“I’m Nick. This is Kate,” Nick said.
“You guys hungry?” Ron asked. “I’ve got some venison cooking.”
“Yeah! Come have breakfast with us!” Evie tugged on Kate’s hand and headed toward the house, passing Nick and then Ron.
Nick’s jaw tightened. Breakfast with strangers was not on the list of approved, safe activities. However, the girls were speeding past him before he could try and stop it. The sight of Kate holding a small girl’s hand, the two smiling and laughing—it should have brought him joy. Nick stifled his worries and followed.
Nick, Kate, and the two young girls sat at a round wooden table in a cramped kitchen. Ron served deer steaks on ceramic plates. The home was modest at best. Buckets filled with water sat on the kitchen floor near the sink. The counters were a chaotic mess of empty tin cans. The carpets leading into the living room and down the halls looked as though they had never seen a vacuum, and a musty yellow tinged the walls.
“Where are you all from?” Ron asked, looking back and forth between Nick and Kate.
“Not far from here. We’ve been holed up in the Aqua Region, but supplies are short, so we’re seeing what else is around,” Nick said, his answer calculated.
“Yeah, I’m afraid there isn’t much. I thank God for being self-sufficient from day one. I got vegetables and herbs growing out back, and I go out hunting almost every morning.” Ron smiled at the girls too engulfed in their meals to pay the conversation any mind.
“Is the game around here any good?” Nick asked.
“More so, I’d say since the fall. Animals have a lot more freedom. They can live uninterrupted by our vehicles and machines and traffic. Sometimes I see more deer in one day than I could eat in a year,” Ron answered.
“That’s good to hear. I used to hunt a lot back in the day. Might have to take it up again.” Nick squeezed Kate’s hand beneath the table.
“I’d say leave some for us, but that is no issue. Plenty to go around.” Ron stood to collect plates, and the girls sat back in their chairs with smiles and full tummies.
“Well, we should probably get going. We really appreciate the meal,” Nick said.
“Will you push us on the swing?” Evie asked, her eyes hopeful.
“Evie, I think these folks have to get going,” Ron said. Kate looked to Nick, dropping her lower lip and giving him those damned puppy dog eyes. Nick rolled his eyes.
“We can stay a little longer,” Nick relented.
“Let’s go!” Kate smiled down at Evie. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed Kate by the hand, leading her to the backyard.
Kate began pushing the small girl on the swing, higher and higher.
“Okay, not too high!” Evie laughed, pumping her legs back and forth. Tatum sat on the swing beside her, moving it back and forth with her feet.
“Want me to push you, too?” Kate asked.
“I can push myself,” Tatum responded flatly. Her eyes were fixed to the ground, white knuckles clutching the swing chains.
Ron and Nick exited the back of the home and walked down the porch steps toward the garden. Lush greenery drooped over a timber edging. Tomato plants climbed up cages that towered almost as tall as Nick. As the men passed through the garden, sometimes they were completely hidden behind leaves and stalks.
“Is everything okay, Tate?” Kate asked while she pushed Evie. Tatum stayed quiet, and Kate took the opportunity to study the girl. Her arms were folded across her chest. Faded, yellow circles tinged her skin where bruises once were. Kate noticed fresh welts around the back of her neck, resembling fingerprints.
Kate’s stomach churned, and she pushed away the thoughts. She focused on Evie swinging back and forth and the giggles that erupted from her. Surely, this new life was tougher on kids. It warranted a harsher existence and stricter discipline.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Evie asked.
“Umm, yeah. He is,” Kate answered with a laugh.
“Is he a superhero? He looks like a superhero.” Evie giggled, kicking her feet in the air.
“He’s not a superhero, Evie,” Tatum whined.
“Actually, he is a superhero. He saves people all the time. He saved me. Many times,” Kate said. Tatum gazed at her for a moment, trying to read if she was telling the truth.
Evie raised a fist in the air, simulating a superhero flying through the sky as Kate pushed her.
