Among Monsters: A Red Hill Novella by Jamie McGuire

Author:Jamie McGuire [McGuire, Jamie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy / Science Fiction
Publisher: Jamie McGuire LLC
Published: 2014-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WE’RE NOT GOING?” I said, balling my hands into fists.

Dad and Tavia had pulled me into one of the bedrooms minutes after I’d woken up. A candle was the only light. The sun hadn’t risen far enough from the horizon to light the cracks around the boarded windows. By their body language, I could tell this was a secret meeting, one that they were keeping from the younger kids.

Dad held up his hands, palms out. “Yet. I said, we’re not going yet.”

“Then, when?” I asked.

Tavia gestured for Dad to let her take over. “I understand that you want to get to your mom as soon as possible. I want you to, too. But we’ve had a long couple of days. We need to rest, eat, and make a plan. Then, we can decide from there.”

“Decide what?” I asked.

Tavia reached out for me, but I pulled away.

“If we’re going to try to walk the rest of the way.”

“If?” I said, my voice getting louder. “Try?”

“Jenna,” Dad said, “don’t upset the kids.”

“How many times do I have to say it?” I asked. “Mom is waiting on us. Every day we don’t show up there, the more she worries. What if she’s hurt? What if she needs our help? What if she’s alone? She’s only a few miles away!” I pointed at Dad. “You didn’t let me catch her last time. I’m not letting you wait until she leaves again.”

“What if she heads back this way?” Dad asked. “We would see her. We could bring her here.”

My face fell, and I blinked, unimpressed with his ridiculous attempt to appease me with false scenarios. “You’re scared. You’re too scared to keep going.”

“Honey,” Dad began.

“You had to walk one day, and you’re scared? You killed a dozen infected and walked away without a scratch. We hit a parked truck at fifty miles an hour and barely noticed. Why are you suddenly opposed to Red Hill?” I was trying to remain calm, but with every point, my tone got higher.

Tavia clasped her hands together. “We’re all scared—”

“Then, stay!” I said, my voice transitioning to a weird chuckle even though I found none of what they were saying funny. “You don’t have to come with us. But our mom is waiting for us at Red Hill, and that is where Halle and I are going.”

“Not today,” Dad said.

“Then, when?” I asked again, emphasizing each word.

“When I say,” he said, sounding final.

I laughed once without humor. “I’m not asking to go to the mall. We’re talking about Mom being alone without us! She’s waiting for us! Do you honestly think I care that you’re”—I used my fingers to make quotation marks in the air—“the dad right now?”

He stomped over to me and leaned into my face, taking me back to a time when my parents had still been married. “You’d better start caring. Just because it’s the end of the world doesn’t mean I won’t whip your ass!”

Tavia pulled him back, and he flipped around, picking up a pillow and throwing it against the wall.

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