The Outbreak Chronicles Book One Survival Ties

Chapter 4

I don't know how long we slept that way, but when we woke up the sun was up and the bus wasn't moving anymore. I looked for a clock automatically, but the only one in the room was a digital alarm clock. The display was dead, which was just a reminder that not even time mattered anymore. We could hear the adults talking softly in the living room. We also noticed that Angela and Thomas had come in and joined us. They were sitting on the foot of the bed together, but it was more than they had done so far. They both sat there watching us with matching green eyes.

"Well hi there." Daisy greeted them like you would a frightened animal.

"Hi." Thomas responded talking for the first time since we had found them.

"How are you two holding up?" Sawyer asked looking directly at Angela.

"Ok, still not sure what's happening or why anyone would attack our parents." Angela answered. "After seeing what they did to that woman back at the gas station, I don't think our parents made it."

She sounded calm like she was just stating facts, but if you looked at her hands you could see what she was feeling. She was putting on a brave face for her brother, but she looked like she just wanted to cry.

"I don't know. I lost my sister and I have no idea if my parents are safe or not." I told her, "You really just have to try and focus on here and now and we'll deal with whatever else there is together."

"Together?" Angela asked looking at me like I was a life line.

"Yeah, you're part of our group now." I answered.

"Not group." Axel said, "Our family."

"You know what? I like that." Sawyer agreed. Soon all of us were teasing each other as we convinced Angela and Thomas to join the pile we had going on the bed.

Our talking brought Sydney back to check on us. She stood with her hip against the door frame watching us. She didn't say anything but she was smiling, and seemed a bit surprised that Angela and Thomas had joined us.

"What are you all doing?" She asked after a while.

"Just hanging out." Daisy responded as she fought to get into a sitting position.

"How did you manage to fit all of you on that bed?" Sydney seemed genuinely curious.

"Very carefully." I answered.

"Well can you manage to untangle yourselves and come eat some dinner?" Sydney said.

Sydney watched as one by one we all managed to wiggle our way free of the pile we had made. She seemed pleased that Angela and Thomas didn't just disappear back into their room. They actually came with us to the living room to see what was for dinner. Tone was cooking at the stove when we all sat down in various spots.

"Heard you laughing back there, was about to come join you when Sydney put my ass to work." He said and smiled at us, winking when Sydney looked away.

"Well somebody has to keep you in line Tone." Sam called from the front of the bus.

"You see how they gang up on me?" Tone asked us trying his best to look hurt.

"They see plenty." Sydney said and it did feel like what Axel had said was true, this was our family now.

I sat watching Tone cook up chicken while Sydney made a salad. Thomas had taken a liking to Sam and was sitting on his lap while Axel showed Angela the board game collection. We had a break from the chaos going on outside. Until a noise outside had all of us looking out the windows, where we saw a group of men with two female Red Eyes. They had the Red Eyes muzzled. Their hands were zip tied behind their backs. There was also some sort of harness around their upper bodies that the men had leashes attached to. Sam signaled for us all to be quite. As he opened a window so we could hear what was going on without alerting the men to our presence.