The Other Life (19 page)

I blew out a long breath. My legs felt too heavy to make them carry me anywhere and my feet hurt. I wanted to go to bed, but I was so hungry.

Joshua took my hand and led me into the kitchen.

Grounded.

One week.

Totally unfair.

Not my fault I got detention. If Brittany hadn’t made fun of me, I’d never have gotten in a fight with her.

Almost six.

The movie would start at seven.

I grabbed my cell. The movie was my chance to talk to Alex. He’d be there with his friends. It was the only reason Izzy and I even wanted to see that stupid movie. Tucking my phone in
my pocket, I sneaked out of my room.

Getting out of the house wouldn’t be a problem. Getting back in without my keys was another matter, and I could hardly ask for them.

Dad always hid the spare key in the cookie jar. A stupid place, considering Bobby and I were addicted to cookies. I climbed on the counter and reached for the jar on the highest
shelf.

Pushing the cookies aside, something cool brushed my fingertips. The key. I pulled it out.

The rest would be easy. I jumped off the counter.

And froze.

Dad leaned on the door frame. “You’re grounded for another week, young lady.”

Marie sat at the table and watched the stove, her eyes half-closed. Something was cooking in a big pot. It smelled delicious – basil and tomatoes. My stomach rumbled,
demanding food.

Mia and Marie’s two-year-old daughter Emma sat beside her on the ground, playing with dolls. I’d never been the doll-playing type of girl, though Mom had tried to turn me into one.
I’d preferred building blocks and matchbox cars to Barbie and Ken.

Mia looked up, dropping her dolls when she caught sight of me. She jumped to her feet and dashed towards me. Her little head collided painfully with my stomach as she threw herself at me. I
hugged her back, despite wheezing for air.

“You’re back! You’re back!” she shrieked.

I crouched down to be face-to-face with her. Stroking her hair from her face, I smiled. “I’m back.”

“How’s Daddy? Where is he?” She looked past me, as though Dad was hiding somewhere behind me.

“Mom and Dad are in the house next door. You know how adults can be. They want to have an adult talk.” I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly.

“Oh.” Mia scrunched up her nose, believing my lie, though I was a horrible liar. Emma watched me with wide, curious eyes. Her blonde hair was short and fuzzy and she looked like a
little boy – a cute one. I straightened up. Mia clutched my hand, as if she was afraid I’d disappear into thin air. I pulled one of the chairs back and plopped down. My feet felt like
they were made of stone. Too heavy to lift from the ground.

Joshua was smiling at me, but something about his eyes seemed off. The smile didn’t reach them. I wondered what was going on in his head.

Marie put the huge pot with our dinner onto the table. I propped myself up on my elbows and peeked into the pot. There were tomatoes, red peppers, onions and something that looked like chicken
or pork.

I glanced at Marie. “Is that chicken?”

Joshua replied before she could. “We’ve got a few chickens and three cows in the garden behind the house.”

912 days since I’d eaten chicken.

“If you want, I can show you around tomorrow.” Joshua filled his plate with food and glanced up at me.

“S-sure,” I stammered, suddenly thinking about the kiss I’d pressed on his cheek. Marie looked between Joshua and me with a grin. I lowered my face and filled my own plate.

Joshua told Marie about our “adventures”, as he called them, in a murmur, so Emma and Mia wouldn’t overhear. The stories were terrifying even for me. How much worse would they
be for small kids? I wasn’t keen on hearing about the horrors again, but I didn’t interrupt. Maybe talking about it helped him.

Mia and Emma seemed to get along well, though they were four years apart. After years with only Bobby and me to play with, Mia was probably glad to have another kid around.

“Has Mia had dinner?” I asked. My plate was almost empty. I felt guilty for not having thought about my little sister before.

Marie gave a nod, followed by a yawn. “Everyone ate before you showed up. We didn’t know when you’d come back, so we didn’t wait.” She shook her head and opened her
eyes wide to stay awake. “I need to get some sleep. It’s already dark outside.” She picked up her daughter, who protested loudly.

“Goodnight,” I called after them.

Marie waved her hand as she left the room. Mia came up to me and hugged my middle, burying her head against my stomach. Joshua had his head propped on his crossed arms, his eyes closed. We all
needed a good dose of sleep, even though I wasn’t looking forward to the nightmares.

Mia had instantly fallen asleep and hung awkwardly over my lap. I nudged her. Her eyes opened a bit. “I can’t carry you upstairs.” My injured feet could barely carry my own
weight, much less additional baggage. She released her grip on my waist and stood, rubbing her eyes with her small fists. Joshua was fast asleep. His breathing was regular and his expression so
peaceful. He looked cute. I realized I wanted to kiss him again.

I felt myself blush. It was strange to be interested in a boy again. Watching his untroubled face another moment, I decided not to wake him. Every minute of sleep without nightmares was
precious.

I rose, careful not to make too much noise as I pushed my chair back. Mia latched onto my hand and leaned against me. My absence had made her even clingier.

I led her up the stairs. “Where did you sleep last night?” I tried to keep my voice down.

“In Mommy’s bed, but she’s not there. I want to sleep in your bed.” She made big puppy-dog eyes and pouted, making me laugh.

“Okay, but you must sleep in your own bed soon. You’re a big girl,” I told her. She nodded her head with a little smile and followed me into my bedroom, where she crawled into
my bed.

My skin was sticky with sweat, but I was too tired to take a shower. Mia’s warm body snuggled against me and I held her as she relaxed into sleep.

