and went back to work. “No, thanks.”
I braced for the inevitable question to come.
“How can you not be hungry?”
Doc and Mei were noticeably uncomfortable, staring at the windows blocked with boxes to avoid the can of worms Christina had unwittingly opened. Beverly observed the conversation with a smirk.
“Are you vegan?” Christina pressed.
“Hmm?” Harrison grunted, giving her half of his attention.
“You only eat vegetables, right?”
I nearly laughed out loud but somehow kept it back.
“Well,” she snickered, shaking her head. “You’re gonna have to get over that, you know. We’re in survival mode now. You know what that means? It means you’re going to have to eat meat .”
When he didn’t show any signs of responding, she continued.
“Meat gives you protein, which builds muscle, which you’re going to need to fight for your survival.”
She was making excellent points, but the irony of it was too much. A fleeting look at Harrison made it clear that he had plenty of muscle.
I broke into laughter.
“What?” she asked innocently. “It’s true. He has to get over his issues.” She snapped her head in his direction. “You have to get over your issues.”
This sounded oddly like her mantra that had helped her through whatever she’d faced. Get over your issues and get on with it, seemed to be what she was insisting. I appreciated the effort but it was in vain. Harrison had no problems with meat, or much of anything else that didn’t involve the Infected.
She was expecting him to argue back, oppose her, or simply ignore her altogether, but he picked up on the irony of her test and turned it on her with humor.
“Are you saying I’m scrawny?” he replied casually.
At that, Doc, Mei, and Beverly broke into smiles. I was already laughing through my nose.
Christina’s skin darkened to a fine blush then. “I’m…well…I don’t know…”
Harrison’s head fell to his chest and he chuckled to himself over the joke she was clearly excluded from understanding, and it didn’t sit well.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
The rest of laughed quietly.
“What’s so damn funny?” she said.
But we kept to ourselves, knowing it was up to Harrison to deliver the news in his own way and at a time when he decided.
Christina must have realized she wasn’t going to get an answer because she sighed, rolled her eyes, and returned to her chili.
“So what’s a WillMart?” I asked, both to move the conversation along and to satisfy my curiosity.
“You’ve never-?” she asked before letting her jaw fall open. “I mean, you’ve never…”
“No,” Beverly muttered sarcastically. “She’s never.”
Christina paused to narrow her eyes at Beverly before answering me.
“It’s a store that has everything, and I mean everything. Food, clothes, furniture, everything.”
“Does it have a cure?” Beverly asked, not bothering to look up from her bowl, and received another frown from Christina for it.
“No, do you have a mouth filter?”
Beverly kept her head down but from her profile I could see her smile, which gave me the impression that she was enjoying having met her match in sarcasm.
“It was owned by the Williams who were trying to compete with WalMart. My mom and I were going to get my birthday present. We were in the parking lot when…”
As her voice trailed away, we silently filled in the blanks for her…when the outbreak hit her small town and she fled inside. Given that she was here and her mother wasn’t, we could also presume that her mother hadn’t made it.
Christina pinched her lips closed, making me think she had warned herself not to talk about it. To help her through it, Harrison asked, “So, Christina, why did you leave WillMart? If you had everything you needed there, why risk your life to come into town?”
It was a legitimate question, one that successfully retrained her thoughts on something other than her mother’s demise.
“We need
I braced for the inevitable question to come.
“How can you not be hungry?”
Doc and Mei were noticeably uncomfortable, staring at the windows blocked with boxes to avoid the can of worms Christina had unwittingly opened. Beverly observed the conversation with a smirk.
“Are you vegan?” Christina pressed.
“Hmm?” Harrison grunted, giving her half of his attention.
“You only eat vegetables, right?”
I nearly laughed out loud but somehow kept it back.
“Well,” she snickered, shaking her head. “You’re gonna have to get over that, you know. We’re in survival mode now. You know what that means? It means you’re going to have to eat meat .”
When he didn’t show any signs of responding, she continued.
“Meat gives you protein, which builds muscle, which you’re going to need to fight for your survival.”
She was making excellent points, but the irony of it was too much. A fleeting look at Harrison made it clear that he had plenty of muscle.
I broke into laughter.
“What?” she asked innocently. “It’s true. He has to get over his issues.” She snapped her head in his direction. “You have to get over your issues.”
This sounded oddly like her mantra that had helped her through whatever she’d faced. Get over your issues and get on with it, seemed to be what she was insisting. I appreciated the effort but it was in vain. Harrison had no problems with meat, or much of anything else that didn’t involve the Infected.
She was expecting him to argue back, oppose her, or simply ignore her altogether, but he picked up on the irony of her test and turned it on her with humor.
“Are you saying I’m scrawny?” he replied casually.
At that, Doc, Mei, and Beverly broke into smiles. I was already laughing through my nose.
Christina’s skin darkened to a fine blush then. “I’m…well…I don’t know…”
Harrison’s head fell to his chest and he chuckled to himself over the joke she was clearly excluded from understanding, and it didn’t sit well.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
The rest of laughed quietly.
“What’s so damn funny?” she said.
But we kept to ourselves, knowing it was up to Harrison to deliver the news in his own way and at a time when he decided.
Christina must have realized she wasn’t going to get an answer because she sighed, rolled her eyes, and returned to her chili.
“So what’s a WillMart?” I asked, both to move the conversation along and to satisfy my curiosity.
“You’ve never-?” she asked before letting her jaw fall open. “I mean, you’ve never…”
“No,” Beverly muttered sarcastically. “She’s never.”
Christina paused to narrow her eyes at Beverly before answering me.
“It’s a store that has everything, and I mean everything. Food, clothes, furniture, everything.”
“Does it have a cure?” Beverly asked, not bothering to look up from her bowl, and received another frown from Christina for it.
“No, do you have a mouth filter?”
Beverly kept her head down but from her profile I could see her smile, which gave me the impression that she was enjoying having met her match in sarcasm.
“It was owned by the Williams who were trying to compete with WalMart. My mom and I were going to get my birthday present. We were in the parking lot when…”
As her voice trailed away, we silently filled in the blanks for her…when the outbreak hit her small town and she fled inside. Given that she was here and her mother wasn’t, we could also presume that her mother hadn’t made it.
Christina pinched her lips closed, making me think she had warned herself not to talk about it. To help her through it, Harrison asked, “So, Christina, why did you leave WillMart? If you had everything you needed there, why risk your life to come into town?”
It was a legitimate question, one that successfully retrained her thoughts on something other than her mother’s demise.
“We need
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