Jake came over, walking like he had a hangover.
He took a big bowl of oatmeal and a big mug of coffee with creamer.
Astrid came, dressed in my blue sweater and a pair of jeans. Was it some kind of message to me, the sweater?
Was I supposed to be placated by it?
The kids got their oatmeal.
‘Cinnamon spice?’ Chloe complained. ‘Are we out of peaches and cream flavour?”
‘If you can find it, you can make it for yourself,’ I told her.
‘Nah, I’ll just eat this.’ She sighed benevolently.
‘Yeah, you’re welcome,’ I said.
‘Jake, I have to tell you something,’ Astrid announced. She sat down opposite him at the table.
Jake took the fireplace poker and jabbed at the Duraflame burning in the centre of the brass fire pit. ‘Save it. I already know.’ He scowled. ‘I saw.’
‘Saw what?’ Caroline asked.
‘It’s not about that,’ she said. ‘That was just an accident. We’re Os. It just happened.’
‘What just happened?’ Caroline asked again.
‘I have news for you,’ Astrid barrelled on. ‘Good news.’
Jake set down his plastic spoon and looked up at her.
‘We getting rescued?’ he said bitterly.
‘I’m pregnant,’ Astrid said.
Jake just stared at her.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘I’m going to have your baby, Jake.’
She pulled up her sweater – my sweater – and showed him her belly.
Jake saw the rise now.
Once you saw it, you couldn’t miss it.
‘How far?’ he croaked.
‘Four months,’ she said.
‘You’re gonna have a baby?’ Caroline gasped.
Astrid nodded. A smile played on her lips.
The kids squealed. They jumped up, so delighted. So happy. They hugged her and danced around.
Astrid laughed and let them have their moment, but her eyes kept flickering toward Jake.
Jake roared with happiness and jumped up. He swept Astrid into a big hug and kissed her.
I’d had enough.
I walked away.
‘What’s wrong with Dean?’ I heard Henry ask.
‘He’ll be okay,’ Astrid said, loud enough for me to hear.
Sure, sure, I’d be okay.
The girl I loved, who loved me back or at least liked me back, was going to get back together with her manipulative, depressed, drug-addicted boyfriend.
Also, the world as we knew it had ended and add to that the fact that I had killed a man. That one kept creeping up on me.
I went to look at the hole. I wanted to take down some shelf-boarding from the Accessories Department and put it up over the hole as a layer of extra protection.
That’s when I heard the noise.
Something was rattling in the storeroom.
‘Hello?’ I called into the dark space.
I shined a flashlight around.
There was the shattered Operations Centre, with the useless panels that had once controlled our power, air, and water.
There were the two lifeless bodies near the wall in their matching floral shrouds.
Boxes of merchandise spilled their guts here and there.
Empty pallets in a messy stack against the gate, next to the intercom.
Everything was in its place.
The rattle came again and it wasn’t coming from the loading bay gate.
It was coming from the hatch.
I stormed back to the Kitchen. They were all gathered there, lingering over the breakfast that I had cooked for them.
‘Jake!’ I shouted. ‘Did you leave the ladder hanging down from the roof?’
‘What?’ Jake asked, looking befuddled.
‘Did you leave the ladder hanging down from the roof when you left us, three days ago?’
‘No,’ he protested. ‘Alex hauled it up after me. I’m not stupid and neither is your brother.’
‘Well, there’s someone up on the roof now. And they want in.’
‘Who are you?’ Jake hollered through the hatch. He had insisted Astrid take the kids to the Train. She had agreed, much to my surprise.
The hatch was padlocked, thank God. I had checked it the day before.
‘We’re just some kids,’ the voice said.
It did sound like a kid.
‘Please let us in. It’s scary out here.’
Now, that sounded a little like sarcasm. Jake and I exchanged a look. We stood on the metal staircase, crammed together, under the hatch.
‘How did you get up there?’ Jake hollered.
‘What?’ the voice said. ‘We can’t hear you.’
Whoever he was, it sounded almost like he was laughing.
Jake and I shared an uneasy look.
‘How the hay’d they get up there?’ Jake murmured.
‘We need to talk to you. We have a message from your other friends.’
‘What other friends?’ I shouted.
I’d put on a mask, of course, in case we decided to open the hatch.
‘What other friends?’ Jake repeated.
‘The ones with the bus.’
I stared at Jake.
‘You have to let us in!’ the voice demanded. ‘We have Brayden with us!’
Jake and I scrambled to open the lock.
Not for a second did we think it might be a trick.
‘Brayden!’ Jake screamed. ‘How did you find Brayden?’
We pushed open the hatch, and three guys were standing in the beam of our flashlight. They had guns.
They wore dark uniforms. Dirty and ragged. Their faces were uncovered. One of them wore a beret and had some gold cords going under his arm. He was the leader, there was no question.
‘Hi!’ he said, cheerful as could be. ‘Thank you so much for letting us in!’
Then he kicked Jake in the chest.
