Even though we hadn’t done much, she wasn’t wrong. And even though Erik’s home wasn’t mine, I felt safer locked in the upstairs bedroom. I could look down on the world. From the bedroom window, it didn’t seem like much had changed.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to pack up since my things were gone. I checked my old bedroom to see if there was anything I’d left behind that would still fit.
There wasn’t much. I packed some t-shirts, underwear, and an old jacket into a paper bag. In a second bag, I packed up the canned goods, but Erik stopped me.
“We can get that later,” he said. “I have more than enough. There is no rush to take this.”
“I’d rather we have it than whoever is sneaking around my mom’s house,” I said firmly.
Erik nodded and helped me pack a few more cans. He picked up the bag and carried it, knowing I’d put too much inside.
I showed him the water and the rest of the food in the cabinets before we left. Erik peeked out of the door, making sure he didn’t see anyone waiting outside to ambush us.
A bunny dashed across the driveway, and he pulled the gun. Sam snickered loudly.
Erik walked at my side back to his house. “When things calm down a bit, we can check the town again. Maybe we can find some clothes for you.”
“There are probably lots of I heart Door County shirts in every shop,” I said with a smile. “Oh! Maybe we can stop and get some fudge too.”
“It’s probably still good,” Erik said. “Unlike the fresh squeaky cheese.”
“Oh, yeah!” I said. “That would be really good right now.”
Erik grinned. “We’ll need to find a cow to get started.”
“I think we could find a cow pretty easily,” I said.
“Bring it back to the house on a leash?” Erik said, shaking his head. “How are we going to feed a cow?”
I frowned. “You make it sound like cows will go extinct.”
Erik’s face turned serious. “I guess that probably won’t happen, but I bet a lot of them will starve.”
“Everything is going to change,” Dorian added as he stepped between us.
“It already has,” Sam muttered from behind.
“That’s why we need to make sure we have ourselves taken care of,” Erik said.
Sam’s voice was soft, but I didn’t have trouble hearing her. “You’ll have even more stuff once I’m gone.”
“Gone?” Dorian asked.
“I have to get back to my daughter,” she said exasperatedly.
“Where is she?” Dorian asked.
“Massachusetts,” Sam said.
Dorian didn’t say anything. None of us did.
We carried everything into the house. Dorian and Erik took a wheelbarrow from the garage back down the street to collect the rest of the supplies.
Sam and I waited in the quiet house for them to return. I went to the front window a hundred times, watching for them to return.
“Shouldn’t they be back by now?” I asked.
Sam was curled up on one end of the couch, reading a book. “It’s been like ten minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm,” I said, biting a nail. “It feels like it’s been a lot more.”
Sam set the book down and popped up. “We should get something to eat.”
“Maybe we should wait until they get back,” I mumbled.
“Let’s prepared something for them,” Sam said. “They are always making our food.”
“They wouldn’t like us going outside to grill without one of them here,” I said.
Sam’s eyes flicked toward the ceiling briefly. “Too bad. I never agreed to their terms. We’ll see someone coming and just run inside.”
“I don’t know,” I grumbled.
“Come on, Mel,” Sam said, pulling on my arm. “It’ll help take our minds off everything. I read the same page thirty times because all I can think about is Dott.”
“Fine,” I said, letting her drag me away from the window. “But if Erik’s mad about it, you’re taking all the blame.”
“Deal,” Sam said. “I’m not afraid of Erik.”
We grabbed items from the basement, but by the time we got upstairs, Erik and Dorian were back. Dorian was at the window peering out, and Erik’s back was against the door. His shoulders were rising and falling with his quick breaths.
“What’s going on?” Sam said, setting an armful of food on the table.
Erik looked up, placing his finger over his lips. His voice was soft. “Someone’s coming.”
21
Dorian looked over at Erik. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets.
“What are we going to do?” Dorian asked.
“Do we hide?” Sam whispered.
Erik’s head moved side to side. “They saw us. They know we’re here.”
“Did you recognize them?” I asked.
Erik shook his head.
“I don’t think so,” Dorian said. “But I don’t know everyone.”
“How many of them are there?” I asked, looking at the gun in Erik’s hand.
“Four,” Dorian said, seemingly looking at them through the crack in the curtains. “They’re definitely coming this way.”
Erik sucked in a sharp breath. “I have a shotgun in the basement.”
“Where?” Sam asked.
“Under the bar,” Erik said.
“On it,” Sam said, darting toward the basement.
Erik looked at me. “Does she know how to use a gun?”
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“I don’t,” Dorian said.
“Me either,” I said, swallowing hard. “I did use a pellet gun once. Why do you think we need guns at all?”
“Because they have them,” Erik said.
My hands started to shake. “Are they all dressed the same? Is it the people Sam and I saw?”
“They’re not dressed the same, but it could still be them,” Erik said.
“Oh, wait!” Dorian said. “I do know one of them. It’s Bobby Bennett. I went to school with him. Remember him, Mel?”
I shook my head. “Doesn’t sound familiar.”
“They’re probably all locals,” Dorian said.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing,” Sam asked, walking past me with
