"How you doin' tonight, Randy?" she asked.
"Same as always. Can't complain. You?" he asked her back.
"Same as always. Can't complain," she answered back, her voice catching slightly as she spoke.
"Bunny!" Rebecca squealed, running to embrace her.
"Oh, God, girl. It’s so good to see you!” Bunny cried, squeezing her tight.
"How? Where?" Rebecca asked, holding her out to look at her closer.
Bunny laughed. "Long story."
Dale, Gina, Amber and even Tish made their way over slowly, joined by the other girls from the club, each hugging her tight save Dale, who shook her hand and smiled, telling her he was glad she was alive. Though she hadn't known him long, she was grateful to see him as well, all of them.
"When did you get here?" Rebecca asked as they made their way to a table.
"Just a bit ago," Bunny told her.
"Jumped her Camaro over the fence," Caroline told them.
Randy laughed. "No, seriously."
"Seriously," York told him. "I was in the car with her when she did it."
"Did you see it?" Bunny asked Caroline.
She shook her head. "No, but I heard it. I was helping with the border guard when you came in. All the soldiers went running, so I didn't get there till after they took you to the med tent. When I did, and I saw the car, I knew it had to be you. I don't know how you got it turned back over and running, but I knew it was you."
"Again, a long story," Bunny told her.
"For another time, then," Bruno said. "Come on, Becca, help me get these guys fed. They've been through too much to stand in line."
"Yeah, sure," Rebecca said as she stood, giving Bunny another hug. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I was just thinking that about you," Bunny replied.
"You have good friends," Lucy told her.
Bunny smiled. "The best."
Wrapped in the warm lights of the tent, an island of serenity amidst the sea of chaos, they sat and talked. They shared a meal, and laughed. For a moment, they got to feel normal again, and it was good.
As night settled in, and the tent slowly emptied, Bunny found herself yawning. Looking around, she saw Angel drifting in and out, her eyes fluttering closed, exhaustion taking its toll. Lucy was cradled in her husband's arms, sleeping peacefully, and he looked only half-awake himself.
Looking at the survivors, Bunny felt a warmth sweep through her. They had made it. They were safe. Alive. All the nightmares and horrors of the last four days already seemed vague and distant, and for a bit, she allowed them to be, grateful to be in the company of her friends once more.
Quietly, Bruno led Angel, York and Lucy from the tent to help them find a place to sleep for the night. One by one, the girls drifted away, sleep calling them as well. Soon, only Bunny, Randy, Rebecca and Caroline remained, just sitting quietly amid the soft chirps of the crickets.
"You look tired," Caroline told her softly, brushing her hair back from her face.
Bunny smiled at her. "I feel tired."
"Come on," she said. "Let's get you some sleep."
She nodded, stood and stretched, and gave the others hugs once more before following Caroline out into the night air. Even then, there was the soft hum of activity. Soldiers making rounds, talking in low tones. People, in their tents, chatting or strolling from one place to another.
She soaked it in as they walked, reminding herself that this was how the world once was. Before the dead, there had been a sense of normalcy, just as there was here. She tried to fix each image in her mind, wanting to hang on to them forever, lest she ever forget.
Caroline led her to one of the many tents that filled the Park, waving her inside as she spoke. "This is mine, more or less. Someone else sleeps here during the day, one of the soldiers, Andrea something. We've never really had a chance to talk much."
"I guess she stays pretty busy," Bunny said as she looked at the small space, a cot on either side with footlockers at the end. It wasn't much, but it was warm, and safe, so it was a palace.
"We all do, really," Caroline told her. "The Colonel tries to give everyone something to do. He said it'll help us deal with things by keeping our hands and minds busy. I agree with him, really. It's good to have something to do."
Bunny collapsed across one of the cots. "Well, as long as he doesn't expect me to wash his underwear, we'll be fine," she said.
Caroline laughed. "I doubt it, not with your skill set. He'll find you something to do that fits it," Caroline told her.
Bunny heard none of it though. Between the feeling of safety, the cries of the crickets, and the sound of Caroline's voice, she had already fallen asleep. It was the first sleep she'd had since things went bad where she drifted off with a soft smile on her face.
Caroline covered her with a blanket, smiling at her as she did. "Good night, Bunny. Welcome home," she said softly, and turned out the light.
Chapter Sixteen
A WEEK HAD PASSED since Bunny arrived at Fort Washington, and she was bored. Not with her friends; she relished every moment she spent with them and was glad for the smiles and laughter they brought her. Nor was it with the duties she'd been given, helping keep the many vehicles the military used running, which allowed her to work on her pet project of restoring her Camaro to running order.
She was bored, but not with anything she could name. It was a general sense of dullness she couldn't shake but pestered her day and night. Most of the
