The Dead Among Us

Consequences

Jason pulls his truck into his own home first, dropping off his wife and boys. The air is thick with unspoken tension as he then walks Kenny and Benji to their home across the grass.

The second they enter, he barks, "Benji, bathroom." The abruptness of his command hangs in the air.

With her tail between her legs, she takes the trip up the stairs, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. Meanwhile, Jason walks into the kitchen, grabs a glass of water, and then quietly follows her upstairs.

Kenny, feeling a combination of worry and powerlessness, stood in the hallway, uncertain of what to do next. After a moment of indecision, he made his way to his room, seeking solace in the pages and world of his books.

As Jason enters the bathroom, Benji is standing pitifully, leaning against the sink. Her tears hit the porcelain, merging with soap stains and toothpaste blobs splattered about.

He walks to the shower and turns the water on, twisting the knob to the cold setting, and Benji just watches in apprehension.

"Alright, hop in. You know the drill," he orders, one hand on his hip leaning against the wall.

She knows better than to argue; she's in enough trouble as it is. Her head drops, and soon, her tears hit the tile as she removes her clothing, starting with her boots, lacey white socks, pink dress, and, lastly, her underpants.

With hesitant, cautious steps, she moves toward the dull curtain, and Jason draws it aside. As he does, a blast of wintry air greets her. The nippy cold seems to penetrate her to the bone even before the water makes contact. She might as well be about to be stepping inside a walk-in freezer.

She glances up at her eldest brother, searching for a flicker of reassurance. Instead, his expression is stern, his cocked brow a silent warning for her to comply without question.

As she envelops herself in a self-embrace, her arms crossed across her chest, she traverses the threshold of the tub and floor. Fresh tears cascade down her cheeks, mingling with the stains already present. 

The cold water crashes with her skin, evoking a jarring, uncomfortable shiver with every drop—and there's a never-ending supply of them. Her body instinctively recoils, desperately yearning for warmth within itself.

As she stands there, shivering and tears cascading down her cheeks, her skin begins to take on a faint bluish tinge, and it seems to stiffen as if a subtle transformation is taking place. Simultaneously, goosebumps start to emerge across her body, resembling the sudden appearance of prairie dogs poking their heads out of their burrows.

She glances up at Jason once again, pleading with him to shorten this treatment. He just hands her a bottle of shampoo.

"You got cobwebs in your hair," he states.

Her lips form a tight, angry line as she reaches for the slippery plastic bottle. The frostiness seeps in as she moves her arm away from her body, causing shivers to run down her spine and intensifying the feeling of anger within her.

Desperate for comfort, she could not stand a moment longer without wrapping her arms around herself. She needed to wash her hair quickly.

She unties her hair, and the mere seconds of being exposed feel like an eternity of torment. As she dispenses a fragrant glob of shampoo into her palm, the scent of strawberries blends with the chilly atmosphere as she massages it onto her scalp.

Once rinsing it off, she looks up at Jason again, her nose scrunched up in bitterness. To her horror, he passes conditioner, and she swears she sees a condescending smirk play out in the corner of his mouth.