Chapter 8.4

On her way back, Randy and Neil appeared at the edge of the clearing. They gave her such a fright that she jerked backwards almost tripping over her own feet.

“Sorry,” said Neil. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Just jumpy,” Georgi said. Her face started to burn.

Randy looked up at the treehouse.

“What are they doing?” he asked.

“They are restin’,” Georgi said, trying to edge past him.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. “Resting? They didn’t do anything,” he said.

“I am going to check the creek,” Sensing a fight brewing, Neil made a strategic exit.

“Alex needs to come out of that treehouse,” said Randy.

“Let her be,” Georgi said furiously shaking off his hand. “She’s scared! YOU killed a man here!”

“A zombie. Not a man! I’d do it again to protect her and you and even Rosemarie,” growled Randy.

Her fists clenched. She wanted to punch him in the face. She wanted to run him off. But they needed him and fighting with him wasn't going to do any good.

She took a breath. “I know,” she said much softer. “She needs time.”

He grumbled and turned back to the woods.

“Randy,” Georgi called after him. “Why don’t you go huntin’?”

He looked back at her the patches of red on his neck darkening.

“We could use the meat,” she said. “We need to save the canned goods for tougher times.”

He nodded and continued to the cabin.

“Could you let the stairs down, sweetie?” Georgi called up to Alex.

The little girl looked over the railing and nodded. The stairs came down.

Murphy whined. Georgi could see that Rosemarie was in no shape to let him down. After dropping off her load, Georgi carried him down the stairs. He wiggled out of her arms and ran to the nearest tree. She settled herself back in the treehouse to work on sketching ideas. She had to keep her mind occupied or she would think about Mark. She felt her eyes starting to prickle. I didn’t want to go there, she thought.

Georgi looked at the distance from where they were in the treehouse to the window of the cabin and an idea of a rope bridge came to mind. If they could build it, Alex wouldn't have to worry about going downstairs to get into the cabin. Thanks to Randy and his drunken scavenging, they had some rope.

Well, he gets things right sometimes, she thought as she sketched.

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