Quarantine

Another day in Paradise

Yesterday felt like three years ago as I stood upstairs looking into the front lawn. Not much had happened that had affected anything. Charles ended the prank, and luckily Shelly laughed at it, but I wasn't thinking about that anymore.

Charles looking at my chest was hard to understand. I couldn't tell if he was checking me out, or just staring. I let out a long breath as rotters mingled out front. They were right, we were trapped her with half a days supply worth of food.

I didn't think about Rose that much yesterday as I watched the sun sink down. They were defending a very hard place to defend. To many windows, and wooden doors. The ammunition they got from me would only kill so many, but we wouldn't have the time before they would kill us.

I glanced back at the make shift storage room, and sighed again at the gun rack. There was two hunting rifles, a handgun, one shotgun, and an axe. The shotgun was useless without bullets, but the other three were good until the ammo I had brought runs out. I wasn't that worried about it, but the others experience made me worry.

Shelly, Samuel, and Charles had never shot a gun before. Ann, and Dan only knew how to use a pistol, and nobody wanted to get close enough to use the axe.

It could be worse.... I could be trapped outside with the rotters.

I touched my side which was free of the wrap, and traced the permanent scar that ran across.  It's jagged line ran for about three inches before stopping, and I placed my hand on the hilt of my knife.

Two months... three weeks. She's got to be alive.

The only person who knew how to use a rifle was Rose. We needed Rose more than anything, and Charles had been wanting to do something for a while. They all wanted to do something besides count the days they had. It took three long hours that dragged into the night to let Charles come with me outside.

It was mostly Ann who disagreed, but I finally managed to persuade her after Dan backed up my side. Charles and I were both 15, and it was time that he helped out. It was there fault he was so underprepared. That little sliver of resentment got me my agreement.

Ten more minutes. Then we leave.

A single knock came from the door, and I walked over to let them in. Dan stood in the doorway, and he nodded at me. I followed behind to find a map on the table, and everybody else already there.

Shelly saw me, "I still don't understand why this is happening. They are kids for crying out loud. We should send someone else...."

Samuel cut her off, "Then the kids would be protecting us. Which would you want?"

Either way it was a bribe for Charles and I. Dan looked at me, and motioned for me to come closer. Shelly had faded away, watching from afar, and I took a step forwards.

Dan explained the map to me, "Now we are about two miles from the town. Rose had said that she had seen a good spot to check out from out last run, and she said that she would head to the bank if she didn't return. The bank is all the way on the other side of town, which is why she'd go there. If she can't come home, she'll have to go away."

I nodded the whole time, looking at the map, and pointed at a river marker, "That river. It ends a little bit before town, and picks up on the other side. Where does it go?"

Dan looked at the map for a bit, and went to reply, but Ann beat him to it, "That river leads to a pond, and on the other side it's lower than that side. The pond water might saturate the soil, and end up flowing down that direction. That's why the stream ends their."

I asked again, "There is no pond on the map."

This time Dan stepped in, "The pond is more of an underground spring. The town used to use it for water in the early years of its existence."