by Gill, Bonnie
"No. Run," I slur.
"Stop talking, more walking," Dean says.
I laugh. He's rhyming now. He's a poet and doesn't know it. We're at the truck, and Dean opens the door. A bullet misses me by six inches and punctures the metal. "Ooo. Close but no cigar." I giggle some more. I'm delirious. I fall inside the cab, and Dean lifts my feet before he closes the door. He runs around the truck and gets inside the driver's seat. "Stay down," he says.
We pull away with tires screeching. Star and Daria are in the bed of the truck. There's more gunfire. Then a boom. And another Boom. The truck is shaking.
Everything goes dark.
I wake up in a bed with a white fluffy comforter and a mound of pillows. I sit up and about die. Pain spikes across my torso. My face hurts.
"Stop moving," Star says. She's sitting next to me on the bed.
I take in the gray walls and soft white curtains. A fire burns in the corner fireplace. "Where are we?"
"We're in Spring Grove." Spring Grove is the next town over from Fox Lake. "Joey and Vinny found this place a few days ago. It's secure and secluded. We're safe." She puts some snow in a washcloth and hands it to me. "Put that on your face."
"Is Seth dead?" The cold stings my cheek.
"We don't know. A lot of the guys escaped from the gun store, so we have to be very careful. Here, for your ribs." She places a plastic zip-lock bag of ice in my hand.
I suck in a deep breath as I lay it on my side.
"I don't think they're broken, maybe cracked. But without an x-ray, I can't tell for sure. You'll need to take it easy for a while." She points her finger at me, to say she means business.
No one ever takes it easy during an apocalypse. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"Vinny was shot in the arm. It was just a graze, so no big deal. I had to give him some antibiotics from your stash. I hope that’s okay."
"Yes, of course. He was saving me while it happened. Anyone else?" This totally sucks. I hate bringing others into my problems.
"Just some scrapes and bruises. Nothing serious. Oh, the National Guard moved out of Summer Hills. We saw the convoy leaving when Ben showed up." She has worry written all over her face.
"What aren't you telling me?" I’m still slurring. My lips are swollen, and my jaw kills.
"We think the Washingtons went with them."
"Crap. I hope they make it okay."
"Yeah, me too. Anyway, we were able to bring most of our supplies. Mrs. Garcia, Helga, Jasmine, and Sebastian loaded our vehicles and drove them here while we were at the gun shop. I think they brought everything, and they even brought some food from the other homes. Helga swears the only reason you're alive is because she gave you that chicken foot." I'd forgotten about the amulet. Did it help? Or was it bad luck? Star holds it up. "It sure is ugly."
I reach for it, and she swipes it away. "I'll lay it on the nightstand. So, Dean and Mrs. Garcia are keeping watch right now, and Vinny, Daria, and Joey are sleeping. Everyone else is sorting through the supplies. Don't worry. Ben is keeping an eye on all of your weapons."
"Good. I still don't trust Sebastian and Jasmine." It's only because I don't know them. They also sometimes sneak around as if they're hiding something from us. Plus, they said they’re leaving soon.
"I figured. Dean's also concerned about them. Are you hungry? There's some stew downstairs."
“I don't have an appetite. The thought of food makes me want to hurl. Maybe later. My stomach is tender. I swear, if Seth isn't dead, I'm going to kill him."
"Yeah, well why don't you worry about healing before you go all vigilante? Take some painkillers." She grabs a prescription bottle off the end table, opens the cap, and hands me two pills.
"How safe is this place? I don't want to be passed out if Seth and his degenerates decide to invade our new hideaway.”
"It's pretty safe. It's also a three-story, so we can see pretty far out. We hid all the vehicles in the garage. Oh, and most of the snow melted, so they can’t see our tire tracks. On the downside, the gabbies are up and roaming again." She hands me a bottle of water.
I take the painkillers and wash it down with the water. The pillows are nice and cushy. The room calms my nerves. They picked a great place to hide out. I lay my head back and drift off to sleep.
