Page 65
“We have all the broken furniture we can burn,” says Theo.
“We also have all the books in the library,” says Mary, and I can't help but notice that when she says it, she is staring at me. I give her a dirty look.
“We are not burning the books,” I snap in reply.
“Let's start by burning the broken furniture. Everyone, walk around the ship, gather as much wood as you can, and bring it back here. Tonight, we’ll have heat,” Theo shouts eagerly. The room erupts in celebration.
40
THEO
Within minutes, sections of broken furniture start coming through the medical center's door. Behind the help desk in the back room, Tyler, Xander, and I use axes to dismantle the stone wall facade. After removing all the pieces, we carry them to the patio and place them in a circle on the deck, creating a barrier to prevent the fire from spreading or burning through. Once the fire area is constructed with multiple layers of stone, we rush back inside to escape the freezing weather. After our hands warm slightly, we go back outside to carefully place the broken furniture pieces in the fire pit. I look up while we are setting all the pieces and see the rest of the group watching us through the glass doors. It doesn’t take all three of us to set the wood in place, and Xander insists he and Tyler can finish it. I try to stay and help, but Tyler insists I go inside. I step back inside and instantly hear a loud voice coming from the back of the room. It's Cyrus.
“How will we heat the stones? Has anyone considered it?” he asks.
Heads turn, scanning the room for an answer. Silence falls when no one responds, and the question hangs in the air.
“We could use the grates from the fire pit,” replies Karissa. Before I can share my thoughts, Sara cuts in.
“That's a great idea. Who do you want to take with you to get them?”
I can’t help but notice that Sara volunteered Karissa to make the trek instead of doing it herself. I stay quiet, more interested in how the situation will unfold.
“Umm, I guess anyone who wants to go can go,” Karissa responds, sounding a bit surprised.
“I’ll go with you,” says Chris, right beside me. “I'm not sure how to get there, so I'll follow you.”
“Okay, that’s fine,” answers Karissa, gathering more clothes to layer on.
“Thank you, Chris,” says Sara, and she gives him a kiss.
As Karissa and Chris leave, I look around the room, and my eyes land on Kelly as she opens a can of baby formula. An audible pop echoes through the room. Everyone turns to see where it came from. Like zombies, we watch completely mesmerized as Kelly scoops the powdered formula into a cup, then adds a little water. No one moves or makes a sound during the entire process. It's been almost three days since anyone has had anything to eat or drink, and hunger is setting in with a vengeance.
“Can you not do that in front of us?” shouts Amy from the back. Kelly’s face instantly turns red and she puts her head down. I’m also a little shocked because Amy rarely speaks.
A cold breeze from the open door to the patio sweeps in as Tyler and Xander step inside, sending a chill down my spine.
“I'm sorry,” says Kelly softly, and I hear the fear in her voice.
“The least you could do is take it somewhere else. If I had known that spreading my legs would have gotten me priority at mealtime, I’d have fucked my way up the food chain too,” Amy says, directly to Kelly.
“Hey now, what’s going on here?” I say.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” responds Kelly.
“Who the hell do you think you are, talking to her like that?” Tyler shouts at Amy.
“Tyler, it’s okay. I'm sorry, everyone. We have about four cans of baby formula I can share, I really don’t mind,” Kelly says loudly. I can still hear her voice trembling with fear.
“I said no! The formula is to keep you and the baby healthy. I am not going to say it again,” I growl.
“I can solve that problem,” Amy shouts, and I watch her look toward the wall where the stone wall has been deconstructed.
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Sara asks from across the room in a tone I haven’t heard from her before. It’s a little frightening. Amy doesn't answer and slowly walks away.
“Everyone needs to calm down. We have to stay together to keep warm if we are going to get through the next couple of days. It's the end of February, and the temperatures should start to rise soon. When they do, hopefully the fish will begin biting again,” I say.
“Shut the fuck up with your bullshit,” shouts Amy.
