realizing it. Her hair was a tangle of knots and mud chunks, and the blue jumpsuit that she’d arrived in was already torn down her right leg.
“I slept like Corey does after playing video games all day.”
He stared at her, saying nothing, and it took several more seconds before she realized what she’d said. “Oh my god…they’re gone, Steven. They’re really gone.”
He’d been trying not to think about his children, not to think about the two gunshots and the ensuing silence, a silence filled only by the rapid thumping of his heart. “We don’t know that. They could have done it just to scare us.”
“This isn’t scary enough?”
“Well…”
“They did it to send us a message, Steven,” she said, staring at him coldly.
“And what’s that message?”
“They are in control, period, and we have nothing left to live for.”
“We have each other,” he half asked, half said, hoping that was true.
“Hey, good morning,” Darius said, walking up. “I found a little food that still looks edible in the trash heap out there,” he said, passing out half-eaten slices of moldy bread and some pulpy-looking vegetables that might or might not have been tomatoes at one point in life. “It was a mess and you really had to dig. There’s people out there now cleaning up the rest of it.”
Rebecca took the slice as John and Amanda sat up, stretching. She handed it to Mia, who deftly tore the mold off and ate what was left. “Thank you Darius.”
“Yes, thank you,” John said. “And if you’ll wake me next time, I’d be more than happy to help you look for more.”
Steven was a bit jealous, which was another emotion he just wasn’t used to. The look of appreciation his wife had for the big man, both for the food and for breaking up the fight before it happened the previous night…it wasn’t comfortable. He’d never had a reason to be jealous before. She was the ultimate dedicated wife, happy to be with him and his sons, and he was sure she wasn’t doing it intentionally now. It was just the situation.
“I don’t know if you want to dig through that mess, but I’d appreciate the help. I don’t want to eat human, just yet.”
“They ate Cassandra last night,” Amanda, her eyes still blank, said. “And it was like a Thanksgiving Day feast.”
John put his arm around her shoulder. “I know it’s hard, Amanda, but try to imagine that your friend, in her death, helped feed these children.”
Amanda pulled away from him in disgust. “You are one sick fuck, aren’t you?”
Ashamed and shocked, John said, “I’m sorry, I was just thinking that…”
“Stop thinking. Stop thinking for me,” Amanda said, storming off. Several nearby people laughed and giggled at the exchange.
“You think this is funny?” Darius bellowed.
“You’re damned right, skippy,” a toothless hag said. “Newcomers are almost as much fun as the Game.”
“Fuck you,” John spat in disgust and it was the first time Steven could remember him cursing.
“Calm down,” Darius ordered. “Anger isn’t going to get us anywhere here. In fact, I think we need to save that energy for the Game, if we’re going to survive this.”
“What is this ‘we’,” Steven demanded. “I don’t know any of you from Adam. As far as I know, you could be the reason my wife and I are here—some sort of sick, twisted fucking game rich boys play.”
“I’m not rich. I work at a damned grocery store, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, buddy,” Darius said, the bile in his voice rising, “but we’re all in this together. You can go your own way if you want. I don’t care. But we have a better chance of surviving if we stick together.”
Steven wasn’t so sure. “What’s the point of surviving? They took my boys from me, they took everything.”
Rebecca stared up at him with a touch of sadness. “You still have me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, instantly feeling guilty
“I slept like Corey does after playing video games all day.”
He stared at her, saying nothing, and it took several more seconds before she realized what she’d said. “Oh my god…they’re gone, Steven. They’re really gone.”
He’d been trying not to think about his children, not to think about the two gunshots and the ensuing silence, a silence filled only by the rapid thumping of his heart. “We don’t know that. They could have done it just to scare us.”
“This isn’t scary enough?”
“Well…”
“They did it to send us a message, Steven,” she said, staring at him coldly.
“And what’s that message?”
“They are in control, period, and we have nothing left to live for.”
“We have each other,” he half asked, half said, hoping that was true.
“Hey, good morning,” Darius said, walking up. “I found a little food that still looks edible in the trash heap out there,” he said, passing out half-eaten slices of moldy bread and some pulpy-looking vegetables that might or might not have been tomatoes at one point in life. “It was a mess and you really had to dig. There’s people out there now cleaning up the rest of it.”
Rebecca took the slice as John and Amanda sat up, stretching. She handed it to Mia, who deftly tore the mold off and ate what was left. “Thank you Darius.”
“Yes, thank you,” John said. “And if you’ll wake me next time, I’d be more than happy to help you look for more.”
Steven was a bit jealous, which was another emotion he just wasn’t used to. The look of appreciation his wife had for the big man, both for the food and for breaking up the fight before it happened the previous night…it wasn’t comfortable. He’d never had a reason to be jealous before. She was the ultimate dedicated wife, happy to be with him and his sons, and he was sure she wasn’t doing it intentionally now. It was just the situation.
“I don’t know if you want to dig through that mess, but I’d appreciate the help. I don’t want to eat human, just yet.”
“They ate Cassandra last night,” Amanda, her eyes still blank, said. “And it was like a Thanksgiving Day feast.”
John put his arm around her shoulder. “I know it’s hard, Amanda, but try to imagine that your friend, in her death, helped feed these children.”
Amanda pulled away from him in disgust. “You are one sick fuck, aren’t you?”
Ashamed and shocked, John said, “I’m sorry, I was just thinking that…”
“Stop thinking. Stop thinking for me,” Amanda said, storming off. Several nearby people laughed and giggled at the exchange.
“You think this is funny?” Darius bellowed.
“You’re damned right, skippy,” a toothless hag said. “Newcomers are almost as much fun as the Game.”
“Fuck you,” John spat in disgust and it was the first time Steven could remember him cursing.
“Calm down,” Darius ordered. “Anger isn’t going to get us anywhere here. In fact, I think we need to save that energy for the Game, if we’re going to survive this.”
“What is this ‘we’,” Steven demanded. “I don’t know any of you from Adam. As far as I know, you could be the reason my wife and I are here—some sort of sick, twisted fucking game rich boys play.”
“I’m not rich. I work at a damned grocery store, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, buddy,” Darius said, the bile in his voice rising, “but we’re all in this together. You can go your own way if you want. I don’t care. But we have a better chance of surviving if we stick together.”
Steven wasn’t so sure. “What’s the point of surviving? They took my boys from me, they took everything.”
Rebecca stared up at him with a touch of sadness. “You still have me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, instantly feeling guilty
Similar Books
