I'M AWAKE

Kids really did ask the best questions; grown ups were so boring, only asking what you did for work, if you had a family. Kids were so much more interesting to talk to. "Snapdragons," Tallulah answered easily. "When they dry up, they look like little skulls, and I always thought that was really cool. Star lilies are really pretty, too. What about you, Cody? What's your favorite flower?"

Snapdragons and star lilies, Cody made a mental note of that, storing it away in his head as if he'd written it in the margins of a book.

He tilted his head thoughtfully and tapped his chin. "I like a lot of flowers," he answered. "They come in all shapes and sizes and colors, just like butterflies. But I think my favorites are milkweed and lavender."

He'd have to teach Cody too. That'd be fun, he thought. He could teach him other things too.

As he was making his way back to his kitchen to give and get an update on the younger boy, he caught the sound of the walker woman fingers and nails hitting the glass. Immediately, the older child stepped up, putting himself between Cody and the walker. He inspected the door and window, judging that it would hold up against a couple of walkers.

There was window above the sink. It took some effort for the smaller boy to open it, and he almost slipped on the metal when it finally gave. He crouched and clutched the mug like a baseball, hurling it across the deck and into the yard.

"Salv-age-able," Cody said very slowly, trying hard not to stumble over himself. Some words were just hard for him. He was only 8. "That's true. I stayed there a couple days." He took another sip, trying to be quiet and listen for any noises upstairs. "D'you think this house is a good spot to hide out in?" Cody asked conversationally, but he followed Logan's suit and looked around as he spoke, searching for any evidence of the dead.

"Good job." Logan gave the younger boy an approving smile, doing his best to mimic what he remembered mom doing for him. The kid was obviously very smart, how else did he survive so long by himself.

He frowned thoughtfully as he considered Cody's words, shuffling his backpack to its original position on his back and reaching for his knife.

With the kitchen secured, Cody fell back into his silent, slinking ways. He'd learned by now how to toe-walk without making a sound. Ignoring the fridge, he climbed onto the counters to check the cabinets, listening out for Logan's whistling that told Cody where he was elsewhere in the house.

Bitter. Sweet. Bittersweet.

A little boy, left alone in a house long enough to run out of food. . . Tallulah decided then and there that she hated the humans who had been in charge of him. "Well. . . You won't have to worry about that anymore. If you want, you can stay with me. I promise that the kitchen won't ever run out." She'd get whatever he wanted to stock her fridge and cupboards.

A small, knowing smile tugged at the corners of his lips, though there was a hint of sadness that reached his eyes instead. He took another sip of his drink to distract his own expressions. They all said things like that, and it always ended the same. Cody, alone once more, almost as if the grown ups had never existed at all were it not for the evidence they left behind: garbage not taken out, laundry half-washed, shoes left by the front door. Always his own fault. It was his curse, he had decided.

Cody shrugged. "I had the house to myself. It was a nice house. I only left 'cause the kitchen ran out." He said it so casually, like it had happened before. And it had. He'd lasted longer there this time, learning since the last that some food went bad quicker than others. And the Hobsons had had a bigger, more well-stocked kitchen than the Clemenses.