by Crist, J. D.
"I was bitten the day after the flash. I had seen enough horror movies to know that I would die, so I waited in my house to do just that. But I kept waking up every morning, and it started to heal. I never understood why until I read Robert's journals. There are some people, like me, that have a rare genetic marker that somehow makes them immune."
"Does that mean the baby is immune too?" it was a little boy who stepped forward this time. He could not be more than six years old.
"I don't know," was the only answer Emily could give as she stared at the sleeping baby in her arms.
"So, your plan was just to stay in here, alone, and let the rest of us stay out there to die!" a woman stepped forward with crazy blonde hair.
"It wasn't a plan. The only living people I had seen before you lot was Jeff's rapist gang. He grabbed me and told me I would be his. Then he tried to rape me, and when I fought back, he locked me in a cellar with very little food or sunlight until he thought I had broken and would give in to his will. I played along, allowed him to lead me into the center of his boys as he told me to drop to my knees. I did, I played my part very well, and then I drove a screwdriver into his penis. I swore that day never to trust people again and to protect my baby. But today, I broke that vow. Tell me, if that was the only living people you saw, would you be putting out open house signs and baking cookies?"
Emily could feel herself shaking, telling this part of her story. She had not been able to tell anyone except Marley what had happened to her, and she was regretting it even as the words came out. The woman with the crazy hair looked down at her feet and stepped back. Emily felt the tears running down her face, and she looked down, trying to hide them from everyone staring at her.
"I probably would have shot us on sight if I would have been in your shoes," the biker kneeled next to her chair. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You opening that gate at all takes more courage than should ever be asked of anyone." Emily nodded and could not help but find comfort in his words.
"If you all are hungry, you're free to come up to my place. I pulled out enough ground meat for a small army last night, and guess now I know why. According to the books, I also have a few beds that I've made up, part of nesting. There's hot water, and you all are free to get washed up." Emily was surprised to hear herself saying the words. She listened as mumbles of "hot water" and "food" rippled through the group.
"We would greatly appreciate it," the skinny man replied. He then grabbed Emily's chair and began pushing her towards the house. "I assume this one is yours by the dog on the front porch. May I ask, how did it become yours?"
"Well, there was a bidding war, but, in the end, I was the last person standing." Emily laughed and heard him join her in the laughter.
Chapter 22
Once inside the house, Emily felt herself taking them all through the grand tour. She explained that other than the few clothes she had for herself, she didn't have much in the way of clothing. But they were all welcome to go to the clothing store and get anything they would like. She told them about the washer and dryer downstairs, whether they needed to do laundry and the bathrooms. She told the children about the movie collection and made sure to have their parents' permission before watching anything.
"So, these journals you spoke of" it was the older man once again. Emily would have to find a way to figure out what their names were.
"They are in the study. Robert had an entire bookshelf of stuff he had written himself. I've started to add to it, and there is a journal on the bottom shelf that is mine that I started right after I came here. Just please make sure to put them back before you go to sleep." Everyone stared at her, a little confused. "I have been doing everything here by myself for months. I didn't have time to take a day and clean the house, so I've been pretty picky about making sure everything is where it goes before I go to bed." They seemed to accept this explanation. "If one of you could help me to the kitchen, I think I have everything to get dinner started. Nothing fancy, but I Hope pasta and garlic bread is acceptable for everyone."
"You are not cooking. You are welcome to come to tell us where everything is, but you are supposed to be resting." The older woman had stepped forward. "We will take turns as there are only three showers anyway. Bobby, me, you, and your daddy will be in the kitchen with Shawn and June. Sarah, you and the rest go get some fresh clothes and start working your way through the showers." The woman started to move to the kitchen and turned back, "And try to save a little hot water for the rest of us."
"No promises," the woman with the crazy hair Emily now knew was Sarah replied. Emily watched to see the skinny man, the biker, and an older lady head into the kitchen. She knew one of the men was Shawn, and the other was Bobby's dad. Before she could overthink it, Bobby pushed a chair into the kitchen, obviously eager to help. Once inside, Emily told them where she kept the pots and pans and where to find the noodles and sauce. Bobby eagerly asked where to find the dog food, and he took care of Marley. Emily watched as the woman and the skinny man started cooking. She could tell right away that this man was Bobby's dad. Shawn, the biker, took the dishes that June was handing to him and carried them to the dining room table. Emily seldom came in here and had almost forgotten it was here. She ate all of her meals at the kitchen table while Marley ate his.
Emily heard the front door open as some of the group returned from getting fresh clothes.
"I don't need your help, Uncle Jacob! I am almost ten years old; I can shower by myself!"
"I know you can." Jacob struggled with his niece, "I'm just trying to keep you safe, Tara."
The sound of Tera running told Emily that she most definitely did not understand.
"Ms. Julia, will you please tell my uncle that I can take a shower by myself!" Tera screamed as she ran into the kitchen. Bobby’s mom turned and laughed as Jacob came into the room.
