by M. J. Haag
“Hey, Angel,” she said in a rush. “I can't stay. I have to get to Hannah. I just stopped to tell you that something happened at Whiteman. A truckload of survivors just pulled up outside our wall. They're offloading people. Mya and Drav are already talking to them and splitting them up into groups. The survivors are staying here. In Tolerance. But, there's no way there's enough open houses for all of them. You're going to get company. Hide your food.”
She looked over my shoulder briefly.
“Hey, Shax. You might want to check in with Mya and Drav.”
Without another word, Emily turned around and rushed off down the sidewalk. I slowly closed the door then turned to face Shax.
He stood right behind me, his jacket already on. We looked at each other, the silence stretching. How could something that was meant to be so simple be so awkward?
“About what you felt,” I said, knowing I needed to address it before he left.
“Is that how all kisses are supposed to feel?” he asked softly.
“The good ones,” I said.
“That means I'm a good kisser?”
I smiled, realizing I was off the hook. He’d been so into the kiss, he hadn’t noticed.
“If you kissed any better than that, you would have melted my panties off. Hannah’s problem is definitely not the way you kiss. There's nothing wrong with your skills. We’ll need to talk about this some more, but give me some time to think it over. I'm sure we'll come up with something. For right now, I think we need to figure out what's going on out there.”
“We will talk later,” he said with a nod.
He let himself out, and I basked in my reprieve for a moment before hurrying to my food supply.
I hadn't yet gotten rid of the box, so I started loading everything back in. There was no way I was going back to starving. Not when I got this food fair and square.
Once I had everything loaded in the box, I lugged it upstairs to my bedroom and hid it under my bed. Rushing back to the kitchen, I grabbed a piece of paper and some tape and scribbled “taken” in large letters. I slapped that sign on my bedroom door then grabbed my jacket on my way out.
It wasn't hard to figure out where to go. I followed the noise.
Mya and a few fey stood in the center of a cluster of people.
“If you guys can be patient just a little while longer,” she said loudly, “we’re working on figuring out where to put everyone. We need to clear a few of the fey out of their homes to make room. Everyone will have a bed to sleep in tonight.”
Despite that amazing news, I still heard grumbles. People actually wondered why any of the fey needed houses when the cold didn’t bother them in the first place. Assholes.
Mya saw me and nudged the woman beside her. After Mya pointed in my direction, the woman and a fey jogged my way.
“Hi, Angel. I'm Eden. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're going to get five to six roommates before the end of the day.”
“That's okay,” I said. “Do you know what’s happening at Whiteman?”
“They had another fence breach, and it was pretty bad. The infected took out a whole section and actually dragged the fencing away. It won’t be an easy repair even if it was worth the time to fix it. But, now that the infected know how to remove fencing, they’ll just repeat the process as soon as it’s up again.
“Matt knew it was time to move on. He had already found a new location not too far from here. Some of the fey have even been working on putting up a wall around it like the one we have here. Mya’s sending half the fey over there, now, to help get it done faster and to make room for the Whiteman people here. Even with half the fey at the new location, there still won't be enough houses for all the survivors pouring in. This is just the first truckload.”
“I seriously don’t mind sharing the house.”
“Good. She’s assigning the number based on bathrooms. Three people per bathroom. Houses with two get six. Houses with three get twelve. It’s going to get interesting.”
“No doubt.”
I glanced in the direction of the storage shed, my thoughts already going to food. There was no way we had enough supplies.
“Yeah, I know what you're thinking,” Eden said. “With the fey focusing on the wall, it's going to be slim pickings for a little while. But, Matt and his men did manage to clear out the cafeteria, and they're returning the majority of the supplies we just sent them yesterday.”
I nodded, but I didn't feel at all reassured.
“Thanks for the heads up. I labeled my door so anyone you send that way will know what rooms are open. I think I'll go see if I can help in the supply shed.” More than anything, I just wanted to see how much food we were getting.
Eden and her fey jogged back to Mya, who was now writing down people’s names and giving them house numbers.
Not wanting to hang around to see who I would be stuck with, I moved in the direction of the supply shed.
The door to the home was open, and a line of fey were already carrying boxes inside.
I slipped through the door, trying my best to stay out of everyone’s way.
An older woman stood at the table, pulling things out of boxes and directing several fey where to put them. When she saw me, she smiled widely.
“You must be Angel. I'm Julie.”
“Mya's mom, right?”
“Yep. I don't suppose you're here to help?”
“Sure. What can I do?”
She put me to work sorting through the supplies. Seeing the quantity of food coming in made me feel better. However, it also made me feel bad for Tolerance since they had sent so much to Whiteman and had kept so very little for themselves.
While we worked, a distant rumble of engines created a constant background noise. Even when the fey stopped coming in with boxes, the noise never stopped.
“Do you know how many people were living at Whiteman?” I asked Julie. It wasn’t anything that was ever announced as far as I knew.
