him, trying to rid herself of the irrational fears.
“Just two so far, ma’am. I been hiding mostly. They haven’t found me yet. And when they do, I run and hide.”
“You don’t need to call me ma’am anymore, okay? Makes me sound old,” she whispered to Nick, who nodded and chuckled. “Call me Gaia.”
“Okay, ma—I mean Miss Gaia.” Nick rifled through a brown bag and fished out an apple, laughing at the child’s compromise.
“Here, have some breakfast,” Nick said, tossing Justin the fruit. Then he handed Gaia a comic book and nodded to the boy. Gaia handed that to the boy, too. “Thought you might enjoy that, too. Found it on one of the busses. Eat that while it’s still fresh. Don’t know when you’re gonna be eating a sensible breakfast that good again for a while.”
“That’s a bit grim, don’t you think?” Gaia whispered again as the boy took the fruit and the comic and sat in a seat further away from them.
“The boy’s gonna have to learn to survive. And it ain’t gonna be easy, right?”
“No, but I am hoping to ease him into the news, you know. He’s only—shit!—we never asked him how old he is!”
“Hey, Justin. How old are you, son?” Nick called to him.
“I’m nine, sir.”
“I’m Nick from now on, too. If she’s no ma’am, then I’m no sir,” he said with another chuckle. “Got it?”
“Yes, Mister Nick,” said the boy through the sounds of chewing. Evidently, he was hungry, Gaia noted.
“Just Nick. No mister.” The boy nodded as he hungrily pierced the skin of the apple and tore away a bite.
“Poor kid probably hasn’t eaten in a day,” Gaia mentioned in a sympathetic manner.
“Gaia, there’s dry food and cases of water stored in the basement of the house. Canned goods and whatnot for the animals, too. Canned fruit, nuts—that kind of stuff the ol’ man used to eat nuts and tofu in his last few months, trying to eat healthy. To hell with that, I said, but he did it anyway. Mom made sure of that. There should be plenty of it around still. Looks like the electricity is still functioning, too,” Nick observed, making it to his feet with a grunt. “And I know there’s a gun safe that grandpa had in the basement. Mom hadn’t even begun the process of moving any of his shit since he died, so I’m sure it’s all still there. Might be a good idea to secure the house and the grounds and make this place home.”
Gaia looked at Nick as if the idea were absurd. But after the initial wave of skepticism passed, she gave it some serious thought. The animals were here. The grounds were mostly surrounded by gates that seemed intact for the most part. There was plenty of food for the herbivores, and she was sure Nick could figure out something to do with the big cats before they started to get feisty. It had been over a day now since they’d eaten anything, which was not abnormal. But, it brought that thought into her head and so she asked Nick.
“The tigers eat every day?”
“Almost. We feed them six out of seven usually. I’m thinking if you toss zombie corpses inside, they’ll eat ‘em. I know the hyenas and wolves will. The cats will if they have no other choices.”
“Shit. What am I gonna do for them long term?”
“One day at a time for now.” Nick seemed to look pensively at Gaia for a good long minute as she turned and saw Justin quietly reading his comic book. When she turned back, Nick was smiling. “If you wanna know the truth, I’d get the inside of the house cleaned out of zombies and then maybe let the big cats out of their pens.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s a thought, anyway. Let ‘em hunt. They’ll probably kill most of the zombies inside the grounds, and then once that’s done, they’ll probably wander out.”
“Or kill us next,” Gaia remarked, eyeing him accusingly.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Most likely they’ll wander out of here either way.”
“You want me to just let them go?!” she asked him, her words
“Just two so far, ma’am. I been hiding mostly. They haven’t found me yet. And when they do, I run and hide.”
“You don’t need to call me ma’am anymore, okay? Makes me sound old,” she whispered to Nick, who nodded and chuckled. “Call me Gaia.”
“Okay, ma—I mean Miss Gaia.” Nick rifled through a brown bag and fished out an apple, laughing at the child’s compromise.
“Here, have some breakfast,” Nick said, tossing Justin the fruit. Then he handed Gaia a comic book and nodded to the boy. Gaia handed that to the boy, too. “Thought you might enjoy that, too. Found it on one of the busses. Eat that while it’s still fresh. Don’t know when you’re gonna be eating a sensible breakfast that good again for a while.”
“That’s a bit grim, don’t you think?” Gaia whispered again as the boy took the fruit and the comic and sat in a seat further away from them.
“The boy’s gonna have to learn to survive. And it ain’t gonna be easy, right?”
“No, but I am hoping to ease him into the news, you know. He’s only—shit!—we never asked him how old he is!”
“Hey, Justin. How old are you, son?” Nick called to him.
“I’m nine, sir.”
“I’m Nick from now on, too. If she’s no ma’am, then I’m no sir,” he said with another chuckle. “Got it?”
“Yes, Mister Nick,” said the boy through the sounds of chewing. Evidently, he was hungry, Gaia noted.
“Just Nick. No mister.” The boy nodded as he hungrily pierced the skin of the apple and tore away a bite.
“Poor kid probably hasn’t eaten in a day,” Gaia mentioned in a sympathetic manner.
“Gaia, there’s dry food and cases of water stored in the basement of the house. Canned goods and whatnot for the animals, too. Canned fruit, nuts—that kind of stuff the ol’ man used to eat nuts and tofu in his last few months, trying to eat healthy. To hell with that, I said, but he did it anyway. Mom made sure of that. There should be plenty of it around still. Looks like the electricity is still functioning, too,” Nick observed, making it to his feet with a grunt. “And I know there’s a gun safe that grandpa had in the basement. Mom hadn’t even begun the process of moving any of his shit since he died, so I’m sure it’s all still there. Might be a good idea to secure the house and the grounds and make this place home.”
Gaia looked at Nick as if the idea were absurd. But after the initial wave of skepticism passed, she gave it some serious thought. The animals were here. The grounds were mostly surrounded by gates that seemed intact for the most part. There was plenty of food for the herbivores, and she was sure Nick could figure out something to do with the big cats before they started to get feisty. It had been over a day now since they’d eaten anything, which was not abnormal. But, it brought that thought into her head and so she asked Nick.
“The tigers eat every day?”
“Almost. We feed them six out of seven usually. I’m thinking if you toss zombie corpses inside, they’ll eat ‘em. I know the hyenas and wolves will. The cats will if they have no other choices.”
“Shit. What am I gonna do for them long term?”
“One day at a time for now.” Nick seemed to look pensively at Gaia for a good long minute as she turned and saw Justin quietly reading his comic book. When she turned back, Nick was smiling. “If you wanna know the truth, I’d get the inside of the house cleaned out of zombies and then maybe let the big cats out of their pens.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s a thought, anyway. Let ‘em hunt. They’ll probably kill most of the zombies inside the grounds, and then once that’s done, they’ll probably wander out.”
“Or kill us next,” Gaia remarked, eyeing him accusingly.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Most likely they’ll wander out of here either way.”
“You want me to just let them go?!” she asked him, her words
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