Among Monsters (Page 22)

I held up my index finger, making motions back and forth, while I bared my teeth.

“With my finger? No!” she whined.

“C’mon,” I said, using her shoulders to guide her like Mom used to do.

We walked into the hallway to find the bathroom. I flipped on the light and closed the door.

April had given us the tour before bedtime the previous night, and I was glad that between eight kids and five adults, there was more than one bathroom. April had one in her room, too. She’d also said that because this room had only one window that was small and up high, it was okay to turn on the light but only during the day when the sun was bright, and it wouldn’t draw attention.

The first drawer I pulled open had dozens of scattered ponytail holders, barrettes, and bows along with a comb and a brush. I imagined it was the bathroom where April would get her daughter ready.

Halle brushed her hair while I searched the other drawers. I found half a tube of toothpaste, a purple mermaid toothbrush, and a Spider-Man toothbrush. In the back of a drawer was a package of new toothbrushes. I was afraid if I asked, April would say no, so I opened the package, pulled out a toothbrush, and squeezed out a dab of the minty green gel.

“What are you doing?” Halle hissed.

“There are eight kids, and this package has four toothbrushes in it. Do the math,” I said before scrubbing my teeth.

“You’re stealing! At least ask!”

“Halle, you need to learn something right now. This is not going to be fixed tomorrow. Things are going to get worse, a lot worse, before they get better. You need to learn to take what you need now and say you’re sorry later, especially if it’s just a toothbrush!”

“No,” Halle said, shaking her head. “We’re not supposed to steal, especially not from people who are trying to help us.”

“It’s not stealing. It’s borrowing.”

Halle pressed her lips together, glaring at the toothbrush when I held it out to her. Her hair was brushed but poofy at the bottom and greasy at the roots.

“Brush your teeth,” I demanded, pointing the toothbrush at her.

She grabbed it from me, holding it, while I squeezed the tube of toothpaste.

After a few spits into the sink, she rinsed out her mouth and wiped the water off with her arm.

I glanced at the overhead light. “I wonder how long the water and electricity will last?”

“What do you mean?” Halle asked, still frowning.

“It takes people to keep those things running. If everyone’s infected, who’s running it?”

“Everyone’s not infected.”

Someone knocked on the door, making us both jump.

“Are you about finished?” Connor asked, his voice muffled through the door.

“Coming right out!” I called, taking the toothbrush from Halle and corralling her to the door.

When I opened the door, I noticed that Connor had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was pale, making his freckles stand out even more.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“I didn’t sleep great.”

“Nightmares?” I asked.

“None of your business.”

I stepped to the side and held Halle’s shoulders as he passed by us and then shut the door.

“He’s cranky in the mornings,” Halle said.

“He misses his parents, and sometimes, it’s easier to be angry.”

We made our way back to the kitchen where April was spooning out gravy into bowls full of biscuits. Brad, Darla, Madelyn, and Logan were already seated, chatting about how good the food smelled.

Dad came in and locked the door behind him. The heaviness had left his face. “I found some metal posts we can use,” he said to the adults. “We’ll talk about it after breakfast.”

April handed him a bowl.

“Thank you. Smells great.”

“Here’s a glass of juice,” Tavia said, offering it to him.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the drink and his bowl to the table.

As he sat down to eat, it occurred to me what a hot commodity he was. He wasn’t ugly. He wasn’t attached. He could shoot a gun and build things. Except for the fearless rifle-wielding widower who had been multitasking, taking out the undead while burying his wife, there was a very good chance that my dad was the only non-dead single male within miles. He might as well be Brad Pitt.

I tried not to throw up my breakfast. April and Tavia needed him, and they would make it really hard for him to want to leave. I had my work cut out for me, and I needed Halle on my side.

Chapter Twelve

“IT’S NOT THAT FAR,” Brad said, trying to whisper. “We’ll probably run out of gas halfway there. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

I rubbed my eyes and blinked until my vision wasn’t blurry anymore. All the adults were standing near the French doors in the back with Madelyn and Logan. Darla had worry in her eyes, but she was smiling.

“Brad,” Dad said with concern in his voice, “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but what’s the rush? Let’s try to get together some more gas for you, so you can make it the whole way—or at least most of it.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

All heads turned in my direction.

Dad took a step toward me. “Nothing, honey. Go back to sleep.”

I leaned to the side to look at Darla. “Are you leaving? You found a car?”

Her lips formed a hard line. She knew I’d be upset. They were trying to sneak out in the early morning with just enough light to be safe, so I wouldn’t know.

“Jenna—” Dad began.

“Let’s go with them,” I said, suddenly wide-awake. “We can go with them!”

Dad shook his head. “The car they found is small. They only have enough room for them, and the more people they try to pack inside will take up that much more gas. They have less than a quarter of a tank, and they want to get to Darla’s parents’ house.”

“But…” I looked at Darla, and she looked away. “Maybe…” My mind spun, trying to think of something. “Just take Halle and me. Take us as far as you’re going, and we’ll wait for Dad. When he gets there, we can figure out how to get the rest of the way.”

“Jenna!” Dad scolded.

“I’ll get our stuff together. Five minutes!” I said, turning on my heels.

Dad grabbed me. “Jenna, you’re not going. You’re staying here.”

“But they’ve got a car. They’ll be maybe five or ten miles from Mom!”

“We’re sorry, sweetie. We just don’t have room,” Brad said.

I took a step back, holding my stomach. It felt like he’d just punched me there. “You can’t leave without us,” I begged. “It’s been four days. She probably thinks we’re dead. Please?”

“C’mon,” Brad said, gathering his family.

“Good luck,” Dad said.

“Wait!” I yelled, running into the kitchen. I ripped a piece of paper from one of the coloring books and wrote Mom a note in crayon.

I handed the note to Darla.

She glanced at it and then threw her arms around me. “I’m so sorry!”

“Just…please give her the note if you see her. She might come into town for supplies.”

Darla’s lip trembled. “I…” She looked to her husband. “Brad, this is wrong. We should try to find a way.”