Even for someone who’s pregnant, she’s still so damn quick. She opens the gate and attacks them without pause. She seems so tiny compared to all of the monsters, but they’re much too slow to catch her.
By the time I get there, she’s killed all of them but one.
“I guess it’s your lucky day. I saved one for you.”
She’s breathing hard and her hands are shaking. Her body must be coursing with adrenaline right now.
Every time the creature tries to come at her, she simply hits it hard in the chest and it falls down, knobby knees collapsing. It would be pretty amusing if they weren’t once people.
“I know you want it,” she says as if she’s trying to sell me something.
I need to get used to killing the Letum, so I grab my weapon and swing down hard to hit it in its expressionless head. It moves out of the way just before I can make contact and forces me to slam my hurt foot down on the ground to steady myself. The pain is shocking and I come down on my knee. I look up in a panic at the creature in time to see Allison swiftly move to kill the last one.
“Looks like I found someone just as clumsy as I am. Kind of a bad time to fall down, though,” Allison says. She examines all of the bodies to ensure that they’re all dead.
“I can’t believe I fell,” I say as my foot absolutely throbs in agony. I would have thought it would be getting better by now, not worse.
Seemingly satisfied, her focus shifts to me. Her eyes narrow at my hands clutching my foot and she says, “What’s wrong?”
I release my foot and stand up. I do my best to hide it, but still I cringe slightly when I put pressure on my foot.
“Just a scratch,” I say.
She looks at me expectantly for an elaboration.
Instead, I ask, “What do you want to do with the bodies?”
Her eyes narrow at the change of subject. “Matt has been piling them up just beyond the fence over in the small valley and burning them periodically.” She points out to the west. “Don’t worry about the bodies right now, though. Matt will move them later.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping out.” The last thing I want is for them to think I’m freeloading.
“Yes, I’m sure. Let’s walk back,” she says and gestures for me to head toward their house.
I frown at her change in attitude and walk silently back toward the patio. I concentrate on making my walking as effortless as possible. I don’t want to appear weak.
Allison’s voice stops me from going inside once we get back on the patio. “Sit down and show me your foot.”
I let out a deep breath. “There’s nothing to see.”
Truth be told, I’m afraid that it has gotten worse and don’t want to see it myself.
When she responds, her voice is stern, yet gentle. “Elliot, if you were bitten, I need to know. Let me see your foot.”
I turn around in shock to face her. “I wasn’t bitten. I just have a cut on my foot that’s healing.” At least, I hope it’s healing.
Once again, her eyes narrow in skepticism. “Show me.”
Now that I understand her fear, I want to eliminate it. I quickly sit down and remove my shoe and sock. I hold it out for her to see, but don’t look at it myself.
She inhales sharply. “You’re right, you weren’t bitten.” She looks closer and says, “Elliot, that’s infected. What did you do?”
I force myself to look and my heart drops. Pus leaks from the angry red wound. No wonder it’s so tender.
“I stepped on a rock when…” I hesitate as Carly’s unwarranted autopsy flashes through my head. I clear my throat. “It’s gotten worse,” I say to acknowledge how bad it looks.
“Stay here,” she says and goes back inside.
While I wait for her, I continue to examine my foot in disgust. I should have stayed off of it for a while to let it heal. Retrospective thought doesn’t make the situation any better. It just allows you to regret the decisions you made.
Allison comes back to the patio with a syringe in her hand. Before I can ask where she got it, she says, “Matt’s parents had a small supply of medicine that we took before we left. This should clear up the infection, but you’ll need to take it easy for a few days to let it heal. You don’t want it to get infected again.”
I’ve never been a big fan of needles. I tense up as she gets closer to me, but remain still. She inserts it into my foot and releases the medicine through my body.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Of course,” Allison says. She smiles maternally at me. “Like I said, stay off of your foot as much as possible. If it stays infected, we’ll have to go to a territory to get more medicine.”
I raise my eyebrows in shock. “You wasted your only dose of antibiotics on me? Why?”
She pats my shoulder. “I wouldn’t say it was a waste. I meant it when I said to make yourself at home here. You’re part of our family now.”
I don’t have any words to express how grateful I am.
She must sense that because she changes the subject. “It’s nice being able to have control and take them out. Better them than us, right?”
“How often do you run into these things?” I ask.
“Well, up until recently, it was really rare to get more than one every couple of days. Now, though, we normally get a group once or twice a day. The numbers keep getting larger. The group that was chasing you was by far the biggest we’ve seen. I guess that means things are going to get worse before better. I don’t mind clearing out the infestation. The Hungry are too slow and stupid to be any real threat.”
She smiles one more time and then focuses her attention back toward the horizon. The mounds of dead bodies are visible. Will I be able to adjust to a world focused around the necessity for violence?
“How did you learn to damage their head to truly kill them?” I ask.
She takes a seat and sighs as she rests her feet up. “I’m sure the same way you did. From trial and error.”
Because they’re still together and haven’t mentioned losing anyone, their trial and error was probably a lot less costly than Jess’s.
