PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: SARGE

I walked into a small bedroom with two twin size beds...this must have been Johnny and Melissa's room.

There were posters covering the walls as if it was the wallpaper.

Timothy and Lilly-Bella were laying next to each other surrounded by blankets, so they wouldn't roll out of the bed.

I walked over to their bed and sat down in a small wooden chair by them.

"Hey little ones..." I greeted softly as I grabbed their little hands. "I know that you are still too young to understand where you are or why you are here, but I promise that this will all be over before you are."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Amber asked from the door.

"I'm not, but that doesn't mean that I can't make promises."

"That you can't keep." Amber countered kind of snarky.

"Who says I can't keep them?" I questioned slight angrily. "I am not one to break my promises."

"I can tell that, but you shouldn't promise that this will be over before they can remember; because you don't know how far this has spread nor where the cure is." Amber said before walking away from the room.

Sometimes she was right, but that didn't mean that I had to like it or her for that matter.

I needed to get a hold of Andie somehow...the walkie talkies only worked if they are close enough and I didn't know where she was, but it was worth a try.

I got up and headed out of the room, I needed to go to the living room to get my bag; but when I left Melissa and Johnny were talking and I didn't want to intrude.

But I needed that damn radio, so I headed down the stairs and once in the kitchen I saw Melissa and Amber sitting at the table.

"What are you two up to?" I asked with a smile.

"Making dinner." Amber answered returning the smile.

"Where's Johnny?" I asked as I looked into the living room.

"Probably in the basement sulking after our conversation." Melissa answered as she cut into a potato.

"Well I'm going to see if I can get a hold of Andie, so we know where she is." I said as I headed into the living room.

Pulling the talkie out of my bag...I made sure that it was turned on and on channel three, before heading out the door.

"I hope we're close enough..." I said to myself before getting onto the roof of my truck. "Andie, please answer if you hear me..."

Static...

"Please I need you to answer me..."

More static and then a click...

"Hey Sarge..." Andie's voice came through soft and almost unclear.

"Andie, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"You too Sarge...where are you?"

"Chicago...where are you?"

"Ashley and I are at my family home in Colver...we were looking for brother..."

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah...he's...gone Sarge."

"I'm so sorry Andie, how is Ashley taking it?"

Static...click...static.

"Andie?" I asked hoping that she was still there.

Static...click...