Orthodontics in the Zombie Apocalypse

12. Zombies See Me Naked (1/2)

"How far away is your uncle's house?"

"Oh, just about a fifteen minute walk..."

My eyes snap open before the face comes into full focus. "Mikah!" I growl, jerking off the covers and stomping downstairs where the others sit and chat. "Remember when it was just the two of us yesterday, and I asked you how far away your uncle's house was?"

"Um...yeah."

"You said fifteen minutes."

He scratches his head as he tries to recall the conversation. "I think you misheard. My uncle's house is fifteen miles from here."

My lips press together and my eyes narrow to slits. "I could have sworn you said minutes..."

"We wouldn't have stopped for an entire night if it was just a fifteen minute walk."

I shrug. Makes sense to me. "Well, in that case, we should leave soon. Looks like the rain stopped for the most part. I just want to shower again first--who knows the next time I'll have that chance?"

"Actually," Angel squeaks like a rusty spring, entering our conversation as unwelcome as a heart attack, "most places still have running water. It's not like zombies know how to shut off the water system, and the breakout happened too fast for water companies to do it themselves. It should last us quite a while, since there's only a fraction of the living people there used to be."

"Good to know, little miss 'I Know Everything'. I don't think I asked for your opinion."

I stomp back up the stairs as noisily as my entrance. In the shower, thick steam enters my nostrils with the aroma of flowery soap attached, bringing a calming humidity to my chest. I think back to how crazy yesterday was. I think of the excitement and anticipation as I prepared to get my braces off; of the horror when I realized that day may never come; of the hope when Mikah mentioned that his uncle just so happens to be an orthodontist. And I think about when we first stopped and got out of the car.

"It's just about fifteen minutes from here."

It echoes through my head, so vivid, so absolute. I can't mentally create such an authentic memory. That's what he has said. I guarantee it.

I think back more...

Three blocks away...

I gasp and shut off the water.

In only a towel, I sprint--or, rather, waddle--down the stairs.

"You lied to me!"

Mikah leans back when I converge on him. "About what?" He glances at the rest of me. "What are you wearing?"

"The fifteen minutes! Why did you just say I misheard? You told me it was three blocks away!"

"Yes, and then we had to run away from zombies--in the opposite direction." He focuses extremely hard on my eyes, staring almost too directly into my pupils. "Do you want to put on some clothes?"

"Focus!" I snap my fingers in front of his face, almost dropping my towel. I catch it before flashing everyone in the room, luckily. "We did not run fifteen miles!"

Mikah laughs awkwardly, glancing nervously at everyone around the room now staring silently at the two of us.