“I’m going to wash up as best I can. I got some mud on me when I fell.” I notice she’s even more covered than I am. “You can first. You probably need it more.”
She looks down at herself and shrugs. “I’m fine. I still have a little time of my watch left. I’ll just wait until after you’re done. You should go wash your foot.”
I walk inside. My foot still aches, but at least I know it’s going to get better.
I meet Matt in the hallway and see the alarm in his eyes as he notices the dirt on my body. He quickly glances toward the patio and can see Allison.
“Did she go on one of her Hungry rampages again?”
I nod. He’s quiet for a moment and then says, “Did she say she was ‘hungry for some Hungry’?”
I nod again and he starts laughing.
“She decided that was her catchphrase. I told her she could do better, but I guess she’s going to stick with that. Hungry for some Hungry.” He shakes his head in amusement.
“What’s yours? We’ve been calling them the Letum.”
“I like that. It’s fitting. I haven’t come up with one yet, though. I have a couple of ideas going around in the old noodle, but I need something that’s as awesome as I am.”
He smiles mischievously at me. “I’m going to go scold her for running off. She always has a funny reaction when I do that.” He jumps up and shakes his hands in excitement and bounds off to see Allison.
I’m right outside the bedroom door when it slams open. I jump in alarm at the sudden movement and noise.
“Whoops,” Jess says when she realizes what happened.
“Why don’t you open the door like a normal person?”
She looks defensive. “I heard some loud noise so I got out of bed to see what was going on.”
“A loud noise? What loud noise?” I’m confused now. What could she be talk
ing about?
“I don’t know, it was just loud. Kind of like a bear mixed with a hyena?”
As she’s telling me this, I can’t help but crack a smile.
“What’s so funny?”
“That loud sound you heard was actually Matt’s laughter.”
She simply stares at me for a moment and then asks, “Why is he laughing? What’s there to laugh at?” I can tell she’s slightly embarrassed. Seeing her like this is amusing.
“I don’t know if you have noticed, but I’m a pretty funny person,” I tell her and I brush imaginary dirt off my shoulder.
She gives me a glare that’s supposed to be angry, but I can tell she’s fighting laughter so it doesn’t have much effect on me. She finally notices the mud on me and gives me a questioning look.
“Oh yeah,” I say, straightening myself up. “While you were sleeping, a group of the Letum came, we took care of them, and Allison gave me some antibiotics for my foot.”
I neglect to tell her that I fell. I don’t want her to think I can’t take care of myself.
“They have antibiotics?”
“They had antibiotics,” I correct. “Allison gave me their only dosage.”
A flicker of surprise crosses her face before she controls her expression again. “That was very kind of her. I was trying to figure out where the safest place would be to go get some for you. I’ll examine it again this evening to make sure the antibiotics are working as they should.”
“Aye, aye, doctor.”
“You’re too happy in the mornings,” she says.
“You’re too grumpy in the mornings,” I say and quickly move to avoid another one of her playful jabs in the side.
Chapter Twenty
“They’re back,” Allison calls out.
I breathe a sigh of relief at Matt and Jess’s return. They’ve been gone since yesterday morning and we’ve spent our time anxiously awaiting their return. The idea of a supply run is necessary, yet I’m not a fan of Jess putting herself in extra danger. It’s amazing how quickly she’s become intertwined in my life.
I gingerly stand up from the couch I have been resting my foot on. It’s accompanied by a slight pain, but it’s vastly improved from two days ago when Allison gave me my antibiotics. Since then, Jess and I have spent our time recovering from our journey here and the physical exhaustion it took.
I step outside just as Jess steps out of their vehicle. I immediately scan every motion and am relieved she looks unharmed. She brushes her wavy hair out of her eyes and smiles when we make eye contact.
“You’re never going to believe how lucky we were today,” Jess exclaims and gestures toward the vehicle.
Now that I’m assured of her health, I examine the vehicle. The back seat is packed in familiar small boxes.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask and open the door to the vehicle.
Matt breaks away from his embrace with Allison and says, “If you think it’s enough boxes of food packets to last the four of us for months, then yes, it’s what you think it is.”
Allison’s hands jerk to her mouth. Matt laughs at her reaction and picks her up to kiss her again.
Jess smirks and jokingly shakes her head. “We broke into a house and it was fully stocked with food packets. On the downside, our meals will be unbelievably bland these next few months.”
“This is amazing,” I say as I rummage through the top box. They were compiled by the food distributors in Vis. They must have had a cabin out in Accidia that they weren’t able to escape to.
Jess nods. “We were very fortunate to come across it all. It’s one less thing we need to worry about.”
She waves at Matt to get his attention, then says, “Matt, let’s go ahead and bring all the boxes inside to keep them safe. Allison, you’re supposed to take it easy during pregnancy. Go sit back down.”
Allison raises an eyebrow at this statement and surprisingly doesn’t argue.
I grab the top box to help and Jess takes it out of my arms.
“I don’t want you to stress your foot anymore while it heals. Go with Allison and sit down.”
