by MJ Ware
*
I don't think any of us got much sleep that night. Even Misty was starting to look tired.
"Okay, we all agree. We'll take the Pony to the fire station." The three of us sat in the vision center, picking at our breakfast. The cookie dough was gone and the cinnamon rolls were getting stale.
"Kali, you find the fire truck operating manual. Misty will locate the keys and I'll make sure it's loaded with gas and water." They both nodded. "We'll lock Dad's car in the station's garage and head back here. Any questions?"
I wasn't excited about taking the Mustang. There were just too many zombies now. But we couldn't be sure any of the other cars ran right.
As we walked to the auto center, I grabbed a handful of jerky from a register. "You guys want some?"
"I don't eat beef," Kali replied.
"That's dumb." I threw a piece to Misty.
Only she didn't catch it; she didn't even try. It hit her in the face.
"Nate!" She gave me an icy stare.
"What? You're as good a catch as me. Shoulda seen it coming." Then I let loose a nice respectable belch. Not with my mouth open or anything gross like that. But for some reason, it set Misty off.
"You're such a pig. Sometimes I wonder why we're best friends." Her face glowed a deep shade of red.
I was actually a little relived to hear her say it—that we were still best friends—I wasn't sure anymore. But I didn't let on. "What's up with you lately? Don't I treat you like one of the guys? I've always treated you just like one of the guys."
Kali's feet tapped against the linoleum as he started quickly walking ahead of us.
"That's the problem, Nate. I'm not one of the guys. I'm not even a girl anymore, though you obviously haven't noticed."
Not a girl anymore? What did she think she was, a woman? I almost turned and walked away, but something hit me: I really cared about how she felt. I didn't have any idea what she was talking about, or why she was so ticked. But I knew I'd really upset her and I wasn't happy about it.
"Sorry," I mumbled, glancing at a huge Lego Millennium Falcon set as we passed by.
I thought she started to say something, but we ended up walking the rest of the way in silence.
Kali had started loading the car. I popped open the hood, checked the fluid levels and then walked around to give the car a visual inspection, like I'd seen my dad do a hundred times.
"Um, guys. I think we have a problem. You better check this out." Misty sat on top of a pallet of dog food, looking with wide eyes out the small, oblong window built into the garage door.
I could tell this wasn't good.
