In The End: A Zombie Apocalypse

~~ The Empty Seats ~~

After several minutes, Caleb comes over and opens the door.

Without saying a word, Shelly, Caleb, and I head over to the front while Hayley shuffles upstairs.

Once we're outside, I ask him about the rosy mark on his cheek.
"I'm fine." He says, distantly.
"Is he always like this?"
Caleb shakes his head. "Only when he drinks. I try to make sure Hayley's not around at those times, but..." He stares at nothing, not looking me in the eyes.

"He's actually a really nice guy. Smart, too. He saved Hayley and I. But he's in a relationship with nurse Jacky, who never questions when he wants some prescribed whiskey for his 'headaches'." he makes finger quotations when saying that last word.
"Anyways, you guys should go, it's getting around dinner time."
"You sure you're ok?" I ask.
"Yeah... I'm good. See ya around." He steps back inside and softly closes the door.

***

Shelly and I return home. Before we enter, I turn to her.
"Promise me you won't say anything about Hayley and Caleb's friend, ok? They want us to keep it secret."
She slides her thumb and forefinger across her lips, turns them sideways like a key, and flicks them over her shoulder. We enter the house.

Claire and Joe are still cooking away in the kitchen while Winona sets the table.

"Well would you look who finally decided to show up." Says Claire. "Where'd you guys go?"
"Just around."
"We made some friends! Hayley and Caleb!" Shelly says.
"How sweet. Well, dinner will be ready soon, why don't you two go get freshened up." Claire says.

Shelly runs up the stairs.
"Where is everyone?" I ask.
"Scout and Jane went to round everybody up," says Winona from the living room. "Priscilla sent out four search parties for the girls. Delilah, Evan, and Cecilia went in one of them. If they don't find the girls, they'll be back in an hour. But I pray to God they'll be back sooner with those ladies."

***

Soon enough, we're all in the house, some talking in the kitchen, some relaxing in the living room, all patiently waiting. Our group had been given two houses to live in, but tonight, we all reside in one. Everyone has freshened up and exchanged their worn clothes with new ones found in bedroom closets.

"When the three, hopefully five, return, we'll begin with dinner." Winona announces.

Ben is seated on the chair in the corner, playing around with the guitar he found in the basement. Chloe and Olivia listen and laugh, while Zoë listens with a giddy smile from the couch beside. Jane, Shelly, Scout, and I are in the middle of a game of hungry hungry hippos. Val sits on the same couch as Zoë, reading a book the size of a brick.

"Hey, Ben," Scout begins. "How 'bout you play somein' intense for this next round?"
As we ready our hippos, Ben begins to wildly strum his guitar. We begin chomping our hippos, frantically trying to get the balls in the middle.

"This isn't fair, I've only got one hand!" Jane cries.
"Awe, poor you!" Scout mocks.
"You wanna go, pal?"
"Bring it, stumpy."
"You asked for it, Brit!"
Jane jumps on Scout, pinning him on his chest and noogying him.
"Doggy pile!" Shelly shouts as she jumps on top of the two, adding to the madness. The room is filled with laughter, even Val cracks a smile.

It isn't long before the doorbell rings. The laugher dies down as Winona gets the door. Only Cecilia, Evan, and Delilah stand there. Cecilia shacks her head solemnly.

"Well," Winona says, exasperated. "Go get freshened up, you three. Everyone else, take a seat at the table, dinner will be served shortly."

***

I sit between Olivia and Scout, across from Claire. Evan, Cecilia, and Delilah have just sat down when Winona begins.

"I'd like for us to say grace." She begins. We all take hands. "Dear Lord, we thank you for bringing us to this haven and allowing us the ability to make this wonderful meal. We thank you for bringing us all together, not just tonight but in life. No matter how we met, we are here now, together, as one.. as a family. We know you will bring our sisters back to us. And for that, we thank you, father."
She looks up and smiles. I notice the two empty seats at the table, each set with a plate and cutlery. I see the pain in Winona's eyes when she looks at them.
"Bon appetite." She whispers.

***

"Would you pass the potatoes, please?" Ben asks. Val passes the bowl down the line.
"So, Ben," begins Zoë. "When'd you learn to play guitar?"
"Oh, I'd rather not say, really." He blushes, scooping mashed potatoes onto his plate.
"C'mon, chap! You can tell us if you were in a boy band." Scout jokes.

"Well, uh, uh, I kinda just learned from my uncle..."
"You liar! You were in a boy band, weren't you!" Olivia laughs.
"Ugh. Well, not quite. I... uh, God, this is embarrassing."
"C'mon, spill!" Says Joe.
Well... ugh. I was in a heavy metal cover band..."
"No. way." Scout say with a smile. The table bursts into laughter, Ben blushing. Zoë nudges him while laughing her head off.

"Don't worry, man." I say through laughs. "We've all got embarrassed secrets."
"What's yours, bud?" Scout asks.

I instantly turn to Olivia, who has a giant smile plastered across her face.
"You won't believe what I'm about to tell you!" She says to the table.
"Oh God!" I hang my head in my hands, waiting for the story to spill from her mouth.

"In kindergarten, our class went on a trip to Henry's Apple farm," She begins.
"I remember this!" Delilah, Evan, and Zoë all say in unison.
"There was a lake behind the farmhouse, which we stopped near when lunchtime came." Delilah says.
"Olivia, Lukas, and I were done eating and wanted to explore. Of course, we didn't tell the teacher." Evan adds.
"We were walking along the edge of the lake, seeing if we could see anything in the water, when Lukas slipped in." Says Olivia.

"His crying was so loud it shook the ground! We all ran over, while Olivia and Evan were rolling on the floor, laughing." Adds Zoë.
"After he finally settled down, we continued on with the trip. But, soon enough, he told the teacher his butt was hurting."

"Oh, don't tell me," Jane says. The entire table is listening intently on my embarrassing story.
"The teacher said he was fine, thought he only hit it on the lake floor. That was until Lukas ended up passing out, face planting into the grass." Olivia says, the chuckles coming out.

"The teacher was freaking out! She went to him and that's when she found it." Evan couldn't help laughing, so Delilah had to continue.

"There was a leach on his ass! The entire class was dying of laughter as the teacher tried scraping it off with her credit card." The table burst into laughter once again, including me. It was kinda funny, thinking back on it.
"Oh, sweet pea!"
"I still have the scar!"
"Frisky chap, wunt' he!" Scout laughs.

Again, the laughing is interrupted by the doorbell. Winona wipes her mouth and hurried to the door.

She waits for the last of the chuckles to die down before she opens it.

"Hello?" She asks.
"Evening, ma'am." A young man, about twenty, stands outside.
"Evening. What can I help you with?" She asks.
"I'm from the third search party. Ma'am, we think we found your girls."

QOTC~
What was your Halloween costume, if you had one?