Morning came too quickly. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I’d showered and brushed my teeth, even run a comb through my hair. I felt better, but I still looked
like hell. I was pale and there was a bluish bruise on my temple. It looked bad, but it didn’t hurt much, or maybe I was too distracted by the pain in other parts of my body to feel it. My
feet were worse and the back of my head wasn’t great either. I couldn’t stop myself from touching the stitches there. My night had been terrible. I’d even woken Mia with my
nightmares. Good thing she didn’t know what I’d dreamed about.

I couldn’t wait to go and see if Dad was better. Maybe he was awake and I could talk to him.

I checked my reflection again. The clothes that I’d found on the desk in my bedroom that morning fitted well. A simple T-shirt and jeans, nothing fancy. I wished I had something prettier
to wear. I guessed I’d have to settle for acceptable.

At least my hair looked shiny. The thought made me laugh. It felt good to worry about such silly things, even for just a few minutes, instead of worrying about Weepers who wanted to eat
everyone.

69 days since I’d laughed without guilt.

For a moment I felt like a normal teenager, but the stabbing pain in my right foot brought me back.

Mia was still fast asleep, snuggled against the pillows. The sun had just risen and I didn’t want to wake her. I closed the door without a sound and made my way downstairs.

Mom sat at the kitchen table next to Karen and Larry, sipping at a cup of coffee. She glanced up. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” I sank down on a chair, bracing myself for bad news. “How’s Dad?”

Mom’s smile thinned. “He was awake for a few hours during the night, but he’s fallen asleep again. He’s looking better.”

“Can I go see him?”

“Maybe later. Geoffrey and Bobby are with him now and they’ll call us if he wakes. He needs to rest,” Karen said. She, too, looked exhausted.

“Your grandmother has even paid him a short visit.” Mom took another sip from her coffee. “It was the first time that she’s left your grandpa’s side.”

I clapped a hand against my forehead. I’d completely forgotten about Grandma. “Where is she? I haven’t seen her.”

“She’s with your grandfather in one of the small outhouses,” Larry said.

I knitted my brows. “Have you put him in the freezer?”

Larry spat out some coffee, coughing desperately. Karen patted his back, fighting laughter.

Mom sighed. “No, we didn’t put him in the freezer.”

“We don’t have one that could fit him.” Larry gave me a sheepish look.

“But isn’t he…decaying?” I asked. The thought made my stomach squirm.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Karen shrugged. She didn’t appear bothered by the fact that a body was rotting in the neighbouring cottage.

Mom set down her cup. “We’ll bury him this morning. He’s starting to smell. I don’t care what your grandma says. It needs to be done.”

I grabbed a cup and spooned in some instant coffee. I’d never drunk coffee before – the smell repulsed me – but now was a good time to start. I took a gulp of the scalding
liquid, wincing at the bitter taste, as I tried not to think about dead bodies.

“Is Mia still asleep?” Mom asked, watching her own coffee swirl around as she tilted her cup.

“Yes, she was pretty tired.”

“Good. Then we should do it now, so she won’t notice anything.”

“Now?” I asked with a frown. “Someone needs to dig a grave first.” My feet weren’t in favour of volunteering for the task.

Mom got up. “Tyler and Geoffrey did that a few hours ago.”

“I’ll get the others then,” Larry said. My eyes followed him as he limped out of the kitchen.

Karen, Mom and I walked over to the small cottage where Grandma kept watch over Grandpa’s body. I put a hand over my nose and tried to breathe through my mouth. I was
sure I’d throw up the coffee, but I got myself under control.

Karen didn’t react. Maybe you got used to smells like that when you’d been working as a nurse for years. I didn’t think I ever could. I followed Mom and Karen into the back of
the cottage, where the room was sparsely furnished with a bed and a rocking chair.

Grandma sat on the chair, staring at the ground where Grandpa’s body lay. The months in the freezer and the time in this room had left their mark. Most of his body was wrapped up in the
blanket, but someone had freed his head. Probably Grandma.

I had to look away. My lips pressed together and I leaned against the door frame. I wouldn’t set a foot into the room. Any step closer to the stench and even my willpower wouldn’t
keep me from throwing up.

Grandma looked up from the ground, her expression empty.

“It’s time to bury Edgar,” Mom said gently. Grandma stared at her blankly as if she had no idea what that meant. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to help carry Grandpa’s
body. That would end in a mess.

Someone tapped me on the arm. I spun around. Joshua’s face was pulled into a grimace because of the stench.

“We’ve come to bring your grandfather outside,” he said through gritted teeth, breathing through his mouth.

We? I peeked behind him and was surprised to see Tyler. I hadn’t seen him since that first morning. He normally kept to himself. Maybe he was just shy.

I stepped back so the boys could enter the room. They were carrying a stretcher and heaved the body on it. I moved into the hall to give them more room while they carried Grandpa out of the
house. Grandma, Mom, Karen and I followed a few steps behind. We walked into a vast garden overlooking the vineyard. Only the stone wall with its ivy tendrils obstructed the view.

Bobby and Larry had gathered next to a small gate, which they opened for Tyler and Joshua. After a few minutes, we came to a meadow. A huge oak tree towered above a dozen small wooden crosses.
Names were carved into a few of them, the rest were blank.

A graveyard.

My stomach churned when I thought about the people who’d died at Safe-haven. What if Dad ended up like them?