Parasite; The True Story of the Zombie Apocalypse by Doug Ward
As I watched Henry drive away, a tear ran down my cheek. I couldn't believe it. That was my husband. He'd made it here!
I couldn't fathom what he was doing with Dean. I didn't think he really knew our neighbor that well. But he had come.
I wondered what happened to Julie. Why wasn't she with them? But I pushed those thoughts from my mind and decided to just be happy that they had made it at all. From what the television had said, it was chaos out there.
My heart swelled with pride. I walked right up to Ned, who was busy using the can opener part of the pocketknife. Amber was standing beside him, nearly jumping up and down in excitement. Both were grinning ear to ear.
Drawing my right fist back, I punched him hard in the arm, nearly causing him to drop the can. My coworkers turned their attention on me, frowning. "Ouch," Ned said, shocked, forgetting the can in his hands. "What was that for?"
"Doubting!" I said accusingly while smiling broadly. "I told you Hank was coming. You made a joke of it. You called him the bug guy."
"I guess I was wrong!" he said while turning back to the can of baked beans. "I'm sorry."
I couldn't blame him. As I watched him working on the lid, I couldn't help thinking that I had harbored some of those same thoughts. I didn't think he would even notice the outbreak. I thought that he would be secured in his lab and never notice that anything out of sorts had happened.
My husband, when focusing on a problem, could be quite oblivious to things happening right in front of him. But I had kept my hopes alive. Pushing back my doubts, I believed he would come. He loved me, and seeing him those few moments ago had renewed my faith and love in him. He had crossed unknown hazards to save me. He had even wanted to rush right inside the building to free me from this perch.
Ned handed the now open can to Amber. She literally snatched it from his outstretched hand and immediately began pouring the contents into her mouth. Ned started on the next one, a can of chicken soup.
As he worked the knife's opener on the top, Amber offered the beans to me. I followed her technique and tilted the can to my lips. I never acquired a taste for baked beans. They always tasted chalky to me. But after a few days with no food, I found the unheated side dish to be one of the most wonderful flavors I'd ever eaten. I had difficulty stopping myself when I reached the limit of my portion. Saving the rest for Ned, I set the can on the roof and waited for my turn at the soup.
Amber delicately dabbed at a small trail of the concentrated liquid with a finger, savoring every drop as she passed the container to me.
When Ned finished opening the last can, which held peaches, he snatched the beans from the roof and consumed his share, followed quickly by the soup. The peaches were so sweet. It was amazing. We were actually having desert.
"I guess we just sit and wait," Amber offered, smoothing her now grimy white blouse.
"Let's get our rope secured so we can have a quick escape route," I countered while glancing back at the loosened door. "We might need another way down."
"Not trusting that your husband will make it back?" Ned asked, arching an eyebrow in shock.
"No," I shot back. "I don't trust the door to hold. I would like to have a backup plan, just in case we need to leave really quickly."
The others agreed, so we spent the last of the hour of the evening readying a Plan "B".
Chapter 22
Henry
I couldn't fathom what he was doing with Dean. I didn't think he really knew our neighbor that well. But he had come.
I wondered what happened to Julie. Why wasn't she with them? But I pushed those thoughts from my mind and decided to just be happy that they had made it at all. From what the television had said, it was chaos out there.
My heart swelled with pride. I walked right up to Ned, who was busy using the can opener part of the pocketknife. Amber was standing beside him, nearly jumping up and down in excitement. Both were grinning ear to ear.
Drawing my right fist back, I punched him hard in the arm, nearly causing him to drop the can. My coworkers turned their attention on me, frowning. "Ouch," Ned said, shocked, forgetting the can in his hands. "What was that for?"
"Doubting!" I said accusingly while smiling broadly. "I told you Hank was coming. You made a joke of it. You called him the bug guy."
"I guess I was wrong!" he said while turning back to the can of baked beans. "I'm sorry."
I couldn't blame him. As I watched him working on the lid, I couldn't help thinking that I had harbored some of those same thoughts. I didn't think he would even notice the outbreak. I thought that he would be secured in his lab and never notice that anything out of sorts had happened.
My husband, when focusing on a problem, could be quite oblivious to things happening right in front of him. But I had kept my hopes alive. Pushing back my doubts, I believed he would come. He loved me, and seeing him those few moments ago had renewed my faith and love in him. He had crossed unknown hazards to save me. He had even wanted to rush right inside the building to free me from this perch.
Ned handed the now open can to Amber. She literally snatched it from his outstretched hand and immediately began pouring the contents into her mouth. Ned started on the next one, a can of chicken soup.
As he worked the knife's opener on the top, Amber offered the beans to me. I followed her technique and tilted the can to my lips. I never acquired a taste for baked beans. They always tasted chalky to me. But after a few days with no food, I found the unheated side dish to be one of the most wonderful flavors I'd ever eaten. I had difficulty stopping myself when I reached the limit of my portion. Saving the rest for Ned, I set the can on the roof and waited for my turn at the soup.
Amber delicately dabbed at a small trail of the concentrated liquid with a finger, savoring every drop as she passed the container to me.
When Ned finished opening the last can, which held peaches, he snatched the beans from the roof and consumed his share, followed quickly by the soup. The peaches were so sweet. It was amazing. We were actually having desert.
"I guess we just sit and wait," Amber offered, smoothing her now grimy white blouse.
"Let's get our rope secured so we can have a quick escape route," I countered while glancing back at the loosened door. "We might need another way down."
"Not trusting that your husband will make it back?" Ned asked, arching an eyebrow in shock.
"No," I shot back. "I don't trust the door to hold. I would like to have a backup plan, just in case we need to leave really quickly."
The others agreed, so we spent the last of the hour of the evening readying a Plan "B".
Chapter 22
Henry