"Wow, this place is nice," I say, taking in the room around me.
Margaret smiles at me, slowly walking over to me before looping her arm through mine. "Thanks, Alden."
"Happy to have a place of your own?" Finn says, setting down a box full of random stuff. It is not like any of us have too many personal belongings, and with this house already furnished, it is easy to move Margaret and Mary into this beach house.
"Oh yes," Margaret says, laughing in quiet delight. She seems a little winded from it though, so I help her over to the couch, setting her down before handing her a blanket that had been draped over the back. "Not that I don't love all of you, but I haven't lived on my own since college. It will be nice to have a space that I can call my home."
Nodding my head, I plop down on the other end of the couch, Finn sitting down next to me. "Trust me, I understand. I have lived with room mates my entire life. The only time I had a room to myself was when Anna went off to college."
Margaret seems to catch her breath, making it possible for her to direct us around the house, telling us where she wants things moved. She and Mary had been looking into moving out for a while now, and Alena had been talking to her boyfriend- who happens to be a guard and a doctor- about moving them into one of the empty houses.
This place is perfect. It isn't too far from the center of town but allows them to have their privacy. It is not too big, only two bedrooms and a bathroom, but they don't need more than that. The living room opens up to a balcony, allowing them to have a great view of the beach. The best part of the house, though, is the fact that it was a rental. There is not a chance that an owner may return, seeking to move into their home.
It is only after an hour of moving furniture that Margaret is satisfied and we are able to head out. Bending down, I give Margaret a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She swats me away with a laugh, remarking on how I need to take a shower.
Mary is climbing up the stairs when we clamber outside, hand tight on the rail as she pulls herself up. She just entered the third trimester at twenty-eight weeks, something that has Alena delighted and Mary even quieter than usual.
Apparently, she has not been having an easy pregnancy. Her blood pressure is up, a cause of concern, along with baby already dropping down. Alena had told her to relax more but seeing as she is just coming back from whatever she was doing, she has not been listening.
Immediately, concern and irritation flood through me. We know that she doesn't want the baby, but to completely disregard Alena's words is harmful to the both of them. Before I can say anything, Finn is already stepping towards her, helping her up the last few steps.
"What are you doing out?" he asks, voice soft, yet tight with barely masked frustration. "I thought Alena said you should be relaxing."
Mary just gives an aggravated huff but allows Finn to help her. "I just went to my appointment, that's all."
"I thought Alena said she would come over for the appointments?" I ask, following the two of them inside.
"I needed some air and to stretch my legs," Mary says.
Grinding my teeth, I force myself not to argue with her. It would be no use. She is just as stubborn as the rest of us, if not more. But I know this is tough for her, being pregnant when she does not want to be and having to deal with people constantly checking her over.
"Just take it easy, Mary." She pauses at my words, looking me over. "It is only for a few more months and then we will take the baby out of your hair."
She gives me a small nod, before walking into the house and closing the door behind her. Finn and I are left out on the porch, frustration and exhaustion shared between us.
Walking over to Finn, I wrap my arm around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder as I guide him down the front steps. The days have been getting better, but they are still tiring. Only three months until the new baby comes, making all of us antsy.
Viola has finally grown out of her clingy stage, allowing me and Finn to have the bed to ourselves. Now that Margaret and Mary have moved out, we can rearrange the extra bedroom. The full sized mattress will be moved to the garage for storage while one of the bunk beds will be moved to the room. Olivia and Remy should be able to sleep better without the twins or Viola in the room with them.
With summer finally being here, we have been spending more time outside, too, which has been very nice. Finn still spends a couple hours every day at the school and a few hours on guard duty, but when he comes home, we like to walk down to the beach with the little ones. Viola likes to kick her feet in the water but cries if you attempt to get any other part of her wet. I don't blame her, really. The water is freezing ass cold, despite the fact that we are in California.
Remy loves to play in the water which always gives me a small heart attack when I see him run full speed towards the waves. He has been in time out many times for not waiting for either me or Finn to go with him. It would be so easy for him to be swept away, and with Viola, it makes it harder to keep an eye on him.
The sun has been amazing, though. A warm kiss against the harsh winter we had survived. A few of the residents here had started gardens during the spring, and they have been doing pretty well. Anna has a section of our property gated off, some vegetables and two blueberry bushes growing inside.
It has been amazing, and with the world we live in, I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Whenever something good happens, a terrible thing comes along to destroy it. Like when we found the bed and breakfast. We were there for less than a week before it was ransacked by those mutant monsters.
It does not help that there have been more of the creatures wandering around our town. Usually, they go away on their own if they are not disturbed, but a few of them have been adamant to get in. Luckily, the large wall constructed of tires and mud has been efficient in keeping them out.
