My chest tightens. “She wasn’t making fun of you. She was trying to help.”
“Help? Like you helped by wandering off when those men came? Where were you?”
“I was—” In the bell tower. With Julien. While my sister had a knife at her throat.
“It’s not her fault,” Sienna says.
“I didn’t say that,” Amelia says.
“Sounded like it.” Sienna shrugs her shoulders. “Those assholes would’ve gotten in whether she was here or not. And you know what? Your sister volunteered to go with them so they wouldn’t take you. She put herself in danger for you.”
Amelia’s mouth opens.
“So cutussome slack,” Sienna continues. “We’re all doing our best to survive this fucking nightmare.”
My sister’s eyes dart to mine, then away. The fight seems to drain out of her all at once, her shoulders slumping.
“Eat.” Sienna taps my can with her spoon. “Being hangry isn’t good.”
I grab my can and shuffle the beans inside my mouth.
From across the room, I catch my father observing us and tilting a flask to his lips. If this is his last one, we might be fine.
My mother sits beside him, spine rigid, refusing to acknowledge the drinking or anything else happening in the room.
As darkness settles completely outside, Cameron clears his throat. “Alright, everyone, we need to talk about tomorrow.”
Conversations stop. Even my father lowers his bottle to listen.
“We move tomorrow,” Cameron says. “We can’t stay much longer. Supplies are limited, and those things outside aren’t going away. This location isn’t sustainable.”
“But they took the cars,” my mother says. “Do you expect us to walk?”
“We still have the truck and minivan.” A tiny smile lifts the corner of Julien’s mouth. “I had the keys.”
Relief hits me. “You sneaky…”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He winks at me.
“It wasn’t.”
His lips twitch again. “Still taking it as one.”
Amelia looks between us, and I lower my head.
“You stashed a rocket launcher somewhere, too?” My father’s words slur slightly.
“Oh, cállate.” Rosa sets aside her food. “Just fall asleep already. Reeks like a distillery here.”
“You—”
A howling followed by another cuts him off.
“Oh great,” Sienna says. “Not only zombies but wolves that want to eat us.”
Julien stands up. “We’ll head out tomorrow. Tonight, we double the watch. Cameron, Sienna, and—” his eyes land on me “—I stay up. I take the first. Cameron and Sienna, you take the second.”
At least he acknowledged me.
