I heard you

Chapter Six

Lottie. 

I stared at the mantle where I found the picture frame. I put it back where it belonged. I couldn't imagine what the people were like. They probably died long ago- I didn't even know if the kids were alive. 

I grabbed a chair from the kitchen- and forced it under the doorknob- just in case. A force of habit. They watched me- and I shrugged my shoulders. You could never be too careful. 

I shut the blinds for the glass door, and returned to the living room. 

I pulled out the rations we saved, and Lassie came sitting before me- a wide smile on her face. My lips twitched- she'd shown extra affection to Aspen who showed her a glimmer of gratitude earlier. 

I thought Aspen was your favorite

I signed, and her head cocked- her lips dropping. Laughter bubbled up inside before I let her have the piece of meat. She grabbed the piece of meat between her teeth and retreated to rip it apart. I had to conserve the rest for now. An eerie crackle made me flinch and I touched my throbbing ear. I glanced up to find Christophs hands above his arm gadget. I scowled, pressing my ear irritated. 

"Here" He held out a can- I stared at it with a frown. 

"We found it in the kitchen- we assumed you'd be the better expert" Oz'ark flashed a smile. 

I looked at it then back towards them. The big words spaghettios were written on the side. A smile touched my face, father was obsessed with these. He said mother loved them when they were just kids. He often told me tales of the world before everything happened. He was a 10 at the time when it ended and the war began. Growing up- he finally understood it was another World War. 

I looked up when the buzz shook my ear canal for the second time. 

"We're going to stay here for now- the sun is starting to set- we will continue in the morning" Christoph spoke, his eyes glancing at the window that was darkening. 

I nodded while cracking open a can with a knife. I looked at the fireplace- seeing the little panel on the side made me hope the thing was fueled by gas. 

I set the can on the coffee table and turned to the small panel. I read the scriptures before pressing a red switch. I heard a quiet ringing from something inside, before I turned the nozzle to the right. The fire in the pit grew to a medium burning flame. I flashed a pleased smile before heading to the kitchen for a pot. I used a water bottle to wash it out, and then headed back to the living area. I dumped the red spaghettios into the pot, and held it over the fire- mixing it every so often. When I was satisfied, I slapped it on a bowl. 

Lassie was by my side- her eyes round and pleading for a taste. I kept my laughter quiet- before I picked out a hot dog chunk, and licked it off. I didn't know if the juice was bad for animals or not. I then held it out to her- and she snatched it with her teeth. 

I frowned, Gentle

I signed, and the second time she took it much more softly. 

The ground vibrated and I looked up- watching the big aliens move around the room to sit on the remaining couches. 

One of the larger aliens caught my wary gaze and held up cautious hands. 

They surrounded the table, not setting down their weapons or taking off their armor. I swiveled around to pull out the pad, and stencil. 

Do you wear armor all the time? 

I wrote, before spinning the pad for their eyes to read. 

Apprehensive looks crossed their faces.