Looking at the twins with a gentle smile, “I’m hoping I’ll be strong enough in a week,” Wendy told them and both nodded.
Sally glanced at Jo Ann and then turned back to Wendy. “Are you sure Anthony won’t get us?” Sally asked hesitantly.
The smile left Wendy’s face as she nodded. “I shot him in the heart and almost chopped his head off with my knife,” Wendy answered, making the twins gasp. “If anyone tries to hurt you kids, they will have to step over my dead body to do it.”
Jumping up, Jo Ann and Sally wrapped their arms around Wendy as she held a sleeping Ryan. Leaning over, Wendy kissed each one on the top of the head and then stood up. Putting Ryan on the bed, Wendy helped the twins into pajamas and helped them brush their teeth.
When they were all in bed, Wendy turned out the flashlight and crawled in bed. Putting Ryan on her chest, Wendy felt a twin curl up on each side of her. Soon, they all drifted off to sleep as a new world continued to evolve.
Chapter Twenty
Babies and kids everywhere
May 14
Asleep on a pile of pillows, almost sitting up and hearing a soft coo, Arthur opened his eyes. Blinking his eyes, Arthur looked down at Nicole asleep on his chest with Lucas beside her, chewing on his fist. Glancing over, he saw Pam beside him on the bed and kicking her feet in the air.
Looking at Nicole’s two-month-old frame beside Lucas’s four-month-old body, Arthur turned to six-month-old Pam. “I know you’re little, but you look half growed next to these two,” Arthur grinned.
Seeing movement past Pam on the other side of the bed, Arthur looked up expecting the dogs and did a double take seeing two-year-old Robin and six-year-old Jim. Both were sound asleep, sprawled out over the bed.
“Wonder when they came in?” Arthur mumbled, slowly getting out of bed with Nicole and Lucas in his arms. Very gently, he placed both back in the bed and grabbed a bottle off his nightstand with a ‘P’ written on it with marker. Two more were on the stand with ‘L’ and ‘N’ already made up.
Giving a big yawn, Arthur picked up Pam and put the bottle in her mouth. Pam latched onto the bottle like she was starving, trying to hold it herself. “Oh, come on, I fed you four hours ago when I fed Nicole and Lucas,” Arthur moaned through the yawn.
After chores the last two days, Arthur had taken the kids out visiting several houses around them and then the church he and Wendy went to. He grabbed every bottle, diaper, and can of formula they came across. The nursery at the church was now bare.
Even though Arthur knew he needed the stuff, he was very reluctant on leaving the house. It seemed every time he left, he added kids. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, Arthur felt like shit and had told the kids to load up. He’d let Shawn drive his Blazer with Kirk and they’d followed Arthur around as he drove the kids in the Suburban.
Bringing back the trailers filled up with the stuff they had gathered, Arthur would tell the others where to unload as he fed the babies one at a time. They had only made two trips out before running out of daylight and Arthur was worn out.
They never found or saw another living person the last two days, but they had seen a bunch of dogs and dead bodies that had been eaten on. Most bodies looked like they had been eaten on by dogs, but there were other bites as well. One body, Arthur was certain had been eaten on by a bear.
Hearing air being sucked on, Arthur glanced down to see Pam had finished with her bottle and was fighting to keep her eyes open. Putting Pam on his shoulder, Arthur patted her back as he leaned his head over onto Pam’s. “Give up the burp,” Arthur hummed softly with a smile.
When Pam burped, Arthur gently laid her down on the bed as Lucas started fidgeting and getting louder, with his coos turning to angry grunts. Picking up Lucas, Arthur grabbed the ‘L’ bottle and cradled Lucas in his arms. “Pam cries louder than you do, so she gets fed first,” Arthur laughed as Lucas attacked the bottle.
Looking around the room, Arthur saw the three baby beds that needed to be put together with a sigh. “They will be put together tonight,” he vowed.
When Lucas was finished, Arthur laid him down and saw Nicole looking at him with wide eyes contently. “Hey, blue eyes,” Arthur cooed and scooped her up, making her smile. Feeding Nicole the bottle, Arthur walked around the bed to see the dogs asleep on the floor with the cats curled up next to the Rottweilers.
“Weird,” Arthur mumbled. Glancing at the clock, Arthur gave a sigh seeing it was time to get up.
After Nicole finished her bottle, Arthur put her up on his chest, patting her back and Nicole let out her now customary earth-shattering burp. Putting her on the bed, Arthur changed her and then grabbed the baby sling and slipped Nicole inside.
Moving down the line, he changed Pam and Lucas and then put them in bouncy chairs and carried them to the kitchen. Putting them on the kitchen island, Arthur headed upstairs. Tapping on the first door where Shawn was sleeping, Arthur walked in and found Shawn asleep with his sister beside him. Also in the bed was Kirk and Pat. “Shawn,” Arthur whispered, shaking him.
Shawn opened his eyes and sat up. “Get the others up while I start breakfast,” Arthur said and then left.
Looking