If they refuse to go away and start trying to attack the guards, they can be put down with a single shot to the head. I am just happy I don't have to see it. Finn had told me about the one time he had witnessed it. The creature's blood had been black, and it had twitched for a while, seeming to take forever to finally die.
The radio broadcast we have been tuning into has been excellent, as well. More discoveries are being made, but everything is slow going. It just makes every new bit of information we learn that much greater.
The other day, while Viola and Remy had been down for their nap, I was listening to the show. The host is a little crazy sounding, but who isn't crazy in this world we live in? The thing that had caught my attention, though, was how a few people seemed to believe the thinkers- the beasts that had changed while still alive- had the ability to remember their loved ones.
There have been a few reports of the creatures wandering back home, only to attack their family once they arrived. It sounds insane to me, but Finn does not think it is too unlikely. They are sick but not completely brain dead like the trolls. It is possible that they could still have access to some of their memories, but it just doesn't seem probable.
Finn gives my waist a squeeze, pulling me out of my thoughts. Blinking my eyes and looking around, I see that we are at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the house. Finn is watching me, his brows crinkled in concern. I just give my head a slight shake, answering his silent question. The way his brow crinkles even more tells me that he doesn't believe me, but he lets it go.
Walking into the house tells me that our presence had been missed. Anna is swaying side to side, trying to soothe a crying Viola, while Remy and Olivia run around screaming and laughing, bumping into nearly every piece of furniture.
"Jesus, we are gone one hour and total chaos breaks out," I say, stepping over the twins as they fight over a stuffed triceratops. Tears will be coming any minute now.
Finn scoops up Remy and Olivia, making them both laugh as he blows raspberries on their bellies. The crying is starting to make my ears ring, so I quickly take Viola from a haggard looking Anna.
"Thank god you guys are back. I don't know how much longer I could have gone with all of them." She collapses against the couch, wild blonde hair scattered across the cushions. The twins take the opportunity to crawl over to her, whining to be picked up. They are just starting to get really worked up when she manages to pull them up, and they start pulling at her shirt.
Anna started the process of weaning them, but they have been clinging pretty hard to nursing. My sister doesn't look up for a fight at the moment, though. With a weary sigh, she scoops them both in her arms, walking back to her bedroom.
"I'll be out in a little bit," she calls over her shoulder, before closing the bedroom door behind her.
Viola is still snuffling against my shoulder, so I go into the kitchen to make her a quick bottle. She is very particular about her bottle, wanting it to be the perfect temperature. Luckily, I have months of practice preparing it. Looking into the sink, I see that there is a half empty bottle sitting inside. Anna had probably tried to make her one, but Viola had refused it.
Once the bottle is prepared, I carry us back to the couch. Viola leans against my chest while she eats, one hand on the bottle and the other wrapped around one of my fingers. To think that in just a few months, there will be another baby is hard to believe. It is hard for me to imagine how Viola will react. She has had me and Finn to herself for most of her life and gets cranky whenever we hold another baby for too long.
She is just starting to fall asleep against me when the community radio crackles to life.
"All guards, please report to the front gate. I repeat, all guards are to report to the front gate immediately."
Nothing comes after that, but I am immediately standing up, Viola whining from me jostling her.
"Finn," I call out, jogging to the back room. He is playing on the ground with Olivia and Remy, looking over at me when he hears my panicked voice. The worry must be showing on my face, because he immediately stands up, quickly closing the distance between us.
"What's wrong?" he asks, eyes running up and down my body, reflexively checking for injury before meeting my eyes again.
"The radio," I say, causing Finn's brow to crinkle in confusion. "A call came over the radio for all guards to report to the front gate. Something is going on, something bad if they need everyone."
His eyes widen marginally. "Something to do with the beasts, probably a horde approaching." He bends down, giving me a chaste kiss, before stepping around me. "Stay here with the kids and lock all the doors. Don't let anyone in until I get back."
Usually, I would snap back at him, not liking people telling me what to do, but this is serious. This is our home; the place I can't imagine leaving. If there are enough creatures out there for the main guards to call everyone in, then we are definitely under attack.
Finn grabs the gun he had picked up from that fallen police officer all those months ago from the safe. Already dread is settling inside me. Seeing him with a weapon reminds me of the times we were barely surviving, constantly running and never having enough to eat.
"Stay safe," I whisper. Finn steps up to me, cradling my cheek with his hand and leaning down to give me a soft kiss. Too soon for my liking, he is stepping away again, walking into a dangerous situation while I stay behind, again. It feels as if he is always running into dangerous situations while I sit back in safety. But as Viola starts to whine in my arms, not stopping until she is tucked against my chest, I realize that it isn't just me Finn is trying to keep safe this time.