Among Monsters (Page 34)

She played with her toys while her stomach growled.

“We have to get food somehow,” I said.

“Then let me go with you,” she said.

I sighed.

She stood up and walked the edge of the living room to get to the bathroom for a drink of water. She wouldn’t go all the way into the living room anymore. I didn’t really like to either. I couldn’t get the bloodstains off the couch, so I’d covered it with a bedsheet, which wasn’t much better.

Halle stopped wanting to go outside, not that it was safe anyway. I wasn’t sure if it was because the neighbor had stopped drawing the infected to the other side of town with his gunshots, but there seemed to be more of them roaming the streets and yards. Though, many of them were wandering out of town toward the highway.

I felt bad for Halle, not being able to play under the shade trees in the yard, especially since it was so hot inside. We’d open the windows upstairs in the evenings just to keep it comfortable enough to sleep. Every day that went by, the sadder she became, and the less she ate. She wouldn’t even look out the back door to the yard, not wanting to see the shallow grave where we had buried our dad.

I’d hold her at night while she cried herself to sleep, wishing I had the luxury of doing that, too. I pretended to be the adult though because that was what my sister needed.

I wondered if Halle and I should just stay or if we should chance the road to Red Hill ranch. Now that there were so many infected, it seemed impossible even if we wanted to.

We had done the opposite of what Dad had always taught us to do—pay attention to our surroundings. We had been lulled into a false sense of safety in the shade of trees and off the road. That one mistake had led to Dad’s death. I was trying to decide if it was more important to keep Halle alive here in Shallot—at least until she was old enough to travel—or attempt the daylong walk to the ranch without making a single mistake, so we could be with our mom.

Dad had been faced with that same choice, and I’d rushed him even though he asked me not to. Knowing the result of that hasty decision made it easier to ignore my emotions urging me to leave for Red Hill and to spend more time thinking about a strategy. There were only two of us now, and Halle wasn’t strong enough to fight off the infected. I couldn’t take on more than one, maybe two, and we had come across more groups than we had loners.

Unless it rained soon, I wasn’t sure how much longer the water would last even if we stopped using it for anything but drinking. Leaving Halle alone to go scavenging was the most terrifying thing. If something happened to me, she would have no one. It wasn’t impossible, but the odds of her surviving alone were low, and I had promised Dad to take care of her. I couldn’t take care of her if I were dead.

It had been at least a week since we lost Dad. The days were blurring together. My birthday was coming up, give or take a few days. It had been months since the first day of the outbreak. Mom probably thought we were dead, and I wanted so much to prove to her that she was wrong. But I couldn’t think about that anymore. I had to concentrate on Halle.

“Halle, if the neighbor comes back, I’m going to go out and talk to him.”

“What?” she said, frozen.

“I want you to bring Dad’s knife. If he tries to grab me and I can’t get away, you’re going to have to help.”

“You mean, stab him?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Her answer surprised me. I knew that Dad’s death had changed her, but she was no longer the whiny, needy little girl that she used to be. She listened to me the way that she used to listen to our parents—without argument. She trusted me.

“Okay,” I said.

I heard a moan outside, and instinctively, Halle blew out the candle and rushed over to me. We hunkered down together beneath the window, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

“Whoa! Watch out!” a man yelled from the street.

Halle looked up at me. “The neighbor?” she whispered.

I held my finger over my mouth, listening to the exchange outside. It was dark, and we couldn’t be sure who was outside.

“There are even more than last time! It’s too dark! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“Skeeter! Your eleven o’clock!” Two gunshots popped. “I’ll lead them away from the house and meet you there!”

Skeeter? The guy from Fairview who saved Connor? My heart boomed in my chest. Skeeter could be trusted. Skeeter would help us.

“Joey, come on!”

“I’ll be there in a second! Go!”

There was another moan, and this time, it was right outside the window. After a scuffle and a loud crack, I heard more moaning, and then the back door opened and closed.

Halle stiffened.

A man stood in the living room with a baseball bat in his hand. He was breathing hard, drenched in sweat, splattered in dark blood, and staring down at us in shock.

“Hi,” he said.

Halle looked up at me and then back to the man. He had been with the group before, the one who had taken our neighbor. He was the big, tall one, the one who looked like the beautiful serial killer.

I leaned over to retrieve Dad’s rifle, and I pointed it at him.

He held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa! I’m not going to hurt you. Just trying to get away from the teds out there.”

“What are teds?” Halle asked.

I shushed her.

He took a step, his hands still in the air. “Are your parents here?”

“Where’s Skeeter?” I asked.

His eyebrows lifted. “You know Skeeter?”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“He’s with our group a few houses down.” He stared at Halle for a moment and then at me.

I moved to my knees, slowly pushing Halle behind me. “Don’t come any closer.”

“Okay. Would it make you feel better if I gave you my stuff and sat down?”

“Your weapons?” I asked.

He nodded once.

“Slowly,” I said in a firm voice. “Slide them this way.”

He rolled his bat over to us, and then he pulled a 9mm from behind him, holding it by the grip. He slid that over as well. “I have a knife in my boot. Do you want that?”

“Just keep your hands away from your shoes,” I said.

He lowered himself, moving slowly, until both knees were on the ground like mine. He placed his hands on his thighs, palms down. “Are you from Fairview, too?” he asked.

I stood, still pointing the gun at his face. “No,” I said, refusing to let my guard down. “Who else is in your group? Where are you from?”

“We’re staying in a farmhouse northeast of here. We have some kids there. One’s about her age,” he said, nodding to Halle.

“Don’t look at her,” I said. “Look at me.”

He blinked, surprised at my relentless suspicion.

“I’m really not going to hurt you. I can leave if you want, but…if you’re alone, I can’t really leave you here.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why do you keep trying to find out if we’re alone?”

He held up his hands. “Listen, we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Joey. We’re not criminals or anything. We’ve been clearing the road between here and our place for our friend. She’s got two daughters coming and…” His eyes danced between us. “No way. Oh my God. You’re not…”