I wake up, and my room is dark. My head spins. I sit up and am instantly reminded of why I'm in bed. Stupid Seth and his goons kicked the living snot out of me. My pulse kicks up. Why is it so quiet?
I sit up and my whole body aches. My ribs throb, my face feels like I went a few rounds in a boxing match, and for some reason, my shoulder is killing me. Probably from when they tossed me into the back of the truck like an unwanted sack of potatoes. I move in slow motion and manage to stand. I'm weak, but I guess that’s normal after being used as a punching bag by that rat bastard. The air is cold, but there's a robe at the foot of the bed. I put it on and appreciate the warmth and comfort of it. It’s like being wrapped in a cloud. On the nightstand sits a flickering candle, a flashlight, and a bottle of water. I take a long drink and pick up the flashlight. The room smells like vanilla and sugar. The scent reminds me of when my mom made cookies during the holidays. The memory of Star and I, eating them while they were still warm brings a smile to my sore face.
I use the bathroom. Each movement makes my body sing—and not in a good way. Everything hurts, even my toenails. I hobble slowly down the hallway to the open door at the far end. Inside, Daria sits at the window with binoculars and a rifle. I walk in, and she jumps.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," I say.
"Oh gosh, you look like crap," Daria says. She turns back to look out the window.
"Where's Vinny?"
"He's across the hall, keeping watch on the other side."
"Can I do anything to help?" I ask.
"You can go and lie back down. You need to get better. Oh, Joey used most of your grenades. But I think there are still two tomahawks left."
Bummer, but at least I'm alive. "Okay." I hobble down the hall to the stairs. Each step sends excruciating pain through my torso. It seems like it takes a half-hour before I hit the bottom of the stairway. Mrs. Garcia and Ben are sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea.
"Oh Raven, what are you doing up?" Mrs. Garcia asks. "Sit here." She pulls out a chair for me.
"How are you feeling?" Ben asks.
I take forever to sit down. "I hurt all over."
Mrs. Garcia places a warm bowl of stew in front of me. "You need to eat and get your strength back."
The hearty beef and veggies smell wonderful. "We still have meat?"
"Yes. We packed the coolers with snow and ice, and we store them outdoors so it should last a few more days. Tomorrow we're having steak." She sits down next to me.
"I've been looking for Seth and the other guys from the gun store," Ben says
"No. Please don't. If they find you, they'll hurt you." I put a spoonful of carrots and potatoes into my mouth. The robust taste is heaven. I didn't realize I was so hungry. My jaw throbs with each chew.
"I'm using your drone. I've been combing the neighborhood. There's no sign of them." Ben takes a drink of his soda.
"Oh, okay. What else have you seen?” I hear scratching and thumps coming from the utility room. I reach for my pistol, but it's not there. Stupid. Stupid. I can't believe I'm unarmed. "Where's a pistol? You guys need to take cover." I stand and can barely straighten.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Garcia asks.
I walk slowly toward the closed door. There are more scratching and weird noises. "There's something in there. Go get a weapon."
"We don't need a gun." Ben gets up from his seat and walks to the door. Grasping the doorknob, he pushes open the door. Four chickens are pecking at seeds on the ground. "Meet our new friends, Huey, Duey, Louie, and that one is Petunia."
The brown chickens scatter when we walk in. Four boxes with holes cut in the center of them, sit on a shelf.
"We have to let them stay in the h
ouse because it's too cold outside," Mrs. Garcia says.
"Where did you find chickens?" I can’t take my eyes off of them. They are kind of cute, surprisingly enough.
"I found them when I was flying the drone. Dean and Joey went and collected them. Dude, there aren’t many left. Either the gabbies got them or the cold. I saw hundreds of dead ones. Feathers everywhere." He shivered. I can't even imagine what else he found.
"Thank you. This is wonderful." One of the chickens poops on the floor.
"We'll make a pen for them when it stays above freezing. They shouldn't live in the house. You can catch Chlamydia and Salmonella from them," Mrs. Garcia says.
"We have all the materials, and Dean and Joey brought back a bunch of chicken feed. I'm hoping I can find more so we can have babies. All these are female," Ben says.
