The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Author:Susan Beth Pfeffer [Pfeffer, Susan Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (www.hmhco.com)
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Sunday, July 5

“Wake up, Jon.”

Jon sat upright on the floor. His body ached all over. He was hungry and, for a moment, confused.

“Is everyone okay?” he asked as the memories flooded back in.

Dr. Goldman smiled. “We’re fine,” he said. “But it’s time for you to get up.”

“He always was a late sleeper,” Mom said. “Even when he was little.”

At least Mom acknowledged he wasn’t little anymore. “What’s happening?” he asked. “Does anybody know?”

“Things are better,” Sarah said. “Calmer.”

“For the moment, anyway,” her father said. “I called the depot. They’ll send a private car for us this afternoon. I said I preferred to stay, but they’re insisting I go back with you.”

“They’re letting the fires burn themselves out,” Mom said. “But this section is safe, and there are guards on the streets. So it’s time for me to go home.”

“Not alone,” Jon said. “I’ll take you there.”

“You and a guard,” Dr. Goldman said. “He’ll escort you there and back, Jon, and you’ll wait with us for the car.”

Jon nodded. He excused himself and went to the bathroom. When he returned to the office, Mom was ready to leave.

Dr. Goldman walked out of the office with them, telling one of the guards what to do. There was still smoke in the distance, but Jon only heard one gunshot, and that seemed far away.

They walked in silence back to Mom’s apartment. The three murdered women were still lying in front of the building.

“I heard they’ll start moving the corpses tomorrow,” the guard said. “Meantime, stay in your apartment, ma’am. A siren will ring three times, then stop, then three times again to let the grubs know they can go out again. Don’t leave until then or you might get shot.”

“Thank you,” Mom said. “I’ll stay in my apartment until I hear the sirens.”

“I’m going upstairs with my mother,” Jon said. “I’ll be a few minutes. Wait for me here, all right?”

“Yes sir,” the guard said.

Jon and his mother walked the flight of stairs to her apartment. “Wait here,” he said, “while I check things out.”

“Don’t be silly,” she replied, promptly walking ahead of him. “You must be famished. I know I am. I’ll get us something to eat.”

“I’m okay,” Jon said. “I’ll eat when I get back to Sexton.”

“You’ll eat right now,” Mom said. They walked to the kitchen and saw it had been ransacked. Mom checked the cupboards, but all her food had been stolen. They looked around the apartment, but whoever had stolen the food was gone.

“Are you going to be okay?” Jon asked.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Come here.”

They walked to Miranda and Alex’s room, and Mom opened the closet door. “Our hidden stash,” she said, pulling cans of food out of an emptied pillow on the closet shelf. “Alex’s paranoia can come in handy.”

Jon checked the supplies. “That should last you for a few days,” he said. “Besides, they’ll start getting food to you in a day or two.”

“I’m not so sure,” Mom replied. “They’ll feed the workers in Sexton.

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