"I think you're just a tad overprotective." She said to Jacob.
"It's not that I don't think she can. I just worry." Jacob looked exhausted. He could not have been over twenty-one and was not ready to be taking care of his niece like a father.
"Tera, why don't you use the shower in my room. Then your uncle can watch tv while you shower and when you are done, you guys can switch. You can shower alone, and he knows that you're safe. Does that sound fair to you?" Emily seemed to shock everyone in the room by speaking up.
"I'll take it!" Tera exclaimed as she took off for the stairs. Jacob followed after mouthing a quick "Thank you" to Emily. The rest of the bunch was coming through the door, and the bathrooms were soon full up. Those who had taken too long picking out their clothes waited in the living room for a shower to become available. Emily was beginning to enjoy learning their names by listening to them. It was like a living puzzle. She continued to listen as the shower switches took place, and soon dinner was heading for the dining room. Bobby proudly pushed Emily to the head of the table where someone had brought down the basinet from her room, probably Jacob, as he and Tessa were the ones to use that shower. For the first time in hours, Emily laid her daughter down in the bassinet. When she turned back to the table, everyone was sitting quietly as if they were waiting on permission from her.
"Please, don't be shy. Help yourselves." Emily motioned for them all to start eating.
"We're not shy. We just wanted to say thank you," Bobby spoke up. "But then we all realized that none of us knows your name." Bobby seemed very confused on how none of them knew her name. "Mommy said that it might be best for us to tell you ours first. I'm…"
"Your Bobby, and that's your daddy, Sam, and your mama Julia. Over here, we have Tera and her Uncle Jacob. This beautiful woman is June and her husband, Howard." Emily felt proud as she worked her way around the table. "The gentleman over there with the plaid shirt is Derick. Next to him is Sarah, and beside her is Jessica." Emily motioned to the chair on her left, "This is Shawn, and that is Doc. Does everyone call you Doc, or do you go by something else?" Everyone sat silently, just looking at her.
>
"How does she know our names, but we don't know hers?" Bobby was not shy in any sense of the word and asked the question before his mother could stop him.
"Because little guy, unlike us, she has been alone a long time. She stayed alive by paying attention to everything around her." It was Shawn who spoke, and it caught Emily off guard. "She had to. There was no one else for her to depend on to notice what she missed. So, while all of us assumed at least one of us got her name, no one did. But she learned all of ours while we cooked dinner."
"Wow," Bobby gasped. "You are smart."
This finally broke the tension at the table as everyone laughed, even Emily.
"I do the best I can," she replied. "And you can call me Emily."
"What about her?" Bobby asked while motioning to the bassinet. Everyone started to go silent again, but Emily had enough of silence.
"Hope, her name is Hope." Emily quickly replied. "Come on now, let's eat."
Soon the sounds of conversation filled the air, and everyone was enjoying themselves. This reminded Emily of the family dinners when she was a kid. She barely ate that night but instead watched the scene unfold in front of her. She was never really alone, she always had Marley and Hope, but this was different. This was a complete family who laughed and enjoyed whatever they had together.
As the evening began to wear down, the next group headed out to get fresh clothes and start taking their showers. All of the rooms had been claimed, along with the couch. Emily grabbed Hope from the basinet and turned to look at the stairs. She had not thought this plan through very well. She wasn't supposed to walk upstairs, but that's where her bed was, and there was nowhere left to sleep down here. She just thought that if she went real slow, she could carry Hope up the stairs as someone stepped behind her.
"You're not planning on breaking Doc's orders and walking up those stairs now, are you, Ms. Emily?" Shawn teased behind her.
"No, I was just trying to remember how to fly from my days in Neverland." Emily teased back.
"Well, if I may be so bold, I would be glad to assist you up the stairs, both of you." He nodded at Hope, who was fast asleep after another bottle and a diaper change.
"If it's not too much trouble." Emily wasn't teasing this time. She hated that she had to keep having Shawn carry her all over the place.
"It's none at all," he replied. Before Emily could speak another word, he had lifted her out of the chair. He then began carrying her up the stairs. Once in the room, he placed her on the bed and returned downstairs to get the bassinet. "Is there anything else I can get you guys?" he asked after putting the bassinet next to Emily's bed.
"No, we are fine, thank you. You better hurry before you lose your spot for a shower."
"Someone already took it." Shawn laughed. "I can wait for a while. How long can a married couple in an apocalypse take in a shower anyway?"
Emily could not help but laugh. "Well, the shower should be free by the end of next week, but only if they barely like each other."
"Well, shit. Between them and the teenager, I'm never going to get to take a shower."
"There's one right in there," Emily pointed at the bathroom. "I'm not going to be using it. Help yourself."
"Are you sure? I don't want to invade your space and all."
"Won't it be worse for me if you never shower and I have to smell you?" Emily teased.
"I can't argue that with you. I won't be long," Shawn stated as he closed the door.
