Status: Updates are sporadic and may occur at whim, but I do try to add chapters regularly.
Silent Nights
Who Are You Really?
“Who are you?” Matt asks. He has this weird look on his face, like he just met his favorite quarterback or something. The girl, in the midst of wedging the gas cans somewhere they won’t tip over, looks over her shoulder at him.
“Sara,” she says. I realize now that we haven’t actually exchanged names yet. I open my mouth to offer my own name. Before I get it out, though, she says “Drew” and nods at me. “And Matt,” she says with another nod. “It’s her name I haven’t heard yet,” she finishes, indicating the cab. She pulls the tote Matt brought from the trunk further into the truck and hops down.
“Anna,” Matt supplies. She makes a sound of acknowledgement and shuts the gate. “That’s not really what I meant, though,” Matt says as he pulls the window down and twists the handle to lock it shut.
“What did you mean, then?” Sara asks, but her eyes are on the road behind us. She points to movement a few blocks behind us and starts for the front of the truck, effectively cutting off his reply.
“I meant,” Matt continues once we’re all back in the cab, “how did you know to set up supply caches?” He leans over Anna to look at Sara. “And fortify your house, and have a fully supplied vehicle ready for evacuation.” Sara just shrugs and pulls the map into her lap. “And that,” Matt adds, “What’s with all those symbols?” I put the truck in gear and continue down the road.
“Take this ramp onto the highway,” the girl says. I crank the wheel toward the ramp and wait to see if she’ll answer Matt’s questions. After I merge onto the two-lane, she drops her foot to the floor and turns to face Matt.
“It’s just a map,” she says. She spreads it out and it covers Anna’s lap too since we’re all sitting so close. “I just marked the houses I cleared and planned an escape route. It’s not a big deal.” She shrugs and lets Matt take the map. He studies it for a minute, then hands it back.
“But the other stuff, how did you know to do all that?” he asks. The girl shrugs and props her legs back onto the dash. I wonder if she realizes she’s leaning on me.
“It wasn’t all my idea,” she mumbles. I’m pretty sure she means the guy she was with, the guy we let die a horrible, painful death. A knot of guilt settles in the pit of my stomach. We ride in silence for a few miles, but there are still so many questions left unanswered. This girl is just one giant mystery to us.
“Who was he?” Anna finally asks, breaking the tense silence with the biggest question. The girl shifts slightly, pretending to be wholly absorbed with the map. It doesn’t look like she wants to answer, but Anna’s still staring at her expectantly. The girl finally sighs and looks at Anna briefly before answering.
“My father.”
“Sara,” she says. I realize now that we haven’t actually exchanged names yet. I open my mouth to offer my own name. Before I get it out, though, she says “Drew” and nods at me. “And Matt,” she says with another nod. “It’s her name I haven’t heard yet,” she finishes, indicating the cab. She pulls the tote Matt brought from the trunk further into the truck and hops down.
“Anna,” Matt supplies. She makes a sound of acknowledgement and shuts the gate. “That’s not really what I meant, though,” Matt says as he pulls the window down and twists the handle to lock it shut.
“What did you mean, then?” Sara asks, but her eyes are on the road behind us. She points to movement a few blocks behind us and starts for the front of the truck, effectively cutting off his reply.
“I meant,” Matt continues once we’re all back in the cab, “how did you know to set up supply caches?” He leans over Anna to look at Sara. “And fortify your house, and have a fully supplied vehicle ready for evacuation.” Sara just shrugs and pulls the map into her lap. “And that,” Matt adds, “What’s with all those symbols?” I put the truck in gear and continue down the road.
“Take this ramp onto the highway,” the girl says. I crank the wheel toward the ramp and wait to see if she’ll answer Matt’s questions. After I merge onto the two-lane, she drops her foot to the floor and turns to face Matt.
“It’s just a map,” she says. She spreads it out and it covers Anna’s lap too since we’re all sitting so close. “I just marked the houses I cleared and planned an escape route. It’s not a big deal.” She shrugs and lets Matt take the map. He studies it for a minute, then hands it back.
“But the other stuff, how did you know to do all that?” he asks. The girl shrugs and props her legs back onto the dash. I wonder if she realizes she’s leaning on me.
“It wasn’t all my idea,” she mumbles. I’m pretty sure she means the guy she was with, the guy we let die a horrible, painful death. A knot of guilt settles in the pit of my stomach. We ride in silence for a few miles, but there are still so many questions left unanswered. This girl is just one giant mystery to us.
“Who was he?” Anna finally asks, breaking the tense silence with the biggest question. The girl shifts slightly, pretending to be wholly absorbed with the map. It doesn’t look like she wants to answer, but Anna’s still staring at her expectantly. The girl finally sighs and looks at Anna briefly before answering.
“My father.”