“I think they were down to 447 last count. I don't know what it is after this recent break-in.”
“How many people are coming here?”
“About 300. The rest will help the fey finish building the wall at the new location,” she said.
I looked at all the food again. We'd be lucky if it lasted a week.
“Don't worry,” she said. “As soon as the new wall is finished, the fey will go out on another supply run. They're good at finding what we need.”
She seemed completely unconcerned with the incoming mouths and the lack of food to feed them.
“Let’s line the empty boxes along the wall so we can start putting supplies in them. I like to do everything by threes. Three dinners. Three lunches. Three breakfast items. If we can fill fifty boxes with that, then we'll start adding more.”
“What is this for?” I asked.
“Provisions to give each house. Since we don’t do communal dining like they do over at Whiteman, the supplies are sent to each house without a fey provider. Most houses are going to have six to twelve people living in them. These rations won’t seem like much, but it will be enough to let them know they're not going to starve here.”
And it had worked on me.
Feeling depressed, I did as she asked. We worked side-by-side for the next several hours, sorting and filling boxes, only stopping for a small lunch break of pop tarts. Pure heaven.
As soon as we had all fifty of the boxes full, Julie called several fey in and gave them instructions to deliver the food to the new arrivals.
“One per house no matter what they say,” she reminded them. “If there are any complaints, tell them to see Mya.”
She shook her head and sighed.
“I hate that she has this burden when she’s not feeling well.”
“Eden’s with her,” I said. “I saw her helping.”
“Good. You should get home. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get off my feet.”
“Sitting and some dinner do
esn’t sound like a bad idea,” I said with a smile I didn’t feel.
The truth was that I dreaded what was coming. After only a few days of freedom, I was back where I started. Just a different location.
How much longer would I be able to keep my secret while living with five other people?
Chapter Six
I took my time getting back to the house. Everywhere I looked, there were more people than fey. And, not just because the humans now outnumbered them. No, the number of fey I saw walking around had significantly decreased because so many had already left to help with the new place.
Those who were still here watched the humans move around, staying out of their way. I wished I wasn't so afraid of drawing attention to myself. I wanted to wave, say hello, and be friendly to make up for the way the rest of my kind were ignoring them.
Instead, I saw Bertha coming out of a house and kept my head down as I continued walking. I didn't want these people to notice me. I didn't want them to remember that I'd left several days ago to come here, a place they thought I was stupid for wanting to go.
When I reached my house, every single light was on inside. I shook my head and let myself in.
The five people in the kitchen stopped what they were doing to look at me. Three people stood by the stove, and two already sat at the table. Despite the warmth, food, and safety, no one smiled. The room definitely gave off an unwelcome vibe. I’d probably startled them.
“Hi,” I said, taking off my jacket. “I’m Angel.”
No one said anything.
The two women by the counter gave me the stink-eye. The older one with the dark brown hair must have earned a gold medal for it at some point in her life. Ignoring them, I glanced at the guy by the stove. He seemed to have been waiting for me to look because he made a big deal out of scooping something onto a plate, which he passed to the first woman. She shook her head at me, accepted her plate, and took her spot at the table with the other two.
Maybe they’d lost someone with the last breach and resented me for being smart enough for leaving when I had.
“I'm sorry to hear about Whiteman,” I said, trying to be nice.
“Yeah, I bet you were,” the gold-medal glarer said. She took her plate from the man and sat down.
Not knowing what she meant by that, and not caring enough to ask, I went upstairs, figuring I’d give them some space to adjust to the new arrangements.
The door to my bedroom stood open, and the sign was missing. Someone's bag sat on my bed. I was torn between being annoyed and worried. How would I get my food out of there?
I looked over my shoulder at the sound of someone coming up the stairs. The champion glarer was there.
“Do you need something from my room?” she asked, crossing her arms.
I knew what a breach was like. The terror. The confusion. But how she was acting had nothing to do with the trauma she’d likely experienced earlier in the day. She was just being a dick for the sake of being a dick.
“Your room? I had a sign on the door. This is my room,” I said, still trying to play nice.
“I didn't see a sign. Or any clothes to indicate anyone was staying here. I thought it was the supply room, given all the food under the bed.”
She continued to glare at me. I didn't give any of my anger away even though I was raging inside. The woman’s hateful attitude now made complete sense.
“No, it was my room, and that was my food.”
“Your food? You mean our food. We don't keep individual rations.”
I wanted to punch her in the face. The baby kicked. A convenient reminder of who I was supposed to be. These people were just as hungry as I was. As much as it sucked, I'd share.
“Fine. We share. What's for dinner?”
“You expect us to share with you when you wouldn't share with us? I don't think so. Oh, and you get the couch.”
She turned her back on me and went downstairs.
Seething, I stood there for a minute. There really wasn't much I could do except cause a fight for a share of the food. I wasn't against physical violence when it was warranted. But the situation didn't call for it just yet. Not when I had other resources.
I went back downstairs and grabbed my jacket. No one said anything as I left again.
