The drive home was pleasantly uneventful. For the first time in a long time, it felt like today some angel above was watching over us.
Since the Dually had more seating, Joey and Miranda were riding with Grant and Suzie. Our newbies didn't argue or complain as Thomas gave them specific instructions when they were preparing to leave with us, which was a good sign.Joey, albeit heartbroken over his father, stayed silent as he and Miranda quickly loaded more supplies, their belongings, and thoroughly disinfected themselves before loading up for the journey home."Is that Matt?" I pointed to a shadow digging in the yard as we rolled down our long dirt road.Thomas squinted against the late afternoon sun. "Looks like it."Matt glanced up. A huge smile lit up his face as he threw down his shovel, hoisted himself out of the hole, and jogged toward us.The front door swung open, revealing a joyful Celia with our Munchkin in her arms.At the sight of my dauSuzie POVOver the next few weeks, things were oddly quiet. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome, but it was just weird since we hadn't seen a zombie in days.Digging sucked. It looked easy, but it was tiring, and my hands suffered the consequences. The blisters made it a painful transition, but I didn't get blisters anymore. Now I had calluses."Do you think the zombies went south to the ocean?" Taking a long drink from my water, I studied the clouds in the sky as I tried to catch my breath."No. We're just in between groups." Joey tossed a heap of dirt onto my feet. "They're always right around the corner, headed our way.""What the heck? Don't!" Kicking the dirt off my boots, I aimed for Joey, hitting his knees.Joey's deep laugh filled the trench as he slapped the dirt off his jeans."Joey," Matt warned in a harsh tone before his pickaxe hit the dirt. "Do it again, and you'll be put
Casey POV"Grant, stand guard here. No one gets inside." Thomas said from somewhere under my window as he and Matt jogged toward the front gate."Dada!" Mindy hollered from her playpen.Keeping my gun pointed forward, I twisted and pressed one finger to my lips. "Shh.""Mama ma ma." Mindy's big smile faltered before dropping to her bottom and throwing one of her blocks at the netting.I gave her a warm smile. Thomas had been working with her to say 'mama,' and last week, she finally got it. During his lessons, Thomas hugged me and kissed my cheek to show Mindy that I was Mama. She was growing too fast and was on the verge of walking. I was nervous she would figure out how to escape her playpen soon.Matt and Thomas opened the small gate beside our large vehicle gate. When they both disappeared, my skin crawled.I'd watched the three vehicles approach, but now they were hidden behind th
Casey POVAfter our visitors finally left, we all rushed to get back on track. I barely had time to clean the blood off my face before I hurried outside to get done with the day's to-do list.Since our schedule had been unendingly jam packed, we were all looking forward to the party planned for tonight. Not only did we need some time off, but we were finally celebrating birthdays.For the first time since the virus started, we were going to have a relaxing night and drink alcohol. We didn't have much to look forward to in this new life, and we'd all been working our asses off. The first priority on our list was to finish the fence, and this party was our big reward.The unexpected visit from Waldo and Harold had put our day way behind schedule.Grant and Suzie stayed in the house to watch Mindy, and they were also helping Miranda and Derek with food preparation.Thomas, Matt, and Joey were
Just as the barn door opened, a shadow darted from the cellar to the office."What was that?" I whispered as I clicked on my flashlight."I hope it's not what I think." Thomas's tone was angry as he put his gun away and flicked on his flashlight before barging into the office.I rushed in after him with my gun raised."Well, looky who it is," Thomas said sarcastically.Joey's dark hair hung over one eye. His other eye was wide with fear as he stared up at Thomas from behind the desk. He was sitting on the floor, holding the front of his shirt like a baby. Pre-packaged goods of all sorts were poking out of his makeshift basket."Empty it on the desk." Thomas said.Joey sighed in defeat and stood, unloading the contents of his shirt onto the desktop. Candy and snacks of all kinds fell out.Thomas and I looked over the pile of junk food. Everyone wanted this stuff, but since they were in such high demand, we were only permitted one selection per
A mouthwatering aroma wafted out of the house as I ascended the back steps. Jett must've heard me coming because he started whining at the door before Miranda opened it."Back up, Jett," Miranda tried to hold Jett inside with her foot. "Everything alright? Y'all have been out there for a hot minute.""Yeah, we're good." Pushing back the desire to tell her about Joey's latest bullshit, I laughed at Jett's eagerness to see me. "You can let him out."Miranda moved her foot, letting Jett run. He yelped as he bounded toward me."Case?" Suzie rushed out behind Jett. "Are you okay? I heard you needed stitches."Kneeling to catch Jett before he ran down the stairs, I scratched his head. "Yeah. Do they look okay?"Miranda clicked on her tiny flashlight and moved in my direction, shining the light at my ear. Both she and Suzie hissed."That good, huh?" I chuckled as I grabbed Jett and stood."I'm no doctor, but it looks like Thomas knows what he's doing
