Free Trying to Survive (Part 1) by C.J. Crowley

the sweat from my forehead and slung it to the side, then pulled at my thoroughly soaked shirt to make it stop sticking to my body.
       Well… I can’t say this isn’t the perfect day to do what I need to do.
       I turned to Walt and said “I’m outta here. Why don’t you go spend a little time with them? You know Melanie gets worried when we’re gone for hours at a time. I’m sure the kids do too.”
       “Yeah, you’re right, I will… I hope she understands we aren’t just being assholes. If we don’t spend all day up here we could miss military trucks or other people looking to join up with survivors. So much could happen in just a few seconds that I’m afraid to leave, you know?”
       “Of course… Why the fuck else would I stand out in this heat?”
       “I know.” He pushed my left shoulder back. “Remind me again why we moved here?”
       “Uh, money… You know, that green paper that used to rule everyone’s lives?.. Funny to think it doesn’t matter anymore. I went through so much to afford that house, and now I can just pick anyone I want for free. We could even go to the beach and post up in one of the four story monsters overlooking the ocean… Isn’t that some bullshit?”
       Walt raised a brow and smirked. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”
       We both laughed and headed for the other side of the roof. As I climbed over the wall and started making my way down the ladder, Walt remarked “Make sure to take the shotgun with you too. Crowd control if you need it.”
       I jumped down the rest of the way instead of using the last three steps and grunted out “Yep” as my feet hit the ground.
       When we made it back inside and Melanie saw me pick up the shotgun, she said “You going out to search for more people?”
       I simply nodded. I didn’t want to upset Anthony and his sister by discussing all of our problems and my personal fears in front of them.
       Melanie looked off to the side and started shaking her head, then stood up and lashed out with angry sarcasm. “You know, it would be really nice if you told me what you two were thinking or planning.”
       I turned to Walt. “Watch them for a second.” Then I motioned for her to follow me into the hall.
       Melanie was thin, pretty, and generally had kind eyes and a welcoming face. It would always show, even through all the tragedy surrounding her. I could tell she truly cared for those two kids and would do anything to protect them. Though today, I saw nothing but frustration that was quickly turning to anger.
       She stood there favoring one leg with her hand on her hip. She didn’t have to speak for me to know she was demanding answers – not asking for them. “Why are you treating me like a little kid that can’t handle knowing what the hell’s going on? It ends now, got it?”
       Maybe because we don’t have a fucking clue?
       “We don’t mean to leave you out of everything… we just figured you were still… That you still needed time.”
       “I appreciate that, but I can handle it. If anything, not knowing is just letting my imagination run wild and scaring me even more.”
       “You’re right, I’m sorry. I won’t do that to you anymore.”
       I took a deep breath and closed my eye before I spoke again. I was wondering if I should tell her about the conclusion I came to by comparing the number of people infected to the number of houses in the area… I decided against it for the time being… Shit, I wish I didn’t know…
       “Since the powers out, we can only assume no one’s coming to help us. That society has officially shut down. Yeah, we can stay here, but we don’t know what’s going to happen once these things get really desperate for food.”
       I pointed through the doorway across the hall. “See that big window? Well, every single room has at least one. If they ever decided to storm this place we’re all dead… If we make a loud