"Take your time," Emily replied as she laid her head down on her pillow. A few moments later, she felt Marley jump on the bed and cuddle in close. "It's not just me and you anymore pup, you going to be okay with that?" Marley wagged his tail, and Emily listened to it rhythmically hit the blankets. "Yeah, I thought you might." Emily heard the shower turn on, but within minutes she was fast asleep.
Chapter 23
Emily woke the following day and could already hear sounds of people downstairs talking and breakfast being made. She leaned into the bassinet to find Hope still sound asleep. She thanked the stars that she was lucky enough to have a baby that slept through the night. Without thinking, she pulled back the blankets and sat up. Her body was still sore today, but nothing she couldn't handle. She looked down to see that a fresh bandage had been applied on her lower stomach. Touching the dressing, she remembered that Doc told her that she was not supposed to walk. She looked around the room but saw no way to get around otherwise. It was then that she noticed the note on the bedside table.
Everything is looking good.
You should be good to walk today
Just don't push it.
You can wear regular clothes if you want.
Just nothing tight over the bandage.
I'm sure you want to take a shower.
Just change the bandage when you done.
Just call out if you need help.
Doc
Emily focused on one word of the note, shower. She wanted one more than words could express and wasn't going to question the good doctor's judgment. She stood slowly, trying very hard not to wake Hope. Marley raised his head as she got out of the bed but laid back down, seeing that she walked into the bathroom. Emily left the door open as she turned on the water and slipped out of the hospital gown she had been in since the day before. She tried her best to keep the bandage out of the water but knew that she would be changing it by the time she was done. She tried to move quickly but carefully as she washed off the events of the previous day. After she shut off the water, she stood for a moment to make sure that Hope had not woken while she was washing. There was no sound from the bedroom, and Emily quickly changed her bandage, brushed her hair and teeth, and walked back into the bedroom to get dressed. The only clothes she had were still the overalls that fit over her baby bump. They were not tight over the bandage and strangely made her feel like herself again.
Once she was dressed, she walked back over to the bed to wake both the sleeping babies. Hope woke very quickly and seemed to be happy about it. Marley turned on the bed, and Emily heard him snoring again as she changed Hope and put her in a fresh outfit. She opened the bedroom door and realized that it was not locked for the first time since she had been here. It was then she remembered that she had fallen asleep while Shawn was in the shower. Her face felt hot, and she couldn't understand why. She shook it off and walked out the door. Marley seemed to realize that there was no getting her to come back to bed and jumped down to follow. Emily took the stairs slowly, one at a time, and Marley walked patiently behind her. When she reached the bottom, the children watched cartoons and said a quick "Good Morning" as she passed. Emily made her way to the kitchen, where most of the group was either drinking coffee or helping to cook breakfast. Emily glanced over at the dog bowls and saw that they were both filled already, probably by Bobby. She made her way through the room to open the door for Marley.
As she opened the door, she had a little fright as she did not realize that Shawn would be standing right on the other side. Marley seemed immune to the shock and made his way out into the yard, pushing past Shawn as he went. Emily felt her face turn red as Shawn moved aside for Marley. As he turned, she saw that he was holding a cigarette. As soon as he saw Hope in Emily's arms, he took a few steps out into the yard.
"Bad habit, I know, especially around a baby, but I made sure to step outside."
Emily could tell that he was trying to defend himself but couldn't understand why. It had been years since she had her last cigarette. But the cartons in the store were tempting for even her. Hope was the only thing that had given her the self-control to say no.
"It's fine, really," Emily tried to assure him. "It doesn't bother me at all, just as long as it's not around Hope."
"Thanks, I figure with everything going on, these things killing me is the least of my worries." Shawn motioned at the cigarette.
"I understand that," Emily responded as Hope began to fuss in her arms. "Would you mind letting him in when he's done? I think she is done
waiting for her breakfast?"
"Oh, no problem," Shawn said as he turned back to the yard.
Emily closed the door and looked back into the kitchen. The people were moving all over the place, but all seemed to understand the chaos. They were like a well-oiled machine working together, and everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Emily thought back to what Shawn had said the night before about her being alone so long that she learned to do everything herself. While having actual people around was a dream come true, Emily also wanted to scream because she could not do things as she had always done. Emily calmed herself before heading into the chaos to make Hope a bottle when Julia turned and handed her one. Emily forced a smile as she accepted it and left the room. The children were still watching the television, and Emily very much wanted to be alone. She headed for the study and breathed a sigh of relief at the empty room. She pushed the door closed behind her and went to sit in the desk chair.
She began to feed Hope and thought about everything that had happened. There were actual living people here now. Even just having Hope here felt overwhelming, but to add in the others was shattering to her. She took comfort in the fact that if anything were to happen to her, at least Hope would have someone to take care of her that wasn't a dog. But she didn't know how to adjust to life with other people around after being alone for so long. She sat, rolling her thoughts through her head as Hope was nearly done with the bottle. A light knock came at the door that startled her more than she would have liked.
