more. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Will opened the cabinets until he found a bowl, and then grabbed the box of cereal and walked over to the table. He set the box in the middle of the table and took a seat across from Dylan.
“I’ve gotta try this.”
Dylan poured himself another bowl, then handed the box to Will. Will topped it off with water from a pitcher, and dipped the spoon in for the first bite. He scrunched his face as if he’d just eaten something sour.
Dylan laughed. “That bad, huh?”
“Just gonna take a little bit of adjusting.”
Will sat and ate with Dylan. They talked mostly about Dylan’s favorite comic book characters. Holly stood and watched from the kitchen, absorbing the moment.
For Will, it was a welcome distraction. It pulled his mind away from thinking about going back into the world.
***
About half an hour after Will and Dylan finished breakfast, Laurie stopped by and asked Will if he could be ready to leave in twenty minutes. Will said he could, and that he would meet Karl outside.
Twenty minutes passed, and Will stood in the foyer with Holly. Her face was pale, her arms crossed over her chest.
“We shouldn’t be gone too long,” Will said. “Hopefully just a couple of hours. Maybe less.”
“All right,” Holly said. She sounded almost disconnected.
Dylan and Mary Beth approached them from the living room.
“Take care of them,” Will told Dylan, speaking of Holly and Mary Beth. “Can you do that for me?”
“Of course,” Dylan said.
Will smiled and hugged the boy, whose single arm held Will tight. He kissed Mary Beth on the cheek, then went back to Holly.
“Timothy is supposed to come by soon and change out his bandage,” Will said.
“Mm-hmm,” Holly mumbled.
“Hey, look at me.”
Holly lifted her head to look into Will’s eyes.
“We’ll be fine, okay?”
“I just worry about you going out there with people we barely know,” Holly said. “They haven’t seen the things we’ve seen.”
“Charlie will be with me,” Will said, trying to reassure her. “We’ll make it back. All of us.”
Knowing that his words would do little to comfort her, he simply leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. The only thing that would ease her emotions would be for him to live up to the words and to actually come back to this house.
***
As they exited the neighborhood, Karl pointed out the houses which he knew had survivors in them. He showed them one house where a family of four was. Another where a man lived on his own, having lost his family at some point after The Fall. An elderly couple lived in another home.
“And you said that you tried to help these people?” Charlie asked Karl.
“Sure have,” Karl said. “They all have their own reasons for not wanting to join us. The elderly couple told Timothy they’re just waiting for everything to pass over, comparing this situation to Ebola or Anthrax. That the government will find a cure for all this and that everything will be okay soon.”
“Exactly how far away is this place?” Will asked.
“As long as we don’t hit any resistance, I think we should be there in only about fifteen minutes.”
“How are you sure that we can trust these people?” Charlie asked.
Karl laughed. “I’m not. Why the hell do you think I brought y’all long? You think I was really gonna go check out this place with only Spencer back there?”
Spencer was the other person from the campground who Timothy had chosen to ride along with them. He’d been out on a couple of runs with Karl before, and had apparently proven that he could handle himself. He was also one of the few people at the camp who had experience firing guns, having grown up in a home where his parents owned them. He was now in his early 30s and had come to the camp in a way similar to that of Will and the others. He had lived in an apartment complex not too far away from the neighborhood, and had made his way over to the houses at some
Will opened the cabinets until he found a bowl, and then grabbed the box of cereal and walked over to the table. He set the box in the middle of the table and took a seat across from Dylan.
“I’ve gotta try this.”
Dylan poured himself another bowl, then handed the box to Will. Will topped it off with water from a pitcher, and dipped the spoon in for the first bite. He scrunched his face as if he’d just eaten something sour.
Dylan laughed. “That bad, huh?”
“Just gonna take a little bit of adjusting.”
Will sat and ate with Dylan. They talked mostly about Dylan’s favorite comic book characters. Holly stood and watched from the kitchen, absorbing the moment.
For Will, it was a welcome distraction. It pulled his mind away from thinking about going back into the world.
***
About half an hour after Will and Dylan finished breakfast, Laurie stopped by and asked Will if he could be ready to leave in twenty minutes. Will said he could, and that he would meet Karl outside.
Twenty minutes passed, and Will stood in the foyer with Holly. Her face was pale, her arms crossed over her chest.
“We shouldn’t be gone too long,” Will said. “Hopefully just a couple of hours. Maybe less.”
“All right,” Holly said. She sounded almost disconnected.
Dylan and Mary Beth approached them from the living room.
“Take care of them,” Will told Dylan, speaking of Holly and Mary Beth. “Can you do that for me?”
“Of course,” Dylan said.
Will smiled and hugged the boy, whose single arm held Will tight. He kissed Mary Beth on the cheek, then went back to Holly.
“Timothy is supposed to come by soon and change out his bandage,” Will said.
“Mm-hmm,” Holly mumbled.
“Hey, look at me.”
Holly lifted her head to look into Will’s eyes.
“We’ll be fine, okay?”
“I just worry about you going out there with people we barely know,” Holly said. “They haven’t seen the things we’ve seen.”
“Charlie will be with me,” Will said, trying to reassure her. “We’ll make it back. All of us.”
Knowing that his words would do little to comfort her, he simply leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. The only thing that would ease her emotions would be for him to live up to the words and to actually come back to this house.
***
As they exited the neighborhood, Karl pointed out the houses which he knew had survivors in them. He showed them one house where a family of four was. Another where a man lived on his own, having lost his family at some point after The Fall. An elderly couple lived in another home.
“And you said that you tried to help these people?” Charlie asked Karl.
“Sure have,” Karl said. “They all have their own reasons for not wanting to join us. The elderly couple told Timothy they’re just waiting for everything to pass over, comparing this situation to Ebola or Anthrax. That the government will find a cure for all this and that everything will be okay soon.”
“Exactly how far away is this place?” Will asked.
“As long as we don’t hit any resistance, I think we should be there in only about fifteen minutes.”
“How are you sure that we can trust these people?” Charlie asked.
Karl laughed. “I’m not. Why the hell do you think I brought y’all long? You think I was really gonna go check out this place with only Spencer back there?”
Spencer was the other person from the campground who Timothy had chosen to ride along with them. He’d been out on a couple of runs with Karl before, and had apparently proven that he could handle himself. He was also one of the few people at the camp who had experience firing guns, having grown up in a home where his parents owned them. He was now in his early 30s and had come to the camp in a way similar to that of Will and the others. He had lived in an apartment complex not too far away from the neighborhood, and had made his way over to the houses at some
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