Page 61

“Okay, but why only for me?” Kelly asks, looking genuinely confused.

“Because we want to help protect the baby as best as we can,” Mary answers.

“Well, that doesn't change the fact that we all need food, Mary, so your idea had better be good enough to feed everyone,” Julie snarls. I can't help but notice Julie's little power play with Mary is back again.

“Julie, let’s hear what she has to say. She’s right; we do need to make sure the baby is healthy,” I say. I can't help but notice as Julie sucks in a breath and clenches her jaw.

“Thanks, Theo,” says Tyler, and I watch him give Julie an agitated look.

“My idea isn't going to please everyone, and it might not even satisfy Kelly,” Mary responds.

“Alright, what is it?” Julie asks.

“The baby formula. I know there isn’t much, and Kelly should be able to nurse once the baby is born, but we should save most of it in case she can’t. If your timing was right and you think you got pregnant in June, which, by the looks of your stomach, I’d say it is, then you will be having the baby sooner rather than later, and he or she will need to eat. Since the formula is powder, maybe we can melt some snow and store it as a backup. The formula will give you enough nutrients to keep you and the baby healthy,” says Mary.

“What about the rest of us?” asks Cyrus. Even though he doesn't talk much, knowing he was all buddy-buddy with Brent and Logan makes me not trust him. The way he lifts his brows when he asks irritates me, and I am already on edge after everything that just happened.

“I just said we will have to figure it out; the formula is for Kelly and the baby. Is that clear?” I say.

“Yes, sir. I was just asking,” says Cyrus, now with a softer tone.

“Listen, this is a stressful situation for all of us. But I will do my best to help us find a solution to the food problem,” I say loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “With that in mind, if I catch any of you even getting close to the baby formula that Mary has stored away, I will cut off your hands and kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?”

The entire room begins nodding, and I catch Kelly lowering her head. I get that she may be embarrassed, but I don’t care. That baby is my niece or nephew, and is my responsibility too.

In the back of the room, Amy, a younger girl who rarely talks, speaks up. Like everyone else, she wears multiple layers of clothing that have begun to tear and are heavily soiled. “What are we going to do about the heat? It’s getting colder, and I can't stop shivering no matter how many layers of clothes I put on.”

I study Amy for a moment. She is always so shy and quiet that I never really paid any attention to her, but now that she has my attention, I notice her pale skin appears almost bloodless, and her lips are turning purple. I glance at the others, then back to her, noticing she is by far the smallest and most petite of the remaining people.

“That's a good question. And I agree, it does seem like it’s getting colder. I'll figure something out; give me a second to think about what we can do.” I say, looking around the room for anything that could help us stay warm.

I look back behind me and only see the destroyed atrium and Brent's body, which has almost stopped swinging. “Let's go back to the medical center and find a room where we can try to contain our body heat,” I tell everyone, making my way past them to the stairs.

37

TYLER

We stay close as we climb the stairs. As we walk, we pass the same area where I found Julie just moments earlier. I stop and stare at the wooden board leaning against the hole. The rest of the group continues without noticing I’ve stopped. Kelly also stops when she realizes I’m no longer beside her. Soon after, Sara and Chris stop as well, like a domino effect.

“Babe, what are you doing?” Kelly asks.

“Has anyone been on the 7th floor since we boarded the ship?” I ask.

“No. Theo said to stay off that floor, it's dangerous,” answers Chris.

“There is nothing in there; it's all unfinished. And it's most likely even colder without finished walls. Come on, babe, let's go; I’m cold, and my feet are really starting to hurt,” says Kelly, rubbing her belly. I agree that it's most likely freezing in there. Although I can't shake the thought that someone has been in there, I’m too cold to think about it now. And as Kelly said, it's most likely too cold for someone to be going in there.

Once we are inside the medical center, Mary is over at the closet holding the cans of powdered baby formula. She makes her way back out to the center of the room and meets us. We stay close together, trying to keep our body heat contained.

“Hey, Theo, where is the area that stores all the childcare items?” asks Mary.

“If there is anything, it would be in the daycare on the 4th floor, near the customer service desk.” Theo scratches his beard, as if he is thinking about something. “Why do you ask? Isn’t that where all the baby formula came from?”

“I guess. But I’ve never been there. Someone brought it all to me months ago. I'm asking because we have all the formula, but we don't have any baby bottles to use after the baby is born.” I look around the room, curious if anyone else is listening in like I am. We are all huddled close together to save heat, so they must at least hear the conversation. I spot Julie—her eyes are locked on Mary as she speaks to Theo. I honestly don’t understand why Julie has turned into such a bitch lately. I mean, she has always been a bitch to me, but why be a bitch to Mary? She is the only one helping all of us.

“I'll have someone go check to see if there are any in there,” responds Theo.

“I can do it,” Mary replies.