Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 15

 Ford stormed out of the house before Evey left the backyard. He rushed across the street and over to the house that Johnson was staying in. Fiona and Roger were on the porch. They were sitting on the two chairs and deep in conversation. They stopped talking when Ford charged into the house.

Johnson was at the kitchen table. He had the radio in his hands and was trying to connect to different channels. He looked up when he heard Ford stomp into the kitchen. Ford put his hands on the back of one of the dining room chairs. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the chair.

"I fucked up," Ford said.

"What did you do?" Johnson asked.

Ford sighed and ran his hand down his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I told Everett I would show her how to use a gun," he said.

"What's wrong with that?" Johnson asked. "It will benefit the group."

"She can't be around guns."

"How come?"

Ford ran his fingers through his hair. He broke eye contact with Johnson and stared at the table.

"It's not safe," he said.

"What if she is around Infected?"

"She can't be around guns."

Johnson furrowed his brows. He set the radio down on the table.

"If you're so worried then why did you tell her that you would teach her how to use a gun?" he asked.

"I made a deal with her," Ford said.

"A deal?"

"Yes. If she killed an Infected with a knife then I would teach her."

"Why would you make a deal like that?"

Ford rolled his eyes.

"Because she was never supposed to kill an Infected," he said.

"And I'm assuming that she did?" Johnson asked. "When did this happen?"

Ford bit down on his lip. Did he tell the truth? An Infected nearly killed him, but he was pretty confident that he could have killed the man if Everett had not come. He had made the mistake of not having his weapons with him. He was so mad at the moment because of his fight with Everett that he did not even think about them.

"An Infected attacked me," Ford said.

Johnson's eyes went wide. "And she killed it?"

Ford nodded. Johnson shook his head and let out a low whistle.

"Who knew she had it in her," Johnson said. "Natural born killer."

"This isn't funny," Ford snapped. "She's going to get killed."

"Why are you even worried? So many people have died."

"She's got those kids to look after."

"If she dies than someone else will look after them."

Ford gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the chair. He let out a slow deep breath to stop himself from punching Johnson in the face. A smirk grew on Johnson's face and it made it even harder not to hit him.

"You know," Johnson said, dragging out the words. "You can admit that you like her."

"I don't like her," Ford said.

"Then why are you so worried?"

"I'm in charge of keeping Everett and those kids alive."

Johnson leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his hand along the stubble that had grown on his jaw before covering his mouth to hide his smile.

"Alicia broke up with you months ago," he said. "It's time you moved on."

"We're in the beginning of an apocalypse," Ford said. "I'm not going to worry about some girl."

"I think you already are."

Ford pressed his lips together. He let go of the chair because his knuckles were aching. The smirk did not leave Johnson's face.

"I'm not talking about this," Ford said.

"That's because you know that I am right," Johnson said. "I would find protection if you're going to fuck. We don't need any babies."

Ford threw the chair to the floor. Johnson did not flinch at the sound of the crash. He kept smirking and raised a brow. Ford's muscles were tense as he was seething. He had tried to push his thoughts about Everett to the back of his mind, but now he was being confronted.

Johnson picked the radio back up and broke eye contact with Ford.

"Go and teach Everett how to use a gun," Johnson said.

"We can't shoot in the backyard," Ford said. "Everyone will hear."

"Take her somewhere," Johnson said. "A field or something. Fiona can look after the kids."

Ford let out a deep breath. He turned and walked out of the dining room.

"Pick up my chair!" Johnson called after him.

"Go fuck yourself."

--

Evey was scrubbing the Infected's blood off her hands when the twins came down the stairs. She had not stopped smiling since she saved Ford's life. He could potentially go back on their deal, but she was confident he would teach her how to use a gun.

She turned off the sink despite there still being blood under her nails. She dried her hands before trying to find breakfast for Joey and Josie. She pulled eggs out of the fridge, but the stove would not turn on. She chewed on her bottom lip. They would soon be out of power, and that thought never crossed her mind.

She opened the fridge and stuck her hand in. It was still cold, so she pulled out the milk carton. She opened it and sniffed it to make sure it didn't smell rotten. She grabbed the box of cereal from the top of the fridge and poured it into bowls. She set them down in front of the kids.

They ate in silence. Evey jumped when the front door opened and then slammed shut. She listened as Ford walked around the housel. He came into the kitchen and did not look at Evey. He had his backpack in his hands. He shoved his weapons into the bag. He went over to the fridge, pulled out cans of pop and put them into the bag. He turned and snapped his fingers.

"Kids, come with me," he said.

Evey's heart pounded. He grabbed his guns and was now asking for the children? Was he going to murder them?

"No!" Evey shouted.

Ford threw the backpack over his shoulder and furrowed his brows.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not letting you take them," she said.

"I'm bringing them to Fiona."

"Oh. You're going to teach me to shoot?"

Evey sighed and put her hand on her chest. Josie and Joey looked at each other before staring at Evey. She nodded.

"Let's go," she said.