Female? "What's with the names?"
"Oh, we couldn't think of anything else. So, I tossed those names out there, and they stuck." He shrugged.
My head spins like I’m on the teacup ride, and I grab onto the door jamb to keep from falling.
"Let's get you seated." Mrs. Garcia helps me back to my chair. "We want to leave, but Joey and Vinny are set on staying. They keep insisting their moms will come. I don't know what to tell them." She stirs her tea, and the spoon makes a chime noise every time it hits the side of the cup.
"Then we should stay for a little while at least," I say. I owe them everything for their help with the rescue. But then, I don't want anyone else to get hurt by Seth. "Can you keep looking for Seth? We need to find him before he finds us."
"I was going to take the drone out in a little bit. The only thing is, I'm afraid it'll run out of batteries," Ben says. He has a valid point. I'm sure the solar panels aren't fully charging them.
"Keep an eye on the battery indicator. We don't want to lose it."
"I'm being extremely careful." He winks at me. I'm starting to really like him. At first, I thought he was just a carefree college kid. He's proving himself daily.
"Thank you," I say.
Mrs. Garcia smiles. "Finish your stew."
I eat a few more bites.
"Look who's finally up," Dean says, grabbing a seat at the table.
I shoot him a look.
“You slept for over thirty hours.”
Mrs. Garcia gets up and ladles stew out of the big pot and into a bowl with delicate flowers painted on it. She places the bowl in front of him. "Here you go."
"This looks wonderful." He rubs his hands together before picking up the spoon.
"I saw your chickens," I say.
"They're not my chickens. They're everyone’s chickens. Mmm. Maria, this stew is fabulous." He takes another bite.
"Ben, those Spiderman moves at the gun shop were pretty impressive," I say.
He turns a shade of pink. "I never knew parkour could help me save someone else’s life."
"Is it hard? I'd love to be able to move like that.” The gabbies wouldn't stand a chance.
"It's more of a mindset. I'll work with you once you're feeling better." He gives me a warm smile. I wonder how he's coping with not knowing about his family. At least he has his grandmother.
"I'd appreciate it. Thank you." I drink some tea. The warm liquid travels down my throat and heats my stomach.
"Your face looks worse." Dean studies my cheek and rests his hand on his chin like he’s deep in thought.
"Thanks. I can't wait until it turns that beautiful shade of green and purple." I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror yet. I really don’t want to see how bad it is.
"It reminds me of when I first met you." He chuckles. "You know, that was one of the best days of my life." His expression slides into a serious look, but love and kindness radiate from his eyes.
My throat kind of closes. He's been so kind to me. "Mine too."
Mrs. Garcia sits at the table. "I have to admit I was nervous when you first moved in. There you were, a young girl with a teenager tagging along. I thought there would be parties nonstop. You surprised me. You're one of the best neighbors I've ever had. Although, kind of boring. You don't even date. Star filled us in on your history when you disappeared, so I don't blame you."
There's that warmth climbing up my face, and I know I'm blushing. “Sorry I put everyone in danger.”
"Don't worry, Honey. We don't feel any differently about you than we did before. That wasn’t your fault." She rests her hand on mine.
"I'll take the drone out. I hope you feel better, Raven." Ben gets up from the table, rinses his dish off, and leaves the room.
"He's a nice kid. You should be proud of him," I say.
"He's growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was changing his diapers."
"You should go lay down. You look wiped out," Dean says.
"No. I'm not going upstairs. I feel so isolated, and I'm weaponless." My eyes immediately focus on Dean's pistol.
"Nope, not until all those painkillers are out of your system. By the way, where did you get them?"
"I saved them from when I had that tooth pulled and from when I sprained my ankle. I figured I could deal with the pain at the time. I'm glad I did, now." We’d also raided the medicine cabinets in the trailers before we left.
"Why don't you sit on the couch? I'll make you some hot chocolate," Mrs. Garcia says.
"Ben shouldn't be outside alone. We need to enforce the buddy system," I say.
"Already talked to everyone. Joey's in the garage, so I'm sure they'll pair up," Dean says.
