A Flash of Red

Chapter Twelve

"There's a plane."

"What?"

"They have a plane."

Harry

I didn't see Tara very much in the two days that followed the hostage incident. She mostly stayed in her room on the other side of the basement and Scarlett advised that we give her space. I asked her if something else had happened for it to hit Tara harder than the others, but she just shrugged and said she didn't know. Part of me thought she was lying because she didn't make eye contact, but I didn't push it.

The past three nights I took a plate of dinner to Tara's room when I was heading to bed. I would knock on her door frame and would hear rustling before a hand moved the sheet aside and I was met with her face. She didn't step out of the room though. She was still jittery and shaken when I brought it to her the first night.

"Figured you'd be hungry." I had said. She stared at me and then the plate I held.

"Oh."

"If you don't want it I can take it back."

"N-no. No, I'll take it. Uh, thanks. Thank you." I nodded, handing her the plate and feeling her cold hands brush mine as she took it.

"Do you need anything?" She shook her head. "Well, I'm turning in for the night. But if you do-." She nodded.

"Thanks."

"Good night."

"Night." She dropped the sheet and I walked towards my aisle.

The next two nights she seemed better. I would knock and hear the same rustling, what I assumed was her getting up from her bed. The sheet would move to the side and she would look at me and smile, before looking down at the food. She gave a small laugh the night we had more sauce and I had taken the tomato chunks off her plate before bringing it to her.

She'd take the plate and I would once again feel the chill of her skin against mine. She'd then ask if anything had happened that day and I'd either tell her how Mrs. Adalyn had accused me of cheating in Monopoly or how the twins kept asking if facts they knew about the band were true. I hadn't told her about the fight that broke out between Noah and I, and I wasn't planning on announcing it anytime soon. She'd then give me a soft smile and say "good night, Harry" before letting the sheet fall and heading back in.

I had managed to make the shower trip twice already, first going with Mr. Andrews and Jackson and then going with Noah and Jackson. There was little conversation the second time. I would then spend the day talking to Scarlett or trying to talk to Deanna. I would help Jessica with numerous tasks as it was nearing the end of her pregnancy and she shouldn't be doing strenuous things. Sometimes, I'd sit on the floor and Trevor would sit next to me and I'd tell him jokes to make him laugh. He would then repeat them the rest of the night but everybody laughed even if they had heard it 12 times already.

I had been here for just about a week and I'd like to think I was pulling my weight. I realized the things that I was doing were beneficial for the group. Mrs. Wayde kept saying how glad she was that Tara had dragged me to the library. I was, too. The literal door closed on the old bunker and perhaps this was the destined window I was supposed to climb through. I still wasn't 100% sure of that. Maybe there was another window I was supposed to get to, or maybe the boys' bunker hadn't closed its door.