"Anyone else wanna play the next round?" Miranda asked as she gathered cards."I'll play. You wanna play, Bae?" Matt pulled Celia toward the table."Wanna give Su her gifts?" I whispered to Thomas.He nodded and tugged me toward the living room. "Alone? Or with everyone else.""Alone." I knew if we did it alone, the gift would be more meaningful. "Su, come here.""Yeah?" Suzie walked into the living room."We have birthday gifts for you," I said."You do?" With wide eyes, Suzie glanced between us."Thomas first," I said.Releasing my hand, Thomas pulled a small pouch out of his pocket. "Squirt, you need to know I'm always gonna be here. I hate thinking about horrible shit, but if anything ever happens to your sister or if one day she smartens up and leaves my dumbass, I want you to know I'm always gonna be here for you. You'll always be my little sister, no matter what."Suzie's sapphire eyes sparkled in the candlelight as her face m
I answered Mom's phone with trembling fingers as footsteps pounded down the hall. "Dad, something's really wrong with Mom.""Thank God! I've been worried sick. There was a horrible accident on the interstate. It took forever to get around it, but I should be home in ten. Why haven't you or your sister been answering your phones and where is your mother? I've been trying to get a hold of her. Wait, this is her phone. Why are you answering her phone? Where's your phone? You better not have lost it again." Dad hadn't listened to a word I said.I tuned him out as he rambled on like Mom wasn't sick and unconscious.A shadow crept over the bed, suffocating Mom's frail form. I glanced up. Suzie inched into the room with her hands covering her mouth and squeezing her nose. We had to do something. Mom's brain could be boiling right this very minute. She could die."Call 911," I instructed my sister."What?" Dad asked from far away.I stared wide-eyed at Suzie as
We never got Mom to the tub. After I heaved everything in my stomach onto my parent's bedroom floor, I held my breath and tried to lift Mom, but she was freaking heavy.Suzie wouldn't come anywhere near Mom once she saw the disgusting mess of feces on the bed. My sister ran out of the room and refused to come back in.Thank goodness Dad got home in record time after Suzie ditched me because I didn't know what else to do. The shock on Dad's face once he saw Mom was something I'd never seen before.Dad was actually scared.After trying to wake Mom up with no success, he told me to grab a blanket from the linen closet. He moved Mom from the bed of her bloody feces to the blanket, cleaned her face, and forced ibuprofen down her throat before carrying her to our SUV.Five minutes later we were speed racing to the hospital until Dad slammed on the brakes. Somehow, we'd landed in the middle of bumper to bumper traffic only a mile from the hospital."Casey, go see what the
"Anyone else wanna play the next round?" Miranda asked as she gathered cards."I'll play. You wanna play, Bae?" Matt pulled Celia toward the table."Wanna give Su her gifts?" I whispered to Thomas.He nodded and tugged me toward the living room. "Alone? Or with everyone else.""Alone." I knew if we did it alone, the gift would be more meaningful. "Su, come here.""Yeah?" Suzie walked into the living room."We have birthday gifts for you," I said."You do?" With wide eyes, Suzie glanced between us."Thomas first," I said.Releasing my hand, Thomas pulled a small pouch out of his pocket. "Squirt, you need to know I'm always gonna be here. I hate thinking about horrible shit, but if anything ever happens to your sister or if one day she smartens up and leaves my dumbass, I want you to know I'm always gonna be here for you. You'll always be my little sister, no matter what."Suzie's sapphire eyes sparkled in the candlelight as her face m
A mouthwatering aroma wafted out of the house as I ascended the back steps. Jett must've heard me coming because he started whining at the door before Miranda opened it."Back up, Jett," Miranda tried to hold Jett inside with her foot. "Everything alright? Y'all have been out there for a hot minute.""Yeah, we're good." Pushing back the desire to tell her about Joey's latest bullshit, I laughed at Jett's eagerness to see me. "You can let him out."Miranda moved her foot, letting Jett run. He yelped as he bounded toward me."Case?" Suzie rushed out behind Jett. "Are you okay? I heard you needed stitches."Kneeling to catch Jett before he ran down the stairs, I scratched his head. "Yeah. Do they look okay?"Miranda clicked on her tiny flashlight and moved in my direction, shining the light at my ear. Both she and Suzie hissed."That good, huh?" I chuckled as I grabbed Jett and stood."I'm no doctor, but it looks like Thomas knows what he's doing
Just as the barn door opened, a shadow darted from the cellar to the office."What was that?" I whispered as I clicked on my flashlight."I hope it's not what I think." Thomas's tone was angry as he put his gun away and flicked on his flashlight before barging into the office.I rushed in after him with my gun raised."Well, looky who it is," Thomas said sarcastically.Joey's dark hair hung over one eye. His other eye was wide with fear as he stared up at Thomas from behind the desk. He was sitting on the floor, holding the front of his shirt like a baby. Pre-packaged goods of all sorts were poking out of his makeshift basket."Empty it on the desk." Thomas said.Joey sighed in defeat and stood, unloading the contents of his shirt onto the desktop. Candy and snacks of all kinds fell out.Thomas and I looked over the pile of junk food. Everyone wanted this stuff, but since they were in such high demand, we were only permitted one selection per
