All That We Are...

Chapter 27

Henley

Two weeks have gone by since the incident that happened at Jessica's house. Not one of us have talked about the men we encountered. Before we left I had wanted to at least take care of the bodies. More growlers where coming though and we didn't have time.

We all have become used to the life we are living now. Maria stays busy mostly in the kitchen and doing house stuff with Maddie the youngest of us all by her side. Jessica and Christian have been doing their own thing. They stay in the RV now instead of the house. She has her clothes in it with some other things from home but the rest of the storage is set up for a fast get away if we need it. Gabby wanders around a lot lately. She talks about her mom, how much she misses her and wishes she didn't have to see her the way she had. I know she thinks of Brandon to but doesn't say much about him, I caught her one evening sitting out by where his body was laid to rest. Max try's his hardest to comfort her but I finally told him to step back, that it's all finally just hitting her and she will come around when she's ready. He mopes around though, never letting her out of his sight keeping his distance like some lost puppy.

When I got back the first person I talked to was my father. Well more like argued with. Every Time we would try to discuss things one of us ends up getting up and leaving the room only to start the whole conversation over again the next day. He always has some lame excuse as to why he never told me anything. I try to pull more things from him but he only tells me the things Max told me. Multiple times I ask him about my mom, where she is, how often he talks to her and when she plans on coming home. He always tells me the same thing that he knows where she is but can't tell, he hasn't talked to her since before the radio tower and has no clue when or if she's coming here. That's when I usually get up and storm away. I think he has left the argument maybe twice because I made him. The hurt look that crosses his face ever time I holler at him makes me feel a little quilty. If my mother was here she would be the one getting these outbursts from me not him.

Sitting across from him at the table we once again are having the same endless talk. This time it started with talking about needing more gas for the generator. I started laughing and told him if he just turned the power on we wouldn't have to worry about a stupid generator. Looking at me he shook his head and once again repeated that he couldn't do that because it wasn't the right time, that he couldn't change the course of things. But when asked why not he just shrugs his shoulders saying "I just can't."

"Oh of fucking course. You're famous for those words now a days." I snap at him. Pushing away form the table my chair topples to the ground behind me and I storm off upstairs to my room. Slamming the door behind me I fall onto my bed place a pillow over my head and scream into the mattress. The spot beside me indents as a larger body lays next to me rubbing my back, Carter. I didn't hear the door open but he always follows me after ever argument. Even if he's not sitting right beside me he's not far away, he usually hears every word spoken.

"You okay under there?"he asks picking the pillow up from my head. I answer him by grunting but don't turn to look at him.

"Right not okay." He lays the pillow back on my head and rests his hand in my lower back. Sending a shiver up my spine.

"As much as I like looking at your backside, I'd much rather enjoy looking at your pretty face more." He continues to talk but I still don't move.

"I'm going to take your brother with me to go get gas." He says the right words causing me to fling the pillow off my head and stand at the side of the bed. He sits up to face me.

"Yep I figured that one would get you to move." The sly smile on his face makes it hard to get mad at him, crossing my arms I bite my lip to hide from smiling back.