Don't Talk To Anyone | BOOK 2

one

Elle McBriar
April 29th, 1 year and 156 days since the first zombie report

You know when there's a good point in your life... when you finally feel happy after a really shitty couple of months?

Me too.

I was sad. Really sad. I wasn't sure if I was going to live or die. I still have to look over my shoulder every time I'm alone to make sure I'm not going to be attacked.

But right now, I'm happy.

I have an amazing boyfriend, friends that are basically family. And a roof over my head. I don't really have anything to be sad about if you ask me.

But I'm secretly terrified. Just because we've had a single good week , doesn't mean we shouldn't be taking precautions.

I jump every time a door opens or someone walks along the hallway.

I blame it on the trauma, honestly.

I'm in the kitchen currently, making a sandwich because I haven't eaten all day.

Alex is outside with Megan and Riley.
Paxton and Gage and working in the garage and Penny is asleep.

I take a deep breath, feeling the air shift slightly as an unsettling feeling in my stomach bubbles over.

I shake it away, ignoring it.

As I'm closing the sandwich I hear a floorboard creak behind me and I freeze. When I go to turn around, I see Paxton hovering above me with a cheesy smile on his face.

"You scared me." I panted, putting my hand over my heart. He chuckled, "I'm sorry Elle. I am." He takes a bite from my sandwich and then kisses my forehead, "Classy." I scoff.

"Tastes good." He says with a mouthful, "I know. I made it. It's my sandwich." My eyebrows furrowed as I continued to eat my sandwich.

I took the stairs to Gage and Penny's room. Knocking softly on the wood.

"Penny, you awake?" I ask.
I hear a soft 'hello' and push open the door. "Hey. You okay?"

Penny has become one of my closest friends, just like Megan. I think of them as my best friends. Since it's just us girls and the boys. I tell them everything.

"Yeah. I'm okay." She sits you and sniffles, her face all red. "Can I get you anything?"

She shakes her head, "Oh, maybe chocolate." I giggle slightly, "You got it. Stay here. I'll bring it right up, okay?"

She lays back down and I got downstairs. I hear the loud laughter of Riley. He's recently learned how to run, so he walks and runs everywhere. And every time he falls or something funny happens, he laughs.

He's also learned how to laugh.

I smile, our family is growing.

I rifle through the cupboards, frowning at our low stash of snacks. I've had to hide it from the boys because they just eat them all. Which is bad, especially on emergency girl days.

I snatch the day old chocolate chip cookies I made, that kinda taste like shit because we don't have milk or eggs or literally anything anymore.

But we make do.

I slipped the cookies onto the bed, folding the sheets above Penny's waist to make her more comfortable.

It's still cold. Even in April. Me being in bare feet doesn't help.

I hear heavy steps, and lots of them as people start to come inside.

"It's w-raining Aunty Elle!" Riley laughs, hugging my leg. I pat his head as he limply runs off to his toys in his bedroom.