The Infected: What Happened to David Price (6)

six: we have visitors


I can't open the can of beans with this stupid can opener. The screw rusted a few years ago and mom never changed it. Now I'm struggling to open our last can of food before we are forced to go seeking for more. We avoided going outside now for the past three weeks, rationning what little food was left in the house before the world turned to shit.

I see the changes already in my body but I've prioritzed Greta's appetite over mind and she seems to have taken less of a hit. Her cheeks are still full, they haven't begun to cave in just yet.

As Greta looks on with eager eyes, I finally manage to turn the crank and begin to slice the lid off our delicious can of green beans.

"I promise we'll go out for food tomorrow. It's too dark out now. I knew we should have went earlier."

Greta puts her hand on my arm - without a doubt to reassure me - and when I look at her she has a smile.

"It's okay David. You're doing great so far."

I can't help but to grin myself. Greta hasn't officially told me but I know she forgives me for what I did to our family. Deep down she understands what I had to do now. The risks and perils have finally sunk in. She gets it.

"Okay, you put the plates on the table, I'll go rinse the beans in the bathroom" I say, and leave the kitchen.

I'm in the bathroom for a mere minute before Greta appears at the door with a certain fear in her eyes.

"Greta, what is it?"

"There are people on the front lawn. They're installing stuff on the grass, I saw them David. I swear they're there, it's not like last time. David, they aren't...infected."

She blurts out everything so fast that I barely take it all in. A week ago she had been sure there was some of them outside but when I got up to check the lawn was clear. This didn't seem like a repeated incident.

"How many people are there?" I drop the can of beans in the sink and kneel down to Greta's height.

She stops to think. "Four, there's four of them. And David..."

What has she forgotten to say, now? "Yes, Greta..."

"One of them - um, the woman - is Charlotte Olsen's mother."

"What? Are you sure?" Hearing Charlotte's name makes my heart jump into a frenzy. My mind races a mile a minute, trying to search the database of memories for anything and everything Charlie. I miss her so much.

"It was her, David. What do they want?" I didn't pick up on it earlier - I should have - but now I hear the fright in her voice.

"I don't know," I answer and grab the beans out of the sink, "but let's wait to see what their up to before we do anything, okay. We'll go have supper in the basement."

She nods and walks off towards the staircase. I linger in the bathroom for a minute, thinking of what we should do next and when my mind is set I join Greta downstairs for an awesome meal of cold grean beans.