Times A Ticking

17

Adam sarcastically laughs at my reply and shakes his head making Dad shift his eyes from me to him as he raises his eyebrow suspiciously.

"What's your problem son?" Dad asks as Adam finally turns away from the window and faces the front before giving me a slide glare and then pointing an accusing finger at me.

"She could've almost died back there and you're still going to let her go with us? Are you insane?" Adam says as he grits his teeth together, "I could've done that for her."

"I'm fine Adam. Don't get worked up." I roll my eyes before pointing at Lee. "Lee was watching out for me, I was fine and I got us out of that mess, all you have to do is tell me thank you."

"I'm not saying shit. I told you not to get out, this isn't some game Gabby. You got out of the car without a second thought, you didn't even look around to make sure it was safe." Adam argues as he turns in his seat and faces me, his ears already turning slightly red.

"I know this isn't a game I'm not stupid. You need to stop treating me like I'm some little girl Adam. I'm eighteen. I'm not five anymore." I say as I turn to face him as well, clearly my mother's attitude was coming out.

"Why won't you let me help? I'm your big brother, it's kind of my job. That's all I'm asking of you. Let me help." Adam says his tone softening a bit as he looks in my eyes.

"I don't need your help Adam, I'm trying to learn by myself." I say a bit harsh before looking away from him only for him to groan in annoyance.

"You don't know what you're doing Gabby! You couldn't even kill the rotters in the lab without closing your eyes! I could kill them easily, you need me." Adam shakes his head in disbelief of my stubbornness. "You're just like Mom."

"You could die one day, I need to learn for-" Dad quickly cuts me off as he yells slightly at me making Adam and I turn around and sit in our seats correctly.

"Do not say that." Dad says sternly, "None of us are going to die." I huff in response and cross my arms firmly over my chest as I turn away from Adam.

"They are stubborn." Lee laughs only making my blood boil more, even though he was just trying to lighten the mood.

"Always. Like their mother." Dad shakes his head and laughs along with him. I roll my eyes and lean my head against the window and watch the trees soar past me. Brothers are such a pain in the ass.

A few minutes of awkward silence goes by, I felt something slightly poking my side making me turn around and be met with Adam's glossy eyes.

"Gabby." He whispers as he takes a deep breath, the world seemed to slow down as I saw my old brother become vulnerable. "Please just go back."

I pause for a minute before I shake my head slowly, "No." I reply as I watch him shake his head and begin to tense up. "If it will make you feel better I'll stick next to you." I say and watch as he relaxes and agrees.

"How long is it going to take for us to get there?" Adam questions Dad as he slightly leans up in his seat, his green eyes scanning the road in front of us.

"Not too long, we are going to take one of those old backroads hopefully the rotters won't be there since that place was mostly abandoned anyway." Dad says as he accelerates slightly making our bodies sway along with the car as he rounds the curbs.

Lee nods his head in agreement just as we pass by the laboratory which I only attempted to get a glimpse of considering Dad was hightailing it out of the place.

I lean my head back against the window and watch as the sunlight plays peek-a-boo with the trees as we drive past them. This feels like any other normal day, besides having dead people trying to eat you.

It was insane how much my life had changed in the span of just two days, and not only my life but the whole world. This sickness seemed to wipe out mankind in less than 48 hours, and it only seemed to progress.

Here I thought scientists had the answer to everything, but clearly they didn't have the answer to this. At least not yet that is.

"What are you think about?" Dad asks pulling me out of my day dream, I scan the area around me and notice we had already reached that old road Dad and Lee had been discussing earlier.

"Nothing." I lie as I lean up and keep my face towards the window. The neighborhood through here was quiet, but there was barely any houses so that made sense for it.

I smile as I notice a dog next to one of the old houses, I pat the back of Dads seat asking him to slow down which he does.

I open my door slowly and look around before hopping out of the car and slowly making my way towards the sleeping dog.

"Hi puppy." I whisper as I squat down and hold my hand out for it, it slowly gets up and walks over to me sniffing my hand and allowing me to pet it.

I look back at Dad who was already shaking his head at me making me frown and point down at the hound dog.

"Please?" I ask as I pick the puppy up and bring it over to the car. Dad rolls down his window and the puppy sniffs his hand before sticking its tongue out and drooling a bit on his hand making him gag and wipe it off on his pants.

"Absolutely not. Dogs are filthy and loud, and right now how things are going we don't need a mutt barking and getting us killed." He says but I ignore him and bring the puppy up to my face as I cuddle it.

I start to talk again before the sound of a gun clicking makes me stop and widen my eyes. The puppy begins to bark loudly and I try to shush it as it wrestles to get out of my arms. Clearly it was scared.

I move my head slightly over allowing Dad to get of look of who or what was behind me. He whispers for me to stay still which only made me even more anxious.

"Hello sir." Dad says as he holds his hand up and waves. "Sorry if we bothered you, we thought this place was abandoned, we were just driving through when my daughter saw this puppy."

"You ain't got no business around these parts." The man said, his voice was like an itch that wouldn't go away. Irritating.

"We were just leaving." Dad says as he looks me directly in the eyes before looking back at the man. "We are sorry for causing you trouble. Gabby put the dog back down for this kind man."

"Leave the girl too."