Page 51 of Ash Fall

That word, community means something to me. My parents built one without ever calling it that. Sunday dinners, open doors, extra chairs, boys who weren't technically family becoming family anyway. I look around at the people standing in this gravel yard, and maybe surviving this isn't about making our group smaller and locking everyone else out. Maybe it's about deciding who we can safely make room for. Thinking about it that way gives me hope as much as it scares me.

"Okay," Gage says. "We stay open to adding people, but carefully."

Jules sighs heavily. "I hate democracy."

"You'll survive," Reid tells him.

"Debatable."

Anders points at the barn. "Good. Now that we've solved civilization, let's load cattle."

Everyone starts moving. Gage catches my hand before I can follow, and I turn back. His thumb presses against the center of my palm. "You good?"

That question again. The answer is I don’t know. Five minutes ago, I was at my job in the restaurant and now I have magical glowstick abilities, I’m leaving the home I grew up in to seek shelter from a giant ash cloud with my grandmother, four men who have been my world for the past two years, my ex, and a flock of chickens. Totally normal Tuesday, right?

"Ask me in a month."

His mouth lifts. "Deal."

He releases me and follows Anders toward the barn. I stand there for another second before something beside the barn catches my eye. There’s a planter on an old wooden bench near the door with a small green plant drooping over one side, it’s leaves yellow and curled at the edges.

Anders passes it on his way in. His fingers brush one of the leaves.

I almost miss it when the stem straightens and I’m not sure at first. A science class timelapse video plays in front of me and I can see the curled leaves open flat and go a darker green from the base outward. Dampness spreads through the soil around the stem until it goes black.

Anders keeps walking without seeming to notice any of it.

"Did you see that?"

Gage turns back. "See what?"

The plant sits there, perfectly ordinary and perfectly healthy, and nothing else happens.

"Umm, maybe nothing."

Gage studies me for a second, then jerks his chin toward the barn. "Come on, sweetheart. You wanted a survival compound. Time to meet the cows."

"I absolutely never said I wanted a survival compound."

"Too late, I can’t return it."

From inside the barn, Reid suddenly yells, "OH MY GOD, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU?"

Everyone in the yard freezes as a chorus of chickens start squawking. Penny barks with pure joy and Reid says, louder this time with an edge of desperation to it, "PENNY. PENNY, WHISPER!"

I close my eyes, and start laughing because what else am I going to do?

Chapter 22 - Jules

Reid's horrified yell carries out of the barn, followed by a burst of chickens losing their tiny fucking minds. Penny barks over the top of all of it, convinced she has discovered the greatest place on earth.

"PENNY. PENNY, WHISPER!"

I close my eyes for a second and fight a smile. My best friend probably needs rescuing before all the farm animals and one overly enthusiastic golden retriever drive him insane, but Gage is already heading into the barn with Anders, so I’ll let them handle that. Torrin follows behind them, laughing, while Luna stays in the yard with her hands over her mouth. I can see the conflict on her face that’s half amusement and half concern for him.

We have a lot to get done before we leave this farm, and standing here enjoying Reid's descent into animal-induced madness isn't on the list. I turn toward the pile of supplies beside the trailer and reach for a plastic tote.

"Julian."