places a hand on the counter behind me.
“It’s just that Austin was acting weird too. I mean he’s already an ass, so that’s not new. But, Matt would never treat you the way he did under normal circumstances.”
I know he’s right and even maybe on to something. But I close my eyes as if I can actually block out what he trying to say.
“If you really thought about it, it kind of makes sense what happened. They were both bit by those things outside.”
My stomach bottoms out, and I feel so dizzy from his words that I sit down on the ground. Dan follows beside me, but he doesn’t stop explaining his epiphany.
“The bites they got turned them into one of the dead. It’s not just being killed by them that can turn you the bites do the same thing.”
I raise my knees up to my chest and lower my head on them. Dan places his arm around me again, and I want so badly to push him away. But I don’t, it’s not his fault that Matt was bitten. It’s mine. And I hate myself for not protecting him.
“If that’s true, then we have a big problem.” A new voice interrupts.
It’s Sam and he’s standing just inside the kitchen from the hallway. Both Dan and I look at him quickly, and I’m sure all three of us share the same horrified expression.
“Oh my God, some of the others have bites.” I say.
“But they haven’t started acting like Austin and Matt though.” Sam says as he comes to stand by us.
“That could be because they aren’t hurt as bad.” Dan replies.
“By that deduction, then I’d say Lucy would be next. She’s been pretty out of it, but she’s just as hurt as Austin was.” Sam says.
I let them talk back and forth I’m just having trouble wrapping my head around everything. It doesn’t seem possible that our friends could turn on us at any moment, let alone Lucy. But I reprimand myself, I should know better than anyone that it’s possible. Gabe walks into the room then, and holds up what I assume is the truck keys.
“We can’t take them with us.” He says as soon as he’s close enough to us, so that he can say it quietly.
Dan and Sam both stop talking and just glare at him accusingly. Dan stands up, and looks like he’s about to argue with Gabe, but I cut him off.
“He’s right. It’s only a matter of time before they turn like Matt did. We can’t risk them being in the truck with us.”
All three of them look at me, and I try not to flinch under they’re judging eyes. Only Gabe looks at me with understanding and maybe sympathy. I’m about to stand up, when the lights in the room go out.
Chapter Eighteen
I freeze halfway to my feet, when the room is plunged into darkness.
From the kitchen I can hear some of the others upstairs yell out in surprise. Something touches my left arm, and I yelp in alarm, but it’s just Dan. Gabe chuckles at everyone’s reaction to the lights. I can’t see Sam, but I can feel him moving closer to me. With the lights out, I can hear the dead outside more clearly. I know I can’t actually hear better, but it’s frightening to not be able to see them coming if they do.
Dan’s grip on my arm brings me back to myself.
“We’re running out of time. Whatever the plan is, it should be now.” His voice sounds louder, without the whir of the air conditioner and fridge.
“I hope you’re a good liar Dan, because we need an excuse to leave the others upstairs alone.” As my eyes adjust, I see him back up towards the garage. “I’m going to get some things to load the truck with. Get down here as fast as you guys can.”
Sam and I look to Dan, I guess hoping he’s know what to do next. But he just walks away towards the stairs, and we blindly follow behind. The closer we get to the living room, the cracking sound coming from the windows are much louder, and not just from one window anymore. I try to walk as quietly as I can, as if to not alert them.
When we reach the top of the stairs, a flickering light can be seen from Austin’s room. Dan no sooner has the door completely open, that Maria is running into his arms crying. I walk in behind