What Comes After | ✔️

Chapter 17

August 22

There was a knock on the door in the morning.

"Who is it?" I whispered to Mom and Dad.

They were in the kitchen, making some string bean and corn soup since they claimed that they had a stomach ache and wanted all of us to eat something more lightweight, but we all knew that they were trying to save food, at least until the greenhouse came online.

Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other.

"Looters?" Mom whispered.

"Maybe," Dad said. "Or maybe it's Leon."

Mira walked into the room. "Leon? He's here?"

"Shh," Dad said. "We don't know. It could be looters too or some other bad person."

"Why would looters knock on our door?" she asked. "If they wanted to loot, they would just break through our windows."

"Do we have an escape plan?" May asked as she crawled into the room. "Today's not my day either."

"We can—" Mom said before there was another knock on the door.

Everyone froze and for a second, it was like time had paused, the gray skies unmoving and all of us staring at each other, eyes rimmed with various levels of fear.

"Backdoor," Mom said. "We can hopefully sneak around them and get to the van. There might be a little bit of gas in it, so we can get at least a couple of miles of separation."

"What if they have people in our backyard already?" May asked.

"Then, we've already lost," Mom said. "So get to run. And in the meantime, remember where you guys were when Leon came, and we thought he was dangerous."

May nodded vigorously while Mira and I gave her weird looks. Mom continued, "All of you guys can hide behind there."

"You too," Dad said to Mom. "In case I don't make it. We're still going to need someone to take care of our kids."

"No," Mom said. "I have to back you up. The both of us will have a better chance against them, and maybe we'll give Mira and Neal and May a better shot."

"I'll answer the door," Mira said. "I need to know. Please."

"No," Dad said. "I'll answer it. It's better if a man—"

"That's so sexist, Dad," Mira said.

"That's society." Dad sighed and looked at her. "If it's Leon, we'll all know, but if it isn't, maybe you'll be able to get a better chance of seeing him again if I answer."

So Mira, May, and I hid behind the counter as Mom and Dad, armed with axes, answered the door.

"Who is it?" Dad asked with a gruff, rough voice, probably for intimidation, as he stared through the peephole before turning back and mouthing to Mom and all of us. "They've got big guns. Not Leon."

Mom tightened her grip on the axe as Mira's face fell, the dust-tinged joy on her face crumbling into ashy fear. I suddenly remembered something. "What about Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Oh, shoot!" Mira said. "I forgot about them. I'll sneak out and inform them."

"Hurry up," May pleaded. "We don't have much time."

Mira sneaked into the other room as those people introduced themselves as "Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, neighbors from a couple blocks down."

'What are you here for?" Dad asked.

"It'll be better if we can talk face-to-face," Mr. Shepard said. "It'll make explaining what we're doing much easier."

"Put your guns down," Mom shouted and Dad flashed her a look, but she ignored him. "Not on the floor but on the base of the staircase of the porch. And all your other weapons too, if you have them."