tone in Aleah’s voice. Then there was that whole ‘burned that town to the ground’ comment.
Without warning, Aleah threw her arms around Kevin’s neck and kissed him. After several seconds, she let go and stepped back with a smile. Kevin stood frozen, dumbfounded.
“I swore I’d plant one on the person that did that,” Aleah explained patting Kevin on the shoulder. “Now take me up there to your group and introduce me before they think I’m crazy.”
Kevin shook his head to clear it and led the way. Although, if you asked him later, he couldn’t actually remember doing so. As they reached the house, Heather stepped off the porch. She’d already holstered her weapon and had her arms folded across her body.
“I didn’t think you two were ever going to come back to the house,” Heather scolded. Kevin mumbled something unintelligible and stepped from between the two females.
“Hi, I’m Aleah,” the new arrival said, extending a hand to Heather. “Aleah Brock.”
“Heather Godwin.” The younger girl accepted the handshake and glanced at Kevin. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You’ve met Kevin, come in and meet the others.” She stepped aside and ushered Aleah through the door. Kevin remained on the porch with a dreamy-but-dazed look on his face. “Never mind him.” Heather gave a dismissive wave at the man that continued to stand on the porch, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
The sounds of approaching footsteps signaled Peter’s arrival. Heather made the introductions while Kevin continued to stand silent and useless.
“Kevin said there were two others?” Aleah asked looking around.
“Asleep,” Peter explained. “One of them is very pregnant and due any day now.
“Ouch,” Aleah winced.
“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “And we’ve only got about half the supplies we need to deal with it.”
Aleah smiled as Kevin entered the room. Heather caught the look and glanced back at her obviously smitten traveling companion who just happened to be the person that she’d had the most tremendous crush on.
“Everybody met?” Kevin said, his face a glowing, crimson mask of embarrassment.
“She hasn’t met Shari or Erin,” Heather struggled to keep the disdain from her voice, “they’re asleep.”
“I think I can help on that whole supply issue,” Aleah offered. “I mean, with the one who is pregnant and due any day.” All eyes turned her way. “I know where a pharmacy is. I’m no doctor, but it looked like one of those twenty-four hour emergency clinics. There was a drug store right next door. Chances are, we should be able to find something useful since it didn’t look like it had been hit by anybody yet.”
“That’s a great offer.” Peter nodded at the idea, but something clouded his expression. “I just have one little question.”
“Why would I want to help?” Aleah turned to face the man. “Peter is it? You see, I’ve been on my own for the most part since this began. This isn’t going to get any better, and staying out there on my own is a daily lottery where my number will eventually come up. You folks aren’t out there taking advantage of the situation like so many others I’ve seen. I’d like to think that you are trying to survive while doing things right. I got a really good feeling when I met Mister Fumble Tongue over there. I trusted him almost instantly; that’s something I didn’t do before all this madness, much less after. I’ve seen enough to know that there’s safety in numbers. So, if you don’t want me around…that’s fine. I’ll hit the road, but you might regret it later. I think you’re gonna need every weapon carrying hand that you can get.”
“Okay,” Peter agreed after glancing at Kevin and Heather. “But what I was going to ask is how far away this place you were talking about is…on foot, and who’d you want to take with you.”
“Oh,” Aleah said with just a hint of
Without warning, Aleah threw her arms around Kevin’s neck and kissed him. After several seconds, she let go and stepped back with a smile. Kevin stood frozen, dumbfounded.
“I swore I’d plant one on the person that did that,” Aleah explained patting Kevin on the shoulder. “Now take me up there to your group and introduce me before they think I’m crazy.”
Kevin shook his head to clear it and led the way. Although, if you asked him later, he couldn’t actually remember doing so. As they reached the house, Heather stepped off the porch. She’d already holstered her weapon and had her arms folded across her body.
“I didn’t think you two were ever going to come back to the house,” Heather scolded. Kevin mumbled something unintelligible and stepped from between the two females.
“Hi, I’m Aleah,” the new arrival said, extending a hand to Heather. “Aleah Brock.”
“Heather Godwin.” The younger girl accepted the handshake and glanced at Kevin. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You’ve met Kevin, come in and meet the others.” She stepped aside and ushered Aleah through the door. Kevin remained on the porch with a dreamy-but-dazed look on his face. “Never mind him.” Heather gave a dismissive wave at the man that continued to stand on the porch, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
The sounds of approaching footsteps signaled Peter’s arrival. Heather made the introductions while Kevin continued to stand silent and useless.
“Kevin said there were two others?” Aleah asked looking around.
“Asleep,” Peter explained. “One of them is very pregnant and due any day now.
“Ouch,” Aleah winced.
“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “And we’ve only got about half the supplies we need to deal with it.”
Aleah smiled as Kevin entered the room. Heather caught the look and glanced back at her obviously smitten traveling companion who just happened to be the person that she’d had the most tremendous crush on.
“Everybody met?” Kevin said, his face a glowing, crimson mask of embarrassment.
“She hasn’t met Shari or Erin,” Heather struggled to keep the disdain from her voice, “they’re asleep.”
“I think I can help on that whole supply issue,” Aleah offered. “I mean, with the one who is pregnant and due any day.” All eyes turned her way. “I know where a pharmacy is. I’m no doctor, but it looked like one of those twenty-four hour emergency clinics. There was a drug store right next door. Chances are, we should be able to find something useful since it didn’t look like it had been hit by anybody yet.”
“That’s a great offer.” Peter nodded at the idea, but something clouded his expression. “I just have one little question.”
“Why would I want to help?” Aleah turned to face the man. “Peter is it? You see, I’ve been on my own for the most part since this began. This isn’t going to get any better, and staying out there on my own is a daily lottery where my number will eventually come up. You folks aren’t out there taking advantage of the situation like so many others I’ve seen. I’d like to think that you are trying to survive while doing things right. I got a really good feeling when I met Mister Fumble Tongue over there. I trusted him almost instantly; that’s something I didn’t do before all this madness, much less after. I’ve seen enough to know that there’s safety in numbers. So, if you don’t want me around…that’s fine. I’ll hit the road, but you might regret it later. I think you’re gonna need every weapon carrying hand that you can get.”
“Okay,” Peter agreed after glancing at Kevin and Heather. “But what I was going to ask is how far away this place you were talking about is…on foot, and who’d you want to take with you.”
“Oh,” Aleah said with just a hint of
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