Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Apocalypse

10) Back Inside

The day of the massacre, Steven and I moved back into the house. We didn't feel safe in the woods anymore, and even though the power was off, never to return, it was at least dry inside and the water was running.

While we were outdoors, we made a run of being self-sufficient early on. I trapped and skinned a rabbit for us to eat. I had the little fellow turning on a spit and was feeling proud of myself when Steven asked me if I thought the rabbit was related to the one we let go a few Easters back.

"Probably," I told him, "but no way to tell - they're all probably kin."

"Poor little cousin to Jeffrey. He smells quite delicious."

We buried Jeffrey's cousin in the garden without taking one bite. This was all before we were so hungry we would eat the Easter Bunny himself.

Other than practically starving the next few weeks, things quieted down. Fewer refugees were arriving each day and our town became more deserted everyday as people left for something better.

Most of our time was spent looking for food, and other than being hungry, we got really comfortable in the house. We had a routine and schedule that made life seem more normal, and we weirdly felt safer since we were back inside.

I told Steven, "We'll have enough of roughing it when we leave. And, most of the neighbors, except Mr. Thomas, are gone, so it is like we are hiding here now in plain sight."

Steven nodded in agreement. "Just glad to get in out of the rain. Why is Mr. Thomas still around? I thought he would be gone by now too with everyone else."

"Dunno, guess he has nowhere to go, or maybe he is keeping an eye out for me until mom gets home. I always thought he liked her."

"Yeah, maybe," said Steven. "I hope he gets gone before that crazy army arrives, or he might be recruited."

We both laughed at that. Mr. Thomas weighed at least three hundred pounds.

"Funny, the man looks like he is getting bigger everyday, "I said. "Maybe because we're getting so skinny. He must have canned more food than Nana. He did have a big garden last summer. Mom kept having to throw the tomatoes he brought over out. Man, I would love a tomato sandwich now. Extra mayo and pepper, please."

"I don't even like tomatoes, but I will take two please."

It was one of our favorite pastimes - talking about food we didn't have.

We unloaded our gear from the woods in the kitchen. "Let's set this up as our staging area," I said. "We can use the counters and the table to load our supplies and organize them. We've got to get a lot lighter for our trip. It's a long way."

"Sounds good," said Steven. "We can probably leave soon. Mr. Newsome is supposed to come get Nana this week."

Mr. Newsome was Nana's foster child many years before when Nana was not yet a real mama. He was a farmer who lived just outside town now. He had been looking in on Nana regularly since Steven's papa had passed on.

"We could use some more batteries. We can look for some in the neighborhood. People got gone so fast, they probably didn't clean those out. Also, we need to find you a lighter backpack. One that will hold more. And we got to get rid of your magazines, Steven."

Steven reached into his backpack and pulled out a picture of his favorite female celebrity. "I will never desert my girl," he said and emphasized his point by kissing Taylor on the lips. He sighed and gazed into her eyes. "But I guess you're right." He put the picture on the fridge. 

"Well, your girl is not 22 anymore. So, she is not a girl."

"True, but she is timeless, and she will always be my girl. Now, didn't you say there was some supplies from your dad too? In the garage?"

"Yeah, he sends me some every birthday. I haven't opened his presents in years. Probably something useful in there."

"Why'd you not open them?" asked Steven.

I thought about this and told him the truth. "They hurt my feelings and made me mad."

"Why? At least you got a dad who remembers your birthday."

"I know. I'm sorry. I am being insensitive."

"Yes, you are, but I still love you. So, why did you not open the presents?"

"Because I was upset that he didn't know I was grown up now. Grown up and not interested in playing games anymore."

"Wow," said Steven and then, "And, ironically, and I mean really ironically, your dad was right all along."

I paused before I said, "Yes, yes he was. My dad was right. The world has ended. Just like he said it would."

After we moved the birthday boxes from the garage to the kitchen, I got my knife out of my pocket to open one of them.

"No. Stop." said Steven.

My knife was stuck in the crease of the nearest box. I stopped.

"It's soon, your birthday. These are birthday presents. Let's save them until your birthday. You will be eighteen. A big day for you. If I can find an egg, I'm gonna make you a cake. We'll celebrate. Open your presents."

I guess he forgot there's no electricity to bake a cake, but still I liked the idea of a celebration. I folded the blade back in. "Steven, you are the best friend any girl ever had."

"I know," said the best friend any girl ever had.