"Where's Sebastian, Jasmine, and Helga?" I ask.
"They're upstairs sleeping. I need to come up with duties for them. You can help while you're lounging around." He winks at me. Being useless is the worst feeling. I hate being a burden on anyone.
Guilt creeps into my soul and feels like it's eating my insides. "I'm sorry I got hurt and put you all in more danger."
"Hush. Stop talking nonsense. You’re family, so don't say another word about it. We're just glad you're alive," Mrs. Garcia says.
"Thank you."
"Don’t worry about us. We're happy to be here for you. So just stop," Dean says.
How the heck did he know what I was thinking? “Well, that’s not the slightest bit creepy.”
He clears his throat. "It’s because I know you."
Dean wraps his arm around my waist and helps me walk to the couch in front of the fireplace. The heat stings my face, and I think maybe this isn’t such a great idea. Mrs. Garcia brings in a baggie full of snow and hands it to me. "You need to keep ice on it. It'll help with the pain and swelling."
I take the bag from her. "Thanks."
She hands me the prescription bottle.
I down two more painkillers.
She sits down next to me. "My first husband had a problem. He'd drink too much tequila, and then he'd beat me. Every morning afterward, it was the same thing. ‘Oh, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I promise it'll never happen again.’ It took over a year of careful planning, and help from my friends, to escape him. I'd heard from a mutual friend of ours that he had remarried six months after our divorce. He killed his new wife within two years. I didn't date for years after that, but I eventually healed. You will too. Just know, we're here for you and want to help."
I sit in my comfy chair, staring at the fire for a while. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm glad you were able to get out when you did."
"It was a long time ago. You'll heal. And I have a feeling it'll be quicker after we know he's gone for good." She gives me her best sympathy smile.
I suck in a deep breath, and the stabbing in my ribs feels like it’s about to kill me. She hands me the cup of hot chocolate she’s holding. "Thank you for sharing your story with me," I say. I doubt she's told many people about it.
"It's over, and I learned a lesson."
"What's that?"
"Don't make any commitments until you've seen him drunk." She gives me a huge grin.
"Got it," I say.
Helga twirls into the room and sits on the loveseat. She's carrying something, but I can't tell what it is. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes. Thank you for moving the supplies," I say.
"I made you something." She hands me a doll made from gray t-shirt fabric. It has two buttons for eyes.
"Thank you. What's this?" I turn it over and see pushpins sticking out of it.
"I washed your clothes earlier and found a hair on your shirt. I hope it’s one of Seth's. That voodoo doll is Seth. You can cause him pain. Watch." She takes out one of the long pins and stabs him in the eye a few times.
"Gee. Thanks." It’s kind of twisted, but I can see how it might be therapeutic.
She hands the doll back to me. "You're welcome." She dances out of the room.
I don't think using a voodoo doll will hurt Seth, but it may make me feel better. I pull the pin out and stab it in the butt a few times. Yep. It does make me feel better.
"We could light its face on fire. You know, to get him back for bruising yours," Mrs. Garcia says. I don't know if she's serious or just playing with me.
"Yeah, we could. Or we could rip its head off and hope it kills him."
"I don't think it works that way," she says with a sad tone. It makes me wonder if she's used one before.
I hand it to her. "You can torture him for a while. I'm going to rest."
"Good. You do that." She takes the doll and places it next to my hot chocolate on the end table. She stands. "I'm going to bed."
"Thank you for everything," I say. She's the grandmother I never had.
"Thank you, Raven." She kisses me lightly on the top of my head.
I watch the flames dance in the fireplace and realize no one gave me a weapon. I get up and totter from one piece of furniture to the next to keep my balance. My legs are noodles. That beating took a lot out of me. I make it to the chicken room and just about trip over one of our little feathered friends. "Hey ladies. Are you going to make us some eggs? I wouldn't mind a plate of scrambled eggs right now." They make soft clucks in response. I want to pet one of them, but bending over is impossible.
I open the door to the adjoining garage. Joey and Ben are setting up the drone.
"You should be resting," Joey says.