Matt laughs openly at this exchange and I open my mouth to disagree. Jess gives me a look that sends me turning around and walking up the patio. I know she’s right. My ego just doesn’t like it.
I sit next to Allison on the couch. The two of us make eye contact and start laughing. The idea of our being banished inside to sit is, for some reason, very humorous. My sides ache from the effort of laughing for so long.
We finally regain our composure and Allison says, “It’s nice to have people who care about you, isn’t it?”
Her question takes me by surprise and the mood changes instantly. All of the people who have cared about me my whole life are dead.
Although Allison is a very talkative person, she seems to sense this shift and doesn’t say anything else. It’s startling that Jess is probably the person who cares most about me, and I her.
Unable to remain sitting with my thoughts any longer, I grab the boxes from Jess. I’m not sure what exactly she sees in my facial expression, but whatever it is, she doesn’t protest. Instead, she turns back around to go grab more from the vehicle.
Once all of the food packets are safely stored inside, we all go outside to eat dinner on the patio. Besides the scraping of our spoons against the bowls, the only other noise accompanying us is the sound of the evening nature. We eat on the patio so we can keep an eye on everything while still having each other’s company.
“Okay, I got another one for you,” Matt says between bites. “What do you call someone with no body and no nose?”
“Nobody knows,” Allison says without hesitation. It’s obvious she’s heard this one before. Nonetheless, Matt’s booming laughter, a mix between a bear and a hyena, as Jess described it, fills the patio.
When he stops laughing, his face gets serious again. “I have one that even Allison hasn’t heard yet.”
“Oh, I highly doubt that,” Allison says.
“You need to believe in me, babe.” Matt pretends to be wounded. Allison rolls her eyes. Satisfied with her reaction, Matt gets serious again. “Think about this one. What did the fish say when it ran into a wall?”
Jess and I look expectantly at Allison and she shrugs. We all try to think of the answer and the more time that goes on, the happier and more pleased Matt looks.
“You guys give up?” He looks smug.
“Dam. He says, ‘Dam,’” I answer and laugh with Matt. I can’t help but be amused at Matt’s enthusiasm.
When we finish our meal, Jess says, “There is something Matt and I need to tell the two of you.” I sit up straighter in my chair and Matt nods for her to continue. “We drove straight to Vis to see if we could get a clue as to how the territory has been going since I left.”
Matt takes over her story and says, “The wall to Vis was opened and the surrounding area was crawling with the Hungry. We couldn’t get as close as we would have liked because of them.”
“All of those people…” Allison mutters.
Jess’s mask protects her thoughts and hides whatever she’s feeling with her home territory succumbing to the infection. Without any emotion, she continues, “We suspect that’s why there have been a larger number of the Letum lately. They escaped the confine of Vis and have since then been roaming, looking to satisfy their needs.”
I dart my eyes to look around the property to assure myself the Letum from Vis aren’t upon us right now. I sigh and redirect my attention toward our conversation.
Matt and Allison exchange a glance and he nods his head.
Allison takes a deep breath and says, “Matt and I were wondering if the two of you would like to stay with us long term.”
Jess furrows her eyebrows. “Why do you want us to stay? The food packets will last a lot longer if it’s only the two of you eating them.”
Matt looks affronted. “Jess, we found those packets together. If the two of you decide to le
ave, half of them are yours.”
“Really?” I ask. I grew up with Dominic and his high level of self-importance that overshadowed everyone else around him. Where did Matt learn this selfless behavior? It wasn’t in the territories.
“Of course, Elliot,” Allison says. “And Jess, this place may be relatively safe, but there’s strength in numbers.”
“And both of you don’t mind us staying here?” I ask, still unable to understand why they would be willing to split their supplies in half.
Matt says, “Brother, look at how we found you. You two were about to bite it.” He stops for a moment and considers what he said. “Or rather, be bitten.”
“Besides, as much as I enjoy Matt’s company, it would be nice to have a little girl time every once in awhile. Right, Jess?”
The look of alarm that spreads across Jess’s face at the thought of having to contribute in girl time brings the whole table to a new round of laughter.
Once Jess understands what’s so funny, she allows a small chuckle and gives me a meaningful look. “I’m going to go through my bag and see exactly what I have. I want to know what we can contribute.” She grabs her plate and heads inside.
I pause for a couple of seconds in indecisiveness and say, “I think I’m going to do the same.”
Allison and Matt both smile.
Matt says, “It’s okay, brother. We understand. Go talk things over. We’ll stay out here and give you your privacy.”
I nod gratefully. When I get to the room, Jess quickly closes the door behind me. We look at each other for a moment and then I say, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Isn’t it obvious? How do we know we can trust these people? It’s really nice that they saved us, but what do we know about them?”
I pause to consider my answer. We just meet them, yet I’m considering tying our safety with them. “I’ve had a good conversation with both of them and they seem like good, genuine people. I think we can trust them. Plus, Allison is going to need someone to deliver their baby.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, almost comically. “I can’t do that yet. I only just started my training.”
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