End of the Line

by Ottilie Weber

We were there for another two weeks as the snow gradually melted away. The food was gone and I listened as the smaller children cried out for food. It was heart wrenching when I couldn’t do anything for them. So we headed out of the rotten town and I for one couldn’t have been any happier to see the town getting smaller as we walked away from that hell pit.

  I held Sean close to me as Jill had Paige on her back. His fingers were curled into his sweatshirt, his face in mine as he tried to keep warm. I could hear Sean’s light snoring as we got farther and farther away from the city. They were all now too tried from lack of food to really go far.

  “Aaron, we seriously need to find more food now, because if I have to listen to them cry like I had for the past two weeks, I’ll go insane from heartbreak.” Sean whimpered and I brought closer. I nuzzled the top of his head through his hood.

  Aaron sighed, not even making an attempt to look at me.

  “I don’t know how well we’ll do in finding something to eat, but we’ll try.”

  Not the response I was looking for, which made me aggravated, but there was no other answer he could really give while being truthful. So we traveled awhile longer ‘til we came to a house which was slanted, faint smoke climbing out of the chimney stack. The home looked like it wasn’t doing well, but the smoke showed someone actually currently lived there. Signs of life.

  “You think it’ll be worth checking it out?” I asked.

  I glanced at Aaron. He appeared deep in thought as he looked at the house.

  “It could be another Ed,” I whispered.

  “If so, me getting harassed by another old guy is not what I am looking for.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Suck it up. Let’s go see who lives in the house there.”

  I trudged ahead of them and knocked lightly on the door, afraid the wood would fall down if I hit it too hard. I heard the thuds of footsteps and I now regretted knocking on the door. When the door opened, I couldn’t believe what stood before me. A tall, dark-haired woman with strong limbs stood there, but the part I hadn’t been expecting was that the woman was pregnant. I found myself gapping at the woman in the doorway, unable to find the words to greet her.

  “What do you want?” she questioned bitterly, a hand behind her on her lower back, and the other on her bludging stomach.

  “Yeah, we were wondering if you could spare some shelter or food—” Aaron started to only be interrupted.

  “I bet you would! You males are out to use us! Then when you get what you want, you leave! You males love to use females!”

  I nearly laughed. I’m going to guess a guy got her pregnant and left. Yet I didn’t chuckle, knowing this was one of my fears in life too, which might be a common fear among girls. Though I also wanted to laugh at the fact that we found another person, and Aaron had become another verbal punching bag.

  “Please, if you could at least spare a little amount of food for the two little ones, we’ll be out of your hair as soon as you want us to be,” I piped in, as Sean yawned on cue peeking at the woman.

  She glimpsed at Sean and Paige, then sighed in annoyance. She walked aside so we could enter the home, which was missing furniture. Well there were a couple of pieces, but nothing homey, the home was one big room with a bed with a few thin sheets, and a small kitchen on the side. In the fireplace though were wooden pieces, I was not sure though if I saw fabric burning in the mists of flames.

  “Thank you so much.”

  The others curled onto the couch. The lady kept glancing between Aaron and me, as I placed Paige and Sean at the table.

  “There is a little bit of food in the cabinet right there.”

  I opened the cabinet and took out some food, then placed it in front of them. I gave them some, but made sure not to seem overbearing on this generous person. Slowly, they woke up and ate. I felt relief wash over me at the sight of them eating.

  “Are they yours?” Her sour voice came out bluntly.

  “Excuse me?” I asked, completely confused.

  “Are they your kids?”

  My eyes widened and Aaron let out a short snort of laughter.

  “That’s my brother and his friend!” I responded, my voice hitting high octaves.

  “That’s the second time someone thought Sean was your kid!” Aaron let out another short laugh his grin was wide as he restrained himself.

  “Who was the other?” I asked feeling insulted that someone thought I looked like I had a kid, let alone a six year old.

  “Ed...”

  “Why does everyone think I have kids?”

  I was angry now. Did I look like someone who would have had kids at this age? Or did I physically look like I had kids? No one had better answer yes to either!

  “I don’t know, but Ed thought I was the father,” Aaron responded, shrugging his shoulders not looking at me anymore, his smirk long gone from his new comment.

  All the talk of Ed made dread seep through my body. The emotion dripped down from my head like fresh paint that dripped down a wall. Why would Ed think that Aaron and I were parents?

  “Yeah, don’t ever have sex or you could end up like me! I haven’t seen the father in a while and I don’t think he’s coming back. Men suck!” the woman growled, eyebrows fused.

  “You do realize there are a few men here?” Aaron asked, glaring at the woman.

  “I don’t see men, I just see little boys who think they’re men. Guys just don’t grow up; they just grow taller and horny.”

  My jaw dropped. Was this woman serious? I could not believe my ears.

  “Look, I get you’re pissed at the baby’s father, but don’t insult me or them. Don’t insult our gender like that! You don’t know me or Cole or even little Sean here and I’ll shut up now because I don’t want to get into an argument with a pregnant woman!”

  They glowered at each other and I couldn’t believe they were in a sexist argument after just meeting a minute ago. This wasn’t looking good. Apparently she was as stubborn as Aaron, so things didn’t seem so good for us being able to stay there. Was it going to be hard for Aaron to cooperate with the few people we hopefully would come across?

  “Look, you can stay here tonight just because of them little ones, but you’re going to have to leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning!”

  The woman turned tightly on her heel and went over to the bed to lie down. She looked like once she was down she wasn’t about to get up anytime soon because she was pretty much immobile. I turned to glance at Aaron, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “What?” He tried to give me an innocent look.

  I hit him upside the head. He started to glare at me.

  “What was that for?” He rubbed the back of his head.

  “Behave yourself!”

  “She started it!” he said, sounding like a five-year-old caught throwing sand.

  I rolled my eyes. I had gained another child to take care of. The woman might be right about the not growing up thing.

  “You’re arguing with a pregnant woman who took us in! Repeat that in your head to hear how ridicules that sounds!” I snapped as I pointed a finger in his face.

  “You’re defending someone who insults me and doesn’t give us her name?”

  “We didn’t exactly give her our names,” I responded in muted manner.

  “You’re just helping her because you’re both women.”

  I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes as I went to join the others.

  “Girl—” snapped the woman.

  “Girl has a name, and it’s Lauren.” I let my frustration and anger be heard in my voice as I answered the woman.

  The woman stared at me blankly.

  “I’m Jackie. So how did you end up with stick up the butt?” Jackie spoke, and I noticed her tone was naturally acidic.

  I didn’t have to ask who she had meant. I sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at the sheets.

  “That’s Aaron. It’s a long story,” I answered truthfully, as I wondered when she would kick me off he
r bed.

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s a pain, isn’t he?”

  “You realize he is right there, right?” I questioned, pointing with my eyes.

  I was shocked by her always sour attitude and her boldness. Maybe Jackie’s character wasn’t boldness, but rudeness.

  “So you’re afraid of him?”

  “No. Why should I be?” I jolted a little from shock, with a raised eyebrow.

  “Good, don’t be afraid of the males!” The word males came out like it was the vilest word she had ever uttered.

  “How about you get some sleep,” I suggested, nor sure if she should be that fired up in her condition.

  She let out a snorting laugh. “How old are you, girl?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “So you’re not much younger than me, yet we have to act older to take care of others while the men don’t do a thing.”

  “I do things!” Aaron shouted from the kitchen.

  I wanted to laugh, but Jackie gave me a death stare. I bowed my head and bit my lip as heat rose to my cheeks.

  “You all just go to sleep now,” she growled.

  We all fell asleep on the floor close together so we wouldn’t bother the crazy woman anymore.