When the Dead by Michelle Kilmer Page A

dramatically.
                “You
told Isobel and now almost everyone knows.”
                “I’m
not a tattle-tail. I’m a do-gooder. Some of that food you wasted was for me!
I’m just trying to survive.”
    “Ok guys. Calm down. Molly, we were bound to find out. Markus, you could
maybe have given Molly an opportunity to tell the group on her own.” Rob tried
to be a neutral force in the argument.
                “She
was upstairs cleaning up anything that tied her to the problem. I don’t think
she planned on admitting anything!” Markus yelled, pointing at Molly as he
buried her deeper.
    “What do you want me to do, Markus? It’s an obsession,” she said,
exasperated, “and I’m sorry.”
    “I accept your apology Molly. As for everyone else, that is up to them,”
Isobel said.
    Markus left without saying anymore. He didn’t like feeling his mortality.
It would be awhile before he could forgive Molly for her wrong.
     
     

The Third Meeting
    Dinner
the same day brought yet another meeting of the group.
    “Thanks everyone for meeting like this all the time,” Isobel said.
    “It’s not like we have other plans,” Edward said lightheartedly and everyone
laughed at his apocalyptic humor.
    “On a serious note though, I called this meeting so that Molly
could talk to everyone all at once. Molly?” Isobel looked to her expectantly.
    “I don’t think I can do anything but come out and say that it’s my fault
that we don’t have enough food to last us through the month. I am bulimic. I’m
sorry. Really I am. I’ve been through therapy, before this, and I just have to
work hard to put everything I learned there back into practice. The
circumstances are a little bit . . . different this time though.”
    “You messed up the rationing, Molly,” Rob, who’d had a little bit more
time to think about Molly’s decisions, reprimanded her.
    “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I love you all like family now, especially
Gabe and Annabella. This problem is just bigger than me.”
    “I want to believe that you can control it but I think we should put the
food supply in an apartment up there and lock it up; create a controlled system
to divvy it out,” Ben suggested. “So this doesn’t happen again.”
    “I agree with, Ben.” Markus said.
    Moira grabbed Molly’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry Molly, but I agree
with Ben too.”
    “It’s fine Moira. I brought this on myself. Everyone has a right to be
angry with me.”
    At that moment Gabe poked his head around the corner. He’d been listening
to the whole meeting. “I’m not mad at you Molly.” Rob waved his hand at Gabe to
join the group and Gabe ran to sit on Rob’s lap.
    “No matter where we store it or how we lock it up, the problem right now
is that we don’t have enough.” Jeff reminded the group.
    “I have a plan for that,” Isobel said. “We all know that Vaughn goes out
regularly and is skilled at  . . . well, staying alive out there. I’m going to
talk with him about taking some of us out to bring back food.”
    “How will we decide who is going?” Edward motioned with his cane around
the circle of residents. The room became silent. No one wanted to think about
going outside.
    Isobel broke it, knowing a decision had to be made. “Well, you and Moira,
though very agile and healthy for your age, won’t be able to fight, run, or
haul as much food as the rest of us so you don’t have to worry about it. Jill
just had a baby and isn’t very . . . stable. She will stay here too.”
    Molly was terrified to be alone with Vaughn inside the walls of the
building. She didn’t want to be stuck with him and the undead but she
knew they would expect her to go.
    “I’ll go,” Molly volunteered, hoping that someone would speak out against
it, “even if you weren’t going to say my name.”
    “I was actually going to suggest you. We need to be responsible
for our actions so this is how you will repay