My head was pounding when I woke and my stomach felt empty, like I hadn't eaten in years. I'd gotten some beans and Spam and somehow managed to keep it down, but didn't get much of an energy boost from it. I tried humming to myself, and it helped some. I could hear bits and pieces of music in my head, but not enough to keep me alert, and definitely not enough to share with the others. I needed a guitar, something with strings.
I sighed. Music wasn't the priority, no matter how much I knew we needed it. Food was more important. I looked next to me where Les was sleeping in Lilly's arms. His face was pale. Not the typical autumn pale of a kid who hasn't been outside in a while, but the sickly grayish pale that came from being infected. I'd seen very few Zombie kids the last time around, and none as young as Les. I had no idea if the disease was worse on them or not. Would they deteriorate faster because they were smaller or because their brains weren't fully developed? And if their brains were still developing, was it possible that some of the damage could be permanent?
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside. I had to believe my son would be okay—anything else was incomprehensible.
"Morning," Lilly said sleepily.
"Morning."
Silence fell as we both lay there and tried to muster the will to get out of bed. It was strange, I thought, how you take little things for granted. Back home, if Lilly and I had the luck to wake up before Les, we'd end up talking—about vacations we wanted to go on or plans for holidays. Now, even talking required too much energy. And we both had to conserve our strength for what we had to do today.
I could hear my mom and Kieran out in the main area, talking quietly. I couldn't make out what either of them were saying, but I doubted it was small talk about the weather. Then again, considering the time of year, maybe it was about the weather. Cold and snow were coming very soon. We needed to get out of this place before the temperature really started dropping. Because out here, with only these poorly-built and non-insulated buildings for protection, we wouldn't be able to survive the elements.
The thought of being out here in the cold, with nothing to eat, watching the people I loved freeze and starve to death, stirred my emotions. I let all the fear, anger, and frustration of those thoughts motivate me to get moving. I got up and helped Lilly do the same. She'd been infected only a short while before me, but she'd never had to deal with the disease before. I wanted to help her as much as I could.
Rob and Melanie were already out in the main area with Mom and Kieran by the time we came out. I grimaced at the smell of reheated Spam and beans, but didn't say anything. We ate in silence, forcing down what was left of the food in the hopes that it would give us at least a little energy to face the day. To do what had to be done.
When we finished, all eyes were on me.
"What's the plan?" Mom asked.
"Well," I said, looking at Rob. "I'd like you to take a group to the river and see if you can catch anything."
He nodded.
"I'll divide up the smaller snares we made and send out groups into the surrounding woods to set them." I looked over at Kieran. "Then you and I will go a bit deeper in and see if we can use the rope to set a trap for bigger game."
"You mean like a deer?" Melanie asked.
I nodded, not adding that a more likely dinner guest would be a raccoon or opossum. Even if I was entirely confident in my trap-setting skills, I doubted we'd have much of a chance of catching something larger. But the thought of raw venison made my stomach growl.
