Contaminated 2: Mercy Mode by Em Garner Page A

as I rinse the dishes and put them in the drying rack. My dad built me that bookcase, and it’s still in my room. But my dad’s gone. The towels my mom was folding that day are probably still in the linen closet, but my mom’s not the same as she was back then.
    Everything’s different, and it shouldn’t surprise or upset me anymore, but right now it does.
    I don’t have time to mope, though. Opal’s pounding down the stairs, taking the last two at the same time with a leap, one hand on the railing to keep herself from falling. She thunders through the living room.
    “Jeez, elephant feet. Settle the … kettle,” I finish, thinking of my dad. I tell her to brush her teeth and wash her face. To at least try to comb a few of the tangles from her hair. “And eat some breakfast. We have a lot to do today.”
    Opal rolls her eyes. “Like what?”
    I lay it out for her. “So we’re going to go through each house, room by room, and get anything we need.”
    “It will feel like we’re stealing.” She looks around the kitchen with a guilty expression.
    “You’re the one who thought of it. Don’t worry, it willbe okay.” I want to reassure her, because I understand how she feels. It
will
feel like stealing. It will also feel like salvation. “We’ll only take from the empty houses. And we don’t have a choice, Opal.” I don’t want to scare her, but I need her to understand how important it is. “Dress in long pants and long sleeves, too.”
    “But it’s hot!”
    “Yeah, and we don’t know what we’re going to be dealing with in any of these houses. There could be … stuff.”
    Opal perks up. “Gross stuff?”
    “Maybe.” I eye her. “Maybe you should stay home.”
    “No! No, Velvet, I want to go!” She hops out of her chair, dancing in an agony of not wanting to be denied.
    “It’s going to be hot and sweaty, and yeah. Maybe gross.” I keep my smile hidden.
    Opal nods. “Like the dead pig.”
    “Or worse, Opal.” I’m not smiling now. I’m serious. “You have to promise to listen to me. Do what I say. We have to be careful, because there could be—”
    “Connies. I know.” Her expression darkens.
    “Or other things,” I say gently. “There could be regular people.”
    Opal frowns. She’s grown so much taller over the past few months that pretty soon she’ll be looking me in the eyes. Her hair’s still too long, and her pants not long enough.
    “We’ll have to find you some new clothes,” I say.
    “Hooray!” She jumps up and down.
    For a second, I think she’s being a brat, but then I see that she’s really happy. That makes me happy, too. The thought of robbing houses to get her some new jeans suddenly seems more like an adventure and less like desperate necessity.
    “Mom,” I call up the stairs.
    Mrs. Holly comes to the railing. “Your mother’s still sleeping, Velvet. What do you want?”
    I frown. “Still sleeping? It’s late already.”
    Well, it feels late. Honestly, without clocks, it’s hard to tell anymore. Mrs. Holly puts a finger to her lips.
    “Yes. Shhh.”
    “I’m gonna get dressed.” Opal pushes past me to head upstairs, leaving me with the dishes that I put in the sink with barely a longing glance at the dishwasher.
    The puppy, which has been growing even faster than Opal, scratches at the back door to be let in. Then he tries to follow us when Opal comes downstairs and we head for the front door. “Dexter, stay.”
    “Can’t he come with us? He’d be good protection.” Opal bends to give him some love.
    “He can stay here. Protect Mom and Mrs. Holly,” I tell her, thinking of how annoying it will be to have to keep an eye on the dog as well as my kid sister.
    Opal frowns. “But …”
    “He barks at anyone who comes by. They need him here more than we do,” I remind her, and she reluctantly agrees.
    “I’ll keep him.” Mrs. Holly hooks a finger throughDexter’s collar, and he sits obediently. “You girls be careful.”
    Opal