be
temporary. ‘We might not be able to come back.’
‘But you said…’
‘I know what I said, but Mommy might have been wrong.’
‘But I want to come back.’
‘It can’t be helped, Honey. It’s too dangerous here now, not just because
of people like the ones that tried to take Daddy’s car, but because of the
bomb.’
Chrissie glanced around, looking into the darkness. ‘But nothing’s
changed.’
‘We don’t have any electricity.’
‘That’s happened before.’
I released her shoulder. ‘I’m not arguing with you about it, Chrissie.
You need to listen to me and your father. We’re looking out for your best
interests and if you want to stay safe and well you need to do as we tell you.
Do you understand?’ I held her gaze.
She looked down with an unhappy pout.
‘Do you understand?’ I repeated firmly.
Chrissie nodded, but didn’t look up.
‘We’ll do everything we can to keep you from harm,’ I stated, cupping her
chin in my hand and raising her face. ‘We love you, Chrissie.’
She looked at me a moment. ‘I don’t want to go.’ Her eyes glistened and
my heart ached in response.
‘There isn’t any other choice,’ I responded, wiping a stray tear from her
cheek.
‘What about Rachel, Robyn and Caroline?’ she whined. ‘Will I ever see
them again?’
‘Maybe they’ll go to Montreal too.’
‘Can I go tell them that’s where we’re going?’ she requested, a gleam of
hope in her sparkling eyes.
My frown deepened. ‘It’s the middle of the night, Honey.’
‘We can wait until morning to go.’
I shook my head. ‘We’re going tonight,’ I stated firmly.
She thought for a moment. ‘Can I leave a note on the door for them? Maybe
they’ll call round and see it.’
I thought for a moment and then nodded, making the concession in the hope
that she would leave without much more fuss. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll make it now,’ she stated, immediately turning and entering the
house, Ollie’s legs dangling from her hand and brushing the carpet as she
rushed along the hall filled with a new sense of purpose.
I watched her go and wondered if I’d done the right thing. Would the sign
just give her the false hope of seeing her friends again?
‘We should finish packing the car,’ stated Bob behind me.
I turned, seeing that Tyreese had made his way back to his home during
the exchange with Chrissie.
‘How is she?’
‘As good as can be expected after seeing a dead body on our driveway,’ I
replied.
Bob looked down at the youth. ‘I’ll drag him into the shadows at the side
of the garden.’
‘Will you wash away the blood?’
He shook his head. ‘We haven’t the water to spare.’
‘What about the bath?’
He glanced at the house. ‘Let’s get the Falcon packed first. If Tyreese
hasn’t honked I’ll see what I can do before we bring Chrissie out. Okay?’
I nodded. ‘Okay.’
We stared across at each other for a moment and then I turned and went
into the house, going to the first of the boxes lining the left-hand wall. I
bent to lift it and paused, a wave of emotion coming over me after the tension
of the confrontation out front. I bit my bottom lip, fighting back tears as I
crouched and covered my face, body trembling with the force of the tide rising
within.
I was given a start by Bob’s arm passing around my shoulders and looked
to him with eyes glistening. He drew me close and held me tightly. I put my
head to his shoulder and began to weep, trying to control the sobs in the hope
that they wouldn’t be detected by Chrissie as she busied herself with the sign
for her friends.
14
Chrissie went up
on tiptoes and tacked her poster to the front door as me and Bob watched,
standing side by side on the front path. It simply stated, ‘Gone to Montreal.
It’s safe. Hope to see you there. Love Chris xx.’ She’d decorated it with stars
and smiley faces, the latter adding to my feeling of melancholy as I watched
her press firmly on each corner to
temporary. ‘We might not be able to come back.’
‘But you said…’
‘I know what I said, but Mommy might have been wrong.’
‘But I want to come back.’
‘It can’t be helped, Honey. It’s too dangerous here now, not just because
of people like the ones that tried to take Daddy’s car, but because of the
bomb.’
Chrissie glanced around, looking into the darkness. ‘But nothing’s
changed.’
‘We don’t have any electricity.’
‘That’s happened before.’
I released her shoulder. ‘I’m not arguing with you about it, Chrissie.
You need to listen to me and your father. We’re looking out for your best
interests and if you want to stay safe and well you need to do as we tell you.
Do you understand?’ I held her gaze.
She looked down with an unhappy pout.
‘Do you understand?’ I repeated firmly.
Chrissie nodded, but didn’t look up.
‘We’ll do everything we can to keep you from harm,’ I stated, cupping her
chin in my hand and raising her face. ‘We love you, Chrissie.’
She looked at me a moment. ‘I don’t want to go.’ Her eyes glistened and
my heart ached in response.
‘There isn’t any other choice,’ I responded, wiping a stray tear from her
cheek.
‘What about Rachel, Robyn and Caroline?’ she whined. ‘Will I ever see
them again?’
‘Maybe they’ll go to Montreal too.’
‘Can I go tell them that’s where we’re going?’ she requested, a gleam of
hope in her sparkling eyes.
My frown deepened. ‘It’s the middle of the night, Honey.’
‘We can wait until morning to go.’
I shook my head. ‘We’re going tonight,’ I stated firmly.
She thought for a moment. ‘Can I leave a note on the door for them? Maybe
they’ll call round and see it.’
I thought for a moment and then nodded, making the concession in the hope
that she would leave without much more fuss. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll make it now,’ she stated, immediately turning and entering the
house, Ollie’s legs dangling from her hand and brushing the carpet as she
rushed along the hall filled with a new sense of purpose.
I watched her go and wondered if I’d done the right thing. Would the sign
just give her the false hope of seeing her friends again?
‘We should finish packing the car,’ stated Bob behind me.
I turned, seeing that Tyreese had made his way back to his home during
the exchange with Chrissie.
‘How is she?’
‘As good as can be expected after seeing a dead body on our driveway,’ I
replied.
Bob looked down at the youth. ‘I’ll drag him into the shadows at the side
of the garden.’
‘Will you wash away the blood?’
He shook his head. ‘We haven’t the water to spare.’
‘What about the bath?’
He glanced at the house. ‘Let’s get the Falcon packed first. If Tyreese
hasn’t honked I’ll see what I can do before we bring Chrissie out. Okay?’
I nodded. ‘Okay.’
We stared across at each other for a moment and then I turned and went
into the house, going to the first of the boxes lining the left-hand wall. I
bent to lift it and paused, a wave of emotion coming over me after the tension
of the confrontation out front. I bit my bottom lip, fighting back tears as I
crouched and covered my face, body trembling with the force of the tide rising
within.
I was given a start by Bob’s arm passing around my shoulders and looked
to him with eyes glistening. He drew me close and held me tightly. I put my
head to his shoulder and began to weep, trying to control the sobs in the hope
that they wouldn’t be detected by Chrissie as she busied herself with the sign
for her friends.
14
Chrissie went up
on tiptoes and tacked her poster to the front door as me and Bob watched,
standing side by side on the front path. It simply stated, ‘Gone to Montreal.
It’s safe. Hope to see you there. Love Chris xx.’ She’d decorated it with stars
and smiley faces, the latter adding to my feeling of melancholy as I watched
her press firmly on each corner to
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