What Remains Here

Chapter 2

We grabbed countless other items that I cannot remember, but there was one thing that we noticed: there was no food at all. We searched everywhere, probing for creaky floorboards and hollow walls to see if there were any hiding spots for food, but we had no luck. It's probably why the Hunters left so much behind because they had brought all of their food along with them.

And with how scarce food is in this deserted house, it makes me wonder if Charles was actually lying to me about how much food his family actually had when they made their trip to the South. He said that there was enough and seemed to be better, so he must've been eating a bit more. But at the same time, there was only so much food that you could get from these abandoned homes, especially since those who fled to the South probably took all of theirs for the journey.

Maybe I'm just extrapolating and that this house isn't representative of all the houses in this city. The Hunters seemed to be very capable and prepared people, so they were probably extra diligent. Most people would be less so, leaving behind a box of cereal in the basement or a couple cans of beans in an old earthquake kit. That's what happened because the alternative is just something that I cannot imagine.

I wonder if those are what's in the letter. I can't imagine what is worse: hearing that your only friend only packed two weeks worth of food for what is likely to be a two month journey or learning that they robbed people's homes to gather two months worth of food for that journey. Both of those could be things that he regretted. Both are things that I don't want to know about.

And I can't ruin what scraps of goodness that I still have.

October 7

They arrived early in the morning when the air was chilly and shrouded in this ominous navy glow. It felt early for all of us, but it was probably not as early as we thought since the sun has been rising later with the onset of autumn.

Dad, Mom, and Mira all answered the door with weapons in their hands, with Dad being the one to turn the knob and greet the new family. But before he did, he shouted, "Stay back. Hands up and away from your pockets. Put all weapons on the floor."

Nott like we could tell if they had any weapons. The air was misty with dust, and barely any light could pierce the thick blue shroud. I could see Dad's fingers fidgeting, and Mom readjusting her grip on the spray bottle, both of them outwardly nervous. I would be too if I was in that situation since it's just hard to see the threat. They had to go off of blind trust, literally.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dad asked. "We should ask them to wait till daylight."

Mom nodded, and Dad shouted, "Can you wait 'till daylight? It's only in a couple of hours."

"Please," the man managed to choke out between fits of coughing. "We can't wait any longer. The more time that we stay out here, the more likely we're going to get sick, either from the ash or the cold, or killed. I know it's hard to find trust, but I swear on my son's life that we are unarmed."

Dad looked at Mom and shook his head, but Mom responded to him with a shake of her head. Mom looked out from the curtains, but her gaze probably also met the hazy, blue wall that was blinding all of us.

"They might rescind," Mom said. "I can't let this hope for a good future go. We're just going to have a little faith."

Mom reached for the door handle. "I'll open it. It's my idea. If anything goes south, keep the kids safe."

Dad put his hand over hers and took it off, replacing it with his. When Dad opened the door, I could see how he flinched a little bit, expecting a shotgun blast. But there was only eerie silence and a gust of ash and frostbit air that rushed into our home.