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Authors: K.D. Kinney
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following me. They backed off, completely disinterested. I thought for sure the man was going to shoot them and then do something awful to me when they left.
“Once I was alone with the guy with the gun, I was nervous all over again. He started asking me questions, if I lived nearby. I said I had a ways to go. He said he lived in Mountain Home so he was about to start walking home. He told me about his kids and that he had a daughter my age. Then I could tell he was desperate to get home. I felt bad for him and gave him my water and food for two reasons. One because he helped me, and two, so he’d let me go on my own. I told him I’d be better off without it and he’d need it more than me. Can I have some water please?” Amanda made her way to a chair and pulled off her shoes as Mae happily ran to the kitchen to get her sister a drink. “And these were not good shoes for walking long distances in. Or running.”
“If you left early this morning, it took you a long time to get here.” Tammy rubbed her neck, still not sure her daughter was telling her everything.
“I got a little lost when I had to take a detour around a mob on the freeway. Then there were a few fires that were burning down a whole street. All those houses were on fire. It was so sad. The people were just standing there watching helplessly. The later it got, more people started were on the streets. Some were walking home like me on the road. Others were just there begging for handouts. Another group of guys were harassing a girl about my age, so I decided to walk through the neighborhoods instead, at least the ones that weren’t on fire, and it was better there with only a few weirdos.”
“It’s that bad already?” Tammy chewed on her nail.
“Maybe it was just me being weird because you’ve done so much to prepare us for this and have told us how fast it will get bad. That could have been what was going on after the idiots left me alone. They just proved how right you were at the very beginning so that wasn’t cool.” Amanda slowly exhaled. “I’m so glad I made it, that all of you are here.”
“Daddy isn’t.” Mae pointed out the obvious.
“I already knew that. I just didn’t know if mom was out running errands across town or something. All of you could have been stuck wherever. Zoe or Holly could have been out in Nampa at a volleyball game. Charlie could have been on her way with the band to play at a football game in Eagle. I thought of all those things. I hated not knowing anything.”
Tammy checked her watch. “Speaking of not knowing things, there is a meeting I need to be at right now. Maybe we’ll learn something there.”
“Can I go?” Charlie asked.
Tammy was skeptical. Charlie never wanted to go to the church for anything. “Why?”
“I want to know what you want to know.” She looked at Tammy innocently.
She knew it probably had more to do with some boy she liked. She wanted the company though and she was the best one to bring. Leaving Amanda at the house with the younger girls was the best situation. “All right. Let’s go.”
“What? I can’t change like you did?”
“We’re out of time. Pioneer it, kid.” Tammy shook her head as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed the door handle. Charlie ran for the bathroom and in no time she returned and braided her hair as she walked.
“Wish I could clean up as fast as you.” They were out the door.
14
Tammy
The neighborhood was strangely active with a large number of walkers but Tammy didn’t recognize most of the people on the streets. Perhaps they felt safer in the neighborhoods doing what Amanda did.
It wasn’t until they were a few blocks away from home when Tammy started to feel edgy again.
Something that had always bothered her when she took Charlie with her anywhere was young men would always stare at her. It was as if Tammy was invisible. However, Charlie never seemed to notice. Her red hair had always attracted a lot of attention
“Once I was alone with the guy with the gun, I was nervous all over again. He started asking me questions, if I lived nearby. I said I had a ways to go. He said he lived in Mountain Home so he was about to start walking home. He told me about his kids and that he had a daughter my age. Then I could tell he was desperate to get home. I felt bad for him and gave him my water and food for two reasons. One because he helped me, and two, so he’d let me go on my own. I told him I’d be better off without it and he’d need it more than me. Can I have some water please?” Amanda made her way to a chair and pulled off her shoes as Mae happily ran to the kitchen to get her sister a drink. “And these were not good shoes for walking long distances in. Or running.”
“If you left early this morning, it took you a long time to get here.” Tammy rubbed her neck, still not sure her daughter was telling her everything.
“I got a little lost when I had to take a detour around a mob on the freeway. Then there were a few fires that were burning down a whole street. All those houses were on fire. It was so sad. The people were just standing there watching helplessly. The later it got, more people started were on the streets. Some were walking home like me on the road. Others were just there begging for handouts. Another group of guys were harassing a girl about my age, so I decided to walk through the neighborhoods instead, at least the ones that weren’t on fire, and it was better there with only a few weirdos.”
“It’s that bad already?” Tammy chewed on her nail.
“Maybe it was just me being weird because you’ve done so much to prepare us for this and have told us how fast it will get bad. That could have been what was going on after the idiots left me alone. They just proved how right you were at the very beginning so that wasn’t cool.” Amanda slowly exhaled. “I’m so glad I made it, that all of you are here.”
“Daddy isn’t.” Mae pointed out the obvious.
“I already knew that. I just didn’t know if mom was out running errands across town or something. All of you could have been stuck wherever. Zoe or Holly could have been out in Nampa at a volleyball game. Charlie could have been on her way with the band to play at a football game in Eagle. I thought of all those things. I hated not knowing anything.”
Tammy checked her watch. “Speaking of not knowing things, there is a meeting I need to be at right now. Maybe we’ll learn something there.”
“Can I go?” Charlie asked.
Tammy was skeptical. Charlie never wanted to go to the church for anything. “Why?”
“I want to know what you want to know.” She looked at Tammy innocently.
She knew it probably had more to do with some boy she liked. She wanted the company though and she was the best one to bring. Leaving Amanda at the house with the younger girls was the best situation. “All right. Let’s go.”
“What? I can’t change like you did?”
“We’re out of time. Pioneer it, kid.” Tammy shook her head as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed the door handle. Charlie ran for the bathroom and in no time she returned and braided her hair as she walked.
“Wish I could clean up as fast as you.” They were out the door.
14
Tammy
The neighborhood was strangely active with a large number of walkers but Tammy didn’t recognize most of the people on the streets. Perhaps they felt safer in the neighborhoods doing what Amanda did.
It wasn’t until they were a few blocks away from home when Tammy started to feel edgy again.
Something that had always bothered her when she took Charlie with her anywhere was young men would always stare at her. It was as if Tammy was invisible. However, Charlie never seemed to notice. Her red hair had always attracted a lot of attention
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