Free In the After by Demitria Lunetta Page B

scan the room frantically. There is no blood, no sign of a struggle. She must have escaped somehow.
    A dish towel on the floor catches my attention. It is pushed out away from the sink. I rush to the cabinet and pull open the door. Baby looks up at me, relieved.
    I grab her and haul her out of the cabinet, hugging her tight. My whole world would collapse if I lost her. I can’t lose her. I pick her up, even though she is much too big now to be carried.
    Are you okay? I sign onto her arm.
    Yes. I was scared, though . Baby smiles weakly, putting on a brave face. She can deal with a lot, but this was a close call. I hid as soon as Amber made that terrible noise .
    I put Baby down, squeezing her one last time. We have to go , I tell her.
    She nods knowingly.
    I find Amber and we all walk slowly, careful to be silent. Even so, Amber walks way too loudly, her sock-covered feet padding on the sidewalk.
    When we get to the gate, I unlock it as fast as I can, making sure Baby gets inside first. I shove Amber after her, pulling the gate shut.
    Inside the house I scold Amber. I sign at her furiously, call her names she doesn’t understand. We don’t have words for “stupid” or “idiotic,” I’d never needed language like that with Baby. Instead I say she’s useless. Bad Amber , I claw the words at her.
    I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry , she tells me over and over. She clutches the designer purse to her chest.
    It’s not her fault , Baby pleads. She doesn’t understand .
    I look at Amber. How can she not comprehend the danger we face every day? How can she jeopardize our safety for a stupid bag? I glare at her and she begins to sob.
    She’s from Before , Baby says.
    I sigh. I place my hand on Amber’s shoulder. It’s okay . I force a smile. Go to sleep. We’ll try again tomorrow .
    Amber sniffles and nods. She gives me a weak, half smile and creeps downstairs to her bed. I feel a stab of regret.
    Baby is right. Amber is stuck with her head in the Before. She doesn’t understand that expensive clothes and shoes are not as important as staying alive. She spent all those years in a bomb shelter, dreaming of a life that is no longer possible. If she doesn’t let go of her fantasies, she’ll kill us all.
    Are you angry? Baby asks.
    No. I was just scared that you were hurt , I explain.
    What happened?
    I shake my head. Baby won’t understand. To her, things are only as good as far as they are functional, so one bag is the same as another, as long as it isn’t ripped or doesn’t have holes. She wouldn’t get that Amber wanted something because it was a famous brand.
    Amber found something that people used to think was very fan .
    Something we can use? she asks, probably wondering if it is as good as a dishwasher or candy bar.
    No, something that reminds her of Before. She was very excited and forgot to be quiet .
    Baby nods her head, pretending like she understood. She wants to believe the best of Amber, and I don’t want to shatter that illusion. I can’t just tell her, We almost died today because Amber is a shallow idiot .
    What about the light? she asks. I saw it through the crack in the cabinet .
    I tell her about the ship and how they captured the creature with a net. I describe the figure inside, how it wore some kind of black suit.
    Why would They capture Themselves?
    I don’t know . Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, it really doesn’t make sense to me either. Maybe the creatures were sent to get rid of us so the other ones could come and take over .
    You don’t think that, do you?
    I honestly don’t know what to think. If They are supposed to get rid of the human race They did a pretty bang-up job in the first few weeks. Why would the cavalry wait years to show up? Maybe it just took them that long to get here. Send in the troops, wait for total destruction, then call in the clean-up crew.
    If