Free The Dead in River City by S.A. McGarey Page B

about art, gardening, and other random subjects.
She made a pile over in a corner, and then went to find the next things she
would need.
    Near the old librarian desk, she found a sturdy
metal trashcan. It was certainly old, and dented in a few places, but it would
suffice to make a small fire. She removed the bag and threw it on the floor.
Then, picking up the can, she took it to the corner and put it beside the
books. She only needed one more thing: a means to start the fire. Returning to
the desk, she rifled through the drawers until she found the thing she needed.
She found a small magnifying glass and knew it could work. “It may not be matches, but it will have to do.” She said to
herself.
    About that time, Alan came up the stairs with an
armful of books. Kendra took some of the books from his little collection and
lead him to the corner.
    “Alan, put some of these books in the trashcan, and
use the magnifying glass and the flashlight to set them on fire.” Kendra told
him.
    Alan nodded and went to work. He was slightly
troubled about having to burn books to fix food, but this was survival. He
would have to get over it. He purposely avoided books that he was fond of, and
also stuck to the paperbacks, believing that they would burn much easier. He
placed some of the pile into the trashcan, turned on the flashlight, and angled
the light from the window through the magnifying glass, hoping the books would
burn.
    Kendra observed out the window while Alan was
working. She looked upon the Dead horde below and saw Malcolm still down there
with them. They hadn’t moved, instead just waiting for the siege to end. Kendra
gazed up to the sky and knew night would fall soon. Then only the moonlight
would shine through the windows. She thought about the kiss earlier, and
wondered if it was a mistake. She didn’t think it was, but she wasn’t all too
confident after Alan’s reaction. She tried to put it out of her mind for now,
knowing they would probably talk about it later tonight.
    Alan worked with the flashlight and magnifying glass
for quite some time. Finally, when he had nearly lost all hope, a small flame
formed and began to scorch the books.
    “Kendra, it’s working!” Alan shouted over to her.
    Kendra wandered over and observed the small fire.
With time, it would engulf the other books. “Now we wait for the fire to grow.”
She said.
    Alan pulled up a chair beside the trashcan. “So
what, are you going to just hold the popcorn bag over the fire?”
    “Pretty much. We just need to wait for the fire to
get big enough to pop the kernels.” She answered. “We just need to find
something to pass the time.”
    Alan looked her in the eye. “Well, we’ve got time
now. Wanna talk about the kiss?”
    Kendra shied away, still embarrassed. “If you want.”
    “I really did enjoy it.” Alan confessed to her. “I
just know you must have a biased view when it comes to men.”
    “You’re not wrong.” She said. “But I’ve also never
had someone be that protective of me. You make me feel worth more than anyone
ever did. You’re the only guy I’ve really known who saw me as a person and a
friend than as a mere toy. You are the polar opposite of my father. I know you
won’t hurt me. I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone.”
    “Why is that? I just treated you like I would treat
anyone.” Alan said.
    “Which means you’re a good man. I believe I can
trust you, despite my past.”
    “Really?” Alan asked her.
    “Really.” Kendra replied.
    Alan leaned forward and, placing a hand on the back
of her neck, kissed her gently, just as she had kissed him before. Each of them
became lost in the kiss. Kendra now knew that Alan hadn’t rejected her, and
Alan felt more at ease about Kendra. For the first time since life as they knew
it ended, they were happy, if only for a moment.
    After a few minutes, the kiss broke, as if they’d
broken it simultaneously to check the status of the fire. The other books