Outside, people were still milling about.
I walked down the street to Cassie’s house and knocked on her door. I waited several minutes, but no one answered. Bummed, I considered what to do next. I briefly thought of Emily and Hannah, but if they were stuck with people, too, I didn't want to call attention to any food the pair might have successfully hidden away.
I didn’t know anyone else. Not true. There was one other person who might be able to help me.
I waved to the nearest fey, who immediately jogged my way.
“Do you know where Shax lives?”
The fey gave me the house number and nodded when I thanked him. It only took a few minutes to get to Shax’s. However, when I knocked at the door, I got the same non-answer as I did at Cassie’s house.
Frustrated and hungry, I started back toward my house. The faint sound of an infected call echoed in the air. Slowing, I looked at the darkening sky. I hoped the infected had followed the survivors here rather than the presence of so many humans drawing them.
As the car lights came on one by one, the infected calls grew louder. I glanced at a fey standing in the shadows and smiled at him. More than ever, we needed them. I hoped the people who arrived here today would remember that and be kinder than they were the last time we all lived together.
When I got back to the house, it was still lit up like a damn Christmas tree. I went inside and saw four of my five companions in the living room, watching a movie and eating a bowl of damn popcorn. That was definitely from my supplies. Angry didn’t even touch how I felt. Pregnant lady hormones turned me into a green, raging monster, and I was ready to start smashing things.
“I'm tired,” I said. “Since that's my bedroom you’re sitting in, get out.”
“You don't own this place,” the woman who'd confronted me said.
“You’ve got ten seconds to get your ass upstairs in that bed, or I'm going to sleep in it,” I said. “Ten…nine…eight…” I moved toward the stairs, and she stood and glared at me.
“Bring it, bitch,” she said.
I fisted my hands and took a step toward her.
“I think we've all had a long day, Carol. It wouldn't be a bad idea to turn in,” a voice said from behind me.
I stopped and glanced back at one of the guys who'd been sitting at the kitchen table. He didn't glare at me like the rest. In fact, his gaze didn’t shift to me at all but remained locked on Carol.
“Are you seriously sticking up for her?” Carol demanded.
He exhaled heavily and shook his head. Disappointed, I faced the group as he continued to talk.
“Turn off the TV and use your ears. Can you hear the infected out there? It's better to get sleep now, when we can, because we don't know how long this wall will keep them out.”
That seemed to motivate the group. The other three stood and left the room. Carol glared at me and eventually took her popcorn and left.
When I turned to watch her go upstairs, the younger guy was gone, and I was alone. All the anger left me as I moved to the couch. Without a pillow or any bedding other than the blanket already there, I laid down. What a shitty day. Roommates. No food. At least it was warm. And a couch was better than sleeping in a tent on a cot.
I closed my eyes and planned on a better day once I woke up. However, I wasn’t sure I ever got to sleep.
I tossed and turned a lot, an ever-increasing ache consuming my back. The sky was lightening when I finally gave up and went to use the bathroom.
When I reemerged, Carol was sitting at the kitchen table. She looked like hell. Her hair was a tangle, and her eyes were half-closed. But she still managed to watch me closely as I went to the fridge.
“What the hell do yo
u think you're doing?” she asked.
“Get over yourself. I'm drinking some milk.”
“That's not your milk.”
“And it's not yours, either. Remember? We don't get personal rations. It's all shared.”
I poured myself a glass and heard her stand, already knowing what was coming. When her hand closed over my left wrist, I grabbed the milk glass with my right and slammed down the contents before she could stop me.
She slapped me across the face before I finished the last swallow. The glass clanked against my teeth and flew into the cupboard, where it shattered. Milk dribbled down my chin as we glared at each other. Bitch crossed a fucking line.
I closed my fist and showed her how it was done. Even underfed and pregnant, I still had enough strength to make her jaw joint crack.
Feet came tromping down the stairs as she cried out.
“What the hell is going on?” an older man demanded.
“Carol didn't want me drinking a glass of milk,” I said. “Apparently shared rations doesn't really mean shared.”
“She fucking tried hiding her food from us, Harry.” Carol sounded nasally when I hadn’t even hit her nose.
“Drama queen,” I said.
Her head whipped toward me, and Harry stepped between us.
“You both need to cool off. Angel, you should leave.”
“Why the hell should I leave? I was here first.”
“Because you threw a punch.”
“She slapped me.” I gestured to my flaming cheek.
“Get your jacket and get out,” he said with finality.
And that is why I knew I was fucked once people found out I was pregnant. There was no mercy, no consideration in humanity anymore.
I grabbed my jacket and left the house just as the sun was rising.
No more than five steps from the door, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and found Shax walking toward me.
“I was coming to talk to you,” he said. “Are you leaving?”
I sighed, knowing the situation would escalate if I didn’t handle things correctly. The fey didn’t tolerate any abuse of a woman, whether the woman was claimed by one of them or not.