What Walks Among Us (book one)

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With the car, we made it out to the little doctors office that Sam had found on some old map, in record time. What gave this place promise, was the fact that it wasn't a very big place, and it was sort of in between towns. The other thing Sam was excited about, but made me skeptical, is that it was in a double wide mobile home type building, so it didn't even look like an office.

We all piled out of the car, onto the concrete, and moved as a unit towards the door. Cody looked at Sam, and Sam nodded understanding as he opened the door and took a step in.

The ride over had been three hours, and we needed to refill the tank on the car soon. Through the whole thing, we went through two towns, and I couldn't believe the damage that had occurred after only a few short months. Cody talked to me a little bit during the ride, explaining that I had been extremely lucky no one had raided my house.

I pushed those thoughts away to focus on the here and now. Trish stood at my side, and while she wasn't straight out rude, she wasn't nice either. I wondered what Mabel had told her about me, but I also knew that it didn't matter. Trish wasn't really the kind of person I would want as a friend.

She was rude, and judgmental, two things I had had to deal with my whole life. I wouldn't put up with either any longer. The thought made my mind wander back to my sister, Mabel. I could only hope that time away from me had lessened whatever hatred she harbored in her heart, and maybe she would come to if not love, accept me.

Sam came back to the door way and nodded, "It's clear, and a gold mine," he said, excitedly.

I couldn't help but smile as I walked in the door behind Cody.

Last night had made me painfully aware that I was coming to care for all of the guys. Not just Sam, or Chester, but all four of them. The feelings were too knew and raw, not to mention foreign for me to even begin to sort through them. All I knew is that I cared too much too lose them.

I sighed at the realization that had struck me during the car ride as I watched Sam and Cody fight over which CD to put in.

Inside the doctor's office there were about six rooms, and one storage room. Sam gathered us in the waiting room to give orders.

"Okay," he clapped, "Trish, you work the front office. Any notebooks, pens, anything that could be used for the schooling, or anything like that, needs to be packed up. If you find any doctor books, or informational guides, grab them too. Along with the pamphlets, tissues, and hand sanitizers, you know what to be grabbing, I expect you to do it," she nodded and set to work, finding a bow to start putting things into.

Sam looked at Cody, "You'll be on medications, anything they have, pack up. Try not to mix up the bottles, we need it as organized as you can get it. If you get that done I need you to come back and help out Kodi and I," with that, Cody left and Sam turned to look at me, "Sunshine, you and I'll be getting the bandages, and working on grabbing any medical tools as well."

I smiled, and nodded my understanding as he led me back to the first of six rooms.

It was time consuming work, and we actually had to stop because the back of the car was full, but Cody found another car, and so we folded down the seat in the first one and filled it up, before managing to get a few more boxes, and put them in the back of the second car.

By the time we had finished, I was tired, and ready to just crawl in bed and fall asleep. A light sheen of sweat had my clothes sticking to my skin. I helped Cody move the beds around so that they were in one room, and Sam and Trish locked up the cars. Tomorrow we would stop at the food bank we had passed on the way to the office, and fit whatever we could into the cars.

The rest of the mission went without issue, and I was pretty happy to be getting home, especially because I needed to talk with Mabel, and maybe give myself some time alone. I hadn't done that in a while. Going from absolute solitude, to constant chaos was a little unnerving.

We pulled up to the gates, having taken a slightly longer route home so we could avoid the clogged roads. I let out a sigh of relief as I sagged in my seat. Cody looked over at me, and I could have sworn there was a small smirk on his lips.

"Should I drop you off at home instead of making you help unpack?"

I looked over at him, "If you don't, I'll jump out of the car and run there," I said, not feeling like unpacking all of the medical supplies, much less the stuff we had managed to get at the food bank. We had so much stuff that we had had to strap boxes on top of the cars.

He let out a laugh at that, and drove the opposite direction as Sam. He stopped in front of the house. I jumped out, and shut the door, fixing the straps of my backpack as I headed up the front walk.

"Kodi wait," he said, rolling down the passenger window.

I turned around and lifted my eyebrow, "Yeah?"

He paused, seeming to think over his words carefully as his intense eyes sought out something in mine, "You did great."

I smiled in return and he rolled up the window before taking off, to drop off all the stuff. I watched him leave before stretching my arms up and yawning. My hair was loose, falling around my shoulders. The outing had made me realize that I was a terrible packer, I had forgotten my brush! My hair, while it wasn't too bad, did have some tangles, and I was trying to work them out as I walked in the front door.

"Kodi!"

I looked up, a smile instantly gracing my lips as I saw Beck. He dropped the broom, and walked over to me, taking huge steps. I met him halfway and threw my arms around his neck, while his arms tightened around my waist and he lifted me up, spinning around. I buried my nose in his shoulder and relaxed.

There was a grunt, and then Chester was talking, "Oh sure, I'm just your best friend and you ignored me," he said, and I could clearly imagine him crossing his arms and pouting.