and now, sitting around in
a boarded up building with hardly any sunlight – it was just too much. She was
trying to stay as positive as she could under the most negative of
circumstances, but it was hard. And now the dreary darkness of the lodge just
made it feel impossible.
After Terry explained why he’d
boarded up the windows and they talked about staying together to survive as a
group if they couldn’t resume their normal lives, she left the men to sort
through the loot from their last scavenging run, saying, “I’ll be back later,”
and started walking toward the door. “Oh, could somebody cook something for
tonight? I’m really tired and just want to rest a while.”
“Sure. I will,” Terry replied.
Both men watched Angela leave, then
Terry looked at Jim.
“Is she okay? She seems sort of
depressed.”
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. Could be
the whole nuclear bomb thing, plus watching Hailey and Josh die…”
Terry shook his head and resumed
sorting supplies from the big pile.
“You do care about her, don’t you?”
Jim looked at Terry and bit the
inside of his cheek. He reached for a knife and dropped it alongside several
others off to the side. Then he examined the pile to see what he could sort
next. He started on medical supplies. After he gathered them into a separate
pile, he stood up and stretched. Terry was picking up ammo boxes and sorting
them by caliber.
“I’m gonna grab some empty boxes,”
Jim said, walking toward the front door.
Terry thought that was a bad lie
since the empty boxes were in the back by the pantry, but he didn’t say
anything.
Jim stepped outside and stood still
after taking a few steps away from the door. He looked over at the cabins and
saw flickering light coming from Angela’s. Her curtains were closed. A cold
wind blew through his shirt but he didn’t button his jacket. He just stood
there, staring at the one cabin with a dimly lit window. He put his hands in
his jacket pockets, tilted his head down and walked past the cars toward the
lighted cabin adjacent to the far end of the lot.
When he reached her door, he tapped
it with the side of his shoe three times. A few seconds later, the door opened
and he could see Angela’s breath inside the room as easily as he could see his
outside. It was cold and stunk of kerosene.
“You’re gonna freeze in there. You
should come back to the lodge.”
She turned around and went back to
sitting on the bed. She picked up several long strands of grass and started
braiding them together. Jim came in and shut the door.
“ You makin ’ a wreath?”
She nodded. He sat down in the
upholstered chair to the left of the bed. He kept his hands in his pockets,
trying to keep them warm.
“What’s up, Ange?”
She stopped fiddling with the grass
and looked at him without turning her head.
“What do you mean?” She looked down
at her hands but kept them still.
“You seem off. I know life is
sucking pretty hard lately, but you seem different tonight. Is something wrong,
aside from the world coming to an end?”
She snorted and mildly shook her
head, still looking down at the grass she was holding. She started fiddling
with it, not braiding it as she was before, but just rolling strands between
her fingertips.
“It’s hard, Jim. We still don’t
have any clue about what’s going on. I think part of why I’ve been able to
block out the horror of what happened to Denver is because I can hope that it
only happened there and that our family and friends at home are still okay. But
I don’t even know. Everyone we care about could be dead.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t bothering
you so much earlier today, or yesterday. What changed?”
She turned her head to look at him.
She rolled her lips inward and inhaled deeply through her nose. Her exhalation
was a long sigh.
“You’ll think it’s stupid.”
Jim bit the inside of his cheek and
waited.
“I know this doesn’t make any
sense, so please, don’t
a boarded up building with hardly any sunlight – it was just too much. She was
trying to stay as positive as she could under the most negative of
circumstances, but it was hard. And now the dreary darkness of the lodge just
made it feel impossible.
After Terry explained why he’d
boarded up the windows and they talked about staying together to survive as a
group if they couldn’t resume their normal lives, she left the men to sort
through the loot from their last scavenging run, saying, “I’ll be back later,”
and started walking toward the door. “Oh, could somebody cook something for
tonight? I’m really tired and just want to rest a while.”
“Sure. I will,” Terry replied.
Both men watched Angela leave, then
Terry looked at Jim.
“Is she okay? She seems sort of
depressed.”
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. Could be
the whole nuclear bomb thing, plus watching Hailey and Josh die…”
Terry shook his head and resumed
sorting supplies from the big pile.
“You do care about her, don’t you?”
Jim looked at Terry and bit the
inside of his cheek. He reached for a knife and dropped it alongside several
others off to the side. Then he examined the pile to see what he could sort
next. He started on medical supplies. After he gathered them into a separate
pile, he stood up and stretched. Terry was picking up ammo boxes and sorting
them by caliber.
“I’m gonna grab some empty boxes,”
Jim said, walking toward the front door.
Terry thought that was a bad lie
since the empty boxes were in the back by the pantry, but he didn’t say
anything.
Jim stepped outside and stood still
after taking a few steps away from the door. He looked over at the cabins and
saw flickering light coming from Angela’s. Her curtains were closed. A cold
wind blew through his shirt but he didn’t button his jacket. He just stood
there, staring at the one cabin with a dimly lit window. He put his hands in
his jacket pockets, tilted his head down and walked past the cars toward the
lighted cabin adjacent to the far end of the lot.
When he reached her door, he tapped
it with the side of his shoe three times. A few seconds later, the door opened
and he could see Angela’s breath inside the room as easily as he could see his
outside. It was cold and stunk of kerosene.
“You’re gonna freeze in there. You
should come back to the lodge.”
She turned around and went back to
sitting on the bed. She picked up several long strands of grass and started
braiding them together. Jim came in and shut the door.
“ You makin ’ a wreath?”
She nodded. He sat down in the
upholstered chair to the left of the bed. He kept his hands in his pockets,
trying to keep them warm.
“What’s up, Ange?”
She stopped fiddling with the grass
and looked at him without turning her head.
“What do you mean?” She looked down
at her hands but kept them still.
“You seem off. I know life is
sucking pretty hard lately, but you seem different tonight. Is something wrong,
aside from the world coming to an end?”
She snorted and mildly shook her
head, still looking down at the grass she was holding. She started fiddling
with it, not braiding it as she was before, but just rolling strands between
her fingertips.
“It’s hard, Jim. We still don’t
have any clue about what’s going on. I think part of why I’ve been able to
block out the horror of what happened to Denver is because I can hope that it
only happened there and that our family and friends at home are still okay. But
I don’t even know. Everyone we care about could be dead.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t bothering
you so much earlier today, or yesterday. What changed?”
She turned her head to look at him.
She rolled her lips inward and inhaled deeply through her nose. Her exhalation
was a long sigh.
“You’ll think it’s stupid.”
Jim bit the inside of his cheek and
waited.
“I know this doesn’t make any
sense, so please, don’t
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