whole complimentary bottle of conditioner and let that soak into her locks while she gave her body the same treatment. Her skin was bright pink when she was finished, and she rinsed her hair, finally relaxing. When she was completely clean , she simply sat on the floor of the tub and let the shower rain down on her, soothing sore muscles and relaxing her. Guilt made her shut off the water and stand up once more. She’d been in there entirely too long, so she hurriedly dried her body, wrapping a towel around her head like a turban before slipping into the robe. She’d finger-comb the knots from her hair later. Right now all she cared about was getting some sleep.
Jeff was nowhere to be found when she came out, and she was relieved. She just didn’t want the stress of dealing with him. Instead, she was shown to an empty bed and told her items would be brought inside when the pack outside thinned their ranks and wandered off for easier prey. With a final relieved sigh, she pulled the covers over her body and fell to sleep almost instantly, still wearing the robe and hair towel.
FOURTEEN
Lorna glanced in the rearview mirror, taking in the chaos she’d left in her wake. She’d wanted to meet other survivors, and she had wanted Jeff gone. Well, she’d gotten exactly what she fucking wished for… She turned the key in the ignition, grateful she’d taken the keys from Jeff before he made that last fatal run a few hours ago. She’d had to leave some of her supplies behind, but that didn’t worry her. One person traveled easier than two. She let herself think back as she drove…
They’d stayed only three days at the motel. It was the end of April, and the temperatures were actually pretty comfortable. Long sleeves and jeans were sufficient for warding off any chill, and the radiators in the motel rooms were unnecessary at this point. They had full bellies and hot water. They had plenty of water to drink, and Chet had actually located a box of flavored mix in the office of the motel. Th e group got along well together… with the exception of the Hubbard’s. The husband and wife kept to themselves, heads together as they whispered and plotted. The creepy child, Luke, just ran around smiling all the time, and the smile made Lorna’s blood run cold.
Jeff had been sullen and withdrawn since they’d woken from their rest. The two of them had managed to sleep a full twelve hours, and Lorna was stiff from the unusual position. It had been so long since she’d had a comfortable bed that it was almost unbearable to be in one now. She told herself not to get used to it, though. Who knew how long they’d actually stay? Mrs. Kolchak had greeted her with a smile and a bowl of oatmeal. There were lumps inside, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that it was fruit, even if the peaches were from a can. She ate hers gratefully, but Jeff was cold and distant, only grunting his thanks and practically stabbing the warmed oats with his spoon. He only looked up to glare accusingly at Lorna, and she found herself giving him heated looks in return.
How dare he make her feel guilty for finding other people to toss their luck in with? How dare he get angry with her just because there was another boy near their age with the group? The more she thought about it, the more she seethed. He was regressing more and more each day, becoming nothing but a spoiled child who found out he was expected to share his toys.
Several of the group wanted to go raid the nearby cars again. It was argued that they had already done so, but apparently the search wasn’t a thorough one, and they were running low on supplies. She started to open her mouth and tell the group what they carried in their bug-out bags, but Jeff gave her a warning look and she stayed quiet. Th ere really wasn’t a lot of food. There might be enough one or two meals if they shared with everyone. What if they needed to leave quickly? It wouldn’t do for them to share all their
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