The Shelter

CHAPTER EIGHT: The finger pointing begins�

CHAPTER EIGHT: The finger pointing begins…


“Glad to see you’re finally awake, Ray. Mel and I have been worried sick about our Katie.”

“Please, Mr. Daniels,” Melissa begged, “tell us what happened. Did you see her.”

I looked her in the eyes, saw the hopelessness there. She already knew the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that her daughter was half eaten when I found her. “She left,” I lied. “I followed her trail to the outskirts of town. She must have packed a good amount of food and headed for the mountains. She stands a pretty good chance of making it too—the Crazies stay close to the cities.”

“But why would she do that? She never said a thing about wanting to leave.”

“I noticed she was restless of late,” Ben told his wife, but his eyes were wet with tears and he hugged his wife to him and held her. “You know how headstrong she is once she sets her mind to something.”

So the lie was told by another and from there it would spread until it felt like the truth.

“All right everybody…get away from him!” Kyle Walters shouted.

“Kyle no!” screamed Rose. “Don’t do this!”

Kyle had his shotgun pointed at Ray. “Mack, I want you to take all his weapons and bring them to me.”

“But, Dad…”

“Do it! Now!” He waved the gun toward Mack. “If you know what’s good for you, son, you’ll do what I say.”

Mack turned toward me. “I’m sorry, Ray…”

I nodded my okay and Mack gathered all my weapons.

“Check his clothes too—turnout his pockets.”

Mack did it. As he turned out my front pocket Katie’s necklace fell to the floor. Mack reached down and picked it up, the little silver heart and chain waving in front of Ben and Melissa like a bad luck charm.

Ben grabbed it. “Where’d you get that?” he asked me.

“Ben please…” I pleaded. “It’s not what you think.”

“You saw Katie?” Melissa asked her face filled with horror. “You saw her? Where…where is she?”

“He probably killed her,” Kyle said, his voice like death and madness. “Just like he plans on killing the rest of us. I told you all we shouldn’t have let him in, but you wouldn’t listen to me…and now, this.”

“You had better start talking, Ray,” Ben Travis said. “Where’s Katie?”

“She’s dead.” I tried to sit up, but the pain in my arm forced me to drop back down again. “I got there too late, the Crazies had already killed her.”

Toby started to cry, “Momma, where’s Katie? She’s not dead is she? He’s lying, right?”

Melissa Travis scooped her boy up in her arms. “Of course he’s lying, honey. He’s been lying all along—and probably stealing the food too.” She looked into Ray’s eyes. “How could you do this to us?” She turned, and calling her children, walked to the other side of the shelter.

“I think it’s time for Mr. Daniels to leave,” Kyle said with glee.