Free Released by Megan Duncan Page B

gotten wouldn’t get us far and we would have to stop again soon.
    Carter realized this too and we puled into a gas station to try the pumps.
    Max went inside the store to turn on the pumps while we each tried a nozzle. Taya’s was working, so we puled the Bronco to pump number eight and were able to almost fil it up.
    With that smal victory we al made our way into the convenience store, scouring the aisles for any hidden treasures. I noticed Max puled a door closed near the back of the store and I smiled at him. That was good thinking on his part. The last thing we needed was a demon to come barreling out of a back room again. I realized that I had become less vigilant of my surroundings since I was hurt, and silently vowed I would be more observant.
    In the end we had al carried what we found back to the Bronco and pigged out.
    “Wow, I never knew Funyons were so good,” Taya said with a mouthful.
    “Yeah, I can’t believe you never had any before. They are the best,” Carter added. Food seemed to have lightened his mood.
    “Where do you think we should stay for the night?” I asked taking an over eager bite out of a power bar. I normaly would stick my tongue out at the thought of having to eat one, but I quickly realized that they weren’t so bad. The texture was a little off, but I liked it anyway.
    “Maybe we can find a nice house to stay in?” Taya asked excitedly.
    “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. What do you two think?”
    “Sounds good,” Max said inaudibly. His mouth was packed ful of stale Pringles. We passed around a two liter bottle of Mountain Dew that we found and al took a swig. It was flat and a good while past the expiration date, but after a few test sips we deemed it edible.
    “How about those houses?” I pointed to what looked like newly developed homes that were visible down the street from the gas station.
    “As good a place as any,” Max said.

Chapter 7
    Carter let Taya pick the house and she chose a beautiful two-story, complete with a white picket fence and shutters on the windows. Even though the garden out front was dead, I could imagine what the place looked like in al its splendor with the rose bushes in ful bloom.
    After the guys made a thorough inspection they deemed it safe and we entered. A tiled foyer led to a large staircase that was lined with family pictures. Although it was certain the family in those pictures would never return to their home, I stil had a feeling that we were intruding.
    “Wow, this place is gorgeous.” Taya’s eyes lit up as she eyed the expensive furniture and décor. I was different however, the more fancy a place was, the less comfortable I felt. I liked a house that looked lived in, not a place that had to have everything in its proper place. I saw a picture of a beautiful woman, whose eyes looked down at me from over a slightly pointy nose, half expecting her to snap at me for walking on her carpet with my shoes on.
    “Come on Abby, let’s go check upstairs.” Taya grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me up the stairs behind her. She opened doors, peeking into rooms, caling out in her too chipper voice what they were.
    “Looks like this one is a guy’s bedroom. Ooh wait, look at those double doors, I bet that is the master bedroom.” We opened the doors and walked into the master suite. A large king sized bed dominated the room, stil freshly made with hideously floral sheets. The four wooden posts of the bed were obnoxiously carved and it occurred to me that these people bought things just because they were expensive and not necessarily because they looked good.
    “Wow, these people had terrible taste. Look at these curtains.” I stuck my tongue out as I tugged at the drapes.
    “I like it. This place looks like it came straight out of magazine. Wow, Abby look at this closet.” It took some digging but I found some plain shirts and jeans buried in the back. Taya went straight for the designer threads, trying things on and twirling