Revolution (Collide, #4)(26)

I could hear Marissa trying to stop Franklin's parents from coming in. I could hear Calvin saying, "Ah, man, ah, man," over and over and over again.

As soon as we were done, I left to tell Frank's parents to come in and then went straight to Calvin. He was huddled against a wall with Lana and that dog. She had her arm around his shoulders and his head was resting on his dirty jeaned knees. I sat on his other side and took his hand. He lifted his head. "He ok?"

"Yep. He'll be just fine."

"He was screaming," he whispered.

"It hurts to fix what happened."

"They did that to you, didn't they? When you were scratched. I remember hearing you scream like that."

I turned to see his dirty face, his fingernails caked with grime underneath, his neck lined with sweat and dust. The dog was asleep on his lap. "Yeah, they did that to me, too. I'd have had them do it to me again if I could have kept Frank from having to have it done to him."

"I know you would. I would, too. I feel really guilty."

"Don't. Frank can make his own decisions."

He twisted his lips. "Can I see him now?"

"You can, but he's asleep. Miguel is using the last of our medicine that we stole from the hospital on him, so he'll be asleep for a few days." I sighed and said more to myself than him, "We're going to have to make another run for medicine, too."

"Can I come?"

"Not this time, Calvin," I told him, a bit harshly. "It's too soon. We need to all make a few hard decisions and figure out what we're going to do, but we need to be smart about it. We need to use strategy, not revenge, if we want to keep surviving and beat them one day."

He nodded, "Yeah, ok. I'm gonna go see him now."

"Ok." He laid the dog on the floor and I watched him go, before turning to Lana and signing, 'Poor guy. I wish things were different, Lana. I wish he could be safe.'

She signed back and smiled, 'No one's safe anymore. Even if the Lighters left tomorrow, we still wouldn't be safe. The world will never be the same. All those desperate people will have to try to get their lives back together, like they are trying to do now. Desperation brings out many emotions in people.'

I nodded remembering those people who tried to rob us on the road.

I told her I needed to see about making some dinner and went to do so. There had been no schedules made yet or lists. We really didn't even know how some things were going to be done yet. Like laundry. I guess we were hand washing them in tubs now.

And the food. There was no kitchen, no stove, no sink. We had to cook everything over a fire in a brick pit the guys had made of debris and leftover building supplies. We had a few things to burn, but soon enough, we'd have to start going out to get firewood. And with it being so hot at the moment, it made it pretty toasty in there when I cranked the fire up.

It was an endless cycle of suck.

But we'd get through it. We always did and I had no inclinations to start giving up now. I even managed to snag Mrs. Trudy's apron in the getaway. Wistful was one word to describe my mood as I slipped it on and looked at the five large cans of beans I was about to open and cook. We were all going to turn into beans if we kept this up. Why had Piper gotten rid of the good stuff? Of all the things to leave behind, beans?

I gripped the old metal handheld can opener and went to cranking. Beans and beans and people dying and kids being attacked and beans… Merrick came up behind me and took it from me. "I've got it."

I refused to let go. "No, I've got it."

He put both arms around me from behind. "Baby, let go."

I did and he set it on the counter. I knew what he was doing. I didn't want to be consoled right now. I wanted to stew and be mad. I wanted to throw the can opener across the room and curse and yell.

His arms went around my stomach and he rested his chin on my shoulder. We just sat there for a minute like that, not saying anything. My anger began to melt away and it turned into something else as his skin pulsed electricity through mine. It became calm. Not peace by any means, but calm.

I turned and let him engulf me in his warmth that was warmer than normal, but comforting to me. I let my sigh escape against his chest and his arms tightened. "Better?"

"Yeah," I answered and leaned back a bit. "How did you know?"

He smirked. "That poor can opener was sure getting a workout." He nodded to the can I'd been desecrating. I had kept on going after the top was off and began ripping the liner and grating into the can rim.

I grimaced and felt my nose wrinkle. He ran his finger down the length of it and tapped the end gently. I just let him hold me for a long time. He murmured something about us being ok. I knew it was true.

I had to believe that to be true.



For the next two weeks, we pressed repeat on the days and waited for something. Anything. Our existence had become trivial and innate, primitive and surviving at all costs. We ate our stupid beans, we took our lame bowl baths, we slept in our sleeping bags on the concrete in our little makeshift rooms, we were bored beyond measure.

But we were alive.

Franklin was better and up, but still sore. Calvin never left his side.

The dog was a conundrum. We had no idea how he'd survived when all of the other animals had killed themselves or been killed. Franklin got to name him since he was the one who 'found' him. The dog was aptly titled, Bones, because he was pretty much skin and bones anyway.