Free Tainted Grace by M. Lauryl Lewis Page B

and broken down pieces of furniture. Cases of bottled water and canned goods lined one wall. A bar was located on the far right side in an alcove. Best of all was a wood stove off to our left. I recalled Bill and Nathan mentioning a fireplace that they kept lit at nighttime only. Boggs, Gus, Susan, Nathan, Aldo, and Bill joined us.
    “Jack’s securing the door. He’ll be here soon,” said Nathan to whoever was listening. “We’ll all sit down and talk then.”
    Boggs quietly walked up beside me, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I took great joy in his closeness. “Zoe, you look tired. Go sit down. Put your feet up,” he whispered.
    I nodded, and let him guide me to the big sofa. I sat on the end that had a built in ottoman, and he lifted my feet onto the couch and slipped my shoes off for me. Jack joined us, and everyone settled in. These people that we had just met looked excited to hear our story, and we theirs. Boggs sat close beside me, holding my hand.
    We took turns telling our various tales, talking about our old lives, and our new. As time ticked by the room grew colder. Eventually young Abbey stood and walked to the wood stove.
    “Is it ok now, Uncle Jack?” asked the timid preteen.
    Jack looked down at his wristwatch. “Yup. Go ahead.” He smiled at her.
    The girl opened the door of the woodstove, and set to work with pieces of dry kindling and wadded up newspaper. Before long her fire took on a life of its own, and she shut the little metal door. When she was done, she walked to a corner and pulled out one of the bean bags. She drug it near the fire, and settled in with a paperback and a candle. I suppose the adult conversation wasn't as interesting as whatever world she was reading about.
    I leaned against Boggs and snuggled close, appreciating his warmth. Before long I closed my eyes and just listened to the others. My curse of hearing the minds of the zombies hadn’t been mentioned yet. Plans to leave the house to head for an island in the Sound were being tossed around. The general consensus seemed to be that we needed to leave sooner rather than later. I was exhausted and fighting it was useless. I let myself drift into a state that was just lighter than sleep.
    Kelsey expressed her concerns over where to safely rest along the way. We all knew by now that vehicles would be unsafe. Aldo insisted on taking a weapons inventory, and no one argued. Boggs brought up the topic of finding a boat. Everyone was in agreement that we’d need one big enough for all of us, and that the first trek across Puget Sound should include all eleven of us for safety sake. Once there, Jack, Bill, and Gus all agreed we’d need to sweep the island to rid it of any Runners or Roamers. All three of them had military experience, which would help with planning and executing those plans. It would undoubtedly be dangerous. The larger the island, the more hazardous it would be. I opened my eyes when I heard paper being unfolded. A map was being spread on the floor in front of the couch. I wriggled a bit to sit up straighter.
    “I think we should stay north,” said Jack. “We’re about here now,” he said after clearing his throat, and pointed to a spot on the map in the mountains.
    Boggs scooted forward to the edge of the couch, so I followed suit.
    “I’d suggest Sucia Island, right here,” continued Jack as he pointed to a small island on the map, quite a ways offshore. “It looks big enough to sustain us, and there’s about ten or eleven smaller islands very close by. It’s far enough offshore to deter other people, and with the other smaller islands nearby we could eventually use non-motorized boats to go from island to island. That’s important for hunting and gathering,” he explained. “We’d run the risk of getting stuck there in time, though, since in time motors will break down.”
    “We need to choose carefully then, assuming where we set up our new life will be our new ‘world’ from here on