It Was Quiet

6

We spent the rest of the day packing. Everyone was on board with definitely leaving. Jennifer didn't have any family here so she was more than willing to ride along with us. Sal and Sally had family across the state that they were going to go to. I told them to be careful and gave the extra gun to Sal.

He told me he knew how to shoot and thank god for that because I wasn't going to let them leave without it. The three kids said sad goodbyes as they left the coffee shop. We all watched and waved as they drove away. Even for not having known them for very long, it still felt like saying goodbye to family. They had their own way to go and so did we but. It wouldn't be the same and I would still worry for them regardless.

Dana and Tim decided to stick with us on the journey to Maine and said that Dana's sister lived up there and if we were headed that way mine as well join along. Dana's sister was supposed to be some big writer. I didn't read all that often so I had no idea who she was when she told me. I just nodded along and pretended that I was listening to what she was saying.

Tim wanted Dana to be safe and I watched them that night as they argued over and over again about whether or not this was really what was best for them. He would say that they didn't even know if she was alive, which would in turn make Dana very upset. It didn't matter to her whether or not she was alive, that was her sister and nothing was going to dissuade her from going and making sure she was alright.

"Are you alright?" Braden asked me as he folded blankets up and put them in one of the empty boxes that had once been filled with plastic cups of various sizes. He looked over at me while I grabbed the other end of the blankets and helped him fold them.

"I think I will be. Once I know for sure. There are too many things that I just don't know right now." I told him honestly. I had so many thoughts inside my head that I genuinely didn't know where to start. Questions upon questions flew through my mind like a roller coaster on its fastest setting. 

"I know you are worried. It's all a lot for anyone to handle, let alone by themselves." He began folding the blanket the rest of the way and pushing it into the box before closing it by folding the flaps on top of one another. "We're going to find them. I promise Bella."

He kissed my forehead and went to the back to grab another box. I sighed and sat down on the bed. Maddy climbed into my lap a few seconds later. She snuggled into my stomach and curled up into a ball before her breathing evened out and I felt her fall asleep in my lap.

I sighed and looked down at the little girl. She wasn't my daughter but it felt like she was. I couldn't believe anyone would just leave a child on someone's doorstep. I didn't even know if Braden was one-hundred percent sure she was his. I smiled at the small child in my lap sound asleep as she moved and turned to try and get more comfortable.

     Tomorrow. I thought to myself. Tomorrow would be the day that we start over. We will begin again tomorrow. We will go outside these four walls and get an accurate read on what in the world is actually going on.

I looked out the window to my left. It was dark now but that was alright. We all needed what sleep we could actually get before we left tomorrow. I finished packing up everything that we would need for the long ride and put it in the corner next to the door with the rest of our stuff. Then I took a deep breath before laying down on the mattress next to Braden.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my back closer to his chest. I felt the steady beat of his heart against my shoulder blades but it was too quiet for me. I heard everyone's heavy breathing while they slept soundly. I felt the gears turning in my head faster than I could process anything.

    What would happen to us? Would we make it to our destination? Would we all survive through this hell? I thought to myself as I watched out the windows. You could see just a crack through the very bottoms of the windows where the black out blinds didn't quite reach. What were once human feet shuffled by with moans and groans of their own. While the world fell apart those of us that were still alive were sleeping or just waking up around the world.

I turned onto my back and looked at the ceiling I once thought about leaving for good. Going out into the world and trying to get a real job. Trying to get a job that would give me more than just a few hundred dollars every other week.

Now this ceiling was etched into my heart as the place that saved me and my family from the start of the end. I wiped a tear from my cheek as I thought about that. I was here in this unfortunate world with the people I loved. What were the chances that the rest of my family was still alive?

"Braden?" I whispered and poked his cheek. He cracked open his eyes and sleepily looked at me. His face was so pure and full of life once but these last two days have drained that life from him and it was so obvious that it hurt.

"What?" He whispered back, pulling my head into the spot between his shoulder and his neck. I snuggled closer to him, intertwining our fingers and playing with my new ring.

"We're going to survive this right?" I asked him. I felt his body tense at the words that he wasn't expecting. I wanted to be strong for him and for Maddy but I had killed people over the last two days. I witnessed an explosion and children with the light gone from their eyes and I didn't know if I was going to make it.

"Of course we are. We still have to get married." He said to me kissing the top of my head and playing with my hair. I sighed and he noticed. "What?"

"I want to believe you." I told him.

"Then what is holding you back?"

"I don't know. Everything." I answered him as honestly as I could. I didn't know why I felt the way I did. All I knew is that I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me something was going to go wrong and very soon.

"It's going to be fine Bella." He said to me, closing his eyes again and falling asleep shortly later. I wished that I could be as relaxed as he was right now. I couldn't even focus on anything long enough to have a solid thought, let alone sleep.

Instead I detangled myself from him and grabbed my gun. I pulled the store keys from my back pocket and opened the door. Immediately I caught the attention of the freaks. Two of them persuaded me as I ran further into the parking lot.

I felt free at this moment. Like nothing could hold me back anymore. I let out a long awaited laugh and turned to face the freaks. I aimed my gun and took my shots. I missed the first one but caught the second right in the nose. It dropped to the concrete floor with a thud. I took aim again to the next one closest to me and they started dropping like flies.

When I was finished I was breathing heavily and let the gun drop to my side. My arms were covered in droplets of blood, and I was sweating but it didn't stop me from frowning as I saw everyone from the coffee shop standing outside the door gawking at me like I was now enemy number one.