rest,” Padraic suggested.
I couldn’t disagree. My body ached and I was exhausted. “Not all at once,” I told him, leaving the living room to search for food. There was nothing readily available that offered much, if any, nourishment. I extracted a bag of pretzels and a box of Oreos from the cupboard. Aunt Jenny was a fan of canned soup, but without a microwave or range top to heat it up on, it wouldn’t be easy to choke down. Remembering that Finickus preferred tuna over canned cat food, I opened the cupboard under the sink and found ten cans. Perfect, one for each. I opened the cans, plopped one upside down on the floor for Finickus and delivered our less than tasty breakfast.
Zoe, Lisa, and Sonja curled up together in Aunt Jenny’s bed after they ate, falling quickly asleep. I went into the bathroom and gave myself the coldest sponge bath ever, using water from the tub. I even managed to wash my hair. I stood in front of the mirror, staring into my green eyes as I brushed it out. We couldn’t stay here. There was nothing left and too many zombies and crazies. I wanted to go north, to see if one of the only people I truly loved in this world was still alive. I put my bathrobe on and darted across the hall into my bedroom. I hadn’t bothered to unpack anything except my clothes.
I’ll be the first to admit my wardrobe was more than a little bipolar. The right side of my closet was full of ‘going out’ clothes: tight jeans, short skirts and dresses, low cut tops that showed off my boobs and the likes. The left side housed practical clothing from my summers spent at my grandparents’ Kentucky farm: comfortable pants, thermal shirts good for layering, old tank tops that were meant for getting dirty. I changed into a clean pair of underwear before pulling on a pair of stretchy skinny jeans that would be good for running but still offered more protection than thin athletic pants. I yanked a long sleeve shirt on before stuffing my arms into a fleece lined, brown hoodie. I pulled mismatching socks from my drawer.
I guessed Sonja to be about my size, though not quite as tall. I yanked a pair of loose fitting jeans so hard the hanger broke. Oh well. It’s not like I’d be needing it. I picked out a thick hooded sweatshirt and another pair of socks. I could provide Lisa and Zoe with sweaters and hoodies too, but nothing I or Aunt Jenny owned would fit Hilary. And then there were the guys to think about. Padraic definitely couldn’t gallivant around in thin scrubs.
I dragged a suitcase out from under the bed, throwing a few more long-sleeve shirts, another pair of pants, several more pairs of underwear and socks in it. Without explaining what I was doing, I rummaged through the small apartment looking for anything that could be useful. I took minimal personal hygiene supplies from the bathroom, vitamins, a can opener and the rest of the knives from the kitchen along with matches, candles, bleach and duct tape.
“ Feel free to help,” I snapped at the remaining four that sat dumbly in the living room.
“ What are you doing?” Padraic asked, his voice level.
“ Getting supplies,” I replied, though I assumed it was obvious.
“ How can I help?”
“ Get supplies,” I huffed, covering my nose as I opened the fridge and poured the spoiled milk down the sink, rinsing the container with water from the bathtub.
“ What are you doing?” Jason asked innocently, thinking I was cleaning. “I mean, does it matter anymore?”
“ It’s for gas,” I explained. “We need to get as much as we can.”
“ How? I don’t think the gas pumps work.”
I chuckled. “Do you know how a siphon works?”
“ I don’t know what that is.”
“ You will,” I promised. Together, we gathered up anything we could think was useful. I raked my long hair to the side, pulling it over my left shoulder and braiding it. “You need clothes,” I told Padraic. Right as I was about to suggest we go to his or Logan’s house,
I couldn’t disagree. My body ached and I was exhausted. “Not all at once,” I told him, leaving the living room to search for food. There was nothing readily available that offered much, if any, nourishment. I extracted a bag of pretzels and a box of Oreos from the cupboard. Aunt Jenny was a fan of canned soup, but without a microwave or range top to heat it up on, it wouldn’t be easy to choke down. Remembering that Finickus preferred tuna over canned cat food, I opened the cupboard under the sink and found ten cans. Perfect, one for each. I opened the cans, plopped one upside down on the floor for Finickus and delivered our less than tasty breakfast.
Zoe, Lisa, and Sonja curled up together in Aunt Jenny’s bed after they ate, falling quickly asleep. I went into the bathroom and gave myself the coldest sponge bath ever, using water from the tub. I even managed to wash my hair. I stood in front of the mirror, staring into my green eyes as I brushed it out. We couldn’t stay here. There was nothing left and too many zombies and crazies. I wanted to go north, to see if one of the only people I truly loved in this world was still alive. I put my bathrobe on and darted across the hall into my bedroom. I hadn’t bothered to unpack anything except my clothes.
I’ll be the first to admit my wardrobe was more than a little bipolar. The right side of my closet was full of ‘going out’ clothes: tight jeans, short skirts and dresses, low cut tops that showed off my boobs and the likes. The left side housed practical clothing from my summers spent at my grandparents’ Kentucky farm: comfortable pants, thermal shirts good for layering, old tank tops that were meant for getting dirty. I changed into a clean pair of underwear before pulling on a pair of stretchy skinny jeans that would be good for running but still offered more protection than thin athletic pants. I yanked a long sleeve shirt on before stuffing my arms into a fleece lined, brown hoodie. I pulled mismatching socks from my drawer.
I guessed Sonja to be about my size, though not quite as tall. I yanked a pair of loose fitting jeans so hard the hanger broke. Oh well. It’s not like I’d be needing it. I picked out a thick hooded sweatshirt and another pair of socks. I could provide Lisa and Zoe with sweaters and hoodies too, but nothing I or Aunt Jenny owned would fit Hilary. And then there were the guys to think about. Padraic definitely couldn’t gallivant around in thin scrubs.
I dragged a suitcase out from under the bed, throwing a few more long-sleeve shirts, another pair of pants, several more pairs of underwear and socks in it. Without explaining what I was doing, I rummaged through the small apartment looking for anything that could be useful. I took minimal personal hygiene supplies from the bathroom, vitamins, a can opener and the rest of the knives from the kitchen along with matches, candles, bleach and duct tape.
“ Feel free to help,” I snapped at the remaining four that sat dumbly in the living room.
“ What are you doing?” Padraic asked, his voice level.
“ Getting supplies,” I replied, though I assumed it was obvious.
“ How can I help?”
“ Get supplies,” I huffed, covering my nose as I opened the fridge and poured the spoiled milk down the sink, rinsing the container with water from the bathtub.
“ What are you doing?” Jason asked innocently, thinking I was cleaning. “I mean, does it matter anymore?”
“ It’s for gas,” I explained. “We need to get as much as we can.”
“ How? I don’t think the gas pumps work.”
I chuckled. “Do you know how a siphon works?”
“ I don’t know what that is.”
“ You will,” I promised. Together, we gathered up anything we could think was useful. I raked my long hair to the side, pulling it over my left shoulder and braiding it. “You need clothes,” I told Padraic. Right as I was about to suggest we go to his or Logan’s house,
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