” Mark repeated, “If you come out now, I won’t have to put a bullet in each one of your heads.”
Scarlett cursed under her breath before slowly standing. Mark smirked as he laid eyes on her.
“Well, holy shit,” he began, removing his sunglasses and placing them on a shelf, “I wasn’t expecting to see you again,” he chuckled, “and I'll bet you’re not alone.” Scarlett said nothing as Riley and Travis revealed themselves either side of her and Mark laughed out loud. “Wow. How’s it going, Travis? It’s been a long time; I thought this little bitch had killed you.”
“What do you want?” Riley demanded, pointing his gun at Mark.
“Oh, not much,” he began, “I’ll be taking your weapons. Put them on the counter and step aside, please.” Travis laid down his crossbow and Scarlett and Riley set down their pistols. “All of them,” they looked at each other as Scarlett removed her weapon belt, along with her axes, Travis grudgingly placed his hunting knife on the counter and Riley gave up his crowbar. “That’s it. Now move away. O
kay, here’s what’s going to happen; my men are going to take what we came for… along with a little something extra. Now, you boys need to exit the store please. I need to have a little chat with… Scarlett, isn’t it?”
“We ain’t goin’ anywhere.” Travis insisted.
“Is that right?” Mark stepped closer and raised his weapon, aiming at Travis’ head.
“You’re gonna have to shoot me, Mark.”
“Travis, don’t be stupid, just go. Both of you.” Scarlett ordered, “I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, Travis, you didn’t,” Mark said, laughing to himself, “You’re fuckin’ this little whore, aren’t you?” Scarlett and Travis just looked at each other, Scarlett silently begging him to go. She couldn’t face losing someone else, “Oh no,” he laughed, “This just gets better. You’re in love with her. Well that changes everything. This is nice; me, the post-apocalyptic cupid sharing a reunion with you both. It must be fate,” Mark altered his aim and instead pointed his gun at Scarlett, “I should start an agency.”
“Come on, Travis. Let’s just go outside.” Riley said, fully aware that no amount of discussion would diffuse the situation.
“Your friend’s a smart man. Off you go.” Mark smiled at them as they left, Travis’ brain working at speed, trying to come up with a way to get Scarlett back.
“So what do you want?” Scarlett finally asked, dreading the answer that Mark would give.
“I just need a woman to help with the shopping,” he responded, walking right up to her. He put a hand on her face and she flinched, “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” Scarlett kept her eyes tightly closed, trying not to think about what this man might do to her. She just wanted Travis.
Mark’s men quietly gathered what little supplies the store had to offer while Mark continued to survey Scarlett, circling her.
“So, how’ve you been? You never call, you don’t write. Any other man would think you’re not interested.”
“What do you want?” Scarlett repeated.
“Where are you living now? If you’re local, maybe we could go for a coffee some time. I won’t breathe a word to Don Juan out there.”
Roamers (Book 1) Page 19