Casey POVAfter our visitors finally left, we all rushed to get back on track. I barely had time to clean the blood off my face before I hurried outside to get done with the day's to-do list.Since our schedule had been unendingly jam packed, we were all looking forward to the party planned for tonight. Not only did we need some time off, but we were finally celebrating birthdays.For the first time since the virus started, we were going to have a relaxing night and drink alcohol. We didn't have much to look forward to in this new life, and we'd all been working our asses off. The first priority on our list was to finish the fence, and this party was our big reward.The unexpected visit from Waldo and Harold had put our day way behind schedule.Grant and Suzie stayed in the house to watch Mindy, and they were also helping Miranda and Derek with food preparation.Thomas, Matt, and Joey were
Casey POV"Grant, stand guard here. No one gets inside." Thomas said from somewhere under my window as he and Matt jogged toward the front gate."Dada!" Mindy hollered from her playpen.Keeping my gun pointed forward, I twisted and pressed one finger to my lips. "Shh.""Mama ma ma." Mindy's big smile faltered before dropping to her bottom and throwing one of her blocks at the netting.I gave her a warm smile. Thomas had been working with her to say 'mama,' and last week, she finally got it. During his lessons, Thomas hugged me and kissed my cheek to show Mindy that I was Mama. She was growing too fast and was on the verge of walking. I was nervous she would figure out how to escape her playpen soon.Matt and Thomas opened the small gate beside our large vehicle gate. When they both disappeared, my skin crawled.I'd watched the three vehicles approach, but now they were hidden behind th
Suzie POVOver the next few weeks, things were oddly quiet. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome, but it was just weird since we hadn't seen a zombie in days.Digging sucked. It looked easy, but it was tiring, and my hands suffered the consequences. The blisters made it a painful transition, but I didn't get blisters anymore. Now I had calluses."Do you think the zombies went south to the ocean?" Taking a long drink from my water, I studied the clouds in the sky as I tried to catch my breath."No. We're just in between groups." Joey tossed a heap of dirt onto my feet. "They're always right around the corner, headed our way.""What the heck? Don't!" Kicking the dirt off my boots, I aimed for Joey, hitting his knees.Joey's deep laugh filled the trench as he slapped the dirt off his jeans."Joey," Matt warned in a harsh tone before his pickaxe hit the dirt. "Do it again, and you'll be put
The drive home was pleasantly uneventful. For the first time in a long time, it felt like today some angel above was watching over us.Since the Dually had more seating, Joey and Miranda were riding with Grant and Suzie. Our newbies didn't argue or complain as Thomas gave them specific instructions when they were preparing to leave with us, which was a good sign.Joey, albeit heartbroken over his father, stayed silent as he and Miranda quickly loaded more supplies, their belongings, and thoroughly disinfected themselves before loading up for the journey home."Is that Matt?" I pointed to a shadow digging in the yard as we rolled down our long dirt road.Thomas squinted against the late afternoon sun. "Looks like it."Matt glanced up. A huge smile lit up his face as he threw down his shovel, hoisted himself out of the hole, and jogged toward us.The front door swung open, revealing a joyful Celia with our Munchkin in her arms.At the sight of my dau
Casey POVClicking on our flashlights, Miranda led us into the dark store. Dodging a massive stack of empty boxes sitting just inside the door, I nearly walked into a heaping pile of garbage. One bulging trash bag showed that someone had done the same thing and ripped one open. The garbage within was comprised of empty soup cans and food packaging."Be careful." Miranda grimaced before she continued walking without a flashlight. "We don't do much tidyin' up. I tried to organize the store after those military men left, but a couple of days later, a group of college guys broke in and destroyed all my hard work. They got so drunk that one guy forgot to block the entrance and let a group of eaters inside. The guys all died. Well, actually, I think maybe one got away, but they left me with the mess, and I had to kill all the eaters and the guys that came back to life. It was bad. I gave up cleaning anything after that."
Casey POVGiving up on finding gas, I buckled myself into the passenger seat and leaned my head against the window. We passed several random biters staggering aimlessly down the road as I stared into space. This country road was hopeless.As we hit the three-quarter mark toward home, I glanced at the truck's gas gauge, and it was almost empty again. This truck literally guzzled gas.Noticing my worry, the corner of Thomas's lips tipped up. "It's okay, Sweetheart. Like I said before, it's just a truck. We'll drive until it runs out and we'll come back for it someday."I grimaced and nodded. I hated the idea of leaving this truck behind. It was his, and he shouldn't have to lose anything else. Who was I kidding? It was mine too, and I damn sure didn't want to lose it.Even though the dark clouds continued to hold their ominous position, the rain slowed, softening into a sprinkle. That was when a small m