Empty World by Zach Bohannon

Author:Zach Bohannon [Bohannon, Zach]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Molten Universe Media

24

While the boy ate at the kids’ table with the three other children, Shell and Dylan broke bread with Paul, Brooke, Keon, Katrina, and Caleb at the end of the larger table. She hadn’t spent any time getting to know anyone else in the group, but she was still adjusting to being around other people again.

Shell could still feel some tension between Dylan and Paul, but most of it seemed to have disappeared after Dylan’s apology to Brooke. Luckily, Shell had the deer to distract her, but she still wondered who would break the awkward silence first.

She looked around, watching the people at the table eye her and Dylan. She lowered her eyes to her plate, then raised them again when she heard some throat clearing and an under-breath laugh.

“Can you guys believe that Shell here thinks that we wouldn’t be eating this if I had been the one to take the shot?” Keon asked.

Brooke put her hand over her mouth, holding her food in as she laughed and looked at Shell. “Wait, you shot this?”

“Yeah, but I don’t understand why that’s funny.”

“No, no, sweetie. It’s not funny that you took the deer down.”

“We’re just a little amazed that you were able to shut down Keon’s ego,” Caleb clarified.

“Pssh,” Keon said. “I don’t have no ego.”

Now Paul joined in on the laughing, taking a drink of water as the grin spread across his face.

Keon lowered his head and shook it. Katrina patted him on the shoulder.

“We’re just fuckin’ with you, bro. It’s all good.”

“You’ve provided us with plenty of meals,” Brooke said.

“I gotta say, though,” Paul said, nodding at Shell, “that was one hell of a shot.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” Shell thought of the first time Lewis let her shoot his bow. They’d used the target on Shell’s favorite tree, and she’d been a terrible shot the first time. She lowered her head to her plate, trying to block out the memory for now and focus on getting to know the people here at the table.

“What’s the plan for you all here?” Dylan asked.

“The plan for all of us here is to live,” Paul said. He leaned back in his chair, staring at Dylan as if he were waiting for him to snap. It was like he wanted him to.

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Dylan asked.

“We’re going to keep moving until we find somewhere sustainable,” Keon said, answering before Paul could give another short, smartass answer.

“Why head west?” Shell asked.

“Why not?” Keon asked. “It was no good where we were. And the climate gets too frigid up north—we’d never survive.” He looked at Dylan. “You were headed east when we found y’all out on the highway.”

“That’s right.”

Paul scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

Dylan leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

“I mean there ain’t shit out east. The whole damn coast is a wasteland, and there’s a whole hell of a lot of Demons out that way.”

“How do you know that if you haven’t been there?” Shell asked. “You said you were in Georgia the entire time before coming here.

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