PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: SARGE/ANDIE

Johnny pulled into the drive way of an old white farm house.

"This is it Sarge." Johnny said as he put the truck in park. "You sure you want to go in there?"

"She might have left a note or something and I need to know where she is." I answered before getting out of the truck. "Come on Johnny."

"Um...what?" He asked with a raised brow. "I'm not going in there."

"Don't be a chicken shit, I'm going in you just have to cover my ass." I said with a small laugh. "You said you wanted to pull your own weight."

"You would use my own words against me." John said as he got out of the truck. "Lets just get this over with."

"That's the spirit, we'll be right back girls...try not to kill each other." I said before Johnny and I headed up to the house.

"Who lives here?" He asked as he looked around the dead yard.

"Andie's brother, don't worry according to her he is dead; so it should be clear." I said as I headed towards the fence. "Found the family pet."

"Ugh...that's disgusting." Johnny said holding his stomach.

"Oh come on Johnny, buck up." 

"Sarge I'm not like you...I don't have an iron stomach." John Boy said with a small belch. "Ugh...I think I'm gonna spew."

"Well don't do it here." I said as I looked around for somewhere he could go.

"Don't worry...ugh...I'm good now." He said holding his stomach.

"You stay out here and look for anything she might have left behind, and I'll check inside." I said with a sympathetic smile.

"Okay, be careful." Johnny said as I walked into the house.

After barricading the door to the hallway Jesse and I put up a blanket to block off the living from the kitchen.

"Ashley are you sure you want to stay in here?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"I don't want to get in the way." Ashley answered softly.

"Get in the way of what?" Jesse asked from the doorway.

"Nothing..." Ashley answered with an innocent smile.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with what you told me...would it?"

"Maybe..."

"Ashley...you can't try and force us into making you a sibling, it doesn't work that way." 

"Wait...what?" Jesse asked making us both jump.

"I'll explain later...you missy need to go to sleep."

"Fine..." Ashley said with a pout.

"Good night Ash."

"Good night." Ashley said as she laid down with her head on her teddy bear.

I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "I love you little girl."

"Love you too."

I smiled down at her one more time just trying to remember every feature of her little face, before Jesse and I headed into the kitchen.

"What did she tell you?" Jesse asked as he sat down on a wooden chair.

"She's tired of being an only child." I answered before sitting down next to him.

"I thought you couldn't get pregnant anymore."

"I said that I didn't know if I could."

Inside the house I was greeted by the fowl stench of decay, it was a good thing I told Johnny to stay outside.