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offense to this
either; the woman just lost her daughter. Her lack of hospitality could be
waived for the time being. Besides, it’s not like Jeremy was so turned off by
it that he would want to leave.
    Josh had introduced all of them by name,
but Jeremy struggled to remember them all. He was terrible with names to begin
with. The one he was sure of, only because Josh talked about her all the time
in the truck, was Laura. Josh made sure to clarify that his wife’s name was
pronounced, “Lar-uh,” not “Loor-uh.” Jeremy had simply smiled politely at the
time and nodded. Now, he would have to remember that nugget of information when
it came time to talk with her.
    The thought of talking with her brought
something to the forefront of his mind that had been nagging him from the back
burner.
    She was pregnant.
    Sweet Jesus , Jeremy thought. A baby? How in the
world is that going to work?
    Probably the same way it has for
thousands of years Jeremy ,
his sarcasm answered.
    Yeah, I got that. What I meant is, how is
she going to have it?
    He didn’t think any of them were doctors,
much less the baby-kind of doctors. The thought of her giving unassisted birth
here in the house sent a shiver down Jeremy’s spine. So much to go wrong. And
what if another group of zombies finds them here? How are they going to escape
with a pregnant woman? Or hell, a baby?
    “Hey, you still alive in there?”
    A voice from the other side of the shower
curtain interrupted Jeremy’s whirlwind of thoughts. He peeked around to see CJ
standing there with a folded up towel. He sat it down on the small counter.
    “Brought you a towel,” he said. “Sorry
it’s Spongebob. It was the last one.”
    “Not a problem,” Jeremy said. “Thank you.
I’ll be out in a minute.”
    CJ nodded and walked back out. Jeremy
ducked back into the shower and finished scrubbing all the yuck that past few
days had accumulated on him.
     
    ***
     
    Jeremy walked into the upstairs bedroom,
the Spongebob towel wrapped around his waist. Over on the bed, the clothes he
laid out earlier awaited his arrival. Another pair of jeans, a long-sleeved
t-shirt, socks, and his only pair of shoes. The shoes were caked in mud before
he got in the shower, but somebody had washed the majority of it off. This made
him smile.
    The weather had shifted drastically from
the past week. Was it only a week ago when Jeremy was out, sweating his balls
off, collecting shopping carts at the grocery store? Now, it was cool outside,
sometimes downright chilly in the mornings. He was sure that being out in the
country made it cooler, the more they moved away from the warm air coming in
off the Atlantic.
    Jeremy dressed and when he was finished,
there was a knock at the door.
    “Yeah? I’m dressed; you can come in,” he
said.
    The door opened and CJ poked his head in.
    “You good?” The boy asked. “You need
anything else?”
    “Nah man. Thanks though,” Jeremy
answered, smiling.
    CJ entered the room and made his way over
to the dresser, picking up a picture frame and inspecting it. Jeremy noticed
the picture earlier. It was one of CJ’s family, his mom and dad and sister. He
watched as the boy looked at the portrait and then sat it back down in its
spot.
    “I went ahead and washed your shoes off
for you,” CJ finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence building in the room.
    “Yes. I saw that. Thank you,” Jeremy
said.
    A few beats of silence passed again.
    “So, CJ, is there something I can help
you with?” Jeremy asked.
    CJ looked Jeremy in the eyes. The
blue-eyed, sandy blonde-haired boy was no doubt the undoing of his female
classmates at one time, but now there was a shadow of darkness that covered the
boy.
    “My sister is dead.”
    His gaze never left Jeremy. It was
unsettling at first, but Jeremy realized that he was the closest person in age
CJ had seen in days. The boy had nobody to talk to his own age. He was looking
for a friend.
    “I’ve heard and I’m sorry CJ. I lost