To be Seen or Heard

Chapter Three: Moving On (pt 1)

Mamí was stiff. Her brown eyes locked onto the sheriff and the woman, even as she fed Olivia frijoles and Vienna sausages with tiny spoonfuls.

The sheriff gave Shane a look, the other man only shook his head stubbornly, "Fort Benning, Rick."

"Fort Benning..." the woman mumbled as she leaned against the wall before looking back at Rick.

He let out a sigh from his nose before locking eyes with Shane once more, "I should've listened to you, Shane. Would've saved us a lotta grief if I had. Jackie would still be alive."

Shane shook his head, "It was her choice man. Do not take that on."

"It was her choice." the woman repeated before putting a hand on Rick's arm, "It was her decision to make, not yours. No more than it was with Jim."

"All these people..." Glenn piped up, his expression sad as he looked up from his food, "who would've done something like this. Just come in here, and..."

"People with evil in their hearts." Mamí said in a soft voice, "No nos dieron la oportunidad- They didn't even let anyone surrender. It happened so fast."

Isabella sniffed morosely before hunching down and burying her face in my shoulder. I could feel her hot tears soaking up my t-shirt... but I didn't shake her off. My sister hated crying, but she hated crying in front of strangers even more. I ignored the stinging of my own eyes before scooping up my last spoonful of black beans and let Camila -who'd been the first one to finish- sit on my lap for comfort.

"I just don't understand-"

Glenn didn't get to finish his sentence before the woman moved away from the sheriff to sit with the boy on the floor, and interrupted him, "Is that really something we should be discussing right now." she said with frustration.

"Better if we all got some sleep, huh?" Shane added in an almost gentle voice... before all the men, almost in unison, stood up and left the craft room to go talk in the hall.

"I bet I know what they're talking about." Alexander mumbled somewhat angrily in Spanish, before a serious expression overtook his face, "Tía, what are we gonna do when they leave? If no one else made it..."

My mother looked troubled as she finished eating, "I don't know, mijo. Enrique should've been here hours ago. With all the- with all the difuntos in the building, it won't be long before los muertos come looking."

Isabella gasped, pulling away from my shoulder to grab my arm fearfully, looking at our mother with wide eyes, "They're coming here! Are they gonna eat-"

"Shhh. Ya, ya. Don't think like that, mi amor. Remember we have to be-"

"Quiet." Alexander and I chimed in together. I hugged Camila tighter as she squirmed on my lap until her head rested on the shoulder Isabella hadn't been crying and getting her snot on.

"Exactly." Mamí nodded before looking at me and Isabella seriously, "I'm very proud of you girls for keeping your sisters quiet and safe."

I shrugged shamefully, "We didn't do that good a job. They still caught us in the end."

"Olí started crying." Isabella's face crumbled in shame, "I couldn't make her stop fast enough, and she woke up Evita."

"My fault Izzie." I sighed, " I should've stayed next to you, not gone to spy and see who'd come into the auditorium."

"It wasn't either of your faults." Mamí soothed, "Evita and Olivia would have started crying at some point tonight anyway, and then this group would have found you in the dark. It's better that it happened when there was still light out so that they didn't confuse you with los muertos."