Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 12

 A group of Infected were running down the street. Shrieking mixed with Gomez's cursing filled the air. He had his gun up and was firing into the crowd. The soldiers from each house were on their respective porches. Ford turned when he saw Evey close behind.

"Inside," he said. "Now."

Evey's hand brushed against the knife strapped to her thigh. Ford's eyes went wide before he scowled.

"No," he said.

"You said if I killed one you'll let me shoot," she said. "Remember?"

"Yes," Ford said. "Go inside."

He pointed at the door. A rapid-fire of bullets knocked the Infected at the front of the group off of their feet. Those that were not shot in the head were struggling to get back onto their feet. Evey thought that this was perfect. She could kill one that was already injured.

Evey ran, but Ford grabbed her before she could make it off the porch. He knocked her to the ground and climbed on top to pin her down. She balled up her fists to punch him in the chest. She could only hit him a couple of times before he snatched her wrists and pinned them down. He leaned in close. Their faces were only inches apart. His warm breath fanned across her face. She never noticed how blue Ford's eyes were before.

"Get inside," he said.

"Let me kill one of those things," she said.

"Out of the question."

Evey thrashed under Ford's grip to try and get him off. It was useless, he was strong and easily overpowered her. The sound of bullets mixed with screeching, and Evey wondered how many there were coming down the street.

"Get off me!" Evey shouted.

She wanted to punch Ford, but he had her hands pinned down beside her head. She was shocked when he stood and pulled her up onto her feet. He let go of her with one hand so that he could open the front door to the house.

"Get inside," he said. She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off before she could speak. "Check on the kids."

Evey ripped her arm free from Ford's grasp. His body was blocking her access to the street. There was no way she could make it past him without being stopped. She let out a huff of breath and turned. She knew the twins would hear the horrific sounds coming from outside and be scared.

She went into the house to see Josie and Joey were still in the living room. Josie had Chester clutched in her grasp and Joey had his hands over his ears. The book they took from the last house was open in his lap. Josie looked at Evey with glassy eyes.

"Are we going to die?" Josie asked.

"No." Evey shook her head. "Ford and the other soldiers are out there keeping us safe."

Evey thought about running back outside again, but she knew that the kids needed her. Would they ever grow used to the sound of bullets? She sat on the space on the couch between them. They clung to Evey. She picked up the book and started to read it aloud to them.

She had to repeat the story three times before it went silent. Evey paused halfway through the story and set the book down on the coffee table. She stood and peered past the curtains to see a pile of dead bodies. Johnson and Harrington were inspecting each body to ensure that they were dead. Ford headed back into the house.

The front door opened and the kids scrambled to get off the couch. Ford walked into the living room, and Josie and Joey ran toward him. Each wrapped their arms around Ford's legs. Ford's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he froze.

"Thank you, Ford," Josie said.

"Um." Ford reached down and patted the kids' backs. Evey bit down on her lip to stop herself from laughing at Ford's awkwardness. "No problem, kids."

"Let's eat some dinner," Evey said.

She was glad to discover that the soup she had left on the stove had not burned. She poured four bowls and carried them over to the table. The twins each sat in a chair. Josie was holding onto Chester and Joey was clinging to the book. Ford stared at the kids for a moment before sitting.

Evey stirred her soup in an attempt to cool it down. She watched Josie lightly blow into the bowl, just like Lila used to. Evey's stomach felt as if it was twisting itself into a knot as she thought about her baby sister. She stood, carried her soup over to Ford, and set the bowl next to him. He looked up at her and raised a brow. Evey said nothing as she went back into the kitchen.

Evey tried grabbing all of the non-perishable snacks from the cupboards. Josie and Joey were often complaining about being hungry while they traveled. Her hands shook as she emptied the cupboards.

She worked too fast, and the sounds of Lila sobbing and screaming rang in her ears. She picked up a package of crackers and read the nutritional facts to try and distract herself. She did not set the box down until she heard the kids come into the kitchen. She forced a smile.

"Bedtime," Evey said.

"Will you read to us again?" Joey asked, holding up the book.

"Of course, I will."

She took the book from Joey and the three of them walked up the stairs. Evey checked each bedroom, but none of them appeared to be a child's room. She opened the door at the end of the hall and it had a large king-sized bed. The twins crawled into the bed and pulled back the sheets. Evey sat on the edge of the bed and opened the book. She read aloud to them.

After Evey finished, she tucked the blankets around the kids. She turned on the lamp on the bedside table to provide a faint glow. She took one last look at them before turning off the light and closing the door.

Evey dragged her feet to the next bedroom. She laid down on the bed and curled on her side. She clutched the pillow to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. A tear rolled down her cheek as her chest ached thinking about her family. Were their bodies still on the floor of their home?

There was a knock at the door. Evey bolted up and turned to see Ford leaning against the doorframe. He uncrossed his arms when he saw the tear running down Evey's face. She hastily wiped it away.

"Want to talk?" he asked.

Evey laughed.

"Talk?" she asked. "You're not one to talk."

"I can listen," he said.

Ford sat on the edge of the bed. Evey brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. She chewed on her bottom lip to try and keep the tears away. She did not want to cry in front of Ford.

Why was she even talking to Ford?