End of the Line (Book 2): Stuck in the Middle by Lara Frater
Authors: Lara Frater
Tags: Zombies
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Mike.
“Annemarie, you’re exhausted,” he said. His voice was calmer but patronizing “We’re all cranky. We’re all been up all night. I’m about to turn in. Dry off and go to bed.”
I didn’t reply, furious that at 25, I was being sent to my room.
To make matters worse, I forgot I let Grace sleep in my bed and I found her curled up on Henry’s side. The gun standing next to mine in the corner. Olive had balled herself up at the bottom of the bed with the end of blanket over her. I didn’t know if she did that herself or if Grace covered her. It figured she was kinder to animals than people. Olive woke up, lifted her white and brown head, saw I wasn’t a threat, and went back to sleep.
As far as I knew Henry was still down in the engine room. Puttering was his favorite thing to do. When he wasn’t throwing up, he was down in the engine room. I didn’t know where he would sleep but at this point didn’t care. I was angry at being lectured, tired of this boat and of being cold. I stripped off my wet clothes and hung them to dry and changed to new flannels.
Grace used the blanket she bought and one of Henry’s. I took mine and lay next to her. It dulled my anger a little thinking how surreal it was climbing into bed with a woman I couldn’t stand and who would never share. Even at Costking she had her own room. She was never with a man or even expressed interest in women. As far as I knew she was asexual.
I bundled myself up in the heavy blanket trying to warm myself up in this icy deathtrap. Sun was slowly leaking into my window. I kept my back to it.
I didn’t think I could sleep. I worried what other calamities were going to befall us. None of us were really experienced sailors, even Grace had been a novice and had previously relied more on her GPS and crew. We were a mile off shore. Could you swim in freezing water or would we freeze like the people on the Titanic? Just be an icy corpse and sink to bottom where even the floaters couldn’t find you.
I had to stay on this death trap and keep my mouth which seemed to be the only thing I could do, since everyone else was nuts and agreed with Tanya. Apparently I was the crazy one.
I balled myself up more in the blanket, disrupting Olive, who got up, stretched, walked to me and licked my face. She was a loveable dog, almost oblivious to the danger around us. I reached my arm out and petted her. She circled around trying to find a spot to settle. I felt Grace move next to me.
“Dog, go to sleep,” she said.
Olive obeyed, settling her warm body into a ball next to me. I covered her with one of the blankets. I think she was afraid of Grace.
“Annemarie, go to sleep.”
I wanted to tell her to fuck off, but instead I drifted off.
Chapter 5
I was on duty tonight but Henry was on now, so after lunch I went back to bed to have it for myself. I snuggled in the warmth of the blanket and tried to enjoy the space. I looked forward to having my own bed when we went to shore. I can’t imagine the farm house would have enough rooms for everyone. I just looked forward to being able to walk around. It was almost February finally and I had some hope we would survive until spring. So far no more holes, no food poisoning, and only six floating zombies. One had been scary because it had come in the dark. I heard it moaning outside the port window. I still shivered thinking about it but three minutes later I heard a shot and it was gone.
I got up around six pm, took my two minute shower, grateful it rained two days ago, and washed up what I could. The rain hadn’t been heavy but enough to give us some short showers because we all stank except for Grace who used her drinking rations to bathe. I changed my underwear. Everything else smelled musty but not that stinky so I put yesterday’s clothes on. The boat had a washer and dryer in the downstairs galley. Because we had limited power, laundry was only done when there were no clothes left that
“Annemarie, you’re exhausted,” he said. His voice was calmer but patronizing “We’re all cranky. We’re all been up all night. I’m about to turn in. Dry off and go to bed.”
I didn’t reply, furious that at 25, I was being sent to my room.
To make matters worse, I forgot I let Grace sleep in my bed and I found her curled up on Henry’s side. The gun standing next to mine in the corner. Olive had balled herself up at the bottom of the bed with the end of blanket over her. I didn’t know if she did that herself or if Grace covered her. It figured she was kinder to animals than people. Olive woke up, lifted her white and brown head, saw I wasn’t a threat, and went back to sleep.
As far as I knew Henry was still down in the engine room. Puttering was his favorite thing to do. When he wasn’t throwing up, he was down in the engine room. I didn’t know where he would sleep but at this point didn’t care. I was angry at being lectured, tired of this boat and of being cold. I stripped off my wet clothes and hung them to dry and changed to new flannels.
Grace used the blanket she bought and one of Henry’s. I took mine and lay next to her. It dulled my anger a little thinking how surreal it was climbing into bed with a woman I couldn’t stand and who would never share. Even at Costking she had her own room. She was never with a man or even expressed interest in women. As far as I knew she was asexual.
I bundled myself up in the heavy blanket trying to warm myself up in this icy deathtrap. Sun was slowly leaking into my window. I kept my back to it.
I didn’t think I could sleep. I worried what other calamities were going to befall us. None of us were really experienced sailors, even Grace had been a novice and had previously relied more on her GPS and crew. We were a mile off shore. Could you swim in freezing water or would we freeze like the people on the Titanic? Just be an icy corpse and sink to bottom where even the floaters couldn’t find you.
I had to stay on this death trap and keep my mouth which seemed to be the only thing I could do, since everyone else was nuts and agreed with Tanya. Apparently I was the crazy one.
I balled myself up more in the blanket, disrupting Olive, who got up, stretched, walked to me and licked my face. She was a loveable dog, almost oblivious to the danger around us. I reached my arm out and petted her. She circled around trying to find a spot to settle. I felt Grace move next to me.
“Dog, go to sleep,” she said.
Olive obeyed, settling her warm body into a ball next to me. I covered her with one of the blankets. I think she was afraid of Grace.
“Annemarie, go to sleep.”
I wanted to tell her to fuck off, but instead I drifted off.
Chapter 5
I was on duty tonight but Henry was on now, so after lunch I went back to bed to have it for myself. I snuggled in the warmth of the blanket and tried to enjoy the space. I looked forward to having my own bed when we went to shore. I can’t imagine the farm house would have enough rooms for everyone. I just looked forward to being able to walk around. It was almost February finally and I had some hope we would survive until spring. So far no more holes, no food poisoning, and only six floating zombies. One had been scary because it had come in the dark. I heard it moaning outside the port window. I still shivered thinking about it but three minutes later I heard a shot and it was gone.
I got up around six pm, took my two minute shower, grateful it rained two days ago, and washed up what I could. The rain hadn’t been heavy but enough to give us some short showers because we all stank except for Grace who used her drinking rations to bathe. I changed my underwear. Everything else smelled musty but not that stinky so I put yesterday’s clothes on. The boat had a washer and dryer in the downstairs galley. Because we had limited power, laundry was only done when there were no clothes left that
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