Free End of the Line (Book 2): Stuck in the Middle by Lara Frater Page B

bottle of pills on my night stand.
                  “It’s a seven day course of antibiotics and a bunch of Tylenol. One for you, one for Henry. Can you make sure he takes it?”
                  “I will, thanks,” I said. “Go rest.”
                  “Drink your water and--” She didn’t finish her sentence. She ran from the room holding her mouth.
                  I did as she asked. I took the pills with a few sips of water. My stomach complained but kept it down.
                  “Henry?”
                  He didn’t respond. He felt warm and alive, so I figured he was sleeping. I could bother him later about the antibiotics.
                  Just being in the cold air, I shivered uncontrollable. I covered myself up and held the blanket close but then I felt hot. Wishing for Mark or my mother to comfort me, bring me soup. At least Henry was a warm body, but I wanted someone I loved.
                  Just the idea that I’ll never see Mark or my parents, I began to cry again. I buried my head into the pillow to stop myself from wailing. I wanted this to be a bad dream. I wanted to wake up in a world with no flu or zombies.
                  My crying didn’t wake Henry.
     
                  “Did you drink?” a stoic female voice said breaking me out of my sleep.
                  The Tylenol had worked somewhat. I felt less hot, not shivering as much and I managed to sleep.  My tongue felt dry, yucky and tasted like old puke. I needed to brush my teeth.
                  I peeled open my eyes to see Grace looking at me with her pissed off expression. The expression was “I don’t want to do this.”
                  “Everyone is sick,” she said. “Hannah said you should all drink water. Did you drink?”
                  “A little.”
                  “Drink more.” I hated that she was standing over me, lecturing me but I grabbed the bottle and drank two mouthfuls. That seemed to satisfy her.
                  “What about him?” she said, referring to Henry.
                  “I don’t know.” I nudged him a little and he groaned. I looked at the water bottle Hannah left. It hadn’t been touched. I touched Henry again.
                  “Henry, wake up and drink some water.”
                  He didn’t respond. I lifted up the blanket and felt his forehead. It was like touching a hot stove.
                  “He’s got a bad fever,” I told her. She didn’t look like she cared. “We should cool him down. Can you help me get him to the shower?”
                  “We’re out of bathing water.”
                  “We still have to cool him off.”
                  “Drop him in the ocean.”
                  I looked at her but she was dead serious.
                  “Won’t that make it worse?”
                  “Better he freeze or burn up? We can dip him from swim deck.” Great back to the same disgusting swimming deck.
                  I got up. My head felt like it was swimming. “Get Dena, we can use all the help we can get. Unless she’s sick.”
                  “She doesn’t appear to be.”
    “Go get her and anyone who can help. Ask Hannah if we should do this.”
                  Grace looked annoyed at being given orders, but she left the room. When she was gone, I swung my legs around the bed. A wave of nausea hit but nothing came up. I felt only slightly better than I had this morning, but I still felt weak. There was no way I could carry Henry on my own.
                  I heard footsteps. Grace had left the door open. She reappeared outside the door with Dena and Keith. Dena looked fine. Keith looked a little pale but he