Page 88 of The Last Man on Earth
“Go get up in the tree. Now.”
I freeze.
I’m awake now. I see Vincent standing just outside the shelter, muscles tense, axe in hand, and my heart leaps into my throat.
Then I hear it again.
That deep, wet grunt I heard all those months ago.
Rooting.
Rustling.
And I know instantly.
“Now, Ari. Go!”
I don’t bother with my shoes. I scramble out of the shelter and race to the other side of the tree. I put one foot up, grimacing when the sharp bark digs into my skin. But it’s a small price to pay for safety, so I climb. It’s slow going and painful, and a small slip down the tree feels like it takes the skin off my knee, but I manage to get far enough above the ground to feel relatively safe.
My heart pounds mercilessly, and the little one inside me begins to move. I feel guilty for my panic, knowing I’m stressing her out, but there’s nothing I can do. We’re trying to keep her safe.
Thwack!
Thwack!
I hear thuds. Wet sounds. Cursing.
Grunts.
More thuds.
More cursing.
Then, it’s quiet.
Vincent comes back into my line of sight, chest heaving, arms splattered with dirt and blood.
“What was it?” I ask, my voice small.
He drops the axe. It hits the soft ground with a thud. “Another one of them fuckin’ pigs.”
“Oh my God.”
“It’s gone, baby.”
“I know. It sounded like you killed it twice.”
He chuckles. “It pissed me off. Walkin’ up in here where my fuckin’ family sleeps. Shit set me off.”
There’s a fire in his voice that sends a chill through me.
“I’m a get you down. Lemme just clean this blood off real quick.”
He sits next to the fire and uses a bottle of water to clean himself off. I watch him and think to myself,that’sthe kind of man you want by your side.
“Come on down, Ari,” he says as he rounds the shelter. “I got you.”
He reaches out with both arms. I slowly climb down until I’m within reach, relaxing against him as he carries me back to the shelter and places me gently inside.
